Robe is a small coastal town on South Australia’s Limestone Coast, overlooking Guichen Bay between long beaches, low dunes, lakes, and rocky headlands. Its setting combines a working fishing community with a historic town center containing numerous heritage-listed buildings. Robe developed as a port serving the pastoral districts of the southeast, and its maritime character remains visible around the harbor and waterfront.
Amboy is a small desert community in San Bernardino County, California, located along the historic U.S. Route 66 in the Mojave Desert. The settlement sits near Amboy Crater, a broad volcanic cinder cone rising from a largely open lava field. Its isolated location and surviving roadside structures provide a clear sense of the distances once traveled by motorists crossing the desert.
El Paso, located in far western Texas along the Rio Grande, is a vibrant border city that blends American, Mexican, and Native American cultures. Its location at the meeting point of Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua, Mexico, has shaped a rich cultural tapestry, visible in its architecture, cuisine, and community traditions. El Paso’s history stretches from indigenous settlements to Spanish colonial influence, all of which contribute to the city’s unique identity.
Jordan Valley is a small community in southeastern Oregon near the Idaho border, surrounded by the open high-desert landscape of Malheur County. The area is characterized by sagebrush plains, dry hills, rocky ridges, and wide views across a sparsely populated region. Jordan Creek runs through the valley, providing a natural feature in an otherwise arid environment. The community developed as a ranching and agricultural center and remains closely connected to the surrounding range country. Its re
Lisse is a small town in the Bollenstreek flower-growing region of South Holland, situated between Haarlem and Leiden. It is closely associated with bulb cultivation, particularly tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths, and its surrounding countryside is characterized by broad fields that change color with the flowering season. The town itself contains a compact center of shops, cafés, churches, and traditional Dutch buildings, while the surrounding landscape is largely agricultural.
Photo Credit: Photo by Rinaldo Wurglitsch from Wikimedia
For a small country, Ecuador has more varied climatic zones than anywhere in the world. From Salinas, a favorite beach resort on the southern coast, one can go in one day from tropical beaches to semi-arid desert to impenetrable Amazon basin rain forest to the spring-like high altiplano to the soaring snow-capped mountain peaks of the Andean Cordillera. The area around Salinas was once home to the ancient Mocha culture. Archeologists have discovered exquisite examples of pottery and jewelry in Mocha gravesites.
Other Popular Destinations in Ecuador
Galapagos Islands
Off the coast of Ecuador, the iconic and biodiverse Galápagos Islands, made famous by Charles Darwin’s nineteenth-century research expeditions on HMS Beagle, beckon you. This glittering archipelago, surrounded by vivid turquoise waves, abounds with stunning beaches and spectacular wildlife, perfect for the adventurous traveler.
Guayaquil
Guayaquil, Ecuador, is a vibrant port city and a frequent starting point for cruises to the Galapagos Islands.