Curacao: Willemstad’s Historic Waterfront
Willemstad is the capital of Curacao, the capital city of the “C” in the “ABC” islands of the Netherlands Antilles (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao). Two old center sections of the city – Punda and Otrabunda – are separated by Sint Anna Bay and are dotted with multi-colored houses. Both sides of he river are designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One can cross the river by a ferry or a pontoon bridge.
Canada: Polar Bears in Churchill
Churchill is a small town in Canada located on the shore of the Hudson Bay, it is a place with one of the highest concentration of polar bears in the world and probably the easiest place to see them. You can drive out into the tundra on your own (not really a good idea since the polar bears are quite aggressive when hungry) or board a tundra buggy and roam the tundra in a massive 4WD. While bears concentrate on the shores of Hudson Bay for about two weeks in the early November, you have a chance to see them in the hundreds as they roam the shore. They come up close to the vehicles, stand up and look straight at you. One can also spot mothers with adolescents. As the ice firms up, the bear leave the shore for the open water and start hunting seals. Diminishing ice as a result of the global warming is a threat to the bears’ habitat.
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