Sapporo Snow Festival

Sapporo Snow Festival: Amazing display of snow statues and ice sculptures in Japan

Ngan Kin Jeh

Ngan Kin Jeh: Chinese vegetarian festival in Thailand

Go swimming in the world's deepest lake, Lake Baikal, Russia

Located in Siberia, Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world with its depths sinking over one mile below the surface. One-fifth of the world's freshwater is housed in this lake. Lake Baikal is also the world's oldest lake and its isolated location has led to some unusual freshwater fauna, leading to its being known as the ‘Galapagos of Russia'. The lake is also a great place for swimming, but be warned, Siberian summers are not known for their longevity. The most popular way to access the lake is the Trans-Siberian Railway which makes a scenic loop around the lake.

Lake Baikal is currently under threat from local lumber and fossil fuel industries. But there is something you can do about it. The Great Baikal Trail is an international volunteer-driven non-profit organization promoting sustainable development of Lake Baikal through low-impact ecotourism. Currently they're building a network of hiking trails around the lake in an effort to supply more revenue to the region through earth-friendly tourism. And like any non-profit group they always need donations and volunteers. Visit their website to find out ways you can help.

http://www.greatbaikaltrail.org/index_en.html

See the pandas in their natural habitat in Sichuan, China

In the over populated ever expanding country of China, Sichuan is one of the few wildlife refuges. Stamping ground to over 80% of the world's Giant Pandas, it is also the botanically richest site of any temperate region in the world. At the moment the site is still a little hard to get to, it's located near the city of Chengdu, but future development plans are in the works to make it tourist friendly while retaining its ecologically sound state. River rafting, rock-climbing and bungee-jumping are all things in the lineup.

See humanity at its worst at the Killing Fields in Cambodia

A long time ago (the 1970's) an entire country's population was terrorized by starvations, work camps, & mass executions while the world stood idly by. The Khmer Rouge regime ruled Cambodia for a short time in the 1970's, & their attempts at forming a Communist peasant farming society resulted in the deaths of 25% of the nation's population, & turned Phnom Penh into a literal ghost town. Things are much changed since then but the solemnity of the killing fields remains the same. A shady piece of land on the outskirts of Phnom Penh where so many countless thousands found their end. Not much is left there today, but a visit to the site might change your perspective on the inherent good of humanity.