Bamboo Woods, Fraser Island, Inishmore, Happy Easter, A Maori Warrior and Phi Phi Islands

Here we go again with a few cards to look at , all of which arrived while I was away. Interestingly, all of them are from Postcrossers. These cards come from japan, Australia, Ireland, Finland, New Zealand, and Thailand.

Let's start with the card from Japan. Mie sent it from Kyoto which she says was Japan's capital and the emperor's residence from 794-1868. On Mie's card we can see an area of bamboo woods, located in the southwest of Kyoto. This wooded hill is famous for the production of bamboo shoots. Mie used the larger of 5 stamps in a 2010 souvenir sheet issued for the Kouchi Government.

Now for a card from Fraser Island , Queensland, Australia. Fraser Island stretches over 123 kilometres in length and 22 kilometres at its widest point. With an area of 184 000 hectares it is the largest sand island in the world. Fraser Island is the only place in the world where tall rain forests are found growing on sand dunes at elevations of over 200 metres.Fraser Island was added to the UNESCO World Heritage site list in 1992. The card shows a wild dingo on the beach at the wreck site of the Maheno, which drifted ashore and beached on July 9, 1935. The stamp on this one is a 2009 International Post rate showing a Koala.

Next up is Ireland. Asia sent the card and offers greetings from Inishmore, the largest of three Aran Islands in Galway Bay, off the west coast of Ireland. On Asia's card we see Dun Aonghasa, the most famous of several prehistoric forts on the Aran Islands. It is located on Inishmore, at the edge of a 100 metre cliff. It is not known exactly when it was built, but some surmise that it was built in the 2nd century BC. It is a pretty cool looking place and one that I wouldn't mind visiting. The stamp is from a set of 3 Wild Flowers issued in 2008.

Now for a very time appropriate card . It comes from Finland and wishes Happy Easter. Thea card shows us a young lady arranging flowers in a large egg. Quite timely as I write this late on Good Friday evening , just two days before Easter Sunday. The small stamp on the left is from the 2008 Water and Landscapes set and the larger stamp, is1 of 2 stamps in a 2004 World Heritage souvenir sheet.
Just 2 cards to go, so stick with me here. New Zealand is next with a card postmarked in Auckland. On it we get a good look at a Maori Warrior, performing the Wero or traditional challenge , in Rotorua. Marta used a 2010 Christmas stamp, 1 of 5 in a set. This one celebrates 50 years of Christmas stamps.Finally the card from Thailand. On it we can see , what looks like a paradise, at least to me. Maya Bay, Phi Phi Islands.There are six islands in the group known as Phi Phi. They lie 50 km south-east of Phuket and are part of Hadnopparattara-Koh Phi Phi National Park which is home to an abundance of corals and marine life. There are limestone mountains with cliffs, caves and long white sandy beaches. Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le are the largest and most well-known islands. Phi Phi Don is 28 sqkm: 8 km in length and 3.5 km wide. Phi Phi Le is 6.6 km.

The islands came to worldwide prominence when Ko Phi Phi Leh was used as a location for the 2000 film The Beach . The film's release was attributed to an increase in tourism to the islands. Phi Phi Leh also houses the 'Viking Cave', from which there is a thriving bird's nest soup industry.

KoPhi Phi was devastated by the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004, when nearly all of the island's infrastructure was destroyed. As of 2010^[update] most, but not all, of this has been restored.
I don't know who sent this card, other than it was a Postcrosser, but I do know that great stamps were used. The three top stamps are from a 2011 set of 8 entitled The Eight Immortals, sadly I only received 3. The long stamp on the right is from 2011 and celebrates the 150th anniversary of Charoen Krung Road. The small stamp, bottom right was issued in 2010 in a set of 6 Greeting stamps.

That about wraps it up for this time. Have a great weekend and tune in again soon.
Thanks for reading. Your comments are welcomed.