Portugal, Malaysia, New Zealand, Estonia, Taiwan, and The Canadian Badlands

It's time for another postcard update. Today's cards are from Portugal, Malaysia, New Zealand, Estonia, Taiwan and Canada. All cards are from Postcrossers with the exception of the Canada card. That one is from Me. Without further ado, let's get it going.

Today's first card from from Sintra, Portugal. It provides us a look at a cove on Sao Miguel , in the Azores. A pretty nice place to come ashore. Sao Miguel Island, nicknamed "The Green Island"is the largest and most populous island in the Portugeuse Azores archipelago. The island has around 140,000 people of which 45,000 are located in the largest city ion the archipelago: Ponta Delgado.
A stamp that should be in many topical collections was used, a 2010 bird stamp from a set of 4 issued for International Year of Biodiversity.

Now let's look at a card from Malaysia. On it we see a white-bellied sea Eagle swooping down to catch a small fish. The stamp is from a set of 8 Bird definitives issued in 2005.

My third card is a map card from New Zealand. Have a look at it, it is a little strange with New Zealand on the top of the world. I guess New Zealanders have their own way of looking at the world and their place in it. As it says on the front of the card, "When everything goes arse up, NZérs come out on top ". Graham , who sent this card, wrote "Only convention says North is up, so here we have a true perspective of the world". Graham used 3 face different stamps from a 2007 definitive set of 7.

Card # 4 - comes from Estonia. Oksana sent this multi-view card of her country. I don't have a lot to say about this card , other than she used 3 nice stamps. The large bird stamp on the left was issued in 2004 and is a White Stork. The large Swan stamp was issued in 2007 and the small flower stamp was also issued 2007.

The card from Taiwan is entitled "Bits of Old Hong Kong ". The "Glimpses of Hong Kong" exhibition series at Hong Kong International Airport demonstrates a glimpse behind the development of Hong Kong in various aspects through the years. The current exhibition is "Bits of Old Hong Kong ", a retrospective of the first hundred years following the colonization of Hong Kong. The exhibition is presented by Hong Kong International Airport, In collaboration with The Leisure and Cultural Services Department and supported by The Hong Kong Museum of History. Is it possible to mention the city's name any more often than I have ?
The insect stamp is from 2011 and is from a set of 4 . The flower stamp, from 2009 is from a set of 4.


Finally the last card. From Canada, showing the location of The Canadian Badlands Passion Play. The Passion Play is performed in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada yearly in July. In a hidden valley stage, hundreds of actors and musicians re-tell the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Within the valley walls the entire nation of Israel comes to life. Whether you go for the beautiful artistry, the intimate story, or the spiritual meaning, the Canadian Badlands Passion Play is an unforgettable experience. A souvenir sheet of 2 stamps commemorating the U.N.'s International Year of Forests was used.
The two stamp issue speaks to both the diversity and intrinsic value of Canada's forests. This sheet of 2 stamps was issued April 21, 2011 and is indeed postmarked or cancelled on that date, making it a First Day of Issue postcard.

That's the update for this time. Tune in again soon. Leave a comment if you have one.
Take care.