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3 Cultural Facts/Highlights:

1. The city’s souks (markets) are a major part of daily life. Artisans sell handmade goods.

2. Serving mint tea is a traditional gesture of welcome and respect. Very delicious!

3. Morocco is a culturally diverse country where several languages are spoken. Arabic is the official language, and French is spoken in daily life as well. I often spoke French with the locals there.

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1. The whirlpools in Naruto Strait is one of the three largest whirlpools in the world. They can be up to 20 m wide and inspired the Narutomaki (a white fish-cake with a pink swirl on it). We went to see the whirlpools on a boat in 2023 (see video above) and there are so many of them - it was breathtaking to see them up close. There is also a secton of the bridge that has glass floors where you can see the whirlpools as well.

2. Naruto Strait connects Naruto to Awaji Island. According to Shinto mythology, Awaji was the first island created by the gods Izanagi and Izanami. This island is revered as the birthplace of Japan.

3. Awaji Island is known for their onions. You can see onions in the ground on the side of the road. There is a huge onion statue near the Naruto Strait where you can wear wigs that look like onions to take photos of the strait!

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1. An ancient temple to Hercules was found beneath a church here, meaning the town goes back to BCE

2. It is believed that Hannibal camped in Bovino during his campaign to fight the Romans

3. If you ever go, make sure you try the pizza at Cumba Franc's. It's the beat you'll ever have

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1. Erbil is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back at least 5000 years. There is evidence of human settlement dating back to the 5th millennium BC.

2. Erbil is the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government, a semi-autonomous region with Iraq.

3. The Citadel of Erbil is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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1) Monteverde’s Cloud Forest Reserve is home to over 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds, and more than 2,500 plant species.

2) The region is about 1400 meters above sea level in the Tilarán mountain range. (How Monteverde gets its cloud forest name)

3) No standing army - Costa Rica abolished its military in 1949 and is one of the few countries without a standing army.