Albert Court Hotel, 180 Albert Street
Aliwal Park Hotel, 77 & 79 Aliwal Street
Allson Hotel Singapore, 101 Victoria Street 188018 63360811
Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa, 1 Larkhill Road, Sentosa
Amara Singapore, 165 Tanjong Pagar Road
Ambassador Hotel, 65-75 (Odd Nos), 2nd Storey Desker Road
Amber Hotel, 42 Amber Road
Amrise Hotel, 112 Sims Avenue 01-01
Asia Star Hotel, 44 & 44A Rowell Road
Asphodel Inn, 380 (2nd to 4th Storey) Race Course Road
Astro Hotel, 51 Joo Chiat Road
Backpacker Cozy Corner Guesthouse, 2nd & 3rd Storey, 490 & 492 North Bridge Road
Balestier Hotel, 471-A/B/C & 473-A/B/C Balestier Road
Bayview Hotel Singapore, 30 Bencoolen Street
Beach Hotel, 95 Beach Road
Berjaya Hotel, Rambini 83 Duxton Road
Bright Star Hotel, 20 Lorong 17 Geylang
Broadway Hotel, 195 Serangoon Road
Cameron Hotel, 393F Upper Changi Road
Carlton Hotel, 76 Bras Basah Road
Champagne Hotel, 41 Lorong 16 Geylang
Changi Hotel, 80 Changi Road, Lorong
Changi Village Hotel, 1 Netheravon Road
Chang Ziang Hotel, 15 Lorong 15 Geylang
Chinatown Hotel, 12/14/16 Teck Lim Road
Classique Hotel, 240 Jalan Besar
Conrad Centennial Singapore, 2 Temasek Boulevard
Copthorne King's Hotel Singapore, 403 Havelock Road
Copthorne Orchid Hotel Singapore, Mr Richard Teo Peck Kim 214 Dunearn Road
Deluxe Hotel, 37 A/B/C Lorong 8 Geylang
Diamond Hotel, 25 Lorong 18 Geylang
Farrer Park Backpacker's Hostel, 42 Sam Leong Road (2nd, 3rd, 4th Storey
Fortuna City, 2 Owen Road
Four Chain View Hotel, 757 Geylang Road
Four Seasons Hotel, 190 Orchard Boulevard
Fragrance Hostel, 63 Dunlop Street
Fragrance Hotel - Balestier, 255 Balestier Road
Fragrance Hotel - Classic, 418 Balestier Road
Fragrance Hotel - Crystal, 50 Lorong 18 Geylang
Fragrance Hotel - Kovan, 760 Upper Serangoon Road
Fragrance Hotel - Ruby, 10 Lorong 20 Geylang
Fragrance Hotel-Emerald, 20 Lorong 6 Geylang
Fragrance Hotel-Pearl, 21 Lorong 14 Geylang
Fragrance Hotel-Rose, 263 Balestier Road
Fragrance Hotel - Sapphire, 3 Lorong 10 Geylang
Fragrance Hotel - Selegie, 183 Selegie Road
Fragrance Hotel - Viva, 75/75A, 77-77A Wishart Road
Furama City Centre Singapore, 60 Eu Tong Sen Street
Furama Riverfront Singapore, 405 Havelock Road
Garden Hotel, 14 Balmoral Road
Gateway Hotel, 60 Joo Chiat Road
Gay World Hotel, 115, 117 & 119 Geylang Road
Golden Dragon Hotel, 61 Westerhout Road
Golden Landmark Hotel, 390 Victoria Street
Golden Star Hotel, 31 Lorong 8 Geylang
Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Road
Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel Singapore, 392 Havelock Road
Grand Hyatt Singapore, 10 - 12 Scotts Road
Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel, 50 East Coast Road
Grand Plaza Park Hotel City Hall, 10 Coleman Street
Grandmax Hotel, 51 Desker Road
Haising Hotel, 35A,35B,35C,37A,37B & 37C Jalan Besar
Hangout @ Mt. Emily, 10A Upper Wilkie Road
Harbour Ville Hotel, 512 Kampung Bahru Road
Hilton Singapore, 581 Orchard Road
Holiday Inn Atrium, Singapore, 317 Outram Road
Holiday Inn Park View, 11 Cavenagh Road
Hoover Hotel, 246 Balestier Road #02-01
Hotel 6, 5 Lorong 6 Geylang
Hotel 12, 12 Lorong 12 Geylang
Hotel 1929, 50 Keong Saik Road
Hotel 20, 23 Lorong 20 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Balestier, 226 Balestier Road
Hotel 81 - Bencoolen, 41 Bencoolen Street
Hotel 81 - Bugis, 31 Middle Road
Hotel 81 - Changi, 428 Changi Road
Hotel 81 - Cherry, 3 Lorong 12 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Chinatown, 181 New Bridge Road
Hotel 81 - Classic, 12 Joo Chiat Road
Hotel 81 - Cosy, 8 Jiak Chuan Road
Hotel 81 - Elegance, 30 Foch Road
Hotel 81 - Fuji, 269 Balestier Road
Hotel 81 - Geylang, 20 Lorong 16 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Gold, 20 Lorong 20 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Hollywood, 61 Lorong 8 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Joo Chiat, 305 Joo Chiat Road
Hotel 81 - Joy, 11 Lorong 11 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Kovan, 768 Upper Serangoon Road
Hotel 81 - Lavender, 85 Lavender Street
Hotel 81 - Opera, 238 Joo Chiat Road
Hotel 81 - Orchid, 21 Lorong 8 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Palace, 25 Lorong 16 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Princess, 21 Lorong 12 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Sakura,181 Joo Chiat Road
Hotel 81 - Spring, 22 Lorong 15 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Star, 31 Lorong 18 Geylang
Hotel 81 - Tristar, 1 Onan Road
Hotel Ascendere, 1 Lorong 10 Geylang
Hotel Bencoolen, 47 Bencoolen Street
Hotel Compass, 36 Lorong 22 Geylang
Hotel Dragon, 18 Mosque Street
Hotel Fuji, 22 Jalan Molek
Hotel Grand Central, 22 Cavenagh Road
Hotel Hamilton, 40 & 42 Hamilton Road
Hotel Inter-Continental Singapore, 80 Middle Road
Hotel Miramar, 401 Havelock Road
Hotel Rendezvous, 9 Bras Basah Road
Hotel Royal, 36 Newton Road
Hotel Royal @ Queens, George 12 Queen Street
Hotel Sunflower, 10 Lorong 10 Geylang
Hotel Supreme, 15 Kramat Road
Hotel Windsor, 401 Macpherson Road
Hua Shui Hotel, 5 Lorong 27 Geylang
Hup Hoe Hotel, 586-A Geylang Road
Jade Hotel, 18 Jalan Molek
Jin Dong Hotel, 33/A & 35/A Lorong 12 Geylang
Kerbau Hotel, 54 - 62 Kerbau Road
Kim San Hotel, 40 Amber Road
Kim Tian Hotel, 21 Lorong 22 Geylang
La Mode (Sophia), 17 Lorong 10 Geylang
Lai Ming Hotel, 432 Geylang Road
Lai Ming Hotel, 424 Geylang Road
Le Meridien Singapore, 100 Orchard Road
Lex Hotel, 1 Lorong 8 Geylang
Link Hotel, 50 Tiong Bahru Road
Lion City Hotel, 15 Tanjong Katong Road
Little India Guest House, 3 Veerasamy Road
Lloyds Inn, 2 Lloyd Road
M Hotel Singapore, 81 Anson Road
Madras Hotel, 28, 30 & 32 Madras Street
Malacca Hotel, 97/99 Still Road
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, 5 Raffles Avenue Marina Square
Marina Mandarin, 6 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square
Mayo Inn, 9A,9B,9C & 9D Jalan Besar
MCC Resort, Pulau Ubin, 1000 Pulau Ubin
Meng Yew Hotel, 488 Geylang Road
Meritus Mandarin Singapore, 333 Orchard Road
Min Wah Hotel, 19 Lorong 22 Geylang
Monlavin Hotel, 4 Lorong 6 Geylang
Naumi Hotel, 41 Seah Street, Singapore
Negara On Claymore, 10 Claymore Road
New 7th Storey Hotel, 229 Rochor Road
New Cathay Hotel, 443-A Geylang Road
New Darlene Hotel, 32 Lorong 8 Geylang
New Majestic Hotel, 31-37 Bukit Pasoh Road
New Orchid Hotel, 347 Balestier Road
New Queen's City Hotel, 10 Lorong 18 Geylang
Nicoll Hotel, 29 Lorong 4 Geylang
Novotel Clarke Quay, Singapore, 177A River Valley Road
Orchard Hotel Singapore, 442 Orchard Road
Orchard Parade Hotel, 1 Tanglin Road
Oxford Hotel, 218 Queen Street
Oxley Hotel, 44 Lorong 6 Geylang
Oxley Hotel 88, 12 Lorong 10 Geylang
Oxley Blossom Hotel, 14 Lorong 10 Geylang
Paramount Hotel, 30 East Coast Road
Park Hotel Orchard, Singapore, 270 Orchard Road
Park View Hotel, 81 Beach Road
Pasir Panjang Inn, 404 Pasir Panjang Road
Peninsula Excelsior Hotel, 3 & 5 Coleman Street
Penang Hotel, 407 Jalan Besar
Perak Hotel, 12 Perak Road
Parkroyal on Beach Road, Singapore, 7500 Beach Road
Parkroyal On Kitchener Road, Singapore, 181 Kitchener Road
Quality Hotel Singapore, 201 Balestier Road
RELC International Hotel, 30 Orange Grove Road
Raffles Hotel (1886), 1 Beach Road
Rasa Sentosa Resort, Singapore, 101 Siloso Road, Sentosa
Regin Hotel, 54-56 Sims Avenue
River View Hotel Mr Leong, 382 Havelock Road
Robertson Quay Hotel, 15 Merbau Road
Royal India Hotel, 88 Syed Alwi Road
Royal Plaza, 25 Scotts Road
Raffles The Plaza, Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Road
Santa Grand Hotel West Coast, 428 Pasir Panjang Road
Seng Wah Hotel, 15 Lorong 22 Geylang
Shangri-La Hotel, Orange Grove Road
Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel, 39 Scotts Road
Shing Hotel, 165 Kitchener Road
Siloso Beach Resort, 51 Imbiah Walk
Simpang De Bedok Boarding House, 357A / 359A Bedok Road
Sing Hoe Hotel, 759 Mountbatten Road
Singapore Marriott Hotel, 320 Orchard Road Tang Plaza
Sleepy Sam's, 54 (2nd Storey), 55 & 56 Bussorah Street
Sloane Court Hotel, 17 Balmoral Road
Soho Chinatown Hotel Backpackers, 76A/B & 78A/B Smith Street
South East Asia Hotel, 190 Waterloo Street
Strand Hotel Mdm Lam Hup Sum 25 Bencoolen Street
Summer Hotel, 45 Lorong 22 Geylang
Summer Tavern, 31 Carpenter Street
Summer View Hotel, 173 Bencoolen Street
Sunwell Hotel, 34 Lorong 22 Geylang
Super 8 Hotel, 8 Lorong 10 Geylang
Super Star Hotel Mr Siah Hwee Keong 65 - 75 (Odd Nos) Desker Road
Swissotel Merchant Court, Singapore, 20 Merchant Road
Swissotel The Stamford, Singapore, 2 Stamford Road
Tai Hoe Hotel, 163 Kitchener Road
Tai Seng Hotel, 43A, 43B, 43C Jalan Besar
Taipei Hotel (2000), 60,60B, 62A/B/C & 64A/B/C Lorong 8 Geylang
Tekka Hotel, 22 Belilios Lane
The Amazing Inn, 1 Lorong 14 Geylang
The Aspinals, 83 Syed Alwi Road
The Sentosa, Resort & Spa, 2 Bukit Manis Road,Sentosa
The Claremont, 301 Serangoon Road
The Elizabeth, 24 Mount Elizabeth
The Fragrance Hotel, 219 Joo Chiat Road
The Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square
The Gallery Hotel, 1 Nanson Road
The Inn at Temple Street, 36-44 Temple Street
The Keong Saik Hotel, 69 Keong Saik Road
The Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard Marina Square
The Regent Singapore, 1 Cuscaden Road
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, 7 Raffles Avenue
The Royal Peacock 47 - 65 Keong Saik Road
The Scarlet Hotel 33 Erskine Road
The Sha Villa 64 Lloyd Road
Traders Hotel Singapore 1A Cuscaden Road
Treasure Resort 23 Beach View, Sentosa
Tropical Hotel 22,24,26 Teck Lim Road
VIP Hotel 5 Balmoral Crescent
Victoria Hotel 87 Victoria Street
Waterloo Hostel Catholic Welfare Centre Building #04-00, 55 Waterloo Street
Yes Chinatown Pt. Hotel 64-A/B, 66-A/B & 68-A/B Smith Street
Yew Lian Hotel 549 A/B Geylang Road
Yong Nan Hotel 182 A/B Geylang Road
York Hotel 21 Mount Elizabeth
The Danube Plateau
The Balkan Mountains, the extension of the Carpathians, divide Bulgaria into two sections differing in relief, soil, climate, products, and type of population. North of the mountains an uplifted plateau slopes gradually toward the Danube and breaks off abruptly in a wall of loess and limestone about 500 feet high facing the river. This wall or cliff presents a remarkably sharp contrast to the very flat plains and broad swamps along the Rumanian side of the river. At the top of the cliff the plateau is quite flat, and is covered with fertile loess, but it is broken into many small sections by deep, steepsided valleys where the streams have entrenched themselves.
There is a strong contrast between the valley bottoms with their narrow but level, well-watered, and fertile plains, and the uplands with their far broader stretches of soil which is also fertile but which is dry and poorly watered. The valleys are full of villages, and in them lie the small cities; the surrounding valley floors are devoted to corn and to crops like lucerne, sugar beets, vines in some sheltered spots, and vegetables like tomatoes and peppers which are very important among people whose main food is so tasteless a product as corn. From the villages in the valley the peasants climb long distances to their wheatfieds on the plateau above. Although the individual fields up there are small, the general effect is of one vast field of wheat and corn, or perhaps barley, unbroken by trees or houses, except at long intervals. The wheat is sold as a money crop and is consumed in the towns or exported; the cheaper and less easily transported maize is eaten in the villages. A similar situation prevails very widely in most of the countries of Europe, although the product eaten at home may be rye, potatoes, or even oats, rather than corn.
The contrast between the valleys and the plateau is the joint result of relief and climate. The general climate is like that of the Wallachian Plain of Rumania north of the Danube. The winters are cold; and strong, disagreeable, dusty winds are common. The summers are warm, averaging above 70° F. in July, and most of the rain falls in early summer. The eastern section is too dry for crops and is therefore largely devoted to sheep, but in the western section and along the mountains the rainfall is heavier. The porous character of the loess and limestone combine with the pronounced drop in the rainfall in August and September to make it hard to get water at all seasons on the plateau. The valleys, however, have plenty of springs, and they are also protected from the bitter, dusty winds of winter. So it is not strange that the people prefer to live there in spite of the long walk to the fields. Cattle are kept mainly for draft purposes, dairying is little developed, and dung is so often used for fuel that the value of the animals as a help in agriculture is much reduced.
The population of the plateau, including of course its valleys, is relatively dense. It produces a surplus of grain that is exported from the Danube harbors, of which Ruschuk is the most important, or from Varna, the northern Bulgarian harbor on the Black Sea. The plateau is the old center of the Bulgarian race, where they settled on their first arrival during the time of the Hungarian invasion, and whence they advanced toward the south. Here again was the cradle of their movement for independence in the nineteenth century.
There is a strong contrast between the valley bottoms with their narrow but level, well-watered, and fertile plains, and the uplands with their far broader stretches of soil which is also fertile but which is dry and poorly watered. The valleys are full of villages, and in them lie the small cities; the surrounding valley floors are devoted to corn and to crops like lucerne, sugar beets, vines in some sheltered spots, and vegetables like tomatoes and peppers which are very important among people whose main food is so tasteless a product as corn. From the villages in the valley the peasants climb long distances to their wheatfieds on the plateau above. Although the individual fields up there are small, the general effect is of one vast field of wheat and corn, or perhaps barley, unbroken by trees or houses, except at long intervals. The wheat is sold as a money crop and is consumed in the towns or exported; the cheaper and less easily transported maize is eaten in the villages. A similar situation prevails very widely in most of the countries of Europe, although the product eaten at home may be rye, potatoes, or even oats, rather than corn.
The contrast between the valleys and the plateau is the joint result of relief and climate. The general climate is like that of the Wallachian Plain of Rumania north of the Danube. The winters are cold; and strong, disagreeable, dusty winds are common. The summers are warm, averaging above 70° F. in July, and most of the rain falls in early summer. The eastern section is too dry for crops and is therefore largely devoted to sheep, but in the western section and along the mountains the rainfall is heavier. The porous character of the loess and limestone combine with the pronounced drop in the rainfall in August and September to make it hard to get water at all seasons on the plateau. The valleys, however, have plenty of springs, and they are also protected from the bitter, dusty winds of winter. So it is not strange that the people prefer to live there in spite of the long walk to the fields. Cattle are kept mainly for draft purposes, dairying is little developed, and dung is so often used for fuel that the value of the animals as a help in agriculture is much reduced.
The population of the plateau, including of course its valleys, is relatively dense. It produces a surplus of grain that is exported from the Danube harbors, of which Ruschuk is the most important, or from Varna, the northern Bulgarian harbor on the Black Sea. The plateau is the old center of the Bulgarian race, where they settled on their first arrival during the time of the Hungarian invasion, and whence they advanced toward the south. Here again was the cradle of their movement for independence in the nineteenth century.
Bulgaria Bulgarians Balkan State
Two conflicting qualities, those of the warrior and the peasant, have dominated Bulgarian history. Like Serbia, Bulgaria is a country of warriors who struggled on through centuries of Turkish servitude until they gained their independence during the nineteenth century. But, dissatisfied with what they had obtained, they recalled the ninth century when their nation under Czar Simeon ruled from the Black Sea to the Adriatic, and from the southern Carpathians to the Aegean.
Twice their dream of the restoration of such an empire was almost realized. The first time was during the Balkan War in 1912 when the Bulgarian armies had conquered the region around the mouth of the Maritsa River, and were fighting near the walls of Constantinople. But discord between Bulgaria and its Balkan allies was followed by a war that shattered the dream, and Bulgaria lost some of her gains, although she temporarily retained the Maritsa Valley. The second opportunity for the dream to be realized came during the World War when Bulgaria joined the Central Powers, helped to crush Serbia, occupied a great part of it, and reconquered the Dobruja from the Rumanians. Again she failed to find her allies in full sympathy with her aims, and it was probably in the main from dissatisfaction and disappointment that Bulgaria broke down in 1918 at the beginning of the total collapse of the Central Powers. Once more she lost; the Dobruja remained Rumanian, the new-born Yugoslavia obtained boundary rearrangements which brought the western frontier still nearer to Sofia, and Greece shut Bulgaria off from the Aegean.
Beaten and bankrupt, Bulgaria again awaits an opportunity for expansion. Except where the country's boundaries are formed by the waters of the Danube and the Black Sea, the Bulgarians wish to push them farther back. Most of all they want an outlet on the Aegean Sea. Friendly understanding among the Balkan States is indeed helping to eliminate the friction of the "Balkan problem" which has long been a great source of unrest in Europe, and is also helping to bring progress and prosperity among the Balkan people themselves. Nevertheless, Bulgaria is in essence a second Hungary, ready at any moment to renew the long fight for what it conceives to be its national destiny.
The other side of the Bulgarian character is quite different. The word Bulgar means not only peasant, but a humble sort of plowing peasant who perhaps works for others rather than on his own land. Bulgaria is as completely agricultural as any country in Europe. Most of them cultivate their own small farms, for the large estates owned by their former Turkish rulers are almost gone. The Bulgarians have a high reputation in many respects. Their efforts to secure education are especially notable. So, too, are their industry, frugality, and eagerness to learn new methods of work. Sometimes their thriftiness makes them stingy, and their eagerness for progress and education destroys or prevents light-hearted gaiety such as is so common in Spain, Italy, and Serbia. Moreover, the land-holdings are so sadly small, the amount of land lying fallow is so large, and the available capital therefore so limited that it is very difficult to adopt modern methods. Wooden plows, the sowing of wheat by hand, and the reaping of it with sickles are still very widespread. Nevertheless, it is often said that no other Balkan country gives so strong an impression of sturdy and determined progress in spite of great discouragements.
Twice their dream of the restoration of such an empire was almost realized. The first time was during the Balkan War in 1912 when the Bulgarian armies had conquered the region around the mouth of the Maritsa River, and were fighting near the walls of Constantinople. But discord between Bulgaria and its Balkan allies was followed by a war that shattered the dream, and Bulgaria lost some of her gains, although she temporarily retained the Maritsa Valley. The second opportunity for the dream to be realized came during the World War when Bulgaria joined the Central Powers, helped to crush Serbia, occupied a great part of it, and reconquered the Dobruja from the Rumanians. Again she failed to find her allies in full sympathy with her aims, and it was probably in the main from dissatisfaction and disappointment that Bulgaria broke down in 1918 at the beginning of the total collapse of the Central Powers. Once more she lost; the Dobruja remained Rumanian, the new-born Yugoslavia obtained boundary rearrangements which brought the western frontier still nearer to Sofia, and Greece shut Bulgaria off from the Aegean.
Beaten and bankrupt, Bulgaria again awaits an opportunity for expansion. Except where the country's boundaries are formed by the waters of the Danube and the Black Sea, the Bulgarians wish to push them farther back. Most of all they want an outlet on the Aegean Sea. Friendly understanding among the Balkan States is indeed helping to eliminate the friction of the "Balkan problem" which has long been a great source of unrest in Europe, and is also helping to bring progress and prosperity among the Balkan people themselves. Nevertheless, Bulgaria is in essence a second Hungary, ready at any moment to renew the long fight for what it conceives to be its national destiny.
The other side of the Bulgarian character is quite different. The word Bulgar means not only peasant, but a humble sort of plowing peasant who perhaps works for others rather than on his own land. Bulgaria is as completely agricultural as any country in Europe. Most of them cultivate their own small farms, for the large estates owned by their former Turkish rulers are almost gone. The Bulgarians have a high reputation in many respects. Their efforts to secure education are especially notable. So, too, are their industry, frugality, and eagerness to learn new methods of work. Sometimes their thriftiness makes them stingy, and their eagerness for progress and education destroys or prevents light-hearted gaiety such as is so common in Spain, Italy, and Serbia. Moreover, the land-holdings are so sadly small, the amount of land lying fallow is so large, and the available capital therefore so limited that it is very difficult to adopt modern methods. Wooden plows, the sowing of wheat by hand, and the reaping of it with sickles are still very widespread. Nevertheless, it is often said that no other Balkan country gives so strong an impression of sturdy and determined progress in spite of great discouragements.
Albania Valona Koritza Adriatic Sea
Albania is probably Europe's most backward country. The explanation of this, as of the stage of progress in other countries, is not to be found in any one fact. The situation of the country in a region of high and inaccessible mountains certainly has a great deal to do with the matter. So does the Mediterranean climate in so far as it is less stimulating to man and less favorable for crops than is a more steadily rainy climate with cooler summers. Race and religion may play some part, although as to these it is difficult to speak. And finally the long-continued rule of the Turks has not been of much use in helping the country to escape from its unhappy economic and social conditions. In the past Albania has not always been thus, for in the ancient Illyrian period it was comparatively prosperous. How much of the change is due to human conduct and how much to such matters as changes of climate, deforestation, the washing away of the soil, or the alteration of the ethnic composition of the population, it is impossible to say.
The inaccessibility of Albania is conspicuous. High mountain ranges, representing the continuation of the Dinaric Mountains toward Greece, and sometimes rising above 9,000 feet, quite effectively isolate the country by land. The low-lying coast with its lagoons not only hinders the development of good harbors, but hampers contact with the interior because it is so malarial. An increase in the amount of malaria and other diseases may have helped to make Albania relatively more backward now than in the past. Only the southern part has a firm coast, but here it becomes rocky, rising steeply out of the sea, and this again impedes access to the interior.
Valona, where the rocky section joins the low coastal plain, has the only harbor of any significance. Whatever economic strength the country has is based on agriculture and sheep-raising. Between the mountain ranges lie basins of great agricultural value. It is in these as well as on the once densely populated plain along the shore that future development may be expected to focus. The prevailing Mediterranean climate causes the products of the coastal plain, which extends a considerable distance inland, to be essentially the same as those of southern Italy. The westward exposure of the country, however, causes the rainfall to increase inland and to be abundant on the western slope of the high mountains, even in summer. Accordingly dense forests of the central European type, comprising beeches, oaks, and conifers, cover much of the mountains and promise a valuable source of future income. Corn is the principal crop of the plain; wheat, oats, and barley thrive better in the mountain basins. Olive trees cover the slopes near the Adriatic Sea, with citrus fruits and grapes.
An important source of livelihood is stock-raising, the herds and flocks being driven to the mountain meadows during the summer, and returned to the plain when winter comes on. Cattle, and in particular sheep, do well; and cheese, wool, and pelts are export products of importance. The basin of Koritza has been considerably influenced by emigrants who have returned from America, and its prosperity illustrates what can be done when peace prevails and modern methods are employed. Mineral resources that once were famous now lie unused, but hold promise for the future.
Large landholdings predominate, except in the high mountain sections. Political dissension among the various tribes, the lack of a common language, and the confusion of religions would hamper progress even if the geographic conditions were more favorable. About 68 per cent of the people are Moslems, 11 per cent Roman Catholics, and 20 per cent members of the Albanian Orthodox Church.
The inaccessibility of Albania is conspicuous. High mountain ranges, representing the continuation of the Dinaric Mountains toward Greece, and sometimes rising above 9,000 feet, quite effectively isolate the country by land. The low-lying coast with its lagoons not only hinders the development of good harbors, but hampers contact with the interior because it is so malarial. An increase in the amount of malaria and other diseases may have helped to make Albania relatively more backward now than in the past. Only the southern part has a firm coast, but here it becomes rocky, rising steeply out of the sea, and this again impedes access to the interior.
Valona, where the rocky section joins the low coastal plain, has the only harbor of any significance. Whatever economic strength the country has is based on agriculture and sheep-raising. Between the mountain ranges lie basins of great agricultural value. It is in these as well as on the once densely populated plain along the shore that future development may be expected to focus. The prevailing Mediterranean climate causes the products of the coastal plain, which extends a considerable distance inland, to be essentially the same as those of southern Italy. The westward exposure of the country, however, causes the rainfall to increase inland and to be abundant on the western slope of the high mountains, even in summer. Accordingly dense forests of the central European type, comprising beeches, oaks, and conifers, cover much of the mountains and promise a valuable source of future income. Corn is the principal crop of the plain; wheat, oats, and barley thrive better in the mountain basins. Olive trees cover the slopes near the Adriatic Sea, with citrus fruits and grapes.
An important source of livelihood is stock-raising, the herds and flocks being driven to the mountain meadows during the summer, and returned to the plain when winter comes on. Cattle, and in particular sheep, do well; and cheese, wool, and pelts are export products of importance. The basin of Koritza has been considerably influenced by emigrants who have returned from America, and its prosperity illustrates what can be done when peace prevails and modern methods are employed. Mineral resources that once were famous now lie unused, but hold promise for the future.
Large landholdings predominate, except in the high mountain sections. Political dissension among the various tribes, the lack of a common language, and the confusion of religions would hamper progress even if the geographic conditions were more favorable. About 68 per cent of the people are Moslems, 11 per cent Roman Catholics, and 20 per cent members of the Albanian Orthodox Church.
Akan
Hokkaidō has earned the honor of presenting Japan with two National Parks: Akan and Daisetsuzan. Time was not so very long ago when the word Hokkaidō (some called it Ezo) bore a far-away, foreign ring. Popular notion pictured it as a region congenial to the hearts of the Ainu and their quadruped friends, the bears, and to exiles sent there--a barren unprofitable sort of region clothed with snow and discomfort all the year, just as Siberia was in the eyes of European Russia of the 18th century. It is another proof of the all-conquering boon of communication miracles that the entire aspect of this once neglected island is being fast transformed. Some flourishing modern cities, as good as any in the mainland, have grown in Hokkaidō, i.e. Hakodate, Sapporo, Asahigawa, etc. The selection of the two National Park sites in this island marks an epoch in its history.
In recent years mountain-climbing has become one of the commonest pastimes of youth and flapper as well as of the middle aged. In olden days it was the exclusive pastime of priests and pious folk, performed as an act of devotion or self-purification, and no women would ascend or were even allowed to. Nowadays it is done for profane or utilitarian purposes, many climbing simply for health, scenery, or for fun and sport, or merely for the sake of climbing, perhaps, for the sense of adventure and conquest attached to it. The tendency of modern climbers, therefore, is to seek new mountains or those off the beaten paths of holiday-makers. To such enthusiasts, Hakone and Fuji have lost their lure; they must try newer and more difficult ones, away from the common pleasure resorts. And as to scenery, their ideal has also changed. It is something new, primitive, as fashioned by old nature herself that they seek. To such people the two parks of Hokkaidō under review are just the places, and indeed both are drawing an ever-increasing coterie of devotees. Anomalous as it may seem, it is the absence of modern appointments such as those possessed by other mountain resorts, which is making Akan and Daisetsu the latest fashion, as it were, especially for the sensation-seekers in mountainclimbing.
Akan's claims to national distinction are twofold, its mountains and its lakes. Of the two, however, the lakes come in for the larger share of praise. Akan, it may be remembered, is properly the name of a small lake and its near-by mountain ranges, apart from other lakes and mountains in the neighborhood, known by other names, but it has been chosen to cover a whole district of 18,644 acres. Thus Akan Park is much bigger than the word may suggest. This district is divided into the three basins of Kussharo, Mashū and Akan, all noted for their threefold wonders of lofty mountains, primeval woods, and crater lakes.
In Kussharo there are two crater lakes, known as Kussharo and Mashū. The distance of 10 miles yawns between the two with the smoking volcano, Atosanupuri (1,485 feet above sea), towering in between. The lake Kussharo (400 feet above sea and 35 miles in circumference) is the largest in the Akan Park, second only to the largest lake in Hokkaidō. It has an islet in the center, the effect of which, when seen from above, makes a beautiful picture, though somewhat of a weird, haunting aspect. The other lake is Mashū (1,160 feet from sea level and 121/2 miles in circumference) of which the walls in many parts are so craggy and precipitous that it seems impossible to get to the water's edge. These mountain lakes, coupled with densely-packed virgin forests, make one feel as if transported from the region of contemporary history to that of the mythological age. These features alone justify the selection of Akan as a National Park.
Akan district, half of Akan Park, is of course the more beautiful. Its mountains are male ("O") Akan and female ("Me") Akan, and its lake is Akan Lake. The latter is a perfect gem, roughly triangular in shape studded with five picturesque islets. It has rocky shores and steep walls, but it is a paradise for anglers, as it is so well stocked with fish, especially " hime-masu" (lady-salmon) or salmon-trout, that one could almost pluck them from the waters with the hands.
The most famous product of this lake, however, is "marimo" (ball-moss) which is a perfectly lovely ball from 0.5 to 10 inches in diameter, green, velvety water-moss rounded into a perfect sphere. How it is made is a wonder and mystery doubtless known only to scientists, but it is a sheer miracle of shape and color. Indeed, its like is found nowhere else except in some lakes of Saghalien and Kurile and northern Europe, and it is protected by the Natural Monu- ment Protection Law. Hence the tantalizing spectacle of numerous sapphire-green balls floating and swimming, as it were, in the lake, clear to the view, and which none but the hands of the authorities are permitted to take. Near the southern shores of the lake are a number of hot springs of which every visitor is advised to take advantage.
On the eastern side of the lake stands O-Akan (4,524 feet above sea) with the two marsh-like lakes of Panke and Penke on the far side. It is an extinct volcano, and is thick-set in contour, characterized with bold straight lines. The lady Akan (4,960 feet), on the other hand, is taller and more graceful in shape, having many charming curves, though she is a fierce active volcano, cherishing fire within and always emitting smoke. On a clear day the two Akans are beautifully reflected in the waters of the lake -- a sight well worth seeing. It is said that Lake Akan was the result of an eruption occurring to O-Akan long ago, which in consequence has been disfigured, and become silent, permitting Me-Akan alone to belch fire and smoke. Me-Akan has four peaks of which " Akan Fuji" is the highest. Bears are believed to frequent the summit of the mountain, but they are not at all fond of human flesh, and therefore seldom attack men unless driven by sheer hunger or self-defence. This park promises to become a great favorite with lovers of mountain-climbing, O-Akan being not so enthusiastically spoken of.
The average temperature during summer is about 60 degrees F., which makes of it an ideal summer resort. In winter, though severely cold, it affords good skating and skiing, and interesting angling through the ice.
Another attraction of Akan district, if it may be called as such, is its nearness to the straggling villages on the shores inhabited by the Ainu. The once savage but now gentle race of men who formed the pre-Japanese inhabitants of Japan, and whose race are slowly disappearing from the earth, to the great regret of the whole world, live in this part of Hokkaidō enjoying their peaceful, happy-go-lucky existence.
A word in conclusion to the haters of history, if there be such at this time. Akan ought to be their ideal resort, for history here is conspicuous by its absence, unless it be its associations with primitive epochs in which only the deities, good and bad, thrived. On the other hand Akan makes a happy hunting-ground for botanists and geologists, as it abounds in plants and flowers peculiar to Hokkaidō, and in curious geological formations.
In recent years mountain-climbing has become one of the commonest pastimes of youth and flapper as well as of the middle aged. In olden days it was the exclusive pastime of priests and pious folk, performed as an act of devotion or self-purification, and no women would ascend or were even allowed to. Nowadays it is done for profane or utilitarian purposes, many climbing simply for health, scenery, or for fun and sport, or merely for the sake of climbing, perhaps, for the sense of adventure and conquest attached to it. The tendency of modern climbers, therefore, is to seek new mountains or those off the beaten paths of holiday-makers. To such enthusiasts, Hakone and Fuji have lost their lure; they must try newer and more difficult ones, away from the common pleasure resorts. And as to scenery, their ideal has also changed. It is something new, primitive, as fashioned by old nature herself that they seek. To such people the two parks of Hokkaidō under review are just the places, and indeed both are drawing an ever-increasing coterie of devotees. Anomalous as it may seem, it is the absence of modern appointments such as those possessed by other mountain resorts, which is making Akan and Daisetsu the latest fashion, as it were, especially for the sensation-seekers in mountainclimbing.
Akan's claims to national distinction are twofold, its mountains and its lakes. Of the two, however, the lakes come in for the larger share of praise. Akan, it may be remembered, is properly the name of a small lake and its near-by mountain ranges, apart from other lakes and mountains in the neighborhood, known by other names, but it has been chosen to cover a whole district of 18,644 acres. Thus Akan Park is much bigger than the word may suggest. This district is divided into the three basins of Kussharo, Mashū and Akan, all noted for their threefold wonders of lofty mountains, primeval woods, and crater lakes.
In Kussharo there are two crater lakes, known as Kussharo and Mashū. The distance of 10 miles yawns between the two with the smoking volcano, Atosanupuri (1,485 feet above sea), towering in between. The lake Kussharo (400 feet above sea and 35 miles in circumference) is the largest in the Akan Park, second only to the largest lake in Hokkaidō. It has an islet in the center, the effect of which, when seen from above, makes a beautiful picture, though somewhat of a weird, haunting aspect. The other lake is Mashū (1,160 feet from sea level and 121/2 miles in circumference) of which the walls in many parts are so craggy and precipitous that it seems impossible to get to the water's edge. These mountain lakes, coupled with densely-packed virgin forests, make one feel as if transported from the region of contemporary history to that of the mythological age. These features alone justify the selection of Akan as a National Park.
Akan district, half of Akan Park, is of course the more beautiful. Its mountains are male ("O") Akan and female ("Me") Akan, and its lake is Akan Lake. The latter is a perfect gem, roughly triangular in shape studded with five picturesque islets. It has rocky shores and steep walls, but it is a paradise for anglers, as it is so well stocked with fish, especially " hime-masu" (lady-salmon) or salmon-trout, that one could almost pluck them from the waters with the hands.
The most famous product of this lake, however, is "marimo" (ball-moss) which is a perfectly lovely ball from 0.5 to 10 inches in diameter, green, velvety water-moss rounded into a perfect sphere. How it is made is a wonder and mystery doubtless known only to scientists, but it is a sheer miracle of shape and color. Indeed, its like is found nowhere else except in some lakes of Saghalien and Kurile and northern Europe, and it is protected by the Natural Monu- ment Protection Law. Hence the tantalizing spectacle of numerous sapphire-green balls floating and swimming, as it were, in the lake, clear to the view, and which none but the hands of the authorities are permitted to take. Near the southern shores of the lake are a number of hot springs of which every visitor is advised to take advantage.
On the eastern side of the lake stands O-Akan (4,524 feet above sea) with the two marsh-like lakes of Panke and Penke on the far side. It is an extinct volcano, and is thick-set in contour, characterized with bold straight lines. The lady Akan (4,960 feet), on the other hand, is taller and more graceful in shape, having many charming curves, though she is a fierce active volcano, cherishing fire within and always emitting smoke. On a clear day the two Akans are beautifully reflected in the waters of the lake -- a sight well worth seeing. It is said that Lake Akan was the result of an eruption occurring to O-Akan long ago, which in consequence has been disfigured, and become silent, permitting Me-Akan alone to belch fire and smoke. Me-Akan has four peaks of which " Akan Fuji" is the highest. Bears are believed to frequent the summit of the mountain, but they are not at all fond of human flesh, and therefore seldom attack men unless driven by sheer hunger or self-defence. This park promises to become a great favorite with lovers of mountain-climbing, O-Akan being not so enthusiastically spoken of.
The average temperature during summer is about 60 degrees F., which makes of it an ideal summer resort. In winter, though severely cold, it affords good skating and skiing, and interesting angling through the ice.
Another attraction of Akan district, if it may be called as such, is its nearness to the straggling villages on the shores inhabited by the Ainu. The once savage but now gentle race of men who formed the pre-Japanese inhabitants of Japan, and whose race are slowly disappearing from the earth, to the great regret of the whole world, live in this part of Hokkaidō enjoying their peaceful, happy-go-lucky existence.
A word in conclusion to the haters of history, if there be such at this time. Akan ought to be their ideal resort, for history here is conspicuous by its absence, unless it be its associations with primitive epochs in which only the deities, good and bad, thrived. On the other hand Akan makes a happy hunting-ground for botanists and geologists, as it abounds in plants and flowers peculiar to Hokkaidō, and in curious geological formations.
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