Lodge above the clouds at Thare Pati at sunset along the Helambu trekking circuit, Nepal -- White Richardson/Aurora Photos

Lodge above the clouds at Thare Pati at sunset along the Helambu trekking circuit, Nepal -- White Richardson/Aurora Photos

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Close up of a Damara dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii) from Etosha National Park, Namibia -- Shem Compion/Getty Images

Close up of a Damara dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii) from Etosha National Park, Namibia -- Shem Compion/Getty Images

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Beaver Falls in the Grand Canyon, Arizona -- Ron Watts /Photolibrary

Beaver Falls in the Grand Canyon, Arizona -- Ron Watts /Photolibrary

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Monks near the Mekong River, Laos -- Neil Emmerson/Corbis

Monks near the Mekong River, Laos -- Neil Emmerson/Corbis

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• No, they\re not drums--they\re covered bowls used for a humble, daily ritual.""Each morning, these pious men walk a line through the local streets collecting food and alms
• Roughly 2,500 years ago, Buddhist monks in this country made their robes from scraps of cloth and dyed them in water colored by vegetables and spices.""Today, their robes may not have begun as rags, but they\ve retained the traditional “saffron” color
• Some call this region\s massive river the Amazon of Asia, home to strange and marvelous creatures like the Irrawaddy dolphin and…""The largest freshwater fish in the world, pushed by humanity toward extinction
• Visitors to this country often land here, a colorful and sleepy town where most travel by foot, bicycle, or scooter…""But don\t come for the nightlife. A curfew calls for quiet at 11:30

Butterflies sipping water and minerals from a riverbank in Manu National Park, Peru -- Frans Lanting/Corbis

Butterflies sipping water and minerals from a riverbank in Manu National Park, Peru -- Frans Lanting/Corbis

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• Wings up, heads down, get in close. There\s plenty of muddy water for everyone…""This is just a little something we butterflies call “puddling”
• Designated as a biosphere reserve, this rain forest is one of the most biologically diverse spots in the world.""As you can see, butterflies are just the beginning here
• These delicate beauties can claim some rather peculiar neighbors in their Amazon sanctuary, including a giant, aquatic rodent, the biggest in the world.""Imagine your pet guinea pig. Now brace yourself
• You won\t find roads that lead this deep into the jungle.""Its isolation is part of its charm

Trunk Bay on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Pacific Stock/SuperStock

Trunk Bay on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Pacific Stock/SuperStock

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• If you‘re drawn to this heavenly strip, you\ll have to share.""You\re looking at the most popular beach on the island
• Once used to grow sugarcane, most of this island is now a U.S. national park. Hike one of its 22 trails to see it as nature intended.""And if you go today, don\t forget to wish the park a happy 55th birthday
• If you\re suffering from indecision, it might pay off to explore some nearby vacation options.""There\s bound to be an island just right for anyone
• You may be surprised to see an American flag flying on these exotic shores. The U.S. purchased this jewel and several of its island neighbors from Denmark in 1917, for $25 million.""That\s about $300 an acre for this paradise

On the first day of Ramadan, a boy in India arranges glasses of water before Iftar, the meal Muslims eat to break their dawn-to-dusk fast -- Jaipal Singh/Photolibrary

On the first day of Ramadan, a boy in India arranges glasses of water before Iftar, the meal Muslims eat to break their dawn-to-dusk fast -- Jaipal Singh/Photolibrary

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• For more than a fifth of the world\s people, the holiest month of the year starts today…""With 30 days of prayer, fasting, and reflection
• Although most who live here are Hindu, this south Asian nation is also home to…""The third-largest Muslim population in the world
• After sipping a glass of water, Ramadan observers customarily eat this sugary fruit first when breaking their fast.""It\s been cultivated since the dawn of civilization
• During Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, then typically gather with family or members of the broader community…""To break their fast together