Colourful town: The town of Guatapé, Antioquia, Colombia, is said to be the most colourful in the country. That’s because everyone decorates their homes and businesses with brightly coloured paint in many different designs. A home might have a background of red with orange and green flowers, while a bakery might have images of bread loaves. Known as zocalos, these paintings can even tell a story of a journey or a historical figure. Guatapé is located 82 kilometres (51 mi.) east of the big city of Medellín and is a tourist attraction for bothColombians and visitors.

Illegal bean: A bean that is native to South America is illegal in the United States. It’s called the tonka bean and is known for its many scents. Looking a bit like a raisin, the tonka bean smells like a combination of vanilla, cherry, almond, and cinnamon. The bean’s shavings are used in such things as ice cream, beverages, and pastries. The ban in the United States stems from the fact that the bean contains coumarin, which can cause health problems. However, aficionados say it would take a large amount of beans to cause a problem. Cooks around the world use a small amount in a variety of dishes.

Walking backwards: Medi Bastoni, an Indonesian man from Dono, a small village in East Java, was so passionate about a cause that he walked backwards for over 700 kilometres (430 mi.). Bastoni was raising awareness about rainforest preservation. His backwards walk took him to his country’s capital of Jakarta, where he planned to meet with President Joko Widodo. What he wanted from the President was simple: a symbolic seed for a tree, which he would then plant near his village. Bastoni outfitted himself with a backpack full of supplies and a frame that held a rear-view mirror so he could see where he was going.

Petal power: A building in Venezuela can open and close like a flower. The Flor de Venezuela is also known as the Flor de Hanover because it was built for Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany. The architect, Fruto Vivas, wanted the building to reflect flowers, so he designed a building that has 16 enormous petals attached to a central stem. Using a hydraulic system, the petals can open and close, which is not only visually appealing, but also convenient if it rains. Once the Expo was over, the building was moved, piece-by-piece, to Barquisimeto in the western part of the country.

Quiet park: Vancouver, British Columbia, on Canada’s west coast, is home to Stanley Park, which covers an area of about 400 hectares (1,000 acres). Cyclists and walkers love pedalling on 27 kilometres (16.7 mi.) of trails that wind through and around the park. Stanley Park includes a variety of vegetation, including centuries-old red cedars, towering Douglas firs, and Pacific dogwoods, making it a quiet forest retreat in the middle of a big city. Walkers and cyclists who stick to the peripheral trail can watch float planes come and go on Vancouver Harbour and enjoy views of the surrounding mountains.  

Iconic sculpture: The red phone booth is an iconic sight in London, England, and there is a sculpture to recognize this symbol of English heritage. Called “Out of Order,” it was made by Scottish sculptor David Mach and installed in 1989 on Old London Road. “Out of Order” consists of 12 red phone booths that look like they have fallen into each other. Some viewers think that it symbolizes the death of the phone booth in this age of mobile phones, but the sculpture was installed before the use of those devices were as common as they are today. The sculpture is a great backdrop for tourists snapping selfies!