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Vacation BlogCruising for Discounts?
To protect the full-fare business they receive from traditional travel agents, cruise lines will not allow many of the deals you are about to see to be advertised in newspapers or magazines, or on television. Are you a spontaneous type who is not adverse to planning a last-minute cruise vacation? Register at their site and receive emails about last-minute cruise deals. Registration is free! The site is also highly informative. Check it out! The allure of the London Eye
by europealacarte The London Eye, at 135 metres, is the tallest observation wheel in the world. I think that the London Eye is most spectacular to non-riders when it's illuminated in the evening. I took a "flight" on the London Eye in 2000 during its first year of operation when I visited the Millennium Dome with our sons. I was rather wary as I generally feel sick during any sort of fairground rides. However the London Eye's motion is smooth and slow and I was able to enjoy the views without feeling queasy. Rising Gas Prices and Memorial Day Travel
© Wolfgang Staudt In Southern California alone, as reported by the L.A.Times: Fewer southern Californians are expected to travel during the Memorial Day holiday weekend this year, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. About 2.9 million people are projected to take weekend trips starting today. About 73% of Southland travelers - 2.12 million people - were expected to drive, a decline from last year of 0.1%. More than 440,000 people will travel by airplane, a decline from last year of 0.2%. But then, you guys are already enjoying your weekends! Enjoy. Iceland's supersize National Park
© r h There's plenty to do in addition to enjoying the spectacular countryside and scenery in Iceland. The capital city Reykjavik has some great nightlife. There are many events such as the Festival of the Sea the first weekend in June, The Jazz Festival at the end of August and The Film Festival at the end of September. A probiotic solution to travellers tummy
© ninahale I think there is probably a large potential market for this product as an increasing number of travellers are heading for locations such as Egypt and India where there is more chance of a bout of "travellers tummy". I know that my sightseeing trips in Morocco were curtailed by an upset stomach. There are three basic preventative steps you should take: 1 Frequent hand washing 2 Avoid raw foods 3 Avoid tap water I'd be interested to hear if you have tried Travala Probiotic and if it lived up to its claims. Bangkok Attractions
That said, here are some of the highlights: Wat Pho: Wat Pho is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. This is the largest temple in the city of Bangkok. It's claim to fame is the 46 meter long reclining Buddha, that is covered in gold leaf. Wat Pho is also one of the best places in Thailand to experience a traditional Thai massage. At 200 baht an hour, which is less than 10 dollars, it is also inexpensive. Wat Arun: Wat Arun, otherwise known as the Temple of Dawn is perhaps the most beautiful sight in the city of Bangkok. The temple is decorated by bits of porcelain that were once used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China. Photos do not do it justice. You need to see it up close and personal. The most dramatic way to visit Wat Arun is to take one of the water taxis. If you can wake up early enough, try to see it at dawn. The Grand Palace: The Grand Palace Complex was once the official home of the Kings of Siam. The current king still uses this palace for ceremonial events. Airlines Woo Frequent Fliers
Matthew Daimler, founder of SeatGuru.com, thinks the war for customers is making business class better: "What first class was five or 10 years ago, that's what business class is now becoming." With seats getting wider and wider and service getting better and better, we have to start wondering where it is going to end. There is talk of converting planes to all business class seats on busy routes. Eos Airlines has 757s that contain 48 personal "suites." Fliers have 20 square feet of their own personal space. So the day may be coming soon when economy and business classes are not in separate sections, but on separate planes. Source Campaign Hate Speech.
.... but should warmongers also be protected as a minority? John McCain seems to think so. Why am I NOT surprised this was reported on Fox News? Biloxi's Unpretentious Comeback
Biloxi hasn't rested since Katrina made landfall. Seeing the devastation as a opportunity, Biloxi focused on rebuilding and, three years after the storm, its tourism industry is thriving. In fact, the city's airport is more busy than it was in the years before the storm hit. Biloxi's white-sand beaches and maritime culture, which is marked by sites like the Biloxi Lighthouse, have long been regional tourist draws. Biloxi's shrimp industry is also back on its feet. Seafood is always the center of attention on the area's menus. Celeb' chef Emeril Lagasse, a Gulf Coast native, has a restaurant in town. There are plenty of less commercialized creole joints in town as well. Biloxi's first attraction to reopen was the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino. A new venue, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi, whose opening was delayed by Katrina, joined the party and Biloxi was reborn. Photo Source Macau - Asia's most exciting destination
Macau is being billed as "Asia's most exciting destination". Macua lies in the Pearl River estuary between the South China Sea and mainland China.. Macua is run along similar lines to Hong Kong as a special administrative area within China. Macau was formally handed over to China by the Portuguese in 1999. The city is a fascinating fusion of Chinese and Portuguese, old and new, culture and architecture. One of the best known landmarks is the Macau Tower with fantastic views across the Delta. There are several Chinese temples, the oldest, Kun Iam dating from the 15th century. There are the bridges linking the islands of Taipa and Coloane to Macua. Plans have just been approved for the construction of a mega 36 kilometre sea bridge to link Hong Kong-Zhuha-Macau. The Macau Government Tourist Office has lots of useful information such as tours including the Historic Centre and Macau highlights. You can read local residents recommendations for their favourite off the beaten track restaurants. Have you visited Macau, what would you recommend doing there? A Smarter Way To Visit Orlando
"Hold off!" you say. "I can't afford those ritzy accommodations!" Surprise! Check out the great prices on Zonder's Orlando Vacation Rentals. Why stay at chain hotel when you can get a villa for eight for $179? Vacation rentals come with full kitchens. Think of the money you'll save on eating out. Think of the lines you won't have to wait on in the restaurants. But wait. It gets better. Thanks to Garden Grocer, you can have your groceries delivered to your vacation rental. It's enough to make a dolphin smile! And speaking of dolphins, a big hug goes out to Seaworld Adventure Park Info for allowing me to use their spectacular photos! Vacation Spot: Los Roques
Ilhabela
The official site for Ilhabela is here, but you can find info in English by visiting the Virtual Tourist site. Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net Ski tourism stressing capercaillie
The study by ecologists from Switzerland, Germany and Austria used a new technique to assess the impact of ski tourism on capercaillie. Working in the Southern Black Forest in Germany, they collected the birds droppings before and after the start of the ski season, and analysed them for levels of the breakdown products of the stress hormone corticosterone. They found that levels of the breakdown products of the stress hormone were significantly higher in birds living in areas with moderate or high levels of ski tourism. One of the study's authors, Dr Lukas Jenni of the Swiss Ornithological Institute says: Ski tourism affects both habitat use and stress hormone levels in capercaillie, and this could adversely affect their body condition and overall fitness. Because of this, we recommend that managers keep forests inhabited by capercaillie free from tourism infrastructure and retain undisturbed forest patches within skiing areas......... Saturday Matinee
This one is nice, though it suffers from the usual degradation of quality in the transfer to the internet. I guess the only way to get better quality video is to get a camera devoted to that, and since that would just be one more thing for me to carry about the forest, I probably won’t. Seeing this makes me wish I were there right now. I’m hoping that the lake is even fuller than this. Missouri calendar:
Vacation Spot: Ithaa
Step put onto the wooden ramp and descend into the depths via staircase, and then enjoy a Maldivian fusion cuisine that ranges from $187 to $220 per person. Yummy. Conrad Maldives Rangali Island is part of the Conrad Hotels as of December 2007. Thanksgiving Weekend Getaways
o Drive to the closest mountains or nature that you can find and rent a bed-and-breakfast or log cabin room for a couple of days. o Get involved in a weekend volunteer project in a neighboring community. Thanksgiving is a time when many places put on events that volunteers can join in on. And doing that kind of work together can really build a bond. o Check for cheap flights. Look online to find out where you can go right now at the lowest cost. Be wild! o Know a family member or friend who is away visiting family all weekend? Ask to borrow their house for a getaway in your own hometown. If you don't know someone well enough yet to getaway with them for the weekend, go on a day date instead. Thanksgiving is a great time to give thanks for what you've got while allowing yourself to dream about having a little bit more. Gar Wood, the Enzo Ferrari of Powerboat Racing
I was reminded of this when checking an article in The Garage Blog by Gary Faules in which he writes about Garfield Wood, a legendary powerboat builder whose Gar Wood and Baby Gar racers dominated many competitions in the early part of the 20th century. Powerboat racing during that period was so popular that close to half-a-million spectators lined the shores of the Detroit River in 1922 to watch the Gold Cup Regatta! The Garfield Wood story is fascinating and Gary does a fine job of reducing it to blog length.... not always easy. After you've read it, click on the Port Carling Boats site for a look at many examples of beautiful wooden powerboats built for racing and pleasure use. The site looks like it was designed by the same guy who decorates pawnshop windows but don't let that deter you. It's rich with photos, information, and links. Touchous Tuesday
We did not make it down to Roundrock for our semi-traditional day-after-Thanksgiving visit and campfire. Other interests among the majority lead us in a different direction last Friday. The next chance for a visit will be this coming weekend, which will mean that the entire month of November has passed without a trip to the woods. I grit my teeth and face this gruesome reality, but it is nearly unbearable. You should all feel great pity for me. As you know if you read Sunday’s post, I’m currently re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I love the narrative voice along with all of the other qualities of the book. Anyway, I came upon the word “touchous” on one of the pages (as I’m sure I had the three other times I’d read the book) and marveled at it. In context it meant “touchy” and I was glad to add it to my personal lexicon. It seems to be a regional word more commonly found in the Carolinas, eastern Tennessee and Kentucky (my idyllic boyhood summers were in western Kentucky), and West Virginia. These are all places that I have verified really do exist despite their unlikely sounding names. Curiously, I had come across the word “tetchy” in several of the Iris Murdoch novels I have read, and in context it has meant “touchous.” I love this kind of word migration. Anyway, I feel a bit touchous since I haven’t been to the woods in so long. Missouri calendar:
Stick figures
It snowed most of yesterday, small, wet flakes that stuck to everything, and this morning the water from my too-shallow well was faintly pink. On my way up to my parents’ house, a pair of small insects — caddisflies, or something similar — somehow found their way onto the toe of my right boot. They must have been mating in the snow when I picked them up. They were joined back to back, and walked in either direction quite ably, like the pushmi-pullyu in Doctor Doolittle. I’ve written a couple new posts for the Plummer’s Hollow blog: Clash of the seasons today, and First snow two days ago. I’ve also started a new writing exercise using the micro-blogging tool Twitter, which is designed mostly for people with mobile phones or Blackberries (I have neither) to post periodic updates on their activities. I won’t be doing that. Instead, I’m taking advantage of Twitter’s strict, 140-character limit, challenging myself once a day to answer the question, “What can I see or hear from my front porch while I drink my morning coffee?” The results appear on my Twitter page, Twitter; in a feed that you can subscribe to, if you wish (you don’t have to join Twitter); and in the sidebar of Via Negativa’s home page, down below the blogroll feed, where I’ll limit the display to the ten most recent of these tweets, as they’re called. Yeah, I know, the terminology is a little silly, but trust me: tweets and twitters make up the bulk of what I hear each morning. It’s surprisingly difficult to condense a half-hour of observation into just 140 characters. My inspiration in this effort is Tom Montag, who kept a Twitter about his daily commute for many years, though he was never quite that brief. Long-time readers might also remember that back in November 2004 I blogged the results of Twitter I’d kept five years earlier. That effort ran out of inspiration after only a few weeks; I’m hoping to keep this up for a year. Older Blog Entries 1 2 3 4 |
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