February 2nd, 2010
When planning your holiday safari, take into consideration the lodging or hotel facilities you will use. Select and make bookings in a hotel that you like only. The safari lodge you choose in Kenya can make or break your vacation. There are several things you ought to remember when choosing lodges.
Facilities
If you will be traveling with your children, select family-friendly lodge for your safari in Kenya. These are hotels that offer fun and educational facilities in addition to accommodation. Unless, you find someone to take care of your children while you are away you will not be able to enjoy your safari. Choose hotels that provide day-care services, swimming pools or even crib rentals. Take the time to compare the facilities offered by different hotels before settling on one. Only select hotels that offer numerous facilities but at reasonable prices.
January 30th, 2010
What are the best cruise lines for cruises through the Panama Canal? A lot of people have been having a hard time looking for some good reviews online. So I decided to dig deeper and deliver you some really good information that will help you make an informed decision on which is the best cruise line to take.
Volendam (Holland America) – A passenger was able to take a partial transit of Panama Canal and remembered that all of the HAL ships have curled around promenade decks as well as opening the bow which they did while in the Panama Canal.
Oceania – The passengers went on a smaller ship with many mature people on board and recalled the food as being very good and at the same time very expensive.
Princess – A lady said that the ship was good but she usually goes for bigger ships but the problem is that they can’t fit through the canal. 80% of the crowd were around 60-70 years old, 5% were older and the rest was in their 40’s and above.
January 15th, 2010
Norway is a country with a passionate national tradition of mountain hiking. This means that accommodations have been made for people to traverse large swaths of mountain terrain on foot. Hikers can walk from cabin to cabin, where they will find international crowds to regale them with stories by the fire. Thanks to the DNT, the Norwegian Trekking Association, Norway offers a network of 20,000 kilometers of marked hiking trails, one of the largest in all of Europe. Some of these routes have been developed from local footpaths and older thoroughfares. Others have been developed to meet trekkers’ needs. Either way, these trails serve to guide hikers while protecting animal and plant life by limiting the path of human traffic through Norway’s incredible outdoor scenery.
Even in fog and rain, you will be able to see the next waymark on your path, a “T” written in red paint on rock walls and cairns. If you’d rather journey through the Norwegian natural wonders with more of a plan set out, the DNT and Norske Bygdeopplevelser, an event supplier, both organize great rambling tours.
January 3rd, 2010
The walk was a fantastic experience! I spent 4 days camped out in the Australian Bush completing a section of the Bibbulmun Track Bush Trail. During the trek I faced my own “bush tucker trials”, which included coming face to face with a wild kangaroo, a bite on the neck from a spider and meeting a poisonous Tiger Snake!
But don’t let this put your off. I am an average 48 year old and as long as you do some fitness training and know that you healthy you should be fine. The trail was established so that people from all walks of life can appreciate and recognize the pre-European inhabitants of the area, which is south of Perth WA, and their practice of walking long distances for gatherings.
Following a visit to Perth, Western Australia last year, I met some Australian businessmen at a Rotary Club meeting and several of them told me about the Bibbulmun Track Walk which a group of them complete a section of each year and I was offered the opportunity to test myself the following year.
December 30th, 2009
Situated in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island, Queenstown has been described as the adventure capital of the world. Adventurers of all types choose this area as their adventure vacation destination. There are plenty of thrills for the adrenalin junkie – bungee jumping, canyon swinging, white water rafting, river surfing, skiing, heli-skiing, skydiving, mountain climbing, mountain biking, jet boating, and more.
For those that want to stay on this planet for as long as possible, there are other “less challenging” things to do. For example, you can go for a scenic walk along the shores of Lake Wakatipu with its crystal clear waters, tour Lake Wakatipu aboard a 100-year-old coal fired steamship, fish, hike, cycle, golf, walk, or tour the local wineries. Excellent restaurants populate Queenstown and neighboring Arrowtown. As well, the Pinot Noir that is produced in the wine producing area surrounding the city is excellent.
Summer officially begins on 1 December and ends 28 February. This is an ideal time for those who prefer warmer weather. Daytime temperatures range from 20C to 30C (mid 70F-90F). Because it is 45 degrees south latitude, Queenstown’s summer days usually start at 5am and dusk at 10pm.That means there is plenty of daylight for you to thrill yourself senseless!
December 16th, 2009
A vacation…that’s what most of us need these days. We’re buzzing from one place to another, doing chores, fetching ours kids to piano, taekwondo, tuition classes, gym, etc. Others? Probably spending most of our waking hours working or running our businesses. There is only so much that our bodies and minds can take and soon, we will need to take some time out for some real stress-less activities… vacations. Well, the type of vacation that you end up taking usually depends on who is going and here are some popular types of vacations.
The learning and experiencing vacation. Usually, this would be a to place that you have never been before. Places like Boston and Washington are incredibly historical and if you have never been to their museums or historical cities, you have not completely visited the city. More often than not, a vacation where you get to learn and experience different things can give you a new perspective in life. For teenagers and kids, they come back more knowledgeable and more interested in knowing more about other parts of the world…a world traveler in the making, maybe.
December 5th, 2009
Santa Paula, a Southern California town located in Ventura County about fifteen miles from the Pacific Ocean has a rich and fascinating history. People have lived in the area for over 10,000 years, from the villages of the Chumash, a Native American tribe that first settled the area to today’s modern city.
The Chumash arrived in the area about 10,000 years ago and lived in villages ranging from Morro Bay in the north to Malibu in the south as well as on three of the Channel Islands off the shore of Santa Barbara. Due to the abundance of natural resources in the area, the Chumash were probably the most successful Native American tribe in California. Many of the local landmarks still retain Chumash names, such as the nearby city of Piru and Mupu School.
Juan Cabrillo, a Spanish explorer was the first European to encounter the Chumash tribes during his exploration of the California coast in 1542. It wasn’t until centuries later that Spanish expeditions and settlers began arriving in the region in large numbers. In 1769, Spanish settlers arrived at the site of what would eventually become Santa Paula. They found the Chumash villages of Mupu and Srswa. The nearby Ventura Mission was founded soon after in 1782 by Father Junipero Serra. During this period the Chumash tribes experienced a steep decline in population during this time as new diseases were introduced and their historical way of life was disrupted by the Mission system and Spanish rule.
As the Spanish and Mexican colonization of Southern California continued, Santa Paula and the surrounding area was eventually divided up into various land grants. Rancho Santa Paula y Saticoy was a 17,773 acre grant that was given to Manuel Jimeno Casarin in 1843 by the Mexican governor of California. Throughout the 1850’s the rancho changed hands a number of times, eventually being purchased in 1862 by George G. Briggs. Five years after purchasing the land, Briggs divided the land up in 150 acre parcels and began selling it to farmers.
November 12th, 2009
How on earth did the Windy City get its name? A lot of contentions have been made regarding Chicago and its famous nickname. Some say it isn’t really the sea breezes the city was named after but its politicians who overly promoted the city at one time that they were known to be full of ‘hot air’. It also referred to most Chicagoans ability to exaggerate on some issues. However it was coined though, the name seems to have adapted itself to the city weather and Chicago to date has become one of the most relaxed destinations for sports requiring a strong amount of, what else, wind.
Sailing is one of the sports Chicagoans take part in. Chicago has all the elements required for sailing. Smooth waters provided by Lake Michigan and ample winds for sail give just the right touch for the sport. There are several charter services in the area which provide a sailing tour with boats even beginners can have fun in. Beginners who want to get their hands dirty with sailing lessons can avail of several different training and charter by award-winning Captain Ben Sells. Those who want to simply let the professionals do their job and just enjoy the view can also do so, getting the famous Chicago skyline and lakefront as scenery. The sailing tour will also stop over certain attractions such as the Field Museum, Adler Planetarium and Shedd Aquarium before turning back to the lakefront to cap the day.
November 4th, 2009
Looking to choose just one of the luxury hotels Turkey has to offer? Learn more about how to narrow down your choices.
From the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar to the ruins of Patara and the lagoon beach of Olu Deniz, Turkey is a country that is blessed with dozens of astonishing places to visit and sights to see. Whether you want a relaxing beach holiday, an exciting cultural experience or an active adventure holiday, Turkey can accommodate your needs. It is also blessed with a huge selection of high quality places to stay, and choosing just one of the many luxury hotels Turkey has to offer may be a hard thing to do.
Here are a few of the factors to consider when selecting your accommodation.
Large or Small?
The character of a hotel is often affected by its size, and it’s up to you whether you go for a boutique hotel or for something larger. For many people, the intimacy of a boutique hotel is an essential part of their holiday experience. Then again, the larger hotels, such as the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul or the Cappadocia Cave Resort and Spa usually have spectacular facilities and expansive grounds. The luxury hotels Turkey has can accommodate your specific needs, so make sure you choose one that suits the kind of holiday that you want to have.
October 25th, 2009
It was one miserable night. The wind was howling through the rigging, and occasionally when the lantern would sway in a certain direction, you could see the rain blasting by in a horizontal downpour. The temperature in and of itself was not that bad, it was in the mid 70’s, but the wind and blowing rain caused a chilled you to the core of your body. Foul weather gear wouldn’t even keep you dry in these conditions. The sails were all reefed to the last reef point. Any farther would result in no sail at all and we would loose the ability to control the boat. This is the third day of this nasty weather and the navigator has not been able to get a celestial fix for two days now. The only fix he had was from the first day, and due to the poor conditions that day, he wasn’t sure of its accuracy. It sure would be nice to know what our position is. We should be close to landfall, as we left Tampa three days ago for what should have been a three-day run to Panama City. This weather has caused us to change course so many times though, that we are not sure of where we are exactly. Our only hope is that the weather will break just long enough for us to see the light from Cape San Blas.
The story above, in this instance is fiction, but having been to sea myself, I know all too well that it has been lived and re-lived thousands of times over the years. Modern electronics make things a lot simpler these days for navigators, but in the days before electronics were invented, lighthouses were a primary source of coastal navigational information. Cape San Blas lighthouse is no exception. True, it is now dormant, but it still stands as it did when it was constructed in 1848, as a solitary beacon, and a reminder of our maritime history. In 1882, in the midst of its active service years, there was no other light along the 120-mile coastline between Cape San Blas and Pensacola.
