Travel Thumbnail: Cal-Neva Lodge

Tour the retro resort at Lake Tahoe was Rat Pack haunt

The Place: Cal-Neva Resort, Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada

The Story: Cal-Neva at Crystal Bay, a Lake Tahoe North Shore landmark once owed by Frank Sinatra, offers great historic tour -- an amnity few casino-hotels have the history to provide. By Nevada casino standards, it low-key and restrained in appearance, but its history is as wild as anyplace in Las Vegas. The Washoe Indians once had a summer camp on the site, and the first resort, a large log lodge built in 1917 to promote real estate sales, burned to the ground 10 years later and was quickly rebuilt as a self-contained resort west of Reno. The building supplies were already at nearby Tahoe City, and reconstruction took 100 men just 40 days to complete. I'm just sayin'.

Glamour, celebrities, mob ties, suicidal owners, a little jewel of a showroom and an underground tunnel linking the main lodge with cabins on the property are part of the lore that Cynthia Langhof talked about on a historic tour given weekends, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Her mother dove to Tahoe from Idaho n a Model T Ford in 1931. She tells tales of mob connections, intrigue and mysteries. Marilyn Monroe ODed at Cal-Neva less that a week before her final, fatal overdose in Los Angeles. With a string of liaisons, some believe that she knew too much for mob comfort.

The Cal-Neva lies directly on the California-Nevada border. It was Nevada's first licensed casino and remains the oldest continuously operating casino in the US. The Indian Room just off the lobby is wood-paneled, decorated with hides and heads. It straddles the state line, and when federal agents came to inspect it, all the gaming tables were rolled to the Nevada side of the room. It was the resort's show room in the 1930s and '40s, hosted banquets and special events, and has a great dance floor. The huge stone fireplace shows the state line, but it is actually off by a bit.

Frank Sinatra bought the Cal-Neva in 1960, fronting for his Mafioso pal and partner Sam Giancana. The Rat Pack and assorted other celebs performed or visited there in those days. Those who didn't want to be seen could land at the rooftop helipad and sneak into the resort. When Sinatra owned the Cal-Neva, he had a wonderful small showroom built, because he didn't like the way his voice sounded in the Indian Room. When he was watching a show rather than performing, he either sat at a large table against the back wall or a private room one level up. The Nevada Gaming Control Board pulled Sinatra's gaming license after Sam Giancana visited the resort after he had been banned from the casino, and he sold it in 1963. Photographs of headliners of those heady days line the corridor from the casino to the showroom, and wonderful original artwork of world entertainment adorns the side walls of the showroom, used today for concerts, plays and special events.

An underground tunnel connects the main lodge with some of the 56 cabins, some of which are still rented out in the summer. Number 5 was Sinatra's. Marilyn Monroe stayed in number 3. The unadorned tunnel has two curiosities, one a faux grave for mob-connected union boss Jimmy Hoffa and the initials of Ava Gardener, reputedly the great love of Sinatra's life, on a retaining wall. Cynthia tells the backstory during the tour. There are, of course, ghost stories, and travelers who seek paranormal experiences visit as well.

Currently, Cal-Neva is for sale. The 219-room resort on almost 14 acres with such a history with Hollywood star and the political elite, especially in the Sinatra era, is owned by Canyon Capital which took over in April through a nonmarketed foreclosure. It is rumored that Brad Pitt and George Clooney were/are interested in buying and restoring it -- perhaps replacing the sore-thumb nine-story tower built in the '60s. Would that be a kick?

Cost: The Tunnel Tour costs $8 per person; reserve by calling 775-298-3160. You can take a look for free on your own, have a drink at the Round Bar under a leaded glass ceiling made with more than 7,000 pieces of German glass, poke your head into the Indian Room or look at the artifacts and memorabilia. Of course, you can play the slots or park at the tables if that's your desire. You can stay there at astonishingly inexpensive winter packages.

Information: Cal Neva Resort, 2 Stateline Road, Crystal Bay, NV 89402; 800-CAL-NEVA.

Rail Transportation to Travel

President's proposal for rail expansion would alter US travel

I love trains. When I travel abroad, it is my favorite mode of transportation., I love the energetic bustle of big-city railroad stations and the convenience of traveling from center-city to center-city, and I certainly prefer reaching small communities by train to clogging up roadways with a costly rental car. I wish we still had decent, punctual trains in this country, and maybe it will happen in my lifetime. I was cheered by President Obama's State of the Union message last Wednesday that included the intention of awarding $8 billion in stimulus funds for development of light-rail corridors around the country and new high-speed rail in Florida. It makes sense from all perspectives -- employment, traveler convenience, the environmental benefits of mass transit.

A number of US and Canadian cities already have light rail rapid transit -- surface trains, not subways, that unclog roadways. When I changed planes in Phoenix not long ago, I saw that the city's Valley Metro rail line reaches Skyharbor Airport from both east and west. Vancouver's new SkyTrain (upper right) connects the airport with the center city. Light rail lines in Denver, Salt Lake City and Calgary do not currently reach their respective airports but hopefully will in the future. Kansas City voters rejected a north-south light rail line, but the regional transportation district is planning on using diesel-driven trains on existing tracks -- perhaps similar to the Albuquerque-Santa Fe Railrunner (lower right). We'll see.

Elsewhere in the world, a rail link from major airports to the city and from there to national and international train networks is taken for granted. Once again, the US, which pretends to be so enlightened and so advanced, lags far behind. I just hope that Washington a-ginners who were fixating on deconstructing proposed health care/insurance reform don't get their talons into rail transportation improvements too.

Mexican vacations | travel

Traveling to Mexico between Feb. 15 and May 20? Now is the time to take advantage of a special savings opportunity for Mexican vacations booked through March 19, 2010. Participating resorts are offering:A free night with a 3-5 day minimum stay.Up to a $200 resort credit and/or room upgradeAir Discounts on coach, business, and first classDouble-click on the flyer (front page above, back page below

Black-Classic preaparation travel

Black is classic, elegant, modern, chic, edgy, tough, timeless color and it's never out of season. I love black! I have many favorite black outfits... All black outfit is not boring to me, and I know many of you love black as much as I do ;-)

My little girl is in kindergarten. She came home and told me about her science experiment of black in her class. She explored what makes up the color black, and this experiment will be displayed at science night on this Thursday night. I can't wait for her to show me how she did it. She also told me that she just like black for Halloween, her favorite color is purple;-)
Wearing: Rebbeca Taylor ruffle-sleeves sweater, AA black bodysuit, Alaia skirt, Fallon necklaces. Christian Louboutin shoes.

Haiti: Hotel Oloffson Appears to Have Survived in travel

Port-au-Prince landmark hotel survived the quake

Back in the early '80s, during a period of relative quiessence in Hait (Papa Doc Duvalier having been succeeded by his more benign son, Baby Doc), the country was taking advantage of a relatively quiet period and was trying to entice foreign tourists to return. Yes, our small group of travel journalists was driven past heartbreaking shantytowns and shameful slums, but also visited places of hope and creativity. We visited the cathedral (now in ruins), repeatedly drove past the Presidential Palace (now collapsed), visited the Centre d'Art and bought some wonderful primitive paintings, bought other handcrafts at the Iron Market and drove up into the mountains past deforested mountainsides to a crafts coop and a rum distillery. And I stayed at the Hotel Oloffson, a labyrinthian frame building bedecked in elaborate fretwork and set in lush private grounds.

In Haiti's heyday, when the rich and famous frequented Haiti, the richest and most famous stayed at the Oloffson and anchored its bar. A cigar-chompoing Connecticut native, Al Seitz, took over the hotel in 1960, and over the years, hosted such big names as Jackie Onassis and Mick Jagger, and Seitz named hotel rooms after them. Graham Greeen set The Comedians at the Oloffson. After Al Seitz' death in 1982, his widow, the former Suzanne Laury, continued to operate it, and that's when I visited. The Oloffson survived thanks to foreign reporters and international aid workers who needed secure lodging

As I watched television reports of the horrible earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince two days ago, I also wondered how the Oloffson fared. The hotel has survived decades of a challenging climate, natural disasters, merciless dictatorshops and insurrections, but might have been the cruelest blow. However, it is known that wood-frame buildings withstand quakes and shakes better than poorly built masonry ones. According to a report in USA Today's "Hotel Check-In," the Oloffson seems to have dodged yet another bullet:

"At least one prominent hotel is safe - the Hotel Oloffoson, owned by Richard Morse. According to his tweets today, everyone is safe at the hotel. He tweeted, 'all my guests slept in the driveway last night..people came up from the streets thinking they were bodies.. neighbors helping neighbors.'

Christine Blanchard of New Jersey wrote in to the BBC that she 'heard a lot of people are at the Hotel Oloffson - near the center of Port-au-Prince - because it's one of the few hotels still standing.' She'd written to BBC earlier this morning after staying up all night searching for missing family in Haiti.)"

I know that is is but one small island of good news in a sea of untthinkable tragedy, but in a Molly Brown sort of way, perhaps it's a sign that beleaguered, resilient Haiti "ain't down yet."

Carnival Nixes Cougar Cruises in travel

"Fun Ships" ban more meat market/meet market cruise for older women/younger men

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read about California-based Singles Travel Company's promotion of "the world's first international cougar cruise," Dec. 3-7, 2009, inviting older women and younger men to "a festive pre holiday fun weekend of dining, dancing and partying" aboard the "Fun Ship Elation." Word on the street, or on the waters, is that the cruise was a success and that demand spiked for more such trips. ""I've had to hire two more people part-time just to pick up the phones," Singles Travel Company executive director Ann Thomas told CNN at the time. "I've never seen a response quite like this."

But Carnival Cruise Line has pulled the plug on future cougar cruises, according to a report in USA Today. The line's Jennifer De la Cruz reportedly didn't say why the line had banned them. Newsweek had called 2009 "the year of the cougar," and ABC is broadcasting "Cougar Town," whose theme is, well, older women/younger men. It seems that that's a demographic mix for a latter-day "Love Boat" that Carnival doesn't care for. But with competition strong among cruise lines, I suspect that the Singles Travel Company will have no problem finding a line to pick up where Carnival left off. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Dinner at Jonker Street, Malacca 2009

After a long walking tour at Malacca Butterfly and Reptile Sanctuary, we continue to Jonker Street - Malacca (Melaka) for dinner.

This is the first time having my dinner over here. I heard there are many Good Nyonya Foods around the area. So we decided to stop at the small lane which connect Jalan Tokong and Jonker Street (Jalan Hang Jebat) (N2°11.862' E102°14.744'), you can refer from the map at the end of this post.

My intention here was to search for the Nyonya Laksa. While walking pass this shop (below), I remember I saw it somewhere from the internet, so we decided to take our dinner here...

And placed our order immediately at the hawker stall beside...

To avoid long queue from the stall, my wife bought some Sushi from the stall next to our table...

The Sushi stall, half of the customers were Caucasian.

The order :-
* Nyonya Curry Laksa
* Nyonya Assam Laksa
* Melaka Cendol

Nyonya Curry Laksa

Nyonya Assam Laksa

Melaka Cendol

By looking at the pictures above, I think you might know how was the food taste...
The Curry & Assam Laksa were just A NORMAL without any Specialty from Nyonya Taste!! The Cendol was just NORMAL like the stall along Johor Bahru street! Honestly, nothing Special about it! The meal cost as normal as other street food.

I confirmed we hit the wrong stall! Haha! Too bad, have to wait till next visit again...
You can try it if happen in this area, but don't expect any special on it...

We had a walk later on the Jonker Street after the disappointed dinner...Spotted the public toilet just at the corner...MYR0.20 per entry

Public Toilet at Jonker Street

Passed this unique handicraft shop at Jonker Street

Then I notice...This Is the Shop we were searching for! Marked down in my GPS, will be back soon! :)

Found this Unique Cafe - Limau Limau Cafe at Jalan Hang Lekiu which is opposite the Kampung Kling Mosque. The word 'Limau' (in Malay) mean Lemon. The special of it was...the cafe is not selling Any Alcohol and this is A Non-Smoking Cafe. The second Non-Smoking Cafe I found along Jonker Street...

Limau Limau Cafe at Jalan Hang Lekiu - Malacca

Related post about Jonker Street :
* Jonker Walk Night Market, Malacca (Melaka)-(CNY 2008 Trips)
* Stalls at Jonker Street Night Market, Malacca (Melaka)

Airlines and Haiti Relief Efforts travel

Relief contributions by commercial air carriers' and a cruise line -- and a cruel hoax

American Airlines' last commercial flight took off from Port-au-Prince shortly after Tuesday's devastating quake. The carrier immediated scheduled three relief flights for Wednesday and three more for Thursday. Each carried 10,000 pounds of supplies for the airline's 100 employees in Haiti, as well as materials for local hospitals. It has also set aside American is also giving AAdvantage frequent flyers a one-time 250-mile bonus who make a minimum $50 donation to the American Red Cross 500 bonus miles for a $100 donation.The donation must be made online here by February 28.

Spirit Airlines is prepared to add up to 1 billion miles into its frequent flyer program to members who donate $5 or more to the Red Cross, UNICEF or Yele Haiti. Click here to link to the carrier's relief contributions.

The United Airlines Foundation is matching up to a total of US$50,000 to the American Red Cross for monetary donations by United customers and employees through the International Response Fund at united.com. Also, Mileage Plus members and employees can donate miles to the airline's nonprofit relief partners as part of its Charity Miles program. According to the communications department, "United is also working with relief agencies to determine how we can best support air lift humanitarian efforts, including transporting aid workers, food, and water."

Continental Airlines permits its OnePass members to donate miles to relief workers through the American Red Cross and other aid organizations through an existing program that does not seem to be speficially linked to Haiti relief.

Two EL AL aircraft, one jumbo 747-400 and one 777, flew to Haiti yesterday with 80 tons of supplies and 229 passengers (medical personnel, search-and-rescue teams and a K9 rescue squad).

Commercial cargo and package carriers like FedEx and UPS are not yet able to land in Haiti, but UPS is said to be donating $1 million to help the people of Haiti through relief agencies. This is just the beginning of the process, and I'm sure that others will participate as well.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is reportedly ready to continue sailings to its resort at Labadee, a private port of call on the north coast that escaped quake damage. The cruise line will carry humanitarian supplies on regular voyages.

And on the ground (or on the snow), Utah's Brighton Resort is donating $1 from every ticket sold tomorrow (Saturday, January 16) to relief efforts.

Horrible Hoaxes in the Twittersphere

According to a CNN report, "Twitter was buzzing Thursday morning with news that several airlines are flying doctors and nurses to Haiti free of charge to help with relief efforts there in the wake of Tuesday's devastating earthquake....The rumors are false...'[The] hoax on Twitter about American and JetBlue flying doctors and nurses to Haiti for free was just that -- a hoax. We don't know who is responsible, but it's a very low thing to do,' airline spokesman Tim Smith said in e-mails sent Thursday.Twitter users also circulated a rumor that UPS would ship for free any package under 50 lbs. to Haiti. In a blog post Wednesday on UPS's Web site, a spokeswoman debunked the rumor and said that destruction of Haiti's roads and communications networks 'means our own shipping services to Haiti are on hold.'"

Japan Airlines in Bankruptcy travel

Flag carrier of the Empire of the Rising Sun sinking under crushing debt load

We're accustomed to news of failed/failing/bankrupt airlines in America and even in Europe, but Asian airlines either have held up better through economic turmoil or Asian nations, unwilling to lose face, have propped up their national carriers. Japan Airlines is now in deep financial doo-doo. Its debt load, reportedly $25.6 billion, proved too much to sustain. The airline has filed for one bankruptcy protection and is facing restructuring including cutting some 16,000 jobs, cutting routes, shifting to more efficient aircraft and reducing retirees' pensions, quite a shock in the context of the nurturing Japanese social and business environment. Government support will keep JAL planes flying during this cataclysmic makeover.

Expect JAL to retire all 37 of its Boeing 747s and 16 MD-90s and replace them with 50 smaller regional jets. This will impact the long-haul routes, cutting some of the 220 airports (59 of them domestic) in 35 countries. Delta, which recently absorbed Northwest Airliner (that originally was called Northwest Orient Airlines with service to the Far East) is courting JAL to the tune of $1 billion (including $500 million in cash) to seduce JAL from American Airlines and the OneWorld frequent flyer alliance. American Airlines and its partners promise $1.4 billion cash to the Japanese airline to stay with OneWorld. The next time I fly Delta or American and am socked with a $25 fee to check a piece of luggage, I'll think about where those dollars are going. American, BTW, just reported a $347 million fourth-quarter loss, so I'm not sure whether their planning to print $1.4 billion or whether they're going to charge even more for passengers' checked baggage.

Marooned at Machu Picchu travel

Heavy rains triggered mudslides that cut off Cuzco-Machu Picchu land connections

In the great scheme of recently world catastrophes, Tuesday's mudslides between Cuzco and Machu Picchu are small potatoes. After all, compared with tens of thousands of fatalities, grave injuries, wildspread hunger and a capital city destroyed in Haiti's earthquake two weeks ago, the suspension of train service, the five to 10 deaths (reportedly including one guide and one tourist) and somewhere between 800 and 2,000 stranded tourists are no big deal. Record rains have fallen in this region.

Despite heavy weather, helicopters evacuated hundreds of marooned tourists near the famous Inca ruins at Machu Picchu. Beyond the tourist impact, Preuvian authorities estimate that 10,000 people have been affected by the rain and some 2,000 homes destroyed in and around Machu Picchu.

I've been wanting to see Machu Picchu for years, but I can't say that I'm sorry not to be there right now.

Hawaii — balmy days and beautiful sunsets

I love watching sunrises and sunsets which are, to me, the most magical times of the day. I photographed this Hawaii sunset at Four Seasons Manele Bay.It's no wonder I've gotten lots of inquiries about Hawaii in the past month. The east coast and mid-west are in the midst of a long, cold winter. Even the west coast has been wetter and cooler than usual. Northern California, where I live, has seen

Argentina Travel Guides 2010

Argentina travel festival

Argentina Travel Sightseeing

Argentina Travel Guides 2010:
Enjoying Tango Dance

I heard so much about persons dancing tango in the streets of Buenos Aires, and asked my husband to go in that parts of the city, where is it possible to film them. But he is unbearable. "No, I did not go there because you've said me I have not to look at other women". Ohhhh!!! I wanted to kill him!!!

I like folk dances. You will remember maybe my posts about dances of different nations -I will surely continue this collection). Dances in the streets are surely not onlty Argentinian custom. During St. Patriks days we danced in the streets of Turin, for example. It was exciting. I like it!!!

Sefa Utaki in Okinawa offers glimpse into golden age

Impian Monalisa-Whether it is as a member of a tour group or just a weekend getaway with the family, most visitors to Okinawa will make the pilgrimage to Mabuni Hill and the Peace Prayer Memorial Park in southern Itoman City. For most, if not all, this park is a “must see” attraction.

Visitors are often struck with awe when they look upon the roughly 235,000 names inscribed in granite on the Heiwa No Ishiji, “cornerstones of peace.” Here visitors can stroll along the manicured avenues to see the many remembrance monuments donated by the different prefectures of Japan as well as from the nation of South Korea. There is also a first rate museum and the famous Peace Statue is located here too.

When you’ve finished your visit, instead of taking the fast track back through Itoman City to Naha, why not drive north along the winding coast to enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Just a few kilometers further up the road in the town of Chinen is an equally important historical site. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002, Sefa Utaki is still considered the holy of holies in the local religion and gives visitors a glimpse into the past to the Golden Age of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Religion in Okinawa is significantly different than what most people familiar with Japan are used to. Although they have Buddhist temples located throughout the islands, the people of Okinawa practice a unique faith called “So-Sen-Su Hai” in the local dialect. It can be likened to a blending of Shinto, Buddhism, Taoism; Shamanism with a few other isms’ thrown in for good measure.

It was at Sefa Utaki during olden times where the high priestess was given her commission and where the King of the Ryukyus came to pray at least twice a year for the blessings of heaven. Although it is not used in that manner today, it is still a site for pilgrimages by local citizens and Yuta’s (shamans) who come to pray and give counsel to those that seek it.

In addition to providing visitors a glimpse of what life on Okinawa was like during the Ryukyu Kingdom’s glory days, it also provides a peek into its more recent “battle” history. It was here at this site that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of civilians gathered to hide from and escape the constant artillery bombardments and pray for deliverance from what locals still call the Typhoon of Steel.

It’s quite easy for visitors to walk the site and imagine people huddled under the many rock overhangs and deep into the rock clefts to hide for safety. There is even one bomb crater along the main path that is still clearly visible although the lone sign marking it is written only in Japanese.

The site has been improved over the last few years to make it more appealing to tourists. This includes paved parking, restroom facilities, stone walkways, stairs, strategically placed handrails, information plaques as well as the new air conditioned visitor’s center, a must during the sweltering summer heat.

Even so, be cautious as the walkway can be quite slippery when wet and there are a few places where the placement of additional handrails would be beneficial. It’s not an ideal place for a baby in a stroller or for ladies in high heeled shoes.

To find it, as you drive north from Itoman City along the highway through Chinen Town, look for a Post Office on the left side of the road and the sign marked “Sefa Utaki.” There’s a Family Mart on the opposite side of the road so you can’t miss it. As you follow the road back, you’ll notice several coffee houses, and small restaurants as well as a school that teaches Ryukyu dance and music near the end of the road.

At the end of the road you’ll find the spacious parking area. The fee for entrance is just 200 Yen for adults. Brochures are available in several languages upon request and there are also several small monuments erected with information placards in both English and Japanese along the main paths and at the three altars that make it an ideal spot to stretch your legs and take a self guided tour after a long drive seeing the sights of Okinawa’s historic south coast.

Sefa Utaki in Okinawa offers glimpse into golden age

Impian Monalisa-Whether it is as a member of a tour group or just a weekend getaway with the family, most visitors to Okinawa will make the pilgrimage to Mabuni Hill and the Peace Prayer Memorial Park in southern Itoman City. For most, if not all, this park is a “must see” attraction.

Visitors are often struck with awe when they look upon the roughly 235,000 names inscribed in granite on the Heiwa No Ishiji, “cornerstones of peace.” Here visitors can stroll along the manicured avenues to see the many remembrance monuments donated by the different prefectures of Japan as well as from the nation of South Korea. There is also a first rate museum and the famous Peace Statue is located here too.

When you’ve finished your visit, instead of taking the fast track back through Itoman City to Naha, why not drive north along the winding coast to enjoy the breathtaking scenery. Just a few kilometers further up the road in the town of Chinen is an equally important historical site. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002, Sefa Utaki is still considered the holy of holies in the local religion and gives visitors a glimpse into the past to the Golden Age of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

Religion in Okinawa is significantly different than what most people familiar with Japan are used to. Although they have Buddhist temples located throughout the islands, the people of Okinawa practice a unique faith called “So-Sen-Su Hai” in the local dialect. It can be likened to a blending of Shinto, Buddhism, Taoism; Shamanism with a few other isms’ thrown in for good measure.

It was at Sefa Utaki during olden times where the high priestess was given her commission and where the King of the Ryukyus came to pray at least twice a year for the blessings of heaven. Although it is not used in that manner today, it is still a site for pilgrimages by local citizens and Yuta’s (shamans) who come to pray and give counsel to those that seek it.

In addition to providing visitors a glimpse of what life on Okinawa was like during the Ryukyu Kingdom’s glory days, it also provides a peek into its more recent “battle” history. It was here at this site that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of civilians gathered to hide from and escape the constant artillery bombardments and pray for deliverance from what locals still call the Typhoon of Steel.

It’s quite easy for visitors to walk the site and imagine people huddled under the many rock overhangs and deep into the rock clefts to hide for safety. There is even one bomb crater along the main path that is still clearly visible although the lone sign marking it is written only in Japanese.

The site has been improved over the last few years to make it more appealing to tourists. This includes paved parking, restroom facilities, stone walkways, stairs, strategically placed handrails, information plaques as well as the new air conditioned visitor’s center, a must during the sweltering summer heat.

Even so, be cautious as the walkway can be quite slippery when wet and there are a few places where the placement of additional handrails would be beneficial. It’s not an ideal place for a baby in a stroller or for ladies in high heeled shoes.

To find it, as you drive north from Itoman City along the highway through Chinen Town, look for a Post Office on the left side of the road and the sign marked “Sefa Utaki.” There’s a Family Mart on the opposite side of the road so you can’t miss it. As you follow the road back, you’ll notice several coffee houses, and small restaurants as well as a school that teaches Ryukyu dance and music near the end of the road.

At the end of the road you’ll find the spacious parking area. The fee for entrance is just 200 Yen for adults. Brochures are available in several languages upon request and there are also several small monuments erected with information placards in both English and Japanese along the main paths and at the three altars that make it an ideal spot to stretch your legs and take a self guided tour after a long drive seeing the sights of Okinawa’s historic south coast.

Kamogawa Sea World offers sleepovers

Impian Monalisa-KANAGAWA —Who knew that women would be so keen to have a slumber party with manta rays and dolphins? The Ladies Night Stay promotion at Kamogawa Sea World in Chiba offers girls the chance to camp out at an aquarium while enjoying a variety of insider tours and activities.

Dinner is served at Ocean restaurant, whose windows are set inside a killer whale tank, and then it’s off for a soak in the on-site onsen and an after-hours tour of backstage areas. When it’s time for lights out, visitors climb inside sleeping bags that are spread out before the aquarium’s largest tank.

The deal is available March 6, 7, 13 or 14, and spots are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

To apply, call 047-093-4803 (Japanese). Price: 13,500 yen. Minimum age: 20.

Kamogawa Sea World offers sleepovers

Impian Monalisa-KANAGAWA —Who knew that women would be so keen to have a slumber party with manta rays and dolphins? The Ladies Night Stay promotion at Kamogawa Sea World in Chiba offers girls the chance to camp out at an aquarium while enjoying a variety of insider tours and activities.

Dinner is served at Ocean restaurant, whose windows are set inside a killer whale tank, and then it’s off for a soak in the on-site onsen and an after-hours tour of backstage areas. When it’s time for lights out, visitors climb inside sleeping bags that are spread out before the aquarium’s largest tank.

The deal is available March 6, 7, 13 or 14, and spots are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

To apply, call 047-093-4803 (Japanese). Price: 13,500 yen. Minimum age: 20.

Travel Insurance Photos

Travel Insurance Photos

Enjoying Tour Around Arches Of Triumph

Enjoying Tour Around Arches Of Triumph

I'm not sure but I think, the triumphal arches become from Ancient Rom (over here). At first they were built to celebrate victories in war, later to show how rich and powerful this or that governor was. 2 photos here (Moscow and Paris) represent the great wish to be kindred to book in all times. What is interesting, not only Europe was afflicted by this megalomania. The last photo shows the most bounteous triumphal arch of the concern that you can see if you visit Fatehpur Sikri in India. The name of this cerebration is Buland Darwaza, that means \"great gate\".

Enjoying Tour Holidays in The Hacienda Cantayo

The Hacienda Cantayo Tour Packages

Enjoying Tour Holidays in The Hacienda Cantayo

While in Peru fresh I was offered the opportunity of outlay a weekend away from Lima down southward in the Hacienda Cantayo. I’d heard enthusiastic stories about this enchanting hotel settled on the outskirts of Nazca, and so course I jumped on the invitation. Owing to the famous and occult Geogylphic Lines settled on the plains outside the town, Nazca has grown to be rather popular with tourists and hotels have been growing up around the Atlantic ever since I started employed in Peru. Of every the hotels in the Atlantic however, the Hacienda Cantayo is easily the finest. Besides being exceptionally comfortable, it has a sort of subtle charms that provide it a distinctive and worthy character. So remarkable in fact is this lowercase hacienda that I’ve decided to dedicate this week’s journal entry to its review.

Now, a few of you haw advert an article I wrote a few months backwards regarding flying from Lima to Ica and on to a grace over the lines before returning backwards to Lima the aforementioned day. While this is ease a rattling credible travel option and highly recommendable for those pressed for time, the Hacienda Cantayo makes the daylong and tedious bus mate rattling worth your while.

Surrounded by the presence of the Nazca plains, the Hacienda’s lackluster surrounding exclusive adds to its charm. Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to verify the hotel is amend because it’s not. Like most places it does have its flaws. Where the Cantayo ease excels is in its ostensibly inane ability to place every its guests at complete ease. I don’t know whether this is due in some part to its old concern charisma, lavish comforts, or because of its oasis-like setting; but upon walking ended the Hacienda’s heavy hardwood gates a sense of tranquility melts you over. Something about the white clean walls and the fresh scent of bougainvillea place one at complete ease; it’s an peculiarly comforting experience and feels strangely like déjà vu or maybe a dream.

Whatever the reasons it became immediately manifest to me that the hotel was a lowercase more primary than I’d been told. Arriving at dusk I ambled ended the outer corridors as I was shown to my room. I don’t know if this is meet me – but a hotel room without a television is something I’ve come to greatly admire. Traveling half artefact around the concern to sit and watch your favorite television shows meet seems crass and unimaginative to me. There is no room for that category of behavior at the Cantayo; the rooms, while rattling comfortable, are sparsely decorated and functional. The idea I imagine is that – unless bathing, relaxing, or romanticizing – the Hacienda’s rooms essentially cater for sleeping purposes. All other activities can be done elsewhere.

Following a look around my room I ventured out shortly onto the grounds. I couldn’t see rattling such of the gardens as the solarise had already set by this time. It seemed peaceful enough though and as I walked out further passing over a few fences I could quite literally see my stress levels decreasing – that was until I tripped over an ostrich. It was quite mayhap the terminal thing I’d been expecting to find in Peru, permit alone activate over. The Hacienda Cantayo actually has a whole crowd of Ostriches (kept behind a inclose ofcourse), and after the poor shuttle and I had ended noisy at each other in dumb founded shock, I noticed that Giant African birds were not the exclusive animals the Hacienda includes within its sanctuary. Llamas, alpacas, horses, monkeys and an clothing or other animals springy in a sectored soured corner of the grounds. By period they’re a fantastic diversion for the kids, and at night a bit of a hazard for those silly enough to walk into their living area.

I returned to the Hacienda and bee-lined for the forbid needing a lowercase something to dulled both the damper of meet having met the world’s maximal bird, and the discompose from having tripped over it. The barmen cooked up a magnificent pisco acerbic and by the instance my matter had arrived I’d settled down substantially and was falling backwards into the tranquil hacienda groove. The matter was such meliorate than I’d expected – a prime revilement of Argentinean cows cooked to perfection in the Peruvian desert. The restaurant itself has a enthusiastic hacienda-like vibe to it, and with saddles on the wall and a welcoming niche with some easy hunting sofas I felt rattling such at home.

Being near to the Nazca Lines, tours separate straight from the hotel direct to the airport – where passengers board a light aircraft for their grace over the lines. I’ve flown over the lines enough times in the past to know them fairly well. They ease still hold a aggregation of magnet and I never get bored seeing them again. Following the grace I returned to domicile and spent the rest of the period lounging by the hotel’s phenomenal swimming pool. I believe this swimming pool has actually featured on the counterbalance of guidebooks. However, it’s not the posture pool waters as such as the giant ficus tree that towers above it that serves as the main attraction. I spent the meliorate part of an afternoon lounging about beneath this awful tree while enjoying both the clear chromatic water and the hotel’s excellent pool lateral service.

The Hacienda Cantayo really is the amend getaway for anyone traveling to Nazca. A concern within a world, the Cantayo serves as a shelter and provides the type of comfort and assist you’d expect from a hotel in a 19th century novel. I was sad to leave on a Sunday after breakfast and as I prefabricated my artefact backwards to Lima it began to dawn on me how the Cantayo could meet be one of the prizewinning hotel finds in the country. I conceive I haw be heading backwards there soon and strongly encourage anyone traveling to Nazca to consider staying in this fine establishment.

Source: www.cat-travel.com

Have a Holiday Tour to Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires Tour destination

Buenos Aires Cheap travel and Tour

Have a Holiday Tour to Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is probably the biggest municipality of Argentina. I've heard in the documentary, it has the population exclusive 3 jillions of persons. Not too much. I thought, it has to be such more larger. Do you undergo that in 300 maximal cities of the concern live about 640 million people? The maximal with about 10 mil. 300 is Seoul. Buenos Aires is on the 49-th place. Maybe I've heard about São Paulo, Brazil that is the second large municipality of the world, and not about Buenos Aires. By the way, the second large municipality of Argentina, La Matanza, is exclusive on the 235 place in the itemize of large cities.

My husband went in Buenos Aires for his vacations in December, and I gave him my old photocamera. In this post I poverty to exhibit you whatever of the photos he took there. Sincerely, I was surprized to see every the photos he took. I don't undergo why, I did not expect, it's a connatural city. I don't undergo what I thought it has to be. Maybe something exotic. And what I see here is a municipality kindred to every another cities I visited in my life. This last view is the best, I think. I did not understand, why nobody swimms there? Have to ask my husband when he turns bag from work.

Having a Nice Tour to Nikko, Japan

Japan Tour and Travel 2010

Nikko Tour Overview

Having a Nice Tour to Nikko, Japan

One instance long ago in New winter, we visited a city titled Nikko in Japan. It was cold and the city was awninged with thick white snow...magically beautiful!..The city is located in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, and approximately 140 km northerly of Tokyo. It is the third-largest city (by area) in Japan, and a favourite instruction for Asian and international tourists. There are also some famous hot springs in the area. Elevations range from 200 to 2,000m. The mountains west of the important city are part of Nikko National Park where you crapper see some of the country's most impressive waterfalls, such as Kegon Falls, Lake Chuzenji, which also has scenic trails. The fastest and most favourable artefact to access Nikko is on the private Tobu Nikko Line from Tokyo's Tobu-Asakusa station. Lake Chuzenji is a marvelously scenic lake in Nikko National Park, its elevation at the surface is (4,124 ft) 1,269 m.

There are most 48 waterfalls around the Nikko area, and Kegon Falls is one of the three famous high waterfalls in Nihon (97 meters high). It's located nearby lake Chuzenji and has long been a favorite locate for young Asian lovers-as substantially as for people committing suicide. But apart from that, the falls are frequented by tourist buses and has lots of relic shops outside. Because we visited Nikko in New winter, Kegon falls was part frozen and awninged with snow..It's truly beautiful. The picture doesn't do it justice.


Misao Fujimura (1886-1903) wrote a suicide poem (click here for his poem) on a trunk of a tree in Kegon Falls. After finishing his death poem, he jumped. This locate becomes an ill-famed spot for sorrowed and desperate young people, mostly to those who are brokenhearted.
The picture below is of a female God that was created after some deaths to protect people from committing suicide.

There are some historical sites in Nikko that attracts tourists, including Futarasan-jinji Shrine, Nikko Toshogu Shrine, Taiyu-in Shrine which dates to the assemblage 767, and these are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Unlike most Asian shrines, the buildings here are extremely ornate, with multicolored carvings and plenty of gold leaf that exhibit onerous Chinese influence. The Five-story Pagoda, Nikko Toshogu Shrine. It's the concealing locate of the royalty originator Tokugawa Leyasu, and the most extravagant of them all.

Tour To Miami Faces is fresh

Miami Faces

Miami Beach is located at 25°48′47″N 80°8′3″W / 25.81306, -80.13417 (25.813025, -80.134065).[8] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.5 km² (18.7 mi²). 18.2 km² (7.0 mi²) of it is land and 30.2 km² (11.7 mi²) of it (62.37%) is water. It has a tropical climate.