Vancouver's 'seamless forested coast' could suit adventure holidays abroad

People looking for adventure holidays abroad could turn to Vancouver's 'seamless forested coast'.

Vancouver could be ideal for people looking for adventure holidays abroad as it has a "seamless forested coast".

That is according to John Owrid, writing on the Daily Telegraph's travel website, who described his experience of kayaking around the edge of the world's largest ocean.

He mentioned the "breathtaking inlets and gullies" that awaited him as he made his way Spring Island, while exploring "enchanted temperate rainforests and glassy waters teaming with sea otters".

While the excursion was a tiresome one, it was the memory of what he has seen that will stay with him.

"While our limbs felt thoroughly exercised at the end of each day, the abiding memory wasn't the effort of getting about, but the shapes, sounds and colours of the world seen from our flotation tanks," he told the news provider.

Vancouver hosted the 21st Olympic Winter Games last February after being announced as the host city in 2003.

Cruising the Mediterranean

Cruising the Mediterranean should conjure up imagines of deep turquoise and blue waters, yachts, drinks at sunset and fresh grilled fish. Add in a few Italians, a cadre of Australians, some itsy bitsy man bikini’s and lots and lots of ice cream and you’ve got our cruise along the Med.

Needless to say the four days on the cruise weren’t exactly the hardest days on the “road.” Joined by our friend Baris, we sailed from Fethiye to Olympos, stopping at nearly ever beautiful blue, turquoise lagoon along the way. Our boat was crowded, the temperature was hot and no matter how many times we swam in a single day, usually around four, we couldn’t get enough. We lingered in the water until the meal bell rang, ate traditional Turkish food, and jumped right back in.

From blue lagoon to blue lagoon we went, exploring little inlets along the way, cold spring fed lagoons, a sunken city, small fishing villages and finally arriving like refugees at the treehouse village of Olympos. We slept under the stars, the waves rocking us in to a blissful sleep.

It’s hard to describe the pure relaxation on the cruise. The only concerns we had were to apply sufficient sunscreen, swim back to the boat before the Australian water polo team finished our lunch and whether the Italian in his little white calvin klein’s would catch a fish. For the record our Turkish friend Baris caught the biggest tuna on the boat.

Despite all the rest and relaxation, four days was about all I could take of bobbing in the Mediterranean. Although we looked somewhat like an overcrowded refugee boat with all our luggage piled on the dingy, we were glad to be back onshore.

If You Go: Turkish “blue cruises” go from Fethiye to Olympos or in reverse. Go prepared for a lot of sun, even with the sunshades there isn’t much shade on deck. We went with V-Go Cruises. Our boat was slightly overcrowded with little room to sleep on deck, but overall it was a good experience. Check with your company to see if beverages are included in your package price- usually they are not. After four days even water adds up, so ask if you can bring your own on board. The practice was discouraged on our boat but some people did anyway.

Climb every mountain - Ford every Stream

Heaving as I reached the top of the pass,

I was glad the hard part was over. At 4750m (about 15,500 feet) doing anything can be a challenge, let alone hiking uphill.

Resting at Punto Union pass early Friday morning I could hardly believe my eyes. What had taken us less than 24 hours to climb, despite the altitude, had given us the most spectacular views of the Cordillera Blanca. Surounding mountain peaks covered with snow, blue lagoons too icy to even put a toe in, the surrounding wilderness was incredible and well worth the effort of the climb.

But how did I find myself on the top of a very cold (I wore every piece of warm clothing I have with me!), very high mountain Friday morning? After obtaining our

very necessary, but only slightly pain in the butt Bolivian visas, we left Lima for a “vacation” from our travel. Busing to the mountain city of Huaraz on Wednesday night, I expected to be mountain biking all weekend. Unfortunately the only place in town that would arrange a decent mountain bike tour wanted $300 per person for three days and well, that was not happening. Since we could not bike the mountains we decided to do the next best thing, and booked a group trek through the moutains. There I was at 4750m Friday before lunch…

Early Thursday morning we piled into a van on a dark street corning in Huaraz. Not yet dawn, we shook hands with the rest of the group and

stared out the window. As the van climbed the valley into the mountains, the clay hut villages became fewer and fewer until finally we reached the park entrance. A steep 65 sole ($22) entrance fee later, we were all awake, with our eras popping, as the van climbed slowly up and over the mountains. Arriving at the trail head, we scarfed down a packed lunch and headed down the path with the mules in quick pursuit. Thats right, this was no ordinary backpacking trip- we had the luxury of mules to carry our things, a helper to cook for us, and arrived at camp every night to tents already set up! Now I know some of you are jealous…

Although it sounds plush, and granted

not having to actually “backpack” was a luxury, the trek was anything but a walk in the park. Crossing through valleys and small villages on the first day, we saw the snow covered mountains in the distance. Not yet used to my humor, the group stared at me in shock when I jokingly pointed to the highest mountain in sight and proclaimed it to be the pass we would climb through the following day. If only we knew…

Arriving at our first campsite just before dark we were greeted with hot tea, mate (cocoa leaves), instant coffee and cookies. This was really my kind of camping! After dinner of rice and

chicken we proclaimed it bedtime and scurried out of the dining tent. Before us however, looming in the dark, were enormous snow covered mountains, which in the moonlight appeared to float in the sky. With the temperature dropping (supposedly it was -5 degrees Celsius), we admired the illusion as long as we could before hopping into our down sleeping bags. (Seriously, the alpaca hat was necessary, don’t laugh!) I slept with four layers on my top, two pairs of pants, the alpaca hat, an alpaca scarf, a pair of hiking socks and a pair of knee high alpaca socks. Trust me, it was cold.

Waking up the next morning, we exchanged cold night miseries and hit the

trail. Although the first day was relatively easy, the second day was much more of a challenge. I felt like the Von Trap family, climbing through the Alps to escape the Nazi’s. Ok so no one was chasing us, but believe me it felt like we were going to “climb every mountain.” Hiking 1000m in altitude the first five hours, we summited Punto Union pass around lunch time, collapsing in a heaving pile at the top. As we caught our breath (some of us taking longer than others) we took in the scenery around us. Undoubtably it was what brought all of us on the trek, and as we admired in silence our guide Eric began to play his flute. Like the Andean music sold around the world on busy street corners, the native tunes Eric played symbolized the time and place. Before we could get too sentimental though, he changed to a medly of Beatles tunes and we were off down the mountain.

Settling into our somewhat warmer dinner

tent that night, I felt lucky that we had climbed the mountain without serious incident. Cases of altitude sickness are very common on these treks, in fact almost everyone we passed offered cocoa leaves to anyone looking slightly ill. One group of British teens we passed on the way down had two girls suffering from altitude sickness, one of whom our guide thought had high altitude pulmonary edema, a life threatening condition where your lungs fill with fluid. Lacking serious altitude aliments, just a few minor headaches solved with a little tylenol, our group thawed over hot tea, mate and instant coffee before dinner.

With the hard part over, the next morning we took it easy and left camp around 9am. Splintering in three directions, part of our group climbed to a viewpoint overlooking Alpamayo glaciar, while others,

either because of the cold or a flight home, headed for a long hike to end the trek early. With no where to be, Danny and I lounged in the sun waiting for the others to come down from Alpamayo. Spotting them at the top of the mountain, at the beginning of their decent, the guide sent us ahead with his nephew. With only one snow capped mountain in site, we easily followed a stream through the valley to our third campsite. On the edge of a small river, the spot was incredible, and again over hot tea and instant coffee we marveled at the landscape with the rest of the group.

Managing our way out of the valley the next day I was sad that the trek was over.

Easily feasible in fewer days, I enjoyed our slow pace which for once allowed me to really enjoy the landscape around me. Although Llanganuco to Santa Cruz is the most popular trek from Huaraz the trail was not overly crowded and we were able to really stop, enjoy and soak in the mountains around us. It was freezing at night and the second day it was tough to breathe, but the trek was enjoyable and even shall we say relaxing. Well, for some of us. Wait until you hear Danny’s side of the story…

Photo: High Altitude Hiking

What’s it like to hike at 15,000 feet? Well the oxygen saturation is at 80%, normal lung function is at 87-97% saturation. At this altitude flight attendants are required to offer passengers oxygen, if the cabin depressurizes. Few hikers have supplemental oxygen though, so yes, it’s hard to breathe.

It feels like you are sucking in air (because you are), but that very little is getting into your lungs. Each step you take requires real effort and you feel as though you’re moving in slow motion, which frankly stinks since you still have a mountain to climb.

The first time we hiked at high altitude was in Peru’s Cordellia Blanca range. This photograph is of our crew picking their way down the mountain after the summit. The steep descent is almost as bad as the ascent given that it’s all you can do not to run down!

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

IF YOU GO: High altitude hiking in Peru is easily accessible. We completed a four day hike from Huaraz, but there are plenty of multi-day hiking options. You should be prepared with gear if you’re going without a group. Beware of low priced tours from Huaraz, especially if you are going to be using their equipment. Nights in the mountains are extremely cold, so be prepared with proper layers, including hats and gloves. We were there in August and spent our second night wearing absolutely every piece of clothing we brought with us. It was freezing!! When we came down we definitely needed some hot stew, preferably something Eastern European that would have stuck to our ribs and filled our bellies…

Place Holidays Abroad Beijing

It’s official, we’ve made it around the world; or at least in my opinion. Beijing is just about as far east as we could go overland from Istanbul. Although Xi’an was technically the end of the silk road, Beijing was always the end in my head, so when we arrived I was elated.

There’s so much to do in Beijing, more than we had the time or desire for, but you have to start somewhere. Arriving into the station at 4am, we caught the raising of the flag in Tienanmen Square at dawn.

Quite literally we were the only westerner’s there, but the Chinese tourists were going crazy with excitement when the color guard showed up, waving their flags and shoving their camera’s into the air. We were tempted to wave an American flag in that crowd…just to see what the response might have been. Didn’t have one with us though, and with the show over at 6:30am we were left with nothing to do for a few hours. This didn’t bother the crowd of Chinese tour groups, they promptly walked across the square to stand in line for two hours to view the preserved body of Chairman Mao.

Not interesting in standing in line for two hours to see the Chairman, we walked down to the Temple of Heaven, an ancient site for imperial worship and low and behold we found the place abuzz with activity. The park was full of Chinese participating in Tai Chi classes, music classes, aerobics classes, dance classes, playing cards, bands and even a few practicing martial arts with swords and sticks. It might have been 7am?

We stumbled into a group tango lesson practicing to a tango version of happy birthday- in English, and a few harmonica players, one who was practicing Yankee Doodle and My Darlin’ Clemantine over and over again. Our experience in the park was one of numerous moments that left us thinking “what?”

Standing in the shadow of the one of the holiest sites for the Chinese Royal family, watching dance classes, listening to traditional Chinese music and an old man attempt ‘scarf’ dancing to the enjoyment of his friends, was a travel memory I’ll never forget.

Besides sightseeing we did do some rather “Chinese” things that hadn’t yet been attempted on our trip. Although moto-bikes and cars are more common than they used to be, the bicycle is still a main mode of transportation; and often with passengers hanging on the back as well. A true Chinese experience, we got the opportunity to try it our first night in Beijing. I rode on the back rack of our couchsurfing host’s bike to dinner. Jostling around in the back on her rickety second hand Chinese bike I thought I was going to die, fall off, or at best end up with a broken bone or two. My legs were too long to straddle the bike properly but sitting side-saddle left the bike precariously unbalanced, so I resorted to straddling the rack and awkwardly lifting my legs at weird angles to keep them off the ground.

It was a work-out just trying to stay balanced, keep my legs up off the ground and close enough to the bike not to knock into something all while riding down a pot holed alley. Our couchsurfing host knew the road however, and as we bounced along the worst injuries I got were bruises to my butt and pride. Dinner was delicious and tucked into a small Sichuan restaurant in a huotong, or alley, surrounded by a mix of young Chinese and expats. Although I was just happy to have made it to Beijing, don’t expect me to willingly ride on the back of a bicycle again. I’m going to leave that one to the Chinese.

Istanbul, Constantinople

Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two continents. Seriously, you take the ferry from Europe to Asia in less than 20 minutes. Naturally it was the best place to start our final continent, Asia. Our plan is to travel generally east along the old silk road to China.

Besides being the crossroads of the world, the Ottoman’s ruled quite an empire from here, and it’s no wonder that at times we feel like we’re at the center of the world. Huge container ships run in and out of the cargo ports while cruise ships drop hundreds of passengers off for day trips in Istanbul. It’s a flurry of activity here, but also surprising orderly and quiet. Lost in the Grand Bazaar, well not lost but 1000 souvenir and carpet shops pretty much look the same, we ducked into a small alley. Seconds later we were transported to a tiny courtyard, silent except for the clicking and clacking of backgammon pieces. A table of older men looked up at me, smiled and went back to sipping their tea and playing their game. I melted back into the bazaar appreciating the seemingly intimate moment I had just had with Istanbul.

Istanbul it seems, is like that. Standing on the street trying to buy a ‘simit’, a bagel like bread covered with toasted sesame seeds, I was having difficulty understanding the vendor. Stepping right in, a man assisted us with the purchase and began to chit chat. Less than two minutes later we were invited into his carpet shop for tea. Expecting a hard sale inside, I was surprised to find myself sitting on a cushioned bench sipping black Turkish tea without the salesman in sight. Instead the owner, himself enjoying a tea began to discuss philosophy with us, the meaning of life and so on. Two hours later we walked out of the shop. That’s just the way things are.

Turkey is a secular Muslim country. Sounds like an oxymoron doesn’t it. Although being secular and Muslim at the same time can be a bit of a political challenge, Istanbul at least seems to be a city that walks the entire spectrum. In front of me in the ice cream line is a woman completely covered head to toe including a modesty veil on her face with a designer handbag slung over one shoulder. Only a small slit over her eyes belies the fact that there is a person inside all that fabric. Purchasing a cone is a woman in a tight, colorful outfit her hair covered in a designer silk scarf

and sunglasses. Behind me is a Turkish woman in a rather revealing tank top, mini-skirt and high heels. Like I said, it spans the entire spectrum. This is a dynamic, welcoming city where everyone on either end of the spectrum and everywhere in between can feel welcome and comfortable.

Walking into a bar the other night we heard the evening call to prayer across the city. The mosques are not synchronized so at times it’s a cacophony of melodious Arabic. Never in any Muslim country to date have I been so aware of the irony of my surroundings and situation (alcohol is forbidden in Islam). Not to sound cliché, but it’s a juxtaposition between continents and worlds here.

Machu Picchu

Make it Aguas Calientes…check.
Eat hot yummy food…check.
Go to bed early…check.

Wake up the morning following 4 hard days of hiking at 3am…WHAT?

Yeah, that’s right. Not only that, but the volume on the alarm wasn’t high enough so we almost slept in. Getting up really really early after treking all the way to Machu Picchu is practically a right of passage for those who hike to the ‘old’ mountain. One needs to get up that early to hike up an additional 400 meters, straight uphill, to be in line at the entrance BEFORE the buses taking the ‘normal’ people even depart. All this so that you can get one of the coveted tickets to hike straight up Wayna Picchu, (young mountain) an additional 200 meters into the air, to view Machu Picchu from above.

And that’s exactly what we did.

We were nearly late meeting the group on account of that alarm clock but we made it out anyhow. Back out of Aguas Calientes we walked, practically sprinting, to get ahead of the other hikers. At the foot of the hill we started walking up the steps. More than three thousand in all I was told. Three thousand steps straight uphill, with sore legs, so that we could walk even more once we got up there. Crazy right? Welcome to our world.

Only the first 400 people in line get the coveted tickets to Wayna Picchu,

and getting up so early we were within the first 100. We went up so fast that, despite the rather cold air, I was covered in so much sweat it looked as though I’d gone for a midnight swim. (And for all those racers out there, we passed waaaayyy more people than passed us….yeehaaaw!!)

With tickets in hand, into one of the world’s newest seven wonders we went. (Who decides these things anyhow?) Our tour guide showed how the mountain was divided

into living and farming and brought us to the temple and the king’s house. We watched as alpacas grazed on their ancestral land and as one traveler got down on one knee and offered his hand in marriage to another. We learned how the Inca’s split rocks to build the historic mount and also got a chance to visit the king’s bathroom and take a seat on his “throne.”

The ‘Lost City of the Incas’ was only used for about 100 years, just before the Spanish Conquest of the Incan Empire. It wasn’t ‘discovered’ until 1911 when a Yale professor stumbled upon the find and excavations began. As with all great things,

the actual date of discovery is still disputed, along with the purpose of the city, along with the reasons for its decline, along with wheather or not it should even be opened for tourism.

Despite of how little is known or agreed upon, or perhaps because of it, we were not disappointed. We’ve seen many ruins now: Tikal, Monte Alban, Copan, and others. These ruins were out of another world though, truly magnificent. So what next, we got up well before the crack of dawn for the right to walk up that ‘other’ hill so that’s exactly what we did.

Whatever you do though, when talking about Macchu (old) and Wayna (young) Picchu (mountain) be sure you’re saying the word Picchu correctly. Note that if you see a group of indigenous men laughing at you while you’re talking about summiting the ‘Picchu’ it’s because you didn’t say “mountain” but are instead referring to a man’s…yeah.

I’m not sure whose idea it was to get up that early, or if I would have been upset if I hadn’t gotten the opportunity, but hiking up this time, already having been up nearly 7 hours and with the sun now beating very, very, very hard on us, I just kept stopping and asking myself why. Eventually we reached the top and I received my answer. Three-sixty views over the valley we walked the day prior and one of the 7 ‘new’ wonders of the world and I knew why.

Only 11am though and what an incredible day. Only three things left to do. Share a pizza (OK, maybe I ate one myself), a couple of beers, and wait for that train to take us back to Cuzco.

Back on the Gringo Trail

The center of all tourism for Peru, Cusco

is the heart of Peru’s Gringo Trail so it was no surprise that we found Cusco to be the busiest place in Peru. No one seems to come to Peru without going to Cusco, seriously. We´ve bumped into several people here that we met in other parts of the country.

Walking through the Plaza de Armas is like walking through a shopping mall. Touts selling everything from massages to jewelry, paintings and sunglasses see your tourist signs and attack! For a few soles you can even get an indigenous woman, dressed in her traditional attire to pose for photographs with her llama, great living for her, great photographs for tourists (and no we did not do this!).

The jumping off point for Machu Picchu treks and tours, it wasn’t too hard to convince our friend Leah to join us in

Cusco. Excited to have our first South American visitor we picked her up from the airport early the next morning and spent the rest of the day touring the city. All the sights in and around Cusco are combined on a 140 sole ticket (half price with ISIC card), which we thought was rather expensive. Hoping we could just pay individual entrances to the two places we wanted to go, we hiked up the hill over looking Cusco to the Incan fortress of Saqsaywaman (pronounced Sexaywhoman!).

A decent uphill, especially at 3800m, we were thwarted at the entrance when neither our command of Spanish nor Jill’s attempts to cajole the ticket seller resulted in our entrance to the site without the expensive all sites ticket. Satisfied with the ruins and llamas we could see outside the ticketed area, we hiked up an ajoining hill to overlook Saqsaywaman and Cusco.

Of course Machu Picchu is the most famous thing do to from Cusco, and trek’s to the site along the Inca Trail book almost a half a year in advance. With no itinerary or set travel plans we couldn’t commit to a date that far in advance so we opted to trek the Salkantay Trail, also an old Inca trail, just not “the” Inca trail. Checking in with our tour operator, we got our last minute instructions and supply list and rented our sleeping bags.

Preparing for the next day, we decided to introduce Leah to Peruvian cuisine.

After Danny´s problems in Huaraz, we avoid the 3 sole set lunch menu (about a dollar!) and thankfully found a good looking place in Cusco to settle in for lunch. Worried about eating something on her first day that would (ahem) affect the trek, Leah played it safe with chicken noodle soup and chicken breast. Danny on the other hand figured he´d throw caution to the wind and ordered fish soup. I think the photo explains it all, and yes those are fish eggs! Needless to say, the flavor was good, but in the end the waiter took a significant amount of soup back to the kitchen.

Sky Tower – A Scintillating Place To Visit For Your Holidays

We all love to travel abroad along with our loved ones. It is always a great experience for us. I must tell you that there are a lot of hot travel attractions worldwide. You can

Sky Tower

certainly visit any one of these exclusive places to make your holiday experience a great one. Further in this article we are going to talk about a great attraction in the country of New Zealand. Well, I am talking about the Sky Tower located in Auckland. It is a mind blowing place to visit for the tourists from all over the world.

Before delving further in to the topic, let us first have a brief knowledge regarding Auckland. Well, Auckland is a huge metropolitan region in New Zealand. This area is regarded as an urbanized one in every single aspect. This place is an absolute bliss for the distant travelers. Now, let us talk about Sky Tower in detail. Sky Tower is a huge telecommunications tower located in the Auckland City. It is an exquisite entertainment center featuring just about everything for the visitors.

I must tell you that standing on the topmost floor of the Sky Tower, is really a fascinating experience for everyone. This mammoth structure is about 328 meters tall. It is pretty essential to note that the Sky Tower is the tallest structure in New Zealand. It even offers you magnificent views of the city. If you want to enjoy, then you can try Sky Walking around the pergola at a mind boggling height of 192 meters. Sky Walking and Jumping are two of the most exciting activities that one can enjoy here.

If you think that this is it then you are highly mistaken. This place offers you more than this. Well, you can relive your senses with a cup of coffee and some snacks at Sky Lounge. You can even take pleasure in a seafood banquet at The Observatory Restaurant at Orbit. You would be amazed to know that this tower even features a revolving restaurant. I can assure you one thing that once you come here you would never want to go back. You can get everything in the Sky Tower under one roof.

This wonderful structure is open all seven days a week. So, come here and party all night with your family and friends! So, this was all about The Sky Tower in Auckland. You must consider visiting this place in your next vacations. Don’t forget to read this article once. It could definitely offer you some help. Have fun!

Hello everybody

It has been a very long time since my last blog post and though my daughter Magali has been after me since a long time to write a blog post, I have been very very lazy.

After my husband arrived on 11th April from Brazil we packed our bags and left for Goa the same afternoon.

The time we spent in Goa really flew fast and we enjoyed our stay there especially at Haathi mahal at Mobor.

After coming back to Mumbai we spent 5 days at a resort here and I was in no mood to blog even though the internet was not disconnected at home.The little time I was at the computer was spent reading the newspapers and doing other things like checking mail and replying back.

We left for Kovalam Kerala with high hopes, because until this holiday we were lucky to have really great holidays in India and abroad. But I was really sorry that I had booked into a resort where the people as well as place was not really to our liking. Everyone in Kerala was out to take us for a ride and to add to it was the weather with Thunderstorms and heavy rain which forced us to spend our time in our room . We did not even have cable TV for 10 out of 14 days we were there at Kovalam. The only saving grace of the place was the scenic beauty.

Life is busy now as my husband is at home and is hungry all the while.So I spend time making some different things for him to eat. Even Magali has cooked a lot of food for him and he jokingly tells me not to get her married soon as she has to cook for him when he comes home. And sometimes when he is angry with her he tells her now that she is 18 years she can get married and go live separately.

Will try to take a tag a few days later.

Take care,

Cheap Holidays – Making Your Dream Holiday Abroad Possible

A cheap holidays vacation from time to time is a necessity in today’s world as a means of relief from the work stress and other pressures that life inflicts on us. The number of options in terms of destinations seems to be increasing everyday with the world coming closer, greater mobility and the tourism sector getting better and advanced in all places around the world. However, a good vacation still means spending a sizable amount of money taking into account the flight charges, accommodation and food costs and several other additional costs that are often not taken into consideration earlier. Thus, often we curb the desire within us to visit a place that we really want to visit after considering the expenditures attached with a luxurious holiday.

cheap holidays

There are however, many opportunities to save money on a holiday as we often pay for things that we don’t really need which end up adding to our expenses. If the additional expenses can be controlled, we can be given more flexibility in choosing everything as we want on our vacation; we can cut a considerable part of the costs and enjoy a great holiday without digging too deep into our pockets. It is the lack in flexibility, high costs and unnecessary charges in standard travel packages that

Cheap Holidays – Making Your Dream Holiday Abroad Possible

A cheap holidays vacation from time to time is a necessity in today’s world as a means of relief from the work stress and other pressures that life inflicts on us. The number of options in terms of destinations seems to be increasing everyday with the world coming closer, greater mobility and the tourism sector getting better and advanced in all places around the world. However, a good vacation still means spending a sizable amount of money taking into account the flight charges, accommodation and food costs and several other additional costs that are often not taken into consideration earlier. Thus, often we curb the desire within us to visit a place that we really want to visit after considering the expenditures attached with a luxurious holiday.

cheap holidays

There are however, many opportunities to save money on a holiday as we often pay for things that we don’t really need which end up adding to our expenses. If the additional expenses can be controlled, we can be given more flexibility in choosing everything as we want on our vacation; we can cut a considerable part of the costs and enjoy a great holiday without digging too deep into our pockets. It is the lack in flexibility, high costs and unnecessary charges in standard travel packages that

cheap holidays

have come up as an alternative for people who want to enjoy good holidays economically.

The very purpose of many companies providing

cheap holidays

is to cut any unnecessary costs and provide the best possible services to customers at the lowest possible costs. These agencies try to reap economies of booking on a large scale and pass on the savings to the customers in the form of lower costs. They are all inclusive holidays that include flight and accommodation facilities and may include other facilities as well like car hiring services depending on the travel planner. Whenever there are a large number of bookings, the companies are often entitled to big discounts and savings in many other ways, which reduce per head cost of the vacationers and hence, the vacationers can enjoy lower prices. Thus, in this way the travel company offering

cheap holidays

tries to bring down the costs as much as possible.

However, there is hardly a lack of choice in cheap holidays. The companies may give you great flexibility in deciding how you wish to distribute your expenses. From the flight you want to take, the timings of your flight to the resort you prefer, you have all kinds of options to choose from. They often offer a comprehensive set of facilities, including many activities on a holiday that would be perfect for complete family entertainment.

Cheap holidays

are particularly good for travel abroad as vacations abroad are often the most expensive ones and yet the most longed-for. A visit to a country located on the other end of the globe earlier meant that you had to put down half of your life’s savings. With cheap holidays abroad, you can now fulfill your wish to visit faraway countries without putting too much burden on your finances. Start planning your visit to the place you always wanted to go to.

Mauritius Holidays

MAURITIUS is a beautiful tropical island which is 500 miles (804.7 km) from the coast of Madagascar. Its area has natural beaches, tropical forests and mountains are awesome.

Sea conditions are very calm, com

fort beach and the weather combined with the friendliness of the locals, make this island as a place that is often sought by visitors from all over the world.

Mauritius beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Many coral reefs around the island and turquoise water. Some areas of sea have a pretty big waves, andsome parts of which have still water conditions so it could be a place to swim.

Not only used as a place for relaxation, you can also enjoy water activities such as adrenaline challenging sailing, scuba diving, wind surfing, water skiing, and diving. All are offered free of charge by residence-inn on the island. Here you can also rent camping equipment and spends several days in the hills.

If you want to find a suitable place

for a honeymoon, Mauritius is the right place. Everyexisting hotel island offer packages for weddings and honeymoons.

They can also help you plan every detail of the wedding. In addition, Mauritius is also aparadise for those who like fishing for species of fish in the sea is quite diverse.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit a Hindu temple called Maheswarnath built in 1819 as a tribute to Lord Shiva, Krishna, Vishnu, Muruga, Brahma and Ganesha.

Alloys of the friendliness of its people, the food is delicious, as well as sandy beaches in Mauritius, providing the exact composition to be used as a place to escape from all the tiredness

The Egypt of the Americas

Peru may be known for Machu Picchu. It may be pondered for the Nazca Lines. It might even be remembered for its supurb pollo with a drink of Inca Kola. Really though, Peru is still so much more.

We spent longer in Peru than we have spent in any other single country on our trip. We had intended to continue with our Spanish lessons but caught up in trying as hard as could to ‘see and do’ it all. We nearly got robbed on our entry into the country. We toured the ruins of pre Incan civilizations. We hiked at nearly 3 miles in altitude while suffering from Diarrhea and made it in and out of one of the world’s deepest canyons. Best of all we were visited by our friend Leah who joined us as we did the Salcantay Trek to Machu Picchu.

Before heading out to Bolivia though there was one more thing we just had to do. We’d fallen in love with Peruvian chicken long before we ever entered the country. While here we became enamoured with the rest of her cuisine from from lomo saltado to rocotto relleno.

Last up though was something very very important, Cuy.

It really was fitting that Disney chose to release its G-Force movie about a bunch of crime fitting Guinea Pigs now so that we could watch it while we were here in Peru. Because for our last meal, that’s exactly what we ate.

Cuy is a delicacy here, one we first learned of while in Ecuador. Guinea pigs are indigenous to this region and have been cherished as a source of food and nutrition for millennium. Sure we enjoyed our Alpaca steak, rich in nutrients and low in fat like American Bison (one of our favorites and something we made sure to eat on our brief visit back to the USA in July) but that’s just not quite the same a cute and cuddly RODENT.

So we sought out an ordered. It came and we ate. We had been warned that it was very bony and did not contain much meat. There it sat on the plate, with a side of rice, some lettuce, and a couple of potatoes. We stared at it a bit, grossed ourselves out for a minute or two. The band in the restaurant continued to play and we continued to stare our formerly furry friend down. Finally forks went up and in we dug. To be honest, I think my pinky finger has more meat than I was able to pull off that carcass but we did manage a taste and to all of you wondering…tastes just like chicken.

To Bolivia (with our visas already in hand) we go!

Photo: Old City Jerusalem

Today is the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana. It is our new year and one of the holiest days of the year. It is the day we take a moment, reflect on the events of the last year, and spend some time reflecting inwards. It is a spiritual holiday and one of growth and regeneration.

Current events couldn’t seem farther away from the description I just gave. Right now Israel is in a state of panic with the recent events in the Middle East and the Palestinian Authority is using this as an opportunity to seek statehood at the UN. It is hectic, and peace seems farther and farther away.

When we were in the Sinai Desert we sat one evening speaking to a Bedouin man who, not knowing we were Jewish, shared with us that he couldn’t understand the problems between Israel and it’s neighbors. He told us he felt the Israelis were his cousins, if not his brothers. This was the sentiment we felt throughout the Middle East and one of the reasons we felt so comfortable there. Despite the headlines and the extremists, most people want the same thing…peace.

On this day of spiritual growth we will pause to reflect on our experiences in the Middle East and how we might help to educate our friends and neighbors in our new community. The reason there is trouble there is that everyone wants the same chunk of land and everyone seems to have forgotten how to share.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.

Poros Kefalonia

Picture: Sean Wallis

Make sure to consider visiting Poros when you look for cheap holidays abroad. This Greek island is one of the best destinations in all of Greece. This place is a perfect place both for families and couples looking for a relaxing getaway by the beach. You and your loved ones will surely enjoy a fantastic time under the sun here in Poros. This is a vacation that is definitely worth your time and money.

Poros is a tourist village and port and it is located 41 km away from Argostoli. In the area, festivals or other kind of events take place every year, while the tourist infrastructure is very good. In addition, just over the current town, at a location known as Asprogerakas, you can find the the remains of an ancient settlement, probably because the harbour of Pronnon, an ancient civilization, was lying there.

Fewer Bulgarians to Spend Christmas Holidays Abroad

According to tour operators, more Bulgarians will prefer the local winter resorts for spending the Christmas holidays. Photo by BGNES

Fewer Bulgarians will travel abroad during the Christmas and New Year's holidays this year and they will prefer the country's opportunities for rural and mountain tourism, according to Bulgarian tour operators.

The reason for this tendency, which began last year, is the tough economic situation. However, it could also be explained with tourists' attempts to "escape" big resorts.

In general, the companies in the sector do not register a drop of prices, compared to the previous season, but the holiday packages they offer have become more diverse in terms of time and services.

The National Statistics Institute has been registering a decrease of trips abroad by Bulgarians by 20% to 40% in the different months. Even though official statistics does not show whether Bulgarian have redirected their trips to local places, tour operators believe that there has been an increase in the number of Bulgarians vacationing in the country.

This tendency could also be seen during the holidays. Data from the Sofia International Airport showed that tourist companies have booked less charter flights to warmer destinations. Tour operators have also stated that there are less offers and less demand for vacation in Greece and Turkey during the Christmas holidays.

At the moment, in Bulgaria the least number of offers are registered for the Black Sea resorts. Data from the Hotel and Restaurant Organization of Varna has showed that the interest for celebrating New Year's Eve in sea resorts is decreasing. Also, less Romanian tourists are expected than last year.

Prices of current offers vary from BGN 20 per night in small Black Sea hotels to BGN 250 in the bigger ones. Most of the offers are "all inclusive" and envision one or two nights.

Currently, places are available in almost all Black Sea resorts. According to tour operators, vacation packets are bought mostly by people who live in the neighboring towns and cities.

Places are also available in the winter resorts in Bulgaria. The prices vary from BGN 50 per night in family hotels in Bansko, for example, to BGN 1,500-2,000 for a one-week vacation in a luxurious hotel. These prices are comparable and even higher than vacations abroad.

This year most offers include two or three nights, which is due tot he fact that New Year's Eve celebrations are during the weekend.

Tour operators have stated that the offers that sold fastest were the ones for renting villas and houses in smaller mountain resorts and places for rural tourism, like the town of Troyan and villages near Veliko Tarnovo and Gabrovo.

There are no significant changes in their prices – about BGN 40-50 per person a day. The demand for them is big because they provide an opportunity for big companies to celebrate alone.

Holiday Trip

write something interesting about a place or a city describing it.Choose a place you would like to visit in the future.

Make a plan for each day with places to visit and sightseeings.

Look for pictures and short videos to insert in your work.

Don't forget to think about the budget including transport, food, transfer and other expenses.

Book a hotel and air tickets.

Dates: 8th Oct to 15th Oct.

Write information about the hotel, the city or place you want to stay.

Make a plan of your trip in details.

Budget: US$ 10,000 (2 people) ou US$ 15,000 (3 people)

Post it in your blog and present it to the whole class.

Memories of fantastic family holidays in Menorca

When I was young and family holidays abroad were rare, all of them, and I mean ALL of them, saw us visiting the Balearic island of Menorca. Something about the place captivated my parents, and so after our first trip there when I was just seven years old, as the years passed by we all became experts in what to see and where to go on the island.

For me as a child I found it a bit hard to understand why we kept returning year after year – don’t get me wrong, we rarely ever stayed in the same location– but looking back now with admittedly, rose tinted glasses, I can see what lured them back time after time.

For a start, Menorca is not a party island. It just isn’t. Sure, if you want a late drink and dare I say it, even a bit of a boogie, there will usually be somewhere in almost every resort to do so, but most other tourists that you chat to seem to be there just to enjoy the sunny, warm weather (dependant on when you travel of course), fantastic beaches, calm waters and general easy-going nature of the place, and all within a couple of hours reach of the UK – which is what makes it such an ideal family holiday destination.

Towns and resorts vary as you would expect from place to place, but we always found a hospitable welcome everywhere we went, even when I was a noisy, and somewhat bratty little girl, bickering with my big brother over which flavour ice cream we would have next, or who would get the last jammy doughnut.

We stayed in so many places, yet I remember them all perfectly – Arenal D’en Castell, Cala Blanca, Cala’n Blanes, S’Algar, Cala Santandria, Cala Galdana… the list goes on.

And so much did we enjoy the island that, although I swore I had eventually had enough of it, I visited again with my other half as an adult in my own right – this time staying in Son Parc.

And it’s not just the places we stayed – we hired a car and drove around the island countless times over the years, visiting some places more than once – the capital, Mahon is an absolute must – not least for its old narrow streets, 15th and 16th century architecture, world famous and extremely deep natural harbour and, a favourite for me (enjoyed only as a grown up of course!) the gin distillery!

Another must visit is the former capital city, Cuidadela. A real traditional Menorcan town, you can visit an abundance of shops, yet another impressive harbour, marvel at the 14th century cathedral that dominates the skyline and get some traditional Spanish food – you know it’s good when you’re sat sampling tapas with the locals!

Other fabulous places to recommend are Playa De Fornells, an old school fishing village where you can sample some of the most amazing locally caught fresh seafood; Monte Toro, the highest peak in Menorca at 357m; and Son Bou, which features the longest stretch of gorgeous sand on the island, at 3km in length! Even on a busy day you can find a quiet spot to relax and take in the sunshine and gentle blue seas.

I always thought I had had my fill of Menorca, but recalling my memories to write this, I think just maybe I could be convinced to go back again and refresh my memory...!

Kuta beach Bali

Kuta is located in the southern island of Bali, It is one of the major tourist attractions in Bali. This place was once a fishing village and developed into a tourist attractions.

Kuta Beach is a tourist attraction that has been chosen to spend the holidays. Beaches with white sand was chosen as a place to surf sports and also very suitable to relax while waiting for the beautiful sunset. Thousands of tourists are always crowded this beach

Don’t say ever been to Bali, if not go to Kuta Beach. Kuta Beach is famous beaches in Indonesia also abroad

Stretch of white sand and big waves will pamper you. Kuta Beach became a favorite place to enjoy the charm of the sunset, if you with a special friend, so romantic.