Archive for July, 2011

Bali is Still Worth a Visit

Very often many thing become reality inspired by a dream. For example if one wants to have a very memorable holiday he will choose a place which have everything to fulfill his needs or his requests sometimes begin with a sweet dream. If a dream tells about beautiful island lies under the equator and have a nice weather all year round, an oasis of undying culture and quiet beauty, if so, Bali has it all.
Bali is a beautiful island situated within Indonesian Archipelago and one of the best tourist destinations in Asia. In 1930th some of the foreign writers and artists arrived in Bali and stayed on, thoroughly seduced and inspired by the islands breathtaking physical beauty and cultural complexity. They were also deeply impressed by the warmth and the hospitality of the Balinese, and the amazing breadth of artistic expression that pervaded daily life.
Since 1970th Bali performed his high quality in tourism industry, and attracted many bona fide tour operators and airlines companies to bring their clients to enjoy this enchanting island. The island boast a Bali International Airport, luxuries 5 star Bali hotels, best built Bali villas, luxury and typical secluded resorts ad even hundreds of budget hotels.
The development in tourism industry continues in progress for years, and the visitors of Bali can learn and explore more its unique places of interest, various typical local cultures, enjoy the hospitality of the people, as well as other tourist attractions such as diving, snorkeling, para-gliding, cruising, rafting and even sports. Besides, Bali Island is also an ideal place for having MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition) and honeymoon. Tourism actually has been becoming a massive industry and the main source of Balis income.
In October 2002 and again in October 2005 Bali was frightened by a violence terrorists attack, the boom blast that devastated the island of Bali and the international community. More than 200 lives were lost and hundreds more were injured. It need months for recoveries and the Balinese people is still working hard to rebuild the image of the island and we look forward to a brighter and promising future for the Balinese and our tourism industry.
The Balinese have their own way to respond the terrorist attack not by physical violence but by peaceful means; performing major cleansing ceremonies, prayer and hopes, establishing a memorial for the lost lives, because the Balinese believe that the true and utmost prayer have a magic power to face up to evil. The Balinese doctrine Ruwa Bineda tells that all nature is eternally divided into pairs high and low, right and left, day and night, strong and weak, healthy and sick, clean and unclean; in general: good and evil, life and death. Each illuminates the other within the scope of creation, and the Balinese ritual strives always to maintain a middle ground a harmony between two poles. So wherever one goes, be a wise man and beware of any possible dangers and put oneself on guard, because the good and the bad are everywhere in this world.
All the appropriate efforts has been performed by Indonesian Government and the Balinese people and also by the world in order to keep the island peaceful. For the Balinese after performing major ceremonies, it is now time to move ahead and leave the incident behind us. Bali Loves Peace is our motto, peace for everyone, and peace for the world. Many of the visitors have been proved the peace of the island after the incident and leaved Bali with a memorable stay.
So if you plan a vacation do not doubt to put Bali at your top list for your next holiday destination. Bali is still worth a visit after the boom tragedy, because the situation is well in hand now. The easiest way to book your preferred Bali Hotels is go online and visit a hotel reservation website. Do a search for the city or island you are traveling to (Indonesia-Bali) and you will be presented with a list of available Bali hotels/Bali Villas in that area. Or you can search a local reliable Bali Tour Operator and contact him by e-mail for further information.
Good luck readers.

Backpacks for Charity

There are several sites on the web, that describe programs that provide backpacks full of school supplies to needy children, and backpacks full of toiletries and other necessities for wounded military personnel and for victims of disasters.
A sixteen year old girl, with the help of her Mom and some friends, bought 200 backpacks and filled them with toiletries and other necessities for the victims of Huuricane Katrina. They did this with their own funds except for a wonderful donor who provided the money for shipping the backpacks to the affected area.
There are several church groups all over the country, that have programs which provide backpacks stuffed with all sorts of school supplies, such as notebooks, pens, pencils, paper, crayons, markers, glue and whatever other school supplies they can think of to include. Some scout and youth groups are picking up on and joining this effort.
One program run by couple in California, supplies the children of migrant workers with backpacks and school supplies. They run the program form their garage. They also help poor migrant workers with things like food, clothing, housing and job assistance. A 10 year-old boy in Boca Raton Florida, dreamed up a way to help children in his area.
He began to fill backpacks with school supplies for kids who needed them. By the time he was 11, he had a real organization, and had qualified as a charity under IRS rules. The group donates backpacks loaded with notebooks, paper, pencils, glue and other essentials, to schools and charities, all over the state of Florida, that ask for them.
The young man says that if they tell him kids need the packs, thats good enough for me. The word about this group spread quickly among corporations and non-profit organizations. Corporate foundations, local companies, his Dads clients and family and friends all donated cash and supplies. By the time this kid was sixteen he had managed to distribute over 8,000 loaded backpacks.
One of the nations leading office supply companies donated most of the backpacks they have donated about $257,000 in cash and supplies. The young man had enlisted 20 of his friends to help fill the packs, and to personalize them,, and by writing the names of recipients on the luggage tags attached to each pack. The boys mom dad, and half-brother all help, and are officers in the organization, however he writes all his own appeal letters.
The last we knew he was worried about finding a successor, since he was heading off to college. He was worrying that the organization would have to shutdown. This would be a great loss, not only to the kids in need, but also to the rest of us, who no matter what our age, can learn from his example. In cities and towns all over the U.S. churches, civic groups, and individuals have been donating backpack with school stuff to kids and packs with toiletries and other items to adults in areas affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They have no idea what a sign of hope these things are to us.

Backpacking in Africa: Staying in Hostels

Backpacking, especially in Africa and other exotic places has been more and moore popular the recent years. Many of us remember the movie “The Beach” a few years ago and it’s a fact that backpacking increased after this movie launched. But haven’t backpacking been a common way of travelling for students as long as there have been students and travelling? I will answer a clear ‘yes’ to that question. Hitchhiking and backpacking have been common by students and other low budget travellers for many years now.

Africa is a wonderful continent to go exploring and backpacking through some of the wonderful jungles and mountain ranges. As many a backpacker can tell you one of the best ways to lodge while on an adventure such as this is to take advantage of the many hostels located around the continent that welcome travellers of all ages to spend a night or two with them and immerse themselves in local culture.

Most people have always wanted to take a backpacking adventure in Africa because of the wide variety of people, culture, animals and landscapes available on the continent. In fact, many tour companies specialize in African getaway packages that lead you on a guided tour of some of the most breathtaking aspects of this continent that has a fascinating history and background. When considering a trip to this region it is highly recommended you utilize their services because of certain areas on the continent that can be dangerous to foreigners without local guides.

However, for the most part you will find the people of the African continent to be welcoming and eager to share their culture with you. By taking advantage of hostelling arrangements you will be able to meet fellow backpackers and local from the region that will share with you some of the unique features of the region and also help you immerse yourself in the specialized culture of the region. These low-cost solutions to lodging are often the only choice in many parts of the continent because of the unavailability of hotels and other arrangements.

Backpacking Boots?

Backpacking boots or any of the traditional hiking boots may have their place. That place just isn’t on my feet. If you don’t have specific problems with your ankles, there isn’t snow on the ground, and you don’t carry more than thirty pounds on your back, try running shoes. You’ll be so happy that you did.
Backpacking or hiking boots are heavy, hot, stinky, and stay wet forever. Decent running shoes can be as light as one pound per pair, while most hiking boots top three pounds. Army research showed that a pound on your feet is like five on your back (some say six), so three-pound boots naturally leave you more tired at the end of the day.
Backpacking Boots And Ankle Support
Some backpackers argue for the necessity of ankle support, but throughout history people managed without stiff ankle-supporting boots. Even if you are carrying thirty pounds on your back, consider the fact that there are people walking around that weigh 60 pounds more than you, and without problems. It is an issue of weak ankles, not a lack of support. To solve this problem, try walking a little each week on uneven ground (not in the mall).
While some may really need hiking boots, why not be sure your ankle problems are not just due to a lack of exercise before you settle for backpacking in heavy boots. It is true you may need hiking boots if you carry more than thirty pounds when you backpack. The solution to that is to cut the weight down.
Why Running Shoes?
Your feet will stay cooler in a good running shoes than in hiking boots, and this means fewer blisters. Once I switched to running shoes and lightweight socks years ago, I stopped getting blisters, and I don’t mean fewer blisters. I mean no blisters. I haven’t had one blister since I switched, not even after a 110-mile 7-day trek in the Rockies, for example.
For socks, I have used nothing but thin nylon dress socks for years. They are cheap, and they weigh less than an ounce per pair. That makes it easy to carry enough fresh socks. They also can be easily rinsed out and dried quickly. My feet won’t tolerate hotter socks now, although I do bring a warmer pair for sleeping or for cold weather.
Unless you have size 13 feet, you should be able to find good running or hiking shoes that are under two pounds per pair. Carry a kitchen scale to the shoe store if you have to. Unfortunately, catalogs sometimes don’t show weights, so you’ll have to guess which hiking shoes are lighter based on the description and photo.
The higher quality shoes have soles stitched to the uppers. Look under the insoles to check this. A removable insole is another sign of quality shoes. Usually you can find a good pair of running shoes under 28 ounces and under $80, or half of that on closeouts.
Until you try it, you won’t know how liberating it is to ditch the heavy pack and heavy boots and hit the trail in running shoes. Go more miles more comfortably. Run up a hill just to see what’s there. I haven’t yet met a person who has tried backpacking in hiking shoes or running shoes – and then returned to backpacking boots.

Austria Off The Beaten Path Zell Am See, Innsbruck

Austria Off The Beaten Path Zell Am See, Innsbruck and Bad Gastein

Mention Austria and everyone thinks of Vienna and Salzburg. In addition to great names, Zell am See, Innsbruck and Bad Gastein are great locations off the beaten path.
Zell am See
ZellamSee. The name just rolls off the tongue, but it pails in comparison to the place. Often described as heaven on earth, Zell am See is a dream location in the mountains of Austria. With towering mountains on one side and a lake on the other, the town looks like something out of a postcard. If you pull up photographs of the town, youll swear they have been touched up with a software program. This town is simply that beautiful. In the winter, Zell am See is all about skiing with numerous resorts for glacier skiing. In the summer, one can lounge on a boat on the lake or hit the mountains for hiking, camping and rock climbing. The Krimml Waterfalls are extremely impressive. Zell am See isnt the cheapest of travel destinations, but it should top the list if money isnt a concern. The best month to go is December when skiing is good and winter festivals occur in the town.
Innsbruck
Built on the Inn River, Innsbruck was the home to the 1976 Winter Olympics. And for good reason. As with much of Austria, the town is picturesquely set against mountains and ripe with street cafes and surrounding areas that look like something out of the movie Heidi. As the Olympic designation would suggest, the town is a good launching point for hitting the slopes, but there is much more to it. The historic district has the cobblestone atmosphere youve come to expect from town in the Alps. In addition to atmosphere, you can visit historic locations such as the tomb of Emperor Maximilian 1.
My only gripe with Innsbruck is the boring, modern developments around the core of the town that were brought on by the Olympics. They sort of kill the mood, which brings us to Bad Gastein.
Bad Gastein
Bad Gastein definitely gets a nomination for name of the year. It just sounds like a town where bikers would hang out. Admittedly, it is hard to image Austrian Hells Angels, but you get my drift.
Bad Gastein is an old Austrian village without the droll modern fixtures of Innsbruck. Built overlooking a valley, the town has some incredible views. Historically, Bad Gastein is the spa town of Austria with emperors and other VIPs taking in treatment. For atmosphere, the town feels like it hasnt changed since the 19th century. If youre looking for old world Austria, this is the place. Make sure to hurry though as the town is supposedly grabbing the attention of developers who are thinking hotels and casinos are a must.
If you visit Austria, Vienna and Salzburg are definite destinations. Just make sure you get out to the incredible towns in the mountains.

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Attractions in Lanzarote

There is a great amount of different things to do and places to meet in the island of Lanzarote. Lanzarote is located towards the eastern area of the Canary Islands, and shows a size of about 13 miles in width and40 miles in length. One of the most appealing characteristics of Lanzarote is its climate. Lanzarote offers warm temperatures and scarce rains year around, turning it into a great place for those who wish to spend time at the beach and enjoy as many outdoor activities as possible.
The Limantaya National Park is one of the first spot tourists should visit while being in the island. This park was created over an area of lava field of more than 20 square miles. This lava field was created around the year 1730, when several volcanic eruptions covered the area with lava.
The House of Cesar Manrique is another interesting place tourists can visit in Lanzarote. This house is interesting from several points of view, such as from an architectonic perspective or a historic and an art related one. Near this place, within the central region of Lanzarote, there is the island’s city of Arrecife, where tourists can find hotels, shops, restaurants and other facilities.
The northern area of Lanzarote has several attractive places to visit. One of these places is the Jameos del Agua, offering a formation of lava underground tunnels created after a volcanic eruption. Another spot to visit near the Jameos del Agua is the Mirador del Ro. The Mirador del Ro allows visitors to enjoy an amazing view and incredible landscapes since it is built over a strategic cliff area.
Another great place tourists can visit in this area of the island is La Cueva de los Verdes or Cave of the Greens. La Cueva de los Verdes is a system of lava caves and tunnels which are very interesting to meet. Visitors can walk through them and observe some unique spots and amazing lava formations. Near this place, the Jardn de Cactus is another interesting spot to meet, containing a wide variety of species and kinds of cactus which those who enjoy nature and plants would surely like to observe.

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Atlantis Discovered?

Well we definitely found Atlantis! This is according to Robert Sarmast. But who, exactly is Mr. Robert Sarmast? Mr. Sarmast was an architect who became fascinated with the search for lost civilizations and ancient history. For years he traveled, gathering facts in his pursuit of these ancient cultures. He was extremely interested in Atlantis. He published a book on the subject in 2003 entitled “Discovery of Atlantis” and has come to the conclusion that the island of Cyprus was where Atlantis existed.
There are many theories as to where Atlantis existed. Lately the South Pole or Antarctica has been suggested. In the past so many different places have been chosen that if we were to make a list of them, they would cover many different areas of the Earth. A few years ago ruins were found off the coast of Japan and many suggest that this was the location of Atlantis. The same is true with the Bahamas. The famous Bimini Road is said to be a relic of Atlantis. Another area which is said to be where Atlantis was situated is South America. After all there are many mysterious cities that have been abandoned there that were built in such a way as to defy construction methods. In some of these places the stones are so close together that even a sheet of paper can’t fit between them, yet no mortar was used. In other of these cities, huge stone were hauled to the tops of mountains to be used in city construction, a feat that we can’t even equal today. There are other places where Atlantis was suspected of existing and some of these are in the middle of the ocean. Some people say that Atlantis sank and that is why we can’t find its location. Oh there are so many different stories about Atlantis.
So, why exactly do people believe that they know were Atlantis was,. or in fact, that it even existed? Homer, the famous Greek story teller and author, lived around the 8th century BC. Originally it was believed by modern day people that Homer was a great writer of fiction, but then things began to happen that suggested that maybe his works weren’t fiction after all. The City of Troy was unearthed. Homer had written the Iliad, the story of the battle between the Greeks and the city of Troy that lasted ten years. All of a sudden a work that all though was fiction may have been based on fact. People began to look at the Odessy, another of Homer’s famous works. If the Iliad were true than could the Odessy be true also? This is important because many think that the Phoenician island of Scheria might have been Atlantis and Homer mentions this island in his work. Plato was another ancient greek as we know. This ancient philosopher lived about 400 BC. There are two books written by Plato that have passages referring to Atlantis. These books are the Timeaus and the Criteas. They seem to indicate that Atlantis was located in the Atlantic Ocean and was the home of an advanced race that went to war against Athens and lost. It was said that Atlantis was located before the Pillars of Hercules. It goes on to say that they, the Atlantans, had defeated many European countries but the Athenians were able to drive them back out of Europe. The story goes on to say that records of this feat were lost due to a great flood that wipe out part of Athens and all of Atlantis. In Criteas Plato gives a very detailed account of Atlantis.
Now we know why people believe that Atlantis did exist. so let get back to Mr. Sarmast. Why Cyprus and not somewhere else? Its definitely Atlantis,Mr Sarmast said, referring to Cyprus. Sarmast states that the clues were there in Plato’s descriptions. He said that received data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that fits perfectly. He went on to say that this data was gathered in 1987 when a scientific survey of the Mediterranean was taken. Then to further back up his claim, he stated that he had used sonar to find unnatural formations that were found at the center of the ancient city of Atlantis.
A remote viewer was called in by Psychognosia, an organization who had challenged the finding. The *remote viewer formerly used his talents while in the US military. When he was asked to tell what he saw both now and 10,000 years ago he stated, that going back in time he could see a predominant city with buildings but now it was only ruins that were buried.
Could Cyprus be Atlantis? Why not, I guess it has just as good of a chance as anywhere else. Maybe Mr. Sarmast has hit upon something. I guess only time will tell.
*During the cold war, the US Government conducted experiments using individuals to ‘see’ targets anywhere in the world from the room they were in. The experiments were said to have meet with some success. This same people were said to be able to look into the past. The Soviet Union also employed these same type of people, they were called Remote Viewers.
Addendum:
Since I finished writing this story Mr. Sarmast has offered new evidence. He states that he has discovered Atlantis and is sure of the fact because he has an enormous body of evidence. He claims that ruins between Cyprus and Syria that are under the ocean fit the exact description that Plato gave. He said the dimensions and configuration of walls and a canal on a hillside above a rectangular plain that sit on the seabed match Plato’s description perfectly.Experts eagerly await the imaging data that should be forth coming from a expedition there last week by Mr. Samast.

Athens Taxi Ride Extreme Sports

Athens is a huge, congested city and the local taxis are your main means of getting around. The average Athens tax ride is inexpensive, just bring your helmet.

Living on the Edge

I had just arrived in Athens with a couple wholl remain nameless. [Hes now a respectable doctor and married to someone else.] My buddy, John, had a Greek friend who lived in town named Stavos. We were going to stay with him and explore Athens before heading to the islands.

Stavos had gone to college with us in California and more or less been raised there. After experiencing the finer points of higher education [fraternity parties, etc.], he and his brother had started a snowboard company in Athens. Who could possibly be buying snowboards in Greece? It turned out Stavos and his brother were selling them throughout Europe, not in Greece.

Anyway, Stavos collected us in a friends car and took us to his small studio. We decided to catch some winks and then head out for a night on the town. Thus, we would experience an Athens taxi ride for the first time.

Taxi driving is a competitive sport. I am convinced there is a World Cup of taxi driving and drivers practice on the streets of their location. San Francisco and New York taxi drivers are an elite group, while taking a taxi in France is a good way to see the Eiffel Tower while going the wrong way down a one-way street. In Athens, it was all about speed.

Being an idiot, I yelled out shotgun as the taxi pulled to the curb. I shouldve guessed my triumph wasnt a good thing when Stavos just smiled. In we went and Stavos gave the driver our destination. For the next fifteen minutes, I feared for life itself. Mine and others.

Our driver was apparently convinced he would get a bonus if he beat a certain time. We peeled out at the curb and the race was on. Through the tight, winding streets of Athens we went. As is the nature of chaotic Athens, the roads are packed with cars, buses, people and very brave cyclist. Considering this an obstacle course, a driver whipped through the throngs at over 80 miles per hour. Most of the time was spent in the SLOW lane, where less cars were. I still have nightmares about the faces of cyclist staring at me as we passed them with maybe 5 inches to spare. Frozen pictures of terror. Throw in cars starting to pull out in the road and you have the white knuckle event of the year.

When we finally pulled up to the club, I started breathing again. As I pulled my hand off the handle on the door, I left impressions. Standing outside of the cab, Stavos asked me if I wanted to sit in the front on the way home and started laughing.

It took two drinks to calm my nerves. Come hell or high water, I was walking home.