May 27, 2008
Located in southern Central America, Costa Rica is surrounded by three different bodies of water including the Panama Canal on the southeast, the Pacific Ocean on the southwest and west and the Caribbean Ocean on the east. Because of Costa Rica’s close proximity to several bodies of water, the country is an ideal stopping point for various cruise ships carrying throngs of adventurous vacationers. Depending on the area of Costa Rica you are in, the climate can differ dramatically. There are cool wet mountain ranges, rain forests, dry tropical forests, cloud forests, the very dry Pacific coast and the damp Caribbean coast. Because of Costa Rica’s diverse climate, the country is home to 850 species of birds, 205 species of mammals, 9,000 species of flowering plants, 1,200 species of orchids and 376 species of reptiles and amphibians. For a country that only measures 51,060 square kilometers, this is a wide variety of natural wildlife. Costa Rica strives to maintain the land’s natural beauty and wildlife by designating one sixth of the country to national parks and wildlife refuges. Costa Rica is also home to several active volcanoes. Arenal erupts daily every fifteen minutes or so. The locals welcome foreigners with open arms making Costa Rica one of the most desirable vacation and retirement spots in the world. It is for these and other reasons that a Costa Rica vacation cruise should be booked today. The memories will last a lifetime.
An Abundance of Outdoor Recreation: Costa Rica is big on water related activities. Wave riders travel from all over the world to test out their expertise in Costa Rica’s waters. Both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts offer up some notorious surfing. On the Atlantic Coast, Puerto Viejo’s Salsa Brava gets some great breaks during the winter months although this area is often crowded. On the Pacific side, Playa Hermosa is the most consistent place to catch some waves. If these areas are flat, no need to worry, snorkeling and kayaking are always an option. Wind surfers have nothing but praise for Lake Arenal. It is considered one of the world’s best wind surfing spots and on good days you can cruise over 25 miles across the lake. There might not be anything more romantic when you’re on vacation with the one you love than enjoying a horseback ride. Whether its on the beach or through a National Park, the experience is sure to be memorable. Other popular outdoor activities to be enjoyed while in Costa Rica include hiking, mountain biking, deep sea fishing, bungee jumping, sailing, bird watching and ballooning. More adventurous activities include repelling down through the center of waterfalls, canopy tours through the tropical trees and white water rafting.
A Mecca for Nature Lovers: Nature lovers should take advantage of Costa Rica’s numerous National Parks and refuges. Crocovado is both a rain forest and black sand beach. The Tabacon Hot Springs is nature’s equivalent to the Jacuzzi. Unwind near cascading waterfalls in the various pools and hot springs. A trip to the Monteverde Cloud Forest will almost guarantee a sighting of Costa Rica’s most famous bird, the Quetzal. The Rain Forest Aerial Tram is located out of San Jose, the country’s capital, and offers a guided canopy tour of the rain forest. Manuel Antonio Park is teeming with monkeys and other wildlife. The Tortuguera is Costa Rica’s most famous protected nesting area. If you are not a fan of outdoor activities, don’t worry, there is plenty else to do and see. The National Museum traces Costa Rica’s colorful history and culture. The museum was founded in 1887 and is located in San Jose. Patrons of the arts should try and catch one of the numerous performance put on at the National Theater. The National Theater offers classical music and opera performances in addition to others. Sarchi is located outside of San Jose and is a great place to visit and admire the country’s handicraft.
Visit www.mytraveltocostarica.com to receive a FREE Costa Rica vacation package quote.
Aventuras Elegantes, AVEL, S.A. We are an american and costa rican group. Aventuras Elegantes, AVEL, S.A., started operation in 1995 as a receptive tourism agency specialized in promoting Costa Rica as a tourist destination worldwide.
www.mytraveltocostarica.com
info@mytraveltocostarica.com
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May 23, 2008
So you’ve rented a villa for your Jamaica vacation. Now what?
Well if you’ve rented a luxury, staffed villa here’s what you
might expect: Your driver will meet you at the airport in a
comfortable, air-conditioned van. On the drive to your villa, he
will indicate points of interest along the road and provide
refreshments- if it is a long drive do not hesitate to request a
stop. Upon arrival at your villa you will be greeted by your
staff; they are your caretakers for the duration of your stay
and you should feel completely at ease making reasonable
requests of them. Get to know your head-of-house as he or she
will be your primary point of contact should you have any
questions about the villa and how it operates. Your cook will
handle grocery shopping and meal preparation. She will
prepurchase your first few meals plus pantry staples, then
finish the week’s shopping after meeting with you. A typical
grocery budget is US$210 per adult per week (more in some
villas) … less for children. This may vary up or down
depending on market prices and menus. If you wish to go to the
various markets with your cook, feel free to do so. Otherwise,
simply review with her your likes and dislikes and she will
handle everything while you stay at the villa and relax. At some
of the villa colonies, like Tryall, it is possible for your cook
to charge groceries to your account, which you then settle at
the end of your stay. At most of the independent villas, unless
you’ve arranged for a mealplan, your cook will request money for
shopping; she’ll bring you receipts and change. The day starts
while guests are still asleep. The cook quietly places pots of
steaming Jamaican coffee and platters of fresh fruit outside
your bedroom door or at the breakfast table. Full breakfast is
served when all guests are ready. A typical breakfast may
include fresh orange juice and several fruits, banana fritters
or plantain, eggs, bacon, pancakes or cereal. Light lunches are
usual in Jamaica, then for dinner your cook will prepare her own
mix of Jamaican specialties … including delicious homemade
soups and desserts, ackee and saltfish, jerk pork or chicken,
shrimp or curried goat. Lobster, too, when in season … she can
of course also serve traditional American fare as you request.
Warning: Jamaican cooks are excellent and portions are big. Your
chambermaid and laundress will care for every detail of your
bedroom and bath … providing a daily supply of fresh linens
and flowers and returning your neatly-folded laundry each
afternoon before turning down your bed each evening. The
gardener will maintain the pool and grounds immaculately each
day. Larger villas are staffed by a butler who serves, tends bar
and generally facilitates. Available on request are a masseuse,
children’s nanny and chauffeur. At the conclusion of your stay
it is customary to tip for good service. Villa staffs, like most
jobs in the service industry, rely on tips as part of their
overall compensation. Recommended gratuities tend to be around
10% of the villa rental in High Season ~ 15% of the villa rental
in Low Season (some villas have more specific guidelines). These
percentages apply to the entire staff, not to each individual
staff member. In each villa, you will find a gratuity guide
advising you how tips should be distributed among your staff
members based on their seniority- in some cases you can pay the
entire amount to the head of house or directly to the property
manager for distribution. Once you have experienced the villa
lifestyle, it is only natural to be intrigued by the prospect of
owning one of these extraordinary properties. Whether it is an
existing villa or a home site on which to build the vacation
house of your dreams Jamaica’s experienced real estate agents
will help you find it.
What are the advantages to staying in a villa over a hotel? The
only true privacy you get in a hotel is in your bedroom or
suite. In a villa everything belongs to you ~ the pool, the sun
beds, the terrace, the music, the TV ~ it is your home every
minute of the day. You will only see the people you wish to see.
Even your staff will become “invisible” if that is what you
want, appearing only at those times you ask them to serve you.
In a villa you decide everything from what you eat to the time
you eat it. And yet, despite having all these major advantages,
a villa vacation compares very favorably on price with a hotel.
Certain villas include temporary memberships in private clubs
such as Tryall, Round Hill and Wyndham Rose Hall that offer a
host of activities including golf, tennis and watersports. Those
actually located within a villa colony offer the best-of-both
worlds, with the complete privacy of a villa vacation and all
the amenities and social opportunities of a fine resort.
**for more information visit www.jam-boree.com,
Jamaica’s visitor website, the complete source for travel and
tourism information featuring hand-picked deals on vacation
packages, hotels, villas, flights and car rentals**
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May 22, 2008
For a real links-style golf experience we discovered the Royal
St. Cloud Golf Links, located in St. Cloud, about 25 minutes
southeast of the Orlando airport or the Disney area. The Royal
St. Cloud Links greet you with a rolling layout of links-style
fairways, punctuated by classic links bunkers that feature names
such as Hell, Spectacles, Devil’s Pocket and Hoofprint. True to
its link heritage, every club in the bag will be utilized as the
terrain is naturally varied.
Unlike other Orlando golf courses, the Royal St. Cloud is free
of any residential developments and offers a pure golf
experience. The design features four sets of tees and from the
blue tee offers a championship length of 7,111 yards and a 74.6
rating, all on flawless fairways and silky-smooth Tifeagle
greens.
Its motto, as printed above the entrance to the club house is
“Original Golf Played Here”, and indeed the Royal St. Cloud
features original style golf at its unpretentious best. I had a
chance to talk to Bill Filson, the Director of Golf and since
2002 co-owner of this facility.
Bill has an extensive teaching background. He has personally
studied under some of the top-ranked teaching professionals and
brings 12 years of teaching experience that featured beginners
to PGA tour professionals. Bill has consistently been a
top-ranked PGA Professional. The Royal St. Cloud’s teaching
staff is complemented by Dave Rummels who brings 17 years of
valuable PGA Tour experience with him and can share advice from
the “Tour” with the students. Associate Professional, Doug
Holloway, has 16 years coaching experience.
At the Royal St. Cloud Golf Links the commitment to teaching the
game of golf commitment includes state-of-the art video
equipment and even a teaching tent for inclement weather.
Lessons, programs, and clinics are offered for every skill level
and requirement. Bill explained that they run very reasonably
priced children’s clinics at $7.00 per clinic and the club has
120 members in their junior program. Ladies can also learn the
sport without embarrassment in a relaxed, comfortable
environment. And with every family membership at the club kids
play for free.
Bill prides himself on offering one of the greatest values in
golf in the Orlando area. For the 2005-2006 season rates vary
from $46 to $48 from November 1 to January 10, and $64 from
January 11 to April 30, 2006. Discounted tee time rates are
available after 11 am or 12 pm respectively, 7 days/week. Bill
went on to say that the fees at the Royal St. Cloud are always
reasonable, and that he aims not to oversell his course, but to
exceed the visitors’ expectations.
In addition, he offers a very unique proposition: a 100%
money-back guarantee with no conditions if you didn’t enjoy your
playing experience at the Royal St. Clouds. He said in the
almost three years since he has run this course only 2 people
ever asked for a refund; a phenomenal achievement, considering
that several tens of thousands of rounds are played here every
year.
One of the very unique features of this course is the
handcrafted stonework which is evident in four bridges found
throughout the course that have been hand-built by one
individual brick by brick. Bill said that some of the bridges
are even a little bit crooked, just to give them more character.
The most famous stone bridge can be found on the 5th hole and
many of the British visitors to this golf course come here
specifically for this unique feature.
Bill explained that his golf course serves a value-based market
that is composed of local residents, snowbirds escaping the cold
northern winters, and British golfers, a very loyal crowd who
refer this facility to many of their friends back home.
The Royal St. Cloud Golf Links have been rated as one of the Top
5 Most Underrated Golf Courses in the Orlando area and they have
hosted the 2004 and 2005 British Junior Amateur. With its
wide-open fairways the course looks deceptively simple, however,
I experienced very quickly the unique challenges offered by the
Royal St. Cloud. Traditional links golf is played on the ground,
unfortunately I still managed to find water several times,
despite the generously open fairways.
Wood stork at the Royal St. Cloud Golf Links
The other feature I really enjoyed were a number of the ponds on
the back nine of the course that were playing host to a variety
of local wildlife and water birds. I particularly enjoyed
watching a very rare specimen of wood stork stalking the edges
of a pond for food, and a crane standing upright with stretched
out wings. The course had a very relaxed, casual and friendly
feel to it and we enjoyed a tasty hot dog after our game on the
beautiful patio outside the clubhouse as a way to cap off a very
enjoyable golf experience on a gorgeous day.
A crane stretches its wings
Driving Directions from the Disney Area: Royal St. Cloud Golf
Links is an easy 25 miles from the Disney area. (25-35 minute
approximate drive time) * Take Osceola Parkway to the Florida
Turnpike * Take Exit 244 to Hwy 192, turn left. * Go 4.6 miles
to Vermont Ave, turn right. * Take Vermont 2.1 miles to Creek
Woods Road, take a left. * Go only .7 miles to Michigan Ave,
take a right directly into the Golf Club.
Statistics Par 72 Yards Rating Slope Blue 7111 74.6 128 Gold
6680 72.2 125 Green 6083 69.2 115 Citrus 5531 66.6 111
For more information please visit Royal St. Cloud Golf Links
website or call them at (407) 891-7010.
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May 21, 2008
Being prepared for a trip gives you a better chance to enjoy your upcoming trip even before you head out the door. In most countries there are tourist information services that can provide you with guide books, as well as a great variety of planners, booklets, brochures, maps, and everything necessary to make your trip a unique experience to have as much fun as possible during your stay in what ever destination you chose.
In fact, not only through official and service channels can you get guide books, maps and other material to plan your trip but also through books stores where there are a wide range of resources and advice for anyone, whether you are traveling on luxurious budget or on a slim budget. One of these notorious resources which has attained fame for its commercial success is Route 66, Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion by Tom Snyder.
“It’s tempting to think of old Route 66, stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, as a happy accident”, introduces Bobby Troup to which is considered the first modern guide to driving Route 66, a USA Highway became the most famous road in the American highway system and possibly the most storied highway in the world, that originally ran from Chicago, Illinois through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California before ending at the beach at Santa Monica for a total distance of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).
This Traveler’s Guide depicts the importance and use of Guide Books, being such a long way to follow up, it would be hard to make the whole route 66 without maps and other useful readable tools to complete the trip satisfactorily. Tom Snyder not only compiled the main points and attractions alongside the road from its starting point to its opposite end, but he has thoughtfully separated the driving directions.
Guide Books like these include his trove of route 66 related anecdotes named as “Roadside Companion” to make the guide even more useful. Additionally to this fact, one of the book’s most distinctive features are several reproductions of period maps from the Automobile Club of Southern California, but over which the route of the modern Interstate was superimposed, giving to the reader at a glance a perspective of the road ahead before start the trip itself.
If your are wondering how guide books may serve you, have a look at Route 66, Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion to find the answer, though a book that is fun to read and totally helpful for planning a Route 66 drive, to use as an example to learn how to plan for many other travels to any other location worldwide.
About the Author
Eric Odom is owner of http://www.backpackearth.com
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May 16, 2008
What good would a trip to Hawaii be without picking up an authentic Hawaiian shirt? Or, an “Aloha shirt” as native Hawaiians like to call them.
The Hawaiian shirt we know and love today was created from a combination of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, native Hawaiian, and American fashion influences.
All of these influences came together in the 1930s to create a shirt that put colorful native prints on silk fabric, with American-style tailoring.
The shirts became an instant hit on the islands, and when movie stars and other Hollywood celebrities began wearing the colorful shirts in movies and on the Mainland, the Hawaiian shirt exploded in popularity.
Now it’s hard to imagine Hawaii without the colorful printed Aloha shirts. When you’re ready to buy yours, be sure to look for the “made in Hawaii” label so that you know you’re getting an authentic Hawaiian shirt.
About the Author
Copyright 2005
Donna Monday
Cruise the beautiful Hawaiian Islands - even if you’re on a budget
http://www.last-minute-hawaii-cruise.com
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April 19, 2008
Great Britain’s colourful and time and again primitive history is without question best embodied in its buildings, & nowhere is this better obvious than in those properties connected with the Royal Family and their festivities. Discover Buckingham Palace England. One of the many wonders to visit in London.
For a long-lasting period now the English Monarchy has been deemed as being very significant to the achievement of the UK. They have charmed tourists for years & continue to stimulate the appeal of foreign holiday-makers of all age band. Buckingham Place has been categorised the Capital’s home of the English monarchy from the time when Queen Victoria became inducted as queen in eighteen thirty-seven. it’s one of a minute amount of functioning royal palaces enduring in England currently.
Buckingham Palace is used on the whole as a place of work, but can additionally be changed into an events venue for the fifty thousand guests invited to the Palace every single year. There are more than 600 residences, including 19 state bedrooms, fifty-two royal and visitor bedrooms, seventy eight bathrooms, 92 offices, but more impressively an in-house theatre & swimming pool.
Right the way through the spring & summer, foreign guest can tour around the dazzling state bedrooms, that help to shape the heart of the Palace. These wonderful rooms are enriched with a number of the most excellent assets from the Royal compilation, including sculptures by Canova and also paintings by the many famous painters for example Rembrandt, Rubens and Canaletto.
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April 18, 2008
Below is the storey of Stambuli; community development is needed to help more street children like Stambuli. Safaris help to fund projects to rehabilitate these children. Ensure the company you choose for a safari in Tanzania help with community projects. Make tourism responsible.
Stambuli grew up on the streets of Arusha in northern Tanzania. From the age of eight he smoked marijuana and drank home brewed alcohol. To survive he became a thief, stealing papaya from neighbours trees when he was hungry; as he grew he moved on to stealing bicycles and even the odd spot of prostitution to get a good meal and a dry roof over his head for the night. When he had money he would play cards and gamble down by the village stream, and together with friends smoke and drink until the money was gone.
When money was needed again he would walk into town and steal a bicycle and as he got older and became a strong 15 year old standing 6 feeg1inch in his bare feet he became more adept and intimidating with his thievery. Eventually, at the age of 16 he began to work mornings at the bus terminal offering to carry bags and earn a few shillings for himself. He would sit in the dust at the side of the road, waiting with the other boys for the next bust to arrive; because of his size and growing up on the streets he managed to push his way to the front of the competition and get work.
Stambuli’s father had abandoned him whilst he was still in his mother womb. Stambuli would talk affectionately of his father who lived by the coast close to Tanga Bay. He had never seen his father but told his friends ‘one day I will travel and meet my father’.
Not all the money would go on drugs and booze. He would give to his mother who was a widow and was raising her granddaughter, Grace. Graces father was Stambuli’s brother. Graces father was a small time drug dealer. He had murdered a man and regularly beat his wife. This man was the main male role model in Stambuli’s life.
Stambuli’s brother was eventually arrested for the murder and put in prison. After a year in prison he committed suicide. Stambuli would visit his brother every week and remembers the day he arrived to be told his brother was dead and then given his brothers body. Grace the child to the marriage was then abandoned as the mother fled to Dar es Salaam.
Stambuli was left the contents of his brother’s house but he was not allowed to keep them. Elders of the village deemed Stambuli unfit to have anything of his own and they took the belongings from the house for themselves. All was taken from the house except for Grace; Stambuli took Grace to his Mother and she cared for the child and Stambuli went to work at the bus Station to earn money for food. There was no room for Stambuli and he would sleep next to the river or occasionally at a friend’s house.
On his seventeenth birthday disaster struck. Whilst at work at the busy bus terminal someone accused Stambuli of taking a passengers bag from a bus. He was arrested and sentenced to four months imprisonment.
Stambuli’s greatest fear was to go to prison where his brother had died.
As he started his sentence in the nearby prison he realised how alone he was. Abandoned by his friends his Mother visited him every two days. These visits were distressing for his mother plus as she couldn’t afford to take the bus; she must walk the eight miles every day. Stambuli told her, on her second visit, to please not visit and to save her money and strength to grow and sell spinach and to look after Grace.
Prison life is not easy in East Africa and here in this place Stambuli would reflect and face the future. The rest of this storey is told in the next article Stambuli’s Storey.
Community and cultural news and travel can be seen at http://betheladventure.co.uk and Information on Tanzania and Community projects can be sourced at http://www.tanzania-info.co.uk - change peoples lives and choose to support responsible tourism.
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April 2, 2008
As always, when this time of the year comes around, I am amazed at how fast another year has gone by. It’s also the time of year when I make an extra effort to be aware of the energy and attitude I am carrying with me as I am out and about doing everything I need to do to prepare for the holidays. By doing this, it helps keep my stress level down and makes each day flow more easily and effortlessly.
I invite you to do the same for yourself. Notice if there are any emotional patterns that show up for you at this time of the year that tend to create more stress in your life. Are you focusing on anticipating the worst with shopping, crowds, traffic, visits with relatives?
Whatever it may be for you give yourself a break by having a different outlook toward this holiday year than past. Take as many deep breaths as need be throughout each and every day and allow yourself to relax into all that you need to do and all that is happening around you. Know in your heart everything will get done that needs to get done and as you give up the urge to control the circumstances around you that you can’t control, the more you will see things getting done with ease. It’s an opportunity to practice your patience and willingness to go with the flow. Put a smile on your face even if you have to force it at first. A smile not only lifts you emotionally it effects everyone around you, ultimately effecting how things show up for you.
Instead of remembering all the times you’ve been with certain relatives that were less than joyful, create a new picture for yourself. Imagine spending a pleasant time with this person. Be open to the possibilities of it being different because you’re willing to be different. Remember, it starts with you. They are who they are and all you can control your own emotions.
Oh, I know, I know. I can hear you now. “But you don’t know my Uncle Horace, he makes the holidays miserable for everyone.” Uncle Horace may be the scrooge of the party but that doesn’t mean you have to fall prey to his energy and let it ruin your holiday. Again, you are always at choice and you get to manage your emotions as you choose. Not Uncle Horace! If need be, spend more time with those in the room you feel more joy toward and as you do this, it is not the time to talk about everything that’s wrong with Uncle Horace. But most importantly, start holding a different vision now for your upcoming visits.
Are you worried about not having enough money to buy the gifts you want to buy? Stop. Gifts are great but we all know a gift from the heart is not always about something expensive. The most wonderful gift I received last year was from a relative who spent $2.49 on me. He bought me a beautiful card and in it wrote all the things he appreciated about me. It touched me in a way that is hard to put into words. That gift was worth it’s weight in gold to me and a year later it still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. Release yourself from the pressure of buying something more than you can afford and if you’re not able to let go of that ask yourself what’s really beneath that belief and be willing to take an action that starts busting through such a limiting belief.
So as you find yourself standing in long lines, dealing with crowded malls, sitting in traffic or anticipating being with certain relatives, do your best to hold an awareness of how you’re managing your energy and thoughts. If it’s not for your highest good take some deep breaths in and out holding a thought that feels a little bit better. Close your eyes and remember all you have to be grateful for and then smile.
I wish you a safe, relaxing and joyful holiday season. May the year ahead bring you much abundance and prosperity in every aspect of your life!
Copyright 2005, Linda Salazar all rights reserved. This article may be reproduced in its entirety as long as all credits are included.
Linda Salazar
Certified Personal Life Coach, Author, Speaker
310-375-4800
Awaken The Genie Within®
Practical Strategies for Magical Results
www.awakenthegeniewithin.com
Linda@awakenthegeniewithin.com
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