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2009-02-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

What is the Danger of Trips to Warm Countries

2009-01-31T20:43:00.004-08:00

The nearer is the time of snowfalls and severe frosts, the bigger is the wish to run away from all these winter “beauties” to warm countries. For at least two weeks. And only stubborn doctors do not stop telling that vacation in warm countries can lead not only to pleasure and outstanding impressions.

The mild season in the majority of warm countries starts namely in winter. Whether it is Egypt or Thailand. The climate at this time is the most comfortable. And to the northerners, who constantly lack sunlight, the trip to warm countries is essential.

The change of scenery is also the best way of wresting out of seasonal melancholy. Probably everybody knows the winter’s forerunners: prostration, apathy, easy fatigability. And namely the trip to one of the warm countries in winter – is the best way out. It is like getting into the ice-hole’s cold water from the hot bath house, it just braces up more and longer.

Due to such “contrast” vacation, people who have problems with superactivity of thyroid gland, lungs and those who have contradictions against strong heat and dry air which is peculiar to the exotic countries’ climate in summer season, can charge health. And fresh air, rich with the particles of mineral salts strengthens the respiratory system and affects beneficially the health of elderly people.

And the fact that bad mood and stresses disappear under the sun beams, shouldn’t be mentioned one more time. Warm sun, fresh air, tender sea will help you quickly abstract from everyday worries, to cheer up and to restore the mental tone. And different cruises, excursions and other resort entertainments will bring lots of positive emotions, which we lack in our everyday life.

But there are some negative sides in such a vacation. Stubborn doctors say that such contrasts can lead not only to pleasure and outstanding impressions but to the considerable harm to the health.

When planning a trip, we, as a rule, leave out of account some important nuances, which can reduce all the pluses of the trip to the zero. We forget that our organism is sensitized to certain climatic conditions, quick change of which can be harmful to the health. The most badly our organism responds to the change of climate in winter – namely then, when we get tired looking at the dull winter sky and dirty snowbanks, and suddenly find ourselves on the golden beaches of Egypt or Morocco. And here we start wondering, why are we knocked down by the sickness right in the middle of fantastic vacation.

One should take into consideration, that while moving from winter into summer, our organism has to have enough time to get sensitized to the new conditions, because our ‘inner clock’ still functions as before! This is the most relevant issue for the travelers who suffer from cardiovascular diseases, malfunction on the nervous systems and for asthmatics.

On the sunniest shore there is a danger from the glut of ultraviolet rays, which can provoke the upraise of different skin diseases, allergic reactions and can also be dangerous for hypotensive and hypertensive people.

Besides that, if you are concerned by the way you look, be ready for the fact that active “alien” sun can dry up and weather the skin. Or, to the contrary, it will suffer from excessive sweat. This, in turn, is fraught with “obstructed” skin pores, pimples and other doubtful joys.

We also shouldn’t forget about the surprises that can be sprung by the quick switch from our “winter” carbohydrate diet to the hearty exotic living. The organism will have to mobilize as a matter of urgency to switch to the new type of metabolism, and besides that, “alien” water, unusual product composition and exotic combination of dishes can catch our alimentary system off balance.

One should also take into consideration that the process of reverse acclimatizing from summer into winter can turn out to be painful. If ignore this, there is a possibility of depression, prostration, anorexia, cold… and all the pleasure got in vacation will go down the drain.

In this respect, doctors suggest to “consult” not only ones wishes, but also health, when planning a winter vacation. If the health is all right, you can easily go – your organism will acclimatize quickly and painlessly.

And if it – organism – is weakened due to an illness or something else, it will be hard for it to adapt to “alien” environment. And in this case it is better to spend winter holidays in a more traditional way.

GDR-styled hotels are popular among tourists

2009-01-31T20:43:00.003-08:00

It is possible to stop at a hotel of the GDR-epoch and to plunge into the atmosphere of that time in Germany. It is interesting, that the new trend has found many admirers in hotel business of the country. It is not a secret, that going for a trip, tourists search for new impressions, and many of them are already bored with staying at smart hotels with refined design. Therefore owners of small hotels and pensions change style of their establishments so that visitors could be transported in the GDR days. Rooms in these hotels are furnished with dark grey sofas and wall units, decorated with portraits of heads of the state of that epoch. Visitors can make themselves comfortable in rigid armchairs in front of the Soviet TV, and they will find grey soap in bath-room instead of habitual bottles with foam.

The most popular hotel of such type is Ostel communist-style hotel in Berlin; it is as near as to stand in a queue to this hotel. Prices for accommodation are quite democratic here: 35 euros per person in four-room GDR-apartments for five people, from 38 euros - in a standard single room. Staying in a "pioneer camp"-styled room (a simple room with six beds) will cost you nine euros or more. Breakfasts cost 3,5 euros.

The tourist organization of Germany has carried out researches which have shown, that the number of tourists, who have visited Berlin in the first half of 2007 is 11,4 % more than during the same period of 2006. According to the opinion of representatives of this organization, it is a merit of these original Berlin hotels. It is necessary to note, that 40 % of the tourists who stay at them, are people younger than 35 years.

xposition of confiscated objects opened at Canadian airport

2009-01-31T20:43:00.001-08:00

Passengers of air carriers not always imagine the rules of luggage transportation of different objects and stuffs. My acquaintance once tried to carry into aircraft bound Italy a penknife - just because he was planning to spend a couple of weeks in camping in the tremendous Italian Alps. But where have you ever seen a tourist without a penknife? As all his baggage was a hand luggage the dangerous object was revealed by astounded customs officers right on the way to the aircraft.

Though it is not a rare case when airport officers have to deal with such cases of gross infringement of customs rules.
In big international airports during a week up to hundreds of thousands of forbidden for transportation objects are taken out.

At the Canadian international airport Pearson has been opened an exposition of confiscated passenger items. It's main aim is to demonstrate what exactly can not be transported in an aircraft and thus to reduce quantity of infringements. Airport officers complaint that explanations and disqualification inspection takes a lot of their time and considerably increases the customs passing time. At this amusing exhibition one can see usual gas spray containers and aerosols neighboring exotic objects such as farmyard manure and monkey pelts as well.

Countries Where Tourists Can Easily Get Infected

2009-01-31T20:42:00.006-08:00

The National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases has published a report on how often citizens of temperate climate countries get infected with tropical diseases, mainly caused by various parasites.

It turned out that as of the period from 1997 to 2004, the majority of people who had become infected with similar diseases were immigrants from tropical countries. However, 9% of cases of infection are tourists who had visited the exotic south, 6% - businessmen, 6% - scientists and 16% - missioners and volunteers who had worked in these places.

In this context, the most dangerous countries are Cameroon, Nigeria and Sierra Leone in Africa, Guiana in the South America, India and Sri Lanka in Asia, as well as Haiti in the Caribbean Basin. Relatively few infections have been registered in Oceania and the Central America.

Top Ten of World Resorts

2009-01-31T20:42:00.005-08:00

The most famous places for winter repose among the travelers from all over the world are:

1. Paradise Island, Bahamas. Cleanest desolated beaches and warm, tender sea are harmonically neighboring here with ultramodern tourist business infrastructure – hotels, casinos and restaurants.

2. Zermatt – the famous ski resort in Switzerland is famous for its excellent pistes and incomparable beauty of mountain scenes.

3. Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt attracts tourists from all over the world by the magnificence of underwater kingdom. This resort is rightfully considered to be a paradise for divers.

4. Winter resort in Chamonix is famous among both beginners and ski professionals.

5. The capital of United Arab emirates – Dubai attracts tourists by the great variety of winter repose – sea and luxury beaches, shopping, excursions and camel racing.

6. The famous Austrian ski resort Kitzbühel in Alps.

7. Tropical Island Barbados is famous for its unique beaches, primeval nature, light climate and affability of the local residents.

8. Famous American ski resort Vail in Colorado.

9. Cuba is popular among those who like sprawling out on a beach and lounging under the tender sunbeams.

10 Caribbean Island Aruba attracts the numerous tourists by pure white beaches and always calm, warm sea.

World’s Best Tourist Trains Identified

2009-01-31T20:42:00.003-08:00

The International Community of Train Travelers has published the list of 25 world’s best tourist trains. Positions within the top 25 of the best have not been distributed.

The list included: the European “Venice Simplon-Orient-Express” and “Danube Express”, the Swiss “Glacier Express”, the Spanish “El Transcantabrico” and “Al Andalus Express”, the Scottish “Royal Scotsman”, the Indian “Palace on Wheels”, “Toy Train” and “Deccan Odyssey”, the Chinese “ShangriLa Express”, “Eastern & Oriental Express” through South East Asia, the South African “Blue Train” and “Pride of Africa” (“Rovos Rail”), the Canadian “Royal Canadian Pacific”, “Canadian Rockies Steam Express”, “Rocky Mountaineer” and “Canadian”, the American “GrandLuxe Express”, the Mexican “Sierra Madre Express”, the Peruvian “Andean Explorer” and “Hiram Bingham”, the Australian “Ghan”, “Indian Pacific” and “Sunlander”, the Russian “The Golden Eagle – The Trans-Siberian Express”. The trains have been chosen judging by their level of comfort, service, panoramic route and the proposed tourist and entertainment program.

Vanishing Places of Interest

2009-01-31T20:42:00.001-08:00

10 places on the Earth that are worth visiting before they completely disappear.

1.Dampier Rock Art Complex, Australia
The biggest collection of pieces of rock painting in the world, dated 10000 B.C. Industrial development has already damaged 24% of petroglyphs, and recent finding of natural gas in this area constitutes one more threat to petroglyphs.

2. Sonargaon-Panam City, Bangladesh
This ancient city has preserved architecture of XV – XIX centuries. The city may soon disappear due to floods, constantly increasing sea level, earthquakes and vandalism.

3. Chinguetti Mosque, Mauritania, West Africa
The Medieval church Chinguetti, Mauritania, West Africa, found in one of the seven holy cities of Islam, was built in the 13th century. Merchants of the Sahara Desert used to stay here in the old days. This mosque is under constant threat of desert invasion, extreme temperatures and soil erosion.

4. Panama Canal
The Panama Canal, one of the most impressive achievements of engineering, is still used by the International Shipping Federation. Almost 40 vessels pass through this canal every day. However, the amount of silt is constantly increasing, which may lead to impossibility of using the canal for passage of vessels.

5. Dhangkar Gompa, India
One of the main Buddhist temples was built approximately 1000 years ago. This temple was found in a remote area at the border of India and Tibet. Soil erosion in the hill where the temple is situated may lead to its complete destruction.

6. Old Damascus, Syria
One of the most ancient inhabited towns in the world. Its sites are referred to in numerous Christian and Islamic religious sources.

7. Babylon, Iraq
Situated 80 km to the south of Baghdad, Babylon initially was the city of Mesopotamia, considered by many people the cradle of civilization. 2300 B.C. many people also believed Babylon to be a holy city. This ancient city was damaged as a result of armed conflicts in Iraq.

8. Leh Old Town, India
Leh Old Town, the ancient capital of the kingdom Ladakh, is a medieval town, famous for its monasteries, as well as for diversity of wild nature. The monuments of ancient architecture are being gradually destroyed by rainfalls.

9. The Coral Triangle, Sulu and Sulawesi Seas
The Coral Triangle with more than 450 types of corals is situated in the seas between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. According to the recent research, carried out by Johns Hopkins University, 70 percent of coral reefs in the seas of South East Asia are under threat of destruction because of poachers and fishers who use cyanide and dynamite, as well as industrial pollution.

10. Greenland
Ice covers approximately 81% of Greenland and makes up 1/20 of the total amount of ice in the world. If this layer melts, Greenland shall split and become an archipelago, and the famous glaciers shall disappear. Polar bears shall be deprived of their habitat, and the quickly melting ice may lead to mass flooding.

Forbes Named the most Dangerous for Tourists Countries of the World

2009-01-31T20:41:00.005-08:00

Based on data from consulting agencies in the field of safety, iJet Intelligent Risk Systems and Control Risks, Forbes has made a list of the most dangerous for tourists countries of the world. It is recommended to go to this countries accompanied by professional security guards or not to go there at all.

While making the rating, iJet agency took into account such factors as crime rate, services in the security sphere, civil unrest, terrorism, kidnapping and geopolitical stability in the country, giving it the mark from 1 to 5, where 1 – is the lowest level of threat and 5 – the highest. Control Risks agency estimates the level of threat of a particular country as extremely high, high, moderate, low or insignificant.

So, here is the top ten the most dangerous for the tourists countries if the world:

1. Somalia. The appraisal from iJet: 5. The appraisal from Control Risks: extremely high level of threat to the tourist’s safety and movement. Among the dangers, that lay in wait for the travelers to this country, one can name armed conflicts, kidnapping, pirate attacks and land mines.

2. Iraq. The appraisal form iJet: 5. The appraisal from Control Risks: extremely high level of threat to the tourist’s safety and movement, exists the risk of terroristic acts. The most dangerous country regions are Baghdad, the stretch from Tikrit in the north to Hillah in the south and from Ramadi in the west to Mandali in the east.

3. Afghanistan. The appraisal form iJet: 5. The appraisal from Control Risks: extremely high level of threat to the tourist’s safety and movement; exists the risk of terroristic acts. Terrorist attacks take place both in Kabul and in the other cities of the country.

4. Haiti. The appraisal form iJet: 5. The appraisal from Control Risks: high level of threat to the tourist’s safety and movement; extremely high level of threat to the movement in Port-au-Prince. Despite of democratic elections for parliament and country’s president taken place in February of the year 2006, one can easily find fire arms on Haiti, the corruption among the policemen is flourishing, and the system of justice is ineffective.

5. Pakistan. The appraisal form iJet: 5. The appraisal from Control Risks: high level of threat to the tourist’s safety and movement; extremely high level of threat to the movement in Karachi and Baluchistan. It is worth mentioning that in December of the year 2007, Benazir Bhutto, the ex-prime minister, was killed in this country.

6. Sudan. The appraisal form iJet: 5. The appraisal from Control Risks: extremely high level of threat to the tourist’s safety and movement in the south regions of Sudan, regions bordering on Ethiopia and Eritrea.

7. Democratic Republic of the Congo. The appraisal form iJet: 5. The appraisal from Control Risks: high level of threat to the tourist’s safety and movement; extremely high level of threat to the safety and movement in the Ituri area.

8. Lebanon. The appraisal form iJet: 5. The appraisal from Control Risks: high level of threat to the tourist’s safety, moderate level threat to the movement around the country, moderate level of threat of terroristic acts.

9. Zimbabwe. The appraisal form iJet: 5. The appraisal from Control Risks: high level of threat to the tourist’s safety, insignificant level of threat of terroristic acts, moderate level of threat to the movement around the country.

10. Palestine. The appraisal form iJet: the Gaza Strip – 5, Western cost – 4. The appraisal from Control Risks: high level of threat to the tourist’s safety and movement.

A Unique Park Shall Appear at the Feet of the Statue of Liberty

2009-01-31T20:41:00.003-08:00

The unique stone jungles of New York attract inconceivable crowds of tourists. There is so much information written about the main place of interest of the city of Liberty, that each self-respecting traveler deems it his duty to visit this city of the American dream at least once in his life. Although the New York authorities support the tourist flow in every way possible, they do not forget about the citizens.

What do citizens of megalopolises lack so much? Certainly, fresh air! But there is so little space in cities… In this connection, the New York authorities decided to make a present to their citizens and develop a new tourist route as well. The graceful decision was lying underfoot, in a literal sense of the word. The long-suffering Governors Island is situated not far from the Statue of Liberty. We call it long-suffering, since for almost 10 years nobody had had the idea of how to handle it. Just imagine the investment potential of the island that has a splendid view of the New York City!However, the authorities decided to create the world’s most modern city park here, rather than to encumber the island with elite immovables. Thus, soon New York shall have one more must-visit place.

The tender for constructing the park was won by the Dutch architecture company “West 8”. Its project of the island’s transformation is impressing indeed. The Dutch appeared in the Governors Island as far back as in VII-th century. No wonder that there still are a lot of historical buildings on the island; however, they are concentrated only in one part of the island. The remaining space shall be occupied by a wonderful park. The park shall attract both people who simply want to have a rest in the open air and ecological tourists with firm ideological principles. The thing is that the island shall have hand-made surroundings resembling the landscape of the untouched nature. A group of designers from different countries of the world guided by “West 8” has placed artificial hills, lakes and swamps on a rather small area. You shall be able to ride free of charge bicycles of the unique construction here. The carriage of these two-wheeled bicycles is made of wood.

The project authors are just to call the future park a breakthrough in the field of arranging city parks. Following the intricate curving paths you shall ascend hills and then find yourself over marshlands... On the whole, you shall enjoy a rest close to almost wild nature.

Approximately 400 million dollars shall be invested in the project. If you stay in New York in 2012, you are obliged to visit the Governors Island. The Dutch promise to fully realize their idea by that time.

Hit-parade of the best holidays of the world

2009-01-31T20:41:00.001-08:00

World events worth visiting:

From March, 7th till March, 16th in Austin (Texas, the USA)musical and film festivals will take place. Tremendous shows and premiere films are waiting for the visitors of this event.

In Valencia, Spain, from March, 12th till March, 19th you will have a chance to join its townspeople dancing in the streets and to admire fireworks.

On June, 20th Midsummer's Day will take place in Sweden. They celebrate this day in all the Scandinavian countries, but the Swedish celebration is the most interesting one.

All the February long in the Greek city of Patras they will have a festival in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine. Tourists and local residents dance, sing, have fun, and, certainly, taste wine.

From July, 4th till July, 13th rodeo is a big thing in Calgary, Canada. Race competitions and competitions of smiths are in the program of this holiday.

In July Zanzibar (Tanzania) invites visitors to its film festival. Besides watching movies, tourists can visit exhibitions, musical and dancing shows and beach parties.

From August, 22nd till August, 25th the Edinburgh Theatrical Festival will pass in Edinburgh, Great Britain. You will be able to see performances of singers, actors and dancers not only in concert halls, but also in pubs, bars and simply in the streets.

In October in Belem, Brazil they will have a religious holiday in honor of St. Virgin Mary. The number of participants of this colorful procession equals to that one of the carnival’s participants in Rio de Janeiro.

There will be parades in honor of the government of the country in October across all North Korea. Not many tourists have been able to see this tremendous show, and that makes it even more interesting.

On October, 31st in New York they will celebrate Halloween. Walking the streets of the Big Apple in the company of every possible devilry is an opportunity not to be missed.

Hotels for the Signs of Zodiac

2009-01-31T20:40:00.000-08:00

If assuming that horoscopes are true, the preferences of a person depend on the day he was born.
Here is the list of 12 hotels for the 12 signs of zodiac:

Aries: sports and outdoor activity.
Christmas Mountain Village (Wisconsin Dells, USA)
From all the signs of zodiac Aries is the most active one. To lie for hours in the sun – is certainly not their way of life! They will be happy if given the wide choice of sporting entertainments, and namely this is offered by Christmas Mountain Village in the Wisconsin state, USA. There are tennis courts and golf fields in this hotel.

Taurus: relaxed rest in the countryside.
Duin & Kruidberg Country Estate (Santpoort, Netherlands)
Tauruses are the good judges of pretties. They are the real connoisseurs of elegance and haute cuisine which is waiting for the guests in Duin & Kruidberg Country Estate in Santpoort, Holland. They will also appreciate the scenic situation of the hotel in a big park, not far from the best museums of Amsterdam.

Gemini: exotic trip
Eton Hotel (Shanghai, China)
Diversity – is what the representatives of this sign are looking for. To feel themselves happy they should have the things constantly humming around them. The ideal vacation for them is that, where one can meet new people and have good and proper fun. The designed Eton Hotel in Shanghai will be an ideal choice for them.

Cancer: luxury and romance
Grand Hotel National (Lucerne, Switzerland).
Cancers are mostly introverts. During the trips they also prefer avoiding the places of the heavy accumulation of people. The ideal variant for them will be a romantic dinner in a restaurant with a view of the water. All this and even more can be offered by the refined Grand Hotel national in Lucerne.

Leo: pageantry and stardom
Ocean Sands Resort & Spa (Pompano Beach, USA)
Leos loathe mediocrity. They have to shine. During the trip they want not only to see the world, but also to show themselves. The luxury resorts like Ocean Sands Pompano Beach in Florida – is an ideal choice for Leos. It is the favorite vacation spot of many “rich and famous”.

Virgo: SPA-rest
The Empire Hotel and Country Club (Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei)
Serious and pedantic Virgos are constantly aspiring for the perfection, so, not a detail in a hotel could escape their unfaltering gaze. In the luxury Empire Hotel & Country Club even they will have nothing to find fault with, and the visit of SPA-center will be one more step on the road to the ideal.

Libra: urban vacation
Graves 601 Hotel (Minneapolis, USA)
There is nothing that Librans appreciate more than harmony and peace. This makes them the delicate connoisseurs of everything beautiful, including arts. Graves 601 Hotel in Minneapolis offers stylish furnishings and neighborhood with the best theaters and other cultural sights of the city.

Scorpio: different kinds of extreme
StarWorld Hotel and Casino (Macao, China)
The life of Scorpios will not be complete without emotional stress. These passionate natures avoid traditional routes and are the fans of the extreme vacation. StarWorld Hotel and Casino will give them the needed level of adrenalin. Here one can try his or her fate at the gaming-table and feast their eyes on Macao from the highest tower in the city.

Sagittarius: jolly adventures
Royal Olympic Hotel (Athens, Greece)
Sagittarians were born to be travelers. They permanently explore the world and usually have an optimistic view of things. On vacation they most often seek for adventures and freedom. They will certainly like Royal Olympic Hotel in Athens with the view of the Temple of Zeus and Acropolis, were they will find themselves in the very center of one of the primordial capitals.

Capricorn: outdoor recreation
Mountain Run at Boyne (Boyne Falls, USA)
Capricorns are claimed to be the most serious signs of the zodiac. Spontaneity is not in their nature. They chose peace and quiet. They prefer to rest outdoors, where they like to walk or to ride a bike. Mountain Run at Boyne can become the favorite hotel for them both in winter and in summer.

Aquarius: unusual places for individualists
Garden Hotel Suzhou (Suzhou, China)
Aquarians love everything strange and unusual. They often outstrip their time and go their own way through the life. It is no wonder that they chose unhacked places like Garden Hotel Suzhou in the estuary of the river Yangtze, in the region which is called “The Eastern Venice”.

Pisces: romantic vacation for dreamers
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Starnberg (Starnberg, Germany)
Pisceans are claimed to be sensitive and vulnerable natures. They like to rest in picturesque places, preferably near the water. The four-star Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Starnberg is situated near the lake Starnberg, to the south of Munich. It opens a picturesque view of Alps from here, and there are a lot of historical villas and castles nearby.

Tourists Continue Trusting to Each Other’s Judgments

2009-01-31T20:34:00.003-08:00

More than 100 million Europeans visit tourist sites each month. Last year this number was 6% smaller. Most often European tourists visit the site Expedia – 18.5 million users per month. The second position belongs to the site ViaMichelin, with 13.5 million users. TUI Group with 12.5 million visitors occupies the third position.

According to studies conducted by comScore and The Kelsey Group, 24% of tourists had examined the information about their future place of vacation in the Internet before buying a tourist package in a traditional tourist agency. In addition, during their journey 41% of tourists dine in the restaurants they had read about in the global net. If they are to stay in a hotel that had not been booked in advance, 40% of travelers also prefer the hotel they have read about in the Internet.

Judgments of tourists, who had already visited pleasure resorts and hotels, strongly influence the choice of those who are in search. Thus, the estimated significance of Internet-judgments regarding hotels makes up 87%. It is also known that tourists are willing to pay for a hotel or a restaurant, which had received 5 out of 5 points from their previous customers, 20% more than for similar hotels and restaurants that had received 4 points. Besides, up to 97% of tourists who had made their choicebasing on the Internet-judgments claim that the result came up to their expectations.

This data proves that opinion of some tourists is important for others. However, according to the latest investigations carried out by PhoCusWright, other tourists’ recommendations make up only one part of decision making. Certain travelers prefer to gain their own idea of the place, basing on objective data, maps of local surroundings, schedules and other information, commonly published in guidebooks.

Advice to Lovers in Prague

2009-01-31T20:34:00.001-08:00

On the threshold of the Saint Valentine’s Day, one may make a list of the best places for kissing in Prague, one of the most romantic European cities. The list, however, can be successfully used after the holiday too. The first place in this peculiar rating is occupied by the Petrshin Hill, towering on the left bank of the river, the legendary lovers’ place, reflected in literature. In can be visited in any time of the year – the hill is equally beautiful in spring, autumn and winter. Lovers kiss by the statue of Karl Heiner Mach (Czech romantic poet), situated at the foot of the hill. They believe that this guarantee love for the whole year.

The second place is occupied by the Karlov Bridge. It is recommended to visit it at dawn, no later than 8 a.m., or late in the evening. During the day, the bridge is full of tourists, merchants, street artists. In the morning and in the evening the bridge is free of people, and you may properly penetrate into the mystical atmosphere of the place.

The third place in the list is occupied by the Prague Castle, which is recommended for visiting at night: at 18.00. organized excursions end and tourists start going away. However, some visitors know that the territory of the castle is open till late in the evening, when you may walk under the moon-light along the spacious yards, unusually calm during this time, as well as along the cathedral and the Golden Street to the ancient steps, leading down to Mala Strana. The gateway to the castle is closed at 23.00 from November to March and at 0.00 in the rest time of the year.

The fourth place is occupied by the Novy Svet Street, one of the most magic places of the city. This place is worth visiting at dawn or at sunset. According to the authors, you are especially recommended to visit this street during the snowstorm, provided you have appropriate footwear on.

The fifth place is occupied by the fortress Vyshegrad, the former residence of monarchs; the sixth place – by the park Stromovka; the seventh – by Mala Strana; the eighth – by the Deer Moat; the ninth – by boating in theVltava river, and the tenth – by a box in the National Theatre, which you are recommended to approach in a limousine.

Giant Pool of the Popular Resort Has Got in the Guinness Book of Records

2009-01-31T20:33:00.004-08:00

The South America has always attracted travelers by its reach culture and nature. Nowadays, building comfortable hotels and offering tourists exotic “paradise” tours, it is getting even more popular. One of the most mysterious countries of the southern hemisphere is Chile (with its amazing mountain ski resorts and lakes). However, for a while now tourists are recommended to start journey to this country with another thing.

Starting to plan your journey to this extraordinary country, famous for its impressing landscape and diverse climate, you should first include in your plan the resort San Alfonso del Mar, situated in the town of Algarrobo. On the territory of this picturesque place, rich in 5-star first-class hotels, the company “Chrystal Lagoons” has built a swimming-pool, not long ago acknowledged by representatives of the “Guinness Book of Records” the biggest swimming-pool in the world. Earlier this title belonged to the Moroccan “Big Splash”, which is 136 meter long and 91 meter wide.
This is a real artificial lagoon, rather than a swimming-pool. Its length makes up one kilometer, and its capacity makes up approximately 250 thousand cubic meters. No wonder that the budget of the swimming-pool makes up 1 billion dollars, since it occupies the area of 8 hectares, and itsdepth reaches 35 meters in some places.

It is not surprising that a great number of people have already come to bathe in crystal clear salty water of the unique lagoon, created by man’s hands from the moment of its opening, since not a single rich man in the world can so far boast of such a giant swimming-pool where you may even boat. Thus, wealthy tourists who do not trouble themselves to pay 2 million dollars (maintenance of the swimming-pool demands this very amount of money), spend their pastime in the south of Chile.

Fresh sea water constantly and uninterruptedly comes to the Chile “monster” due to a computer system of water filtration and replacement. The temperature of water in the pool is rather comfortable. It naturally warms up to 26 degrees, which is nine degrees warmer than the temperature of the nearby sea. Yes, the authors of the grand project are definitely right to call it “an admirable artificial paradise”.

The most popular touristic frauds

2009-01-31T20:33:00.003-08:00

The British newspaper "The Times" has published the list of the most popular travel frauds. The luckless tourists manage to get deceived by the tricky criminals even not leaving home, not talking about the place of the rest.

During the trips there are lots of dangerous situations - and these are not only sharks, but various cheaters that could spoil the joy of travel.

Here are the most popular ways of delusion of the trustful people, connected with various trips and some ways to evade it.

At home.
Fraud Holiday Clubs
The false clubs usually invite their victims to the free diners to the luxury hotels and restaurants, where they are exposed to a long advertising presentation in exchange to the food and gifts. As the bait they are offered a guaranteed holiday once per year for a miserable yearly fee, if you spend once at the beginning a serious amount of 3-10 thousands pounds.

This is always presented as the one and only possibility - "now or never", but at the moment you get back home and try to plan your first holiday, everything goes wrong.

How to evade: There are three main rules that should help you to distinguish the legal clubs from the fraud ones: 1) each verbal promise should be supported in written form; 2) your right to cancel your membership should be clearly stated in the papers; and the most important: 3) you should have the possibility to take the contract with you, before you sign it. And the most safe way - is to evade these clubs at all and search for the cheap trips in the Internet on your own.

A free trip ti Florida
The phone rings and the electronic voice tells you that you should press 9 to get the prize - a free trip to Florida. At the moment you do it - you are connected with a sales person that explains to you that you have actually won only the most part of the trip and you have to pay 500-700 pounds and after that you can go to a luxury tour with the total cost of 2 thousands pounds.

You are requested to present your credit card information "only for confirmation purposes" and after that the whole cost of the tour is charged from your account without your permission.

How to evade: If you are told that you have won a contest that you did not take part in - it is a trap.

The tour agent card
"Become a tour agent and save 50-70% of the tickets and hotel costs. The application for the special tour agent card lasts not more than 15 minutes!"

This internet-scheme gains more and more popularity in the latest times. The lovers of free stuff are promised that if they spend about 260 pounds for the tour agent card, they are eligible for the special prices for the collaboratives of the touristic branch.

You submit your credit card data and receive the card after a while, and when you show it first time at the reservation desk - you are made fun of.

How to evade: If you really want to work in the touristic business, search for this job in a traditional way - with the help of the employment agencies.

Money first, then the goods.
The most expensive scheme in Great Britain, and the oldest one - the company takes money from the client and then gets closed without accomplishing the promises.

Sometimes it is simply the business failure, but more often it is a well-planned fraud.

How to evade: In our times it is better to make sure that your insurance covers such cases.

Abroad
The fraud porter
Among the modern frauds the best idea is to gain the possibility to spend some time alone with your credit card details before you understand what is actually happening.

Usually it happens when you give your credit card to pay for the lunch, but now the frauds are more often calling in the night to your hotel room and telling you that there are some problems with your account - asks to get down with the card to the reception. And taking into consideration that it is really late - you are allowed to dictate the credit card details on the phone.

How to evade: Be sure to control whom you are telling your credit card details and what happens with it when it is out of your sight. Check your accounts after each trip abroad. All the illegal operations with your card should be compensated.

A fraud policeman
This is a classic scenario, because it really works. A young man that has told this story wanted to remain anonymous, because of the reasons that will be revealed later. "I have had my rest in Custo, Peru and met a local guy there and we made friends. He has shown the ruins to me, we drank a couple of beers and after that he said "I like you so much and I want to give you a present" and gave me a handful of marijuana. After an hour, when I was going back to the hotel, two men have stopped me, told they are policemen and told me to show my pockets. After they found the weed, they said that I will spend 4 years in prison if I don't give them 200 dollars. I was in panic and gave them the money. I have never seen my friend after that."

How to evade: Say NO to the narcotics. Anyways, if you got into a delicate situation, remember - the main priority is your safety. Try to attract the attention of the surrounding people to the happening, maybe there are real policemen among them - though with the pockets full of marijuana it could be problematic. If you are alone in a dark lane - it is preferable to pay.

Currency exchange tricks
The fraud schemes include very often the currency exchanges. You can get the money in too smal banknotes that are hard to count, or you are distracted with a discussion during the counting process, or they try to give you something in non-transparent envelopes - most probably cut newspapers.

How to evade: Always exchange money with a companion - so that one of you could concentrate on the main tasks, when the other one would repel the distracting maneuvers. Take the check and try to choose the static currency exchange points, not a person with a case so that you have a place where you could come afterwards with the police.

A local boon companion
Most of us have already met the "good" variation of this scheme - a friendly stranger in a foreign country offers you a drink together, then pay an insignificant part of the amount and after that takes the earned amount from the var owner for such a lavish client. Not a huge crime.

But a less pleasant variation has recently taken place at a Venezuela resort, where the friendly guys gave the local narcotic stuff to the unlucky travelers and after that robbed the motionless body.

How to evade: What about the first option - just relax and have fun. And not to become the paralyzed victim of the second option - watch your glass, prefer the drinks in the bottles and think what you do.

Private taxi
Taking a private taxi abroad you risk at least to pay twice more than usual or to visit without you wish the souvenir store of the brother of the driver or in the worst case - to become a victim of kidnapping.

How to evade: Never use private cabbies in a foreign country. That's all.

Shoeblacks in Istanbul
Some fraud schemes are quite harmless. The Istanbul shoeblacks have engineered a whole scenario to help you spend you money. They throw their brushes on the way of the trustful tourist that picks it up and gives it to the shoeblack. The last one offers many thanks and an invitation to clean the shoes for free, telling a bloodcurdling story of his life during the process and after that only an ice heart wouldn't give some money to the worker.

How to evade: Should you? If you shoes need to be cleaned - just take the offer and pay for the service.

Fuzz at the metal detector
You put your stuff to the conveyor but the next to you person runs before you in a great hurry. After that he gets stuck at the detector and takes keys, coins and other items for a long time from his pockets. While you are patiently waiting, the one who was in front of you in the line - the accessory of the first one - takes your things and disappears.

How to evade: Observe your things, be aware. And after all - do not try to declare your wealth with your luggage.

A trick with the bus
This last scheme shows how stupid can people be. According to the information of the insurance companies, this trap caught lots of travelers in USA and Canada.

A stranger comes to you in a bar and offers you to earn a couple of thousands dollars if you join the trick with the bus, which passengers will arrange a small accident during the trip.

You are told that the most passengers are already involved that everybody will say that it was the fault of the driver and after that everybody will get the compensation from the bus company. You have to give your new friend 250 hundred bucks and he will give you the bus number and departure time.

On the next morning you get into the bus and during the part of the trip you wink conservatively at the the passengers, gradually understanding what an idiot you are. Of course if the obtained bus schedule is real at all.

The Most Cheerful Parties of the Year 2008

2009-01-31T20:33:00.001-08:00

Forbes magazine has made a list of the most decadent parties in the world, which guarantee lots of pleasure for the participants.

1. Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Date of event: from 2 till 5 of February.
Annually it assembles about 700 thousand tourists and brings to the treasury of Rio de Janeiro about 500 million dollars.

2. Mardi Gras, New Orleans, USA. Date of event: from 2 till 5 of February. Initially – a costume performance on the occasion of greeting spring in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

3. Oktoberfest. Date of event: from 20 of September till 5 of October. The festival of beer, brezels, roast chicken, carousels and good mood. Annually it brings 1.4 billion dollars to the treasury.

4. New Year party in Las Vegas, USA. Date of event: from December 31, till January the 1st. This night champagne in the city is sold for 1 thousand dollars per bottle.

5. Running of the Bulls (national Spanish custom, representing the runaway from bulls, cows or calves, let out from corral on purpose). Date of event: from 6 till 14 of July. The place of event: Pamplona, Spain.

6. “Burning Man” festival, Black-Rock city, state of Nevada. Date of event: from August, 25 till September the 1st. The tradition of the Burning Man festival has originated in the year 1985, when actors and viewers of a street show in San Francisco have burnt a wooden giant with the height of about 2.5 meters on the beach. Since then the wooden giant has grown from year to year, and the participants of the acting have invented new pranks, objects for burning, scripts and traditions.

7. Bastille day, Paris, France. Date of event: 14 of July. Is dedicated to the French Revolution, and namely to the day of storming the Bastille, happened in the year 1789.

8. Gay Pride Parade, San Francisco, USA. Date of event: from 28 till 29 of July. The march of sexual minorities, organized by the activists of gay movement.

9. Love-parade, Dortmund, Germany. Date of event: not set up yet. In the year 2007 it was held in the city of Essen. It assembles millions of fans of dance music from all over the world.

Things That Cannot Be Exported from Different Countries

2009-01-31T20:32:00.006-08:00

A Russian citizen was imprisoned in Madagascar – he wanted to supplement his collection with a rare species of butterfly.

He was arrested in the national park when he was trying to take out a butterfly registered in the Red Book. Although the local peasants poison these butterflies on the fields, he was imprisoned!

Export of animals is regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) that includes more than 33 thousand species of animals and plants. Each country adjusts the Convention in accordance with its legislation and fauna. Countries apply various types of punishment: imprisonment is rather rare, most often fines are applied. If you want to avoid the destiny of this Russian, before your journey – especially to an exotic country - you should phone the country’s embassy andacquaint with its customs regulations.

So here are the things that tourists are prohibited from importing from popular countries:

Egypt. Corals, sea shells, stuffed crocodiles, ivory. Golden and silver jewelry in the amount of more than $3000.

Thailand. Precious stones and golden jewelry without receipt and certificate. Big statues of Buddha (you are allowed to import lavalieres and pendants with a small image of Buddha).

Turkey. Jewelry without receipt and certificate in the amount of more than $15 000.

Maldivian Islands. Corals, shark-jaws.

India. Indian rupees. Antiquities that are more than 100 years of age.

Cuba. More than 23 cigars without receipt. Alive and stuffed crocodiles, turtles and the things made of them.

Seychelles. Corals, coconuts “Coco-de-mer”, things made of turtle shells.

Brazil. Any animals, their skins, the things made of skins, shells and feathers.

Kenya. Skins and stuffed animals without a special license. The things made of ivory, diamonds. Kenyan shillings (the national currency).

Japan. Warrior steel katana swords (you are allowed to export souvenir swords).

Almost all countries impose restrictions on export of antiquities and pieces of art (you need special authorizations).

12 Most Dangerous Countries for Tourists

2009-01-31T20:32:00.005-08:00

In the beginning of each month the Foundation “Safety Without Borders” (SSF) publishes the list of 12 countries representing the highest level of danger for tourists for the previous month.

This rating is composed on the basis of alerts coming from tourists and foreign citizens who live in these countries.

SSF Foundation has already published the list of 12 main countries (including Iraq, Afghanistan and Somali) from which in January 2008 came the biggest number of various requests for help.

Such force-majeure circumstances as sanitary and epidemiological dangers, and natural calamities were not taken into account. On the whole, tourists ran the risk of terrorist acts, mass discontent of the population, anti-Semitic conflicts and repressions.

The list of the most dangerous countries for tourists:

* Algeria
* Columbia
* Egypt
* India
* Israel
* Kenya
* Lebanon
* Nigeria
* Pakistan
* Russia
* Sri-Lanka
* Turkey

The Most Interesting European Cathedrals

2009-01-31T20:32:00.003-08:00

The "Forbes" Magazine has composed a list of the European Cathedrals that are surely worth visiting:

Chartres Cathedral - is one the most famous sights of the Chartres, situated in 96 kilometers to the south-east to Paris. It is considered one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings and is built in the 12-th century.

The Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence, Italy. From the architectural point of view very interesting are the dome and the external wall coating with marble panels of various green and pink tints. It is built in the XIII-XV venturies.

Roskilde Cathedral, Denmark. It is the first Gothic cathedral in Scandinavia, built from bricks. It is used as the mausoleum for the Danish Royal family.

Seville Cathedral, Spain. It is the third large Christian Cathedral in the world - after the St. Peter Cathedral in Rome and St. Paul in London and the biggest one from the Gothic ones. Christopher Columbus' tomb is situated here.

Strasbourg Cathedral, France. During more that 200 years has been the tallest building in the world. It belongs to the largest cathedrals in the European architectural history and the largest sandstone constructions. It unites the German and French cultural influences. It is built in XII-XV centuries.

St Vitus's Cathedral, Czech Republic. The largest cathedral in Prague. Here the crownings of the Czech Kings and Queens took place. It is built in XIV-XX centuries.

Durham Cathedral, England. Built in the period from 1093 till 1130. Is located at the Durham peninsula in England.

Notre Dame, France. Is situated at the Cite island at the place of the former first Christian church of Paris, the basilica of the St. Stefan. Built in XII-XIII centuries.

It would seem strange, but the list does not include the Vatican St. Peter basilica (the main Catholicism temple), The St. Paul Cathedral in London, the Parisian Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart) Cathedral, St. Stefan Cathedral in Vienna, the Cathedrals of Ulm and Cologne, the St. Mark Cathedral in Venice and the Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Cathedral in Barcelona.

How the tourists spend their money

2009-01-31T20:32:00.001-08:00

The chase for the bright emotions and impressions is the main part of the travelers' budget. This is confirmed by the results of the research of the touristic audience, when 5 916 people have answered the question: "For what do you spend money during your trips?"

36% of the tourists have answered that the biggest part of the funds, dedicated for the travel goes to the excursions and other activities of the cognitive type. The tourists are ready to spend their money to obtain bright reminiscences.

The second place in the list of the popular expenses is the entertainment. 27% of the tourists prefer to spend money at the entertainment establishments and active night life.
24,9% of the holiday-makers spend their money for shopping and souvenirs. Women have chosen this option 3,6 times more often that the men. As we know, the female travelers are not only subject to shopping-mania, but also, as the rule, exactly women have a long list of relatives and friends that should get souvenirs from the distant countries.

For some people a travel to a foreign country is an opportunity to get acquainted with the unknown culture, and one of the most interesting parts of it is the national cuisine. 9,4% of the respondents appear to be gourmands, because the most part of their funds during the trip they spend for the meals. However, during the visits to Turkey and Egypt, the most attractive system for the tourist is the so-called "All Inclusive", that offers them a possibility to forget about the money at least at the territory of the hotel.

Instead of the usual excursions, many enthusiasts prefer to rent a car or buy tickets for the travel inside of the country and to explore the local sights on their own. 2,8% of the tourists, among which the majority consists of youth in the age of 20-25 have answered that the greatest part of the finances during the trip goes to transportation.

No matter which expenses you are planning during your next holiday, is it an interesting excursion, a trip in a rented car or the magnificent delicatessen, there is one advice: do not refuse the well-earned pleasure. The money exists just to spend it, and during the trip we get a special pleasure from this process.

Top 10 Vacation Spots for Unmarried Tourists

2009-01-31T20:31:00.003-08:00

Alas, not everybody in this world has a girl- or boyfriend, with whom they can go to a vacation. And if one cannot find his or her tally, it will be useful to combine the pleasant with pleasant: a trip with a search for happiness in the private life. There are a lot of places in this world where people come to entertain, to find a couple, or just to have a holiday romance. We are introducing to you the best of them, though some of these places are transatlantic…

1. Amsterdam
The first place that should be visited by the lonely ones of all ages, sexes and orientations is Amsterdam, the town of sexual freedom. The local laws allow a lot of things which are beyond the law in other countires, including the means of liberation. However, one should not use all of them. For example, the accessibility of marijuana doesn’t mean that one should necessarily try it. While the legalized prostitution is rather harmless: the prostitutes here are obliged to have a medical record, receive an operating authorization and pay taxes.

2. To the seashore
Of course, a cruise as a motive to have a romance is already a kitsch, but the efficiency of holiday and cruise romances wasn’t yet annulled. The Carib is one of the places where the rousing atmosphere of the night parties and the romantics of the waterside sunsets and dawns contributes to the creation and strengthening of the relationships. Moreover, during the cruises many ocean liners enter the bays of the Caribbean Islands. Apropos, recently there even appeared special cruises for those who search for their tally or a light and fleeting love affair.

3. Buenos Aires
The capital of Argentina – beautiful, rich and cosmopolite Buenos Aires – is a perfect place for sex-tourism. Up to the fact that you will be offered a map of the best clubs in the city together with a pack of condoms – the client’s safety here is not an empty phrase. Even if you were not lucky enough to have an affair with one of the top-models from the local high-class clubs, you will have the possibility to meet the “brothers in minds”, to create a gang of friends for which it will be easier to find a company of the opposite sex, for so-to-say pleasant joint pastime. Especially during the night parties with Latin-American dances. Even if you didn’t find anyone and just learned how to dance this tango, it will play into your hands back home. Or during your next visit.

4. Juneau
According to a legend, there are two women for each man on Alaska. The census is almost never held here, so you’ll just have to come and to check yourself. Especially it is true about the local villages, both ethnical and with the newcomers. Here you will be lodged with all the conveniences, entertained and not left without attention. By the way, you will have the possibility to buy some fur souvenirs, for not to return home empty-handed. And if the rural pastoral is not your choice, than go to Juneau – the city of bright fur hats and lipstick and also rather free morals.

5. Las-Vegas
With the motto: “What had happened in Vegas will remain in Vegas” one can easily go to this the most famous in the world “Sin City.” Everything that is impossible, indecent and inaccessible in other places is possible and real here. People come here for this – to have a maximum rest. Here you will surely meet something special, find something for you in the vista of bars, clubs and casinos, and may be that hat, flashed near a fountain, belongs to the woman you’ve searched for all your life…

6. Miami
Bikini, beaches, beautiful bodies, shining sun – Miami will tune you for love, or at least flirtation. The lessons of salsa and rumba – for everyone, for the sex minorities – separate gay-stages, stores with books and music, for each and everyone – art galleries, theaters, clubs, bars, discos – for all tastes and cultural levels. Miami – is the cosmopolite city, which offers a multitude of variants of acquaintances for those who are alone.

7. New York
If your aims are – stylish and refined ladies, or not less stylish street girls, gentlemen with heavy purses and bright, but poor musicians – New York can offer everything one can wish. In this city more than 185 thousands of women and the same number of men actively search for partners in life, at that, one of the places for making acquaintances is… the subway. There is no shortage of night life, places, where you could meet new friends or to invite a girl in New York: restaurants, museums, concerts – and each day the variety program is inimitable.

8. Rome
La Dolce Vita – this Italian expression has already become a separate concept, which doesn’t need translation. Happy and free life is waiting for you in Rome, one of the oldest towns in the world. The oldest, but not old: Italian men and women are so hot and impetuous, that one can easily dip into the love affair, not even noticing how did this happen. For Italians flirting is as natural as breathing. It is not impossible that the “Immortal City” will give you the everlasting love… or just a gentle dalliance with your personal Casanova, a so-called draught of “dolce vita.”

9. Tokyo
It is not fashionably anymore to invite your incidental acquaintances to the hotel rooms, besides they do not like it in hotels when you invite guests for a night. Though, they are more loyal to this in Tokyo. Here even exist the “Hotels of Love” and giant – in several stores – sex shops, especially in the famous youth Shibuya district. At that, the “Hotels of love” are created so, that they preserve fully the privacy of their clients. And the rooms here are giving the various possibilities for rest: here one could find luxurious baths designed for two, with mirror ceilings, and karaoke – even in the bath, if you want. And if you still do not have any experience, you will easily find in Tokyo a person who will share with you.

10. Washington, District of Columbia
The capital of the USA is not a puritan paradise at all, as someone may have thought. Henry Kissinger even said once that this green town is filled with power and “the power is the strongest aphrodisiac.” Here love and politics intersect – an acute combination. One can take the chill of the argues with democrats and republicans in bars and clubs, together with that flirting with the pretty representatives of different parties, and than walk at night with the person you like, around the capital of monuments and museums, lime lighted in this time.

So, if you want to try everything and during the next vacation to manage not only to see the world, but also to solve your private problems, you should lay your route through Amsterdam to America, from there to Japan and you will return home tired but, almost for sure, – happy.

The Best Place for Tourists

2009-01-31T20:31:00.001-08:00

According to the results of the inquiry held among the readers of Global Traveler magazine, Malaysia is considered to be “The best international tourist direction.” Malaysia wins this position second year running. In this nomination it is ahead of Italy, Spain, Thailand and Great Britain.

The inquiry was held from February 1 till August 31 of the year 2007. The responders had to determine the best tourist directions and brands in the segment of business- and luxury-tourism in 49 nominations.

The questionnaire was distributed as a special supplement to the magazine and published on the web-site of Global Traveler. Altogether 15 828 questionnaires received from the readers were processed.

In the investigation of the year 2008 there are combined the prices of the premium segment of the trips. For example, a night in the best hotels of Kuala Lumpur will cost not more than 100 Euros, while in Rome a tourist will spend at least 500 Euros for the same set of services.

In other nominations the leaders are: “The best tourist direction in USA” – Hawaii; “The best airline” – Singapore Airlines; “The best airport” – Incheon (Seoul); “The best air alliance” – Sky Team; “The best hotel in the USA” –Bel-Air (Los Angeles); “The best international resort for playing golf” – Gleneagles (Scotland); “The best hotel chain in Asia” – Mandarin Oriental.

It should be remembered that the advertising campaign held last year by the Ministry of Tourism of Malaysia on the occasion of the 50 years of independence was more than successful. It attracted attention not only to the holiday but also to the possibilities of vacation in this country.

Malaysia – is a country in the South-Eastern Asia, consisting of two parts, divided by the South China Sea. The West Malaysia (or Peninsular Malaysia) on the Malacca Peninsula consists of 11 states and 2 federal lands and borders on Thailand in the North and on Singapore in the South, there is a dam over a strait leading to Singapore. The East Malaysia consists of the federal land Labuan, and two states: Sabah and Sarawak, occupying the northern part of Borneo Island. These states border on Indonesia and Sultanate of Brunei.

The state represents the federation of 13 states. Eleven of them are situated on the Malacca Peninsula and two – on the Borneo Island.

Malaysia has quickly assimilated all the progressive world technologies – on the territory of this country are situated the two highest skyscrapers in the world and lot of “cyber”-centers of computer companies.

However, regardless of that, one can still find here the places untouched by the mankind, for example one of the less investigated jungles in the world – Sabah and Sarawak, also here is situated one of the most famous old harbors of the South-Eastern Asia – Georgetown, where the atmosphere of the old colonial times is still preserved. The exuberance of vegetation, in which sink mountains and valleys is in abundance in the country.

The forests in Malaysia are one of the oldest ones in the world. Also the country owns lots of small islands. Even in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, which is bristled with its high ambitious new buildings, you can still find exotic markets and feel the national Malaysian coloring.

Tours to Malaysia – is the possibility of visiting the luxurious beaches, warm lagoons, nature reserves, industrial cities, virgin jungle. The richness of the wild nature, a great assortment of goods, the diversity of the local cuisine – these are far from all reasons for visiting this mysterious country.

Best cities for short trips

2009-01-31T20:30:00.002-08:00

The latest fashion includes short trips in the "city break" style- or the "tours of one city". As their name states, the city breaks suppose short trips for several days, as a rule 2-4, and are targeted to reveal the sights of one or another city.

The Conde Nast Traveller journal has composed a list of eight cities that suit best for short trips: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Mumbai, New-York, Paris and Vancouver. Of course, it depends on the place of living of the tourist. For example, a European tourist would not fly to New-York, Mumbai or Vancouver for less than five days. Besides, there are other cities that are quite suitable for a "city break" style trip. For example, London, Prague, Venice, Budapest and Madrid. But the ideal ones are those mentioned in the rating.

According to the experts, city breaks - is a very promising touristic branch that will be actively developing in the nearest times.

Best places for women to live

2009-01-31T20:30:00.001-08:00

The UNO development program has calculated the yearly "Gender-related development index (GDI)", that includes the inequality between men and women in various countries according to such parameters as the longevity and quality of life and the education level of the genders.

The first 10 worst countries for women to live, in particular because of the homicide, violence threat and high probability to get infected with AIDS, is:

1. Afghanistan
2. Democratic Republic of Congo
3. Iraq
4. Nepal
5. Sudan
6. Guatemala
7. Mali
8. Pakistan
9. Saudi Arabia
10. Somali

It is worth to mention that in Mali each tenth woman dies during the child delivery or during pregnancy and in Pakistan the crime of men are punished by the group rape of their women (According to the data of the Equality Now organization).

But in the following ten countries women can count on a quite high longevity, high level of education and decent quality of life:

1. Iceland
2. Norway
3. Australia
4. Canada
5. Ireland
6. Sweden
7. Switzerland
8. Japan
9. Netherlands
10. France

The whole list consists of 177 countries.

Tropical paradise for the tourists.

2009-01-31T20:29:00.004-08:00

The amount of the foreign tourists that have visited Antigua and Barbuda has grown by 11%. Antigua and Barbuda have all the opportunities for a tropical island vacation. At first – it is the huge amount of beaches with golden sand and comfortable hotels. Double island state, located in the eastern part of the Caribbean has been visited in January by about 25 119 foreign tourists, what is by 11,4% more than in the same period of the last year, when this island group of the Antilles has been visited by 22 601 tourists..

From the whole amount of tourists the first place takes England, which amount made up 11 046 tourists. Of course, France and Germany are comprising a great part of the touristic income of Antigua and Barbuda, what cannot be said about Italy, which indicators have decreased slightly. The major part of the income of the countries of the Caribbean comprises the entertainment industry that attracts tourists from the whole world.

Statistics tells us that in 2008 the increase of the tourists' amount coming to Antigua and Barbuda made up 4,46%. Antigua is acknowledged as the most attractive place for tourists, because the island has 365 beaches with clear coastal waters. The colonial atmosphere of the island that has been discovered by the Columbus, is enriched by the ancient architecture.
Comfortable modern hotels built on Antigua offer their clients the high level of service and the entertainment malls, casinos and clubs won't let the tourists get bored. On the neighboring island Barbuda that is located 40 kilometers to the west from Antigua the tourists can take a walk to watch the frigate-birds. Usually the lovers of exotic and yachtsmen are visiting these places, who are attracted by local calm and clean waters.

An Elephant Gave a Lesson to the Rude Tourists

2009-01-31T20:29:00.003-08:00

A group of tourists has got into a dangerous situation in one of the National Parks of Uganda exceptionally because of their bad manners.

The Frenchmen in their SUV came too close to a mother-elephant with a child. The mother got worried and became to show up signals, that knows everyone who has ever met elephants.

But the Frenchmen, that have rejected the services of a guide, probably because of the economy, have exposed only positive emotions and laughter at the emotional stress of the elephant and continued to take pictures of the elephant with great enthusiasm.

But the situation in the meanwhile became more and more serious. Elephants, though as also many other animals, have a rule - before they attack an enemy, tell him about this - "incoming". This is like the first air shot of the police officer and only after that - engage. And the elephant has at first spread her ears, stretched her trunk ahead and loudly blared.

The signal was as clear as possible - "get outta here, or it will be worse". But the self-confident tourists just laughed and looked for the new photo-shooting points.
The attack of the elephant was immediate - at the short distances the speed of these giants can exceed 40 km. per hour. She hit the "Pajero" vehicle with such force, that the driver was thrown out of the car through the front glass, flew a dozen of meters and landed in the thorn bush. He was lucky, because he got only bruises and grazes, but the others got more.

The elephant has performed another attack. She kicked the vehicle aside and after that began to roll it as a ball - from the wheels to the top, back and forth. After her vengeance to the smart alecks, she nobly went away from the battlefield and her baby has obediently followed her, holding with his small trunk the tail of the mother - that is more secure - so you won't get lost or hurt by anybody.

The Most Interesting World Museums

2009-01-31T20:29:00.001-08:00

Nothing can be compared with a visit to a cultural place, that helps you to obtain the feeling that at least a couple of days of your vacation you have spent for the intellectual purposes. But let's be honest, - instead of another tour into the life of the prehistoric mankind - would you rather like to visit something less boring? Here is the list of 7 most unusual world museums.

Museum of the medieval tortures, Prague.
In the medieval times, careless words could easily lead you to the public square, where the instruments for extracting of all kinds of admission from the potential heretics were always prepared and ready to use.

In this museum the visitors will be in 45 minutes acquainted with 60 terrible instruments of torture with a detailed description how exactly this had worked and what has happened to a person after this torture. For example, Head-Crusher: the chin of the accused has been put into a wooden holder, a helm has been put tightly on the head and the mechanism has begun to rotate quicker and quicker... you can imagine, what kind of remains were left after that... The entrance to the museum costs about $12.

Museum of Bad Art, Boston.
Of course, one can argue for a long time - what is it - the top art. But the founder and curator of the Museum of Bad Art (MODA). Scott Wilson, has apparently a good nose for all that stinks. When the terrible painting of the unknown author has appeared - "Lucy in the Field with Flowers", Wilson came to the idea to create a museum, where "Lucy" has occupied the honorable place. Unconceivable perspective, mashed up colors, severe face of the elderly Lucy with the gray brows grown together on the bridge of nose make the painting a true "masterpiece" of the museum.

There are about 400 works in the collection that arouse perplexity. But because of the lack of space not more than 40 works are exhibited simultaneously - the area of the museum does not allow more. The entrance is free!

Three museums of Sex: in Amsterdam, Paris and Husavik (Iceland).
The Parisian Musee de l'Erotisme is located in the 7-storeyed building in the Quartier Pigalle - the red lights district. Pigalle is famous for it's numerous sex-shops, cabaret Moulin Rouge is also located here. Erotic items from the whole world are presented in this museum, including phallic symbols from South Africa and Asia. There is an exhibition dedicated to the history of the Parisian prostitutes and an exhibition of the contemporary erotic art. Entrance costs about $12.
In the museum in Amsterdam, or the Venus Temple (Venustempel) paintings, sculptures, manuscripts and all the impossible erotic toys are presented... All of them incredibly tickle the nerves and excite. The entrance costs about $5.
The Museum of "Phallology" in Iceland is located in a small fishers town Husavik. About 250 kinds of animal phalluses are located here, all natural - dried and hung on the walls, or preserved in alcohol. They say that in the museum there are phalluses of every mammal in Iceland. The founder of the museum Hjartarson gathers the collection since 1974. It includes also salted horse penises that were a delicatessen in the past and also "men's pride" of mice, hamsters, rats, guinea-pigs, seals and white bears. One glass is still empty. It is supposed to host the human exemplar that has been already bequeathed to the owner of the museum by the 92-years old Icelander - Paul Arason. The entrance costs $7,50.

The mysterious Winchester House, San-Hose, California.
The mansion of Sasrah Winchester, the daughter of the creator of the rifle bearing the same name. The heiress of the multi million heritage has continued the construction of the house for 160 rooms and 40 bedrooms for 38 years, till her death that came to her at the age of 82. She was constantly pursued by visions and to get rid of them, she has decided to build a shelter for the souls of the people killed from the rifles of her father so that they could find their peace at last. The excursion round the mysterious mansion costs $23,95.

The Mutter museum of the medical history, Philadelphia, USA.
More than 20 000 items of the human body anomalies are presented here. This museum is most famous for it's huge collection of skulls. There are also unique items there, as for example the human guts with the length of 12,5 meters and the corpse of a woman that turned into soap in the soil where she was buried. There is also a collection of the ancient medical instruments. The entrance costs $12, children free of charge.

Among the other museums, where you surely won't be bored are:

The Glora Museum of the Psychiatry, Missouri
Among the presented items - blades for phlebotomy and 1446 items from the stomachs and guts of the patients (paper clips, nails, pins, buttons...).
International Museum of Toilets, New-Delhi, India.
Here you can find out that the toilet of the Queen Victoria was made of gold and in the throne of Louis XII there was a special hole for the vase. A huge collection of the lavatory pans, vases, bide and urinals, representing the evolution of the toilets since 3000 B.C. till nowadays is presented there.

Best holiday and shopping places in Europe

2009-01-31T20:28:00.006-08:00

Where are the best shopping cities in Europe? And where could you just have some good time in a friendly atmosphere and perfect cuisine? These questions thrill most of the tourists that already got accustomed to spend the holidays not at the Mediterranean beaches, but in the cities of the Old Europe. So, here is another poll of the internet visitors that have compiled a rating of the European cities according to various factors:

The best prices - Prague, Budapest, Lisbon.

The most expensive cities - London, Paris, Rome-

Cities with best cuisine - Paris, Rome and Florence.

The most romantic cities - Paris, Venice and Rome.

The cleanest cities - Zurich, Copenhagen and Stockholm.

The dirtiest cities - London, Paris and Rome.

The most friendly locals - Dublin, Amsterdam, London.

Most unfriendly service - Paris, London and Moscow.

Most boring - Brussels, Zurich, Warsaw.

Best nightlife - London, Amsterdam, Paris.

Best shopping - Paris, London, Rome.

Hong-Kong – the most astonishing city of the planet.

2009-01-31T20:28:00.005-08:00

National Geographic Journal has named Hong-Kong the city of the week, noticing the insane mixture of capitalism and exotic that mane it “the most astonishing city of the planet”.

In 2007 Hong-Kong has been visited by 28,1 millions of guests – this is by 11,6% more than in 2006. In this year, the indicators promise to get even higher: the authorities expect that the amount of guests will make up to 30 millions.

More than a half of the travelers arrive from various parts of China, but such visitors do not spend much funds in Hong-Kong and stay mostly for only one day.

Every week 80 flights from Great Britain arrive here and the amount of guests from the United Kingdom made up 600 thousands in 2007. 1,1 million tourists arrived from the USA in the same year.

Hon-Kong plans also to develop cruise branch of tourism: in may the megapolis will be presented at the Cruise Convention in Britain, taking place in South Hampton. According to the information from the executive president of the tourism Council of the city – Antony Lau, Hong-Kong is ideally conform to the requirements of this market segment.

The popularity of the city noticeably grows because of the coming summer Olympic Games in China. Horse racing sporting activities will be held in Hong-Kong.

Another event that will attract the guests is the 80-years anniversary of The Peninsula Hong Kong, one of the largest hotels in the world that is appointed for the 11-th of December. However, various events attached to the anniversary will be held during the whole year: the hotel promises it's guests special lodging offers, SPA and also yacht and helicopter tours. Hong-Kong is translated as “scented bay”: there was a time, when spices and scents were exported from here. Hong-Kong neighbors the southern China province Guandun and the special economic zone Henchjen.

It is split into three parts, the Hong-Kong island itself, Coulun peninsula and New Territories. It's small part (a little more than 1000 square kilometers) has the population of 6,6 millions. Hong-Kong has a highly-developed transport infrastructure, including public and personal transport. More that 80% of the movement the inhabitants of Hong-Kong perform by means of public transport. The system of the public transport includes metro (MTR), suburban and urban electrotrains (KCR), bus connections, ferries between the island and continental parts of the city and also the neighboring islands, tram, and funicular, connecting the city center with the Victoria Peak.

The moving pavements – travolators and escalators are also being used as a means of transport – such a combined escalator connects the lower terrace of the Hong-Kong island with the top terrace.

Peru - the Latin American Gourmet capital

2009-01-31T20:28:00.003-08:00

The world famous Peruvian complex Machu Picchu is one of the seven wonders of the world, but according to the plan of the creators of the new tour around this Latin American country, it will only emphasize the other sights.

The new interestingness according to the British experts are... the Peruvian Indians cuisine. Chicharones - the pork, burning on the carbons, under the hot sauce made from 4 species of the local chilly - with a glass of the local Chicha de Jora (fermented maize beer) - that is exactly the way how they advice to meet the sunset in Peru.

But the first place of the culinary aesthetic has been given to the fish. The country, having such a splendid access to the Pacific shore - could not do it in any other way. Not far away from the capital Lima - there is a small paradise, formerly being a place of rest for the local aristocracy - Ancon. Here, the freshest fish, shrimps, squids and other seafood are mixed up on a huge grill and are roasted on the open fire in the special brazier and after that are served under the special sauce made of a dozen of various herbs and spices.

Higher, in the Ands, the cuisine is totally different. Wankaio is the next stop for a real gourmand. Here, the dense yellow sauce, made of several kinds of cheese is mixed up with spicy chilly and is served with potatoes of several various colors baked in a special clay oven.

The next stop is Arequipa. The cream soup made of crayfish, maize, shrimps and potato has made the town famous. Afterwards Cusco, where the smell of the meat being fried on the carbons will seduce you on every corner. The feature of the city menu is the beef heart, cooked on a brochette with hot chilly sauce and Ands herbs.

The Peruvians widely use the coca leafs - as a cure for oxygen lack, general stimulator or laxative.

More than 35 kinds of maize are being cultivated in Peru and about 4 thousands (!) of potato, huge amount of exotic fruits that cannot be found anywhere else. Besides, this country produces also wine. According to the experts that have tasted the products of the Peruvian winers, it is as good as the best Chilean masterpieces.

10 rules that will help you to keep luggage and nerve cells

2009-01-31T20:28:00.001-08:00

According to the statistics of the airlines, only 1% of the luggage is getting lost. But does it make it easier for you, if exactly your luggage gets into this percent? So, if you don't want toe lose all your necessary things in your holiday, it is better to make sure and check everything one more time.

1. Don't be in a hurry during the luggage check-in. Make sure that the luggage bill is good attached to your case. The airline collaboratives stick these to the both handles together - that is the reason why they are getting torn off.

2. Make sure that the airline tag, attached to the suitcase has the same destination that is stated in your ticket. This will prevent your luggage from the early unload during the transit flights and connecting flights. If you do not know the three-letter code of your destination airport - ask the agent that sold you the ticket.

3. Make sure you have received the baggage bills with the UPC bar-code. If you have an electronic ticket, the bill can be attached to the reservation confirmation received by fax. Many passengers lose these papers along with the luggage bills.

4. Leave information about you in a special transparent window on the case (if you have such one) - a visit card, where your name, surname and telephone are stated. Or put the information about you inside the bag - with the indication of your route. This could help the airline to make the decision - to send the luggage to the destination or to your home address.

5. Check all the buckles on the luggage. Don't pack the bags too tight - as they can tear apart during the transportation from the terminal to the plane.

6. To prevent the other passengers from grabbing your items, attach a colored band to the handle or wrap a colored elastic belt around the bag.

7. Don't check in valuable items. Documents, cash and jewelry is to be kept personally. Remember, that for the lost baggage, the airlines pay a relatively tiny compensation - $20 for one kilo of the luggage weight, independently from it's cost. If you cannot live without valuable items during your trip - make sure your insurance that you've bought in addition to the standard insurance limit of the airline will cover these costs.

8. If you did not find your luggage after the arrival - do not leave the airport till you have arranged all the papers.

9. The application about the lost baggage should be filled-out at the Lost & Found desk. After that the airport employee can try to search for your bag using the world lost baggage search computer system. Be advised: your luggage should get a special search number.

10. Keep your luggage bills till the moment you have received the luggage and have checked all the contents. Most of the items can be found during 5-7 days and the maximum search time is 21 days. According to the statistics, 99% of the lost things are found again.

Where a poor dollar owner could have a rest?

2009-01-31T20:26:00.003-08:00

It is not a secret that the dollar has not the best times now. It's exchange rate to euro constantly falls. And during the time, when the Europeans rush to the USA cities in crowds, the long-distance trips become more and more expensive for the owners of this currency.

Here are 10 most dollar-friendly touristic directions. For less money the lovers of the luxury rest can spend their time with pleasure here.

1. Nicaragua, Little Corn Island.
Nicaragua - is the Costa Rica for poor people.

Lodging: The rest here will cost significantly cheaper as at the beaches of the southern neighbor. The lodging in such Costa-Rica hotels as Four Seasons will cost about 400 dollars per night, when the most luxury hotel in Managua even at the top of the season will cost you not more than 150 dollars per night.

Beer: for the beer in Nicaragua you will have to pay not more than 3 dollars.

What to do: diving is almost more exciting as in Belize and the prices are seriously cheaper.

2. Buenos-Aires. Barcelona for the poor.

Lodging: about 90 dollars for a night.

Beer: starting from 2 dollars.

What to do: Argentina tango lessons (starting from 6 dollars per hour).

3. Portugal. Italy for poor.
Portugal - is one of the most inexpensive countries of Europe. It does not experience such economical boom as for example Ireland and is not of such great touristic demand as Italy and Spain.

Lodging: 75 dollars per night.

Beer: who will drink beer in Portugal, when you can taste the real port wine in Portu only for 7 dollars.

What to do: walk around through the bars with live music, enjoy the architecture.

4. Santa Ynez Valley, California. Napa for poor.

Lodging: 165 dollars per night (225 dollars in the hight season).

Beer: it is a wine region. The bottle of local wine will cost about 26 dollars.

What to do: arrange picnics outdoors.

5. Jordan. Dubai for the poor.

Lodging: about 140 dollars per night.

Beer: about 4 dollars.

What to do: have a look at the local sights, bathe in the Dead Sea.

6. Barbados, Hawaii for the poor.

Lodging: about 136 dollars per night.

Beer: 4 dollars (local).

What to do: surfing (a surfing lesson with the board rental - about 80 dollars).

7. Hoi An, Vietnam. Phuket for the poor.

Lodging: 135 dollars per night.

Beer: 60 cents (local beer).

What to do: Hoi An - is an ancient city where many styles are mixed up: French, Portuguese, Netherlands, Japanese and Chinese. You can see the roofed Japanese bridge of the XVI-th century here, black and golden houses of the Chinese trade guilds and streets resembling the European Mediterranean.

8. Warsaw, Poland. Prague for the poor.

Lodging: 175 dollars per night.

Beer: 3 dollars.

What to do: visit the night clubs.

9. Tunis. Morocco for the poor.

Lodging: 300 dollars per night.

Beer: 4 dollars.

What to do: walk along the ancient city, visit the local markets.

10. Holbox Island, Mexico. Anguilla for the poor.

Lodging: 170 dollars per night.

Beer: 3 dollars.

What to do: visit the clubs, sunbathe on the beach, watch the flamingo, try kayaking, snorkeling, ride a bike or go fishing.

You can hire a person in a London Library

2009-01-31T20:26:00.001-08:00

An unusual library has been opened in Great Britain - here you can hire a person instead of books.

The idea of such library came from Scandinavia. Instead of books the readers can hire a person for a 30 minutes conversation. The offered "alive" books are every time different, but each time they represent a wide specter of human stereotypes. In the last weekend the small but rich choice has included a Police Officer, Vegetarian, Man-Nurse and Eternal Activist, a Person with Mental Disease and a Young Man expelled from School. The Times journalist that has also taken part in the project was gay.

In the catalog of the "alive books" several negative properties were indicated, that the reader could face during the conversation. The Man-Nurse was characterized as "elegant" and "tending to pedophilia". The Police Officer has been characterized as "corrupt".

The first one to get read was the Social Employee ("naive") and the Immigrant ("spending his time in vain") and after that somebody wanted to "read" a Muslim.

The Gay-Journalist has been taken by a young Romanian girl that lives in London now. The journalist confesses that before he has been "read", he didn't think about - what it is to be a book. He was not sure where he should have started at - from the first chapter or she will open a page on her own. They have discussed the problems of homosexuality and the problems of the immigrants from the Eastern Europe. "After that our time was over and she took me back down the stairs to the announcement desk. The conversation was short and pleasant and I have realized that I want to know more about the inhabitants of the Eastern Europe",- tells the journalist.

The founder of the "Alive Library" Ronny Aibergel says: "We work according to the principle that supposes that between unfamiliar people there arises an excessive cruelty and aggression. Alive Library will help to unite people that wouldn't meet in any other way. We want to show that not every Muslim wants to blow us and not every policeman is a cutthroat".

According to his words, the first Alive Library has been organized at a musical festival in Denmark in 2000 and since that time the movement continues to grow, mostly in Norway and Hungary. It was the first of the "many" libraries that he plans to organize in Great Britain and he is now working on the details of a series of upcoming events around the whole country.

Favorite celebrity resorts

2009-01-31T20:25:00.006-08:00

Forbes Magazine has revealed the places where the show-business stars spend their free time.

Tortoise shore, Turkey
Noticed: Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Uma Thurman, Sting, Michael Douglas.

Lake Como, Lombardy, Italy
Noticed: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Madonna.

Mykonos, Greece
Noticed: Paris Hilton.

Dalmatia, Croatia
Noticed: Ralph Lauren, Bernie Ecclestone.

St. Tropez, France
Noticed: Diddy, Pamela Anderson, Beyonce, Bruce Willis.

Capri, Italy
Noticed: Rod Stewart, Jane Birkin, Naomi Campbell, Tom Cruise.

Saint-Barthélemy, Virgin Islands
Noticed: Prince Charles, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Hue Grant, Elizabeth Hurley, George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt.

Hamptons, Long-Island, USA
Noticed: Gerry Seinfeld, Scarlett Johannson, Billy Joel, Howard Stern.

Bora-Bora
Noticed: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron.

Sardinia, Italy
Noticed: Cortney Cox-Arkett, Rod Stewart, Eva Herzigova, Heidi Klum.

The best place for the rest in the world

2009-01-31T20:25:00.005-08:00

During the grandiose international internet poll 100 of the best world tourist directions have been revealed. The lists have been published on the 1-st of May and there are not only the beautiful places of the world, but also unique directions that people want to visit again and again, chosen by the millions of tourists from all over the world.

The first two places are taken by the cities of New Zealand. The settlement Milford Sound - is the favorite place of the tourists in the Fjordland, acknowledging the beauty of the local landscapes - has taken the first place. The second place took the located nearby Queenstown that offers a huge specter of the extreme sports activities. The best European direction has been considered the Greek island Rhodes.

According to the experts, in spite of the economical crisis, oil prices growth and the change of the global ecological situation, the traveling is as before - very popular.

The list of the hundred of the international directions has been composed basing not only on the websites poll, but also with the use of the information from the touristic companies, forums analysis and reviews of the tourists in journals.

The first top 20 are:

1. Milford Sound, New Zealand
2. Queenstown, New Zealand
3. Philipsburg, St Maarten
4. Cayo Largo, Cuba
5. Rhodes Island, Greece
6. Charlotte Amalie, the island of Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands
7. Cruz Bay, St. John, United States Virgin Islands
8. Bridgetown, Barbados
9. Banff, Canada
10. Tahoe lake, California
11. Salzburg, Austria
12. Capetown, South Africa
13. Amalfi, Italy
14. Vat, England
15. Siena, Italy
16. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
17. Hamilton, Bermudas,
18. Dingle, Ireland
19. Louise lake, Canada
20. Brugge, Belgium

Ibiza season opening

2009-01-31T20:25:00.003-08:00

Summer begins at the islands of the Balearic archipelago and that means that the clubbers are rushing to Ibiza to the first parties of the season. Large clubs compete, arranging parties that would be remembered during the whole season.

The openings of the local clubs will take place from the middle of May till the end of June. The summer seems to be endless here.

Ibiza - is one of the most fashionable European resortsthat has it's own specific atmosphere, of course unique mega-clubs that are among the best not only in Europe, but in the whole world. The island is not a small one and has lots of sights so that the visitors won't get bored. From April till October the temperature is not lower than +25 C and from July till October the water temperature in the sea reaches +26 C.

The first club that open his doors to the clubbers is the most beautiful one at the island - Es Paradis - on the 16-th of June. Nine separate bars, pyramid roof, marble dancefloors, and the central dancefloor turns into a pool in the morning.

Pure Pacha opens on the 30-th of May. This club is one of the most expensive and prestigious ones.

The famous Amnesia club will be opened on the 7-th of June, on the 12-th of June the Cream evening will take place and on the next day the fantastic event named Manumission will take place (a super-show with wonderful decorations and bright personalities). This club also hosts crazy foam parties.

The most exotic Ibiza club - El Divino will be opened on the 6-th of June. Inside it is multi-level and the DJs are located in the cabins in the very center so you can always see who plays where. The famous extravagant parties "Beautiful" and "Miss MoneypennyZs" take place here. You can often meet here pop start and models.

And on the 14-th of June the largest club in the world opens his doors - Privilege. It welcomes easily 9000 people and is registered in the Guinness book of records. In the center of his huge dancefloor there is a pool with a waterfall which is also a screen for video-projection.

So, come to Ibiza for the opening of the season and taste the holiday as the state of mind.

Headed to America? Leave your notebook and cellphone at home

2009-01-31T20:25:00.001-08:00

New security rules in the American airports. The board control officers have obtained the right to copy data from the personal notebooks and cellphones of all people coming to the USA.

Guardian and the Mirror write about it with the link to the decision of the 9-th arbitrage USA court that has been taken already in the end of April. This court has revoked the decision of the previous instance not to take into consideration the data found on the personal notebook (it was the matter of child pornography, found on the notebook of one of the tourists) as the evidence. At that time the judge Dean Pregerson has stated that electronic data storage devices are "are an extension of our memories and thoughts" and cannot be searched without grounded suspicion.

Now this decision has been revoked. This means that at the entrance to the USA at the border control all the data (even confidential) can be copied from every electronic device and the device itself can be confiscated for several days. Guardian notes that you could try to encrypt your data, but during the check the representatives of the authorities could ask you to show the contents of the crypted data. The representatives of the Symantec company, that produces antivirus solutions warn: this procedure can make the tourists wait for weeks at the border.

The most unsuitable places for a rest

2009-01-31T20:24:00.005-08:00

Here is the list of the most unsuitable places for a holiday on the Earth. It includes 10 cities that are less suitable for the tourists, seeking for comfort and safety.

The first one in the list is the Port Moresby, the capital ofPapua New Guinea. The bad reputation of this city consists of the AIDS epidemic. Each month there are more than 115 new infected people.

Besides, in the city, which population is getting uncontrolled larger, grows also the unemployment and the incomes of the citizens fall down. There operate also well-armed gangs that rob the banks and steal vehicles.

The touristic anti-rating includes also the Russian Yakutsk - and this is because of the severe climatic conditions (the winter temperature is often lower than minus 50 Celsius) and the distant location. Located in 6 hours of timezone shift from Moscow and officially considered as the coldest place on Earth, this city got it's firm eighth position in the rating.

The Chinese Linfen, located at the third position is unsuitable for a holiday because of the bad ecology. It is located in the very heart of Chinese coal industrial sector and is considered the most polluted city on Earth. There is always a cloud of smog over the city and it is dark there even at midday. The same reason (high air pollution level) has put the Bangladesh capital - Dhaka among the members of the list.

The Ukrainian Chernobyl will probably also not be able to meet holiday-makers for a long time. In 1986 there was the most horrible technological catastrophe of the modern times and as the result - huge territory became polluted with radiation and is not more suitable for living.

The rating mentions also the United States. Oklahoma-City, located in the so-called "Tornado alley" becomes more times during the year a victim of the destructive tornadoes. It is more dangerous there in spring and in summer.

Corruption is the main reason to restrain from the visit to Bujumbura - the capital of Burundi - the poorest state in the world.

One of the worst holiday places is also the capital of the North Korea - Pyongyang. Though at the first sight, this city does not look very different from any other city in any western country, but everything there, beginning from the mass-media and ending up with the transport - is strictly controlled by the authorities.

Rating of the best and worst holiday places

2009-01-31T20:24:00.003-08:00

Probably, every inhabitant of a megapolis dreams about an escape to the nature, to forget traffic jams, crowds and mobile phones at least for some time. Here are 10 of the most peaceful places in the world, where a tired tourist could have a rest:

Top 10 of the "paradise" places:

1. Tristan da Cunha Island
The most distant inhabited place of the earth. The archipelago is located in the southern part of the Atlantic ocean in 2800 kilometers to the west from the South African Republic. You can really have your time alone here - at the only inhabited island only 300 people live constantly and there are not more than 400 guests during the year. There are no regular flights to this lost world and you can get there only with fishermen from SAR. Here you will see the unusual volcanic landscape of the islands, hospitable islanders and total absence of crime.

2. Cotswolds, England
The Cotswolds hills in the Gloucestershire - are the pastoral villages with houses of sandstone, covered with roses and honeysuckle romantic estates, ancient churches and pubs. Even the Englishmen consider this land a "very-very English England". And int the luxury Cotswolds House hotel in the Chipping Campden town likes to stay the supermodel Kate Moss.

3. Patagonia, Chile
The still unexplored southern part of the country with astonishing landscapes, the land of the wild and severe beauty, the country of contrasts. Colossal glaciers of all the impossible colors, kilometer-high vertical ricks, fjords that cut the land for dozens of kilometers, volcanoes, waterfalls, thermal wells.

4. Kauai Island, Hawaii
The less developed and probably the most beautiful island of the Hawaii archipelago. It is the most moist place on the Earth with wild green flora. The island is ridged with 43 snow-white beaches with palms and in it's center there is a 1600 meters tall extinct volcano Waialeale. Kauai attracts tourists, surfers and hippies from all over the world. The island is cut with the Waimea canyon for 23 kilometers deep. The Na Pali coast looks also very beautiful, where the rocks vertically dive into the sea.

5. Kiribati, Micronesia
33 coral islands in the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean are spread out for 4 thousands kilometers. The only country in the world, located simultaneously in all the 4 hemispheres. The inhabitants of this country are the first of all the Earth citizens except Antarctic - celebrate the New Year. And the Phoenix archipelago since the January of this year is the largest sea natural reserve in the world. The islands are rich with coconut palms, the snow-white sand of the beaches is washed with the azure waves of the ocean.

6. Algonquin park, Canada
The national park in the South Ontario, in only 3 hours drive from Toronto. The civilization is represented here with only several wooden huts and places for campings. All the rest of the territory - approximately 200 kilometers wide and 200 long - is the wild forest with century-old pines, lakes glimmering of the trout abundance, rash rivers and picturesque knolls. You can hike here, go fishing, take canoe trips, meet elks, beavers, bears, foxes and wolves.

7. Thornybush reserve, South African Republic
The private reserve Thornybush neighbors the Kruger National PArk and occupies 11,5 thousands hectares of the plains, covered with thick bush. Tent camps are lodged in the middle of the wild nature, that represent the good old fashioned colonial atmosphere. There is a marvelous view over savanna from the terraces. If you take a safari, you could meet an elephant, lion or a leopard.

8. Morzine, France
The mountain ski resort in the Alps is located at the border of Frace with Switzerland, in the heart of the Portes du Soleil district. It is wonderful not only because of the quality ski tracks, but also with the calm atmosphere, picturesque landscapes and lots of entertainment possibilities besides of the ski. You can ride a snowmobile, fly the paraplane and go hiking.

9. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
An archipelago of the volcanic origin, located in 350 kilometers from the north-eastern coast of Brazil has 21 islands. Only 240 people are allowed to be here simultaneously and such inaccessibility surely increases the charm of the islands. All visitors have to pay taxes for the ecology to preserve the virgin beauty of the locality. Only the main island is inhabited - exactly there the tourists are lodged. Actually, the only entertainment in this paradise on Earth - are the ocean and the sun, but do you need anything else?

10. Vieques island, Puerto Rico
After the American armed forces have left the Caribbean island Vieques, located 6 miles away from the main island of Puerto-Rico, the complete rest reigns here. And the wild forests and kilometers of the white beaches didn't ever disappear.

Though there are places, that the tourists seeking for comfort and safety should avoid.

The most unsuitable places for rest:
1. Port Moresby, the capital of the Papua New Guinea. AIDS epidemics, horrible criminal situation.
2. Linfen, China. Polluted atmosphere.
3. Bujumbura - the capital of the poorest country in the world - Burundi. High corruption level.
4. Pyongyang - the capital of North Korea. Totalitarism
5. Oklahoma-City, USA. Tornado threat.
6. Chernobyl, Ukraine. High radiation level after the accident at the atomic power plant.
7. Mogadishu - the capital of Somali. Armed conflicts, the tourists could be kidnapped to get ransom.
8. Yakutsk, Russia. Too long to get there, the coldest inhabited place on Earth.
9. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Too dirty air.
10. Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Unstoppable bloodshed, high terrorism risk.

Full rest lowers death risk by 20%

2009-01-31T20:24:00.001-08:00

For the whole human history, work has taken the most of the life time. During the last 100 years in the economically developed countries the annual amount of working time has been reduced in average by 40% and makes up about 1570 hours. For example, in Russia this indicator is about 2000. The Russians are working a lot and follow their famous proverb - the whole time to the job and an hour to the fun. They are surely not the first ones in the rating of the amount of the public holidays and vacation length.

In Europe the average vacation length makes up about 4 weeks. For example an average British vacation is 28 days, in Spain - 30, Germany - 35, France - 37 days per year and in Italy - 42!

In Finland the "holiday" year is counted from the 1-st of May till the 30-th of April of the next year. For each month worked out during the year there are 2 days of paid holiday. It makes 24 days for 12 months. But if for example a new employee got his place on the 1-st of January, he will get vacation only for the period from the 1-st of January till the 1-st of May - 8 days. With the increase of the working experience the whole length of the annual holiday is automatically increased and can reach 5-6 seeks. And in some industry branches, if the vacation is taken outside of the hot vacation season - from June till October - it is even offered sesquialteral.

The length of the yearly holiday in Hungary, depending from the working experience, profession and age can make 20-30 working days. For example, if a 25-years old person is working more than a year in the same organization, he has the right for the basic vacation - 20 working days. Each following year of work in this company adds an additional day to his holidays. So, following the law logic, when this employee will reach the age of 45 - he will have the right for a 30 working days holiday.

In the non-European countries, the length of the yearly holiday makes in general 22 days, in Australia - 20 days, Columbia and New Zealand - 15 days. USA, Canada and Japan are in this list at the second position from the bottom.

In America the length of the vacation depends on the conditions of the employment contract. In the last years there has been a kind of general method developed that determines the length of the holiday. Each American gets 8 hours of working time for a month of work. In America they can get 10 paid vacation days after a year of work in the company and 17 after five years. A whole month of holidays is for those who worked in the company for more than 15-20 years.

According to the research data, 11% of the Americans have their rest for not more than 1 week per year. 31% have 2 weeks, 22% - three, 18% - four and 18% of the respondents have five or more weeks per year. And 20% of the Americans do not use their holiday at all.

Such people "present" yearly 415 million of rest days to their employers. In 2003 the employees of the American offices have "presented" $21 billion to the employers - this is the cost of the time of the vanished holiday.

The scientists have proven that lack of the full rest leads to the low productivity. But this fact is still not so frightening, as the another one - that the probability of heart attack is higher by 30% if a person does not have his rest. And the total rest on the contrary lowers the risk of death by 20%. So have you rest please.

New time zone adaptation method

2009-01-31T20:23:00.002-08:00

When you change the time zones significantly, a half-day starvation can ease the adaptation to the new timezone. The scientists of the Harvard medical school have revealed that theingestion schedule is not less important for the human body as the habit to sleep at night.

The organism gets accustomed at least for 4 days if it gets as an orientation only the daylight change. The only efficient recommendation for the long distance travelers is to calculate the nearest breakfast time and to refuse from food completely 12-16 hours before this time. This is the only possibility to shorten the adaptation period up to 1 day.

According to the scientists, such high starvation effect that contributes to the human body setup change is connected with the ability of all the living creatures to accommodate in the extreme living conditions. So, a person that has changed several time zones, but did not put his body into a critical situation feels himself quite healthy and suffers only from the wish to sleep at day and to be active at night.

However, the organism that got accustomed to receive nutrition 5-6 times per days and after that left without food at least for 12 hours, enters the extreme adaptation mode. So, if you combine the first breakfast after a significant nutrition break and the beginning of the new daylight, the accommodation to the new timezone should be completed already on the next day.

Top 10 of the best Turkey beaches

2009-01-31T20:23:00.001-08:00

15 million of tourists spend their holidays in Turkey each year. Where the Turks spend their vacations themselves? At the best beaches of their country. And most of these gorgeous places are still unknown to the tourists.

But it is quite a simple task to visit these - you should leave your hotel in the resort town for a while. The impressions after such trip could overwrite everything that you've known about Turkey before.

Here is a mini-guide of the best Turkish beaches - how to get there, what to see and how to have fun. By the way, most of the listed beaches are awarded with the "Blue flag" - the sign of the clear water and impeccable coast.

1. Patara
The best beach of Turkey not far away from the resort village Patara (Gelemis). The beach stripe with gorgeous white sand is 20 kilometers long. A perfect place for those who love loneliness and low prices. The cost of two-bed rooms in the local pensions is $25 per night in the average.

Where: 75 km to the south from Fethiye.

How to get there: take a car of a bus from the station in Fethiye. Beware, to find the way using the maps and bus schedules - you will need to know that the modern name of the place is Gelemis. Most of the buses will take you only to the Ovaköy and from there there are 3.5 kilometer till Gelemis.

What to do: get acquainted with history. Patara exists already for several thousands years and there were times when it was a harbor for the ancient Lycia. According to the belief, the St. Nikolay has been born here. In 1,5 kilometers to the south from the place there are interesting antique ruins - among which are the rescued from the sand dunes amphitheater, a triumph arc, necropolis, ruins of a basilica and terms (public saunas).

2. Ölüdeniz
A perfect beach with highly developed infrastructure. You can find a good hotel here or a restaurant for every taste. Translated from Turkish, the beach name means "dead sea" - in the meaning of "very calm". It is located at the shore of a quiet bay that is surrounded by the mountains from every side. The bay is connected with the sea via a narrow channel and because of this - even during a powerful storm the coastal water of the Ölüdeniz are absolutely calm.

Where: 8,5 kilometers to the south from Fethiye.

How to get there: with a car or by bus from Fethiye. It's better to come over there in a weekday, because in the weekend at the top of the season, the crowds of the Ölüdeniz lovers create huge traffic jams on the roads.

What to do: paragliding. Among the mountain ridge that surrounds the Ölüdeniz lagoon there is a mountain Babadak (1960 meters) where the paragliders start from. From the height of 1,5 kilometers you can see not only the whole lagoon, which water have all the azure color variations, but even the Rhodes island far in the sea. The ascent to the top in a SUV takes about 45 minutes and costs starting from $10. The flight will cost you $50 and the end price depends on how you can handle. There is a tandem possibility for the rookies.

3. Olimpos
Unlike the most of the first-class Turkish beaches, Olimpos is still a quiet province town. You can find a proper hotel here, but there are no shops and other signs of civilization.

Where: 80 kilometers to the south-west from Antalya.

How to get there: the best way to overcome the 7 kilometer distance from the main road to Olimpos is by car. The intercity buses do not turn here. If there is no bus alternative - you could choose bus routes that are coming from the north (from Antalya, Kerem or Faselis) or from the west (Kash, Demre, Kalkan), but anyways - tell the driver that he should let you out at the turn to Olimpos. There is no special stop here. But because the tourists traffic to Olimpos is quite small, but constant - in the summer at the turn to the town there are sometimes taxis waiting for the clients.

What to do: view the ancient Roman and medieval ruins, take a walk in the pine forests. But in the Olympos this is practically the same, because the majority of the marble ruins are scattered namely through the pine forests. One can also go see the "Chimera" - the exposure of the natural gas, which flares and is seen at night far from the sea. It was the sailors in the ancient times, who discerned in the flashes of fire the threatening monster. In Turkish this name sounds like "yanartaş”. It is situated 7 km away from Olympos, at a height of 300 m.

4. Side
Once secluded hamlet nowadays turned into a crowded and noisy resort, preferred by the Turks themselves. But the snow-white sandy beaches didn't lose their attractiveness; there are still enough of them for everybody.

Where: 65 km East of Antalya, West of Alanya.

How to get there: by car, bus or minibus from Antalya or Alanya. Avoid days off, when the half of Ankara goes to swim in Side.

What to do: the ancient ruins are enclosed to the bathing and sun baths. In the remains of thermae there is situated a museum with one of the richest archaeological collections in Turkey.

5. Alanya
Noisy resort city has a beautiful beach with the length of more than 20 km. Here the place could be found for the fans of mass entertainment, and for those who seek for the rest in solitude. The best stretch of the beach has the name of “Cleopatra’s Beach”. According to the sources, the Egyptian queen received it as a gift from Mark Antony.

Where: 140 km South-East of Antalya

How to get there: by car or bus.

What to do: view the Seljuk fortress (XIII cent.). Alanya was the favorite maritime town of the Seljuk-Turks 800 years ago. This place was esteemed for the convenient harbor for the ships and closeness to the ancient Seljuk capital – Konya. Since then the ancient fortress has preserved 150 towers and mighty defense walls.

6. Iztuzu
Beach of the finest white sand stretches for 5 km and is the part of the wilderness area. The second name of the beach is “Turtle” – because every year here come sea turtles. Iztuzu is a peninsula, which is bounded by the sea from one side and by the waters of Dalyan river from the other.

Where: 13 km from the city of Dalyan.

How to get there: 8 km far from the beach is situated the Dalaman airport. One can reach Iztuzu using a car, a bus, or river transport from Dalyan.

What to do: watch the turtles and sink into the history on the ruins of Kaunos, among the tombs of Lycian kings (IV cent. b. c.).

7. Bodrum
The city of Bodrum was built on the peninsula between two seas – Aegean and Mediterranean. The best beaches are situated in the small villages, in the outskirts of Bodrum.

Where: the beaches in the settlements Ortakent (10 km from Bodrum), Turgutreis (16 km from Bodrum) and Gümüşlük (18 km from Bodrum) deserve the special attention.

How to get there: one can reach Bodrum on the plane (charter from Russia, regular flights from Istanbul), from the city to the beaches: by car, bus, or minibus.

What to do: aquatics or studying the richest history of the peninsula. In the ancient times the city of Bodrum was called Halicarnassus. Namely here is the famous Mausoleum – one of the Wonders of the World. The local museum of the underwater archeology could be also interesting. In the coastal villages there is the abundance of the ancient ruins at your disposal.

8. Kemer
The name of the ancient city of Kemer was already mentioned in Homer’s “Iliad”. Today this is a big resort region, which includes several cities: Beldibi, Göynük, Kemer itself, Kiriș, Çamyuva, Tekirova, and others. Along all the coast there stretch sand and shingle beaches. The best sand beach is situated in the Yörük village.

Kemer, as well as Antalya fits perfectly as a base for viewing the neighboring areas. From here it is convenient to get to Olympos, Phaselis, Thermessos, Perge and other cities.

Where: 43 k, South-West of Antalya airport.

How to get there: from Antalya airport by car or taxi. If you are planning to use the scheduled bus, you will have to make a transfer (from airport to the bus terminal in Antalya and then to Kemer).

What to do: aquatics, excursions on yachts, and sinking into the local color. Not far away from the beaches of Yörük there is situated the “Yörük-Park” – ethnographic museum in the open air, which tells about the culture and everyday life of Turks, who lived here several hundreds years ago.

9. Pamucak
The five-kilometer long beach of the dark sand is notable for the cleanliness and the absence of the signs of tourist civilization. You will not be offered any umbrellas or sun loungers – only the sun, sea and hot sand. The beach line is crossed, as thousands of years ago, by the meandering and ancient river Meander – it was this river that gave name to the famous Classical Greek ornament of quirks.

Where: 7 km West of Ephesus, 12 km North to Kuşadası.

How to get there: by car or minibus from Kuşadası or Ephesus. The minibuses depart every 20-30 minutes.

What to do: ride on horses or camels, walk around the ancient Ephesus (the house of Virgin Mary, the Temple of Artemis and other monuments).

10. Çalış
The long beach stretches for several kilometers along the coast of Fethiye bay. This place is considered to be a nature reserve, because here come the rare species of sea turtles “Caretta caretta”. However, this beach couldn’t be called a secluded one – the tourist infrastructure is developed enough here, there are a lot of holiday-makers here in the high season (mainly married couples).

Where: 5 km Norh-East of Fethiye.

How to get there: by car, taxi or scheduled bus from Fethiye.

What to do: in the day time – the entertainments (aquatics, water park, restaurants with the good seafood cuisine), in the evening – watch the sunsets, after that one can have a good time in the local bars).

Absolutely safe holiday? Only at your sofa!

2009-01-31T20:22:00.004-08:00

When the holiday season begins, we often see the travel moods of the colleagues and friends. But it is interesting, that besides the amount of restaurants in the hotel and the cleanness of beaches, people are more and more interested with the question of security. Which troubles you can face at the summer season resorts?

The most popular touristic directions seem to be as a rule also the most dangerous.

The leader in this list is Egypt - there are lots of tourists deaths because of the road accidents. In the Asian countries the tourists are most unlucky in India - people die because of the exacerbation of the chronic diseases, infections, accidents at the shore and on the water, because of the robberies. Several people have simply disappeared. The most dangerous CIS country is the Ukraine. And in Europe the most popular tourists death reason are the road accidents.

But most of the problems could have been evaded if the tourists would obey the simplest security rules.

Diving for "rookies"
The already explored in all the ways by the tourists - Egypt, Tunis and even Turkey can present unpleasant surprises.

In the Egypt - Mecca for the diver's from all over the world - the accidents are not a rare thing. The main reason for the tourists' deaths is the old equipment of the resort diving clubs. It is not a good idea at all to try diving for the first time during the holiday.

At first you would better try to dive in a pool. The best thing is OWD - Open Water Diver course for the beginners. In Egypt or Turkey the tourists are diving in a crowd and there are often almost no explanations. At the cheap beach diving centers they offer low-quality equipment, for example regulator - device that controls the breathing - that has not been technically examined properly. If such regulator is being used - the diver constipates his lungs. Anyways, the equipment that has not been technically inspected can easily lead to severe problems during the dive. For example, there were cases when a hose broke under water and the air began to leak - in this situation the diver has to emerge extremely fast and there are rules among the divers that should be obeyed not to get injured and not to perish. An experienced underwater guide will surely tell about these before the dive.

Venomous fowl
Even if the beginner diver has got luck with the coach and equipment, there is still a risk to remain under water. For example in Goa the tourists have seen skates a lot of times. That is why most people prefer swimming in a pool. But should you travel to the ocean then?

The skates are really dangerous and can lead to serious traumas with their spikes. There is a venomous gland at the beginning of the spike. Skates reside usually in the tripocal seas but there are also freshwater species, for example in Amazonian districts.

The underwater world is full of near-bottom fishes with burning spikes on the fins and other venomous creatures.

Sometimes the divers find dangerous mollusks and take them in the hands - for example cones. A cone can sting the diver with his "harpoon" (the tube which this predatory mollusk uses to attack it's victims) and inject his venom. The poisoning is really severe. Stay away from the jellyfishes and corals - burns are guaranteed after contacts with them. Also the sea snakes are very dangerous.

Water attractions
The touristic agencies always tell: do not save money with your own life - go to excursions only with the official touristic companies. They bear responsibility for people at least. And of course - you should not order the tours at the streets.

Parasites instead of souvenirs
People that go on holiday with the principle - "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" are surely the members of the first risk group. If a person travels to the equatorial Africa, for example into the popular in the last times Tanzania and he did not care about the vaccination from malaria, he runs a great risk. Dangerous infections are also widely spread in Central Asia, Mediterranean, China and southern states of USA.

The tourists manage also to "transport" in their bodies parasites from tropical countries. These get under the skin and are usually noticed much later.

Cobra bite, dangerous beauties and venomous dinner
But the larger tropical inhabitants are surely more dangerous! In Dominicana, Cuba and other countries of the Caribbean ther are lots of venomous insects. So those who have allergy for the insect bites in their list of chronic diseases should better forget about these countries.

The snakes should also be respected. There are lots of these for example in India. Cobras are often dwelling there near people - they find their food easier then. So, the golden rule should be obeyed - if you don't know what for a creature you have just faced, better keep away. In the evenings at the tropical resorts a good idea is to walk with a torch - because the paths could be already occupied by the scorpions and snakes. This is a matter of elementary caution.

The tourists should beware not only the insects, but also beautiful women. In spite of all the popularity, Thailand is currently the most dangerous holiday countries no. The "sexual Thai paradise" that attracts many people, can turn into sexual hell. According to the World Health Organization, the amount of venereal diseases in Thailand grows rapidly in the latest times.

But even if you do not tend to the casual affairs and prefer gastronomic tourism to the sexual, there are also dangers for such tourists, for example in China.

After the arrival to another country - it is a bad idea first to snatch the local food. The human body has to get accustomed to another water and food little by little. In China you should better not have a dinner outside of the hotel. It is quite easy to get poisoned by the sea food and various exotic stuff here. You could consult the guide and he will tell you the checked restaurants where the locals eat themselves. There was a case, where in a five-star hotel people have tasted all the Chinese delicacies on the very first day. This young couple had to spend three days in the reanimation chamber - so powerful was the poisoning.

Ignorance of laws leads to trouble.
Garbage thrown in the streets of Singapore results in a $600 fine.

Stepping on the money is legally prohibited in Thailand - the king of Thailand is pictured on all the coins and banknotes of this country.

Do not offer an unknown woman to have sex in England. You risk to pay a 180 euro fine or to spend three months in jail.

Do not look at the bare women legs in China outside the beach or a strip bar. You risk to spend a couple of days in jail.

Countries that should not be visited without vaccination.
Turkey. No compulsory vaccination. Recommended vaccination: Hepatitis A, B, diphtheria, tetanus, hydrophobia.

Egypt. No compulsory vaccination. Recommended vaccination: Hepatitis A, B, diphtheria, tetanus, hydrophobia.

African and South American countries. Necessary vaccination: yellow fever at the entrance to Benin, Bourkina Fasso, Gabon, Ghana, Zaire, Cameroon, Kongo, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Togo, French Guiana, Central African Republic. The vaccination should be performed beforehand. At best a month before the trip and minimum ten days before. The immunization certificate against the yellow fever is valid from ten till ten days after the vaccination.

It is also recommended to have an international yellow fever vaccination certificate at the entrance to the Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Giana, Colombia, Panama, Suriname, Ecuador, Angola, Burundi, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Zambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Somali, Sudan, Sierra-Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia.

India. No compulsory vaccination. Recommended vaccination: Hepatitis A, B, diphtheria, tetanus, hydrophobia, typhoid, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis.

Thailand. No compulsory vaccination. Recommended vaccination: Hepatitis A, B, diphtheria, tetanus, hydrophobia, typhoid, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis.

United Arab Emirates. No compulsory vaccination. Recommended vaccination: Hepatitis A, B, diphtheria, tetanus, hydrophobia, typhoid.

How to evade foreign currency problems?

2009-01-31T20:22:00.003-08:00

Here are a couple of advices that will help you to keep your holiday without currency exchange problems:

1. Do not travel with sacks of money. It is much better to take some cash with you and the rest should be on a plastic card. It is quite easy to get it blocked if it is stolen or lost. Your account can be usually in your home currency - the ATM of the destination country will give you local currency. But remember - there is usually a commission for the cashing with the use of foreign ATMs - 1-3% and usually not less than a certain amount - about $3-5. That is why it does not really make sense to take out small sums for current expenses. It is better to pay with the card in shops and restaurants. Plastic cards in most countries are accepted even in small stores.

2. Avoid double conversion. Ask your bank about the currency exchange rate. For example, some banks do not have a correspondent euro-account to deal with the payment systems. This means that when you get cash abroad, the bank first converts the amount to US-dollars and after that into the local currency. You can lose significant amount as the result.

3. Take a small currency reserve with you. It is quite reasonable to buy some currency of the destination country before you get there. Sometimes it is not so easy to find it, especially if you have a lack of time. It will cost you approximately the same as if you would exchange it after arrival. But some countries prohibit the import of their national currency, for example China, India, Myanmar, Egypt and Tunis.

4. With euro to Europe and with dollar to Asia. If you did not manage to buy exotic local country in your homeland, think about which currency is better to take with you - dollars or euro. Of course, European directions are more convenient with euro. The Asia and Middle East welcome the US dollars. But the currency will have to be exchanged to the local after the arrival, because in the most shops of Asia and North Africa are accepting dollars, but at a very bad exchange rate.

5. Avoid street money-changers. When you are on holiday, do not forget that the exchange rate highly depends on the place of the exchange. It is usually least profitable at the airports and at popular touristic routes. The difference between the exchange rates in the historical center of the city and it's distant corners can be really fantastic. Your touristic guide or experienced travelers at the internet-forums could help you to find out such national peculiarities. Always use the legal exchange points. At first, the probability to get cheated there and secondly - you can take a receipt. The rest of the local currency, left after the stay cannot be exchanged back without such an initial receipt in India, Indonesia, China, Egypt and Tunis.

6. Take your calculator with you to the exchange point. In some countries there are sometimes serious tricks that are actually a real fraud. For example in the historical center of Prague that is full of tourists, all the exchange points are promising "0% commission". But do not get deceived so easily - there are no commissions only if you sell krone. If you buy them - the commission can reach 10%. So you'd better ask to show the real amount that you will receive for 100 dollars on a calculator.

7. Mind the time of the day. There are countries with hours and even days when most of the currency exchange points are closed. In Spain and Italy it is siesta time, in Israel and Nepal - the Saturday, in Poland - Sunday. Most of the exchange points in Czech Republic get closed at 18:00 and the exchange rate in the non-stop working exchange points is really brutal. But in any situation - try to evade the street money-changers - you can eventually lose all your money. Try to find a non-stop currency exchange in a large hotel. But the best is to take care about the cash beforehand.

8. Remember about the cheaters. If the situation is hopeless and extreme and you have decided to exchange at the street nevertheless, it is useful then to know about the main tricks of the cheaters. The first trick is popular in the Eastern Europe and Italy. The street money-changer counts the money before your eyes and folds them up. At the folding moment he imperceptibly takes out a part of the banknotes or replaces them and you get only apart of the amount in your hands. The second trick is more brutal, but effective and is applied in Eastern countries. A noisy activity that often involves gypsies or street beggars distracts the tourist during the exchange process.

9. Evade the old banknotes. Remember that in the developing countries there are often denominations and the old banknotes are taken out of the traffic and are exchangeable to the new ones only in commercial banks and after a longer period of time - only in the local central bank. For example in Azerbaijan since the 1-st January 2007 the old manats have been replaced and tolars are not more convertible in Slovenia.

10. Examine the banknotes. Be careful with unknown currencies abroad. For example in Pakistan - an old 500-rupee banknote that is still convertible - is very much like the 100-rupee one. In some countries with high inflation rate the banknotes have a very large nominal value - don't get messed up with the zeros. And at the multi-colored Eastern banknotes like Egyptian pounds or UAE dirham - it is quite hard to notice the digits at all.

After the vikings and trolls

2009-01-31T20:22:00.001-08:00

Unsure where to spend your vacation? Sun beaches are already boring? Head to one of the most beautiful places of the world - Norway fjords. Just imagine: deep bays that cut into the land and getting lost among the upright rocks, snowy peaks of the mountains, wild green of the forests and foamy waterfalls that run down the slopes. Here the viking and trolls legends come true and you forget about everything and spend your time with the virgin nature.

Gate to the fjord kingdom
You can't tell in words all the beauty of the Norway fjords that are surrounded with great mountains and green slopes, exactly so impossible as to count these emerald tentacles that spread into the continent. There are thousands of these in Norway and each of them is unique. Fjords are an astonishing ans mystique view that is once seen and cannot be forgotten forever. All roads to the fjords begin from a picturesque town that is located between seven mountains - Bergen.

From there is is really not so far to the largest fjord in Europe - Sognefjord. It cuts into the land for 204 kilometers and it's maximum depth is 1308 meters! The rocky shores of the majestic Sognefjord that hang over the water and head up to the sky to the height of 610 meters. You just understand that the human is not the owner of the world, but a tiny part of it, when you look at all these beauties.

The kingdom of trolls
The best place to enjoy the view over the fjords is from the sea in a sealiner cruise, ferry or even a viking ship! When you travel through the fjords, you feel yourself like in a magic world: Hardangerfjord that enchants with paradise gardens, Lysefjord that is famous for his vertical rock Prekestolen - a wide flat terrace that hangs over the bay with an astonishing view. And when you will see the small mountain villages that are located directly on the rocky slopes of the Geirangerfjord near the Seven Sisters waterfall, which waters fall directly into the bay, you will realize that this is the only place on the planet where the fairy tale trolls could live.

By the way, the Trolls' Road that gets up almost to 900 meters above the sea level with eleven sharp bends has been considered the most picturesque road in the world. And the Norway fjords are included in the UNESCO list of the world heritages. No wonder, because there is no another such place on the planet, where you could such a beautiful natural landscape and breathe with crystal clear air.

Holiday sex - a portion of the summer passion

2009-01-31T20:21:00.004-08:00

There is no need to explain what a holiday love affair is. After the holiday season starts, the adventure lovers from all the countries and nations of the world travel far away from their home places in search of short romantic extreme.

Holiday love affairs have though their pros and contras. So...

1. A love affair at a resort is a short-term phenomenon. The main principle that goes through most of these romances is "right here, right now". People travel usually for one or at most two weeks and this timeframe should be used as good as possible. At any other places there could be months and even years between the first encounter and a kiss, but this is not the case at a resort. Of course, girls that make guys chase about them for a long desperate time, can be also met at the seaside - as well as those who wait for a prince on a white horse. But they are, to tell the truth, not very popular here.

Usually the readiness of the partners to stormy and quick relations is revealed very quickly and after that there comes a conclusion - to continue the communication or wave the hand to each other.

Though, the first thing to do is surely to come up and talk for a while. Try to evade serious topics like politics or economy crisis - they will instantly bury the romance aura. It's better to talk about each other, surrounding nature and nearest plans.

2. Love affair offers a unique possibility to reincarnate for a while into another person. A severe and strict businesswoman can play a frivolous nymphet. A girl from an average family - a daughter of a millionaire. Holiday relations are democratic. Such things as wealth and status are not important because you have just decided to enjoy each other for some short time.

3. People have sex more frequent at the seaside - everything there induces these moods. You don't have to get up early, hurry to work pressing breakfast into you on the run. There are only sun, sea and crowds of beautiful men and women. A couple of weeks of a real rest gives much stronger effect than many hours of cosmetic procedures. And additionally - a powerful emotional discharge.

4. Safety first! As already mentioned, resort love affairs are short-term. This is a small fairy-tale that cannot last forever. Unfortunately, many lovers forget about it and become sick after the holiday. Of course, sometimes these affairs have continuations, but these are a tiny part of the total amount.

What is actually should taken care of is the absence of unwanted pregnancy and genital infections. So please take care about the safety measures.

Another unpleasant details is that in summer at the resort places there are lots of various swindlers, including wedding crooks. Of course, you could just keep silence and reject any communication, but the holiday will be surely less interesting then.

Usually, it is enough just to hold on to several simple safety rules. Keep your money, documents and room keys in a secure place and don't give to anybody under any circumstances even if your new friend is beautiful as Apollo and works as the President Secretary (these are his words, but who knows?).

The crooks are imaginative and cunning and you can never predict their new roles and plans. There are real artistic performances sometimes - just to achieve proper impression effect. Just listen to the fairy tales, but if it comes to money - be advised.

The Safest Places in the Plane Determined

2009-01-31T20:21:00.003-08:00

Aerophobia – the fear of flying on the planes – has induced the scientists from Great Britain to detect the safest places in the airliners, and call upon the airlines to allow the passengers to choose the seats themselves. The specialists of the University of Greenwich upon the request of Civil Aviation Authority of Great Britain have analyzed the circumstances of death of 105 people and polled almost 2 thousand people survived in plane crashes. The investigation has shown that the passengers seats near the aisle, within five seat rows from the emergency exit are the safest.

Those who sit more than six lines far from the exit, most rarely manage to get out of the plane safe and sound. Besides that, the specialists have determined that it is better to sit in the front section of the plane. According to statistics, during the plane crash the chances to survive are 65% for those who sit in the front section, and 53% for those who sit in the rear section. British scientists have called upon the airlines for equipping the planes with additional emergency exits or allowing the passengers to choose the seats themselves.Though, the majority of the people use their own methods of dealing with aerophobia.

The easiest and the most affordable one is the use of a talisman. As a rule, this is a “happy” coin, a trinket or an amulet; a prayer can also help. The widespread tradition of “sitting before going somewhere” is also some kind of ritual action, promising safe and easy road.

Another method is switching the attention from thoughts to feelings. For example, one can drink water, feeling its taste, freshness and coolness. Or look at people he/she is surrounded by. The calculation of the number of blonds and brunets among your fellow travelers helps to take mind off unpleasant thoughts about the flight.

The widespread method of fighting with anxiety is relaxation – loosening up together with self training (“I am absolutely calm and equable”, “the flight will be easy”, “the landing will be soft”, “the plane crew is highly professional” “I’ve chosen the best airline”) gives a good result in case of the fear of flying.

One more efficient method of control over the fear – is persuasion (best of all it affects men). Here facts and figures are used; there are cases when for a person it is enough to understand and to believe that a plane is a really much safer kind of transport than, for example a car, to make the fear disappear.

The most sexy world beaches

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It is the middle of summer, colleagues and friends come back from their holidays happy and suntanned. And you are so tired of the fuzz of the city, work, chefs and subordinates, that you can't even think about an excursion or an active holiday. Your wish is one and only: to escape with a loved person as far away as possible - to spend your time just together and to feel yourselves the only people on the planet.

Where is it actually - this cozy place on Earth? Where should I go to make a vacation really unforgettable and romantic? SO, here is the rating of the most sexy beaches of the world.

Lake Nyasa Mozambique
It is a real wonder, located in the north-eastern part of Mosambique. Nyasa is the 9-th world largest freshwater lake and it's mystery is the groundless water level change. Sharp decrease or increase of the total water volume in the lake can occur suddenly and at any weather and independent of recent shower rains or droughts. It is really an astonishing show. But beside the variable character, Nyasa is famous for purest waters and white virgin beaches, palm forests, picturesque islands and crystal clear lagoons with rich underwater world.

Malibu, California
Angelina Jolie, Cindy Crawford, Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Pamela Anderson... Well, only the Californian Malibu beach can boast with such an amount of first-class start. Gorgeous starlets-beginners in their bikinis, suntanned Hollywood playboys - what can be more sexy?

Paros, Greece
Thirteen miles of sandy pleasure. But there is no place for shy ones here: there are lots of people and most of them sunbathe topless. You can get some sun at incredibly romantic rocks that will also give some shelter from the sea breathe.

Lansarote, Canary
The Canary islands are famous for their volcanic beaches with black sand, rocks and white crests of the Atlantic Ocean. Lansarote is a small island with really huge variety of beaches - there are about 90 of them here. So, your paradise is exactly here if you look for intimacy and silence.

Gottland Sweden
An astonishing place! An island in Baltic Sea that is not really popular among the tourists - the Swedes have their rest there themselves. The most interesting thing here - are the white nights, so beloved by those, who have been in the northern regions: during the summer months the sun shines here always.

Krabi, Thailand
This is undoubtedly the best beach of the region. The chalk cliffs, clear water and lots of sea grottoes create a romantic aura here. You can get here only with a boat and if you want to feel yourselves like the heroes of The Beach movie with Leonardo di Caprio - just come here.

Patara Beach, Turkey
Ruins of an amphitheater, colonnades, old temple... these places still have the spirit of the Byzantine Empire. And the beach is really wonderful: the tourists love to arrange here merry parties and couples - watch the bright sunset.

Singing, eating and noise making prohibited in the center of Rome

2009-01-31T20:20:00.003-08:00

The tourists visiting Rome won't have a possibility to drink or raise their voice on the historical streets of the "eternal city". The new mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno that came to this post from the Right parties, has issued an order about the norms of the public behavior that restricts eating, drinking or "making noise" on the streets in the center of the Italian capital.

Gianni Alemanno is a former leader of the neo-fascist youth movement. He made the loyalty and order - to the slogan of his election campaign in April. Besides, he has promised to "clear" the city from the immigrants and gypsies.

The rules of behavior at the streets of Rome restrict leaving litter, sleeping, posting advertisement and to ease nature. These norms are quite traditional and are active in most of the world cities. But the new set of rules tells that now you can't "stop to eat or drink something" and "cry, sing or behave yourself loud" in the center of Rome.

The representatives of the mayor's office tell that the restrictions are active immediately and will remain as an experiment till October of this year. They apply to all places that have historical, cultural or artistic value, especially in the historical center of the city. They have also added that the new rules will be applied according to the common sense.

There is currently no information about punishments that are planned for the violators of the new rules.

The authorities of the city that welcomes huge amounts of tourists every year, have to toughen the legislation every time. Currently there is a serious fine for those, who decide to bathe in a fountain that represents historical value. It is also prohibited to hang out washing out of the windows and to graze pets on the pavements. Though, in spite of all the efforts of the authorities, fountain bathing and washing hung out above the heads of pedestrians is an integral part of the cityscape.

Besides the legislated rules, there is a separate private tourist "behavior code" in the Italian capital. So, for example, shorts, t-shirts and too short skirts are not really welcomed in Rome. There is no fine for this, but you will be probably not allowed to enter not only museums and temples, but shops as well.

Touristic frauds abroad

2009-01-31T20:20:00.001-08:00

Of course, you can meet tricksters in your own homeland, but at least at home we feel ourselves more secure - we know where to run and where to look the the help and protection. And this looks quite different if anything happens abroad. For example the total loss of funds can spoil the whole holiday mood.

Hunt for the plastic cards.
Don't forget that the piece of plastic in your wallet - is not only the convenient way to pay for the shopping and services, but also a quite attractive thing for various hunters for money. The internet-forums are overfilled with messages about fraud ATMs and mysterious withdrawals of huge amounts from the bank cards. One of the most popular means of getting access to your accounts can be easily encountered at cheap resorts - a special device that reads data from your card and saves it's number and pin-code - and there is nothing more complicated left to solve - the card duplicate creation is the next and last step.

It can also happen that the card you pay in the restaurant with, is being processed several times by the crooks.

Another popular way - are the add-on superimposed keyboards that are attached to the ATMs. A tourist leaves his pin to the crooks, withdrawing money and the next step is to steal the card.

An exotic fraud technology is reported by the tourists that visit the Indonesian islands - Bali, Java, Sumatra, Sulavesi. Near the currency exchange points there are "convenient" calculators for the currency conversion. The trick is that this calculator does it wrong - showing the amount less that it should be. The same device is also used by the exchange operator. Stay away from such calculators - better use your cellphone - almost all of the modern phones have a calculator.

To evade the card fraud, try not to pay with it in small stores and restaurants.

But if you really need cash - search for the ATM in the bank offices or in the hotels: their administrations really hate scandals that are linked with fraud activity in any way, so the terminals installed here are usually guarded round the clock. And before the trip - it is a good idea to switch on the SMS-informing service - in this case all the information about any operation with your credit card comes instantly to your cellphone and you will be able to block the card in time in any case. Also the phone numbers of the bank emergency departments should be kept in a separate note-block - to have an opportunity to call anyway, even if the cellphone is lost.

Don't exchange money in cabs!
Another danger for the tourists are the currency exchange commissions. Usually there is no information that each currency exchange point takes additional fees, so the tourists are really surprised sometimes that they have received a couple of dollars, euro or whatever currency less than expected. There is only one way to evade it - just ask the exchange officer - what exactly amount you will receive really before the exchange.

In most countries the currency exchange points don't work round the clock and get closed at 4 or 5 o'clock in the evening. After that you can be "served" by the street "exchangers" or taxi drivers that offer a good exchange rate without commissions. Don't believe them - for example the police departments of Turkey are full with tourist's claims that have risked to perform such an exchange. Tourists often even don't know how the local money should look like and as the result, they are left with a heap of colored but useless pieces of paper.

Car rental: examine the vehicle.
These examples should already be included in all the touristic guides - when the car rental companies are "earning" money in this way. A tourist rents a scooter or a car signs papers with texts in foreign language without understanding what is actually written there. And these papers tell that the vehicle has been offered in ideal state and that there are fines that a person has to pay in case of damage. As the result, a small scratch can cost hundreds of euro for the tourist. There is already no sense to prove that it has been already there before you have taken the car and that the repair costs at most 5 or 10 euro - you have already signed the papers. And the fact that you don't speak the local language - doesn't exclude the responsibility.

So, the conclusions here are quite simple:

Most of the car rental companies cars can be insured. Of course the rental will be a bit more expensive, but this is worth the possible costs and nerves.

And in any way - there should be no hustle - have a look at the car thoroughly before you drive away.

Don't forget about the insurance.
The insurance for the tourists is not always a compulsory action, but it really helps in many cases. For example - the health - it costs in many countries really huge amounts of money, even for a trivial help. There are also other types of insurance, but these are too diverse to discuss these here.

The most exotic trips in the world

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Here is the list of the most exotic trips in the world. Those who look for new impressions will be surely interested to know the preferred places of the Europeans. In spite of the expectations, the unusual trips are not the most expensive.

For example, a two-days visit to Stockholm for the solemn dinner attached to the Nobel award will cost about 2500 euro. According to the tradition, the royal family is also present there.

A bit more expensive is a dive to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. For only 30 thousands euro you can get in a submarine to the depth of 3.8 thousands meters - there, where the remains of the famous "Titanic" rest in peace.

Maybe not so solemn, but much more colorful is the celebration that is offered to the tourists in India. The culmination of a one-week tour is an attendance at a wedding "a-la Bollywood". Such a trip costs about 10 thousands euro and this amount includes the traditional costumes for the weddings.

Another interesting trip - the museum for you only. A five-day trip with a visit of the Sixtine Chapel on a weekend day will cost more than thousand euro. Rental of one of the Versailles rooms in Paris costs about 8 thousands euro.

You can spend 6 days for 2 thousands euro as a driver on the American roads. This trip is possible though only for those that possess the respective driving license. The guest, guided by the professional will get from Santa Fe till Los Angeles.

A 7-day course of elephant driving in Thailand costs about 650 euro. The teacher shows special commands that the elephant can follow.

A night in Dubai in the 7-star Burj al Arab hotel - the most expensive in the world - costs 35 thousand dollars. This amount includes apartments with the total area of about 1,2 thousands square meters. The two-storeyed suit with the area of more than thousand of square meters with a view to Las Vegas and a pool costs 30 thousands euro per night.

The 120-meter room on the Alysia yacht costs 94,5 thousands euro per night. You can enjoy the panoramic view out of the window, exclusive deck, huge TV-set and a large bath. 36 passengers of this yacht are being served by 34 crew members.

In the Berlin zoo the guests are also welcome in the night. 3 thousand euro pays the visitor to spend a night in a house near the hippopotamus enclosure. This amount includes hippo watching and a delicious gourmand meal.

A two-week long trip to Oymyakon - the coldest place on Earth, where the temperature reaches minus 68 grad celsius - costs more than 5 thousands euro. The experts note that this voyage is a good durability test.

India Tourism

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India Tourism

Cities of India

Agra Agra was once the capital of the Mughal empire... Best Season :- March and October		Ahmedabad Ahmedabad, the largest city of Gujarat... Best Season :- July to September

Ajmer		Aurangabad
The city of Ajmer is famous as a pilgrimage... Best Season :- October to March		Aurangabad city is located in the northern part of the... Best Season :- October and March

Bangalore The capital of Karnataka state is... Best Season :- Winters		Bikaner This city lies on the northern point of the triangle of... Best Season :- October and March

Bodhgaya In 528 BC Prince Siddhartha Gautama came... Best Season :- November to February		Chennai Chennai was formerly know as Madras. Chennai is one... Best Season :- November to September

Cochin Kochi is a beautiful city situated on the Western... Best Season :- December to February		Darjeeling Darjeeling popularly known as the "Queens of Hill... Best Season :- March to May and September to November

Goa Goa, Jewel of India, is studded with temples... Best Season :- October to February		Haridwar On the foot of Himalayas, on the west bank of Ganges... Best Season :- September and June

Hyderabad Hyderabad is a blend of the fairy tale and... Best Season :- September and Februrary		Jaipur Jaipur, the vibrant capital of Rajasthan, is popularly... Best Season :- October to March

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer is a great place to simply wander... Best Season :- October and March		Jodhpur Jodhpur is the second largest city of Rajasthan... Best Season :- November and March

Khajuraho Khajuraho, the name signifies the place... Best Season :- October to March		Kolkata Kolkata is the oldest major port in the country... Best Season :- October to April

Mount Abu Mount Abu is located in the south-western... Best Season :- Through out the Year		Mumbai The city of Bombay was officially renamed Mumbai... Best Season :- November until March

Mysore A city of palaces, people and smells... Best Season :- October to March		Pune Pune is Maharashtra's second city, which lies... Best Season :- Through out the Year

Pushkar According to the Padma (Lotus) Purana... Best Season :- October and May		Udaipur The city of Lakes, Located in the Aravalli ranges... Best Season :- October to April

Varanasi Varanasi is one of the oldest living cities... Best Season :- October and March

States of India

Goa Goa- The Paradise on Earth... Best Season :- October and February		Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh is India's most popular and easily... Best Season :- April to June

Kerala Kerala is a land of rivers and backwaters... Best Season :- August to February		Karnataka Karnataka, the eighth largest state in the Indian Union... Best Season :- October to March

Maharashtra Maharashtra is a large, populous and... Best Season :- October to March		Rajasthan The Land of massive forts, grand palaces... Best Season :- October to March

Tamilnadu Tamilnadu is bounded by Karnataka and... Best Season :- October to March		Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh has been the most dominant state... Best Season :- October to March

UTTAR PRADESH TOURISM

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UTTAR PRADESH TOURISM

Facts And Figures of Uttar Pradesh

Capital : Lucknow

Area : 2, 94, 411 sq. km.

Population : 15.75 crore.

Language : Hindi.

Season : October to March.

Airports : Agra, Varanasi, Lucknow
Kanpur

Tourist Attractions of Uttar Pradesh

Agra
The name brings to our mind superb monuments including the magnificent Taj which is one of the seven wonders of the world. Famous for Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Chisti's Tomb, Jahangir Mahal.

Other Tourist Destination in Uttar Pradesh

Allahabada, Mathura, Lucknow, Varanasi.

- Agra Travel

- Ahmedabad Travel

- Ajmer Travel

- Bangalore Travel

- Bikaner Travel

- Chennai Travel

- Cochin Travel

- Darjeeling Travel

- Delhi Travel

- Hyderabad Travel

- Goa Travel

- Jaipur Travel

- Goa Tourism

- Himachal Pradesh

- Karnadaka Tourism

- Rajasthan Tourism

- Uttar Pradesh Tourism

- Jaisalmer Travel

- Jodhpur Travel

- Khajuraho Travel

- Aurangabad Travel

- Bodhgaya Travel

- Kolkata Travel

- Mumbai Travel

- Mount abu Travel

- Mysore Travel

- Pushkar Travel

- Udaipur Travel

- Varanasi Travel

- Haridwar Travel

- Kerala Tourism

- Maharashtra Tourism

- Tamil Nadu Tourism

TAMILNADU TOURISM

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TAMILNADU TOURISM

Facts And Figures of Tamilnadu

Capital : Chennai

Area : 1,30,058 sq. km .

Population : 62, 110, 139 .

Language : Tamil, English.

Season : October to March.

Airports : Chennai

Tourist Attractions of Tamilnadu

Chennai
Chennai, one of the four major metropolitan cities of India, is the capital the southeastern state of Tamilnadu-the exotic state famous for its cutworks in the temples, coconut fringes, and silk saris. Stretched out at the coastline of the country, it has number of sites for the tourists to visit. The Marina beach, where the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal mingle with the golden sands, or the forts and palaces, which remind one of the bygone eras, Chennai is a preferred destination of the tourists.

Ooty
There is something special about Ooty. The lush vegetation and the lavender-blue sheen of the mountains offer a promise of a summer of peace.

Other Tourist Destination in Tamilnadu

Chidambaram, Mamallapuram, Coimbatore, Rameswaram, Kotagiri,Thanjavur, Kanchipuram, Tiruchirapalli, Kanyakumari, Tiruvannamalai, Madurai

RAJASTHAN TOURISM

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RAJASTHAN TOURISM

Facts And Figures of Rajasthan

Capital : Jaipur

Area : 342.239 sq. km .

Population : 56,473,122

Language : Hindi, Rajasthan.

Season : October to March.

Airports : Jaipur, Jodhpur.

Tourist Attractions of Rajasthan

Jaipur

The city of Jaipur is capital to the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, famous for its colorful culture, forts, palaces, and lakes. . Main places to visit are :- Hawa Mahal, City Palace, Jantar Mantar.

Jodhpur

Jodhpur is situated at the edge of the Thar Desert with Jaisalmer on its west, Barmar, Jalor and Pali on its south, Bikaner on its north, and Nagaur on the eastern side and Nagaur on the eastern side. The city is like an oasis in the vast desert, with a variety of thorny shrubs all over the area.. Main places to visit are :- Umaid Bhawan Palace, Mehrangarh Fort , Jaswant Thade.

Udaipur

Udaipur is a one of the better-known tourist destinations of India and an integral part of any itinerary for Rajasthan, famous for its forts, palaces, and lakes. Main places to visit are :- Lake Palace, Jag Mandir.

Other Tourist Destination in Rajasthan

Ajmer, Jaisalmer, Mandawa, Alwar, Mount-Abu , Bikaner, Mukundgarh , Bundi, Kota, Samode, Chittorgarh, Khimsar

MAHARASHTRA TOURISM

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MAHARASHTRA TOURISM

Facts And Figures of Maharashtra

Capital : Mumbai

Area : 3,07,713 sq km

Population : 96,752,247

Language : Marathi, Hindi, English

Season : October to March .

Airports : Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune, Aurangabad

Tourist Attractions of Maharashtra

Mumbai
Mumbai, India's economic powerhouse, pulses with power and energy. This great city of more than ten million people is the capital of the state of of Maharashtra and also the commercial capital of the whole country. Center of industry, transportation, and communication, its fine harbor on the Arabian Sea makes its one of the world's busiest ports. Main places to visit are :- Gateway of India, Marine Drive , Victoria Terminus.

Aurangabad
The city of Aurangabad is known for its medieval monuments and cultural heritage. It was the seat of the Mughal Empire for a short period. The city boasts of Bibi-ka-Makbara, a tomb that has some resemblance to the Taj Mahal. The importance of Aurangabad is great, owing to its proximity with world heritage sites of Ajanta and Ellora. These sites have Buddhist, Jain and Hindu temples. Aurangabad is also famous for its silk and cotton textiles.

Khandala
Khandala is one of the important hill stations in the state of Maharashtra and is the pride of the Sahyadri Mountains. Khandala is endowed with abundant natural beauty and like Lonavala, it is also provides a popular gateway from the hustle and bustle of cities of Mumbai and Pune. The picturesque green surroundings of this pretty hill station attract the travelers towards it

Other Tourist Destination in Maharashtra

Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala, Amravati,Nagpur, Nasik, Pune , Kolhapur, Jalogaon, Raigad .

KARNATAKA TOURISM

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KARNATAKA TOURISM

Facts And Figures of Karnataka

Capital : Bangalore

Area : 1,91,791 sq km.

Population : 52,733,958

Language : Kannada, English, Hindi.

Season : October to March.

Airports : Bangalore

Tourist Attractions of Karnataka

Karnataka - the ancient dynastic land of India, which once nurtured great Indian dynasties, is a charming state of coastal beauty and tall wavering palmgroves. Travel Hampi, Halebid, Gulbarga, Badami, Bidar, Bijapur, Halebid and Belur and get a glimpse of Karnataka's historical heritage or enjoy the nightlife of the Silicon Valley of India - Bangalore.

Other Tourist Destination in Karnataka

Mangalore, Hassan, Madikeri, Mysore, Chikmagalur, Karwar

KERALA TOURISM

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KERALA TOURISM

Facts And Figures of Kerala

Capital : Thiruvananthapuram

Area : 38,863 sq km.

Population : 31,838,619

Language : Malayalam, English.

Season : August to February.

Airports : Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikkod

Tourist Attractions of Kerala

The entire state of Kerala is a tourist destination and at every corner of this state, one can experience something new. Backwaters, culture, eco tourism, wildlife, hill stations, beaches, and historical monuments, god has perhaps given everything that was beautiful in his own opinion to his own country. Main places to visit are :- Cochin, Thekkady , Periyar, Munnar.

Other Tourist Destination in Kerala

Allepey, Kozhikkodu, Kasaragod, Kannur, Thrissur, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam Verkala, Kovalam, Quilo.

HIMACHAL PRADESH TOURISM

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HIMACHAL PRADESH TOURISM

Facts And Figures of Himachal Pradesh

Capital : Shimla

Area : 55, 673 sq km

Population : 6, 077, 248

Language : Hindi, English, Pahari

Season : April to June

Airports : The three airports of the state at Bhuntar, Gaggal, and Jubbarhatti connect the state with Delhi and Chandigarh with regular flights from Indian Airlines. There is no international airport in Himachal Pradesh.

Tourist Attractions of Himachal Pradesh

Kullu
The main tourist attraction of Kullu is the Raghunath Temple. And In Bajaura there is a famous temple of Basheshar Mahadev with fine stone carvings and sculptures.

Manali
Once called the "end of the habitable world," Manali is an important hill station of northern India and is the destination of thousands of tourists every year. Its cool atmosphere contains many beautiful sites & temples ie. Manali is known for its shiny gompas or Buddhist monasteries.

Shimla
Shimla truly known as "Destination for all seasons". Christ Church is the second oldest church and is one of the landmarks of Shimla. Himachal State Museum & Library it has a good collection of ancient historical sculptures, Kufri this hill famous for its trekking and hiking trails.

Other Tourist Destination in Himachal Pradesh

Kangra, Solan, Chamba, Kinnaur, Dharamshala, Mandi, Una, Lehul & Spiti .

GOA TOURISM

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GOA TOURISM

Goa Travel & Tours Information - We provides Information on Goa Tourism, Goa travel services like package tours, suggested itineraries, transportation guides, tours and day trips, lodging guide, dining guides, getting around, nightlife activities, car and taxi rental in Goa.

Facts And Figures of Goa

Capital : Panaji

Area : 3702 sq km

Population : 1,343,998

Language : Konkani, Marathi, Hindi, English

Season : October to February

Airports : Goa's international airport is Dabolim, at a distance of 29 km from Panaji, on the coast near Vasco Da Gama

Tourist Attractions of Goa

The Beaches
Frolicking families, eager hands making sand castles, colorful crowds surging towards the sea, hippies busy remembering the good old times and the young and old alike lazing on the golden sands are some of the images that characterize this Queen of Beaches. This picture of a perfect tourist haven is completed with shacks and stalls under the shade of palm trees selling everything from fried prawns and beer to trinkets made of seashells

The St. Alex Church
The Church of St Alex greets with its two towers and a magnificent dome gracing the façade.

Kerkar Art Complex
The Kerkar Art Complex, is the one and only of its kind on this beach. It is a popular center for exhibitions of arts and crafts of local artistes.

Other Tourist Destination in Goa

Panaji, Mapusa, Ponda, Margao, Vasco de gama

VARANASI TOURISM

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VARANASI TOURISM

Varanasi General Info

Area	73.89 sq. km.
Altitude	80.71 mts.
Temperature	Summer : Max 43 ºC, Min 32 ºC. Winter : Max 15 ºC, Min 5 ºC.
Rainfall	111 cm
Languages	Hindi, English and Local dailects.

Varanasi Introduction

Varanasi is one of the oldest living cities in the world and the ultimate pilgrimage for Hindus, who believe that to die in the city is to attain instant salvation. Varanasi is the tract of holy land lying between the Ganga and the Assi rivers. The Assi river also flows into Ganga. Varanasi is also known as Kashi, the city of light since one of the twelve 'Jyortinglinga's is installed here. Varanasi has been a great cultural centre, especially in the fields of music, learning and the craft of silk weaving.

Varanasi History

Varanasi is one of the most important pilgrimage in India and also a major tourist attraction. Situated on the banks of the sacred Ganges, Varanasi has been a center of learning and civilisation for over 2000 years. 25 centuries ago Lord Buddha preached his message of enlightment for the first time in Sarnath which is just 10kms away from Varanasi. Later Varanasi became a great Hindu center, but was looted a number of times by Muslim invaders from the 11th century on. These destructive visits climaxed with that of the Mughal emperor, Aurangazeb, who destroyed almost all the temples and converted the most famous one into a mosque. aranasi has also been known as Kashi and Benares, but its present name is restoration of an ancient name meaning the city between two rivers - the Varuna and Asi.

Varanasi Fair & Festivals

Budddh Purnima :- Celebrating the birth of Lord Buddha, this festival is celebrated with gaiety and rare abandon. A large fair is held at Sarnath and the relics of the Buddha are taken out for a public display on a procession, on this day.

Bharat Milap :- Celebrating Lord Ram's return from exile after 14 years and His reunion with His brother Bharat, the festival is held one day following Dussehra.

Dhrupad Mela :- Dhrupad Mela march A 5-day music festival of Dhrupad is perfomed by renowned artistes at Tulsi Ghat. It is very popular among foreign tourists.

Hanuman Jayanti Janmotsav :- Janmotsav of Lord Hanuman is celebrated at Sankat Mochan Temple for 5 days with the cultural and musical programmes by artists from all over India.

Mahashivratri :- On this day every Shiv Mandir is decorated. In Varanasi a marriage procession of Lord Shiva is taken out starting from Mahamritunjaya temple, Daranagar to Kashi Vishwanathan temple via chowk.

Varanasi Best Season

The best time to visit Ujjain in between of the month October and March.

UDAIPUR TOURISM

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UDAIPUR TOURISM

Udaipur General Info

Area	39 sq. km.
Altitude	577 metres.
Temperature	Summer : Max 38.3ºC, Min 23.3ºC. Winter : Max 28.3ºC, Min 11.6 ºC.
Rainfall	61 cms.
Languages	Mewari, Hindi, and English.

Udaipur Introduction

The city of Lakes, Located in the Aravalli ranges of Rajasthan, the city of Udaipur is situated at a distance of about 405 km from the state capital Jaipur. The City of Dawn, surrounded by the ancient Aravali Mountains and set on the edge of three lakes, is a brilliant kaleidoscope of narrow lanes flanked by bright stalls, gardens, lakes, palaces and temples. The city is famous for its palaces, lake, museums, temples, and gardens and much more.

Udaipur History

The city was founded in 1567 AD by Maharana Udai Singh on the advice of a sage. Udaipur was last of the numerous Mewar capitals. It was in Udaipur that legendary Maharana Pratap was born. He was obsessed with Chittaur and the past glories of the Sisodia clan possessed his mind. Maharana Pratap left Udaipur to win back Chittaur from the Mughals. But he failed in his attempts and Udaipur remained the capital of Mewar till India got her independence.The memory of the failure of noble Pratap gives Udaipur its pervading mood of nostalgic wistfulness.

The city acquires its scenic beauty from the Aravallis. Three lakes- Pichola, Fateh Sagar and Udai Sagar make it an oasis in the desert.

Udaipur Fair & Festivals

Craft Bazaar :- The Shilp Gram (Craft Bazaar) is situated just 3 km off Udaipur and is a great place to see the art and craft of all the states of western India. The Directorate of Tourism organizes a 10-day festival from December 15 every year, which is a treat for the visitors interested in village crafts.

Mewar Festival :- The onset of spring brings the Mewar festival on April 7-8. A traditional welcome to spring, this festival is a visual feast with Rajasthani songs, dances, processions, devotional music and firework displays. It is celebrated in the romantic city of Udaipur during the Gangaur Festival. A procession of colorfully attired women carrying images of the goddess Gauri makes its way to Lake Pichola. A procession of boats on the lake offers a fitting finale to this splendid celebration.

Udaipur Best Season

The summers are hot and winters are cold but the temperature does not rise to extremes. The rainfall is less, around 61 cms annually. So the best season is to visit Udaipur is in between of October to April.

PUSHKAR TOURISM

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PUSHKAR TOURISM

Pushkar General Info

Area	16.34 sq km.
Altitude	486 mts.
Temperature	Summer : Max 37.7° C Min 23.3° C. Winter : Max 15.5° C Min 3.7° C.
Rainfall	Average rainfall varies from 38 to 51 cms
Languages	Rajasthani, Hindi and English.

Pushkar Introduction

According to the Padma (Lotus) Purana, Pushkar, 15km northwest of ajmer, came into existence when Lord Brahma, the Creator, dropped his lotus flower (pushpa) to earth from his hand (kar) to kill a demon. At the three spots where the petals landed, water magically appeared in the midst of the desert to form three small blue lakes, and it was on the banks of the largest of these that Brahma subsequently convened a gathering of some 900,000 celestial beings - the entire Hindu pantheon. surrounded by whitewashed temples and bathing ghats, the lake is today revered as one of India's most sacred sites : Pushkaraj Maharaj, literally "Pushkar King of Kings". During the auspicious full-moon phase of October/ November (the anniversary of the gods' mass meeting, or yagya), its waters are believed to cleanse the soul of all impurities, drawing pilgrims from all over the country. Alongside this annual religious festival, Rajasthani villagers also buy and sell livestock at what has become the largest camel market (unt mela) in the world, when more than 200,000 dealers, tourists and traders fill the dunes to the west of the lake.
The legendary colour of the camel mela, combined with the beautiful desert scenery and heady religious atmosphere of the temples and ghats have inevitably made Pushkar a prime tourist destination.

Pushkar History

Pushkar the sister city of Ajmer, is only 11 kms away from the city. Accounts of this city can be founded in the 4th century writing of the Chinese traveler Fa-Hien and also in the scripts writing during the era of Muslims invasions. Pushkar is famous for its fairs and festivals and for Brahma Temple. It is said that in a battle Lord Brahma killed the demon Vajra Nabh with a lotus flower whose petals floated down to earth and landed in three places in and Pushkar where Lakes sprang up. the bath at Pushkar is thought to be more important than at any other place. The holy dip in this lake on Kartika Purnima is thought to be salvation giving. Pushkar is very dear to Lord Brahma. The place is famous in His name. So it is blessed by Him in every way. In olden times the people who took a holy dip at Pushkar were relieved from all the sins and went to heaven after their death by the grace of Lord Brahma. According to another legend back in a legendary time Lord Brahma was flying over the Rajasthan desert on his swan when some petals fell from his hand and drifted down. Miraculously, blue lakes sprang up where the flowers had touched the soft sands. Just then, Lord Brahma realized that this was the auspicious moment to perform a fire sacrifice.

Pushkar Fair & Festivals

Pushkar Fair (Oct.-Nov.) :- A colourful and lively fair, it is one of the largest cattle fairs in the country held every year at Pushkar on Kartik Poornima (full moon, October - November) . The 9 day event is considered to be the most striking animal fair in the world. As the fair has religious significance too, pilgrims and tradesmen come in thousands from far and near. Hundreds of horses, camels, cows and bulls are brought here to be sold. The spectacular fair is irresistible. Vendor displays their attractive goods and the villagers go on a shopping spree. Colourfully filled by turbaned men and odhni-wearing women, the entire atmosphere is electric and the otherwise serene temple town comes to life.
The Camel & Horse races, parades and other cultural events are organized, which are full of fun and gaiety. After an eventful day, as the sun sets down, the entire atmosphere reverbrates with the ringing bells and prayers in the temples. At night, hundreds of small oil lamps are lit and placed on green leaves and floated on the lake after the Arti Puja (prayers). the act of worship is called 'deepdan', and the entire lake is illuminated. The view is simply mesmerizing and is to be seen to be believed.

Pushkar Best Season

The best time to visit Pushkar is between October and May.

PUNE TOURISM

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PUNE TOURISM

Pune General Info

Area	13.9 sq. km.
Altitude	559 m above sea level.
Temperature	Summer : Max 40ºC, Min 20ºC. Winter : Max 29ºC, Min 8ºC.
Rainfall	Average 30 inch.
Languages	Marathi, Hindi and English.

Pune Introduction

Pune is Maharashtra's second city, which lies close to the Western Ghat Mountains, on the edge of the Deccan plains as they stretch away to the east. Pune is the cultural capital of the Maratha people, which is also known as the "Queen of the Deccan." Pune is a contrast of history and modernism. Pune is considered as the Oxford of India – with its many educational and research institutions apart from other institutions for sports, yoga, ayurveda, culture and social services.Pune is nowadays also seen as a potential city for massive growth of Information Technology.

Pune History

The city was one of the pivotal bases of the 17th century Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji, who was born at the Shivneri Fort here. Pune became the seat of the enterprising Peshwas, under whom Maratha power rose into a major political force. The Peshwas were renowned patrons of the arts and in their time, enriched the city with temples, gardens and educational institutions. After the Battle of Koregaon in 1818, Pune fell into the hands of the East India Company. It was here that Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak introduced the principle of Swadeshi during the Freedom Movement. The British proposed to transform the city into a 'monsoon capital' but instead developed it into a 19th century Indian army town and renamed it Poona.

Pune Fair & Festivals

The festivals which are celebrated in Pune are:-

The Ganesh Festival :- Lord Ganesh, the patron deity of Maharashtra, is the God of wisdom. The 11-day festival begins with the installation of beautifully sculpted Ganesh idols in homes and mandaps, colorfully decorated, depicting religious themes or current events. People take Ganesh idols in procession to the accompaniment of music and dance for immersion in the sea or nearby river or lake on the 11th day.

Diwali Festival :- The most beautiful of all Indian festivals, Diwali is a celebration of lights. The Diwali night in particular is a delightful feast to watch. On the same night "Laxmi Poojan" is held and the Goddess is venerated. Legend has it that Laxmi the Goddess of wealth visits all the houses hence all the houses are well-lighted and kept open. Diwali also ushers the" Hindu New Year".

Holi :- Each year, after a successful winter harvest, people get ready to welcome the spring with Holi - the festival of colors. Brightly colored powders are applied on faces, and there is plenty of music, dance and sweets to fill the rest of the day. The exuberant display of colors symbolizes the advent of a colorful and prosperous spring season.

Pune Best Season

Pune could be visited through out the year. The climate is absolute for traveling. In summer cotton clothes and in winters light cotton are advised.