Wednesday, 4 January 2012

Fun Fact About Australia That You May Like

Thinking about taking a vacation to Australia? Here are a few fun facts about Australia that will help you make your decision. The length of this article will only allow for a few facts, however if you search on the web, you can find a lot more. Australians have their own unique culture and landscape. Hence it is not unusual that many of its fun facts are associated with its culture as well as its geography. Moreover, Australians also have a unique history; hence you will find many facts associated with their history as well.

Some fun facts about Australia:

Australia is also known for its extremely large cattle stations. The largest cattle ranch stands at around 30,000 square kilometers, almost being the size of Belgium.

Australia is known for its large size, but an extremely small population of people. Australia is one of the biggest countries in the world but it has only around 20 million people. Hence the population density in Australia is quite low. In fact it is so low that the density is not measured in people per square kilometer, but instead it is measured in square kilometers per people! A single person in Australia has around 380 square kilometers for him. Australia has a vastly arid landscape which explains its low population density. Moreover, around 90% of the population of the people lives in cities.

The Australian language has its fair share of slang. Just look at how they refer to their people from the various regions and you will find out. People from Queensland are called "banana benders" and those from Western Australia are called "sand gropers."

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most important tourist destinations in Australia and is in fact quite famous all around the world for its rich coral habitat. However this is not the fun fact. The fun fact is that it has got a post office where when can send out a post card with the only Great Barrier Reef stamp. Talking about the Barrier Reef, the coral that the barrier reef houses is the largest organic construction in the world.

Western Australia is known for its vast size. In fact it is the largest state in Australia. It is so big that it is comparable to Western Europe, which has countries that are quite big in their own right such as France and Germany.

Australia has a reputation for building large structures that catch anyone's attention. These structures can be found along the road in the various regions of Australia.

The Australia flag was first flown on 3rd September 1901 in Melbourne at the Royal Exhibition buildings and In fact has a mini Flag of Great Britain occupying the top left quarter of the flag as a part of its colonial heritage.

While the flag was being raised, all schools were asked through the radio to also raise their Australia flag at the same time. We hope you liked and also enjoyed our version of fun facts about Australia.


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Kerala Adventure Tour - A Journey of Fun and Thrill

Kerala is the land, which is known for its many enchanting attractions. Its high mountains, deep lakes, enchanting backwaters, lush green vegetation and exciting wildlife altogether make it an appealing destination. This beautiful land also offers wonderful opportunities to adventure enthusiasts to indulge in several adventure and sport activities. These include trekking, water sports, and backwater cruise and jungle safaris.

Some of the famous adventures that you can enjoy during your Kerala tour are:

Canoeing

It is an exciting activity that allows you to explore the unique divine beauty. Trying canoeing on backwaters is a perfect way to relax and unwind your self. Enjoy the mesmerizing charm of beautiful lagoons and meandering rivers. Usually considered a fun activity, even though amateurs should not try it.

Trekking

It is the best experience for wildlife lovers. You can enjoy few hours of trekking in the famous Periyar Tiger Reserve. In Kerala you also get a perfect opportunity to spot the wild animals like elephants, sambar and deer. You can also enjoy trekking to the peaks of interesting places like Wayanad and Chembra. While in the hills of Munnar, you get an opportunity to enjoy various treks including one to Meeshapulimala. 

Water Sports

Kerala offers a network of beaches, lakes, backwaters and rivers. These natural vistas offer a perfect way to indulge in several water sports like snorkeling, scuba diving, catamaran sailing, wind surfing, canoeing, kayaking, para sailing and white water rafting. The best destinations to enjoy these exciting water sports are the beaches of Kovalam, Alapuzzha and Varkala.

Jungle Safari

While on Kerala tour, you can also enjoy a jungle safari to the deep tropical forests of Kerala. It boasts of several wildlife sanctuaries and national parks and thus, offers exciting opportunities to see the exotic wildlife. You can enjoy wildlife adventure in the forms of jeep safari, nature trek, elephant safari, tiger trail, bamboo rafting and wilderness camps. The jungles of Thekkady and Periyar are the best places to enjoy these activities at its best. 

Hiking

Hiking in Kerala is an exciting form of recreation and adventure. Due to its high mountains and deep-cut valleys, Kerala is ideal for those who are passionate about this adventure. The famous places in Kerala for this adventure are the hill stations of Idukki, Munnar, Palakkad and Wagamon.

Houseboat Cruising

To enjoy the adventure of houseboat cruising, you can book this trip. This fun-filled expedition allows tourists to venture into the tranquil backwaters of the state.

Delhi is a magical land and is must visit during North India Travel. Its colorful and jazzy culture, bustling streets, malls, shopping centers and impressive ancient monuments lend it a perfect combination of ethnicity and modernity. Travel to Delhi is the best way to spice up your life with its varied and distinctive characteristics.


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It's Luxury On A Luxury Safari

Going on safari is likely to be a once in a life time experience for you and your family. The planning and the anticipation can be as exciting as the safari itself but this is a holiday that you really do not want to do on the cheap. To get the best out of your safari it is always best to spend as much as you can on the various components of it.

Why?
You might say, what difference does it make? Won't you be seeing the same animals whatever you spend? Well, possibly but there is more to a luxury safari than just seeing Africa's big five.

Accommodation, accommodation, accommodation
The accommodation can make or break any trip but on an African safari it can be the icing on your holiday cake. Booking a luxury safari and staying at the best and most atmospheric Lodges and Hotels that Africa has to offer can enhance your safari and elevate it from merely a trip you took to an enduring treasured memory that will last you a life time. Whether it is because of the crisp cotton sheets that you slip between after a day on safari, the food, or the hot tub on the deck of your lodge where you watched the night time African skies, counting shooting stars, your luxury safari will be the one trip that you remember long after it has finished.

Think less, do more
There are very many little things that make up a luxury safari. When you have come to enjoy the majesty of Africa and the animals that live there, you do not want to be worrying about any element of your accommodation or any other aspect of your travel as you move around enjoying the sights and sounds around you. A luxury safari gives you just that, the luxury of forgetting about the logistics of your trip so that you are free to enjoy your days and let others expertly attend to your comfort.

Your own guide
There is no doubt that to get the most out of your safari your guide's local knowledge is crucial. On a private tour, you will be able to travel in your own vehicle accompanied by your own driver who will also be you guide. On a luxury safari this means that you will have the opportunity to ask questions about all aspects of the country and of course about the animals and their habitats as you travel around. Local guides born and bred in the country, can give you a real insight into life there, as well as expert identification of anything you might see. Your guide will very often have their own tried and tested ways of getting you to where the action is just as it happens! Your own luxury safari tour will also give you the freedom to stop whenever you wish to with your guide always there to explain and explore with you.

Luxury safari guides are the elite and have worked for many years in the local area that you are traveling through, and that means that they know the people around the National Parks, the rangers who patrol them and the staff at the hotels and lodges that you visit. Their local knowledge and unfaltering friendly enthusiasm to share their country with you will bowl you over and is likely to be one of the many highlights or your holiday,

There is no doubt that if you are planning to go on safari then you must consider a luxury safari. This is not about pampering yourself although there is a fair amount of that as well, this is about having a vacation of a lifetime in the great African wilderness and making your trip not just a holiday but the best experience you have had in your life.

Graeme is writing on behalf of Opulent Africa Luxury Safaris and Luxury African Safaris


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Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Exploring Bali, Indonesia

A paradise, a haven - these are how the beautiful island of Bali in Indonesia can be described. Surrounded by the glorious oceans and made alive by the resonating light of the tropical sun, Bali is indeed a favorite destination of people who book air tickets out of impulse.

But what makes Bali, Indonesia a definite tourist spot in Southeast Asia?

Bali is an island that lies in the southern part of the Indonesian archipelago. With its geographical characteristic, it is hailed as one of the resort islands in the country. It is famous for its pristine and magnificent beaches, and those areas are the most popular among tourists. Among the largely visited are those in Kuta, Nusa Dua, Lovina, Medewi, Seminyak, Legian, and the Southeastern Islands. Flaunting either white, black or golden beds of sand, the resorts in these areas are definitely the most beautiful in the island.

But one does not go to Bali just to see the beaches. After all, nature is not defined with beaches alone. Bali is also rich with interesting floras and faunas that are distinctively Indonesian. To discover the richness of Bali's most beautiful nature reserves, people may visit Mount Agung, West Bali National Park, Kintamani, and Ubud Monkey Forest.

As there is a wide diversity in religion in Bali, tourists are also awarded with the chance to lay eyes on magnificent architectural pieces, which are normally known as temples. Unique and totally breathtaking, it is definitely worth a prize to see the Tanah Lot Temple, Goa Gajah, Water Palace (Puri Saren Agung), Tirta Empul, Mother Temple of Besakih and a lot more.

There are a lot of spectacles to see in the island. But what complements all these attractions is the fact that Bali gives home to a great culture. The locals are friendly and hospitable; and they have so much joy to impart tourists. Them being a happy group of people is reflected on the different kind of festivals which is surely worth the price of air tickets to Bali. Among the famous celebrations held in the island are the Odalan Temple Anniversary Procession, Nyepi, and Galungan Festival. And to further understand the daily living of the locals, coastal villages in East Bali can be visited.

Indeed, Bali is a great destination for tourists who wish to maximize their relaxation time; and it will never be a mistake to book air tickets to Bali, because it is undeniably a paradise.

Charlise James - online writer for AirTicketOnSale.com - the most trusted online air ticket booking website and Singapore travel agency. http://www.airticketonsale.com/


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Fun Games for RV Trips

When you're on the road for an RV trip, you spend a lot of time, well, on the road. While an RV affords more entertainment opportunities, and space, than a typical road trip in a smaller vehicle, those hours can still leave your passengers pining for things to do. Here are several ideas of ways you can pass the time between destinations:

Alphabet Game

This tried-and-true classic inspires friendly competition and requires enough focus to keep RV occupants riveted on passing signs, etc. This game can be played a couple different ways. In one version, you start with A and have to find a word (on passing billboards, road signs, etc) that begins with the letter A. The same word cannot be used again by another player. After finding an A word, you move on to B -- whoever gets through Z first, wins! Other versions simplify the game by allowing you to find the letter anywhere, not just at the beginning of a word. In this version, you can find the letters on license plates as well.

Card Games

Whether you opt for gin rummy or go fish, an RV is ideal for playing card games because, unlike other vehicles, you have table space! Poker and black jack will go over well with older crowds, while younger players can enjoy simpler games like slap jack and memory. If you're tired of traditional games, pick a target and see who can throw the most cards into the trash can, etc. Flicking cards effectively is more difficult than you'd expect -- and it's addicting to try and perfect your technique. Also, an RV trip is a good a time as any to bust out all your old card tricks -- your audience is captive, after all.

I Spy

This one is a good way to stay entertained while still enjoying the passing scenery. Each player takes a turn choosing an object outside and gives a clue, such as, "I spy something green." Players take turns guessing what the object is until someone gets it right, and whoever guesses correctly gets to pick the next object. Be careful though -- if you don't pick a larger object in the distance, it's likely to pass too quickly for anyone to guess it. If you run out of larger choices, you can choose things inside the RV.

Cow Counting

If you're in cow country, start counting! Assign players to face different windows, set a time limit, and see who can spot the most cows. No livestock around? Pick whatever fits for the region you're in -- a certain kind of tree or cactus, oil drills, airplanes, etc. Spice this game up by adding a prize for the team that gets the highest count before the time runs out. Nothing compels people quite like the promise of an ice cream cone or the right to choose the afternoon movie.

License Plate Acronyms

Aside from making the cars around you paranoid, writing down passing license plate numbers can provide an entertaining and creative activity. Using the letters from the license plates, see how many funny and witty phrases you can come up with using the letters as an acronym. Bonus points if you manage to include the numbers in the phrase!

Car Shopping

There are two ways you can play this game. In the first version, you pick a time limit and each player has to view the passing cars and decide which one they want to "own." Whoever calls a car first gets it, but once you call one you can't change your answer. Be careful -- if you hold out until the end, you might get stuck with the last old beater you see before time runs out. At the end, you can either debate about whose car is best or let someone who didn't play choose the winner. Another way to play this game is to have each player select a type of car. During the predetermined time limit, see who can find the most of his or her type of car on the road around you.

Any of the above games should be winners with your RV crowd -- but you're less likely to enjoy them if you're dealing with setbacks or RV trouble. If heading through Arizona, get everything checked at a Phoenix RV service location so you can have as much peace of mind as possible during the 25th round of I Spy.

Katie Hawkes is a freelance blogger for RV Renovators, a full-service AZ mobile RV repair shop and Phoenix RV service company with more than 30 years of experience.


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Golden Triangle Tour - A Journey of Rich Indian Heritage

India is a globally renowned country for its glorious past, rich heritage and culture. It was ruled by several kingdoms for over long time span that result in evolution of several wonderful heritage sites and amalgam different cultures and traditions. These things collectively project Indian country as a wonderful landscape for vacationers, cultural enthusiasts and artistic travelers. Millions of tourists visit Indian landscape every year from different countries. The country offers various flavors for travel and tourism and lures all kinds of vacationers. One can visit several wonderful hill towns blessed with unparalleled natural beauty, manmade historical structures and important religious places on a well planned holiday in India.

If you are planning your first visit of India and want to explore its wonderful heritage and culture, the Golden Triangle circuit can be the right choice for you. It is one of the most selling tour packages in the country. Well planned Golden Triangle trips offer exposure incredible heritage of India. Generally, this tourist circuit covers three most deserving tourist spots of North India. Namely, these destinations are Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

Generally, this circuit starts from national capital Delhi due to its worldwide connectivity and exceptional tourism facilities. Delhi is a beautiful city with fusion of different cultures. There are lots of places to see in this city. Historical Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun Tomb are the three major attractions of Delhi tourism. These three sites are declared as UNSECO World Heritage Sites. Besides these, travelers will also visit several other interesting sites in Delhi including Jama Masjid (the largest mosque in India), Akshardham Temple, Lotus Temple, India Gate, Parliament House and many more. Apart from manmade structures the city is also known for its huge markets. Connaught Place, Chandni Chowk and Dilli Haat are most popular places for shopping in this city.

After Delhi, travelers will visit Agra, the next destination of Golden Triangle circuit. In Agra, travelers will see amazing Taj Mahal; it is the most popular tourist attraction of a Golden Triangle trip. It is a World Heritage Site and also included in the Seven Wonders of the World due to its unique architecture and eye-catching beauty. The masterpiece was built by Mughal emperor Shan Jahan in memory of his wife. At the time of sunrise or in full moon light the monument really becomes outstanding and spellbound its audience. Travelers will also visit several other interesting sites in and surroundings of this city. Agra Fort, Itmad-ud-Daulah Tomb, Ram Bagh gardens and Buland Darwaza (the largest gateway around the world) are the some must watch sites them.

Jaipur is the third destination of this tour. It is a prime tourist destination and capital city of Rajasthan. The city receives millions of travelers every year from around the globe. Magnificent forts, palaces, old temples, luxury heritage hotels and delicious cuisines are the most appealing attractions of this city. Jaipur City Palace, Amber Fort, Sheesh Mahal, Jaigarh and Nahargarh forts, Hawa Mahal, Birla Temple and Laxmi Narayan Temple are most popular sites of this place to visit. You can also enjoy shopping of traditional items like leather footwear, carpets, handicrafts, gems and jewelries at open street markets of Jaipur. Maniharon Ka Rasta is the most popular shopping street of this city.

This is the glimpse of a Golden Triangle tour. Tourists will surely enjoy much more on real expedition. To enjoy these wonderful attractions in a single visit, you can plan a Golden Triangle trip with any reputed India travel agent. Several reputed tour and travel service providers are working in Delhi and other popular tourist places of the country. They are providing excellent Golden Triangle trips with Rajasthan packages according interest of travelers. So, to explore the rich Indian heritage you can select a right tour package according to your budgets and holidays in next vacation.

Pramod is an expert writer primarily focusing on travel and tourism related topics. Currently he is working with Swagat Holidays, a leading India Travel Agent offering exciting range of Golden Triangle Tour.


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Monday, 2 January 2012

How to Dress For an African Safari

The majority of safari tours take place in the African highlands where temperatures can be cool in the morning and evening but balmy in the afternoon. Safari-goers should also prepare to protect themselves from the dust, insects and hours of direct sunlight if you are traveling around in a windowless, roofless vehicle. Dressing in the appropriate attire allows visitors to focus their attention on the safari experience at hand rather than worrying about getting bitten or sunburnt.

Although temperatures rise quickly in Africa with the dawning of the sun, warm clothes are needed for the chilly drive to the park which is generally in an open topped vehicle. Full length trousers, a t-shirt and some form of jacket that is easily removable is required, so opt for breathable, mist-proof material such as windbreaker trousers and jacket. Although the weather will almost certainly heat up as the morning progresses you will be glad you wore the correct attire to kick off your safari.

Footwear is another important aspect of your clothing to consider. As most safaris are hot and dusty, a pair of hiking boots or well-worn trainers with adequate breathing space is perhaps your best bet. Something you are not too fussed about getting dirty but yet at the same time you don't want your feet to be sweating all day either.

As the day wears on, the layers are going to start coming off. Underneath your morning attire it is certainly recommended to wear a lightweight shirt and shorts made of durable material. A typical safari vest is a good idea to put over your t-shirt so you can use the pockets for your camera and a pair of binoculars. For as long as the sun is shining it's advisable to wear a large brimmed hat which covers both your head and neck, the last thing you want on your trip is sun burn or worse, sun stroke. Factor 30+ sunscreen is the minimum you should carry with you at all times, ensuring any visible skin showing is fully covered.

Many safari tours finish off with an evening meal under the stars. The clear skies brings the temperatures back down again, so for the evening a more formal approach is usually considered the norm and usually consists of a modest dress for the women and a polo shirt with khaki slacks for the men. To complete the somewhat formal outfit, wear comfortable shoes which usually consists of leather boots or shoes for the men and a pair of open toed flats for the women.

A final word of warning, in many African countries it is disrespectful to wear very short and revealing clothes, especially on women. Many African regions are very religious both Muslim and Christians so take that into consideration before you begin traipsing through your wardrobe looking for things you wore on the beach on your holidays in previous years.

If you are looking for exciting Tanzania safaris or maybe a chance to hike to the summit of Kilimanjaro then come and speak to the experts at Africa Travel Resource.


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