Thailand is Shaped Like an Elephant

Thailand is one of the most accessible and well known countries in South East Asia.

Sun seekers lie on the beaches on one of Thailands many beautiful tropical islands, backpackers explore Thailands culture and Westerners who stay long term hang out in Bangkok or work in one of Thailands tourist resorts.

Tourism in Thailand has been heavily promoted by the Tourism Authority Thailand. Tourism in Thailand is well organized and the attractions are easily accessible. Increasing numbers of tourists from the West are visiting amazing.

It has varied attractions including interesting and cultured cities historical parks with stunning monuments and temples from ancient Siam national parks of outstanding natural beauty, wildlife sanctuaries, tropical islands, beaches, and tasty food and meditation retreats.

The Kingdom of Thailand, which used to be called Siam until 1939, has never been colonized by the West and therefore does not have the same resentment towards foreigners that is experienced in some other countries. Thailand is an interesting country to visit historically and culturally with impressive ruins from ancient empires in Thailand. It was invaded by the Burmese and was under Khmer control for some time.

People from other areas such as China, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia and Tibet have ended up in Thailand, leading to a diverse mixture of people and cultures. Buddhism came to Thailand from India in the second or third century BC and has become the predominant religion but there is also a strong Muslim community.

Thais are very proud of their King. The easy going attitude of the people in Thailand has led to Thailand being known as the Land of Smiles. Thais tend to be pleasant and friendly, and used to tourists. English is now taught in schools so many young Thais speak some English.

Thailand is part of South East Asia and borders Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia. Refugees from Myanmar live in settlements in Thailand. Thailands hill tribes in the north consist of different ethnic groups and sea gypsies live on the islands in the south.

There are border crossings between Thailand and her neighbouring countries, allowing travellers to cross by land. Thailand is a good place to start a trip to South East Asia as it is very easy going well set up for tourists and it is possible to get visas for other countries in Bangkok.

Thailand is shaped like an elephant, with the northern region being the ears and head, and the southern gulf being the trunk. The Siamese elephant is a national emblem and there are still some wild elephants left in Thailand.

The City of Angels Los Angeles

The City of Angels, Los Angeles, is the second most populous city in the USA, with a real mix of ethnicities making up the almost 4 million people living in the city. It is one of those places that everyone in the world is familiar with to one extent or another. This is primarily due to its prevalence in popular culture music, television and cinema mainly, where LA is the hub around which everything else seems to revolve.

Los Angeles is also a particularly large city, covering an area in excess of 460 square miles, and with areas of interest all around the city, and beyond, it makes car hire a must have option. The distances to cover are impractical by other means.

One point that should not be left undressed is that of crime. The usual presentation of Los Angeles as a city full of gangs and violent crime is some way from the reality. Naturally there is an element of truth in that the city does have a gang culture within it, but only in small areas of the city. The days of South Central and nearby Compton being totally out of bounds are no longer.

It is a city where there is so much to see and do, both by day and by night, that there is never enough time to fit it all in. It is a city of diversity, making it an ideal destination as there is something for everyone.

For those with children, or simply a child at heart, there has to be a visit planned to the wonderful Disneyland. It is situated in Anaheim which is about 25 miles to the southeast of Los Angeles so a car is needed to get there really, unless one of the local hotels is chosen as a base. What can you say about Disneyland that hasnt been said before. It is a truly magical experience that must not be missed.

Venice Beach is the image that the whole of California has been built on and is another of those iconic places that simply must be seen. The key to enjoying Venice Beach is to not look so obviously like a tourist, feel part of the whole scene and a spiritual calm flows through you.

The heart of the entertainment industry is here, with studios such as Universal operating out of here, running their own theme park too. The main area for visitors is Hollywood Boulevard. Here are the tourist spots such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the stars set in the pavement, and Manns Chinese Theatre, where stars past and present put their hands into wet cement in order to leave a lasting testament along with a message.

One of the icons of Los Angeles is the palm tree, seen lining the streets of the city or at least some of them. However this is set to change with the Los Angeles City Council deciding they wont be planting any more preferring instead to put down native oak and sycamore trees.

The LA palm trees are considered too expensive and prone to disease and with the plan to plant a million trees before Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa leaves office there is no room for sentiment here.

Venue Finder Team

Booking venues for conferences and meetings isn’t necessarily as easy a task as you might imagine. For even the most modest of meetings, there are often a number of ancillary issues to sort out before arrangements can be confirmed – what are the technical requirements for the meeting? How many people do you expect to attend? – and for larger events, such as conventions, product launches, or annual general meetings, these problems are magnified several times over. For these reasons, it can often be beneficial to engage the services of a dedicated venue finder team that can handle all of these issues, leaving you and your staff free to concentrate on the more important issues, not least the substantive content of your seminars or meetings.

There are a number of potential benefits from adopting the services of a venue finder team. Firstly, such companies and services are experienced in their work and familiar with a wide range of venues. They can help advise on the best type of venue for your needs, bearing in mind that your requirements for a series of small meetings or seminars, say, will be very different to the logistics around holding annual general meetings or conventions. PR events and product launches bring their own challenges, too, and may alter the requirements you have of a specific venue. There are other considerations, too, as we shall see, not least accommodation, and a venue finder team can also advise on suitable places to stay, and may be able to secure discounted room rates that would not be available to you if you merely phoned up a hotel to make an enquiry.

The prime consideration to bear in mind when looking for a venue for your conferences or training courses is location. This may be obvious, particularly if all the attendees or delegates are from the same place. Alternatively, you may be hosting a national or even international event; if so, it will be important to ensure that the location for your corporate event is easily accessible for all delegates by road, rail or air, depending on circumstances.

Once a general location has been established, you need to move on to choosing a specific venue. Here again, there are a number of factors that need to be borne in mind. Your requirements of a given venue will depend on the type of corporate event you are hosting and the number of people expected to attend. Clearly if you are merely holding a meeting or series of meetings with a dozen or so attendees, your needs will probably be fairly modest; a meeting room or two, catering, and perhaps technical requirements such as projectors or videoconferencing equipment. If, however, you are planning larger events, such as annual general meetings or major conventions, your requirements become more difficult for smaller venues to support.

You will need breakout rooms, banqueting facilities for large numbers of guests, a large hall for plenary sessions with appropriate and dependable IT and projection facilities to match. Depending on how many people you expect at your corporate event, it may be that only the largest and best-appointed venues are able to cater to these specialist needs.

There are also different types of venues to consider. Many companies choose to hold their team building events and seminars in ‘conventional’ conference venues such as exhibition centres or large hotels, but consider for a moment the benefits of choosing an alternative venue, such as a country house a few miles outside a major city, or a sporting venue such as a racetrack. Choosing somewhere different can enliven otherwise run-of-the-mill team building events and form a superb backdrop for PR events and product launches. A specialist venue finder team will have a list of such venues in different parts of the country, and you will be pleasantly surprised at the wealth of options available to you – and often within a remarkably short distance of your offices!

The final hurdle to be cleared is finding suitable accommodation for the delegates to your corporate events and seminars. If you’re holding your event at a hotel, finding rooms for attendees to stay may not be difficult – but are you and your guests getting the best possible deal from the hotel? Unlikely. Many venue finder teams have long working associations with hotel chains and are able to secure discounted room rates on block bookings that simply would not be available to you if you simply emailed them with an enquiry.

For all of these reasons, securing the services of a specialist venue finder team can be a sensible option. Many venue finder teams offer a free service; they make their money through commissions from hotels and conference centres, so it’s a win-win business relationship. Take a bit of the stress out of organizing your seminars and conferences, and save money into the bargain.

Holidaying in South Africa: Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban

South Africa is a land finally moving ahead after a long period of troubles. It offers a magical tourist experience with its natural splendour, wildlife and pulsating cities.

Johannesburg

Johannesburg, a vast brassy, metropolis bursting with contrasts, is the place to visit if you want to understand the real South Africa.

Transport: getting there and getting away

Johannesburg International Airport (JIA), is conveniently reachable from both Pretoria and Jo’burg. It has flights all around the country. The major destinations are served by a number of budget airlines. International bus services connect Jo’burg with the nearby countries of Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Climate

Both Johannesburg and Pretoria can be oppressively hot in summer. Winters can get cold.

Accommodation: from cheap stays to luxury resorts

Check on the internet for the range, location and cost of Johannesburg hotels

Events: what’s on and what’s hot

*The grand event of the year is the Arts Alive Festival which runs throughout September and October. The event showcases the talents of the country’s rich cultures which were long suppressed.
*The Rand Easter Show at the National Exhibition Centre in April
*Jo’burg Jazz Festival in late September
*The annual Gay Pride March held on the last Saturday of September.

Cape Town

The Table Mountain crowns this city but it also boasts magnificent beaches and starky beautiful landscapes and a host of flora and fauna.

Transport: getting there and getting away

Many international flights connect with Cape Town. Trains and buses are available both departing from the Cape Town train station.

Taxis and ‘Rikki’ transporters will get you around the city. Minibus taxis and an efficient bus system are other choices.

Climate
Winter (June to August) can be miserably cold and wet with temperatures ranging from 7 C to 18 C. Summer, (December to March) tends to be very hot, maxing out at 26 C, and tempered by winds known as the Cape doctor.

Accommodation: from cheap stays to luxury resorts

Check on the internet for the range, location and cost of Cape Town hotels

Events: what’s on and what’s hot

Cape Town is a happening place with something going on every week

*January sees outdoor arts performances
*October features a Food and Winde Festival
*December features Carols by Candlelight in the Company’s Gardens.
*December is also the month for the Cape Town Queer Project. Outrageous fancy dress is the order of the day.

Durban

Beaches on the Indian Ocean, sub-tropical jungles and a proud Zulu culture define Durban. The modern city is sophisticated and at night pulsates with taverns, lounges, theatres, discos, pubs and clubs.

Transport: getting there and getting around

Durban International Airport handles both domestic and international flights, with regularly-scheduled service to Swaziland, Mozambique, and Mauritius.
Durban is South Africa’s largest port and the busiest container port in the Southern Hemisphere. Trains from Durban Railway Station connect with Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Taxis, minibus taxis and Zulu rickshaws offer transport around the city

Climate

Mild in both summer and winter. Rain is more common between October and May, and winters can get quite chilly in the evenings.

Accommodation: from cheap stays to luxury resorts
Check on the internet for the range, location and cost of Durban hotels

Events: what’s on and what’s hot

*March features Time of the Writer, Durban’s literature festival, at the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
*Comrades Marathon in June is run through the valley of a thousand hills in Natal, South Africa.
*Durban International Film Festival is held in June at the Centre for Creative Arts.

Visit the Australian east coast: Melbourne, Sydney Brisbane

Sydney: the stunning city on water
Sydney has so much to offer from the breathtaking Blue Mountains to popular hang out Bondi Beach. Sydney city centre is cosmopolitan and has many attractions including the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. This is one of the most attractive cities in the world.
Transport: how to get there and around:
There are direct flights to Sydney from many international destinations. Sydney airport is serviced by 40 airlines including British Airways, Qantas and Virgin.
Once in the city you can enjoy getting around on the easy to navigate bus and rail system. If you prefer to drive, it is cost effective to hire a car, the roads are clearly signed.
Weather: the seasons of Sydney
The climate in Sydney is mild throughout the year. The seasons are: Summer December to February, Autumn March to May, Winter June to August and Spring March to May.
The seasons are opposite to the northern hemisphere making Sydney a great get away from the cold weather.
Accommodation: Luxury to budget stays
The internet can offer some of the best information on the cost, range and location of hotels in Sydney.
Attractions & Events: best attractions in Sydney
• The Annual Road Bash from the Variety Club starts on the 5 August 2007 from Garden Island.
• Lyric Theatre at Darling Harbour is showing the iconic Musical Priscilla the Queen of the Desert
• Winter season begins at The Sydney Opera House see www.sydneyoperahouse.com for more information.
• For equestrian lovers, there is an amazing show at the Horseworld Stadium every weekend called El Caballo Blanco, with choreographed horses.

Melbourne: city of culture and lifestyle
Melbourne is the city for living, it has fabulous art galleries, shopping, bars, restaurants, live entertainment and plenty of culture. World famous sporting events are held here – The Melbourne Cup horse race and the Grand Prix.
Melbourne has an international airport which serves direct flights from many major cities. Navigating the city is straight forward with a choice of rental car, bus and taxi. There is also a tram network which is an attraction in itself.
There is wide range of hotels in Melbourne to choose from, all budgets are catered for. A useful information point for accommodation and attractions is the Travellers Information Desk in the arrivals lounge at International Airport.
Melbourne is a great place to explore, the city is set on River Yarra and is only a few hours drive away from Victorian Alps visited in winter for skiing.

Brisbane: beautiful, tropical climate
Brisbane is relaxed and friendly and a wonderful place to visit all year round due to fantastic weather. The summers are long and hot and the winters mild, perfect climate to enjoy some of the best beaches in Australia and the world.
Getting to Brisbane is easy with the domestic and international airport. The city and airport are accessible by train, shuttle bus and taxi. Another city nestled on a river, you can take a relaxing trip on the Brisbane River ferry to tour the sights.
You can find plenty of accommodation within Brisbane and surrounding areas. Hotels in Brisbane cater for all tastes and budgets. From the North to the South of Brisbane there is a stretch of beautiful coastline attracting plenty of holiday makers. As well as the beach, there are small islands for visitors to explore.
For a fun filled day out be sure to hop on a shuttle bus to one of the cities famous theme parks. Brisbane is proud to give you Steve Irwin’s Zoo, Dreamworld, Seaworld, Movieworld, Wet ‘n’ Wild and much more.

Accessing Discounted Luggage Used For Travel

Some people gain access to discounted luggage when they visit a luggage retailer on the internet. The styles in luggage offered by a retailer that is on sale may vary dramatically and the traveler will have a wide range of choices to pick from to find certain pieces that will suit their travel needs the best. Accessing discounted luggage on auction sites is a very popular way for people to save money on luggage.

Some discounted travel luggage is suitable for transporting items across town but a person would never think to trust it for traveling around the world. Mesh bags would be perfect for transporting athletic gear and uniforms to a local baseball game because they allow the player to view the contents and access uniform items inside it quickly when they dress out for a game.

Some people buy odd pieces of luggage at flea markets because the discounted prices make them feel like they have found a gem among many other travel luggage choices on a table. Some of these discounted travel luggage choices will be in the form of purses that have many accessories either attached to it or installed inside of it. These compartments give the user a wide assortment of accessibility options and a stylish fashion accessory that they can choose to use with many fashions.

Gaining access to some discounted luggage opportunities might require travelers to be members of a shopping club. The discounted prices on travel luggage sets are remarkably lower than any luggage choices that a person might find throughout the internet. People that belong to these clubs can save on many items at drastically reduced price but they must also be willing to pay annual membership fees for accessing this discounted luggage option.

A business traveler will need to have stylish luggage on business trips but the option of accessing discounted luggage on aircraft will be more important to the traveler than style. The business traveler is extremely lucky to have many access points available that can keep business documents handy and still give them access to information that is stored on a laptop computer.

Parents will look for discounted luggage that they can use for travel when they have an infant in tow. A new parent will consider accessing diapers and toiletries for the child as a factor of major importance in the discounted luggage selections that they buy. Some people give these discounted luggage choices as gifts and the parents are very thankful for them because that marvelous gift will make parenting a whole lot easier.

Lines are gone but Getty Museum as brilliant as ever

When the Getty Museum first opened in 1997, the museum’s parking and transportation system were quickly overwhelmed to the point that anyone thinking about visiting the museum had to make parking reservations months in advance. Those unwilling to wait hoofed it for miles and then waited up to four hours just to take a tram ride to the museum’s spectacular hillside setting west of downtown Los Angeles.

What a difference a decade makes. Today no reservations are required and it’s possible to drive right to your parking spot, grab a tram and be on top of the mountain just a few minutes after your arrival.

Not that the Getty Museum is any less popular. On our recent visit we noted a steady stream of visitors of all colors and stripes running the Disneyland-style gamut that takes you several revolutions down into the 2,000-car garage and then through a fast-moving line to board your tram. By mid-day, it looked like most parking spots were spoken for, and probably would be for the rest of the day.

The Getty Museum is all about the visual arts and, far from being snooty like some Big City museums we won’t mention by name, the Getty welcomes the masses by offering free admission and presenting all kinds of tours and aids to educate visitors about the significance of the treasures on display. A trip to the Getty is like a quickie art seminar that will teach you just enough names and buzzwords to make your friends believe you really are educated.

An afternoon at the Getty also seems to be a popular date activity judging from the many young couples we observed Lots of families and kids were enjoying the museum – in fact, the museum goes out of its way to offer special kids programs and activities that help make the visit enjoyable even for the very young. And then there were the somewhat older Red Hat Ladies who hit upon the Getty as the perfect place for a Girls Day Out.

What’s attracting these many segments of society is a modern-day palace that cost the Getty Foundation a billion dollars and took 13 years to build. Located on maybe the last 124 acres in the L.A. hills not reserved for a movie star, the museum is worth the tram ride just to enjoy the spectacular views of the L.A. basin. Even on a smoggy day, it’s impressive.

If you’ve priced Italian travertine flooring, then you’ll have some appreciation for the money that went into the 14,000 tons of travertine that was used on walkways, in walls and on just about every available surface of the museum’s five pavilions. If you look close enough, the travertine even has little leaf fossils which, we’re sure, made it even more expensive. The Getty Museum’s courtyards, wide walkways and stairways, carefully sculpted gardens and sycamore groves all make the museum as much a park as a museum which undoubtedly is why the average person spends four hours per visit. But the star attractions, of course, are inside the pavilions – a collection of artwork and antiquities that is one of the most magnificent ever assembled.

It all started with the museum’s namesake, J. Paul Getty, an oil executive and art collector who lived from 1892 until 1976. He founded the famous Getty Oil Company which eventually became Texaco. Getty began collecting art in 1930 and, upon his death, left his entire estate to the J. Paul Getty Museum Trust. Eventually, the trust ballooned to over $4.5 billion, which means the Getty Trust has continued to update the museum’s art collection with the best pieces in the world. One publication noted that the Getty Museum has about 25 times the budget of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Compared to the Louvre in Paris and other famous museums, the Getty Museum is somewhat specialized. It includes Greek and Roman antiquities, European paintings, drawings, sculpture, manuscripts, furniture and photographs. Walking through the pavilions you discover that each exhibit room is uncrowded, and that each item exhibited comes with an easy-to-read description of why that particular artwork is important.

When you think about how ancient some of these works are, it’s mind-boggling to look at them up-close. Unlike some well-known European museums, visitors to the Getty are able to get an unobstructed view of even the most famous paintings and artwork – if you’ve visited the Louvre, you may recall that it takes considerable effort just to get up in front of the crowd so that you can say you really did see the Mona Lisa.

Drawings and manuscripts are all displayed under low light to help preserve the pieces. They’re arranged chronologically, starting with the illuminated manuscripts of the 9th Century, moving all the way to the High Renaissance period of the 16th Century.

In another pavilion, the Getty has displayed Decorative Arts – in other words, anything that is made for the interior of your home – which include furniture, clocks, porcelain, silver, ceramics, and tapestries – 600 objects in all. That gives you some idea of how the Getty’s collection has grown; J. Paul Getty only had 30 pieces of decorative art when he died.

In one of the most unusual photograph exhibits in the world, the Getty displays photographs from way back in the 1830’s — when the technology was invented — all the way through the 1990’s. We found this one of the most fascinating parts of the museum. Actual photographs of London in the early 1800’s brought to mind English history and novels that immediately transported us in time, if only in our own minds.

The European sculpture is located throughout the museum’s pavilions and includes work from the Renaissance through 1900. The oldest painting at the Getty was done in 1295 and the collection spans all the way up to 1895. The museum, of course, includes paintings from many well-known artists including Masaccio, Mantegna, Breughel, Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne.

One of the pavilions is set aside for changing exhibits and, while we were there, an entire exhibit was devoted to the paintings of Jacques-Louis David. Most fascinating here were the portraits of Napolean Bonaparte, who used the painter to create artwork for propaganda purposes.

All of the pavilions open out to the central courtyard where visitors can sit and enjoy an espresso or snack. In fact, the food service at the Getty is in keeping with the same high standards as the exhibit itself. An elegant restaurant serves gourmet meals while even the food court-style café has just about any kind of fresh-prepared food a visitor would want – salads, sandwiches, grilled items, Mexican food – you name it.

Our game plan for the Getty worked just about right – show up just before lunch and enjoy a tasty meal before lingering through the afternoon, taking our time viewing – and comprehending – the masterpieces and historical artifacts that are the Getty. Soon it was time to board the computerized tram to the bottom of the hill and snake our way out of the garage. It had been like visiting a Disneyland for art-lovers – though the price of admission at this adventure land was quite a bit easier to take.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: The Getty Museum is located in Brentwood, just west of downtown Los Angeles and is accessible via Getty Center Drive off Interstate 405.

WHAT: The Getty is an unusual collection of the visual arts, with most of the exhibits dating back many centuries.

WHEN: Any time of year.

WHY: The Getty Museum is both fun and educational. This is an astounding group of exhibits in a spectacular setting where you’ll want to spend the better part of a day.

HOW: To get more information on the Getty Museum, call (310) 440-7300 or visit www.getty.edu. Admission is free.

I Love Touring Italy – Campania East Of Naples

If you are looking for a European tourist destination, why not consider the unique area east of Naples in the Campania region of southwestern Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea? The ancient cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii have become giant, sometimes open-air museums that display in utmost detail what life was like in the Roman Empire. Make sure that you experience Mount Vesuvius. In a bizarre sense this mountain gave birth to these unique tourist attractions when it erupted in the year 79 and thus preserved its surroundings for eternity. Make sure to see our companion articles on the other areas of Campania including Naples, the territory west of Naples known as Campi Flegrei (Fields of Fire), the Isle of Capri, and Sorrento and the Amalfi coast.

We’ll start our tour in Caserta about sixteen miles (twenty five kilometers) northeast of Naples, the only section of this tour that has nothing to do with volcanoes. Then it’s southwest to Herculaneum about six miles (ten kilometers) southeast of Naples. Afterwards we go northeast to Mount Vesuvius, which permanently transformed this region almost two thousand years ago. We’ll double back to the Bay of Naples and go southeast past the archeological site of Oplontis and proceed to our final destination, Pompeii. Many of these sites are accessible from Naples via public transportation. In fact given the crowds and the drivers in this part of the world, you are better off taking public transportation especially in the summer.

While Caserta boasts an Eighteenth Century Cathedral and a Fourteenth Century Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace), the main reason that you’ll want to visit this city of eighty thousand is to admire its much newer Reggia di Caserta (Palace of Caserta). This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Bourbon Kings of Naples and Sicily’s answer to Versailles. With its twelve hundred rooms, one can say it’s at least in the same league. It is perhaps the largest Eighteenth Century building in all Europe. Because the Kingdom was fairly weak when this colossal structure was built, the British historian Edward Crankshaw referred to it as “a colossal monument to minuscule glory.”

The Palace of Caserta served as headquarters for the Allied High Command during World War II. Make sure to see its staircase, said to outdo the one at Versailles, the royal apartments, and the extensive grounds peppered with fountains. The grounds are about three miles (five kilometers) long, and you can take a minibus from the palace to the end of the property. You may recognize the palace from the initial three episodes of Star Wars movies.

On August 24, 79 A. D. Mount Vesuvius destroyed the downwind city of Pompeii and about twelve hours later destroyed the upwind city of Herculaneum as well. When we say destroyed we mean destroyed. Its murderous debris flew at an estimated 60 miles an hour (95 kilometers an hour). In a matter of hours Herculaneum was buried in 65 feet (20 meters) of ash and slag. The intense heat killed people almost instantaneously but did little damage to the buildings.

The Herculaneum ruins were not uncovered until the Eighteenth Century by workers who were digging a foundation for a well. Much of the ancient city remains to be unearthed, largely because the modern city of Ercolano lies on top of it.

Julius Caesar’s father-in-law had a Herculaneum villa that may have served as a library; it contained more than 1800 papyrus scrolls. Maybe he just liked to read. The center of this upscale city was closed to cart and wagon traffic and most sidewalks were covered with awnings. The public bathhouse played a central role in people’s lives.

Visiting Mount Vesuvius is not for the faint of heart. You may choose to stay away in solidarity with its thousands of victims. It’s quite a climb to reach the top. But from the summit the view is beautiful. You will probably find this mountaintop to be even more thought provoking than the usual run of the mill mountaintop.

Mount Vesuvius has erupted on many, many occasions over the centuries. Its last, or more precisely latest, eruption occurred in 1944 when it destroyed several neighboring villages and 88 American B-25 bombers. By far the most destructive eruption was in 79 A. D. when it eradicated the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii with an estimated loss of life of 10 thousand to 25 thousand in Pompeii alone. This eruption released an estimated cubic mile (4 cubic kilometers) of ash and rock. Subsequent eruptions have spread ash as far as Istanbul located over 700 miles (1200 kilometers) away. When you consider that Naples, a city of more than a million in an urban area of more than three million is only 10 miles (16 kilometers) away there is reason to be worried. Their emergency evacuation plan covers about 600,000 people and assumes a warning period between 2 weeks and 20 days before the actual eruption. The Osservatorio Vesuvio (Vesuvius Observatory) in Naples is constantly monitoring this mountain.

Pompeii is a major tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, as in Herculaneum, a city was destroyed in a manner of hours, and yet its very destruction led to its preservation. Pompeii shows you in extraordinary detail the way people lived at the height of the Roman Empire.

There is reason to believe that Pompeii was subject to volcanic activity, landslides, and earthquakes centuries before its ultimate destruction. A severe earthquake, thought to measure about 7.5 on the Richter scale, struck the area on a feast day in February, 62. Virtually all buildings were damaged, and many were still not repaired when Mount Vesuvius erupted in full in August, 79.

Make sure that you get to Pompeii early to take full advantage of the day ticket. The three-day ticket allows you to visit five archeological sites: Herculaneum, Pompeii, Oplontis, Stabiae, and Boscoreale. I’ll let you in on what is hardly a secret: Pompeii was home to a lot of erotic art, some of which is on display in the Gabinetto Segreto (Secret Cabinet) in the Naples National Archaeological Museum. In Pompeii as well many of the exhibitions are simply unsuitable for children.

What about food? There is something about volcanic soil that makes food tasty and plentiful and gives wine a special zest. The major focus here is on vegetables and fruits. Can you believe purple asparagus? Tomatoes are served every which way, including pizza and spaghetti of course. Try to taste the mozzarella cheese, made from the milk of water buffalo.

Let’s suggest a sample menu, one of many. Start with Scarola Imbuttunata (Stuffed Curly Endive). Then try Polpi Affogati (Stewed Octopus). For dessert indulge yourself with Zeppoli (St. Joseph’s Day Filled Doughnuts). By the way, La Festa di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph’s Day) is March 19th. Be sure to increase your dining pleasure by including local wines with your meal.

We conclude with a quick look at Campania wine. Campania ranks 9th among the 20 Italian regions for both acreage devoted to wine grapes and for total annual wine production. The region produces about 64% red and and close to 36% white wine, as there is little rose. Campania produces 17 DOC wines. DOC stands for Denominazione di Origine Controllata, which may be translated as Denomination of Controlled Origin, presumably a high-quality wine. The G in DOCG stands for Garantita, but there is in fact no guarantee that such wines are truly superior. Only 2.8% of Campania wine carries the DOC or DOCG designation. There are three DOCG wines: the red Taurasi, the white Greco di Tufo, and the white Fiano di Avellino. I have tasted the Fiano and really think that it is top of the line.

The Vesuvio DOC, also called Lacryma Christi (Tears of Christ) is made in multiple styles from several local grapes that grow on Mount Vesuvius. One of Pompeii’s major attractions is the Villa dei Misteri (Villa of the Mysteries) home to more than 60 rooms displaying frescoes, many of which illustrate a young bride’s initiation into the cult of Dionysus (Bacchus), the god of wine and debauchery. In 1996 the well-known Campania wine producer Mastroberdino was authorized to reintroduce some ancient grape varieties on a small plot within Pompeii’s walls. From these vineyards come the Villa dei Misteri made from the historic red Piedirosso and Sciascinoso grape varieties. Relatively none of this wine is exported to North America. So this wine gives you one more reason to visit Pompeii.

Sail Away To Scenic Shenzhen

Located in Guangdong Province in southern China, Shenzhen is a sub-provincial city, bordering the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong to the south and Dongguan and Huizhou to the north. Due to its strategic location, Shenzhen provides great potentials for economic growth and is considered the economic capital of the country.

Sometimes, Shenzhen is referred to as the backyard of Hong Kong, since it is within close proximity to Hong Kong and hence allows for a convenient day trip from Shenzhen to Hong Kong or vice versa. Shenzhen boasts of a long history of more than 1500 years. Once a small, typical fishing village known as Baoan County, the destination got its present name in 1979 when Deng Xiaoping, the then Communist Party Chairman, gave the location the designation of Special Economic Zone.

Today, Shenzhen is a blend of traditional Chinese culture and modernity and enjoys all the benefits and comforts of an international city, with superb attractions, state of the art road and transportation system, and high quality as well as advanced information system.

Administered by the Guangdong Provincial Government, Shenzhen is divided into six zones, such as, Luohu, Futian, Nanshan, Yantian, Bao’an and Longgang, among which first four are located in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ.) Luohu is in the eastern section of the Special Economic Zone, and is considered the financial and trade center of the city.

Located at the heart of SEZ, Futian serves as the destination’s center of administration, culture, and commerce. Nanshan is regarded as the learning as well as western logistics of Shenzhen and is in the western part of the Special Economic Zone. Situated to the east of SEZ, Yantian is much famed as the center of tourism.

Neighboring Dapeng Bay and Daya Bay, Longgang district is popular as the center for hi-tech export processing and logistics distribution. When comes to Bao’an, it occupies an area of about 715 square kilometers and serves as a base for modern agriculture. In addition, Shenzhen is also a provincial city under the control of the Central Government.

Al though, the city doesn’t has as many historical attractions that other destinations in China have, Shenzhen has created great other attractions in order to entertain and educate visitors touring here. For instance, a visit to the China Folk Cultural Village would be a great way to get a clear idea on different types of folk cultures of the country.

Sprawling over an area of about 500 acres, the China Folk Cultural Village consists of more than 20 unique cottages, each of them representing the distinctive architecture of various ethnic groups. The Village also hosts a number of interesting festivals including the Water-Splashing Festival, the Torch Festival – a traditional event of the Yi ethnic group, and Knife Bar Festival – celebrated by the Lisu ethnic group. In addition, people touring here can also take part in folk dances and shop handicraft items.

Situated in Shenzhen’s Oversea Chinese Town, Splendid China is another prominent attraction in the destination. Also known as Shenzhen Miniature Kingdom, Splendid China is one of the largest miniature scenery parks in the world, with replicas of almost all landmarks in the country, such as the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses in Xian, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Old Summer Palace, Ancient Observatory of Beijing, Potala Palace, the Mogao Caves of Dunhuang, Mount Huangshan, the Li River, and much more.

This scenic miniature park is managed by the China Travel Services, and is divided into two sections such as a Scenic Spot Area and a Comprehensive Area. It is estimated that there are more than 50,000 ceramic figures in the park.

Attractions in Shenzhen also include the Window of the World, a replica park situated in the western region of the city. The focal point of the park is the flamboyant replicas of the world’s wonderful as well as scenic sites such as the Eiffel Tower, the Tower of London, Roman Colosseum, the Pyramids, Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon, Manhattan, and Mahamuni Pagoda of Rangoon. In short, when you leave the park after seeing these replicas, you feel as if you have toured the world in a day.

Other not to miss attractions in the city include Shenzhen Museum, Shenzhen Grand Theater, He Xiangning Art Gallery, and Guan Shanyue Art Gallery. Additionally, Shenzhen is a shoppers’ paradise with such options as Louhu Commercial City, Dongmen Laojie or the Old Street, and Huaqiang Bei Rd. Above all, Shenzhen provides tourists visiting the destination with superb accommodation as well as dining options.

Volunteer in Peru: Ecology, Culture and Social Causes

Peru is a country with an amazing array of bio-diversity, Peru is considered as one big habitat for humans, flora and fauna. It is situated in South America and has the South Pacific Ocean on one side and the mighty Andes Mountains on the other. As a result of being close to the sea as well as the mountains, Peru enjoys several micro-climates like no other. Some of the main attractions apart from the famous Inca Trail and Machu Picchu include the pre-Columbian cultures, the cuisine, the natural resources and the exquisite colonial architecture.

Why Volunteer In Peru
Volunteering in Peru is like being the closest you can be to nature and civilization, both of which has supported each other well through millions of years. As a volunteer in Peru, you will not only get an insight into the lives of the Peruvian people but also get to enjoy the many colors of their culture and tradition. It is a unique experience that you will be able to re-live time and time again and the warmth of the people of Peru will not remain just as a moment in time it will become a timeless treasure.

Types Of Projects Available in Peru
As a part of volunteering in Peru, you will get to choose the kind of project you are interested in. The different types if projects available include:

- Conservation Project: When in Peru, you will be able to spend a lot of time trekking through the beautiful and captivating landscape as a volunteer in a conservation project. Peru has a wealth of natural resources and the variety of flora and fauna is probably more than anywhere else in the world and hence there is a huge responsibility of preserving the natural habitats. As a volunteer in Peru, you will play a definitive role in conservation of Amazon rainforests as well as the higher and lower regions of the Andes, the varied wildlife, and the historical sites. This is one of the most interesting volunteer programs.
- Internship: There are different types of programs available under volunteering in Peru. You can volunteer for a program for 2 weeks or work as an intern for 1 year. Under the internship program, you will be working with the local people and get to understand and experience their culture from up-close. You will get to understand their problems and find meaningful solutions that can be applied practically.

- Volunteer with Orphanages: There are several orphanages in Peru and as a volunteer in Peru, you can choose to work with any one of them. You will have to care of the children whose age can vary from 1year to 10 years or more. You will have to teach them languages, take care of their educational and health requirements, teach them sports and get involved in extra-curricular activities.

- Health Care: Most of the health care volunteer programs in Peru deal with curing preventable diseases. The medical or health infrastructure in the rural areas is understaffed and not well equipped. As a medical volunteer in Peru, you will be able to make contribution towards strengthening the Peru’s medical infrastructure in the rural areas. Health care can vary from technical areas like nursing and surgery to taking care of mentally ill or HIV patients.

- Sustainable Development Projects: These are specialized projects where some areas might require you to have prior experience and knowledge while in other areas, you don’t require any prior experience. Most of the sustainable development projects deal with four important sectors and they are Environment, Education, Health Care, and Business.

Volunteer in Peru Requirements
Age: The minimum age for volunteering in Peru should be 18 or older.

Some of the volunteer programs will require a 2-4 week training program before you start working on the project. The training will be provided by the volunteer organization.

Fee and Other details
There is a fee attached to each of the projects that you volunteer for. The fee is charged in advance and is charged for the following:

1. Accommodation: There are different types of accommodation available in Peru. This includes Host family normal, Host family plus, Host family matrimonial and apartments. Of course the type of accommodation varies from organization to organization.
2. Food/meals
3. Travel insurance
4. Transportation within the region
5. Emergency support

Conclusion
Volunteering in Peru has its own benefits as it will open your world to some of the most beautiful aspects of nature that you have probably seen before only in the National Geographic magazines. Projects can vary from 7 days to 4 weeks and depending on the type of volunteering work you are interested in, you can submit your resume with the respective organization and begin the journey.