Travel Guides

I went in Barcelona, Mexico, Tanzania. I was tired, so tired, and sick of so many people gathered together for no reason. Someone recommended me Banff in the Canadian Rockies, and it was really the perfect choice. Really, now I am much better and prepared for new trips and adventures.

If you want to discover more about Banff, and the perfect relaxation to get there, then you should read this post and visit Banff.

I am sure you have heard about Banff. It is located in the Canada Alberta provincion, 90 km away from Calgary International Airport and on the Canada Hyghway.  It is surrounded by the  Rocky Mountains.

Banff location

The town of Banff is very peacefull, with its 6000 inhabitants. It is mere a village, but a nice one! Therefore is recommended for relaxation, but also for many kind of outdoor activities, such skiing, hiking and climbing at all levels.

Banff is one of the most visited canadian resorts, and lies in the heart of the Banff National park, founded in 1883 as Canada’s first and world’s third.

If you want more than simple relaxation, check one of these:

-Quest Gallery is a 50 years old museum with sculptures and paintings from inuites, and also from contemporary artists.

-Bannff springs fine arts museum

-Whyte museum

-Canada skiing museum

You can also discover the Rockies on horseback, or in a dog sledge. You can discover Lake Louise very near, you can go by gondola in the Sulphur Mountains, and have a wonderful relaxing sulphur bath. You have so many things to do in Banff!

Hungry? There are many hotels in Banff with international cuisine. And also outside Banff, e.g. Rimrock Resort where I stayed and can recommend to you warmly.

Bannff is usually a winter destination. But here the winter lasts almost all year long. No joking, a trip here is worthing, even if there is no winter, and you saw already the reasons.

Make sure to book your trip as soon as possible. Meet you there.

If you need or want to know the necessary things about Thailand, then you really should read this article!

Thailand is not very big with its 513 000 sqkm, only rank 50 worlwide. The same size of France and the state of California, and a little smaller than U.S. state of Texas. I visited Thailand in March, and I was very enthusiastic. Here are the basics.

It is located in south east Asia, and the tourism in Thailand has been booming since decades. It attracts much more tourists than its neighbours due to the geographic variety, low prices and good hotels.

The exotic Thailand was long time associated with sex tourism, which is not fair, because it is not the country’s main attractions. It has mountains, plains, beaches, islands(e.g. the Krabi islands, with its Phi Phi Don Island).

If you want to travel to Thailand, there are three basic things to respect:

-do not allow yourself to say anything wrong about the King and the royalty, the punishments are very bad

-if you learn something words in the Thai language, the locals will appreciate it very much

-best time to go is February and March, and the worst between July and September(very uncomfortable due to the mansoon, which causes heavy rains)

Until 1938 Thailand was known as Siam. The Thailand history is long, rich and interesting. Its study worths separate posts, and I am only making this introduction to you:

-people lived here since 10000 years

-in the Medium Age many neighboring kingdoms fought to conquer Thailand, but they only succeed for short periods of time(Khmere for example)

-in the XVIIth century started the european influence, with the portuguese

-unlike to its neighbors, Thailand was never a colony! The explanation resides in the ability of local rulers who took profit from the British-France colonial rivalty

-during the WWII Thailand was invaded by the Japanese, becoming one of their ally. Inside emerged and developped a guerilla against Japanese

-95 % of the thai are budhist. The other religions are muslims, christian and jewish.

-after the war Thailand became a near U.S. ally and started developping its economy

-Thailand is one of the asian tigers( new developped countries), having high developpment rates

-in 1997 Thailand was seriously hit by the Asia financial crisis. A baht(thai national curency) peaked up at 56 baht/dollar( compare to the prior 25 baht /dollar).

Thai capital is Bangkok, a giant megacity, one of the world’s biggest. From country’s 63 000 000 inhabitants, almost one third live in the capital.

Now you know the basics about Thailand! Try your best to visit it, it is worthy, for sure.

West Edmonton mall is the World’s largest entertainment and shopping center. Situated at the junction of 87th Avenue and 170th Street, the mall covers 48 city blocks and has parking for over 20,000 cars. It’s easy to see why West Edmonton Mall is Alberta’s number one tourist attraction.

Within the mall complex, visitors can shop in over 800 stores, many exclusive to West Edmonton Mall.
Hungry? No problem. Visit one of the many eating establishments and take your choice of ethnic cuisine from Cajun on bourbon street to sushi or Italian and dozens of others in the 100 plus restaurants. After your meal, see a movie. You’re sure to find something to please at one of the 26 movie theatres. For movie watching at it’s finest, visit the IMAX 3-D theatre. It’s like really being in the middle of the action.

If you’re looking for thrills, try the Mindbender roller coaster or one of the other 25 rides in the Galaxyland amusement park. For a real thrill, try the Blue Thunder bungee Jump, the only indoor bungee jumping in the world. Even the kiddies will have a great time at the Galaxy Kids Playpark.

A great place to spend a chilly winter day is the 5-acre indoor waterpark where the temperature is always 79 to 86 Fahrenheit (28 to 30 Celsius.) Here a visitor can enjoy water slides, tubing and the world’s largest indoor wave pool.

Other attractions include the Ice Palace where you might just catch some fancy skating or the Edmonton Oilers at practice. Try a little miniature golf, or visit the roof-top 210 yard driving range. Bowling, billiards, video games, at West Edmonton Mall there’s entertainment to please all.

One of the major attractions is the Undersea Adventure. Climb into one of the four submarines and take a cruise beneath the surface of the world’s largest indoor lake. Over 200 species of exotic fish swim in these waters. Don’t miss the dolphin lagoon where you can say “Hi” to Mavis and Howard, the two bottle-nose dolphins. Over creatures that might catch your fancy are the penguins, sharks and reptiles. And don’t miss the two giants of the sea - the giant Pacific octopus and the giant sea turtle.
Giant figures and beautiful statuary abounds. Stroll passed the Santa Maria, an exact replica of Christopher Columbus‘ ship. Look up - way up - at the giant gorilla. And, if you’re patient, you might see the huge Chinese dragon breathe fire! He does it periodically throughout the day.

The entertainment goes on into the night. West Edmonton Mall never sleeps. Find hours of entertainment at the Palace Casino and a million laughs at Yuk’s Komedy Kabaret.

There’s so much to see and so much to do. Maybe you would be wise to spend a weekend - or a week at the mall. And the perfect place to stay is the Fantasyland Hotel, the best one from all Edmonton hotels. Over 355 rooms await your sleeping pleasure. 118 of them are themed rooms. Ever want to go on an African Safari? How about a night in Hollywood, or Arabia? And, for the more daring, there’s an actual igloo - or the back of a truck???

What are you doing this weekend? Why not visit the West Edmonton mall?

Do not think now about disasters, it is embarrassing. But you must be prepared also for that case!(have a last will, what to be done with your remainings, possibilities to be identified). Sorry for remember this.

So, forget the disaster, and focus on emergencies! You still have good chances, and you will succeed for sure. These things happened to many other people, tourists and travelers as you are!

I could find following embarrassing situations;

1. Your flight delays. Take it easy, the delay may not be so long. Usually, the flight companies put to your disposal some food and drinks, and even rooms!

2.Once arrived to the destination airport, you observe your luggage damaged or lost. It is bad, and keep in mind it can occur. Take your money, credit cards and personal documents with you, do not leave them in the luggage. Let the flight company know about the situation, in writing. Usually, they will bring the luggage to you in 1 or two days. If the luggage is damaged, you must insist for reimbursement!

3.You lost your passport. Go quickly to the Embassy or Consulate of your country, and let them know about your situation. They must do something! Or phone to them, speak to them! The best thing: you must have these calling numbers prepared before living!

4. You arrived to your destination, but the confirmation of your pay is not there. Speak to your travel agent, and check by your credit card!

5.You have problems with the law. Avoid drugs, this is the main reasons for these situations. Announce your country Consulate and behave like to point 2.

6. You are sick. Go to the hospital and announce your country consulate and act like to point 2.

7. You have the worst place in the plane. It literally stinks. And a baby is crying next to you! If the stewardess cannot do anything for you and change the seat, no one can do. Take a sleeping pill.

8.You are at the peak of passion, and notice that you have no condoms. Run away, and get it! But this situation is the most embarassing possible.

If you want to plan a safari, here you are. If you want to find out new exciting things about Tanzania, then you are in the right place here.

Tanzania is a huge country, world’s 31st big country. It is twice big as the U.S. state of California. Once a british colony, it gained its independence in the 60’s and Junius Nyerere was the most important political personality, and the first president. Tanzania was first called The united republic of Tanganyka and Zanzibar, and after a while was named Tanzania.

Main cities are Dar es Salam(the former capital) and Dodoma(the new capital). Tanzania has many touristic offers for you: beaches; the interesting Island of Zanzibar; Mount Kilimanjaro; National parks Serengeti and Ngoro Ngoro.

80 % of the population lives based on agriculture. The roads are not very good, but they drive mad; the policemen are dangerous(very violent, they beat and kill people sometimes) and corrupt.National languages are swahili and english.

100 years ago Tanzania offered much more virgin nature than today, and a safari meant a hunt, when sometimes even the hunter falled victim to his prey. 50 years ago the safari was more fun, and meant killing with no measure defendless animals, which led a few species near the extinction.

But what is a safari today? It means travelling in special protected areas(=national parks) where you can meet many savage animals in their original habitate. It is very nice, but demanding to have such an adventure, and they are some basic rules to follow in order to get more from your safari:

-do not camp in the parks. It is forbidden, and it is very dangerous

-animals are very active short before sunrise, do not stay in their way then!

-you are not permitted to have fire guns without licence, and you may use them only in desperate situations

-if you hire a car, let it be a stong 4×4. Others cars have no chance in those wildnesses

-train regularly, you must be in the best physical and mental shape

-do not make the safari alone. Join a group, and get also a professional guide

-fees in parks are not very high, 50 $ per person and day

Following all those steps, you will get a wonderful safari, and a nice stay in Tanzania. If you have the opportunities, you are supposed to ask the following dishes:

-Mtori, which is cooked beef with bananas. It smells strange first, but it was my absolute favorite during the trip.

-Mchicha, vegetable stew with meat or fish

-Ugali. This is the national Tanzania dish, and is polenta like. Everybody eats it with the hands.

Enjoy your safari, and enjoy your tanzanian dishes, as I did. Do not travel in January and February, as I did! It is simply too warm, even the locals are complaining and dream on cold, snow and ice.

If you heard about canyoning, and want to know more, then you are very good here. Read further!

I recommended you a trip in Mallorca, and it was already canyoning. Introduction, to say.

But what it is canyoning after all? I would define it so: reaching the bottom of a canyon and travelling in it(supposing you should know already what is a canyon). Canyoning, also known as canyonering in the U.S., combines many other sports as walking, trekking, climbing, abseiling, rafting, swimming(but descendings,also abseiling, are usually asociated with canyoning). You must be in the shape and in the mood to make canyoning. Nevertheless, fun, aestethics and beutiful landscapes count more than stretching.

Canyoning can be very simple or extremely difficult, having fans in every age segment. There is special equipment needed.

You can do canyoning in many places of the world where you can find canyons with water on the bottom: New Zealand, South America, U.S.A., Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland etc.

First lesson: once the abseiling begun, there is no way back. You must complete the descending!

Second lesson: a major danger by canyoning are the flash floods, also the accumulation of large water quantities in the canyon. In 1999 in Switzerland 19 tourists died during canyoning in the Alps because flash flood. Flas floods are possible even on nice weather, as the canyon collects water from a wide vicinity. So, I am bagging you to inform yourself about weather in a 100 km area around the canyon and about water level in the canyon.

Third lesson: use thermic suits in order to protect from hyperthermia and hypothermia. Always wear the helmet.

Fourth lesson: rescue operation in canyons are very difficult, as they are remoted isolated areas and the acces is not easy.

Following all these steps will allow you smooth abseiling in any medium difficulty canyon.

Hudson Bay, in northern Manitoba, is wilderness at its finest. This huge body of water was discovered by Henry Hudson in the 17th century. Here the Hudson’s Bay Company established its first trading post to trade for furs with the Cree, Inuit and Naskapi who inhabited the area.

Churchill, a town of about 1000 people, a mixture of Dene, Cree Inuit, Metis and Caucasian, nestles on the western shore of the bay. The smaller settlement of York Factory, which encompasses a Reservation and a white settlement, has a population, all told, of under 1000, and is further south along the shores of the bay.

This is a country of contrasts. Summers are short but warm, and, if you visit during July and August, experienced scuba divers can find a real adventure scuba diving with beluga whales. In winter, dog sledding is an excellent pastime. Another great pastime - just sitting at your window watching the brilliant display put on by the aurora borealis - the northern lights as they play across the sky.

During summer, temperatures are mild, often rising to sixty degrees Fahrenheit. In winter, however, it can drop to 40 below zero, and often much colder. Add to that, a strong wind and blowing snow, and it’s a good time to stay indoors beside a roaring fire.

If you are a wildlife connoisseur, the Hudson Bay area is the place for you. Water creatures include seals, walrus and beluga, bowhead and killer whales. Birds include everything from barn owls to ravens to Canada geese. Dozens of species of animals inhabit the area - polar bears, beaver, moose, caribou and wolves.
Read the rest of this entry »

Bangalore is officially called “Bengaluru” and is the capital of Karnataka State and the story behind the naming of the city is great too. Bangalore, according to state historians, got its name from Bendakalooru (the town of boiled beans) after a king strayed into the area during a hunting trip in the late 14th century. A woman offered him a meal of boiled beans which the king enjoyed so much that he named the town after the dish. Bangalore is the 3rd most populous city in India with close to 6 million people living here. Bangalore is one of the fastest growing cosmopolitan cities in Asia. It is called as “Silicon Valley of India” with thousands of IT Companies and lots of outsourced jobs; it is an outsourcing hub where many of the critical projects from Fortune 500 companies are done here. Bangalore is also famous for its climate and is also called “Garden City of India” for its many parks and trees.
Bangalore is a mix of both old and new, with its palace, museums, parks, pubs, restaurants and many shopping malls. “Bangalore Palace” is one of the attractions; it was built by Wodeyar King in 1887. It was inspired by Windsor Castle. This palace was built keeping in mind the Tudor style of architecture with fortified structure, battlements and turrets.
If you are interested in nature, you can always go to “Lal Bagh” which is a well known botanical garden in Bangalore. It was constructed way back in 18th century by ruler Hyder Ali and the plants from various countries were brought by his son Tipu Sultan and planted in this 240 acre garden. It houses close to 1000 species of rare flowers and plants and it has trees well over 100 years old. It is place visited by lot of people everyday mostly joggers and nature enthusiasts. The Glass House which has many of the rare flowers is a center of attraction in “Lal Bagh”. The Lal Bagh Rock, one of the oldest rock formations on earth, dating back to 3000 million years is another attraction that brings in crowds. Cubbon Park is another famous park in Bangalore among joggers which is in the centre of the city.
There are many other attractions in Bangalore like “Vidhana Soudha” which is a seat of Karnataka’s State Legislature, “Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum” which attracts close to million visitors every year, “Bull Temple” which is a temple built in 1537 and has an idol of “Nandi the bull” and is a sacred place for many people.
Bangalore is also very famous for its pubs and nightlife; it has various pubs and discos which are pretty much in demand on weekends among the youngsters. Even though pubs in Bangalore close at 12.00 am, restaurants are open till 3-4 am. If you are interested in shopping, it is home to many shopping malls which have great offers running all through the year. Bangalore is growing up to be a great city but it also has its problem like high traffic, costlier than other Indian cities and lack of Infrastructure. But it is a great place to visit with its perfect blend of history and modernization.