Pacific Travel

Pacific Travel - Hawaii

With the cold bite of winter, few places seem more attractive than those sun-soaked islands lying not so very far from our frosty front doorways.

Flying to a Pacific Island getaway can bring warmth to your personal world in more ways than one, and it doesn't have to break the family bank account.

Tempting packages are well within reach of the average family. Shop around before you buy - some airfare-plus-accommodation deals can be actually cheaper than the airline fare alone. Travel agents have access to better deals than over-the-counter airline prices.

Hawaii, north of the equator and just nine hours' flying time from our shores, remains an incomparable holiday destination (and can also be visited as a stopover on some flights).

For all its glamour, Hawaii's prices are surprisingly down to earth, for accommodation and food.Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii and its main business centre, is on the island of Oahu,
famous for Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbour, and is best known to most tourists, but all the islands of the Hawaiian archipelago have fine natural attributes.

Kauai, the Garden Island, is only 20 minutes from Honolulu and is blessed with white sandy beaches, tropical gardens, caves and waterfalls. Maui is where the first Hawaiian kings made their capital, at Lahaina. It has golf courses, good shops, hotels, apartments and restaurants, and great swimming beaches. Sunset excursions to the peak of its famous volcano, Haleakala, are a special feature.

Molokai is not an island many people go to when in Hawaii. Kalaupapa is a must see. You can fly in on a small plane or hikers can take the 1,200-plus uneven steps down from the park. On the east side there is a great old church and this wonderful view of Kalawao Bay. (RIGHT PICTURE)

It takes 40 minutes by plane to reach the Big Island, which a 65000 square kilometres is larger than all the other Hawaiian islands put together.

Its two mountains, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, both higher than Mt Cook, remain snow-capped from December to May, while the active volcano Mauna Loa continues to disgorge lava. Ask your travel agent about luxury cruises operating from Honolulu and stopping off at Kauai, Hawaii and Maui. And you can go by excursion launch to Molokai, a former leper island. Organised coach tours will take you almot anywhere you want to go if you're staying in Honolulu - but you can also opt to travel right around the island of Oahu by public bus, paying a minimal go-anywhere fare.

Posted by: Lucky Banks

Egypt

Egypt's tourist attractions:

Pyramids- Located all over Egypt, these monumental structures have existed since 2630 BC, 1 pyramid could take up to 100,000 workers to contract. The most notables ones are found on the outskirts of the main city Cario and is called the pyramid of Kufu, it is the only one of the world seven wonders which still exists to this very day and plays a major role in Egypts tourist business. 

Sharm el sheikh- It is a sea resort which is a strong hold of tourism in Egypt where it has a population of 35,000 not including the tourists. It is known for its wide variety of fish (1000 different species) and so it focuses on scuba diving for its main source of tourism, the beach itself is highly ranked as one of the best beaches of the African peninsula. Night life, beach life and family life all in one at Sharm el sheikh.

Done by Salah khazzam.

Bali - Indonesia

Bali - Indonesia

You know those holidays that are so perfect you struggle to put them into words? Well my recent trip to Bali was one of those. My Bali adventure, where to begin? The Bali experience is something that can’t be explained, it’s a cultural and spiritual journey that needs to be experienced in order to be understood.

 Bali is called “The Island of The Gods,” and appropriately so. Bali is a rather a big island, filled with historical monuments and tourist activities suited for every holiday need. For advanced surfers who want to surf from dawn to sunset, you will have no problems choosing from several world class breaks. The Bukit area is one area that you may want to start your search. If you are a young backpacker with limited budget and want to enjoy both day and night life, then Kuta would probably be your best option. For those with family looking to spend those lazy days playing on the beach with your kids, Sanur area is highly suggested. Jimbaran bay is a long stretch of beach and waves are not big there so you can go swimming(but most of the time no one does); there are lots of locals on the beach. Good thing about Jimbaran are seafood restaurants right at the beach that are open after sunset. 

Posted by: Lucky Sutrisno

Raja Ampat Island

Raja Ampat Island - West Papua, Indonesia

Raja Ampat casts a spell on all who visit – scientists, photographers, novice divers and crusty sea-salts alike. This group of majestic islands, located in the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s Papuan “Bird’s Head Seascape,” lies in the heart of the coral triangle, the most bio-diverse marine region on earth.

This group of about 1600 mostly uninhabited islands off Sorong has some of the best diving in the world. Little known until the last few years, Raja Ampat’s sheer numbers and diversity of marine life, and its huge, largely pristine coral-reef systems, are a scuba dream come true – and fantastic for snorkelers too. It’s like swimming in a tropical aquarium. The sparsely populated islands are also great for birdwatching and just exploring amid sublime scenery of steep, jungle-covered islands, white-sand beaches, hidden lagoons, spooky caves, weird mushroom-shaped islets and pellucid waters. Travel here is not for super-tight budgets, but new homestay accommodation has made Raja Ampat much more accessible than it was.

Post by: Stephanie Manibuy

Italy Tour

Italy Tour

When to visit

The best months for sightseeing are April, May, June, September and October, but there are some traps. For example, if you visit major art cities over Easter you will be among even larger than usual crowds of foreign tourists. From March through May, bus loads of schoolchildren take part in excursions to cities of historical and artistic interest.
If possible, avoid traveling around Italy in August. The heat can be too much – especially as most of the locals are on the move and cramming roads, trains and planes on their way to sea and mountain resorts. June and September are among the best months to visit resorts. They are all open but less crowded.
The climate is hotter the further south you go, but there is plenty of coastline and the shore breezes do help. The hottest months are July and August and brief afternoon thunderstorms are common inland. Winters tend to be mild, but prepare for some rain. Don’t count on off-season rates in major cities, though some hotels in Rome, Florence, Milan and other big centres will reduce rates upon request if business is slow. Resort areas, on the other hand, do have recognized off-seasons and you can save a considerable amount on hotel rooms by visiting then.

If you are looking for special events, the period from May through September has a range of fiestas. Outdoor music and opera festivals are held mainly in July and August. 

Rome

The biggest problem you will have with Rome is deciding where to start. The city has so many sights of historic and religious significance, plus some modern attractions as well, that it demands time from the traveller. It wasn’t built in a day and you certainly won’t see it all in a day – or a week for that matter. So obtain a good map, decide where your main interests lie and go for it.
You could start by taking in the view of Rome and the surrounding hills form Piazzale Garibaldi at the top of Giancolo (Janiculum Hill). Otherwise try the view from the top of St Peters dome. Then visit the Museum of Roman Civilisation and its room-sized scale model of ancient Rome – to get a glimpse of what the city once looked like.

The classical city is still with us and waiting to be ‘discovered’. Visitors will notice how most of the straight streets in the Campus Martuis (Via delle Bottoghe Oscure, Via dei Coroari or Via dei Cestari) have survived intact from ancient times. Notice how the important feature here is the piazza – not the streets. The streets only serve to connect the piazzas.

Taking time and going by foot is always the best way to get to know a city – but not always the most practical. If time is limited to a few days, take an organised bus tour.
The Dutch Roman Catholic sister of Foyer Unitas take free tours (though offerings are appreciated) to many sights around the city and the Vatican and give slide presentations on various subjects.

Walking tours are available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and some Saturdays. Taking one of these will give you an idea of where you wish to spend more time. Most of historic Rome, which is also the city’s centre now, is within the third century Aurelian Walls and is walkable.

The ancient centre is close to Piazza Venezia, the heart of the modern city, and most of the sights of
ancient Rome are around the Capitoline, Palatine and Aventine hills. They can be seen on foot. Much of papal Rome is centred in the Vatican, but all of Rome is a religious centre.

Virtually all the museums, monuments are archaeological sites run by the state or city are closed on Sunday afternoons and many on Mondays.

The Colosseo (Colosseum) was completed in AD80 and is a fine starting point for a visitor to ancient Rome. Open daily, it remains a symbol of the grandeur of Rome.

Adjacent to this Palatino (Palatine Hill), a great spot for a walk or a picnic, and the Foro Roman (Roman Forum). The latter was the commercial, civil and religious centre of ancient Rome. Its large ceremonial buildings included three triumphal arches, two public halls, half a dozen temples and many statues and monuments.

Other famous sites include the Pantheon, the best preserved of roman buildings. It was founded in 27 BC by Agrippa and later became a Christian church which contains the tombs of Raphael the first two Kings of Italy.

Post by: Lucky Banks

Lebanese Cedar and Grotto

Lebanese tourist attractions:

Cedar Forest- These trees that were inducted in the work heritage site in 1998 have a historical significance to all of the arab population, including Lebanese, Assyrians, Egyptians and Persians. These trees are heavily protected as it is only found in that part of the world and so it has a strong representation of tourism as it is found no where else other than in the cold Lebanese mountains. The Lebanese flag has a cedar tree on it so that shows how these historic trees are looked at.

Jeita Grotto- Is a cave/underground river that was discovered by a Lebanese speleologists in 1958. It is a national symbol and massive tourist destination, on top of that it was the finalist in one of the " New 7 wonders of the world ". It gets around 280,000 visitors per year form
all around the world.

Post by: Salah Khazzam

Ruins of St. Paul's

Ruins of St. Paul's

This facade are the only remains of the Cathedral of St. Paul also known as "Mater Dei". The Cathedral was built by the Jesuits in 1602-1640 and was destroyed by fire on 26 January 1835, leaving only the front side of the church. In 1990, the government wants to demolish the ruins. In order to oppose the government’s action, a group of archaeologist excavated he ruins to study its historical past until the year ended 1995.

Then, the ruins were restored by the Macanese government into a museum, and the facade is now reinforced with concrete and steel in a way which preserves the integrity of the facade. This ruins are denoted as one of Macau’s best landmark and tourist attraction. Ruins of St. Paul’s are officially listed as part of the “Historic Centre of Macau” and UNESCO’s Atlas mundial de la arquitectura barroca in 2005. 

 

Post by :
Lucky Sutrisno (SULUC1401)