The national airline of South Africa, introduces spectacular round trip Economy class fares, valid for booking from 25th June till 18th July, 2011. In this lavishing offer travelers can take benefit of enjoying comfortable trip to their home town with one of the leading African Airline. The out bound travel on this exciting offer can [...]
This summer, Virgin Atlantic announces Limited time promotional Sale to Accra, starting from today till June 15th, 2011 for booking. Virgin Atlantic is the only carrier which offers cheap direct flights to Accra from London On this limited time promotional sale, travelers can depart for the outbound journey from London Heathrow commencing travel from now [...]
The Temples of Kathmandu, Nepal
Most travelers that visit Nepal use Kathmandu as a quick stopover before moving on to either the Himalayas or lowland jungles. Although Kathmandu is a dirty and chaotic city that gets mixed reviews, it’s also a vibrant city filled with deep spiritually and rich history.
We took the recommendations of friends that had previously traveled to Nepal and decided to spend a few days exploring the capital city. We booked a cheap tour that ended up being a private driver that took us around the city, introducing us to the religious side of Kathmandu.
Click on the image below to watch the video slideshow
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Click here to watch on YouTube – Temples of Kathmandu
Listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the iconic temples of Kathmandu are some of the most remarkable places of worship we’ve encountered on our travels.
We witnessed human cremations at Pashupatinath Hindu Temple, played with curious monkeys at the ancient Swayambhunath Stupa, wandered in awe at the stunning Durbar Square, and sipped sweet tea on a rooftop restaurant as we marvelled at the legendary Boudhanath Stupa.
Above: Boudhanath Stupa, Kathmandu
Have you visited Kathmandu? Did you get a chance to explore any of its temples?
Share your experience in the comments section below
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The Temples of Kathmandu (Video Slideshow) is a post from: Traveling Canucks
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Wherever you live in Western Europe you have access to a lengthier than standard ski season. In the end, just when you feel that you need to pack away those skis for the season, late springtime snow will show up somewhere. Typically, it tends to be in the Northern Alps, or possibly in Austria and Switzerland. Sometimes, major resorts such as Val Thorens stay open until the bitter end of May. Consequently, for ski enthusiasts everywhere, when evaluating ski holidays France is the best place.
The great thing about skiing toward the conclusion of the season is that you'll be in the position to take advantage of days which are considerably longer. Moreover, the sun is a touch higher in the sky and is much more pleasurable on your face as you are traversing the trails. Moreover there seems to be an "end of term" atmosphere and many of the parties are much more frenetic and exciting than they may be in earlier season.
In the event that those longer days aren't sufficient for you, why not consider extending your grand adventure by skiing at night? This is something that’s taking hold of late at resorts which offer lighting. It's almost a surreal experience when you sample the opportunity to ski under the stars. Moreover, you will notice that not many individuals have awakened to the concept of skiing at night as yet and you'll have much more room to yourself. While getting your "fix" of skiing in this way, you'll be in the position to lie in tomorrow morning following that apr?s-ski celebration and not concern yourself with having to get up, to get in line.
You can definitely find last minute ski deals available when you get close to the end of a given skiing season. Many individuals have to book ahead of time needless to say and don't have the versatility in order to take advantage of those last-minute deals, however if you do you can expect a magical time in the French Alps, while you get ready for the summer.
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People in this world wear a number of clothes for every new occasion that happen in their life time. One of those is the marriage for which the bride and bridegroom should dress themselves in a beautiful way. The Nayna South Asian Bridal Wear is one of the most popular bridal wear that comes in a number of varieties with its unique designs. All the people are very much attracted by the peculiar designs of these Saree. This could be bought in all the standard colors that best suits for every bridal in a most specific way. These are most often designed with the beautiful colored bead stones which will be more attractive. The contrast border that is designed in these Saree will be very much cute to be liked by all. One of the Nayna South Asian Bridal Wear is the dazzling festive lozenge Saree that is designed with the red and green color which have the capability to make an everlasting impression on everyone. The other beautiful Saree is designed with the pink and blue color which is the well known combination among the various persons. This will provide a gorgeous look to the bridal who is wearing the Saree for her wedding function.
Wherever you live in Western Europe you have access to a longer than average ski season. In the end, just when you reckon that you should pack away those skis for the season, late springtime snow will fall somewhere. Customarily, it tends to be in the Northern Alps, or even in Austria and Switzerland. At times, major resorts like Val Thorens remain open up until the bitter end of May. Consequently, for ski aficionados just about everywhere, when evaluating ski holidays France is the spot.
The beauty about skiing toward the end of the season is that you'll be in the position to take advantage of days that are a lot longer. Furthermore, the sun is a little higher in the sky and it is far more pleasant on the face as you are traversing the trails. Moreover there seems to be an "end of term" ambiance and most of the parties are much more frenetic and entertaining than they may be in earlier season.
In the event that those longer days are not sufficient for you, why not consider stretching out your grand adventure by skiing through the night? It is something that’s establishing itself in recent times at resorts which offer lighting. It's virtually a surreal experience when you sample the opportunity to ski beneath the stars. Moreover, you will see that not many individuals have awakened to the notion of skiing through the night as yet and you'll have far more room to yourself. As you are getting the "fix" of skiing in this manner, you will be in the position to lie in tomorrow morning following that apr?s-ski bash and not worry about having to get up, to get in line.
You can definitely find last minute ski deals available when you get near to the end of a given skiing season. Many people do need to book ahead of time needless to say and don't have the flexibility in order to benefit from all of these last-minute bargains, however if you do you can anticipate an awesome time in the French Alps, while you get ready for the summer.
British Airways passengers travelling in First Class will be treated to a glass of Balfour Brut Rose champagne on board flights this summer.
Click the heading to view the full story or visit www.skyclub.com/news
How to Spot a Whale Shark in the Belize Barrier Reef
Snorkeling with a whale shark has always ranked high on Nicole’s bucket list. It’s one of those rare natural encounters that few people get to experience in their lifetime. The gentle giants, which can grow as long as 41 feet, are not dangerous creatures and should not be confused with killer whales or sharks with sharp pointy teeth.
A few years ago, when we were planning our Round-the-World adventure, we researched the best locations to find whale sharks. Our hope was to have an opportunity to swim alongside the world’s largest fish, but our itinerary didn’t bring us close enough. Whale sharks only migrate to certain locations around the world, searching for specific food sources like plankton, microscopic plants and fish eggs.
Even if you’re lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, there is still no guarantee of a whale shark sighting.
Though the elusive shark can be seen in many of the world’s tropical seas, there are a few places where your chances of success are much greater. Along with Mexico and Honduras, Belize is one of the most popular locations in the Americas to spot whale sharks.
Gladden Spit in the Belize Barrier Reef, located about 26 miles off the coast of Placencia, hosts a high concentration of whale sharks during the months of April and May, when schools of cubera snapper are actively spawning in the area. Gladden Spit is also a protected area, so the park rangers only allow six tour operator boats at a time, which contributes to the intimacy of the experience.
We spoke to several Belizean locals, scuba dive shops, and tour operators, curious about the best time to spot a whale shark. Depending on who you ask, each person has a different opinion with conflicting results. Some say your chances are highest 3 days before the full moon, some say 3 days after the full moon, others say its the day of the full moon.
But everyone will agree that it’s most likely to see the whale sharks surrounding the full moons of April and May, although even that’s not guaranteed (sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t read the tourist brochures).
How do you find the Whale Sharks?
Unlike a typical whale, whale sharks do not need to surface for air, making them very difficult to spot. Eric, our fearless snorkeling guide with Splash Dive Center, briefed us on the unique process for spotting the underwater giants.
The process is actually quite fascinating. When Eric originally explained it to us we thought he was playing around with our ignorance. He wasn’t.
Belizean tour operators have fish tracking systems installed in their boats that search for schools of large fish that frequent Gladden Spit. The ideal fish they look for is the Cubera Snappers because the whale sharks like to eat their eggs. Once a school of snappers are found, scuba divers enter the water and follow the fish.
When the scuba divers get close enough, they collect in a circle above the fish and link arms together. Then they wait. Eager snorklers rest on the ocean surface, intently focused on the deep blue sea, searching for shadows in the distance.
Thousands of tiny bubbles float towards the surface, simulating the cloudy spawning process of the snapper. The whale sharks, not being the most intelligent creatures, are tricked into thinking that the bubbles are actually its food source. They rise from the depths of the deep blue to feed, their huge mouths wide open, scooping up the bubbles.
The more bubbles the scuba divers can make, the better the chance of attracting the whale sharks!
When we arrived in Placencia, our spirits were high.
Our tour with Splash Dive Center was strategically planned for the day of the full moon in May, one day after our snorkeling trip to Laughing Bird Caye. We couldn’t have timed it better if we tried. Now it was up to the whale sharks and mother nature to cooperate.
We were warned that the full moon can bring on high winds and rough seas, so we were pleasantly surprised this was not the case on the morning of the tour. The winds were calm, the water was like glass, the sun was shining – everything was falling into place.
The Burning Question – Did we get to Snorkel with Whale Sharks?!
When we first jumped into the water it was a strange, creepy feeling. The warm water was so dark and blue, with nothing in sight except scuba divers 50 feet below. In every direction, all we could see was the water slowly changing from indigo blue to black, then nothing.
We found the snorkeling to be a great way to search for the sharks. Warren, our adventurous boat captain, was constantly in talks with the other boats, giving the snorkelers a slight advantage over the scuba divers. If other divers have better luck 100 feet away, snorkelers can easily jump back in the boat and get dropped closer to the action.
Our first two attempts in the morning were unsuccessful. After about an hour in the water, we took a break and left the protected area for lunch and snorkel in the shallow coral reef. It was amazing that in such a short distance, the water went from thousands of feet deep to less than 10 feet.
Our team had positive feelings for the afternoon sessions.
As soon as we re-entered Gladden Spit, we spotted a pod of dolphins. We immediately jumped into the water and swam with them for a few moments before they got bored and moved on. Then the scuba divers descended and began simulating the spawning process again.
We started to get that warm, fuzzy feeling when we saw a school of thousands of fish followed by three remora fish, commonly found attached to sharks.
The moment felt right, so we floated on the surface and waited with anticipation.
After about 45 minutes of following the scuba divers, Eric made the call.
We would head back the boat. Although the stars were literally in alignment, the elusive shark was just to shy to make an appearance.
Sadly, nobody saw a whale shark that day.
As Eric put it, “This is the ocean, we never know what we’ll see”. We were reminded that spotting whale sharks in the open ocean is like going on an African safari and spotting a leopard, there’s never a guarantee.
Although we were disappointed that we didn’t spot a whale shark, it was still an incredible experience swimming in the deep blue sea of the Belize Barrier Reef. It’s not every day we get to play in the world’s second largest reef system!
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Have you ever seen a Whale Shark in its natural habitat?
If not, what is the largest fish/mammal you’ve seen in the open sea?
Share your experience in the comments section below!
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Editor’s Note: Our whale shark tour with Splash Dive Center was complimentary, however the thoughts and opinions shared in this post are entirely our own
How to Spot a Whale Shark in the Belize Barrier Reef is a post from: Traveling Canucks
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