Best Safari Places in Africa

Generally, Africa is adorned by beautiful sites, great culture and very friendly people. Wherever you go as a tourist, you will enjoy the hospitality. There is as an African proverb that says that a visitor is like a river. He will not be around for long. Therefore do not be tired of treating him well when he is around. Depending on what you are looking for, be assured that the safari to Africa will be unforgettable. If you choose any part of Africa, the rich culture will entice you. The culture changes as you move from one part of Africa to another depending on the people living there. Modernization also affects the cultural practices too. Where people have embraced the western ways of life, you will find minimal cultural beliefs and practices.

If you love rock and mountain climbing, the Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is a good challenge for you. Mount Kenya found in Kenya is also a very big tourist attraction. All you need to do is get a reputable tour company that will guide you through the process. The tour company will also assist in getting good camping grounds, hotels, arranging transport and any other necessary equipment for the journey. Egypt is also a very good safari place in Africa. The pyramids which were part of the Seven Wonders of the World are very unique and beautiful. They are also intriguing as they were built hundreds of years ago using human labor alone.

If you are a person who loves history, the best is in Africa. The fight over apartheid in South Africa will intrigue you. You will also learn more about great African leaders such as Mwalimu Nyerere of Tanzania, Nelson Mandela of South Africa and not so good leaders such as Idd Amin of Uganda. You can also get to experience life from the towns these leaders originated from. Sites where great massacres and genocides took place are also tourist attraction centers. These include Rwanda, Burundi, Somali and Sudan.

Anning

I am about 30 minutes west of Kunming in a little town called Anning. It is the site of the worlds first hot spring. I am sitting next to this spring. This region around Kunming has many hot springs and rich mineral water from the thermal activity here.  This area is very popular with tourists because of the  hot springs and the special healing properties  of this  mineral  water.
I walked around the little roads in the area and discovered this hot springs facility nestled in the pine forest. It is called the Jinfang Forest Pools. This place has about 15 spring pools built amongst the pine trees and each is filled with the hot spring water. The water temp is naturally around 118F. Then each pool is combined with various chinese medicinal herbs which colors the water and each has a different healing quality. They also have these pools at different temperatures to create the proper medical effects to your body.  Then there is also a big central swimming pool with plain hot springs water. There is a restaurant , tea house, hotel and sauna facility as well.
I decided to spend New Years night here, so I got a room which has it’s own private hot springs pool in the garden outside my room. This was $85 for the room, breakfast, and entry into the main facility with all the pools. The day is clear, sunny, 70F and at night it dropped to about 50F. I chilled my Champagne in the toilet, and enjoyed New Years Eve soaking in my private hot tub under the clear night skies after dinner in the restaurant. What a perfect way to bring in the New Year! The next day I spent all afternoon soaking in the herbal hot springs going to each pool, some filled with flowers and others with oranges and fruit oils.  I visited a Buddist Temple near the hotel and watched a lady cutting and drying tobacco which they grow here. Be sure to see the pics in the Anning folder!
So anyway, Happy New Year!

Beaches of Goa

 The beaches of Goa with it’s spectacular beauty is enamored all over the world. The 125 km long Goan coastline is dotted with many beautiful beaches. It is the perfect destination for a romantic honeymoon or an ideal vacation. It is the firm favorite for the holidaymakers from across the world. Each year thousands of tourists from all over the world visit Goa. Beaches here are quite versatile by nature. From hippy parties all along night to the silent and lonely world, beaches here offer all kinds of atmosphere to the visitors. Some of the beaches are commercialized and have all kind of upmarket, massage parlours, gyms, night clubs and while in some there is no sign of habitation. Most of the beaches organizes water sports like parasailing, jet skiing, windsurfing and boating. One interesting fact about beaches is most of them have been named after the closet villages.

Anjuna Beach:

It is often regarded as mother of all beach in India itself. This beach was discovered sometimes around 50’s and 60’s by the group of travelers and since then have become ideal destination of every holidaymakers who visits Goa. With calm waters of Arabian sea slowly waving around the shore, this beach is most famous for its full moonlit hippie parties. Specially during Christmas and new year time this place is full of parties. Parties are mostly centered around Shoe bar which is in the middle of beach. Anjuna beach is so large that it has been divided into north, south and middle. Majority of bars, hotels and restaurants are in north Anjuna, in the middle Anjuna there is flea market and in south is Little Anjuna beach. Flea market is held every Wednesday, where one can buy traditional Gujarati, Kashmiri and Tibetan handicrafts. One can have delicious Goan cuisines beginning from mouthwatering prawns to heavenly pork vindaloo. For sightseeing in Anjuna there’s Albuquerque mansion which was built in 1920, another being Mascarenhas Mansion which has beautiful balconies. Chapora fort gives it a historic angle. They say party never ends in Anjuna beach, only condition is that sooner you grove into the party mood.

Calangute Beach:

This is beach also known as ‘Queen of Beaches’ offers you the calm serenity to escape from party land Anjuna. This beach was first spotted by hippies in the 60’s and very soon it became very popular. By 70’s many European tourists started flocking here. Many Bollywood stars too have been charmed by this beach. Superstar Raj Kapoor got inspiration for his movie ‘Bobby’ after visiting this beach. Pristine surroundings and golden sands gives this place a stunning view. Unlike Anjuna here bars closes by ten pm with only few hippie joints remain opened. So, there is hardly any nightlife in Calangute. It is not the ideal place for those party animals. It is one of those beaches which offers lot of water sports. One can go for parasailing, water sailing, water skiing and bump rides. Some boat operators offers dolphin and crocodile spotting trips, island trips and fishing expeditions. One lazy around sun bathing or walk in the calm demeanor of this beach. Church of St. Alex is one of the must see place of this serene beach. One cant dare to amiss hundred of stalls in beach selling different varieties of sea food. This beach is popular among all group of people including many family visitors.

Baga Beach:

Baga is small beach located between its more illustrious cousins Colva and Calangute on either side. This beach is an extension of Calangute and it is hard to make out where one ends or begins. Best thing about Baga is its less crowded than its nearby beaches. The meeting of Baga river and sea here is an stunning sight. As white waves gushes through brown sand to wash your feet marks,a calm feeling will swallow you. It is the best place for restful moments if you want to get away from the hustle-bustle of Calangute and Colva beach. With its uncrowded nature this beach is popular among those tourist who wants to pursue their hobbies. Fishing and water sports is the most popular one.

Colva Beach:

Colva is one of the longest beach stretching around 25 km along the Arabian Sea. It has large presence of coconut palm along its coastline. This beach had the distinction of being retreat zone of the high society of Margoa during pre-colonial era. Few can match the scenic beauty of Colva with sky, sand and land blending a enigmatic natural beauty. This beach gained popularity quite late compared to other beaches of Goa. But off late it has emerged as the major tourist attraction of the South Goa. It is the perfect place for those who seek solitude in their holidays. There is long mile of virgin territory comprising of soft sands, shining sun and music of the waves. Just grab your favorite book and tie the swing net in between coconut tree and laze around in the calmness. Even though lots of foreign and tourist from rest of India throng this beach, it is very popular among the locals. Bull fight which takes in old rice field with no barricades is another showpiece of Colva beach. With local Konkani music playing and lots of local humor, bull fights usually takes place from October to May end.

Condolim Beach:

Starting from Fort Aguada and merging with Calangute beach towards end, it is one of the longest beach located in north Goa. This beach is quite peaceful and is very popular among the foreign tourists. This beach is quite long and straight and is backed by scrub covered sand dunes which is very popular among the tourists. A lot of tourists from Pune’s Rajneesh ashram visit this beach, yoga and meditation is also popular activity on the beach. Village Candolim is known for fishing. You can either request and join the villagers in their fishing expedition or go fishing on your own. Here nightlife is almost non-existent. Fort Aguada, Chapel of St. Lawrence and Condolim church are some of the major tourist attractions. Being less crowded this beach is best place to try out water sports. This is place where first revolt against Portuguese erupted.

Benaulim Beach:

This is the place to get closure to the nature and remain totally untouched. It is one special place for Christians as it the birth place of venerable Father Joseph Vaz. The best thing about Benaulim is its still an undiscovered beach. Unlike other beaches commercialization has not creped yet. This is the best place for sun bathing and getting tanned. One can go for swimming too. Though its quite beach during evening and weekend it can get crowded with locals pouring in. The main attraction of this beach is dolphin spotting trips. It is pretty cheap too. Church of St. John Baptist situated atop hill is the ideal place to visit in Benaulim. Water sports like parasailing, jet skiing and wind surfing is available too.

Attractions in Canada

Canada is one of the most beautiful places of the world. The place has some out of the world sights which are absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. The sceneries will totally captivate you and you would love to be their forever. The place is always crowded and bustling with tourists from all over the world which brings more life to such an amazing place.

Almost every place in Canada is worth seeing. Canada’s Wonderland (a theme park), established in 1981 is just an amazing place, especially to go with family. You would find all the excitement, thrill and enjoyment with having 200 attractions inside it. If you want to go all crazy then you have 15 roller coasters there to give you the one of the best moments of your life. It has become so much popular over the time that now it is included in the world’s top attractive places. Another attraction which is a must to see is Stanley Park. The park got its name after Governor-General of Canada in 1888, who himself actively participated in its creation. The park has all that one can think to see and avail in it. So, in this respect you would find many facilities in the park. Mostly skaters and cyclists are found there having a good time while many people come to the park mainly for walk or jog.

Among all the attractions that Canada offers, Niagara Fallsis one to see for sure. If you would not see it, it means you haven’t seen anything in there as it is one of the largest falls of the world and is famous all over the world. The gushing water falling down simply captivates you and you fell under its spell. If you would make plans to visit Canada then make it around August as you would get a chance to see Exhibition Place. The exhibition is a national event and is held by the Toronto. The exhibition is full of excitement with events including expo, theatre, trade and music buildings, sports facilities, national historical sites, and banquet centers. In short if you would be looking for extreme fun and entertainment then this exhibition will turn out to be your destination.

Along with all these picture perfect places, you should not miss out on the parks of Canada. If you are a nature lover then do plan one day excursion trip to Banff National Park. It was established in 1885 and is located in the province of Alberta. And it is guaranteed that the park will surely make you feel great with all the ice fields, terrains, glaciers and alpines it offers. Vieux Port (Old Port) is also one of the must see places in Canada. This Port has a natural attraction for the tourists despite of the fact that to is years old now. One aspect that ties it with popularity is because of its link with the heritage as French traders used to use this as their gateway. Moreover, the place has an element of complete serenity and people love taking a walk or even jog around it, especially with feeling the breeze. So, its time to finalize your next tourist spot or family destination as you would not for sure want to miss out all the fun and excitement that these attractions of Canada bring for you.

A Company Outing to Kanchanaburi, Thailand

One of the more interesting aspects of business life in Thailand is the annual or biannual company outing.

Officially, the event is an extension of the office, but in a more relaxed atmosphere. The reality though is that there is normally one official company meeting where the directors or senior managers give a pep talk to the staff, and the remainder of the long weekend is about getting on better with your colleagues, making new friends, and generally having a really outstanding short break. And, as a “farang”, a foreigner in Thai, the more that you enter into the spirit of the break, the more you will enjoy it. Of course, there will be times that you make a complete ass of yourself, but hey, it’s a break, it’s free, and it can be real fun!

A while back, I went on one such company outing, having been invited by my local business partner to join the company for their first outing of the year. The destination was a “resort” hotel, the River Kwai Village Hotel, or “Jungle Resort” in Sai Yok district of Kanchanaburi province, which is about another sixty kilometers after the province’s capital, Kanchanaburi city.

Sai Yok is very much like many of the districts in Kanchanaburi province, in that it has lush forests and jungles, beautiful rivers and streams, including outstanding waterfalls in the rainy season, and, of course, as in everywhere else in Thailand some very interesting temples.

A little more than four hours after getting on the luxury coach in Bangkok we arrived at the Rive Kwai Village hotel. By car you can probably do it in two and half hours, but if you have ever been on a company outing in Thailand, you will know that you must stop every two hours for the obligatory snack!

Straight into the company meeting on the first morning, and three very short pep talks later, we were into the action packed weekend. The hotel is on the banks Kwai Noi river, and many of the rooms have superb river and mountain views, so the first day was set aside exploring the river on a Thai style raft. This is not to be confused with western rafts – these are house boats and are big enough for forty people, towed by powerful long tail boats, and come with a mobile disco., food and a complete range of beverages sufficient for a great day out.

The Kwai Noi is remarkably untouched by pollution at this point, and is ideal for swimming in the many large shaded pools that dot the banks of the river. Add in some great views, unspoiled jungle, excellent al fresco food and a few beers and you have all of the ingredients to make a truly marvelous day out in Thailand.

The second day was made up of an extraordinarily well oiled tour of many districts around Kanchanaburi districts. Methods of transport included our luxury coach, the local train, and mini buses. For me, the highlight of the day was going to the Prasat Muang Sing Historical Park via the local train from Kanchanaburi city to the station at Tha Kilen. Parts of this line follow the path of the infamous Death railway, and you have to wonder in awe just how the unfortunate souls forced into labor during WWII could have ever built it.

Prasat Muang Sing was probably built during the height of the Khmer influence and is conjectured to be an outpost of Angkor. As such, the style of the ruins is Khmer. From my description you can sense that, whilst some information is available about its origins, much is still unclear. This may be partially because the site was overgrown, much in the same way that the Angkor temple complex went, and Prasat Muang Sing was only restored around thirty five years ago.

This was the final stop of the weekend, and it was back to Tha Kilen, to pick up the coach, which had somehow miraculously appeared at the station to take us back to Bangkok!

For those of you that are not lucky enough to have such a weekend organized for you, then I have a couple of suggestions for you. Hire a car in Bangkok; I recommend Thai Rent A Car, (+66 (0) 2737 8888), and drive to Kanchanaburi. This will give you complete freedom to travel around and explore this remarkable province that borders on to Myanmar. Alternatively, go to the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Mai) in Bangkok by taxi or the 511 aircon bus, and then take another aircon bus to Kanchanaburi city.

I prefer driving there, but it can be a somewhat nerve racking experience. I have also taken the bus, and this a very viable and inexpensive option and also allows you freedom to choose from a complete range of tour and hotel packages when you arrive at Kanchanaburi.

And finally, albeit a little late, a happy and prosperous 2009 to my friends at the Thailand Web Zone, www.thailandwebzone.com, which is a new Thai social networking and Thailand community site. Share information in Thai forums and Thailand articles, meet people, share photos, music and video, find & submit information on Thailand travel. Make new friends from all over the world! For those readers who have not visited TWZ, go have a look now!