Travel & Tourism

City skyline from harbour.

I have many fond memories from all my visits to Singapore and it has become almost like a second home to me. I can find my way around here much better than some cities down under.My first experience here was in 1969 as an eight year old enroute to Perth from Amsterdam. This was only as a brief stopover to change flights but even way back then I remember the airport as a hub of much activity with people coming, going and selling.Between 1983 and 2008 I have visited Singapore some eight times either as a destination in itself or as a brief stopover when going to someplace else.My recollections are of a city full of friendly faces, fine foods and fun filled days. My latest trip was no exception.As with my 2005 visit, I was able to catch up with some great VT'ers and share some local experiences that you won't find on any day trip provided by tour operators.No sooner had I been dropped off at the Queen Street Terminal, after arriving from Malaysia, and I was looking at my map to get my bearings when someone stopped to offer some assistance.This happened three times in the space of about half an hour while trying to find directions to my hotel. In fact, one gentleman stopped to help at a red light for a pedestrian crossing. In the time that it took for him to explain directions to me the light had gone green and then red again. While waiting for the light to turn green again, I apologised to him for having missed his opportunity to cross but he just smiled and replied "No problems!".I do love this city :

Emirates Towers, Dubai

Modern buildings alongside Dubai creek

Dubai has developed from a small town into an ultra-modern metropolis in the last half century.While oil revenues were initially the catalyst for this phenomenal growth, Dubai is no longer dependent on oil production for its prosperity. In fact, today less than 10% of Dubai's GDP derives from oil, and the city has established a diversified economy in which tourism and consumerism play a vital role.The city of Dubai is split by a creek, with Deira on one side and Bur Dubai on the other. The luxury beach hotels are situated several miles from the city, in the area of Jumeirah.Dubai already exhibits some stunning architecture, such as the Burj al Arab hotel, the Emirates Towers, the Dusit hotel and the National Bank building, but future developments promise to be mind-blowing!One such major development is that of Palm Island, a residential, commercial and beach district which is in the process of being built. The development is to be shaped like a palm tree and will stretch from the shore near Jumeirah. Around 150km of extra beach will be created and the luxury beachside apartments have already been snapped up by the likes of the Beckhams and Tom Cruise, so rumour has it.Other developments in the city include a marina with luxurious apartment blocks, which is to be connected to the creek by flooding the land around it; the world's largest shopping mall, complete with a huge aquarium; and the world's tallest building.Despite all this development, the core of Dubai is still traditional, with bustling souks,(dedicated to gold, spices, fruit and vegetables amongst other items). The presence of dhows being loaded with goods for exporting to Iran, Pakistan, India and other countries in the region, also conjures up images of the city's past as a major trading centre. And, of course, the abras (wooden water taxis) which transport locals and tourists across the creek are anything but modern!Dubai is a fantastic city, with a forward-looking outlook. It has successfully modernised and developed an infrastructure that is capable of sustained development in future, but has also managed to retain its traditions. I will be amazed if Dubai does not become one of the world's key cities in the 21st century!

Port of Naples
Castel dell'Ovo (Capri in distance)

Beach, pier, and lungomare/boardwalk of MInori in January


In Turin, the capital of the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, sports cars and chocolate are a matter of pride. The city is also home to the Museo Egizio, one of the most impressive collections of Egyptian artifacts in the world. A stroll around Piazza Castello and along the Via Roma encompasses many of the must-see sights. Valentino Park houses an 18th-century castle, botanic garden and medieval village. When you've worked up an appetite, sample casual trattorias for pastas, regional wines and coffees

Driving along the Amalfi Coastline

Watchtower ruins above Amalfi

Amalfi - Luna Convento at the tip

Tokyo Disneyland (東京ディズニーランド ,Tōkyō Dizunīrando?) is a 15 acre (53 km²) theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and was opened on April 15, 1983. The park was constructed by Walt Disney Imagineering in the same style as Disneyland in California and the Magic Kingdom in Florida. It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. It, along with its companion park, Tokyo DisneySea, are the only Disney parks not owned by The Walt Disney Company.
There are seven themed areas, each complementing each other yet unique in their style. Made up of the World Bazaar, the four classic Disney lands: Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, and two mini lands, Critter Country and Mickey's Toontown, the park is noted for its huge open spaces to accommodate the massive crowds the park receives on even moderate attendance days. In 2007, Tokyo Disneyland hosted approximately 13.9 million guests, ranking it as the third-most visited theme park in the world, behind its American sister parks, the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.[1].
Tokyo Disneyland began celebrating the 25th Anniversary of its grand opening in April 2008, with special events, entertainment and merchandise expected to continue into next year.

I'm down in Pokhara now, finished the circuit, had a brilliant time. Got round it a little fast as a roads been built along some of the last section so caught a jeep along that bit. Tomorrow I'm white water rafting down to a nature reserve with a few guys I met to check out the elephants, tigers, rhinos etc. After that I'll be back up to Pokhara to chill out for a week before I come home. Hopefully going to do a fair bit of para-gliding depending on the weather, and might do a longer (3-4 day) rafting trip if I can afford.

If you’re visiting the park this month, you’re likely to see teams of volunteers working on plant restoration under the Alternative Spring Break program sponsored by the Student Conservation Assn. and American Eagle Outfitters. Basically, kids sign up for one of two weeklong sessions that start Sunday, March 15 (program is full for this year). Last year, a team worked on restoring an area with 20,000 native plants. In addition to lending a hand at the iconic national park, students get to explore the red-rock trails and learn more about the park and the National Park Service.

Perth City is a ideal place for a summer or winter holiday. There the sun always shining and you will found white sandy beaches and amazing scenery. Perth City is Western Australia’s capital with a population over 1 million people, but it’s one of the most isolated metropolitan areas on the Earth. The nearest city is Adelaide in South Australia, which is 2,104 km away. But, don’t worry, with its cosmopolitan atmosphere is always something to see and do there.

One of the benefits of working as an airline crewmember, whether it be as a pilot or flight attendant, is the chance to get to know a city in a manner that's second only to living there. But when we're given the option to fly a month of 'turns' – those one day trips with flight times occasionally exceeding eight hours, many of our Boston international pilots forgo the London or Aruba layover for a line with 9 or 10 turns in it. It's tough to pass up a schedule that allows you to be home every night and have a good deal of time off as well.

One of the benefits of working as an airline crewmember, whether it be as a pilot or flight attendant, is the chance to get to know a city in a manner that's second only to living there. But when we're given the option to fly a month of 'turns' – those one day trips with flight times occasionally exceeding eight hours, many of our Boston international pilots forgo the London or Aruba layover for a line with 9 or 10 turns in it. It's tough to pass up a schedule that allows you to be home every night and have a good deal of time off as well.

Two of the muscle cars from the upcoming “Fast & Furious” street-racing movie are now on display at Universal Studios Hollywood, joining a fleet of exotic movie vehicles at the theme park. Vin Diesel’s 1987 Buick Grand National and a 2009 Subaru WRX STI driven by Paul Walker in the movie are currently parked inside the theme park near the House of Horrors attraction (separate from the Fast & the Furious Extreme Close-Up experience on the behind-the-scenes Studio Tour)).

After hanging out a few more days after the wedding with everyone in Jervis Bay, we headed south down the coast about 5 hours to a beautiful spot we had been before, Merimbula. Merimbula is on the the Sapphire Coast and is about hour north of the border between New South Wales and Victoria. We stayed for 5 days at the Merimbula Beach Caravan Park which is directly overlooking a quiet little beach. You can rent some really great cabins there if you don't have a caravan, tent, etc. and they are a pretty good deal.

I think one food item you always see a lot at the temple fair is the fried insects. Those crunchy things that taste a bit like burnt bacon. Fancy a grasshoper? No? Then why not try some fried baby birds? If you are feeling squemish, do not go to page two to see the close-ups!

The Pancake Rocks are columns of limestone resembling stacks of pancakes that have been formed by centuries of tidal water washing over them. At high tide with a heavy swell running, seawater is forced upwards through blow holes. An amazing sight which is backdropped by the rough surf of the Tasman Sea

HIBS today announced a new holiday and travel partnership with Thomas Cook Sport that will run until June 2010. The partnership, named the Hibernian Holiday Club, allows fans to buy flights and book hotels or complete holiday packages at discount prices. Fife Hyland, Hibs' commercial and communications director, said: "We are delighted to announce this xciting partnership with a leading international brand such as Thomas Cook. "The deal is an important one not just for the club, but more importantly, the supporters.