Posts Tagged ‘travel’

Be a Smart Tourist During Your Lake Tahoe Vacation

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Anywhere you go around the world, it always pays to know what to do and sometimes all it takes is common sense, so be a smart tourist during your Lake Tahoe vacation. First time tourists usually fall prey to ‘unsuspecting’ circumstances like waiting in line for hours just to get a meal, or get frustrated over exaggerated offers for good deals on trips and vacation packages or sometimes even end up on a lonely resort without even a slightest hint of what was offered for the ‘price-buster package’.

All too typically, Lake Tahoe visitors fall prey into common time-wasters and fun-busters, it might be the results of plenty of things but one thing’s for sure, the main reason for such a problem will always need to be about poor planning. It’s either they’re stuck in gridlock due to a likely rush of tourists in getting to their desired vacation spot, or lazing at South Lake Tahoe sunburnt yet unhappy due to some or waiting in queue at internationally famous cafes for hours.

But truthfully, often all that it takes is just some commonsense and fastidiously planned activities to let you like your Lake Tahoe holiday. Being a smart traveler doesn’t only keep you away from the concerns of messing up your holiday, it also helps you like more and even get to spend less cash. These are some of the finest guidelines to apply that would try and make things straightforward for you, be assured this isn’t complicated.

It is beneficial to get prepared, especially in making certain that you do not get lost. When preparing your activities around Lake Tahoe, employ a map to find all you need to see, and plan your route ahead. Otherwise, you can spend unnecessary time back-tracking round the lake. To avoid getting abnormally burned, make certain you check out for a tanning cream test. It basically is as straightforward as taking along a suntan cream when going outside, ideally with a higher SPF (Sun Protection Factor). The reason for that is the major heat of the sun since you are at an altitude of no less than 6000 feet above sea level.

If you should drink alcohol, drink it in moderation. The effects of alcohol are greater at 6,000 feet, so better watch out if you are driving around. Avoid the rush, since Lake Tahoe is busier in summer than in winter.
Same goes with the fact that there are more visitors on weekends than on week days. If possible, plan your getaway on a weekday since most hotels prices take a nosedive during Sunday nights and vacancies can be found everywhere.

If you’re planning to have dinner in one of the famous cafes in Lake Tahoe, make efforts to have dinner reservations previously, particularly on the North Shore area on Fri. and Saturday nights. You’ve got to be certain to have something to keep you warm during out of doors activities during night. Nights are exceptionally cool even during summer nights at Lake Tahoe, so bring a warm jacket and a couple of long pants to drag on over your shorts.

Avoid annoying traffic, especially at the South Lake Tahoe area by taking advantage of the Blue Tahoe Trolley and Emerald Bay Shuttle. Those are some of the common tips on how to be a smart tourist during your Lake Tahoe vacation, guaranteed it will save you money, time and effort in doing so.

Stop by Sharon Hill’s site where you can find more Travelling Tips And Information.

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Thailand: My First Night in Pattaya

Friday, January 1st, 2010

It was seven-ish and I was sitting in a nice-enough room overlooking the front entrance to the pub above which I had just moved in. The pub was the Pig and Whistle on Soi 7 in Pattaya. Across the lane was a big hole, which they were hoping to construct a hotel in and next door to that, right opposite me, was a small bar with one woman sitting on a stool outside it. Not that there was a wall there, it was open on two sides. The Soi was nice and peaceful, I thought. I also thought that I might go and sit in that little bar and talk to that woman, if my friend was late, because I would surely see him arrive from two metres away, the width of the Soi.

So, I went to the bar in the pub at 19:15 to await my friend who said he would meet me at 20:00. It was much busier than thirty minutes earlier but not noisy and I sat at the bar. The first thing a barmaid did was say hello, give me a menu and step back. I did not really want to eat, I only wanted a beer as I presumed we would be dining together later, but I wanted to read the menu anyway.

‘A pint of Boddington’s’, I said. It arrived and the girl started laying a place for me. I tried to say that I was not hungry, but it was no good. Like in Spain, most people eat and drink at the same time. All the while the girl was smiling at me. Then she said: ‘You live upstairs? My name Charli. What you want to eat?’. So, I gave in and ordered something and rice.

‘You first time in Thailand? You no can eat. Too spicy’, she said with a grin. ‘Oh’, I replied, ‘but I want to try. ‘I put only 50-50 for you’, she declared and went.

I battled my way through that meal and it took a Boddingtons and a bottle of water. Charli had been right, it was too hot for first-time foreign visitors and she had reduced the chilis by 50%. I have always heeded a Thai’s counsel on food ever since.

I changed seat to by the window to see what was going on as it was dark by 19:30 and I was curious. Within thirty minutes Soi 7 had transformed itself completely. I could see hundreds of ladies and tourists walking about. I wanted to go out and join in or at least sit in the quiet bar across the lane, but I’m ashamed to say that I was too frightened, so I sat put, rivetted to the Pig like a rabbit in a hunter’s flashlight.

My friend arrived on time and after we had been chatting for an hour, he said: ‘Drink up, I have someone I want you to meet’. This was it, we were going into that mele. A waitress held the door for us and the noise and the heat were tremendous. Particularly the din. Every metre at least two or three girls would yell: ‘Hello, sexy man, you want a drink’. Trying to say no courteously to each invitation was out of the question, so I just stuck close by to my pal.

Luckily, we only had about fifty metres to stroll and we sat down in another bar. My friend said hello to several ladies and then said, this a girl I have been going out with for some time. I was astounded as I had never heard him talk about her, ever. She was gorgeous, but could not speak English, so I sat in the din in silence. Not for long through, as my friend said, I have a blind date for you and he introduced another girl to me who was equally beautiful, but with whom I could speak a little. She was captivating and I was captivated. The pandemonium seemed to pass away, but it was only because I was concentrating on my new friend. The four of us had the best time and the best food I had ever had in my forty-nine years of existence.

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Spanish learning Tips

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Spanish is a language that has in recent years interested many in its study. Spanish is a common choice to learn for foreign speakers. In high schools today, Spanish is quickly becoming the language of choice to learn for students.

Especially in countries like the United States, Spanish speaking communities are growing which has led to more of a need for individuals with Spanish and English speaking skills.

For this case, maybe you want to learn Spanish in order to better communicate on your job or maybe you want to make new friends with your co-workers.

Whatever the case may be, learning a new language can be a rewarding endeavor. This is not to say that it is an easy one, it can be very difficult to learn a foreign language. However, there are a few tips you can be aware of in order to improve upon the process.

Spanish is best studied a little bit each day just like all other foreign languages instead of studying it for a long period every once in a while.

The reason for this is that studying a little bit each day will reduce the time that you need to spend at each study session reviewing the material from before. By doing a little bit each day, you can keep moving along nicely and increasing your knowledge of the language.

This process of a little bit of study each day also increases your ability to adapt to the new language and so you are better able to get a handle on it than if you were to study it every once in a while.

For whatever reason you may be learning Spanish, I wish you the best of luck and a speedy process in learning it! Remember to study a little bit each day and you should continue to improve. Just keep at it and you will experience the many rewards that foreign language study can bring.

Robertson B. Kunz is the author of a language learning guide to help you get fluent in a foreign language faster. Visit his website to get more great information on foreign language learning. Also, find more great information on learn Spanish articles.

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On Learning Japanese

Friday, November 13th, 2009

Anime is a great cultural item that has made learning Japanese particularly inviting to many English speakers. It is also a big reason that many people in all parts of the world want to learn Japanese.

Japan is also liked by many people because it has a strong traditional culture and a very strong business culture which has promoted Japan to being the second largest economy in the world.

For whatever your reason may be for learning a language like Japanese, you must remember a few things that learning a foreign language successfully means.

For English speakers, Japanese is a more difficult language to learn because it does not use the roman script and also because there are few cognates.

European languages, especially the romance languages, are a lot easier for English speakers to learn because they share many grammatical similarities and the vocabulary is often similar due to Latin influences. So, it is very easy to pick up vocabulary in these languages because the words are so similar to the English words already.

What this means for studying Japanese is not that it is impossible but just a bit more difficult.

However, my best advice for you is to keep your reasons for learning Japanese strong if you want to get far in it.

My best advice to you is to make sure that your reason for learning the foreign language, in this case, Japanese, is a strong one.

So, whether you want to become better at business and open up new opportunities or if you want to better understand that next anime episode you watch, make sure you keep that desire strong in your mind and heart.

This will ultimately keep you going on the long journey that studying Japanese entails. So, make sure that you are able to stay strong when studying and keep going no matter what. Just remember your reason for studying Japanese every time that you feel you are beginning to falter in your studies.

Author Robertson Kunz has a language learning guide: learn a foreign language quickly. Japanese learners: learn fluent Japanese.

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Barry, South Wales: Ancient History: Part 3

Friday, November 6th, 2009

In the Twelfth Century, William de Barri owned Barry Castle, but it was attacked and destroyed by Llewellyn Bren in 1316. It is said that the Cavaliers rebuilt it, but that it was subsequently destroyed again by the Roundheads, never to be rebuilt.

The Norman invaders were thoroughly detested by the local people and they had to build large mansions to defend themselves from frequent assaults on them by the people of the valleys and the mountains. During the reign of Henry III, there were 12 castles within six miles of Barry. In Glamorgan, there were 30 castles and in South Wales as a whole there were 150 !

Porthkerry and the church lying to its west is said to have taken its name from Ceri, who is said to have founded a port, ie ‘Port Ceri’. People say that Ceri ap Caid, the King of Essyllwg, resided in Porthkerry before the Christian era and that his bard, Corvinor, was the first to have built a ship with sails and a rudder for the race of Cymru. Some believe that Ceri was a nephew or grandson of Caractacus (Caradog) and that he assumed the leadership of the government in South Wales when Caractacus was sent to Rome.

John Wesley preached in the Porthkerry Church pulpit, and sometimes outside too, between 1741 and 1743. There are two very old churches still in use today in Barry, St. Cadocs Church in Cadoxton and Merthyr Dyfan Church in Merthyr Dyfan. One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Cadoxton was the largest village in the Barry area: for example, in 1844 the Parliamentary register contained 25 names: 20 from Cadoxton and five from Barry. The one church was dedicated to St. Cadoc, who used to spend Lent on Flat Holm and Barry Island. The village took its name from the church, which was founded in 800 AD.

Merthyr Dyfan Church, which is situated in the north of Barry, was founded in 600 AD and the name means Dyfan The Martyr. There were two saints of this name. The one travelled to Barry to convert the local people to Christianity and the other lived in the sixth century. He was the son of a Welsh chieftain. His sister was also martyred and the town of Merthyr Tydfil is named in her memory.

The Christian faith grew very quickly in the Vale of Glamorgan and in the middle of the second century, the Prince of Siluria, Llewrwg, became the first king, of any country in the world in all history, to be baptized into the Christian faith. He sent to Rome for more Chritian teachers and was sent two monks named Dyfan and Fagan. Dyfan was martyred near the church and the Fagan was canonized. St. Fagan’s situated between Barry and Cardiff was named after him.

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Electronic Bug Zapper

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

The hand held insect killer is the best way of clearing your immediate vicinity of insects, especially the flying ones such as mosquitoes. The indoor bug zapper vaporizes any insect from a mosquito to a gnat instantly on contact with a nice, loud, electrical ‘zap’!

However, this is not to say that the indoor insect killer cannot be used outdoors, as long as it is not raining. It should be treated like any other high voltage electrical equipment. Keep the hand held insect killer dry and definitely do not use it while you are standing in the pool!

Models do vary a lot, but there are really only two types of hand held bug zapper: the battery operated bug killer and the rechargeable electric insect killer. Both models are equally effective at killing bugs and employ the same principle.

The electric insect killer looks like a ‘kids’ tennis racket, but with three sets of ’strings’, which are in fact wires. The innermost network of wires becomes live at the push of a button while the other two grids, one on either side, are earths.

When a bug is trapped between the wires of the indoor insect zapper, it creates a short, which evaporates it instantaneously with a loud crack. The indoor insect killer will kill other insects too, but they tend to burn rather than explode.

I have been using the rechargeable kind for five years and am extremely happy with the electric bug zapper. In fact, the electric bug zapper has come a long way over the last few years. A fully charged electric insect zapper is strong enough to last for several hundred swipes and will hold it’s charge, if unused, for weeks without any significant discharge.

The rechargeable battery unit will take serious use for the best part of a year, although its capability to hold a charge for a few weeks gradually reduces after six or seven months.

The latest indoor insect zapper I’ve used has a main on/off switch, a light that shines when it is live (the brightness of this light also indicates the battery’s strength) and a light that comes on when it is plugged in for recharge.

The instructions say that the bug zapper should be (re)charged for about sixteen hours. However, I usually put it on charge over night once or twice every week or two, although the hand held bug zapper shows a marked increase in performance after only a few hours recharging.

The latest version I’ve had also comes with a strong beam called a ‘headlamp’. I have found this very handy when walking in the garden, but I’m unsure whether it’s supposed to attract the mosquitoes in the dark so that you can zap them if you’re feeling bored or just vindictive, rather like an Anglerfish.

I’ve used the headlamp on my hand held bug killer for that reason too, but the beam uses a lot of battery power. All in all, the electric insect zapper is a big asset at any outdoor event. The electric insect killer is useful to ‘clean out’ your bedroom before retiring; it’s unbeatable for evening mosquitoes and it will clear a lunch table of wasps as well.

Have you ever used an indoor bug zapper? If you haven’t, or if you are interested in getting an indoor bug zapper, just click one of the links to our web site or blog.

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