Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 7

Our Last Destination In Costa Rica. 

Well, we have finally arrived in our last destination this month, and it was well worth waiting for - our room has a perfect vista of the volcano itself. 

Uninterrupted views from an almost floor-to-ceiling wall of glass!!  It was certainly awe-inspiring to sit on the bed and look out over this vast volcanic pyramid!

Getting There Wasn’t Easy….. 
I needed the bed after another hair-raising, side-to-side, bumpy and really ‘unsafe’ drive here from Samara.  We stopped at the same ‘macaw’ cafe, where we swapped buses, and found ourselves on our own for the 3 hour drive.  Not long after leaving we were in the mountains, and could see all 4 volcanoes in this region - Arenal, Rincon de Veija, Miravalles and Tenorio - all topped in clouds (as they always are) on the horizon.

Then, the driver stopped for lunch!

We just wanted to get there really, but he had other plans!  We followed him inside and he was sitting down eating his soup and roll before we had even ordered!  Then ours took so long to arrive that he had finished his and was off chatting to the staff in the gift shop next door.  No tip for him then…….

Then as we neared the end of Lake Arenal - there she was - towering over the other end of this giant man-made water park.  She was amazing.  Such a beautiful site with the water reflecting her size and perfect conical shape - and as if perfectly timed, the clouds all disappeared off her top, and we had our first full view of the whole volcano.  Wow.

Even though the remainder of the journey was 52 kilometers along a road with seemingly no straight bits at all, it was worth it.  Well, I say that, but I was really starting to feel a bit unwell with all the turning left and right being thrown back and forth.  And it was worse watching the road ahead as where the road had fallen away into the lake - they hadn’t fixed it at all, they had just changed the markings in the road to make the lanes thinner!

The Volcano:
The road passes very close to the base of volcano close to La Fortuna town, and you got to see the lava and rock-scarred face of this active volcano - the most active one in Costa Rica.  You almost wonder as you drive by - ‘if I’m driving past chunks of lava here on the roadside - that means last time it exploded it came past where I am now….’  It’s all a bit frightening if you think about it too much!

Mind you, saying that, it didn’t stop us going on a night tour of the volcano (along with another 200 people it seemed) to see the red-hot rocks tumbling down the sides towards us! 

It wasn’t as ‘active’ as I’d been thinking - as you see these one’s on the National Geographic channel which are spitting fire and lava out all over the place.  This one was confined to a few groans and grumbles then a quick show of red rocks splitting open as they fell down.

I wasn’t disappointed at all, but I was hoping for a big explosion or something - although sitting on a lava bed in the path of the volcano itself was probably not the best place to be making a wish like that!!!!

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posted by Travel Cat on Jun 5

Waiting for Pay Day is a thing of the Past.

Having just got home from holiday in Europe, my friend found that she was a bit shorter than she thought - and there was the car road tax to pay…..

We’ve all been there - thinking we have it all planned for when we go away:  enough in the bank to cover everything for that month, then we want to do that one extra trip on holiday (well, we might as well while we are there…) and the budget is blown.

Many of us would just reach for the credit card, but some people just don’t have one - like my friend - however I had just been asked to review a site that offers small loans with the minimum of fuss: e-payday loans.

They don’t do credit checks before issuing the money, you just need a current account check book for your wages bank account (as you send the repayment checks forthe loan in advance), and some identification documents.  The money is in your account the day they receive all your information by fax or post.

It couldn’t be simpler - and it doesn’t affect your credit rating to apply.

My friend got her money just in time, and had it all paid off within the month.  Job done.

If you’re interested in a quick, easy loan, maybe you should find out more by visiting their website at payday loans.

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 2

How do you stay safe when using an Internet cafe abroad or at home?

Basically, you are using a computer that doesn’t belong to you, and has been used by hundreds of people before you and no doubt will be used by several hundreds after you.

As a result it could harbour all sorts of viruses and other ‘bad’ software that people have put in place intentionally or completely by accident when other users haven’t used it wisely themselves.

Based on my own recent experience here in Costa Rica - and a bit of help from some of my ‘computery friends’ I have put together 5 basic tips to help minimise the risk you personally take when using someone else’s pc, by keeping your personal details safe from prying eyes and preventing people viewing your Internet history and checking out your cookies…….

Use An Internet Cafe You Can Trust
Most importantly make sure this is a popular haunt for other travellers.  Is it full of other people or did your hotel recommend it?  

Things to check for yourself once inside include whether the system has any anti-virus programmes active like Norton or AVG?  Are the computers “closed systems” where you only work with written data already on the Internet?  If other people are downloading pictures from digital cameras, uploading videos and mp3s etc, the greater the chance to pass on viruses due to the greater interaction between the computers and other technology.

Run A Quick Spy-ware Sweep
If in any doubt at all about the safety of the pc - find a free online spy-sweeper tool to run some quick checks for you.  One piece of software called HouseCall is readily available, and there are plenty of others out there you could use.  Basically this will identify any obvious security problems with the computer before you type any passwords or personal details in - including your name and address.

Don’t Use Auto-save Tools For Any Website
The number of times I went onto a computer abroad to find other users still logged in to things like Facebook and Hotmail was amazing!  Although these still require passwords for ordinary people to get in - other users can be a bit more creative at getting details. 

One person using a pc before me had actually left her email inbox open on the screen!  I was tempted to send all her contacts and email saying ‘Don’t accept emails from me anymore as I have left my account open to attack from viruses and security fraud!’  Can you imagine the damage an open email account full of account confirmation details and passwords could have?  What about access to all those friends addresses and contact numbers that could have been used by a stranger! 

I think some people get so used to leaving these details on their own or friends computers that they just don’t think of all the dangers out there.

Always Delete Your Cookies And Your Internet History
If you were using Internet Explorer, you will be able to clear your history of sites visited and also clear your cookies (small files automatically saved on a pc, which can identify your personal details and what you did on the pc). 

It is very simple to do, and it means that the next user on that equipment won’t be able to find details of the sites you visited and any transactions of personal information you needed for that.

Simply select Tools, then Internet Options, then click the Delete Cookies and Clear History buttons before pressing OK.

It may well take a few minutes to do this as it will be deleting not only your details, but also the hundreds of details before that no-one else bothered to clear.  It would be wise to start this about 5 minutes before you time runs out to make sure it is done - ideally then always use this computer again if you return to that location, don’t spread your risk to other pc’s or Internet cafes…..

Avoid Using Unsecured, Unencrypted Wi-Fi

Using encrypted Wi-Fi isn’t the main concern here - it’s using unsecured, unencrypted Wi-Fi that could leave you open to attack.

Accessing the Internet via an unencrypted Wi-Fi hot-spot like a snack bar or hotel reception may well allow all your personal details to ’hang around’ that connection point for anyone to access.  This means that someone sitting near you could access your laptop through theirs and ’see’ what pages you visit, possibly what passwords you type in, and even infect your laptop with a virus.

• Use A Firewall to create a virtual ‘wall’ around your laptop.
• Use Antivirus and Anti-Spyware - this should alert you to anything suspicious.
• Password Protect your laptop  - so simple but will prevent anyone getting in.
• Use A VPN to create an encrypted network for as little as $10/£20 a month.

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