Ultimate Vacation Spots

posted by Travel Cat on Jul 22

Welcome back, and I hope the first 5 beautiful spots tempted you enough to come back for this second part!

So, let’s get straight back into it, and get going on the final 5 - hope you like them…..

6) The Great Rift Valley - East Africa
Needless to say, this huge region is filled with wildlife and absolutely beautiful landscapes!

Surrounded by huge lakes, miles of mountains and plateaus and crammed full of greenery - you will certainly need you camera working on overtime! It contains some of the highest mountains in Africa as well as active and dormant volcanoes and some of the largest lakes in the world!

Witness where man first stepped out into the world and where this massive continent is actually splitting in 2 creating a new ocean!

7) Serengeti/Masai Mara National Park - Tanzania/Kenya
This is one of the largest and most visited National Parks in Africa due to it’s endless landscapes filled with huge game and indigenous tribes.

Famous for its unbelievable migration of around 1.5 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra every year! As a result it has the largest population of lions of any national park and has the other 4 from the notorious ‘Big Five’.

Be prepared for some endless views of the savanna and the bumpiest car rise you have ever been on!  Alternatively, why not hire a hot air balloon for a champagne ride across the sky and get a panoramic view of this unforgiving landscape.

8.) The Great Dunes - Namibia
Down the southern edge of the continent and bordering the cold southern Atlantic Ocean - this region is one of the driest areas in the region. After years and years of little rain - the dunes have grown and grown into some of the largest dunes in the world!

Although you might think that makes for a bland landscape - you would be wrong. The canyons formed here and the huge wetlands along the coast add to the sheer beauty of the harshness fund here. Spotting a single antelope on an almost endless dune several kilometers in length is something to be admired.

9) Underneath The Red Sea - Egypt

Take yourself to another world underneath the crystal clear waters of the Red Sea Riviera! 

Filled to the brim with tropical and colourful fish, huge shallow-water reefs and marine mammals.  Whether you stay close to the shore or snorkel from the beaches of Sharm el-Sheikh or Hurghada - or you charter a boat out into deeper water and spend the day in this underwater world!

10) Marrakech - Morocco
If you love bright colours, the hustle and bustle of lively markets and a whole host of adobe buildings and materials painted in the brightest of hues - them this is the place for you.

This vibrant city - close to the entrance to the Mediterranean - is a hagglers heaven! With different cultures plying different trades on every corner, and different kitchens offering an endless array of foods and cooked meals - plus the influence of different religions on the architecture: this offers a whole different kind a beauty from the natural landscape surrounding it.

Send in your pictures!

posted by Travel Cat on Jul 10

Welcome back for the summer holidays - and if you are running out of ways to entertain the kids - then we have some help for you here!

There are always plenty of ideas of kids entertainment.  Some parents prefer to pay for a theme park or other activities like rides and zoos, whereas other tend to take them in a more creative direction with making things, playing close to home, wildlife skills and family time.  So we really get a wide range or articles here - and hopefully you will enjoy those given below in this summer carnival.

Lets start with the best thing a mother or father could have when it comes to traveling with kids: A planner. Here, Bill Tyler helps you decide which type would be best for you with: How to Pick the Right Mom Organizer - obviously they work just as well for dads!

And filling the Summer Holidays with just such a plan is Alejandra Halvorssen with Summer Plans, Again for this school break!

Next a lovely little photojournal of the next step in a regular: where Theodora and her 9 year old bring us: Round Halong Bay by Junk with yet more great photos.

And why not take a leaf out of Phillip Lopez book, and plan to take your kids on one of these 10 Amazing Religious Pilgrimages. Not only will they be away from all the regular holiday-makers, rides and cotton candy - they will be experiencing a different culture and learning the respect of the old ways - they don’t need to be religious to follow a pilgrimage, but it is certainly a great experience for anyone.

Now, we come to the creative things for the kids to pass the time. Lets start with these 2 quickies from Joleen Parker; first up is Festive Flip-Flops « Jobie’s Crafts, then have some fun decorating your Summer Fun Tote « Jobie’s Crafts - just try not to get confused by all the ad’s in the posts……

Then finally - feast your eyes upon Olivia Davis seemingly endless list of things for the kids to do: Kids Summer Activity List: 100 Creative and Cheap Summer Activities For Your Kids. Maybe even getting the kids to spend time talking abut the list in the first place could kill another 3 hours!

Enjoy yourselves as much as the kids!

posted by Travel Cat on Jul 5

Why not forget the new - and go in search of the old!

Have you considered taking a trip somewhere away from the crowds - and maybe swatting up on a bit of history along the way?

Rather than flying to a single destination in the sun and only seeing the beach and the restaurant, why not explore whole regions with a past - and some great architecture and maybe the odd royal connection or scandal!

Here are 5 great areas you could consider visiting for just this piece of history without an Egyptian in sight!

1) Central America:  The Maya, Olmecs and Toltecs
Visit any number of ancient temples, caves and whole cities swallowed up by the jungle!  There are so many sites that have been discovered in the thick rainforests from Mexico down to Guatemala.

You can explore many of these completely alone with just the toucan and monkeys for company where as others are crammed with tourists day after day.  Whether you take a tour, an individual guide or a hotel day trip - you will not be disappointed!

2) South America: The Inca
Many of these ruins and archaeological sites are in the mountains - and a walking holiday here is nothing but breath-taking!

There are no bus rides between these sites - you get the pleasure of walking and camping in the very mountains where these cultures farmed and lived.  I have been here - and take my word for it - they is beautiful!

3) Cambodia: Angkor Wat
This extensive building complex has a fascinating history - and it is even more wonderful than when it was first used in the 1300’s.

Covering acres and acres of flat fields, drainage basins and waterways, this site was once the centre of a great culture who learned to harness the monsoon to support a huge community.

Luckily the buildings lasted longer than the civilisation that dreamt up this towering and sprawling site.  Don’t just take 1 day here - it’s not enough!  And read up before you go to get the most out of it!

4) Europe: Italy
If you want great architecture and some classical reading, then consider the home of the Romans!

There are so many ancient trading, religious and academic sites in this country - that it is nothing short of a huge open air museum that serves great food all day every day!

Rome, Venice, Pisa, Genoa, Milan, Florence, Naples and Turin all within driving distance.  I mean where else could you see so much of Europe’s past set in the sun and virtually all within sea views of crystal clear blue seas!

5) China:  Great Wall, Xian, the Forbidden City
No cultural trip is complete without a trip to the ancient world of China.

There are tales of them inventing virtually everything, mapping the globe and the night sky and having sailed around the world many years before the Europeans.  There is even the idea that they started the Renaissance in Italy after settling there!

With some amazing geography, ancient culture, picturesque architecture and a very long history - this has surely got to be one of the best historical vacation spots out there!

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 25

Forget the back yard fireworks and head to somewhere that really sums up America!

Why not make this Forth of July one with a difference - and go see something amazing that makes you proud to be American and to celebrate Independence Day and the creation of the nation we know and love today!

Although it would be great to support your local town, county or state in their arrangements - by attending a carnival, music festivals and firework displays - you could also take a while away from it all and go back to the roots of the nation this year - and avoid some of the mess and noise that we now create!

1) Visit The Declaration Of Independence Itself!
What is it all about anyway?  Do your kids (or you yourself) even know the full story of how the country evolved, and how some of the great names like Samuel Adams and Thomas Jefferson were associated with this historic day were actually involved?

Taking a full day to explore the National Archives in Washington DC, and read through all the build up and the after effects of it’s historic signing in 1776.  The Archives also holds the Constitution and the Bill of Rights - so you will certainly be an American history buff by the time you leave!

Admission is always free and there are no separate lines to view the documents - you can wander around as you please - although there is no photography of filming allowed for obvious security reasons.  But do watch National Treasure before you go to give you a little taster of what it’s all about!

2) Go See Mount Vernon, Virginia - The Home Of George Washington.
Known affectionately as ‘the father of our country’ it would be wrong not to take time to learn about his life and achievements and appreciate his life and his actions.  He was of course the first president of the United States and sat for 2 terms before retiring to Mount Vernon.

He achieved many things during his busy life including winning many battles during the Battle for Independence during the American Revolution, implementing laws that still stand today and working on his farm!

There are many myth and ‘true’ stories about him and his life, including skipping a coin across the Potomac, having wooden false teeth and wearing a wig!  Other actual facts include being infertile, having ginger hair, serving no political party, making a law to make sure that future presidents can only serve 2 terms in office after he got ‘forced into his second term and actually being born British!

3) Be Amazed At Mount Rushmore - and hang around in the Black Hills after……
You wouldn’t be American if you hadn’t seen Mount Rushmore in South Dakota!  So make sure you go visit here if you haven’t already - and why not make a long weekend out of it with a visit to the Rockies!

The giant faces of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson (writer of the Declaration of Independence and the 3rd US President) stare off into the distance on this massive edifice to American History.

Alongside these 2 hugely influential characters are Abraham Lincoln - 16th US President; and Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt - 26th US President.  All 4 men have greatly influenced the United States today!

Taking 14 years to complete (well, it ran out of funds at the shoulders) these 18 meter tall heads cover an area of over 1000 square meters!  They are now in the hands of the US National Park Service, and around 2 million people a year visit the site.  And it has a chamber behind the faces containing plaques with the Declaration of Independence text inscribed!

Happy Holidays!

posted by Travel Cat on Jun 16

What is all the fuss about the leaning tower of Pisa?  It’s just a leaning tower after all!!

Why are we all so fascinated with the leaning tower of Pisa when in theory it’s just a very crooked piece of architecture?  Why does it lean and who made it lean?

All these questions will be answered below - so just read on…….

Why Does The Leaning Tower Of Pisa Lean?
Lets start with the most popular question of why does it lean in the first place and why hasn’t it just fallen over?

Well, when constructed in the 12th century to complement the neighboring cathedral - it’s foundations were not strong enough to support it and so it started to list to one side very soon after completion of just 3 layers.  It is suggested that had the town not gone to war and left the tower to ’settle’ for the next 50 or so years the whole thing would have toppled over when they added the higher levels!

So after the very unsuitable and shallow foundations had naturally reached a compromise with gravity, they started to build up again.  However to compensate, they actually built the tower with lower arcades on the back side to try to straighten it back up - leaving the tower actually bent in the middle!

And as you can clearly see in pictures, the top level sits at an entirely different angle to the lower tower as this was built ’straight’ (at the time) to try to balance the whole thing out!

The History Of The Leaning Tower Of Pisa:
Well, there is debate as to who built the leaning tower of Pisa as there were so many stages of construction, and according to a lot of sources there is still hot debate about it.

Apparently there was the purchase of the foundation stones in 1172 by a local lady, then the foundations assembled the following year, but whether it was Guglielmo or Diotisalvi who did most of the initial construction - no one can be sure!

Around 100 years later 1272, Giovanni de Simone is the mason credited with most of the final stages of construction - with the bell tower not added until a further 100 years!

Quite a venture really from start to finish and then have the whole thing fall over!

Where Is The Leaning Tower Of Pisa Located?
The tower was built in the city of Pisa in the grounds of the Cathedral in (not surprisingly) Cathedral Square - Piazza del Duomo.  It was built to be the free-standing bell tower for the Cathedral - and does contain 7 bells today.

How Tall Is The Leaning Tower Of Pisa?
Well, the tower itself is just under 56 meters on the lowest side and just under 57 meters on the tallest side!

There are smaller features on one side and there are also 2 internal steps less on the wonky side to try to ’straighten’ the tower!  And the top of the tower is an amazing 12ft and 10inches off centre from where it would be if the tower was straight!

That’s just crazy!  However, when the Italian’s wanted to ‘fix’ the tower to make sure it didn’t topple - they requested specifically that the tilt be kept as it is to keep it as a tourist hot spot!