Before you randomly book a cabin on the cruise ship, you should closely look at the details of the cabins given in the cruise brochure. This will help you get a lot of information about the accommodations and will also help you to decide on a cabin. When you are booking a cabin, the cost is also an important factor. It has also been seen that people tend to book the cheapest cabin so that they can save some money, however, you should be aware of the fact that the cabins of the ships are not that large in size and the cheap cabins will always be the smallest cabins that are just under or above the water level. This would mean that these cabins often do not have any windows. So, if you are a claustrophobic person, you know that it is best to steer clear from these cabins.

There are a whole large variety of sleeping quarters on a cruise ship. Some cruise liners may even give you a choice of twenty to choose from. The price of a cabin or the stateroom is often determined by the size of the room, the quality and the size of the bed. If you have some space to move around in your cabin or a window to look out into the ocean then this would make a huge difference. Most of the expensive rooms on a cruise often have big windows or verandahs or balconies attached to them. To be able to go and sit on the verandah in front of your home and to enjoy the view world have definitely helped you to move into a holiday spirit, if only they didn’t burn such a huge hole in your pocket.

You can also do your research about the accommodations on the cruise liners website. The website would have all the details of the cabins that you are looking for. Often you will see that most of the cabins are described as standard. Standard usually means a cabin that is about 150 square feet with two twin beds or one double bed, and had a T.V, a dresser, a closet and a telephone. A D.V.D player or a V.C.R, an extra chair and a reading lamp is also included in a standard cabin. If you are lucky enough than your cabin may have a porthole as a window. In these cabins space is used efficiently, however, somehow these cabins are just not designed for the regular visitor.

If you have a tight budget and are not too keen on spending more on accommodations then the economy suite is the best option for you. However, if you feel that you would not be comfortable in an economy suite then you know that you have many options to choose from and it is always better if you spend a little more money on your accommodations.

Luxury Travel Accommodation is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

Paatpong is actually a small street between Silom and Surawong Roads with wall-to-wall bars and restaurants. At night, the street is vendors catering to tourists charging ridiculously high prices in hopes of finding suckers.

There are actually 4 streets in the area catering to the nightlife. There is Patpong I & II, Soi Jaruwan, catering to gay men, and Soi Thaniya, exclusively for Japanese tourists.

Patpong started off as an undeveloped plot of land purchased by Chinese immigrants in 1946. The Patpongpanich (or Patpongpanit) family built some shop-houses and rented out to normal businesses. Bars eventually overtook the other businesses on these two private roads, and the entertainment zone was created.

I was stationed in Bangkok in the early 1970’s and we would go out to Patpong almost nightly. Back then it was bar after bar after bar. There were no vendors blocking the road and, unlike today, it was safe to go to the upstairs bars.

Then, the bars on the ground level were just that – bars. Second floor bars were go-go’s with bikini clad girls. And if a bar had a third floor, it was for the special shows.

Today, vendors set up show and block the entire road, and most of the walkway, selling everything under the sun (or moon). Tours line the street promoting shows upstairs with guarantees of no cover charge and cheap beer prices. Don’t believe either.

If you visit Patpong, it is best to avoid the upstairs bars altogether. The owners may try to extract large sums of money in order for you to leave alive.

There is one place that I do enjoy visiting on Patpong. The Madrid Lounge is the only bar that has the same name, décor, and menu that it had in 1973. It caters primarily to the embassy and expat crowd and has some great American food. The staff is very friendly and will sit with you if you want or leave you alone if you choose.

The Madrid became a meeting place when I returned to Thailand in the mid 90’s during exercise Cobra Gold. I took my guys there the first night and it became the official hangout from that day forward. They still use it as a rendezvous point and place to meet.

Personally, I have tired of Patpong but it is a must-see for the first time visitor. I have not only tired of Patpong, but of Bangkok as well. I only stay in Bangkok if I have to spend the night to catch a flight the next day; otherwise I go direct to my location regardless of time. If I am going to Pattaya, I leave direct from Suvarnabhumi International Airport and never set foot in Bangkok city. When I am going northeast to Khon Kaen, I have to spend the night to catch a connecting flight the next day. I usually just go out to a few local beer bars in walking distance of my hotel.

Patpong is a unique little street and should be on every first-timer’s visit list. Don’t buy anything from the vendors in the street. Prices are much cheaper anywhere else in Thailand. Have a few drinks, check out activities, and avoid the second floor bars.

Patpong Road Bangkok Thailand is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

I was recently talking to a neighbour of mine who owns a very impressive camper van which is why I have decided to write this article, his name is John. John and his wife decided to sell their big house when they were in their late fifties and move to a smaller flat. This flat was then going to be their base in the UK to return to when they were not travelling. They had a lot of excess money from selling their old house and buying the new flat and decided to spend part of this money on a very good quality camper van. The plan was then to travel around different parts of the UK as well as visiting other countries in the world.

John and his wife have two wonderful dogs which they adore. They have never enjoyed leaving these dogs with friends or in kennels when they have been travelling in the past and now they do not have to, as there is plenty of room of course in the camper van.

When talking with John I asked him where he was planning to travel to next. He replied that he was going to drive down to the South West Coast of England. He would tour through parts of Devon and Cornwall stopping for a few days in different areas. I asked him what day he would be returning, he stated that he was not sure and that it would depend on the weather. Maybe one week or four, I am not sure yet Steve, he said. I could not believe his attitude and his lifestyle, I have to say I was very jealous. What freedom, I thought to myself.

John then stated that next month he was going to travel to Portugal but that there was no rush to get there. I wish I had started to do this years ago, but what with work it was impossible really, he continued.

I also have a dog and would love to have this form of travel freedom. I have spoken to my wife about it and she has said that she would prefer to stop in a hotel. Oh well, I have years before I retire to try to work her around to my way of thinking.

The Freedom Of Travelling In A Camper Van is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

Maroma Resort is a showcase for unique arts and crafts produced in each region of Mexico, including statues, hand-painted bathroom tiles, hand-loomed natural cotton bedspreads, and decorative pillows and throws and soft wool rugs. The rooms and public areas feature original art by Mexican and International artists and each room also has its own special objects. Maroma has 58 rooms and suites situated among lush gardens, cooled and shaded by coconut palms on one side, open to the warmth of the sun and sea on the other.

Relax in a king-sized bed, luxury bath with sunken tub, sparkling pool, or beachfront Jacuzzi-you decide what to do indulge in first. Afterward, let any remaining troubles melt away in the spa, where you can choose between massage, reflexology, Reiki, craniofacial, facials, whole-body treatments, mud, aromas, Ajurveda, yoga, meditation, rebirthing, crystal therapy, and the ancient art of the temazcal-the purifying and healing ritual of the Mayan steam bath.

While you’ll feel a world away from unnatural office lighting, congested freeways and the demands of everyday life, you have the choice of staying connected to the modern world. Maroma?s multi-media theater features a state-of-the-art sound and projection system with over 380 movies to choose from.

One Of Cancun’s Best is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

Yangtze River Cruises are rated as the best available in China – and in world as well – and the biggest advantage of choosing to traverse the river in a cruise liner over the conventional modes of transport is that the entire journey is not at all taxing and exhausting. There are no frequent needs for packing and unpacking of the bags nor are there any unending queues in front of verification counters. Once on board, you can place your belongings in your room and focus on enjoying the journey rather than carrying it all along wherever you go. Further, all document related aspects will be handled by the managerial staff of the tour company sponsoring the cruise. The travelers need not have to worry about such technicalities. Also the facilities offered in the cruise liners – such room service, spa service, entertainment, workout facilities, medical facilities and the mouth watering cuisines in the restaurants – are simply top class, at par with the standards offered by the five star hotels in Shanghai or Beijing.

In short, a traveler on the cruise can enjoy the journey without any worries, in a leisurely pace, on his/her own terms, without getting bogged down by the thoughts of ‘what next’ or ‘where on earth I am’? After all, we all undertake pleasure trips for sheer pleasure and not to entertain any worries.

For the best Yangtze River cruises, take few minutes to browse the various travel websites and it won’t take too long for you to find out a tour schedule that matches your convenience and budget. Select a suitable one and you won’t be disappointed at what you see and experience during the days in the cruise liner. Be prepared for the river cruise of your life!

Yangtze River Cruise is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

If you think that such small place must be having a limited options for fun and adventure then you are absolutely wrong. This small region being a small place has many things on offer and with over 40 major attractions located along the renowned Parkway. From miniature golf, go-carts and bumper boats to water rides, laser games and even an indoor skydiving simulator, you can be rest assured that your family will love a wonderful vacation over here.

In this town, a question will never arise in your mind and that is What to do? You will be so much busy in going from one attraction to another that you will find the time is too short in this place and attractions are many. That is why this place will always keep you calling back for more.

In this place you can start with the historical tours which are even more fun filled on a family vacation with entertaining and educational exhibits on display at Carbo’s Police Museum, Dinosaur Walk Museum, Elvis Museum, Veterans Memorial Museum and the Smoky Mountain Car Museum.

It is also a home to music, magic and variety, making it one of the best vacation spots around with your entire family. What’s more is that the city’s theaters present all styles of music, high-energy dancing and magical illusions. On your vacation to this place, you’ll see amazing horsemanship, racing ostriches, mind-reading-pigs, fire-eaters, jugglers and the best Elvis impersonator this side of Graceland, making it a memorable experience.

You’ll find all this and more on the stages, where the theaters are dedicated to presenting wholesome family entertainment. On a family vacation to this town you must visit Dollywood theme park, one of the South’s favorite family vacation spots filled with music, rides, mountain craft demonstrations and other attractions that showcase life in the Smoky Mountains.

With the increasing number of tourists to this area each year you will find many hotels, motels, resorts and Inns which suit to almost every kind of visitor. What gives you more pleasure of stay and an excellent time in the city are the five star hotels in here.

These luxury hotels provide you with the finest of services and many facilities. The hotels in here are located in the most beautiful and breathtaking parts which adds to your overall stay in the city. The restaurants in the luxury hotels serve the finest delicacies from across the globe which sure is tempting for your taste buds.

So if you are looking for a family vacation to the region and budget is not holding you back then certainly you should enjoy every moment with the luxury hotels in pigeon forge.

Luxury Pigeon Forge Hotels is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

Your passport is the most valuable document that you will carry abroad. It confirms your U.S. citizenship. Please guard it carefully. Do not use it as collateral for a loan or lend it to anyone. It is your best form of identification. You will need it when you pick up mail or check into hotels, embassies or consulates.

When entering some countries or registering at hotels, you may be asked to fill out a police card listing your name, passport number, destination, local address, and reason for travel. You may be required to leave your passport at the hotel reception desk overnight so that it may be checked by local police officials. These are normal procedures required by local laws. If your passport is not returned the following morning, immediately report the impoundment to local police authorities and to the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

Passport Fraud

Law enforcement records show that U.S. passports are sometimes used for illegal entry into the United States, or by criminals abroad seeking to establish another identity. This can cause embarrassment to innocent U.S. citizens whose names become associated with illegal activities. To protect the integrity of the U.S. passport and the security of the person bearing it, consular officers overseas have found it necessary to take precautions in processing lost passport cases. These precautions may involve some delay before a new passport is issued.

Safeguard Your Passport

Carelessness is the main cause for losing a passport or having it stolen. You may find that you have to carry your passport with you because you need to show it when you cash traveler’s checks or the country that you are visiting requires you to carry it as an identity document. When you must carry your passport, hide it securely on your person. Do not leave it in a handbag or in an exposed pocket. Whenever possible, leave your passport in the hotel safe, not in an empty hotel room, and not packed in your luggage. One family member should not carry all the passports for the entire family.

Guard Against Thieves

Coat pockets, handbags, and hip pockets are particularly susceptible to theft. Thieves will use all kinds of ploys to divert your attention just long enough to pick your pocket and grab your purse or wallet. These ploys include creating a disturbance, spilling something on your clothing, or even handing you a baby to hold!

You can try to prevent theft by carrying your belongings in a secure manner. For example, consider not carrying a purse or wallet when going along crowded streets.

Women who carry a shoulder bag should keep it tucked under the arm and held securely by the strap. Men should put their wallets in their front trouser pockets or use money belts instead of hip pockets. A wallet wrapped in rubber bands is more difficult to remove without notice. Be especially cautious in a large crowd – in the subway, on buses, at the marketplace, at a festival, or if surrounded by groups of vagrant children. Do not make it easy for thieves!

I always make a color copy of my passport and visa and carry that with me and secure my passport in the hotel safe. Some countries require you to always carry your passport on your person. But, most will not have a problem if you carry a color copy.

Passport Safety Tips is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

It is partly about pride and partly about money.

In the past decade eastern footballers, trounced by well-heeled competitors from the West, consistently failed to qualify to participate in the Union of European Football Associations Cup and the Champions League games. This translates into a loss of up to a million dollars per team per year as they miss out on lucrative advertising and broadcasting deals when they are matched against giants from Spain, Germany, Italy, or even England.

The Eastern League is not a done deal, though. It first has to be voted on and recognized by both the Federation of International Football Associations and UEFA, the world and European football federations, respectively. This may prove to be a tall order. The game is still organized as an old-fashioned cartel, with each regional association envious of its market share and clout.

Still, football in the eastern nether regions is in dire straits. As its economics worsen – the inventiveness of managers and players alike blossoms. In January 2003, the Bulgarian Levski club offered, with great fanfare, 250,000 of its shares to fans, aiming to break the Guinness Book of Records entry of Manchester United.

It was promptly castigated for ripping off the innocent. The “free” shares, found out embittered takers, came attached to a season’s ticket at full price. Alternatively, would be shareholders were asked to purchase a club membership for $25 – a few days wages in the impoverished country. Quoted by the newswires Presstext.Europe and Newsfox, a Levski official Todor Batkov said that “real fans must give and not take from the club”.

Football teams in the former communist countries realize that it is either big time or no time at all.

Romanian club Universitatea Craiova has recently courted Paul Gascoigne, a British asset known more for his exploits off-field than for anything he has accomplished on it. The figure floated was $170,000 – a fortune in Romanian terms, where the average annual intake is rarely about $2000.

Omnipotent president Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan granted immediate citizenship – by a constitutionally dubious presidential decree – to Bulgarian football striker Georgi Georgiev and defender Alexsi Dionisiev. This allowed them to keep their Bulgarian passports even as they played for the host country in the World Cup.

Football has always been about politics. Violence inspired by virulent nationalism often vents itself most visibly in bilateral matches.

In a typical case last year, three police officers were wounded and nine Bosnian Serb fans were detained in the wake of a riot following the first football match since 1992 between Borac from Republika Srpska and Zeleznicar from Sarajevo. The Muslim-Croat team and fans required police escort out of Banja Luka to escape the wrath of the local yobs. Borac had to play two games to empty stadiums and part with $1500 in fines.

The Bosnian Football Federation – representing 14 clubs from the Croat-Muslim parts of the divided country – teamed up in May 2002 with 6 counterparts in Republika Srpska. They formed a joint league and a common professional association. Moreover, the two entities already fielded a joint team in the Olympic games in 2000 and maintain a single basketball federation. Yet, even this apparent reconciliation failed to prevent the outpouring of hostilities.

Nor is football-related aggression confined to zealous nationalists. Slovak fans taunted black English players Emile Heskey and Ashley Cole with racist slogans in October last year. The vast majority of the crowd – and the medical teams on the sidelines – balefully recited “monkey, monkey” at the top of their lungs for minutes on end.

Quoted by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Michal Vesecka, a research fellow with the Slovak Institute for Public Affairs, linked the abuse to problems in cultural development and identity:

“Slovakia is a country that is the most ethnically heterogeneous in Central Europe, but the ‘culture of tolerance’ is not as well developed [here] as in the European Union, or even with respect to neighboring countries like the Czech Republic and Hungary … [Slovakia] is still a country that is trying to solve its own identity problem, and precisely [during] such times, the people are relatively aggressive toward those people who are different.”

Add to this combustible mixture crumbling economies and all-pervasive disillusionment and the spillover to football is hardly a surprise. The game is an inseparable part of daily life in many of these polities where life is unbearably drab, economic opportunities are rare and cultural diversions even scarcer.

For instance, football associations offer a cornucopia of sinecures to cronies and relatives of all degrees and colors. Hence the high turnover and ubiquitous venality which characterize these murky bodies.

Both UEFA and FIFA have warned the Azerbaijan Football Federation Association that it must settle a five years old simmering dispute or else face the suspension of all financial aid and, ultimately, expulsion. AFFA’s president Fuad Musaev refuses to go, despite pressure from the government above and at least nine clubs below. This resulted in a boycott by said disgruntled of the national football championship and a feeble attempt to organize an alternative.

The Eastern League is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

In November Bangkok hosts the Royal Rattanakosin Loy Krathong Festival. Loy Krathong is celebrated in different styles. This special festival includes a revival of traditional ceremonies, games, contests and competitions: Krathong Competition, and Thai costume contest. The festival lasts several days. You can choose only one of them – and see the most beautiful Thai’s traditions and the most impressive national dresses.

Now, when you saw it all you can continue your vacations on Phuket, Pattaya or any other resort. Many tourists after visiting Bangkok decide to see Laos or Cambodia that are not so far away.

One night in Bangkok is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org

Alaska is a largely unpopulated area of the world; a place where animals outnumber humans and boundaries are marked by natural landscaping such as streams and mountains, not by fences or walls.

The defining images for most of Alaska are the ice glaciers which are found there. This striking scenery is part of what makes this destination so perfect for cruising. Sailing around the majestic coastline allows you to witness these sights first hand and gives you a sense of how impressive this planet really is. If you choose a cruise which takes in Glacier Bay or College Fjord you may be lucky enough to see the glaciers “calving”. This is the process by which the rivers of ice drop chunks off the edge of the cliff into the sea below. The larger glaciers may do this several times an hour. This natural phenomenon is something which most people are not lucky enough to see first hand in their lifetime and this is part of what makes an Alaskan cruise so breathtaking.

Tracy Arm Fjord is a stretch of water which ventures inland and away from the coastline. Cruises are available through this waterway and they allow you to feel the awesome power of the granite walls, mountain peaks and beautiful waterfalls from an unusual vantage point.

While seeing the glaciers is an amazing experience, touching them goes that one step further. On offer are tours combining helicopter rides and hiking which allow you to actually set foot on one of these ice sheets, flights around them, kayaking between them or riding a sled pulled by dogs across one. It is these little touches which make an Alaskan cruise something which is truly different to any other cruise destination in the world.

Alaska also offers more than its breathtaking scenery. Back in 1898 Skagway, Alaska was thought to be home to North America’s largest gang of criminals, thanks to the Gold Rush. Tours are now available to this destination where you can see the town as it was back then, with the swing door saloons,
Can-Can girls and shoot outs. You will be told many stories of life as it was at this time and then you can visit the Trail of ’98 Museum to see artefacts and relics proving that the stories are true. Finally, you will have the opportunity to take in Alaska’s longest running show, The Days of ’98. This show is a musical extravaganza with singing, dancing, comedy and drama and is a treat for the whole family. The Skagway excursion is just one of many shore trips you can take whilst sailing around the magnificent Alaskan coastline.

What Makes An Alaskan Cruise Special? is a post from: Tour And Travel | chefsguildofgeorgia.org