You can chose from many travel packages when you decide to spend your vacation cruising the Caribbean, whether it be a 7-night Southern Caribbean Cruise, or a 4-night Western Caribbean cruise, you are guaranteed to experience the time of your life in this paradise earth.

While planning your trip make sure that you dont miss the following option that your cruise package will offer you. The Adventure of the Seas Cruise ship features an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall, in-line skating, a 9-hole miniature golf course, a day spa and fitness center and even a full-size basketball court. But thats just for starters.

The Royal Caribbean International has a number of cruises that you can avail of. Lets take their 7-night Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Adventure of the Seas Cruise ship as an example of how a cruise should go.

On Day 1, you would be at the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Before the ship leaves at 8:30 PM, you can check out the sights at one of the largest islands in the Eastern Caribbean. In Puerto Rico, you have to check out El Yunque Forest and be amazed with the exotic flora. You can also go see Bao Grande, a natural pool that is so inviting, you might be tempted to take a dip. There are a number of tourist spots that you can still go see, but maybe a day would not suffice going around Puerto Rico.

On Day 2, on the way to Oranjestad, Aruba, you can have fun on the cruise ship with Casino Royale, or pretty much anything you want to do with their onboard facilities.

On Day 3, the cruise ship docks at the Port of Oranjestad at about 8:00 AM. Here, you can be taking a submarine 150 feet below the sea. On the surface you can go shopping for bargains or go for land sporting adventures. Just set your alarm and remember that the ship leaves at around 8:30 PM.

On Day 4, the ship will dock at the Port of Willemstad, Curacao at 8:00 AM. If theres one thing that you would really hate to miss, it would be exploring the Hato Caves and their mystical underground lake. You can also go biking and enjoy a trolley-train tour, before the ship leaves at 5:00 PM.

There will be more cruising to do on Day 5, so enjoy your day-off from land.

On Day 6, you would probably be competing in a race in Philipsburg, St. Maarten and experience kayaking.

On Day 7, you will find yourself sprawled out on the beach of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. You will have the whole day roaming around the beautiful island before getting back on the ship by 5:30 PM.

By 7:00 AM the next morning, you will be back at the Port of San Juan, Puerto Rico with a memory stick full of pictures and videos from your cruise.

Cruising the Caribbean is the perfect vacation for you, not only because it is affordable, but the whole cruise package is convincingly worth it.

Cruising the Caribbean is a post from: Tours And Travel - thosenorwegians.com

The region has been inhabited since the retreat of the last ice age, creating nearly 10,000 years of aboriginal history. Vikings roamed Canada’s arctic shores long before Europeans began bickering over land rights during the 16th century. The French settlers founded Quebec City in 1608 while British explorers populated the Atlantic seaboard and Hudson Bay. European wars exacerbated Franco-British tensions until the American Revolution sent British refugees north, tipping the balance away from the French. Canada was finally unified under a constitution in 1867, while maintaining ties to the British crown. Since then, a large Quebec sovereignty movement has emerged in the French speaking province and has gained momentum at the federal level.

Canada’s Untainted Urban Gems
Canada’s cities are as diverse as its territory is expansive. French-speaking Montreal is the largest city in Quebec and arguably the liveliest in Canada. After the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the Biodome de Montreal filled in the empty stadium with four actively maintained ecosystems and numerous living exhibits. The collection of species is nothing short of phenomenal. Montreal has a thriving museum culture (buy a 3-museum pass) and an irresistible nightlife, boasting the largest dance floor in the country and a pioneering music scene with an eclecticism not to be found elsewhere. Travel west into Canada’s serene backwoods to discover Vancouver, a metropolitan diamond in the rough of British Columbia’s rugged wilderness. Ski Whistler’s nearby slopes or enjoy a day of sailing, then flex your cosmopolitan muscle in the evening with a stroll through the acclaimed Vancouver Art Gallery and appetizers at Canada Place. Visit Vancouver for a taste of Canada’s blossoming multiculturalism and international flavor. For a slower and more intimate pace, discover Nova Scotia’s capital of Halifax in the northeast. This revamped harbor town has become Canada’s Hollywood, with a large number of movies and shows being filmed along the charming avenues.

Unlimited Supply of Adventure
Canada’s Northwest and Yukon Territories offer some of the most pristine stretches of natural beauty in North America, along with the best light show around complements of the Aurora Borealis. Kluane National Park protects Yukon’s World Heritage Sites and Canada’s highest peak. In Alberta, Banff and Jasper National Parks provide the most spectacular views from the Canadian Rockies and a visit to Canada’s Glacier National Park, British Columbia, is imperative to witness the retreating ancient glaciers. With 39 National Parks and Reserves, Canada provides an infinite stock of breathtaking encounters.

Due to Canada’s extreme northern latitude, travel is best enjoyed during the summer months of July and August, even if the days are extremely long or endless. Winter sports can be enjoyed in many resorts year-round; however, December and January tend to be unbearably cold and dark, particularly in the northern regions. For more information, visit http://www.cfares.com.

Canada: Travel’s Understated Treasure is a post from: Tours And Travel - thosenorwegians.com

Located in the South Ari Atoll, Holiday Island is a four star resort containing 142 super deluxe beach bungalows. Its a two hour speedboat ride from Male.

There are a range of restaurants to choose from offering both western and oriental delicacies as well as a bar and coffee shop.

Holiday island offers the standard range of activities including diving, snorkelling, water skiing, floodlit tennis, a gym and more.

Huvafen Fushi Maldives

Huvafen Fushi is a five star resort on the South Ari Atoll and it takes approximately 30 minutes to reach from Male (speedboat). The resort is actually set within its own lagoon and is quite a spectacle. Like most five star resorts its not for those on a budget.

The facilities and recreation options are highly impressive with 3 restaurants and a bar for residents as well as a yoga pavilion, outdoor salt water pool as well as a fibre-optic lit indoor pool. A gym is also available. Activities include canoeing, windsurfing, sunset sailing, diving and the fun tube.

There are several different types of rooms at Huvafen Fushi including lagoon bungalows, ocean bungalows as well as beach & deluxe bungalows.

Komandoo Island Resort Maldives

The four star resort of Komandoo is set in Lhaviyani Atoll and is 40minutes away from Male (via seaplane). There are 45 rooms and the resort offers several activities including scuba diving, windsurfing, canoeing, sailing and excursion trips available.

Komandoo also has a main restaurant and two bars.

Kudahithi Island Resort Maldives

This is a tiny three star island resort that contains only seven rooms. The Kudahithi island can be walked in circumference in under ten minutes.

There are very few facilities this is a place for those who want to come for the peace, quiet and beauty of the Maldives alone. Diving is possible through another resort.

The restaurant at Kudahithi Island Resort serves predominantly Italian cuisine.

Kuramathi Blue Lagoon Maldives

Set in the North Ari Atoll, Kuramathi Blue Lagoon is a four star resort is a four star resort offering 56 rooms (20 beach bungalows and 36 beach bungalows). Its a 25 minute transfer by seaplane (105 minutes by speedboat).

Kuramathi Blue Lagoon has a good range of the standard facilities found in many of the resorts including a sauna, spa & Jacuzzi, pool, disco, water sports & diving.
Also try Kuramathi Village and Kuramathi Cottage & Spa.

Kuredu Island Resort Maldives

On Lhaviyani Atoll lies the four star Kuredu Island Resort. The resort is approximately 80 miles from Male and is a 40 minute journey by seaplane (4 hours via speedboat).

There are a total of 330 rooms in Kuredu Island Resort and these are split into the following beach bungalows, beach villas, Jacuzzi beach villas, sunset water villas and water villa suites.

Kuredu has an excellent reputation as one of the best islands in the Maldives for Diving. It also has a wealth of additional activities and facilities for all visitors.

Dining is also a pleasant experience with several choices of restaurant & bars offering a wide range of cuisine.

Kurumba Maldives

A five star resort located in the North Male Atoll and is a 15 minute speedboat ride from the capital. This popular Maldives resort has a total of 180 rooms (various bungalows and villas).

Dining facilities are excellent in Kurumba Island Resort Maldives six restaurants are offered as well as two bars to keep guests highly satisfied in terms of choice of food as well as ambience.

Further facilities & activities include gym, sauna, spa, water-sports/diving, various excursions, kids clubs and more.

Laguna Maldives

Laguna is a small island thats well known for its snorkelling. Located in South Male Atoll, Laguna is a four star Maldives resort offering a choice of deluxe villas, deluxe bungalows or water suites. There are 115 room in total.

Its a 20 minute speedboat ride to Laguna Maldives via speedboat.

Laguna is a five star Maldives resort that offers guests a choice of five restaurants/grills as well as four bars. The resort also offers excellent facilities as you would expect from a five star Maldives resort these include superb facilities for snorkelling & water-sports and a first class spa. Multiple excursions are also on offer.

Lily Beach Resort Maldives

Lily Beach is located on the South Ari Atoll and is a half hour speedboat ride from Male. Its a four star resort that offers a good choice of activities and excursions. As you might expect, the water-sports are good and there are also opportunities to engage in beach volleyball, surf biking, carom and much more.

There are three main choices of rooms available in Lily Beach deluxe suite, water villas and superior rooms.

The resort offers a restaurant, coffee shop and bar. Guests can also enjoy the disco/live band, cultural shows (Bodu beru) and beach games.

Lohifushi Island Resort Maldives

Lohifushi Island is in the North Male Atoll and is a half hour speedboat transfer from Male. Its a four star resort and is well respected for good diving & snorkelling excursions to nearby islands are available and the resort offers a good choice of water sports as well.

The resort contains 130 rooms that are split into standard, superior, deluxe and suites to suit a variety of tastes and budgets.

Facilities are good along with the usual high quality Maldives resort offerings there is also a squash court and sports centre.

The main eatery is the Banyan restaurant but Lohifushi also has no less than four bars available to guests.

Makunudu Island Maldives

This four star resort offers 26 beach bungalows and is located in North Male Atoll (55 minutes speedboat ride from Male).

Decent activities and facilities are available to guests along with diving and surfing, residents can also partake in dolphin watching and picnicking on a private island.

The main restaurant is Ara Iru and there is also a bar at Makunudu Island.

Medhufushi Island Resort Maldives

This is a five star resort with very good facilities that is a 40 minute seaplane transfer from Male. Medhufushi is located on Meemu Atoll and contains 120 rooms.

The resort offers a good range of facilities including diving, windsurfing & many other water-based sports as well as a disco, fishing trips and excursions.

Meedhupparu Island Resort Maldives

In Raa Atoll lies the four star Meedhupparu Island Resort. The transfer from Male is 40 minutes by seaplane and the resort offers 215 beach bungalows and an impressive list of activities.

Meeru Island Resort Maldives

Meeru is situated in North Male Atoll and is a 20 minute seaplane ride from Male (or about 55 minutes by speedboat). This is a four star resort that has 276 rooms of various types (prices at the lower end are for standard rooms while the most expensive is the dolphin suite about eight times as pricey).

Meeru offers one restaurant, three bars and a couple of coffee shops to guests so good food is available at practically any time.

The facilities are also good offering the type of activities that you would expect from a good quality Maldives resort. A few of these include scuba diving, spa facilities, internet connections, windsurfing and several excursions and day-trips.

Mirihi Island Resort Maldives

Mirihi Island Resort is located in South Ari Atoll this is a five star resort with just 36 rooms. Its a 20 minute sea-plane ride from the capital of Male.

The resort offers two main types of rooms beach and water bungalows.

A good number of activities and facilities are available and Mirihi offers a good selection of food and drink for visitors. Recreation facilities include watersports, excursions, diving, spa and a fitness centre.

Moofushi Tourist Resort Maldives

Moofushi is a four star resort offering 60 rooms its set in South Ari Atoll. There are 45 beach bungalows and 17 water bungalows available to guests.

There are two main restaurants and two bars. Facilities include a scuba centre, a massage centre and several excursions such as a trip to fisher-mans island & desert island.

Nika Island Resort Maldives

Nika Islands is a four star resort in North Ario Atoll. The resort is a half hour transfer by seaplane and has 36 rooms of various types.

The resort offers a restaurant and coffee shop for guests and facilities include an Ayurvedic centre, sports/diving centre, .

Olhuveli Beach & Spa Resort

Olhuveli is set in South Male Atoll and is a 50 minute speedboat ride away from Male. This is a four star resort with 125 rooms the room types are deluxe room, beach villa, deluxe water villa, Jacuzzi water villa, and honeymoon water villa.

There are three different restaurants, a poolside barbeque and two bars open for guests.

Some of the facilities include scuba diving, snorkelling, catamaran sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and glass bottom boat riding. There is also a sun spa. Excursion opportunities are good and include island hopping, night fishing and big game fishing. Guests can also enjoy the disco, a live band and cultural shows.

One&Only Kanuhura Maldives

Kanuhura is set in Lhaviyani Atoll and is a 35 minute seaplane ride from the capital of Male. Its a five star resort offering 100 rooms of various types.

The diving facilities and setting in Kanuhura are excellent the outer reef is incredibly deep and this means that divers are able to experience a highly diverse range of marine life.

The Kanuhura spa is also highly reputed it offers a health & beauty centre with a wide range of available treatments.

One & Only Reethi Rah Maldives

Reethi Rah is a five star resort set in the North Male Atoll. It has 130 rooms of various types (choose from eight types of rooms from beach villa to grand beach suite). Reethi is a 55 minute transfer from Male.

Reethi offers a wide variety of restaurants and bars for guests and resort facilities are also excellent offering a large selection of diving/water sports as well as general activities such as excursions and land based sports.

A Review Of The Best Value Maldives Holiday Resorts (Part 2) is a post from: Tours And Travel - thosenorwegians.com

A lot of crime occurred from illegal immigrants from North Africa, where the crime was committed in some cases just to say alive, not necessary the Spanish, with addresses and police records. It is not hard to see that the local police had a challenge on their hands. But things now have moved on. In 2004 it was reported that crime had been reduced by an amazing 40%, this has been achieved by introducing local neighbourhood watch schemes like they have in the UK. Stickers were produced and put on everyones windows and when anyone saw anything suspicious, it was then communicated to the local police. The police would also issue details say on stolen cars and find that residents were finding the cars on their behalf, reducing their workload. If you are buying a new house or live next to new houses, many say that crime drops when the builders go away. That doesnt mean that the builders are stealing but only that building sites in themselves attract thieves.

Basic security measures should be done whilst living in Spain, protect your passports, credit cards and driving license. Invest in a wall safe and have this hidden. Most thieves are opportunists or look for the weakest target. Have dead lock doors and then use the dead lock, some dont turn the key the second time. Leave a key with a trusted neighbour, as locksmith call outs can be expensive; to foreigners anyway. If this is your holiday home then do not personalise it, make sure everything is replaceable. Leave things around the house or property that makes it look like someone is at home or is about to be. Finally, even with all this bad news, thousands live in Torrevieja and would not live anywhere else, and by taking some simple precautions you maybe can live your dream.

Crime In Torrevieja is a post from: Tours And Travel - thosenorwegians.com

A country of outstanding natural beauty, Canada has a wide variety of landscapes; the mountains, the prairies, lakes and rivers with many national and provincial parks to protect the habitats. With a total land mass of 9,984,670 sq km (3,855,103 sq mi), Canada is the second largest country in the world. There are more lakes and inland waters in Canada than any other country, in fact 7.6% or 755,180 sq km (291,577 sq) is made up of fresh water.

Most images of Canada refer to the Mounties, bears, snow or the Rocky Mountains with the amazing turquoise lakes though there is truly more to this vast landscape. Tourism is a large part of the economy with the abundant natural resources quickly turning Canada into a rich and vibrant country that is a permanent listing at the top of the best places to live. With distinct seasons the winters are cold with plentiful snow and then warm summers, the best way to survive is to make the most of natures offerings. Skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling are popular pastimes and great exercise and fun. In the summer, hiking, camping and exploring the great outdoors are fantastic ways to spend your free time. This is especially true when you are amongst the most breathtaking and fabulous scenery the world has to offer!

The monetary unit is the Canadian Dollar. It is made up of cents with 100 cents making 1 Canadian dollar. There are 1 cent coins usually called a penny, 5 cent coins usually called a nickel, 10 cent coins called a dime, 25 cent coins called a quarter, 1 dollar coins called a loonie and two dollar coins called a twoonie. The notes or bills are in 5 dollar, 10 dollar, 20 dollar, 50 dollar and 100 dollar denominations. The Canadian dollar traditionally trades at a lower value than its American counterpart but is now coming closer to parity.

All motor vehicles are driven on the right hand side of the road and are left hand drive. Each Province or Territory is responsible for its own driving laws and regulations so each has a different system.

Demographics

Canada has a population of 30,007,094 (2001 Census), compared with 28,846,761 (1996 Census) which shows a 4% increase. Most of the population lives in the cities and most of these are located in the South of the country; about three quarters of the population live within about 300 kms of the U.S border. The most populated Provinces are Ontario and Quebec with Toronto (in Ontario) being the most populated city.

There are two official languages – English and French – and Montreal in Quebec is the world’s largest French-speaking city outside of France. All of the services offered by the Federal Government are in English and French. Almost every product you buy has English and French on the labels and most public services are available in both languages. Outside of Quebec the majority of people speak English; about 18 percent of Canadians are fluently bilingual.

The First Nations or Indian people were the original inhabitants of Canada and the name comes from their language and means “Village” or “Community”. The Vikings, who arrived in the 11th century and didn’t stay for long, were the first Europeans to land in Canada.

More Europeans arrived in the 16th century bringing with them manufactured goods which they traded for furs and native products – because of this they were made welcome by the indigenous people. The two main groups of European settlers were the French, who came first, and then the English. Despite France losing its part of the territory to Britain in a war in 1760, many of the French speaking people stayed. In 1867, three colonies of Britain merged in an event called Confederation; this created a partially independent state of four Provinces. Six more Provinces and three Territories have since been added and in 1931 full independence was achieved. Canada still belongs to the Commonwealth of Nations.

Canada is a Democratic Federation and has both a Federal and Provincial Governments. The responsibilities and powers are divided between the Federal and Provincial Governments which make for a complex political system (see http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/canadian_political_system.html for more details).]

Education

Public education is the responsibility of each Provincial Government (please refer to our Provincial pages for more information) and is paid for through taxes. Public education is free and all children are required by law to attend school from the age of 6 years until they are 15 or 16, the majority of students continue until they are 18 and graduate high school with a high school diploma.
The main languages of instruction are English and French.

Healthcare

Canada has a public health care system; essential medical treatment is available to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Although the health care systems are run by the Provincial ministries of health, the Federal Government sets the standards for health care across the country.

There are three Provinces that charge healthcare premiums (BC, Alberta & Ontario). In the other Provinces and Territories healthcare is paid for through taxes. In some Provinces there is a three month waiting period before you qualify for healthcare, (refer to http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/healthcare.html for more information) so you should make sure that you have insurance to cover any medical expenses for this period.

In essence such an article can never describe such a vast and beautiful country in adequate detail so if you are planning a visit or move go to http://www.onestopimmigration-canada.com/canada.html for detailed information.

Canada is a post from: Tours And Travel - thosenorwegians.com

Some things you should know before you start, the comments are restricted to internal flight, within the US and Canada. International flights have a different set of rules.

* 90+% of all sold airline tickets are distributed from a clearing house call ATCPO (Airline Tariff Publishing Company) which is owned, in partnership, by dozens of airline companies. It’s now the distribution hub for over 60 million tickets worldwide. Each airline files their fares continuously all day and then distributed to “subscribers” ie. agencies at specific times during the day. These fares are then loaded into the agencies booking systems.

Now the next thing to be aware of when you are hunting for a last minute ticket is that when tickets are put on the system the same seat will have a range of prices and there could be a difference of up to a $1000 between high and low and of course you are going to be sold the highest first.

As there are many rules controlling the price of the ticket a particular seat can be sold at dozens of different prices meaning prices can change at any time of the day.

* Also be aware that flight schedules that change have an effect on last minute ticket prices, this could include cancellations, mechanical breakdowns etc.

* Another thing that can have an effect on last minute ticket prices is “Aircraft Seat Inventory”. Airline use some very sophisticated tools based on historical and real-time sales data to ascertain how many seats will be sold at a articular time and for what price. This why people get so frustrated when shopping online for last minute tickets and why you should be checking 3-5 sites at a time. Let’s use this scenario – It costs the airline 15 cents per-mile per-seat to run the aircraft, they will calculate how many seats will have to be sold at that price before they can make a profit. Once they have this figure they will allocate so many seat at, say, 5 cents per mile and many more at a $1 per mile. So, obviously, it smart to buy when the cost of the last minute ticket is at the low end of the scale. One more thing to be aware of is that airlines mange their domestic revenue 4-5 months in advance, so if you are going to purchase a ticket 4-5 months in advance they will happily sell you a ticket at 20-30 cents per mile. Definitely not a good time to buy to get a good price.

So what are the tips for getting the best “Last Minute Ticket Prices”

* Know what a good price is

* Subscribe to a few email alert lists from different companies * Check the volatility of the market of the market place. If ticket prices are jumping aroud and you quick on “The Buy Now” button you will get bargain last minute ticket prices.

* Companies like Farecompare.com will give you ticket price history so check when the last minute ticket prices were at their best LAST YEAR. It doen’st always mean it will happen this year but, again it might. A good trick to have up your sleeve when hunting for the best last minute ticket price.

* Get to know the prices of your city pairs and if they are trending up because of outside forces, like fuel prices, it may be astute to buy as soon as possible even if it not at an all time low.

* The people who can pick up and leave at a moments notice will have a better chance of getting a better last minute price. I would be a little more cautious if you have to be a certain place at a certain time. Give yourself a little more leeway.

* The business and leisure break point is normally 14 days in advance, sometimes 21 days. You are not likely to get a good price on your last minute ticket.

If your are diligent enough you will, more than likely, stumble on some very good last minute ticket prices, but you will have to work at it.

A Review Of Last Minute Ticket Purchases is a post from: Tours And Travel - thosenorwegians.com

Perhaps you have heard of Feng shui, the Chinese system of geomancy believed to improve life. Much of Feng shui revolves around dwellings, their orientation and the actual layout of each room. Whether you believe in Feng shui or not many of the basic principles revolve around good home design and the best use of space. Mirrors are a key component of Feng shui and often used to extend a space as well as to draw the beneficial Feng shui energy in; it is said that a mirror represents water and all that is reflected is merely what is projected in it.

Bed and Bath Feng shui is a post from: Tours And Travel - thosenorwegians.com

- Check detour flights other than the straight one youre bound to get when you inquire. You can get cheaper overall prices if you choose to book two flights instead of one. Some people have been able to save as much as $2000 by doing this.

- It is always better to buy food at the grocery and cook it yourself rather than eating everyday at a restaurant. You wont want to spend all of your pocket money on food. Restaurants tend to have cheap and sometimes unhealthy food, ensure your own health as well as your pockets health by cooking your own, that is, after all, the reason why theres a stove in your hotel room.

- Travel to places which boast of natural beauty but have lower costs of living, prices here tend to be lower. Take the Philippines or Malaysia for example, both have great views and tourist spots but come without the hassle of overpricing, English speaking natives are also a plus for these countries.

- If youre planning to stay for more than a week, call the hotel that youd want to stay in and ask for week long stay discounts, these can range for percentages off your room price or even a free day.

- Package deals usually save a lot, airfare and lodgings combined into one are usually cheaper compared to paying for them separately. Some travel agencies even provide trio packages which include airfare, hotel and car rental, you can save a lot if you have the industriousness to canvass.

- Find web-only discounts or coupons which some hotels and airline owners provide especially for those willing to reserve online. You can save as much as 50% on your travel costs by going this way.

Create Your Own Travel Discounts is a post from: Tours And Travel - thosenorwegians.com

Cambodian Taxis

Having spent two weeks in the relaxing beach town of Sihanoukville, I was getting bored and so were the three chaps traveling with me. It was time to head to the supposed chaos of Phnom Penh and eventually Angkor Wat. Despite the legendary reputation of Cambodian roads, the owner of our accommodations told us the road to Phnom Penh was smooth as glass. For twenty U.S. dollars, a local taxi would get all four of us to the city without incident.

Around noon, two Australians, an Englishman and myself crammed into a Toyota Camry with our backpacks and miscellaneous junk. Our driver was a good guy, smiling constantly. We did have a communication problem since he spoke about two words of English and we only spoke English. The road, however, was as smooth as promised and we congratulated ourselves on our stroke of luck.

For about an hour, we cruised through the placid Cambodian countryside. It was difficult to imagine the chaos that must have occurred when the Khmer Rouge was in power. There really wasnt much to see beyond the occasional village. About half way through the trip, the lack of any sizeable towns became a concern.

In the proverbial middle of nowhere, our driver pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the car. Since we couldnt verbally communicate, much finger pointing was undertaken. Were we lost? Did he want more money? Was he going on strike? What the heck was going on?

Eventually, we foreign idiots were able to decipher that the car was overheating. Lest you think us complete idiots, I must mention that the temperature gauge wasnt working. Regardless, our driver popped the hood and our smooth trip came to a cracked end. Steam poured from a half-inch crack next to the radiator crap.

Road site assistance seemed an iffy prospect in the middle of Cambodia. I mean, you couldnt really call your car insurance company.

Me: Hi. My car is broken.

Operator: Okay, we will send someone out. Where are you?

Me: Um, somewhere in the middle of Cambodia.

Operator: [hysterical laughter] Click.

The driver looked at us. We looked at him. Simultaneously, we all started laughing. What else could you do? We were in the middle of nowhere, the radiator was shot and it was 60 miles or so to Phnom Penh.

Looking back, I can tell you that Cambodian taxi drivers are a committed and creative group. We sat on the side of the road, contemplating the fact that we were about to have a much more authentic Cambodian experience then any of us had planned. Mysteriously, our driver had gone off into the brush on the side of the road. After a few minutes, he returned with a dark green leaf and a big smile.

Putting MacGyver to shame, he proceeded to patch the crack in the radiator using only the leaf and tube of superglue. We all moved back as he applied the superglue to the boiling hot radiator, but nothing went up in flames. After allowing for a suitable amount of time for drying/praying, all we needed was water.

Although admittedly not a car expert, I do know pouring cold water into the radiator of an overheating engine is a bad idea. MacGyver, err our driver, didnt bat an eye despite our extensive arm waving. With a big smile, the water went into the radiator as we watched in horror. The only question was what would happen first, the leaf patch bursting or the engine seizing up?

Well, you can guess how it turned out. Not only did we make it to Phnom Penh, we later learned the radiator had two other leaf patches on the bottom. The road had been smooth, but my nerves were still shot. One way or another, the roads of Cambodia will get you.

At least I have ample ammunition to mock MacGyver fans.

Cambodia Taxi Chaos a Leaf, a Radiator and a MacGyver Moment is a post from: Tours And Travel - thosenorwegians.com

Shaking Hands

Germans typically wait until introduced by a host to shake hands. Typically, older parties in a group or more senior persons reserve the right to extend their hand for a handshake first. Attendees of small parties will always take the time to shake hands with one another when greeting, as opposed to larger functions where hand shakes are very rarely performed. The act of shaking hands in passing is considered rude. If one takes the time to shake hands, it is considered a precursor to at least a brief chat. Additionally, it is considered to rude to shake hands while the other hand is in your pocket.

In formal settings, it is still considered custom to kiss a ladys hand when introduced, though the lips should never actually touch the hand. When being introduced to adults, little German girls will occasionally courtesy in greeting. Furthermore, unlike in the United States, children will rarely thank someone for a compliment.

Addressing Others in Germany

The female term Fraulein is only used to address particularly young, unmarried girls. The shorter Frau is used to address older, unmarried young ladies and women since it is considered a more mature greeting. Also unlike in the United States, a married woman is not addressed by her husbands first name (e.g. Mrs. John Smith), but by her own first name (e.g. Frau Jane Smith).

Common Business Etiquette in Germany

Du and Sie

The method of addressing others by saying you is divided into the formal and informal manners of Du and Sie. Du is considered informal and should be reserved only for close acquaintances, friends and family. To avoid seeming disrespectful when meeting new persons, especially in a formal or business environment, it is generally accepted that Sie is the proper form to use.

Attire

American standards of business dress have relaxed in certain niche industries in recent years, but that doesnt mean that the same is true of Germans. It is typically customary for business attire to be worn in nearly every business setting. Jeans, T-shirts, and similar clothing will typically be frowned upon. When in doubt, always opt to possibly slightly overdress than to take the risk of under-dressing.

Meetings and Functions

Unlike many other cultures, Germans will typically send invitations that outline not only when a meeting or function will begin but also when it will end. It would be considered good manners to use this time as a queue to bid a proper farewell. Though no one will expect every one to jump up and run out the door at the exact time, it can be considered rude to ignore the outlines set up by the hosts.

A Review Of German Mannerisms For Foreign Travelers is a post from: Tours And Travel - thosenorwegians.com