Travelers Blog

Documentary - Violent Hawaii

2011-05-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Watch this documentary!

The Wonders of the World

2011-04-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

On July 7, 2007, over 100 million people voted to declare the new 7 Wonders of the World.

The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

The ruins are located on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula about 50 miles inland south of the Caribbean coastline. Chichén Itzá translates as "At the Mouth of the Well of the Itza," which is a reference to a nearby Sacred Cenote (where offerings were made drived from the city's water supply). This was a powerful city for the Mayans acting as a trading center for cloth, slaves, honey and salt. The most familiar ruin at the site is El Caracol which served as a sophisticated astonomical observatory.

Image of El Caracol

Christ Redeemer (1931) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Towering over the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this 125-foot statue is an art deco style designed by Heitor da Silva Costa. The statue was carved by a French sculptor Paul Landowski. It took five years to complete which included the pedestal and chapel that was ready to accommodate 150 people. The statue cost approximately $250,000 to build and most of the money was raised through donations.

The Roman Colosseum (70 – 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy

The Roman Colosseum was constructed as an amphitheater which could hold 50,000 people and that had 80 different entrances. The base of the building covers six acres and is roughly the height of a 12-15 story building. The Colosseum was built between 70 and 80 A.D. People gathered to watch gladiator events as well as battle reenactments, animal hunts and executions.

The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 – 1644 A.D.) China

There are parts of the Great Wall that date as far back as 2,500 years ago. This was originally constructed to protect their territories from invasion. Emperor Qin Shi-huang ordered General Meng Tian to extend the walls after 220 BC. The wall was made as a defensive system originally, but now has become a major tourist attraction. The Great Wall has multiple walls spanning for approximately 4,000 miles, making it the longest manmade structure.

Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru

Machu Picchu, overlooks the Urabumba River Canyon. The area is thought by scholars to have been a sacred archaeological center for the nearby Incan capital of Cusco. This site can only be reached by foot, train or helicoptor.

Petra (9 B.C. – 40 A.D.), Jordan

Petra is the capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV. The site recieves a lot of credit for having a number of incredible structures carved into stone, a 4,000-seat amphitheatre and the El-Deir monastery. This site was likely used from 9 B.C. to 40 A.D.

The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India

The Taj Mahal of Agra is directly on the banks of the River Yamuna. The magnificent structure was made out of love by Emperor Shah Jahan dedicated to his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The building is made out of pure white marble, gemstones and other surroundings. The Taj Majal also includes formal gardens filled with raised pathways, sunken flower beds and a linear reflecting pool.

Rules for The Carry-On Bag - Plane guidelines

2011-04-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

Throw away the liquids -
- No liquids (gels, creams, jams, honey, salsa, bottled water, etc), you may buy these after you have passed through the security gate as long as they are sold inside.

- Toiletry items can be brought on as long as they are in a container that is 3 oz or less. They also need to be packed in a quart-sized clear zip lock bag. You can only have one bag, as the rule says one bag per passenger. This bag also must be removed from carry-on bag and placed into a bin that goes through a screening machine.

Prepare to be screened for your oversized electronics (laptops, full-size video game consoles, DVD players and video cameras that use cassettes)
If you carry on electronics be prepared to remove these items from your carry-on bag and submit them through separately for the x-ray screening.

Coats and Jackets
You must take off coat/jackets and put in a bin to go through x-ray screening.

Things to consider --

Do not wrap gifts -
A security officer may inspect the package and by doing that they would have to unwrap the gift. Its best to wait until you've reached your final destination to wrap gifts.

Slip-on shoes -
To make the faster round, make sure to wear slip on shoes, as they require you to take off your shoes and place them in the bins for x-ray screening.

Suitcase -
Get a rollerboard suitcase that fits into the overhead bin lengthwise -
http://www.luggageonline.com/about_airlines.cfm,
this website is used to tell you exactly the demensions of the bag depending on what airline you take.

Exception -

Prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gel, or aerosol forms), baby formula and diabetic glucose treatments can be brought onto the airplane without size limitations. However, if the item is larger and is not in the zip-lock bag, passengers will then need to go through inspection at the security checkpoint.

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