Archive for February, 2007

15 February, 2007 | No comments

Emerald Island (Part 1)

If somewhere also there is a fantastic emerald country, it is, certainly, Ireland. It is difficult to say, who exactly has painted it in emerald color (whether great and awful Goodwin, whether local house painters in a green special clothes, whether the nature-mother, whether all together), but only other tones in the Irish palette are not almost met.
The green trees twisted by ivy, and the same green ivy on cable columns and walls of ancient buildings. Green planes of national companies Aer Lingus and Aer Rianta. Green post cars for cleaning dust; green school uniform and road workers in green waistcoats; a heap of green souvenirs in each booth. And at last, infinite green pastures with unimaginable quantity (no, all the same not green) of sheeps and cows.
It is possible so state that this country has only spring, and winters do not practically happen. Summer is usually not hot. Short rains during sunshine obligatory finish with rainbow. The climate is soft because of warm current Gulf Stream, and the year is always “green” in the valleys protected from winds, and laurels, rhododendrons, oaks, the Mediterranean tree strawberry and even palm trees grow along the road. In Dublin it is possible to see a blossoming tree even in December-January. Sometimes you may fell that you are in Israel, but not in the UK…
It is said that green color calms and it is exclusively good for nervous system. Looking at Irish, it is easy to believe in this: they do not spoil to them and other people’s nerves on trifles and, apparently, almost they always stay in good mood.
How to travel across Ireland
Ireland is such country in which it is better to travel by car. Bus and railways are not so developed; therefore you can’t manage without the car. Problems with service are not present, in each city, as well as everywhere in the Europe, you can find the centers of the tourist information where it is possible to get cards and any necessary data. And don’t forget about the Irish! They are very kind and everyone will try to help you.

14 February, 2007 | No comments

Road of death

Any road can be unsafe to a certain extent. But some roads are really very dangerous. An old road in Bolivian province Yungas (North Yungas Road) is considered as the most dangerous road in the world and is known as “Road of death”.
Annually the road “takes” lives of 100-200 people. According to one of the sources, the road has been constructed in 1930th by Paraguayan prisoners. Other people say that here it was built by the American building company in the middle of the last century.
The road goes down from the height of 3, 6 thousand meters up to 330 meters above sea level. Here there are very abrupt slopes, a slippery and dirty covering. Sometimes, two cars can’t part on this twisting and extreme road, so, it makes drivers to stop, go forward, to take a reading by estimation of the situation and to agree on further actions.
By the way, one of local road rules orders to the driver of a going down car to keep external line of road, and the priority of right travel is always given to climbing uphill transport. The most interesting is that even one lorry can somehow to find necessary place on the road, besides, that lorries and buses is the basic transport on the “Road of death”.
During the journey the drivers should deal with not the most favorable meteorological conditions: the cool plateau of the Andes with monthly average temperatures from 6 up to 11 degrees is replaced by damp jungle of Amazon. There, the road is not only narrow, but it is also very slippery. Asphalt covers only the first 20 kilometers of the way, the rest is a dirt and clay. Also do not forget, that a motor-vehicle park of Bolivia is a very old car park with worn out cars and busses with the erased trunks.
Because of dense fogs it very often happens so that the road becomes visible only in some meters forward. And then it is necessary to move very slowly and accurately. By the way, tropical downpours often provoke landslips, and the piece of road can simply be washed off. So, here is the recipe of fatal fear.
However North Yungas Road is one of few routes connecting northern Bolivia with the capital, therefore its exploitation does not stop even for a day. The danger of the road has made its popular among tourists.
Many people come here to lift a level of adrenaline in blood, having gone down on it on an off-road car or a mountain bicycle. Not all of them come back. But those who have managed to pass it and to survive, compare this route with the conquest of the Everest. And usual inhabitants of Bolivia continue “to submit” this road every day.

13 February, 2007 | No comments

Malta and the United Arab Emirates will provide new visa regimes

Since autumn 2007 a new procedure entry visas registration for Malta is to be implemented. Such changes are caused by Malta’s membership in EU and preparation of all Maltese external correspondence in accordance with the Schengen standards. Now visa regime for Malta will be more complicated: copies of passports of tourists will be forwarded to Malta and then the visa receipt confirmation will be sent back to the embassy of the interested country, finally, the visa will be pasted into the passport after an arrival on Island.
Tour operators of the Maltese direction confirm that they have known about new visa regime implementation for a long time before the officially informed data and give different comments and forecasts concerning the consequences of such changes.
While full data on requirements are not present, it looks like the information on salary, incomes, real-estate and other papers will be required. All experts do not see the bases that Maltese council has raised cost of the visa (now, Maltese visa costs 30 euros).
In the nearest future the United Arab Emirates visa regime also will be changed: the price of visa will be a little bit higher and the validity of the visa will also be prolonged. The visa regime and visa’s validity prolongation will be facilitated.

12 February, 2007 | No comments

The best hotels of the world will take care not only of adult clients, but also about their youngest visitors

Recently, a system of new hotels’ “stars’ estimation” has been introduced. Nowadays, such questions as how much the hotel cares of the smallest visitors; whether it possesses all necessary services for their high-grade rest are becoming more and more important.  However, the category of hotels’ stars is defined not by the presence “necessary” services, but of luxury surplus.
The best hotels offer special rooms for kids and teenagers, special SPA for children, tiny umbrellas on a beach. In San-Francisco Personality Hotel recommends to lodge the child in a room with the intercommunication door with parental room. However, children’s room, would significantly differ from the parents’ room by its special design, or any interior peculiarities, such as, for example, presence of the huge flat screen for viewing animated cartoons at children’s room, a microphone for a karaoke, a case with a set of the surprising things suiting changing clothes in children’s favorite cartoon or fairytales’ heroes: from a boa in solar glasses up to a parrot in ostrich’s feathers. The music, loaded into the iPod, will also be chosen according to the children’s tastes.
Precisely the same services are offered in family rooms of Ritz Carlton Hotel in Boston. And a group of Swissotel has developed a special concept of “children’s room” under the motto “Children are happy - rest is successful!”. The stuff management tries to offer more “children’s rooms” in the hotels, though such pleasure this rather expensive.
Usually hotels try to find the conciliatory proposal: to satisfy their “small” visitors and their parents at the minimal expenses. In Florida Bentley Beach Hotel has managed by small umbrellas on a beach, and Reid’s Palace (Madeira)  Hotel has added special children’s peignoirs, dressing gowns, shower gels and towels in the bathrooms, and adapted children’s menu in the hotel’s restaurants. On Maldives the One Only&Kanuhura Hotel suggests girls “to be as mum” and to visit SPA, where it is possible to take a flower bath, to seize art of nails coloring and to braid freakish pigtails.

10 February, 2007 | No comments

St. Valentine’s tourist tours

Many tour operators suggest “sweet” couples to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day in a special way and offer them romantic tours to Rome, Milan or Paris at a discount. The cost of romantic trips is 30-40 % cheaper from the usual tourist tour. Besides, February is a time of student’s vacations, so, budgetary tours to the Europe became more popular. But if you wish to celebrate February, 14th in a very especial way, be ready to pay more money for romance and luxury.
London: have intimae on the bridge
British people keep all their traditions, including St. Valentine’s Day. Every year they prepare refined entertainments for the sweet couples.
For example, on this St. Valentine’s Day the enamored will be able to have a walk on the Tower Bridge (constructed in 1894, it is considered as one of the most beautiful monuments of the world), but it will not be a usual walk of pedestrians. The couples will admire the sunset from a height of 45 meters! And a specially invited pianist, who will play piano compositions on the Bridge, will adjust them on romance. Everyone will be offered a glass of champagne. The ticket costs 12 pounds for couple.
Those who are not afraid of height can arrange romantic appointment at height of the bird’s flight - the London Eye. It is only necessary to reserve special tickets for Valentines Flight in advance. At the same time you will receive a red rose and chocolate -a gift from The London Eye. Another program- Valentines Champagne flight- will give you an opportunity to pass on a big wheel and to drink champagne at height of 135 meters.
Italy: 3 euros for a kiss
On sacred Valentine’s native land (besides traditional Rome, fashionable Milan and romantic Venice) you can go to small town Kurmagiore. There you will be able to participate in the celebratory procession with national dances, devoted to the St. Valentine’s Day.
Giuseppe Foggetti (one of the most successful Italian businessmen) has decided to represent a special place for dating. The special park for enamored is situated in a seaport of Bari. The exclusive “headquarters” for kissing and other purposes are waiting for their visitors on February, 14th. In fact own habitation is inaccessible to the majority of young Italians.
Paris: a bed from roses
On the St. Valentine’s Day practically all hotels of Paris, Lyons, Marseilles and other French cities offer small gifts to their visitors. These gifts may be a bottle of a champagne, chocolate or flowers. The most magnificent hotels suit the whole solemn suppers and special surprises to couples.
Nevertheless, a night in one of these luxury hotels would cost you no less than 500-900 euros.
Thailand: the gift will smell for half a year
The tourists, who would come to Thailand on, February 14th, would be able to get an exclusive souvenir - a stamp with a rose smell. These fragrant marks are let out especially to the Valentine’s Day and will be on sale in all large department stores. The stamp will cost $0, 35, and it will smell sweet for half a year.
Austria: a weekend in a beer cask
Flowers, chocolate, and champagne - it is pleasant, but it is too banal. What about having a really unforgettable romantic evening … in beer cask?
In a basement of one Austrian village wooden flanks are established, each one is made for two persons. Beer, malt and two spoons of hop plant are poured into a keg and all these is, then, filled up with warm water. Your romantic bath is ready!!! It very much reminds a Jacuzzi.
Such romantic holidays of beer-spa resort would cost you only 400 euros per couple. The baths, two nights in hotel, a breakfast and dinners are also included.

9 February, 2007 | No comments

Tourist routes will be opened in vaults of the Prague underground

The interesting idea of reception of the additional income has occurred to heads of the Prague underground.
The majority of modern mega cities inhabitants use periodically the underground. However one more life is hidden from the eyes of passengers behind facades of underground stations and the walls of tunnels. Secrets of inaccessible (for passengers) underground world can be very interesting, if it would be represented to them in appropriate way.
The special excursion program which would be interesting to local residents and tourists is now being properly prepared in Prague. Some of the underground vaults with special tourist routes of various distances are to be opened by the end of the summer.
It is likely that there will be four or five “Tourist tracks”. The employees of the Prague underground are absolutely sure that the walk on an underside of the underground will be in demand.

8 February, 2007 | No comments

Your state of health onboard of the plane

For many travelers air flight is uneasy test. The stress during rise and landings, psychological discomfort, motion disease, the drafts, dried up air - all this is a unpleasant prelude to rest or traveling everyday lives. And even if you are skilled “bird”, our advice how to keep good state of health onboard, will be reasonably interesting for you …
Before the flight
Doctors advise, whenever possible to not be overstrained in day before flying. Sleep properly - it especially concerns people on business trips who always hope that in time zones due to forthcoming difference they would compensate a dream during the flight. It really sounds funny, as everyone perfectly knows that the high-grade dream is practically impossible in close “economy class”.
During the flight
If you know, that you feel bad during the flight, grasp with you a preparation from motion disease. They can be bought in any drugstore. As a rule, it is necessary to accept them in an hour before landing. All the others can be limited to a chewing gum or caramels which are offered by stewardesses before the flight. It is also possible to drink some orange juice or mineral water. We shall note that citrus juice helps to restore sugar in blood which is actively burnt at stress.
During flight physicians recommend to drink more non-gassy water. It will rescue both from dehydration, and from feeling of weariness, and from headaches. If to ask the stewardess the water will be brought to you even during the take-off or landing of the plane. We also recommend you to refuse from alcohol. It is also recommended to refrain from high-grade reception of food 2-3 hours prior to the flight.
It is better to women to not hide far humidifying cream: at height the skin is dehydrated because of dryness of air, and the “additional” moisture will help to keep it “good state of health “. At the same reason for those, who uses contact lenses, it is necessary to be reserved by special drops like “artificial tears”.
Concerning a feed onboard, there also are some special recommendations. In spite of the fact that many airlines had an installation on a low-calorie feed, nevertheless the quantity of consumed calories for the person, long time being in a motionless condition, is too high. Especially it is important for those who want to be slim.
It is not necessary to consider plane meal, as unique entertainment during the flight. In fact video (on distant flights there is for all good airlines), a neighbor-interlocutor (if, certainly, it does not sleep), the book, magazine, eventually, a dream, are also a good entertainment …
Because of the long sitting legs “directly” get tired the first. Therefore skilled travelers recommend to take with them   convenient footwear into the plane, and even simply spare warm socks and to put on something soft and free, not constraining your movements. Anyway, forget about your favorite fitting jeans! A warm sweater is also necessary - a temperature of air in interior does not rise above 20 degrees, and only the quickest one wins a struggle for warm plaids.
Many physicians spoke about harm of long flights for those who suffer from veins varicose disease. Some cases of an aggravation of this illness have been really fixed during many flights. Earlier it was considered as the negative role of change of pressure. But recently European scientists as “Tourist Olympus” magazine writes have found out that: all business is in a banal lasting immovable for many hours. Therefore do not hesitate to move, walk a little on interior, to extend legs, to make easy weakening exercises. Probably, however, that it will slightly strain your neighbors, but in fact your health is above all!
If you want to “release” ears during rise and landings, we advise you to try to suck a candy, to chew a gum or to yawn. If you really feel dizziness or nausea, we advise you to stare at a motionless subject.

 

7 February, 2007 | No comments

«Transplantation tourism» frightens legal experts

In China the present boom of transplantation is eager to be started. More and more foreigners come to China to receive donor bodies without the turn. However the western legal experts in the new report approve, that many Chinese become donors not at the will. According to these data, bodies the killed prisoners of local prisons, in particular, act as the “suppliers” of organs.
It has been almost 74 passed years after Soviet surgeon Jury Voronoj has lead the first successful change of a kidney. For this time the transplantology has developed so, that now operation on change of various bodies is not represented an insoluble problem. The most important is to find the donor. Relatives of the patients, requiring operation, are running in searches of the one who could rescue their close person.
In many countries including in Russia, official realization of bodies is forbidden. According to the Russian legislation, the purchase or sale of bodies and fabrics of the person entails the criminal liability.
However, unlike the European Union and the United States, in the Russian Federation the presumption of the consent to withdrawal of bodies operates. Easier speaking, in case of sudden premature death the law assumes, that the victim (died) has agreed to transplantation of the bodies.
The stable demand forces some physicians to support a canceling of an interdiction on trade in bodies. In the end of 2006 with such offer the initiative group American and British transplantations has acted. As they said, for today in Northern America and the Europe from 15 up to 30 percent of patients die, and not having waited the change.
The greatest alarm in legal experts is caused by the China which has turned recently in the present center «transplantation tourism». In March 2006 under pressure of the West in the Peoples Republic of China have legislatively forbidden trade in human bodies, but now a new charge, while which is has no comments by the Chinese authorities, is addressed to this country.
David Kilgur, the former Canadian state secretary on Asian-Pacific region, is assured that Canada and other countries should interfere with trips of the citizens to China where they can receive human bodies without turn. He suspects, what exactly is behind each operation.
Legal experts call the developed countries to forbid departure of citizens whose purpose is treatment in China. However, as experts mark, such approach, in turn, breaks democratic freedom of inhabitants of Canada, the USA and the Western Europe.

 

6 February, 2007 | No comments

Budgetary hotels have appeared after budgetary airlines

So-called low-cost companies offering unusually low tariffs for the flights, for more then ten years occupy a significant niche in the market of passenger transportations. The Accor hotel chain, announcing, budgetary rest in the hotels, has decided to follow the lead of airlines.  

In particular, in the French hotels of a network under name Formule1 clients are offered to lead night at the price of only 32 euros.  And in hotels of Ibis and Etap network in all cities a day of residing will manage in 70 euros, that is also considerably below the average level the prices in the hotel market. 

The Accor marketing experts approve, that the reduction of the price is not reflected in the quality of service, and now it became possible due to reduction of the operating device, optimization of charges of the company on advertising and other clauses of expenses. In spite of the fact that low-cost hotels are located mainly on suburbs of the cities, decrease in tariffs has allowed to fill an available number fund as quickly as possible.  

Positive results of Accor’s experiment are likely to become an example for imitation, and the concept of low-cost hotels will become same habitual, as well as low-cost airlines are.   The principles of Accor’s low-cost concept differ from traditions of the budgetary hotels known to the European tourists. 

5 February, 2007 | No comments

Britain meets the bird’s flu

The season, which has come in Asia with rains and cool weather, has provoked prompt distribution of the bird’s flu in extensive territories from Egypt up to Japan. Now Indonesia is on the first place among the Asian countries by quantity of victims from disease by the bird’s flu. In the meantime the rains, going in a southeast of Asia, have caused new attack of the bird’s flu in Thailand and Vietnam. China, South Korea and Japan inform on occurrence of a killing virus. 

The United Kingdom “very seriously” prepares to the bird’s flu epidemics. The Minister Health of has declared about the threat of the epidemics in the UK in view of finding this disease in an English county Suffolk. The Ministry has told, that last week large-scale doctrines on reflection of threat of a virus dangerous to people have been lead, and has named risk of global flash bird’s “insignificant”. 

According to the minister’s words, the British National System of Public Health Care has a sufficient stock of masks, but nevertheless it considers an opportunity to fill it up. In the Ministry of Health the stock of special preparations against the bird’s flu, sufficient approximately for a quarter of the population of British Isles, in turn, is made. Meanwhile the Minister of Agriculture and the foodstuffs has informed that Northern Ireland is ready for reflection of bird’s flu threats. The Minister ascertained that the risk of distribution of infection from the next Great Britain to Ireland is minimal. 

According to the Minister’s words, the Irish authorities carefully trace development of a situation with the bird’s flu in the Great Britain.  According to the World Organization of Public Health Care, since 2003, all over the world 265 persons have been infected. The dangerous virus became the reason of death of 159 victims. 

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