World Class Travelling

Hardway for Life

2008-08-28T05:31:00.001-07:00

Untitled
Originally uploaded by Tri Adinugroho

Begitu kerasnya dunia, menuntut kerja keras setiap manusia untuk bertahan dalam hidupnya. Seperti pencari kayu bakar ini.

Solo Travel Close to Home

2007-11-10T10:44:00.003-08:00

It's a big world out there, with infinite adventures awaiting the travel hungry. Sitting at my desk on a cold winter day, watching the fog roll in from the ocean to blanket the houses and buildings in sheets of white, I find myself daydreaming about the sun-soaked sands of Mexico beaches, the colorful rain forests of Costa Rica, the wild national parks and animals of the Australian Outback. And then, of course, there are the cathedrals of Rome, the art museums of Paris, the canals of Venice, the temples of Japan. While the world holds infinite wonders to capture the imagination, most of us don't have infinite vacation days or bank accounts. What do you do when you get the itch to travel, but only have a weekend to scratch it with?

Sometimes it's easy to forget, but chances are your own hometown and destinations close by are rife with fun things to see and do. An exciting trip could be as simple as heading to the park, spending the day touring the local museums, taking a brewery tour, relaxing at a spa, or climbing into the car stocked with snacks and your favorite CD's and heading down the highway for your own mini road trip. Here are some ideas for great solo trips you can take in your own backyard.

Play Tourist in your Hometown

I've lived in San Francisco for six years now, and it occurred to me the other day that I've never ridden a trolley car, or been to Alcatraz. While some tourist attractions can be more hype than happening, most of them are popular for good reason. One fun way to spend a weekend without going too far or spending too much, is to grab your camera and pretend to be a tourist. What are the attractions people come to your town from all over the country, or even the world, to see? Many cities offer tourist passes, allowing travelers to visit all of the major attractions at a discounted price. Bus tours, walking tours, and other group tours are often available too, for those wishing to experience their town under the wisdom of a guide. For travelers who'd rather go it alone, a great place to begin is your city's visitor's center, where you can get lists of attractions, maps, tour information, and more.

Attractions in Major Cities:
San Francisco Attractions
New York Attractions
Los Angeles Attractions
Seattle Attractions
Boston Attractions
Las Vegas Attractions
More...

Take a Culture Tour

You may not live in New York City or Rome, but chances are, your hometown has its own fantastic array of cultural attractions. I'm always pleasantly surprised to discover how many cultural events are taking place in my city, from theatre productions to poetry readings and art openings, to literary festivals and performance art. A fun way to escape the norm of the week and to stir your intellect is to plan a cultural weekend for yourself. You could spend a Saturday checking out the latest exhibits at your local art museum, learning about prehistoric times at a museum of natural history, or experiencing the astronomical at a planetarium show. Many museums offer guided tours, or self-guided audio tours, allowing you to learn about the art and artists that capture your imagination as you peruse. Experiencing art and historical exhibits is a fantastic way to travel the world without leaving your own backyard.

Road Trip!

Venturing on a road trip may take a bit of planning, but not too much! One suggestion is to locate a place you've never visited that you've always wanted to see — a nearby state or national park, a fantastic zoo, a winery or brewery you'd enjoy touring, a spa or hot springs, or even just another city you'd like to experience. Once you've settled on a destination, it might be fun to take the route that is most scenic so that you can stop and take photos along the way, enjoy a picnic lunch by a lake, or just take in the views as you speed down the highway. If you're more inspired by the journey rather than the destination, you might just take out a local map, point to a spot, and then hit the road. Don't forget to pack your favorite snacks and music!

Next time you're at work, or making dinner for your kids, or filling up the car with gas and you begin daydreaming about traveling the world, remember there might just be a whole world in your own backyard. Big trips to exotic places are wonderful, but it's easy to travel nearly anytime — those small vacations can make waiting for the big ones a lot easier, and who knows, you might have the time of your life close to home.

Meditation and Yoga Retreats

2007-11-10T10:44:00.001-08:00

Meditation and Yoga Retreats

via RealTravel by Anne Marie Bonneau on 11/6/07

Rishikesh for 5 days by bridget may

Traveling solo can be a great way to de-stress, meet new people and experience a destination in a whole new way. Whether you choose to take a group tour to meet new people, head out on a peaceful meditation retreat, or discover a new city all on your own, solo traveling can be an experience of a lifetime.

This week we'll focus on different ways of exploring the world on your own, from going on retreats, to adventures that allow you to meet new people and more. Whether it's backpacking across Europe, walking across the United States, finding secluded meditation retreats, day-tripping near your hometown city, or volunteering abroad, there are many ways to forge an adventure on your own.

Meditation and Yoga Retreats

For a relaxing trip that may actually help you cope with stress long after your holiday ends, consider a meditation or yoga retreat. While India might be the ultimate destination for a retreat spiritual in nature, many destinations in the United States also have much to offer anyone searching for an enlightening vacation.

India

Often referred to as the world capital of yoga, Rishikesh, located in the northern state of Uttaranchal in the Himalayas, each year attracts thousands of pilgrims, both native and foreign. It was here in the Himalayas during the sixties that the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi taught The Beatles to meditate, making the city a household name in the West. Today, the river Ganges attracts not only devotees seeking enlightenment and healing via a dip in the sacred waters, but also white water rafting enthusiasts.

RealTraveler bridget may spent five days in Rishikesh and writes:

"Every morning we are awakened by temple bells and every evening a small band assembles on the sand below and a man chants into a mic accompanied by drums and a tiny piano. The natural beauty of the place is fantastic and add to that the seven story Lakshman Temple in the near distance against the dark misty green of the mountains with the amazing and unusual sound–to us make this place truly dream-like.

There are daily yoga classes which are drop in and seem to cater to the westerners. But the ashram is also a place of spiritual practice and there are Indian (men) who hang out there and chant and meditate all day." (more...)

Also situated in the Himalayas, Dharamsala sits on the slopes of the Kangra Valley with the Dhauladhar mountains serving as a backdrop. The dense forest and snowline with several streams ensure a cool, fresh and healthy environment. Although Dharamsala was first established as a base camp for explorers and travelers, today it is best known as the home of the Dalai Lama and tens of thousands of Tibetan monks.

While in Dharamsala, Adrian B visited Tibetan monks and nuns, learned about the philosophy of yoga, studied massage, attended the "amazing 4th annual Indigenous Grandmothers Council," and "went to the Tibetan Children's Village school to hear the Dalai Lama & others talk." Read more about his adventures in Dharamsala here.

Adrian B also visited Auroville, an intentional community situated in southern India mostly in the State of Tamil Nadu with some parts in the state of Pondicherry. Focusing on human unity through diversity, Auroville is "an experiment in living, inaugurated in 1968 & now 39 years into its evolution. Not really a big commune, but more of a small conscious city of 2,000+ 'Aurovillian' residents & many guests passing through for short & long-term visits." This community offers classes in "sustainability, permaculture, healing arts/massage, dance, yoga, & other very interesting topics." (more...)

Whether you decide to go on a retreat or not, if traveling to India, you may want to visit the bodhi tree under which the Buddha achieved enlightenment. While in Bodgaya, India, RealTraveler Sazman sat in this same spot. He explains that "the tree is next to a temple that has been built in it's honor (of course, as temples are) and all around it are monks, monks, and more monks. And all the monks are chanting. It is really calming and intense at the same time. It was enough to induce spiritual feelings in even the most atheistic of us. This is truly a holy place." (more...)

For more useful information, be sure to read In Wanderland's blog entry Finally! A Place to Relax in India.

United States

The website of the Esalen Institute states that visitors "come from all over the world to participate in Esalen's forty-year-long Olympics of the body, mind, and spirit, committing themselves not so much to 'stronger, faster, higher' as to deeper, richer, more enduring." Located in Big Sur in Northern California overlooking the ocean, Esalen offers personal retreats, hundreds of workshops, classes in meditation, yoga, dance, continuing education and much more. Lodging ranges from sleeping bags to private rooms.

Further north in California is The Expanding Light at Ananda, one of the largest yoga and meditation retreats in the country. Situated in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Sacramento, The Expanding Light welcomes guests of all backgrounds and offers classes in meditation, yoga, cooking, teaching and more. Accommodations range from deluxe rooms, both private and shared, to cabins and tents. Vegetarian meals are served in the communal kitchen. A world wide organization, Ananda also offers retreats in other locations such as Rhode Island and Assisi, Italy.

Useful Resources:

India Travel Guide
United States Travel Guide
California Travel Guide
Travel Blogs about Yoga

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Flickr

2007-09-19T22:37:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Chile's Wine Travelling

2007-09-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Wine Regions Around the World

Chile is one of country in South America. Many interesting destination for traveller can found in Chile.

Popular destinations in Chile

Santiago

Yangshuo - China Travel Plan

2007-08-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

Go to Yangshuo

Nice place in China country. Big valley city.

Blue Lagoon at Comino

2007-07-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

Stay and refresh your mind in Blue Lagoon at Comino, Malta. It's blue and clear ocean water is very beautiful and wonderfull place. See the picture of Blue Lagoon, like ships at blue water and clear comino water.

Hotels and Travels

2007-07-25T23:44:00.000-07:00

Want to reserve a hotel, booking a flight, rent a car or just browsing your travel destination? check it out with this link. Found great places around the world with fair and cheap price tickets and hotels voucher reservations. Simply with online hotels and travel booking.

Engabreen Glacier

2007-07-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

The Engabreen glacier is the second largest glacier in Norway. It is a glacial tongue of the Svartisen glacier,which has steadily increased in mass since the 1960s when heavier winter precipitation set in. This site located at 66°42'9.26"N - 13°32'9.50"E.

You'll find an interesting radio programme about life in the glacier and listen to the sounds inside and hear about how the glacier moves up to 10 metres a year. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/nature_20060529.shtml
(Deirdre on that same side you will find another interesting programme "The sounds of the Galapagos")

Travel without Smoke

2007-07-10T19:30:00.001-07:00

Life is much nicer without smoke

by cobi on Jul 09, 2007

Take a deep breath of fresh air - England has gone smoke free! It's great. No more throwing clothes in the laundry basket in disgust after an hour in the Darwin Bar because they stink. No more avoiding The Eagle for dinner because the air in the RAF bar is so thick you could stick a fork in it.

I'm very glad this has finally happened. It's been a long time coming! And pubs genuinely seem to be taking their new responsibilities seriously - I haven't seen someone smoking inside yet. Of course, the same can't be said for outside. If you walk down the pub-filled streets in Cambridge in the evening you'll be lucky not to get a cigarette burn, there are so many people huddled in doorways, cantankerously sucking on their ciggies. Okay - perhaps burns are an exaggeration - but it is hard to avoid the fumes around doorways. Even at Addenbrookes Hospital it's hard to dodge the trails of smoke at the entrance, despite the whole site supposedly being smoke free.

Still, it's a great start. I think England handled it well. Apparently it was planned for July 1st to coincide with summer, so people won't get so grumpy about getting turfed outside to indulge in their dirty habit. Of course, the rain rendered that plan a bit futile, but the ban's working nonetheless.

They've done a much better job of it than the poxy 'no smoking a metre from the bar' law in South Australia. Really... why bother? It's crap. You see people stretching their ciggie arm out (right into other people's faces) to get closer to the bar for a drink. Plus if the bar is in a skinny room the law doesn't even apply! How lame is that? It's pathetic.

I can't wait to see how the French go at banning smoking next February. The continental addiction is much more severe.

But stranger things have happened yet.

The Complete Third Season (New DVD)

2007-07-09T21:48:00.001-07:00

Alias - The Complete Third Season (DVD)

Alias - The Complete Third Season (DVD)
By Jennifer Garner

Buy new: $45.99
99 used and new from $19.40
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First tagged "travelling" by Michelle M. Ewell

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2007-07-09T21:41:00.001-07:00

Travel Book From Amazon

Bring Your Own Children: South America!

Bring Your Own Children: South America! A Family Sabbatical Handbook (Paperback) - By Robin, Ph.d. Malinosky-rummell

Buy new: $19.95
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Hotel Al Salam

2007-07-09T05:36:00.001-07:00

Five Stars on Blue Sea

Photos from everyone tagged travelling Jul 09, 2007

Take it from my room :)
Al Salam Hotel.

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CAVEMAN TRAVEL

2007-06-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

How far would you go to add a few more bedrooms? For one family in Moab, Utah, an expansion of their digs involved oodles of elbow grease - and two decades of actual digging.

About 60 years ago, dusty uranium miners outnumbered slickrock mountain bikers in these legendary red rock ridges, and Albert Christensen decided that the family homestead was a tad too small. With the help of his brothers, he bore into an imposing stone face and whittled out a swinging subterranean wonder-pad. Chiselling with hand tools and setting off dynamite, he hauled out massive cartloads of sandstone, creating more than a dozen pillared and spacious rooms called Hole N'' the Rock.

Posted Sunday, June 17, 2007 , 4:44 PM by Lonely Planet