Archive for November 2008
Travel Health: Useful medical information for good health before your departure, during your trip an
November 30, 2008, 11:39 amThe diseases most commonly seen in travellers are diarrhoea, malaria (if you travel in a malaria-infested area), accidents (when travelling by car or swimming), wound infections and sexually transmitted diseases.
- Diarrhoea is caused by contaminated food and drinking-water. You must therefore be careful if your are travelling in poor hygiene conditions.
- Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes, so the first thing to do is to protect yourself against these mosquitoes.
- In order to prevent accidents during travelling, it is wise to apply the same precautions as those taken at home. In addition, it is very important that all wounds should be thoroughly disinfected in order to avoid infection.
TRAVELLER’S DIARRHOEA
Many intestinal infections are attributable to infections picked up by mouth or hands. With a little care most of these illnesses can be prevented. Hepatitis A, typhoid fever, polio and cholera still occur in countries with poor hygiene, but these diseases are easily prevented.
However, the chance is rather large that you will still contract a light and/or nondangerous form of traveller’s diarrhoea. Traveller’s diarrhoea almost always spontaneously clears up after a few days, but can nevertheless be irritating. And a risk to your overall and travel health.
In the first place measures must be taken against dehydration. Likewise, treatment of the symptoms must be considered in order to reduce the number of bowel movements and relieve other symptoms such as fever, vomiting and stomach cramps. Sometimes a more serious form of diarrhoea occurs, for which specific treatment with antibiotics is indicated or where hospitalisation or fluid replacement appears unavoidable.
It takes only a few basic preventive measures to make your trip a success : Total prevention of traveller’s diarrhoea is impossible and it is obvious that preventive measures can seldom be strictly followed at all times. But following preventive measures do significantly reduce the risk of contracting serious diarrhoea: In order to maintain good travel health wash your hands before eating and avoid (if possible) :
- raw vegetables and fruits that you have not peeled yourself – uncooked or unpasteurized dairy products – insufficiently cooked sea foods (+ Hepatitis A !) and meat – “local meals” which do not smell fresh – ice-cream bought from street merchants (industrial ice straight from the deep-freeze is probably safe).
Cooked meals should be served hot. The place where you eat is also important. A meal taken from a stall presents a greater risk than a meal taken in a restaurant. Avoid restaurants where there are a lot of insects. Avoid tap water and ice-cubes. Bottled water and soft drinks are safe. Watch out for bottle caps that have already been used. It is very important to disinfect drinking-water on adventure trips. Total sterilisation of drinking water is impossible. The following measures considerably reduce the contamination risk and safeguard your travel health:
- Boiling the water is very effective. – A good alternative is chemical disinfection with chlorine drops (e.g. Hadex®, Drinkwell chloor®; available in sport shops specialized in outdoor activities) or chlorine tablets (Certisil Combina®; chloramine tablets; available at the pharmacy). Their effect can be improved by first filtering unclear water. Silver salts (Micropur®, Certisil Argento®) are not very suitable to disinfect water, but they keep disinfected water germ-free for a long time.
For adventurous travellers conscious to travel health it is best to buy a portable water-filter. The use of antibiotics in order to prevent diarrhoea before it occurs can be dangerous + Also the use of other preventive medications is not recommended.
.How to treat diarrhoea?
It is extremely important to consume sufficient liquid and salt in order to prevent dehydration. You can do this by taking salt solutions, but tea with lemon, broth, soft drinks and fruit juice, supplemented with salt crackers are tastier. Commercial salt products are available on the market (ORS-solution).
Taking an anti-diarrhoea preparation (loperamide, e.g. Imodium®) can greatly reduce the number of bowel movements, with a considerable reduction of the complaints as a result. Imodium® may only be used by adults and older children and only for treating ordinary watery diarrhoea: 1 capsule after every loose movement up to a maximum of 4 per day.
Antibiotics are indicated :
1. If blood, mucus or pus are present in the stools. 2. If after 24 to 48 hours, there is no sign of improvement and the diarrhoea is accompanied by fever (above 38.5 C) or severe abdominal cramps, or if there are more than six stools per 24 hours and especially when these also occur at night. 3. Or if because of travel circumstances a quicker solution is absolutely desirable . Appropriate antibiotics are only to be used on doctor’s prescription
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES Casual sexual contacts tend to be higher while on holiday abroad. Sexually transmitted diseases, particularly AIDS, form therefore an important risk for travellers. Quite often unintentional and unsafe sexual contact takes place under alcohol influence. Prevention while on holiday abroad is no different from the precautions you take at home. Adequate use of a condom, preferably bought at home, is absolutely essential. Only a water-soluble lubricant should be used, but it only offers a partial guarantee (e.g. KY gel). Vaccination against hepatitis B is advised. Always consult your doctor if you think you are at risk, even when there are no symptoms.
MALARIA (swamp fever, malaria)
Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a parasite (called Plasmodium) transmitted by the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. There are four different types of which Malaria falciparum is the most dangerous and the most widespread. The incubation period – the time between an infecting bite and the appearance of the disease – varies from ten days to four weeks (rarely several months).
The symptoms include attacks of fever, but can initially be quite similar to influenza. If adequate treatment is not started in time, an attack may sometimes result in death within a few days.
. Where does malaria occur?
Malaria only occurs in those areas in which Anopheles mosquitoes are present : in the tropics and in a large number of subtropical areas. From a height of 1.500 to 2.500 m onwards, depending on temperature and climate, Anopheles mosquitoes are either rare or non-existent.
In most big cities there is little or no risk at all of infection, except in Africa where a real risk exists.
Risk also exists in the suburbs of the big cities in Asia (e.g. in India). In a number of areas the risk varies according to the season.
. How can malaria be prevented?
It is very important for travel health to avoid mosquito bites : the Anopheles mosquito only bites between dusk and dawn, is rather small and hardly makes any noise. – In the evening wear light-coloured clothing which covers your arms and legs as much as possible. Apply repellent cream with a DEET basis (20 to 50%, for children and pregnant women preferably 20 to 30%) to the uncovered parts of your body. Repeat this every four to six hours (it will not protect you all night). Non containing DEET repellents were less examined; Autan-Active. and Mosegor. are however excellent safe products. – Sleep in rooms that leave no access to mosquitoes, (mosquito nets on the sills, electrically-warmed anti-mosquito plates, air-conditioning) or sleep under a mosquito net impregnated with permethrine or deltamethrine hung over the bed with the edges tucked under the mattress.
If these measures are carried out correctly, the risk of malaria will be reduced by 80 to 90% and travel health is maintained
.The intake of pills as prevention
There is no drug efficient enough to prevent malaria 100%, which means that quite often a combination of measures is preferable. Also the drugs used have changed over the years. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of drugs should be considered against the risk of malaria infection. These risks are dependent on the visited country, and on the region, the season, the duration of your stay and the kind of trip.
Some people might be troubled by the side effects while taking antimalarial drugs. These are usually mild and are not always a reason to stop taking the pills. Sometimes it may be necessary to change to another type of medication due to intestinal problems, allergic reactions or other intolerance symptoms.
Therefore it is the doctor who can best decide for each individual which drug to use. This explains why individuals from the same group may end up taking different drugs.
Finally, as no drug is 100% effective in preventing malaria, it is important that if an attack of fever occurs in the first three months after your return from the tropics, a malaria infection should be considered as a possibility despite the correct use of the drug prescribed.
However, it is reassuring to know that malaria, provided it is recognised in time, is easy to treat without any danger of recurrent attacks. The belief that “once malaria always malaria” is totally untrue.
You can find even more travel health tips in the next pages:
DISEASES FOR WHICH VACCINATIONS ARE AVAILABLE
MORE TRAVEL HEALTH TIPS
CAUTION: The information provided here should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or for the treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies.
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(posted in the Hall Of Travel category)
Things to see on your next Torrevieja and Alicante holiday
November 30, 2008, 5:52 amTorrevieja is one of the most important summer holiday spots in
the province of Alicante, about 50 kilometres from the city of
Alicante and making
up what is known as the Costa Blanca or The White Coast.
Torrevieja and the town of Pilar de la Horadada are in the
southern tip, the last towns before you head into the province
of Murcia. When making holiday plans, if you are to arrive there
by plane, the closest airport would be the one in Alicante
called the Altet. It has great flight combinations with the rest
of Europe, especially when flying in from England. It would only
take you about half an hour at the most to get safely to your
hotel if you have thought about a car hire. Look for the highway
marked N-332 heading south and you are set. There are some bus
companies connecting Torrevieja with Alicante, Elche, Murcia and
other towns and cities. There are even hotels which have the
convenient service of picking up its guests. And if you are in a
hurry or do not want to be bothered driving and wish to take in
the lovely scenery, then a taxi would do you well.
Salt and Habaneras from Torrevieja
In order to give directions, everyone referred to this town as
where the old tower is and therefore in Spanish – Torrevieja
a>, which when translated to English means ‘ an old
tower’. This swampy marsh area has been known for its high
quality production of salt and one of the places frquently used
to store the dried salt was in towers. There was one particular
tower which was knocked down when this area was hit by an
earthquake in 1829. Even nowadays, this whole area is constantly
being shaken by earthquakes, one of the last ones was just a few
months ago. Although it is visited thanks to its beautiful
beaches such as the Cura, the Locos or the Mata, it is also
visited because it has become popular for its habaneras, Cuban
music. One might think that it is quite strange that such far
away music has planted its roots so strongly in a little salt
mining town in Spain. But there is a very reasonable
explanation. Torrevieja carried on a constant flow of salt
trading with Cuba and the sailors who did this route were
spellbound by this lively music and wanted to share it with
their home folks and brought it back here. As we can well see,
its has been happily transmitted from one generation to another.
There is a fantastic international music festival of habaneras
held annually at the end of July or the beginning of August. If
you are in the area at this time of the year and wish further
details, the Patronizer of the Competition ( Patronato Municipal
del Certamen International de Habaneras ) can help you or look
in the web.
Natural Parks to visit
When you leave Torrevieja on the highway marked C-332, you will
be heading for the Natural park of the Lagoons of the Mata. To
be sure you will be able to visit this paradise correctly, it
would be recommendable to get information and book a date
because there is a maximum of 35 people allowed at a time. The
most interesting fauna are the birds like the stone curlew and
in the winter there is a great concentration of the diving birds
and important nucleus of storks, eagles and and avocets. On the
other hand, the salt swamps export salt all over the world. And
if that was not enough, salt baths are also recommended for some
types of illnesses such as arthritis and skin diseases having
become quite popular in the 19th century. But the best part of
this excursion is when the sun reflects in these salt
mountains.
Even though this city has a lot to do, it is easy and fun to
make day excursion travelling up the Costa Blanca to visit Santa
Pola on the outskirts of Alicante, then on to Benidorm
with its fantastic theme parks of all kinds, Altea and Javea.
Get the most out of your stay and travel.
—admin | Comments Off
(posted in the Hall Of Travel category)
Travelling Overseas – Staying Healthy
November 30, 2008, 5:26 amEvery year, millions of people visit developing countries. Of these, many are business people looking for new opportunities.
With a myriad of development potential available in the Asian region, business people are flocking overseas in order to get in at the ground floor. Many travel to these regions on a regular basis, exposing themselves to diseases ranging from differing strains of hepatitis to typhoid and polio.
Unfortunately, many of these diseases are not discriminating – they can be caught even when staying in 5-star accommodation. Also, some of them require long convalescent periods. For example, hepatitis A can mean an absence from work of up to 8 weeks, depending on the severity of the attack.
The problem facing business people and travellers is that often they have not been exposed to a wide range of infections. This means they have little or no natural immunity to diseases common in other parts of the world.
For example, even when staying at resort-standard hotels in areas such as Taiwan, the traveller still has a 1 in 300 chance of developing hepatitis A. Budget travellers increase their risk by as many as six times.
The sensible solution is to make sure you receive the recommended vaccinations for any overseas country you visit. It is important, however, to realize that for many vaccines to be totally effective, a series of doses over an extended period of time are required. For example, hepatitis B vaccines usually require a couple of months before they reach their full effectiveness.
Vaccination is not the only precaution that should be taken when travelling in a developed country. Many diseases are transmitted through food which has been handled by a carrier of the disease. This means that uncooked vegetables, salads, raw meat, shellfish, and drinks made with water or ice are all potential health hazards, and should be approached with caution.
Other things that should be observed are the general cleanliness of the restaurant or food preparation area. A restaurant with no electricity, meat covered in flies hanging on hooks and perhaps a few stray animals wandering around is hardly likely to be a good risk!
There are also the risks that can be avoided much more easily. These include casual sexual contact, intravenous drug use and other skin piercing activities such as tattooing and ear-piercing.
It is also important that you mention to your doctor that you have been travelling overseas to developed countries if you develop any symptoms such as nausea, lethargy, fever or jaundice after your return. These can often be categorised as a flu or common virus, when in fact they may be symptoms of a hepatitis infection. With full travel details, the doctor will be more able to make a correct diagnosis and suggest necessary further testing.
With almost all health issues, the key to disease free overseas travel is common sense. If you are going to be visiting a developing area, take the time to ensure you receive the necessary vaccinations in plenty of time for your trip. After all, that small amount of forethought may prevent a great deal of trouble later on. Copyright Felicity Walker 2005
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(posted in the Hall Of Travel category)
Vocational rental property guide
November 27, 2008, 4:19 pmOnce you make up your mind to on a vacation, the place to go, accommodation, your budget for these and other outlays are the significant questions that race up and down your mind. Just like there are numerous options to spend your holidays, there are several means to accommodation. To stay in a hotel and spend large amount of money is perhaps not everyone’s choice and capability. Many people prefer rental property to hotel and camp lodging.
1.There are a few advantages of staying in a rental property for vacations to putting up in camps and hotels. The first benefit can be the amount of liberty or freedom that one gets. Imagine the difference of staying in hotel room that is surrounded by other such rooms and spending your holidays in an isolated peaceful villa or a bungalow taken on rent. There is more serenity and comfort in the latter than in the former.
2.There are no check-in and check-out issues.
3.No hurly burly of waiters, hotel staff and other people staying in the hotel.
4.Complete liberty to do anything. For instance you can play loud music, roam around in beachwear and can do all sorts of frantic things in your rented apartments.
5.You can cook on your own and enjoy. It gives you the feel of being at home.
If you find vacationing in a rental property more comfortable than hotel rooms, give no second thought to your choice. But there are quite a few things that you have to keep in mind or focus in this case-
1.Make up your budget. This will not only aid you in the choice of holiday destination and lodging but it will be of great help throughout your trip.
2.After the planning of budget and the choice of place to go, think about the number of people you are. If you are more than ten, a villa on the beachside will be a perfect choice. You can hire it conveniently by contributing money. But if you are a small family, wonderful apartments and cottages in beautiful places like Bahamas, Aruba and the like are always a nice idea.
3.The search for rental accommodation can be made on the Internet. Just type the name of the place and rental villa or apartment or just write the key words “vacation” and “rental”. You can even take the help of the travel agency if that is planning your trip. Travel magazines can also facilitate you with good information and some crucial website addresses in this context.
4.Be very specific and clear about what you want. You should know if you want a two or three bedroom set, attached or individual toilets, a garden, pool, basketball court etc. in front for your kids to have a gala time, a parking to ensure the safety of your car and so on. If you have a pet and you wish to take him along, choose the lodging where this is not prohibited. It is better if you list down all your needs on a paper to avoid difficulties later during your vacation.
5.The agreement is another very important thing. You should appoint an attorney to verify the documents. The date, time, amount etc. everything should be in place. Pay lot of heed to he task of agreement for it is too essential to be overlooked .
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(posted in the Hall Of Travel category)
The Future of Your Son or Daughter, How to Invest the 250 Pounds
November 26, 2008, 3:30 pmHeard about the Child Trust Fund? Not many UK parents seem to realise that all infants get a free £250 voucher from the State to invest in a Child Trust Fund. The child’s voucher may be invested in any one of three kinds of CTF account, Stakeholder – a shares-based account thatchanges into cash, a savings account or a shares account. It is an excellent way to save for the future needs of a youngster
Scottish Friendly is a licensed provider of the Child Trust Fund The Government is keen for the public to have access to Stakeholder accounts and this is the kind of account that we are offering. This means that:
Investments go into Scottish Friendly’s Managed Growth Fund, which intends to provide good growth potential
An investment is made partly in shares to get the benefit of potentially higher returns over 18 years,compared to a cash deposit account (although the value of shares can
go down as well as go up whereas capital would be protected in a deposit account)
It is available with a low ‘Stakeholder’ funds charge of just 1.5 percent yearly
When a person reaches the age of 18 the young person will get a lump sum, entirely free of Capital Gains and Income Tax under current legislation
It is affordable – additional payments can be placed in the account from as little as £10
One of the great attractions of the Child Trust Fund is that anyone – parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends – may contribute to the Fund to an uppermost limit of £1,200 per year to help boost the child’s Fund (once added, this money may not be withdrawn).
All this means our Stakeholder account offers a good balance between potentially high returns and a reduced level of risk. There’s also the extra assurance that our account complies with the Government’s stakeholder criteria. Nonetheless this doesn’t mean that returns are guaranteed or that Stakeholder accounts are suitable for everyone. Bear in mind that the value of shares in the Managed Growth Fund (where your Child Trust Fund money is placed) can fall as well as rise and would not be guaranteed.
Only infants who were born on or after 1st September 2002 are eligible to start up a Child Trust Fund. If you have children born before the 1st of September 2002 who are not eligible you could look at investing for them with a Child Bond – it’s a tax-free savings plan which was created for long-term growth.
It is undoubtedly the case that saving for a child.your children is a rewarding means of preparing for tomorrow.
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(posted in the Finance Tips, Money Makers category)
Jamaican Villa Vacations Start with the Right Ingredients
November 26, 2008, 10:16 amAdd two parts sun, two parts ocean and pour in a cup of sandy beach. Stir in a touch of privacy, blend well, then garnish with one butler, one chef, two chambermaids, and a gardener / pool attendant. Holidays were made for being pampered, but unless you’ve had the opportunity to experience a luxurious private Jamaican villa, complete with a personal staff, you’ve never really vacationed like the rich and famous. The staff is what makes it great, and here’s a recount of a recent holiday excursion to get you familiar with what you’re likely to experience.
Howard, our butler, smiled and waved at us from the gate before leading us to the parking area. Delores and Peaches lined up next to him, a mini-reception with three new acquaintances who, by the end of the week, would feel more like a makeshift family than our private servants. This was not only fun. It was exciting!! In twenty years of traveling I’d never had the opportunity to have a personal staff, and the smiles and friendly handshakes as they helped gather up our luggage made us feel happy and, well, important.
They first started by helping us get settled in. Peaches gave us a tour of the house while Delores, who was the head of household and our cook, gave us a mini-overview of how things would work and reviewed our first night’s meal. The house we were staying at was called Skylark Villa in the Spring Farm area of Montego Bay. It’s a three bedroom with three baths, but we were able to rent it as a one bedroom without incurring the cost for the unused rooms since this trip would just be the two of us. We were shown the lovely bedrooms and we were allowed to pick the one we liked the most, which led out to the pool area. The inside was inviting and wide open from the courtyard to the living room to the pool. The bar was fully stocked with the items we had requested. Delores showed us the dining area and kitchen and made it clear that this was our kitchen. We should do as we pleased and help ourselves to whatever we needed. She would do all the cooking and all we needed to do was supply the ingredients. Howard would be more than happy to mix us a fruity Rum drink, and Peaches would come in each day to tidy up and serve breakfast. Wow, we didn’t have to do a thing!!
We scheduled the first meal for seven in the evening. Delores had already shopped and picked up some local fresh snapper from a roadside vendor who we would later meet to purchase lobster. We got a glimpse of her preparing the stuffed snapper using cooking threads to seal the pieces together before baking. We chilled out by the pool with a cold drink to take the edge off from a long trip, and we knew that this would be a special trip as we watched the parrots and hummingbirds play in the backyard, special because we were making new friends and meeting a new way of life that we never thought existed.
Later on, when the dinner bell rang, we ventured into the dining area. Howard had changed into black pants with a white shirt and black bow tie. He was trained in French service and poured a glass of wine for us both. He continued to serve us during the evening, bringing the selections to us and allowing us to take as much or as little as we wanted while lining up the leftovers on a sideboard should we wish more. We started with a homemade pumpkin soup that was just lightly spicy and completely satisfying. The snapper was delightful and was complemented by a fresh rice dish along with roasted okra and garden picked carrots. This was followed by a dessert of delicate fresh fruit and hot Jamaican coffee, a meal for the ages, and this was only our first night.
After finishing our meal Howard and Peaches cleaned up after us. We decided to turn in early, and do some reading and Howard gave us instructions on how he would be locking the house for the evening, and what to do should we need something. He and Delores would be resident during the week, and their quarters, off of the backside of the kitchen, were completely separate from the guest wing insuring maximum privacy.
The next day, while being served a light breakfast of papaya, mango with lime, and scrambled eggs and bacon, we decided to take Delores shopping with us. She led us to the market and then helped us make our selections for the week. We stocked up on vegetables, produce, poultry, and meats. It really helped having Delores there because some of the brands and even types of foods, especially local vegetables, were unknown to us. So that we could sample things that we normally would never try, we decided to leave ourselves in Delores’ hands and let her cook what she liked to cook. Our food and beverages for the week came out to a little more than $100US.
Delores had called up the roadside vendor beforehand to order a few lobsters for our anniversary meal, which was to be Surf & Turf. Of course, we didn’t realize that Delores didn’t know the meaning of that term. We had a good chuckle explaining the American colloquialism. When we returned to the villa we were pleasantly surprised to find that Peaches had made up our room, had placed fresh cool water in a pitcher on the bedroom table, and had washed, ironed, and folded our dirty clothes from the day before.
While I went scuba diving Delores made arrangements to have a local seamstress come to the house to meet my wife and show off some of the patterns she could make. I was happily surprised to return and find a new handmade shirt made of soft Jamaican fabric.
By now I think you get the picture, and rather than recount every detail of what happened I’ve given you a taste of what to expect to whet your appetite, and I leave it to you to get some first hand experience of this superb treatment. Your meals will be prepared to order every day when and where you want to eat. Expect the rooms, the house, the gardens, and the pool to be kept immaculately. You might even have the pleasure of having a laundress that will clean your laundry and return it to you ironed and folded. Wouldn’t that be great if you’re traveling with the kids? Your staff will make recommendations on where to go and how to get there. They’ll let you know the best places to shop and where to have dinner out if you choose to. To sum it up, it’s like having all the knowledge of having lived in Jamaica your whole life available at your fingertips.
This was a trip that we wished could have lasted longer. The pampering was exquisite, and for one week we really felt like a king and queen yet we had so much fun talking and sharing with our staff and learning about Jamaica that they felt like family.
Instructions were left on what to tip and how to divide everything up, which we did, placing each person’s wages into a separate envelope, which we presented to them when we departed with a farewell hug. For this type of service we were only asked to leave fifteen percent of the weekly rental amount, a bargain for sure in this day and age for that level of service. This kind of attention and personalization is just not found in too many vacation markets.
Go to Jamaica the next time you are vacationing to find just the right blend of ingredients to make your private gourmet vacation. Make sure to skip the hotel and get your own personally staffed Jamaican villa. You deserve the special attention and when you find out that you can have this type of vacation for less than you’d paid for a hotel or all-inclusive resort, then you have no excuse. If you have a group of six or less then try Skylark and make sure to say hi to Delores, Howard, and Peaches. The house was special, but the staff members are what we’ll remember for a lifetime.
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(posted in the Hall Of Travel category)
Fantasy
November 23, 2008, 9:41 pm
Have you ever dreamt about having a grand Caribbean vacation and see yourself reading a good book, sipping your smoothies while having your tan under the sun? Or living a billionaire’s life?
Fantasy always gives us a chance to be what we want to be. You don’t have to pay for it since it is for free. We can make things possible by imagining something unimaginable. And doing this can give you little happiness to your mundane and tedious life. This is the time when you can pretend and have a minute freedom from your sad truth. Some of us may have tremendous life experience and the only way to step out of it is to make up something that would lighten our mood. We look for a medium to escape from all the harshness and give ourselves time to watch a movie or read interesting novels. We pretend to be the protagonist and end your day as the hero or heroine of the story.
This may give you a short span of joy but you have to think that this is not always healthy. You cannot waste time by closing your eyes and make up something that is not. We all are having trouble accepting the fact that life cannot always be what we want. We have to strive hard and work to make this fantasy happen. Let this be a motivation ground for each and everyone of us. Your dream speaks your wishes so let your perseverance bring that dream into a reality.
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(posted in the Fantastic Fantasy category)
Lascaux and the Vezere Valley- 4 Excellent Venues
November 23, 2008, 4:05 pmThe Vezere river is a tributary of the Dordogne, and the two meet near Les Eyzies-de-Tayac before the Dordogne continues on toward Bordeaux and the Atlantic ocean. Near the village of Montignac, about 30 kilometers upstream on the Vezere, are some excellent and unique venues, including the famous Lascaux cave. Here are four that can be visited in one day.
1. Lascaux II- Lascaux is considered to be the number one prehistoric site in all of Europe. The paintings on the site date from 17,000 to 15,000 years ago. Shortly after that the cave entrances were closed by mudslides or other natural means, and thus the paintings were perfectly preserved until the modern era. The cave was rediscovered in 1940 by two local boys who were chasing their dog, and several years later it was opened to the public. However, in 1963 it was closed again, as it was discovered that too many people in the cave were causing the paintings to deteriorate. Since then only a few scientists, scholars or art historians per day were allowed in for several hours maximum. For the past few years even those limited visits have been stopped, as new signs of further deterioration have been observed. The French government, however, took up a 10 year project to make an exact duplicate of the cave. This effort, which opened in 1983, uses exactly the same pigments that were used by the Cro-Magnon artists thousands of years ago, and is dimensionally accurate to less than one inch of error. It is called Lascaux II, and is located only about 400 yards from the original cave.
The quality of the artwork is the main reason that Lascaux is considered the finest example of prehistoric cave paintings. Done with only oil lamps for light and using high scaffolding, the prehistoric artists who created this site were highly accomplished artists. Most of the guided visits to Lascaux II are conducted in French, but there are tours in English on most days. One needs to call the Lascaux ticket office in Montignac or the Montignac Office of Tourism to find out if and when there is an English tour on any given day. If you have a group they will probably set up an English tour for you and other English speakers, but this needs to be arranged in advance through the ticket office. Even though Lascaux II is a replica and not the original, it is very well done, very informative, and not to be missed. 2. St. Leon sur Vezere- This is another of the “Most Beautiful Villages of France”. Built in a picturesque loop of the Vezere river, this charming village possesses two castles and one of the finest Romanesque churches of the Perigord. The church was part of a Benedictine priory which was founded in the 12th century. It was built on the ruins of a Gallo-Roman villa. The remains of one of the villa’s walls can be seen on the river side. There is a picnic area next to the church on the banks of the river, and a café is nearby as well. This is an excellent spot to have a pleasant lunch or a refreshing drink.
3. La Roque St. Christophe (St. Christopher’s Rock) is a huge Troglodyte cave complex. For about a half mile in length this majestic cliff rises vertically above the Vezere valley to a height of over 250ft. It is like a huge hive with about 100 caves hollowed out of the rock on five tiers. Excavations have proved that the cliff dwellings were inhabited from the Upper Paleolithic Age onwards. In the 10th century the cliff terraces served as the foundation for a fortress which was used against the Vikings, and again later during the Hundred Years War. It was subsequently destroyed during the Wars of Religion at the end of the 16th century. The self-guided tour explains the evolution of human life at La Roque St. Christophe, which took place over many centuries . In fact even Neanderthal fossils have been found at this site and at other locations nearby.
4. Chateau de Losse- This renaissance chateau sits on the right bank of the Vezere river, and it has a large terrace that overlooks the river and offers picturesque views. The chateau is well known for its excellent furniture and tapestries, which can be seen on the guided tours. The tours are in French, but foreign language guides are available, and these are easy to follow so one does not miss anything. The tours are quite good, and one can also visit the well kept gardens and stroll around the outside of the chateau in the former moat area.
As stated earlier, these four venues in the Vezere Valley near Montignac can easily be visited in one day, since they are relatively close and do not take too long to visit any of them. If one is staying nearby, in Sarlat, for example, only about 25 kilometers away, a visit to these sites is well worth the effort.
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(posted in the Hall Of Travel category)
Hello from Ibiza (3)
November 23, 2008, 12:58 amSeptember 30, 2004, 4:15
Sitting here in an Internet Cafe in Cala Llonga on the east side of the island. We spent about 2 hours in Ibiza today, me just sightseeing, climbing up to the fortress and taking pictures, Theresa finally getting her souvenir shopping done.
>From about 1 pm on we have been spending our last few hours at Cala Llonga, a beautiful beach, set in a deep inlet, where we have been relaxing.
Yesterday was by far the most exciting day. We took a ferry from Ibiza to Formentera with the Balerias boat called Ibiza Jet (29.80 Euros for supposedly the faster ferry at 25 minutes, it still took us 40 minutes to get over to the other island.)
Formentera is a lot smaller than Ibiza, about 82 square km compared to about 580. And it’s virtually flat, with only two areas with a long hilly elevation. The highest point is on east end of the island, at Far de la Mola, elevation about 200m.
We rented 2 motor scooters to discover the island, which was absolutely the best idea and the most fun. We had 2 little Piaggio automatic scooters with a 50 cc engine, top speed about 70 km/h, and a cost of 20 Euros a day, crappy helmet included.
We booted around the whole island, Far de La Mola, Far des Cap de Barbaria – an almost lunar landscape with many little figures of rock that must have been built by other tourists.
Then we moved on to Platja de Cala Saona, probably the nicest beach on the island, set into a rocky scenery. Most other beaches we saw (Es Copinar, Es Arenals on the south side of the island) were very flat, sandy beaches, with little scenic interest.
However, the colour of the water, as anywhere on the islands of Ibiza and Formentera is truly amazing, deep blue water with turquoise and light blue patches. I couldn’t believe the colours when I first saw them.
After handing our scooters back, we caught the slower ferry back at 7 and arrived in Ibiza Harbour at about 7:30, all the while standing on the outside deck and enjoying the cool air and the atmosphere of an impending sunset. Then we just shopped for dinner at the local Spanish “Walmart” and had a quiet dinner back at the resort. Although it wasn’t so quiet after all, it was karaoke night at the Gold Crown pub and there was many a singer who wasn’t really meant to be in front of a microphone.
Finally around midnight the ruckus died down and I could get to sleep. Well, tomorrow is our last day in Ibiza, our last chance to enjoy the Mediterranean. Tonight we are going to enjoy some true local Spanish dances in the village of Sant Miquel. Should be interesting….
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(posted in the Hall Of Travel category)
Hear about the super world of lingerie.
November 22, 2008, 10:02 amwww.becheeky.com launched in 2005 it was set up by two people. They noticed a large gap in the online lingerie market & began the website with the suggestion that it would be aimed distinctly at helping males purchase lingerie for their wife’s. Clientele undergo content buying from www.becheeky.com because the staff give such brilliant special attention & because of this it gives the clients the impression that they are shopping with an elite boutique as well as with a incredible personal shopper there to help with your every single step.
The BeCheeky website was such a success with ladies lingerie that the clientle bought in men?s underwear to the BeCheeky website as well. www.becheeky.com is popular for its variety of great underwear sets, bras, knickers, boyshorts, corsets, basques, bikinis & swimsuits. What makes them exceptionally is that there is always something for all tastes. Each item that is payed for comes delivered in a delightful silk bag filled to the max as well as with confetti for that additional particularly special touch. the BeCheeky website are also famous for their own super exceptionally bargains which usually happen on a day to day basis.
The BeCheeky website itself is extraordinarily effortless to navigate around with bits of obvious to follow instructions to make your choice & payment transaction as easy & as simple as possible. Once you yourself have chosen your basques it is time to select what delivery you yourself would like. There are a couple of types of selections to choose from, despite this, all arrival processes are praised for their own fast despatch. 2 despatches deliveries to the United Kingdom Europe and the rest of the world. The customers offer three forms of dispatching, standard which will be sent out to you within 3 days days, the next working day & lastly worldwide which by and large takes between two- three days from order date. There is constantly a small charge for deliveries ?2.30 for standard and ?5.95 for the next working day delivery. Find affordable, gorgeous and stylish lucia cami tops, ebony long trousers, imogen silk camisoles and imogen silk Wraps from Lepel.
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(posted in the Shopping Binge category)
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