Saigon City night life - Visiting Saigon is a must

Vietnam, a place that has in its munititions stockpile abundant chances to guarantee that even the most requesting explorers can feel fulfilled, is honored with numerous must-see places. The city is known for a ton, however the energetic nightlife bails this spot emerge making visitors from the whole way across the globe run here to have a knowledge of a lifetime in only one night.

The excitement business in Saigon is developing quickly and the city gloats an incredible nightlife where individuals can search for simply quality fun. A few clubs, pubs and bars in the city are open throughout the night, which implies you can appreciate till your heart's substance. Saigon is splashed with pubs and bars of assorted types and reach, significance it has something to offer each individual. The locale territory is thought to be a focal spot to delight in HCMC's nightlife completely.

Bars where you can delight in Saigon 

An impeccable rest for laidback vacationers, the spot offers an astounding perspective of the Saigon River from an open patio, where you can delight in captivating stream movement, ships, and splendidly lit travels and more while tasting the incredible gathering of cool beverages the bar brings to the table.

Related post: travel Vietnam

The most astute and most astounding places in Saigon, it is on the 52nd story of Bitexco Financial Tower, a dominator of the horizon of this city. Beverages may appear to be little costlier, yet the perspective you can delight in is worth using each penny. You can discover here a decent choice of spirits, brewskie and mixed drinks and in addition to there's DJ on weekends.

It's for games mates, where even neighborhood heads to find terrifically vital donning occasions. The extensive screen Tvs here show Formula 1, Premier Football League and the NFL with a huge number of beverages that are simply incredible. The décor and climate of the spot is an alternate different gimmick, which will definitely keep you stuck here for quite a long time together.

Lavish 

This spot is perfect for individuals who adoration shaking a leg with the beats of music that is played on most modern music framework to guarantee the sound can make any spirit groove. The spot has couches upstairs to help the tired individuals unwind; likewise there is a clamoring outside bar and two arrangement regions where the music can even now be delighted in yet while unwinding.

Universal Tourist Club 

Arranged in the extension of Hotel New World, its an entrenched stimulation mind boggling in Saigon. Catwalk Club, Karaoke rooms with hey tech individual DJ music course of action, open parlor karaoke zone and a relax room are things that add to the fame of this club. The décor is essentially extraordinary with everything that is impeccable to delight in an incredible night out. There are expert vocalists and groups playing unrecorded music adding to the appeal of this spot much more.

The Observatory 

Since its commencement in 2011, the DJ at The Observatory has figured out how to make calm an impression for the society darlings in Saigon. The trendiest spot to appreciate nightlife in Saigon, the club is as often as possible went by music maestros. The move floor can some of the time get excessively hot, when you can simply slip into the gallery to revel in that flawless city breeze.

Nightlife in Saigon is not pretty much clubbing and setting off to the bar, the spot likewise has numerous clubs playing only traditional music for partners of this class, which can help any spirit escape totally. Likewise, for the individuals who wish to move till their heart's yearning there are resorts which offer such gatherings at times where you can delight in altogether and non-stop for a considerable length of time or even the full night together.

How the money adds up 

The spots where voyagers can delight in nightlife in Saigon are a lot of people, including everything from plan bars and clubs to the most extravagant ones. The beverages can here and there get unreasonable relying on the venue, so its encouraged to check previously dependably, to guarantee you do just what you planned, that is "revel in"!

Thus, when getting ready for your next Vietnam Holidays, verify you use an additional night in Saigon or HCMC to guarantee you have not missed something critical on the rundown of exercises in Vietna

Video of Record Breaking Kayak Drop

Remember that epic kayak drop I posted about yesterday? The one where paddler Pedro Oliva went over a 127-foot tall water fall in Brazil? Well now there is video of it, and it looks even crazier than it sounds. Check out the video below and try not to wet yourself.

Thanks for the vid GoBlog!

Updated: It appears that this isn't from the new record breaking drop set a few days back, but was instead of kayaker Ed Lucero making a big drop of 31 meters (101 feet) a few years back. The video for the drop made a few days ago, which is actually 25+ feet higher, should be out soon, but this one isn't a record any more.

ACROSS THE SKIES : MOUNTAIN FLIGHT TO THE EVEREST

Few things in life can enthrall as much as the thought of mountain flight to the highest peak of the world. During my maiden visit to Kathmandu in March 2016, I had the opportunity to board this 50 minutes odd flight to the top of the world. An overwhelming experience to say the least. The breathtaking panorama was spiced with a chance to visit the cockpit and a Window seat to soak in the majestic heights.

It for sure feels like ticking off an item from your bucket list and to put it straight in three words,

A lifetime experience !

Mountain Flight to Mount Everest - A lifetime experience

Sun Kissed Himalayan Range - Simply Amazing

Off and On Again !

But before that, let me share how the journey was off and on in matter of just two days.

As it happened I had to miss early morning flight to Mt. Everest as it was cancelled.

The Culprit - Weather. Fog to be precise.

But hoping against the hopes, I tried my luck, the very next day despite similar weather conditions as I woke in the morning. The glimmer of hope led to eventuality, as the rays of the sun criss-crossed the skies almost suddenly. The golden hue of the slanting rays covered the mountains, and there I was.

The visibility was just enough for the flight to take off after 3 hours of delay from the scheduled departure. There were last minute jitters as the airline staff were hooked to their transmitters and travellers to the sky for the final nod to go ahead.

And there it was, announcements that led to stamping of the Boarding Pass(held till this date as a souvenir) and we were even more excited to be :

On the way and above the Everest !!

Happy Souvenir - Boarding Pass for the Mountain Flight

Weather Report on the Announcement Screen - Nervous Wait

Golden Rays on the Everest - A Sight to Behold

Eclectic Airport :

The mountain flights operate from the domestic airport of Kathmandu, viz. the domestic terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport. The early morning sights of this airport is more of a flux of over-energetic foreign nationals and contrasting calm locals. There is some method to the madness here. One, the foreign nationals were either like me, the people taking one of the mountain flights or they were on their way to Lukla, the nearest airport to the Everest base camp. The locals were heading to Pokhara. That somehow explained the reason for the contrast.

The Airlines :

Several airlines operate mountain flights for Everest. I had taken a Buddha Air Mountain flight for this trip and indeed it was every bit worth it. Their customer handling, quality of information off and on air, and the views of the panorama during the flight were wonderful. (Every seat being a window seat in the 24 seater carrier.) However, the views were better from the seats at back because of the wings mid-way. Their safety records are also quite good, if not the best in the league. The refunds in case of cancellation are prompt and without hassle.

In the nutshell, I'd recommend the airline. 

Wings of Panorama

The Experience  : Journey is HEIGHT of Specialty:

Golden Array of Himalayan Cousins

The mountain flight goes around Everest and as close to it, as the weather permits.

1. The mountain flights passes through several of the top 15 mountain peaks (eight thousanders as they say) of the world. 
2. Apart from that, there are several glaciers and  landscapes that is sure to transport to a fairy tale dream like world.
3. There is an opportunity to visit the Cockpit from a distance, which is an amazing experience in itself.
4. Travel hostess was friendly and introduced us to the peaks that were passing by.
5. At the end of the flight, the travelers are given a certificate of completion. As a memoir, it was a nice idea.

Cockpit Adventure

Tips for YOUR Mountain flight:

1. Safety First: Generally all the carriers adhere to the basic safety norms. However, the reputed carriers have better aircraft and maintenance.
2. Weather the Weather. Yes, the weather is the most important factor beside the safety. The best season to travel is from September - December. Next Best: March - May (Generally post local 'Dushera' festival). The reason being the rains. With clear skies, as in the above seasons, the views would be the best. Remember how I ended up missing my flight.
3. Time it. The best views are on the offer in the first flight of the day. More to do with the dispersion of the sun rays. So the first morning flight is highly recommended. Check in Early to ensure that the first flight is not overbooked.
4. Have ample juice in the camera batteries: The views in the mountain flight are simply amazing. So make sure you have spare batteries to support videos. PS: The views are even better through the cockpit.
5. Air pressure all the way is well regulated, but it's always better to take general precautions.
6. Note: In case of poor visibility, domestic flights are given preference.
7. It's better to schedule taking mountain flights in the middle of your Kathmandu itinerary to allow cushion for some bad weather days (or rather not so good weather days). Many people miss it because of their last day attempt not having enough blessings from the weather gods.
8. The flight is priced in USD, and it generally varies from season to season. There are many booking counters across Kathmandu, particularly near the city center.
9. The best way  to book is through the counter on the airport, for efficient refunds, if need be.
10. Mountain flights are also available from Pokhara but to a different mountain range.

Sun and the Peaks - Great Symbiosis

The Bottomline: 

The mountain flight was truly highlight for my Nepal trip and I'd recommend it without hesitation. There aren't many mountain flights that I've heard of, globally. So although some people may find the pricing a bit steep, the experience is every bit worth it.

Panoramic Views of Himalayas

Panoramic Views of Himalayas

Disclosure - The mountain trip to Everest for the author was hosted by Buddha Air.   As usual, views above are bonafide, impartial and author's own.

Travel Tips for Sorrento, Italy

Of  what we had heard about Sorrento, we had planned a day trip from Naples to Sorrento, even before we had began our trip to Italy. When in Naples though we had to choose between Amalfi Coast and Sorrento or Capri Islands.

The weather decided for us. It was overcast, and most of the people advised us against taking a littoral trip. We did, and so gladly I say, we did. We had to stunt the Amalfi coast from the itinerary. Our excursion to Sorrento from Naples began from the port of Moro Beverello. After a sumptuous lunch, we took a Hydrofoil around noon and reached Sorrento in less than an hour.

Moro Beverello

The journey s a story itself. Snow crowned mountains, breezy sea, and a deck seat. Well we couldn't had much beyond. It was cold and a cup of coffee did wonders to our spirit. We stayed for an hour around the port and enjoyed and marveled its exquisite beauty.

Quaint Charm of Sorrento

There is a quiet charm about the place and the weather complimented that charm all the more. We climbed a top of steep stairs to reach the town and some of the views during our ascent were equally mesmerizing. The town had a piazza that had its characteristic statue, and a leading market street. We shopped a bit to realize that it turned out to be one of the cheaper of the Italian places. On our train trip in Circumvesuviana back to Napoli Centrali (read Naples), we met a bunch of Korean youngsters who had some zealous experiences of Amalfi Coast to share.

Clouds building along the sea

We enjoyed every bit of our stay at Sorrento!

Sorrento-Surreal Beauty!

PS:  Ideally a trip from Naples early morning could give you a chance to explore Amalfi Coast and Sorrento same day.

We hurriedly packed our baggage that night, as we had to leave for Florence next day.

Shop What

• Better places to shop for winter wear.
• Being Town, most of the things are comparatively cheaper.

Bottom Line 

• Sorrento can give make your trip to Italy really really special. Do visit it for sure. 
• My choice between Naples City and Sorrento would be with Sorrento. 
• Plan properly and you can easily cover Amalfi Coast in a Single day. These places are amazing!
• Capri Islands deserves at least a day trip.

Travel facts

• Stayed : One Day Trip from Naples.
• Stayed at : Hotel Ideal, Naples - No, not recommended.
• Traveled with my better half on a single Day trip 
• Traveled in Hydrofoil/Local Train from Naples in January 2013.

Outside's Best Adventures For 2009

We're a few months into 2009, but that doesn't mean it's too late to select the best travel destinations for the year ahead. That is exactly what Outside Magazine did with their Best Adventures for 2009 list. The list is broken down by region, with the United States, Canada, Central America, South America, New Zealand and Australia, Asia, and Africa all represented. Sorry Europe, there aren't any adventures left on your boring continent. ;)

As you would expect, the list is filled with some really great trips, provided you have the time and money. Staying close to home, here in the States, Outside suggests paddling the Upper Owyhee in Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada, or heading to Alaska for a couple of unique adventures. Canadians can stay in country, and go paddling on Hudson Bay or biking in the Rockies, for plenty of outdoor, active adventure.

And if staying in North America isn't exciting enough, there are some great suggestions on the other continents as well. For instance, head to Guyana for unspoiled wilderness like no where else on Earth, or trek the Larapinta Trail in Australia. Want something a bit more demanding? How about climbing volcanoes in Indonesia? Or taking any number of amazing safaris across Africa.

2009 is going to be the best year for travel deals that we've seen in some time. With the economy still in the doldrums, and many people watching their pennies, the opportunities to save on adventure travel are about is good as they'll ever get. If you have the money and the urge to travel, then I suggest taking advantage of it while you can.

Today Show Interviews World Record Kayak Drop Guy!

Remember Pedro Olivia? He's the guy I blogged about a few weeks back who set a new world's record for a kayak drop by going over a 127 foot waterfall in Brazil. He set the record back on March 4th by going over the Belo Salto waterfall, and besting the previous record by nearly 20 feet in the process. The fall took nearly 3 seconds to complete, and it is estimated that he was traveling in excess of 70 mph when he hit the water.

This morning the Today show interviewed Pedro and showed video of the falls, and his epic drop, while also doing a good job of discussing extreme kayaking in general. The piece is more than 7 minutes in length, and is a solid piece from the mainstream media. Check it out below. The falls look crazy!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Long Chu Festival in VietNam

Visiting Vietnam is dependably a well known decision, and right timing can make for a significantly more essential experience: in July, explorers can witness arrangements for the Long Chu Festival in

the town of Hoi A through Buffalo Tours.

The 11-day excursion takes visitors from Hanoi to Hoi An and on to the Mekong Delta to watch the aged festivals in which wickedness spirits are avoided from towns.

Beginning in Hanoi, voyagers investigate the city's social hotspots, going to The Temple of Literature, Ethnology Museum, Hoan Kiem Lake before setting out on an overnight journey.

Related post: Vietnam travel deals

Hoi An is the place the vast majority of the move makes place, with villagers racing to complete lights and adornments. Upon the arrival of the celebration, explorers watch neighborhood clerics and shamans banishing fiendishness spirits into the stream before brilliant parades pass through the town. When a mythical beast formed vessel is thrown into the ocean at the end of the day, the festivals are over for an alternate year.

Explorers likewise tune in a cooking class at the Culinary Art Center emulated by a voyage through Cu Chi Tunnels.

Amazing Climbing Videos From Patagonia

This site was sent my way be regular reader Carl Hancock, who always has great things to share when he sends me a note. The page is titled Vertical Carnival Dispatches and it's full of videos, 14 of them to be exact, from a recent climbing expedition to Patagonia.

This first video has the team preparing for their climb in South America by warming up in Eldorado Canyon State Park in Colorado. The story is also revealed that one of the climbers tragically lost his wife, and it was her wishes to have her ashes spread out across her home in Brazil. She was a climber and adventurer herself who dreamed of going to Patagonia too, so to honor her, that is exactly what the team did. The results are these stunning videos that have a ton of great climbing footage. Really great stuff and a great story.


Vertical Carnival Video #1 from renan ozturk on Vimeo.

POV: Size (And Content) Matters

It's been quite a while since I've posted about photojournalism-related matters. I'm not a photojournalist but I haven't come across really seminal photographic work for at least a year; work that could have encouraged me to shake off the blahs.

But the recent feature Life In The Valley of Death published by The New York Times did just that. It's about the aftermath of the Bosnian war, and the ongoing efforts to find the mass graves containing thousands who disappeared during that conflict, and how the remains of those killed in the genocide keep turning up, unsettling the reconciliation between Muslims and Serbs.

The photographs are by Paolo Pellegrin, and the well written article is by Scott Anderson.

While both the photographs and the story are certainly powerful, I was initially drawn to the feature by its 'packaging'. The large sized photographs, the article's layout and the haunting title all pulled me in, and pushed me into delving more deeply into the feature.

On reflection, I would've added audio clips of the main protagonists such as Amor Masovic, Fazila Efendic, and Robert Zomer. These would've added an aural texture to the feature, making it more tactile and palpable, bringing home the nuances of their voices, accents and expressions. Alternatively, short video clips of interviews with these people would've worked very well.

I believe that this format is one of the future directions for photojournalism, travel, documentary, human interest stories, weddings....any and all photo narratives. It's one of the formats that photographers would be foolish not to use...either via some of the already existing platforms (see below), or via their own blogs and websites structured to look like these photo narratives.

I have used a number of platforms that provide a similar format such as my own travel-documentary essays in Exposure, Storehouse, Maptia and to some extent Cowbird. I have enjoyed creating these photo narratives, it's easy, effective and well worth your time.

North Pole 2009: Cold Temps Return and Positive Drift?!?

Clear skies are both a welcome sight and a scary one in the Arctic, where the Catlin Arctic Team are reporting that the have nothing but blue skies overhead, but that means the temperatures have plummeted back to the -40º range. Those cold temps were especially troublesome for Martin Hartley, who had to have a needle removed from his bum. Apparently the needle was left behind following some mending done to clothing, and it became embedded in his backside, requiring a pliers to remove it. (Ouch!) The team continues to be happy with their progress otherwise, and their mission to gauge the health of the Arctic ice seems to be going quite well. Team members Pen Hadow, Ann Daniels, and Martin are using a special ground penetrating radar to examine the age and thickness of the ice to determine the effects of global warming on the region. These readings take time, so they are not expecting to reach the North Pole for more than two months yet.

The Victorinox North Pole Team are reporting that they got some "free mileage" thanks to positive drift while they slept. When they checked their position this morning using their GPS, they found that over night they had drifted both north and west, although mostly north. The boys picked up half a nautical mile while resting, which is certainly good for the moral. They also report clear conditions and very low winds, making for great skiing conditions and an over all great day out on the ice. Progress is slow, but solid. The team members, John Huston and Tyler Fish, are hoping to become the first American team to go unsupported to the Pole.

Finally, the Peary Centennial Expedition continues their journey to the Pole as well, and also had a bit of positive drift, gaining 3/4 of mile while they slept a few days back. They're also happy to see the clear skies and low winds, but say the temperatures have dropped for them as well. In the latest audio update, released a few days back, Lonnie Dupre calls in to give an update and discuss the Arctic Treaty situation, discussing the challenges of establishing and maintaining a treaty that really only covers a patch of water that just so happens to have a large platform of ice over it. Quite an interesting discussion.

Stay warm up there everyone, and keep your eyes peeled for the polar bears. :)

Vacation for Mango Tree - A Short Story

Yagyesh lazed his hands to the photo frame that glazed off the bright 'Indian Summer' afternoon.

The glass, the frame, the room was part of his abode, where he breathes and lives everyday, yet today the Sun was avenging its challenge, he rued thoughtfully.

Some 10 years back, his friend Maruti had visited and then how mischievously they had planted the seed of the mango 'fruit' that they had eaten or rather didn't eat and gleefully pasted the king's kingdom all over their faces.

Yagyesh thought whether many miles away, would Maruti still remember the fruit and its offspring, and imagine the shade and the silhouette of the tree that is created of its mammoth, today challenges the mighty and allows the odd ray in, suggestively to let the Sun be or not be.

The mango seed that they both had savoured and quenched privately, was now abode to several birds and men alike on their routine migratory vacations, every year, year after year, after the year they both spent their only vacations together.

Image Courtsey: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/7c/fd/43/7cfd43dbe2c1c402cf316b62bbdbd8a3.jpg

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This post has been written and shared for the series 'Five Sentence Fiction'.

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Looking forward to your comments and feedback.

The Last Anchorite | Egypt

An anchorite is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely ascetic and prayer-oriented life. In other words, a religious hermit with a "fixed address'.

This 19 minutes-long documentary features the story of Father Anthony El Lazarus, a Coptic monk who lives in seclusion in the Red Sea mountains, in a 4th-century monastery about 200 miles southeast of Cairo, Egypt. He's former university lecturer in literature and philosophy, and spent 40 years as an atheist.

This is an ancient tradition since early Christians flocked to the Egyptian deserts where Copts had already embraced the idea of a solitary, devout Christian life. It's accepted that he early Christians were inspired by the eremitic (reclusive) traditions of the Hebrews.

The Coptic Church is based on the teachings of Saint Mark who brought Christianity to Egypt during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero in the first century. He was one of the four evangelists and wrote the oldest canonical gospel. Christianity was the religion of the vast majority of Egyptians from 400–800 A.D. and of the majority after the Muslim conquest until the mid-10th century and remains the faith of a significant minority population. 

With wonderful cinematic skills, filmmaker Remigiusz Sowa captures the essence of the reclusive monastic life led by Father Anthony and those like him in the isolated monastery in the Red Sea Mountains.

Trip to Italy

There was a lot of restlessness in the choice of the destination for our perfect holiday. After some research and decisiveness of weather coming into play, we decided to head Italy. The Northern European countries, like France, Germany, Austria were expected to be quite cold in January.here. The chronicle of the Italian trip is what follows:

We aren't skiing or snow enthusiasts in particular, so Italy being already high on our list (right from the beginning) , the idea just got substantiated. Its Mediterranean climate, large coastline that annulled the cold continental wind , divine food, and shopping opportunities, all were simply too good to be missed out. Next on the task, distributing our time in magnificent country. And should say, we were spoiled for the choice. While our Trip map lays here, the chronicle of the trip, that made the contours of the map is as follows.

The delight (read trip) began from Rome. As we went south to unearth the treasure of Naples and Sorrento. we then headed to Florence and Pisa, followed by Venice and finally ended at Milan. Depending on the availability of the air-tickets you can also have a trip beginning from Milan and ending in Rome as well.

Or for that matter to nearby cheaper European countries, if so.

If not a leisure traveler, and not travelling through car, the following distribution of time, may be helpful for you to design your trip itinerary.

Rome -        1.5 days
Naples -      1 day
Excursion from Naples -  Sorrento -       1 day
                   Amafli Coast - 1 day
Florence -   1 Day
Pisa -          0.5 day
Venice -      1.5 Days
Excursion - Burano/ Morano - 0.5 day
Milan -        1 Day
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Total - 9 Days excluding days you are flying
-----------------------------------------------------------------

(Additionally, yes, there are some wonderful quaint cities in Tuscany region, worth visiting for learning the Italian cuisine, visiting vineyards etc. So you can add another day for either of them. Capri Islands would also be a great option for spending a day.)

Rome:

A brilliant tourist location, Rome can well be  the first city on your trip. It's tailor-made for tourists. A lot can be covered through feet, and others through 'Hop-On and Hop-Off' buses. The city albeit a bit expensive, one can easily save if you have your meals around the Vatican and staying around the Roma Centrali station.

Colosseum, Rome

St.Peter's Square, Vatican City

You can read my earlier post on Rome and Vatican City for more information.

Naples:

The most under-rated cities of Italy, Naples is a definite must on the tour. The Historical center is a world of its own, quite different from what could be anticipated from the impressions drawn from the market or Napoli Centrali station. A definite must for tasting the divine pizzas and shopping around.

Castle Nuovo

European Souk

Experience Divine Pizzas at Naples

You can read my earlier post on Naples for more information.

Sorrento/Amalfi Coast:

Not often does it happen that the icing gets better than the cake. But it does happen, and happens for sure in Naples. The excursion from Naples sometimes are arguably better than the city itself. Sorrento, bit nearer is a compact scenic own. Amalfi Coast, that is bit farther can also be covered as a day trip from Naples. Capri Islands, is expensive to stay, but quite beautiful in itself.

Hydrofoil for Sorrento

You can read my earlier post on Sorrento for more information.

Florence:
They are two different cities, Florence in day and Florence in night. Florence is a small city but there is a lot to see. Be it the creations of  Michelangelo, its famed Duomo or the famed ponte across river Arno. It can hold you by its charm. If you start early for Pisa, you can come back to Florence easily by the noon. Or even better, head straight to Venice from Pisa. That can save you some precious time which you can use in Venice. You can also visit Siena if having an additional day.

Arno through the ponte

Leaning tower of Pisa

You can read my earlier post on Florence and Pisa for more information.

Venice:
The more you'd stay in Venice, the more you'd soak in its charm. If you avoid the tourist and summer seasons, you'd soon come to know why Venice is metamorphosis of romanticism. Nearby Austrian region of Tyrol and Vorarlberg can also be covered, provided you have another 2 days by your side. But then, they are worth the skiing and the peaks they offer.

Venice through Vaporetti

One of the several canals, donned by Gondolas

You can read my earlier posts on Venice, Venice through the day and Venice, through the night for more information.

Milan:
The most European of all the Italian cities, Milan is the most cosmopolitan as well. A fashion paradise, Milan also has a lot on offer through its historical center as well. You can go to Geneva, or Nice in France also, but then you need to have another day each.

Snow Capped Mountains silhouetting the Blue sky - http://www.i-enry-aviation.it/guidamxp.htm

You can read my earlier post on Milan for more information.

Food

Authentic and delicious Italian cuisine can turn out to be a feast for the taste buds. Vegetarian food is not at all difficult to find by and there are a lot of choices too. If you begin with some cues from your Hotel about their favorites about the city than g light on the wallet, then you'll end up treating yourself for a meal of a lifetime. Food isn't expensive, but do put in some research form locals and you'll be duly rewarded for that. It's suggested to carry a lot of snacks. Tipping is generally not followed.

Bottom Line

• Don't buy city cards, they'll turn out to be almost always, more expensive than individual tickets.
• Different cities have their unique identities. That's the best part about Italy. Things won't get repetitive.
• No point in going for Eurorail passes.Anyways as one needs to compulsorily pay reservation charges in Italian trains, so better to buy sector tickets that turn out to be far cheaper.
• Stay close to stations and travel early morning after having breakfast in the Hotel.
• Save costs on your meals by eating out in the old part of cities.
• Make use of the cheaper airports (even in neighboring countries), and plan in advance.
• Carry snacks and adequate medicines.

North Pole 2009: Christina Off The Ice!

Disappointing news from the ice this morning, as Christina Franco's website has been updated with the news that she has been retrieved from the ice following what is being described as equipment failure just two days into her attempt at a solo journey to the North Pole. Apparently, Christina's stove suffered a "double failure" and the time and parts needed to repair it would require her to fall far behind the schedule she needed. Unable to heat the tent or cook food, she has made the choice to return home. For now.

But, Christina does say she isn't quite done with the North Pole just yet. She will regroup and head to the Russian station at Borneo where, she'll ski from 88º to the Pole. She sees this as good practice for next year, when she fully intends to go after that solo expedition once again.

The Catlin Arctic Survey Team, has already fallen into a routine out on the ice, with long days of pulling their heavy sleds, just to set up camp in time to drill for core samples. The team is also finding newly formed ice as they go, and Ann Daniels reports in yesterday's blog post that she gets the unenviable task of having to "go first" out on this ice to test it's stability. A nerve racking task to be sure. The team's twitter feed this morning reports that they are navigating an ice field with 2-3 meter blocks of ice, and temperatures hovering around -40ºC. Sounds like a lovely day!

The Peary Centennial Expedition got underway on Wednesday, but departed from Cape Discovery, rather than Ward Hunt Island, due to the better weather conditions. The starting location is actually a bit further south, but with improved conditions they hoped to make up the difference in no time. The plan seems to be working, as they managed 3.5 nautical miles yesterday, which is a solid pace for this early into the expedition. Weather and spirits are reportedly good, although the temps are about -45ºF as well.

Finally, The Baffin Babes are off! The team left Norway on the 1st of March, and there has been no update from them since, so we can only assume that they are on Baffin Island at this point, and preparing to set out on their journey. In typical Babe fashion, they arrived at the airport with too much luggage and had to pare down a few things before they could board their plane. Hopefully we'll be getting updates from the team soon.

That's all for now!

Tour VietNam travel - Hue's Royal Tombs and Pagodas

The royal capital of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, Hue is loaded with lovely landmarks, great structural engineering, and is particularly well-known for its regal tombs. Tragically, the city endured a considerable measure of harm amid the Vietnam War, because of its area near the fringe of North Vietnam. American bombs harmed a significant number of the noteworthy locales at Hue, and once the war was over, the Vietnamese Communist Party deliberately dismissed the staying notable destinations on the grounds that they were seen as remainders of a "medieval administration".

Cheerfully for Vietnam and guests to Vietnam, late years have accumulated a change arrangement, and the historical backdrop of Hue is step by step being restored. In spite of the harm done, Hue remains a delightful, interesting spot to visit.

The Citadel 

The Nguyen heads made their home the Citadel, a huge stone fortification that rouses a greater number of scenes of fight than of extravagance – the Beijing Forbidden City this is definitely not. In spite of the fact that its alluded to as 'antiquated', the Citadel was inherent the early 1800s, and spreads a zone of 6 km. Dividers ten meters thick encompass the external edge, yet inside are open yards loaded with lovely arrangements and private lofts.

Vietnam's rendition of the Forbidden City was just about completely crushed by French in the late 1940s. The Citadel turned into a fight site again in 1968 amid the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War. Today, short of what a third of the inward castles and flats remain. Remodels are beginning to restore a percentage of the Citadel's previous magnificence.

Regal Tombs of Hue 

Landmarks to the leaders of the Nguyen administration, including Minh Mang, Khai Dinh, and Tu Doc, the tombs are all certainly worth a visit. Every one is inherent the customary Vietnamese style of geomancy, actually altering the encompassing scene to guarantee straight lines, certain directional introduction, and different components intended to follow otherworldly constrains.

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At the tombs, you'll see patios loaded with stone elephants, stallions, and mandarins. You'll discover structures, sanctuaries for worshiping the ruler's spirit, and tributes. The vast majority of the tombs were arranged by the ruler himself, so every regal tomb reflects the identity of the expired ruler.

Tu Doc, then again, was known as the 'artist Emperor', so it is not amazing that his tomb rests in an exquisite arrangement close to a noteworthy unpredictable of structures and lake. As Tu Doc's rule spoken to the top of Nguyen extravagance, its fitting that his rich, fascinating tomb matches this plushness.

In immediate differentiation to Tu Doc's tomb is the tomb of Khai Dinh. Khai Dinh, the twelfth Nguyen Emperor, ruled from 1916 to 1925. By now, Europe was pushing its impact over Southeast Asia, and subsequently Khai Dinh's tomb speaks to a bizarre, early combination of East and West. The yard is serious to the point of being discouraging in its solid dreariness, yet inside is a brilliant representation of the ruler, under a noteworthy bond covering beautified with ceramics and glass.

A seven-story sanctuary, the Thien Mu Pagoda is the informal image of Hue. Assembled at the start of the seventeenth century when the representative Hoang had a dream of a pixie lady ('Thien Mu'), the first form of the sanctuary was very straightforward. In 1665, the sanctuary was stretched by the early Nguyen ruler, Nguyen Phuc Tan. After thirty years, a Chinese Zen expert was welcome to Hue to begin a Buddhist group at the sanctuary. Ensuing sovereigns kept on extending the sanctuary, until in 1844 the octagonal Tu Nhan Tower was raised by Emperor Thieu Tri. This is the tower that today is synonymous with the Thien Mu Pagoda, and the tower that graces the scene of Hue, climbing over the Perfume River.

A few different pagodas speck the scene of Hue, for example, the Tu Dam Pagoda, the Tu Hieu Pagoda, and the Dieu Du Pagoda, each with its own particular special history and engineering gimmicks.

In short, Hue is a city apparently intended for understudies of Vietnamese history. Actually for those more intrigued by shorelines than the history or society of Vietnam, these pagodas, tombs, and the Citadel are in any case intriguing destinations for their engineering excellence and unique place in Hue's advancemen

MAPTIA Goes 2.0

I'm very pleased to have had MAPTIA feature three of my photo stories for a while now, and also pleased that it has now updated itself to a 2.0 iteration.

What is MAPTIA, you ask?

Well, it's best said in the words of its founders: "...we decided to build a map with everything a traveller could possibly need. Photographs, blogs, stories, flights, hostels, a way to talk to other travellers, volunteering opportunities, hiking paths, surf spots… you name it, we wanted to put it on the map."

Roughly 3 years ago, the founders of MAPTIA; none of who had written a line of code, applied for a grant from an experimental new business incubator run by the Chilean government, and received $40,000 to create this start-up. This incredible story can be read on Medium.

MAPTIA has managed to gather a number of incredibly talented photographers-storytellers, featuring their amazing photography and weaving interesting narrative into these photo essays. From David Lazar to James Morgan...from Cristina Mittermeier's photography to Pico Iyer's travel prose....it's all there.

Photo stories (large photographs!) from North Korea, India, Mozambique, Mongolia, Spain, Brazil, Myanmar, New York, Ethiopia and more. I could go on and on...but I'll let you explore.

One of my favorite continents on MAPTIA is Asia, with 310 photo stories which include 3 of mine; City of Ancient Temples (Varanasi), The Birth of Color (an Editor's Pick) and Incarnate Deities (Theyyam).

Seeing The Birth of Color on MAPTIA's website is a reminder that getting covered with colored gulal from head to toe on a daily basis during Holi was worth it.

Top Ten Toughest Races

The National Geographic Adventure blog has put out their list of the Top 10 Toughest Races in the world, with some really interesting, and grueling, events making the list. These races cross a number of disciplines, and are pretty much guaranteed to punish the competitors.

Some of the races that managed to make the cut include the just completed Iditarod, which has garnered the moniker of "The Last Great Race". The iconic dog sled race covers more than 1100 miles across Alaskan wilderness in the dead of winter. The Furnace Creek 508 earns a place of honor as well. This cycling event covers 500+ miles through the heat of Death Valley, throwing in more than 36,000 feet of vertical gain in the process. For foot races, the legendary Marathon des Sables, which starts in just two days, makes the list for its grueling six day, suffer-fest through the Sahara Desert.

I won't spoil the rankings or the top selection as the toughest race in the world, suffice as to say that several of the races making the list are ones that i write about regularly. Of course, a certain race that I have a bit of a soft spot for continues to be snubbed by these recent lists of "best" and "toughest" races. I think I need to talk to Don Mann, my boss at Primal Quest, and discuss making the race a bit more challenging. Obviously ten days of non-stop racing over a 600 mile course just isn't enough to cut it any more.

Taste of North Vietnam travel

The visit incorporates the old capital – Hanoi and the Unesco World Heritage - Ha Long Bay will make an extraordinary separated taste to the vacationers. Picking this, voyagers even have opportunity to encounter the neighborhood way of life during a time obliging in Homestay in Mai Chau. This would be an encounter that couldn't be missed.

The trip from the airplane terminal to your lodging will take more or less one hour and is an enlivening knowledge loaded with clamorous activity, different construction modeling and over-burden motorbikes. Weighing in your inn and appreciate your time as recreation around Hanoi capital.

8.00 – 8.30: Halong Phoenix Cruiser's transport and aide will get you at your inn. Your baggage ought to be prepared for advantageous exchange. On the best approach to Halong city, revel in the adventure through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta and the view of rice fields, water wild ox and regular Vietnamese town life.

Welcome beverages would be served before accepting lodge and cruising course instructions. Delight in a delectable fish lunch while our watercraft gradually voyage through stunning limestone seascape.

15.15: Visiting Sung Sot give in, a standout amongst the most astonishing collapses Halong Bay. The two chambers that structure this astonishing cavern are adorned with a great many astounding stalactite and stalagmite structures.

16.25 Enjoy simple kayaking around the angling town, then come back to the vessel for your relaxation.

19.00: Seafood set-supper ready for

Another day has accompanied wonderful first light view from your lodge

8.00: Be exchanged to adjacent Ti Top Island for swimming or scale to the top to see the remarkable landscape of the straight.

Withdrawing Hanoi, you will set out on a picturesque 3.5 hour trip to Mai Chau, going over the Cun Pass with its great scene of lavish valleys and mountains. On landing in the town, you will be allowed to investigate Mai Chau and its encompasses. At night you can revel in the warm neighborliness of local people with a far reaching home cooked feast went before by the conventional welcome tasting of a nearby rice wine.

After an unwinding outing lunch and a chance to shop for neighborhood ethnic handiworks then again to Hanoi.

Leave at 9:00am from your inn. We will start our day by going to Uncle Ho, looking into his extraordinary life at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, and his private spot (N.b. The site of Vietnam's first University, implicit twelfth century, to instruct the royals the Confucius hypothesis. Here we will likewise have an opportunity to see a conventional music execution, if accessible.

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Toward the evening visit Museum of Ethnology, broadly recognized as the best in the nation which houses a showcase devoted to Vietnam's 54 ethnic minority people groups.

A late evening cyclo voyage through Hanoi's captivating Old Quarter took after by extra time for shopping. We complete our unwinding however educational day by going to a Water Puppet Show, a most loved experience for all guests to Vietnam.

You will be gotten from your lodging for the one hour voyage to the airplane terminal. Make sure not to pack any assets in your handled in baggage and uproot all sharp questions and fluids from your lugg