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Jaisalmer, India's "Golden City"

Jaisalmer India

Jaisalmer, the "Golden City", is located on the westernmost frontier ofRajasthan India. It is close to the border with Pakistan. This city is known for its proximity to the Thar Desert. You may enjoy the desert safari in the exotic sand dunes that is an unforgettable experience. Jaisalmer city is dominated by the Jaisalmer Fort, that is the living fort in India unlike most of the forts. You may find shops, hotels and historical havelis inside the fort. It was once a sleepy desert city that has t

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Hurry Down the Chimney Tonight!


Our well-travelled staff have brainstormed and come up with an adventure travel Wish List for Santa. Here are a few of our gift ideas and we'd love to hear some of yours.

(1) Small powerful flashlight. Think rural Chinese toilets at night!

(2) A colourful sarong. You can wrap yourself in it post-swim, cover for temple visits, brighten an outfit or use it as a sleep sheet on an Indian train.

(3) Extra camera batteries and storage. You can never have enough.

(4) Camp, water-resistant duffle bag that c

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Fun with TSA

I tend to have rather funny things happen to me when I travel. Perhaps it is because I travel
for fun, usually. I don't mind much, except standing in line at immigration in
a place like Lima Peru. In Lima, at least three jumbos arrive within a half
hour of each other at night, about midnight. The immigration post has a dozen
or so stations, of which two or three are manned. The line snakes back outside
of the immigration room, into an adjoining hallway, where people crush and
elbow their way towards

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Loy Kathrong and Yee Peng

My wife and I were on the 14th floor of the Hilton Hotel for NYE in Caracas, Venezuela. Everyone in Caracas bought BIG skyrockets, and with no organized program, complete mayhem ensued. That was the most impressive display of community participation in an event I have ever seen. Until now. The night(s) of the November full moon find the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand alive and vibrant in a wonderful celebration. Actually there are two different traditional celebrations happening at the same time.

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By Ed Wetschler


The five ducks at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, are the most popular ducks in the world (sorry, Donald). Over the years, hundreds of thousands of people have watched them march, if “march” is not too dignified a term, through the hotel to the marble fountain in the Peabody's Grand Lobby every day at 11 a.m. And their fans gather again each day at 5 p.m. to watch the marching ducks waddle back through the lobby toward their home on the hotel roof. All this, of course,

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Requirements For a Residency Visa in the UAE

Yesterday my wife came home with my passport. It had a full-page Visa in it. The visa has my photograph on it and a holographic stamp. It is quite impressive. AND, it is good for three years.

Now, We must proceed to the next step. We have to get the UAE national ID card called EIADs an acronym Emirites Identity Authority doodah. I look forward to having this card. Not only because it make me totally legal, and allow me to do things like get a driver’s license so I can rent a car, and a liquor lic

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Hindu Cremation Service

I was amazed when our guide took us to the sacred river where they deposit the cremains of Hindus who die. What I did not expect to see was the entire process of the cremation, from the blessing of the body to the actual funeral fire. Grieving family members stood by. Women cried while men took turns using sacred water that flows out of a spring in a temple above the river and then flows through the remains of a god ( not sure which, the Hindus have 1.3 billion of them according to our guide) an

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Galapagos Islands -- A Feast for the Eyes

The Galapagos Islands, literally translated to mean the Island of Grand Tortoises is simply fascinating. Located just 1000 kilometers offshore from Ecuador and situated directly on the equator; it enjoys only two seasons but is home to several hundred species of animals. There is simply no place in the world as diverse in wildlife as these isles, as noted in the famous On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin.

Many animals that call the islands home today are thought to have floated there and t
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Fall Fun in Maui

Warm. Exotic. Remote. Unforgettable. All these describe beautiful Maui -- one group of Hawaii's breathtaking islands-- especially this time of year. It is plentiful in luxury accommodations and activities, which are as varied as the thousands of people that visit throughout the year. Whether you like to hike, shop, jog, sun bathe, ski, or just take in the beautiful scenery, Maui is a great place to vacation. It is definitely more than another beach vacation as there is so much more than beaches
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A Traveler's Tipping Guide

There seems to be increasing confusion about appropriate tipping behavior while traveling. This type of travel etiquette is a source of many travelers concerns -- from staying in hotels to traveling on luxury barges or cruise ships. Small cruise ship tipping, including Riverboat Cruises, is based on industry standards and also our two decades plus experience in this business. Luxury travel comes with all the extras included in the experience, dining, locales, and especially service. On Riverboat
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It’s not often I get the opportunity to right a wrong or set the record straight while thoroughly immersing myself in sugar white beaches, clear blue ocean waves, and warm tropical breezes. Pair that with total engagement in culinary nirvana, a high-end waterfront condo stay, art, music and eco-friendly golf cart tours and I can truly say I’ve lived the life of an oil-free Diva in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama.

A few weeks back the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism Bureau invited me to

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Coupons, Groupons, And Fashionistas

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From NMT Images
Coupons, Groupons, And Fashionistas


Recently I met a vivacious, young mother of two, Vera Sweeney, who is very much an entrepreneur.

Vera runs three rather clever web sites, one of which, ladyandtheblog.com is a sassy example of “fashionistas” taking to the web, often with video cameras (vloggers), to share their shopping successes and opinions for those of us (all of us), ever eager to find deals and good goods.

Vera talked about her recent trip to New York’’s Shoegasm (she lives
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Everest Is the Top of the World

Everest. One word, wow. It was a beautiful clear day. Our Buddha Air flight was on a 17 seat Beechcraft. This aircraft is a small tubular unit with one seat on each side of the aisle. A six foot tall person cannot stand erect in the aisle. My wife dislikes small planes and she was uncomfortable at first. Once we got to the mountains, her demeanor changed.

We flew out of the domestic airport. This is a major tourist attraction, and we found out why.

We left at 6:30 in the morning and were back in t

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Kathmandu Is a Must-Do

Everyone should see Nepal.

My bonafides for saying that are simple. I have done my share of traveling (not enough yet mind you) and a lot of that has been in back water bizarre places. I have been all over the Altiplanos of Peru and Bolivia. I have been on an island in the middle of Lake Titicaca. I’ve been to Machu Picchu three times. I’ve been so far south in Chile I can almost say I have been in Antarctica. I have walked in the Atacama Desert in a place with zero rainfall ever. I have walked o

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How to Take a Gap Year

Taking a 'gap-year' is an experience that everybody can do and it doesn't mean being irresponsible.

I took two gap-years during my career in human resources (the first at 28, the second at 31), moreover having to face the Italian culture where the topic of the 'sabbatical' is still seen as an 'holiday'.

We often create some excuses to ourselves. Let’s start with the first three:

1. “Where can I find the money?”

Let’s try to have a realistic look at the money we really need to travel the world ‘on th

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Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai

Taj Mahal Palace and Tower in Mumbai is an iconic hotel that has served everyone from royalty to the common folk since its beginning in 1903. As far as five-star hotels in Mumbai are concerned, the Taj Mahal Palace is definitely in a league of its own.

An architectural phenomenon, the hotel blendes together the Moorish, Oriental and Florentine styles, and offers panoramic views of the glorious Arabian Sea. Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Mumbai is a majestic hotel that reflects the contemporary Indian
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(After the book Paris Movie Walks came out last year, I've discovered several more sites that I want to share with my readers. Inception is one of them. For others, feel free to read them in my official site.)

Just before Inception came out, when anything everybody had ever seen from it were a few clips and a print synopsis, it was hailed, even by journalists from serious newspapers as a masterpiece, a thinking man’s adventure entertainment, half reflection on the nature of human consciousness, h

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How many times have you heard yourself saying, “I need a break”. Yes, I know exactly what you mean and today I would like to tell you ten reasons why you should take a vacation on the enchanted island of Puerto Rico.

Reason # 10 can simply be because it is like going to another country but you don’t need a passport.

You can still use U S currency and most people know some English.

Reason # 9 is that you can go the many casinos in the hotels.

Reason # 8 is that there are almost 20 golf courses around

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From NMT Images
Consumer Reports “Concerned” about Google-ITA Deal on Consumers

With its big stick and bigger voice, Consumer Reports (CR) announced in its blog that Google’s planned acquisition of ITA Software “ has the potential to limit consumer choice in the already complex market of online travel.”

Hotel Marketing .com reported that CR stepped into the fierce battle between Google and travel web sites over the search engine’s intent to buy ITA Software because it was genuinely concerned the de
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Vieques Top 10!


Vieques is the perfect holiday destination. Just 15-20 nm from the US and British Virgin Islands, six nm from the east coast of Puerto Rico, Vieques is one of the Spanish Virgin Islands, also referred to as the "Passage Islands”. Less crowded then their southern counterparts and ringed with white sand beaches, the islands are still relatively untouched by developers and tourists alike.


Getting There


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Take the ferry from Fajardo for $2. Schedules available online: http://www.vieques-island.com/vieq

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