Hong Kong Shopping Guide

March 18th, 2008

Hong Kong shopping is one of the city’s real attractions, however advance cash fast loan paydayquick cash payday loancash advance service0 advance card cash credit,no cash advance fee credit card,cash advance credit cardroulette game free online,free roulette game,free roulette game downloadplay free casino slotsno deposit casino codeplay blackjackinternet roulettefree on line slotsplay free casino slots,free online casino slots,free casino slotsbest craps gamevideo poker on lineplay free online slots game,play free slots,free slots play for freeinternet casino gameno download video pokerplay free slots no download,free slots no download,no download free slots gameinternet baccaratfree video pokertriple play video pokerfree backgammon downloadfree casino blackjack,free blackjack,learn to play blackjack freeblackjack bettingfree online slots no download,best casino slots online,online slotsfree internet casinofree blackjack gambling online,play blackjack online free,free online blackjackcasino video pokerblackjack softwaredownload casino gameblack jack downloadfree online craps,casino craps free gambling online,free online casino game crapsvideo poker for winnerscasino gamesvideo poker gamesvideo poker softwarecasino on line,line casino,free casino game on linevideo poker machinesvideo poker deucesplay casino and slots free online,play free slots game,play slotsplaying video pokercraps game,craps casino game,free craps gameonline backgammon gambling,backgammon gamblingduces wild video pokervideo poker tournamentlearn to play blackjack free,play free blackjack,play blackjack online freefree bonus slots,best free game slots,free slotsonline craps,casino craps free gambling online,online casino crapsplay casino and slots free online,free online casino slots,online casino slotsblack jack play,play black jack for money,play black jack for funadd casino link online getting value for money in the city is becoming more and more difficult. The ten tips below should ensure that you pay less and not more.

  1. Compare Prices
    Check the price of the item you want to buy in your home country first. When you arrive in Hong Kong you should check out some of the larger department stores or reputable dealers for your product. You can’t start bargaining, until you know how much you should be paying.
  2. Understand the Exchange Rate
    This may sound simple, but one of the main reasons for tourists getting ripped-off in Hong Kong is because they don’t know the exchange rate - make sure you do.
  3. Know the Product
    Know exactly what you want to buy. Which features do you want, accessories, model. Again looking around in your home country and at reputable stores in Hong Kong means you’ll have some honest advice.
  4. Choose Your Shop Carefully.
    The Hong Kong Tourism Board has a Quality Control Scheme that vets shops on pricing, honesty and a host of other attributes - these shops generally don’t offer bargains but are reputable. Unless you are confident of price and product you should also avoid shops that don’t clearly display the price of an item.
  5. Shop Around
    If you’re determined to go bargain hunting, shop around. Hong Kong salespeople are notoriously aggressive when negotiating, however the ball is in your court, if you don’t like the salesperson or the price quoted is to high, move on to the next store.
  6. Check the Product
    Hong Kong shops have an undeserved reputation for using switch and bait tactics, this involves showing you one product but placing an inferior item in the box. This practice is not widespread, nevertheless you need to make sure what you think you’re buying is what you leave the store with.
  7. Compatibility
    Ensure compatibility. Check the voltage and broadcast of any item you want to buy.
  8. Warranty
    Make sure the product has an international warranty. This can be a problem with ‘Parallel Imports’: these products are usually brought into Hong Kong by someone other than the official importer, generally electronics, although often cheap, their warranty is usually void.
  9. Beware of Bootlegs
    There are plenty of bootleg and illegal products on Hong Kong’s streets, which police usually turn a blind eye to, however if you are found with these at customs they are subject to confiscation and you possibly to conviction.
  10. Last Call
    If you’re in dispute, call the Consumer Council Hotline on 2929 2222 for assistance, you can also approach uniformed hawker police who patrol markets.

Top 7 Budget Miami Beach Hotels

March 2nd, 2008

I would like to recommend you some nice hotels in South Beach,  Miami which is not expensive and suitable for visitors who are on a budget.

Chesterfield Hotel Miami 

The hotel combines historical Art Deco Revival exteriors with an ultra-modern contemporary new interior design. The hotel offers anything but ordinary rooms: accommodations combine the textures of 300 count Frette Linens, mahogany furnishings, aluminum accents, and free flowing raining showers with an industrial feel.

Century Hotel

Designed in 1939 by the legendary Art Deco architect Henry Hohauser, The hotel is highly regarded for its alluring charm and exceptional service. The hotel also has received awards including the Miami Design Preservation Leagues award for outstanding facade preservation. Designed in a clean line desert tone style, the guest rooms are deluxe and equipped with every necessary amenity.

  

Hotel Chelsea 

The hotel is a 1936 Art Deco gem that sits in the center of it all on Washington Avenue. This South Beach boutique hotel has been updated with Fengshui accents for your comfort and pleasure.  For guest rooms, the hotel greets you with soft amber lighting, bamboo floors, floating Japanese-styled furniture.

 Greenview Hotel

Just only 2 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, in the heart of South Beach’s Art Deco District. Influential Parisian designer Chahan Minassian conceived the soothing interiors of the Greenview in contrast to the hyper-simulative exteriors of South Beach.
 

The Kent Hotel

The hotel is located in the heart of the South Beach Art Deco district and only one block from the beach, it’s like a playground for adults. 54 fashionably appointed rooms reflect the fun and flair of South Beach Miami. This hotel is a perfect choice for guests who enjoy stylistic fusion, convenience and value.

Whitelaw Hotel

The hotel is positioned adjacent to famous shops and restaurants in the center of the Art Deco District on Collins Avenue. The retro-style lobby features black-shag carpets and custom-made white Baroque-style sofas. Hot-pink curtains drape the windows, sultry music plays in the lobby, and complimentary cocktails flow during the nightly happy hour. 49 guestrooms bathed in whimsical hues of hot pink and bright white. Baroque decor includes the marble-clad bathrooms. Beds are draped with Belgian linens and goose-down comforters. Crystal chandeliers suspend from the ceilings.

Beachcomber Hotel

Ideally located only one block away from the beach and the world-renowned Ocean Drive, the hotel is offering friendly and personal service in the heart of Miami Beach Art Deco District. For guestroom, guests are provided with the comfort of well-furnished that are nicely decorated. During leisure, guests can browse the net, simply relax at the beach or explore the city and its surrounding attractions. So, the Beachcomber Hotel is an ideal place to enjoy your relaxing holiday.

Egyptian Pyramid

February 22nd, 2008

There are about 110 pyramids currently known in Egypt, many in a state of great disrepair and almost unrecognisable. Some were built as burial places for kings and others for queens. A pyramid also may have represented a stairway for the king to ascend to the heavens. Another possibility is that it was symbolic of the primeval mound on which the sun god/creator was born.

How the Egyptians managed the complex organisation of labour and the physical movement of large stone blocks is still a matter for debate.  Pyramid construction may have involved ramps being erected around the pyramid. Blocks of stone would have been pulled up on sledges and the ramps dismantled later. It is believed that most of the labour for the construction of the pyramids would have come from farmers who were available during the inundation season when the Nile River flooded and farmland was underwater. It would also have been an ideal time for the transportation by boat of large stone blocks from their quarries to the pyramid sites.

Traditional Wedding Ceremonies @ Tiki Village in Moorea

February 12th, 2008

The drama and pageantry of a Tahitian wedding celebration is a highlight for honeymoon couples or those celebrating an anniversary or renewing vows.

Traditional Wedding Ceremonies will give couples a unique feeling and experience of a wedding ceremony at the Tiki Village, the small Polynesian Village that over looks a lagoon of magical colors. Upon arrival, couples are greeted by a festive band of local musician and Polynisian dancers. Then, the bride is escorted to the ceremonial hut where she is prepared for the wedding.

 Inside the hut, the bride is massaged with Monoi and dressed like a Tahitian Princess. Meanwhile the groom is taken by canoe to a small beach where he is prepared for the ceremony. While on the beach the groom is tattooed (with a pen) and dressed like a Tahitian Chief. Afterwards, the groom is returned to the village to meet his lovely Tahitian Princess who awaits him with the Priest and Polynesian Villagers. Then, the ceremony starts …

Three types of Wedding Ceremonies are proposed: Princess Wedding, Royal Wedding, and Royal Deluxe Wedding.

 

Dominican Republic - The Republic of Colors

January 16th, 2008

 

I would like to recommend you about the popular areas for vacations in Dominican Republic:-

Punta Cana - on the island’s eastern tip, has long beautiful beaches, and several resorts popular with families such as Grand Paradise Bavaro, The Club at Grand Paradise, Serenis Tropical, etc.  This side of the island is on the Caribbean sea. The North Coast has choppier seas but is popular for surfing, winsurfing, boogie boarding, etc. The white sand beaches of Punta Cana; mountain ranges with horseback riding, river-rafting, and waterfalls; friendly people, carnivals and festivals, and merengue, a catchy dance that every tourist learns.

Boca Chica is a quaint town in the Dominican Republic, set along one of the finest beaches in the world. The beach is known for its crystal clear, calm, and shallow waters. It is the most complete, un-gated beach town in the country, where both Dominicans and Tourists alike come to relax in the sun, play, dine, vacation, or seek romance. For hotels and resorts in Boca Chica, I would like to recommend you an ideal place in the city, Dominican Bay Hotel is the stylish hotel which offers you a warm welcome, pleasant ambience and convenient facilities. During your leisure, you can indulge in the game of tennis and take a bracing dip at the swimming pool also.

 

Puerto Plata is the main tourist destination in the Dominican Republic. There are wonderful beaches and all inclusive hotels such as Sun Village Beach Resort, Puerto Plata Village, Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort, etc.

Blessed with beautiful stretches of pristine beaches, lush green valleys, and cradled by a chain of majestic coastal mountains, Puerto Plata was described as “the fairest land under heaven” by Christopher Columbus in 1492. Over 500 years later, the province of Puerto Plata has continued to captivate visitors from around the world with an intoxicating potion of Latin American culture, incredible natural beauty, and the extraordinary kindness of its people.

Hong Kong for $20 a Day

January 2nd, 2008

Hong Kong

 Visiting Hong Kong brings out the urge to splurge. Travelers are surrounded by glitzy shopping arcades filled with boutiques and stores selling the hottest fashions and the latest electronic gizmos. But it’s easy to have a great time on $20 a day—about 155 Hong Kong dollars—in the city whose name means “Fragrant Harbor” in Chinese.

A good place to start is on one of the old wood-sided streetcars that clatter along the northern coast of Hong Kong Island. The brightly painted rail cars belong to the world’s only fully double-decker tram fleet.  

Jump aboard a tram on Queen’s Road in Central Hong Kong, climb to the second tier and sit back and watch the blue-suited office workers and the designer bag-toting shopping queens scurrying around in the canyon of skyscrapers.

Get off the tram at Wan Chai—the setting for the 1960 Hollywood blockbuster “The World of Suzy Wong”—and walk a few blocks toward the harbor. Find the pedestrian bridge that leads to Central Plaza, the city’s second-tallest building.  

During business hours, tourists can take the Central Plaza’s elevator to the sky lobby, which wraps around the 46th floor, providing a free panoramic view of the harbor to the north, skyscrapers to the west, and mountains and the Happy Valley horse track to the southeast.  

As you leave Central Plaza, walk toward the turtle-shaped Convention Centre on the waterfront and hop on another one of Hong Kong’s classic transport systems: the Star Ferries that have been cruising back and forth between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon for over a century.  

For about 28 cents, the ferries provide spectacular views of one of the world’s most dazzling waterfronts. The best time to sail is during a clear night when the skyscrapers and billboards are lit up on Hong Kong Island. The ferry in Wanchai goes to Tsim Sha Tsui, one of Kowloon’s most famous shopping districts.

 Kowloon’s waterfront has a variety of cultural venues for budget prices. The Hong Kong
Cultural Center has free performances in its foyer Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons. Next door, the bulbous Space Museum displays astronomy and science items—admission is about $1.28—and houses an IMAX theater. The Museum of
Art features calligraphy, paintings and jade artifacts, also about $1.28 a ticket.

The path to the museums eventually leads into the Avenue of Stars. This is
Hong Kong’s version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where stars like Jackie Chan and Jet Li have their names and handprints in concrete slabs on the sidewalk.  

For cheap eats at lunch, forget McDonald’s. Try some of the local fast food served up by the seemingly ubiquitous chains Maxim’s, Cafe de Coral and Fairwood. They sell traditional Chinese barbecue and some Western hybrids like Cantonese spaghetti for as low as $2.50 or so a meal. 

Take the ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central on Hong Kong Island and walk a few blocks up the hill to Hong Kong Park. For no charge, visitors can stroll through fountains and the massive bird sanctuary.  

If you’re tired of walking, head to the Mid-Levels Escalator, the longest of its kind in the world. The moving stairs take people from Des Voeux Road (near the Central MTR subway station) to the Mid-Levels, a neighbourhood popular with expatriates.  

The escalator goes past funky little restaurants, pubs and shops selling clothes, paintings and other items.  

Finish the day at Lan Kwai Fong, the Western-style bar district, which just happens to be near the end of the escalator route. “The Fong” is a single block of pubs and trendy restaurants.  

A couple of beers at about $6.40 a bottle can quickly blow your budget. Here’s a local trick: Pop into a convenience store in the neighbourhood and buy a bottle of beer for about $1.30.  

Take your beverage to the Fong, where the crowds usually spill out of the pubs and become a big block party. Sip your drink and toast yourself for spending nearly nothing in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

Popular Destinations for New Year’s Eve

December 24th, 2007

New Year is coming .. So, I would like to recommend you the most popular destinations for this New Year Eve:-

Las Vegas - The Entertainment Capital of the World offers just about everything: the world’s largest hotels; the brightest stars in show business; shops and restaurants that rival any on earth. It’s true, too, that the lights are brighter in Las Vegas. Yet you don’t have to go far from the glamour and glitter to find the natural beauty of lakes and the desert as well.

Times Square

New York City - On New Year’s Eve, there are hundreds of thousands of travelers crowd on Times Square that is waiting for the famous ball drop from the top of one of the neon-lit buildings. Don’t fortget to get there early and don’t expect to be able to leave until the party really is over.

 Sydney - Celebrate New Year’s Eve on Sydney Harbour is a spectacular event in Australia. For this year, audiences will get a display involving 30,000 effects, six barges located across the harbour, eight city buildings, the famous arches and roadways of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Boston - Popular attractions include a Family Festival at the Hynes Convention Center, gigantic ice sculptures, a fireworks display, and a Mardi-Gras style procession that sweeps through the streets of Boston. The activities on New Year’s Eve will taking place from 1pm to midnight on Monday, Dec 31 at over 40 indoor and outdoor venues.

Paris - Celebrate with a bottle of champagne and some plastic champagne flutes to join the crowds along the Champs Elysees from where you can get a good view of the Eiffel Tower as it explodes in light at the stroke of midnight while other fireworks explode around the city.

Orlando - The Walt Disney is the great place for New Year’s Eve Celebration, the resorts rings in 2008 with street parties with fireworks galore.

Cancun - This is the wonderful place for people who loved to dance in the sun and a lively crowd, Cancun is billed as a top destination for New Year’s Eve.

Miami - It is a party city at all time of years becuase of its weather outside can be as warm as the party inside.

Honolulu - Most hotels & resorts have big parties, so let’s enjoy a warm celebrate in Honolulu this New Year.

Manila - Firecrackers and fireworks begin on New Year’s Eve and continue over midnight with the noise, based on Chinese belief, supposed to drive off evil spirits and bring in good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Celebrate Christmas

December 17th, 2007

Christmas is one of the most inspiring celebrations of the year, a time of hope, joy and love for the whole family to share. The Christmas tips section gives you some great suggestions for making your Christmas extra special. The tips are a complete bundle starting from decorations to safety. It has all the necessary flavors to make your Christmas a beautiful memory that lingers all year long.

Step1:  Send Christmas cards to family and friends wishing them a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

 

Step2: Set up a live or artificial Christmas tree in your home. Decorate it with ornaments and lights.

Step3: Hang mistletoe in a doorway. It is traditional for people to kiss when they stand underneath this small, scented sprig.

Step4: Place lights and other decorations on the outside of your house and on your outdoor shrubs and trees.

Step5: Buy gifts for family and friends and pile them under the tree.

Step6: Hang stockings from your mantel so Santa can leave little items inside when he visits.

 

Step7: Ask your children to write down a wish list of the toys they would like to receive.

Step8: Share the list with Santa Claus so he can fill their requests. Expect him to arrive on Christmas Eve in a sled drawn by reindeer, carrying a red sack filled with gifts.

Step9: Play Christmas music in your house to get in the holiday spirit; some popular choices include “Silent Night” and “Deck the Halls.”

Step10: Prepare a huge Christmas feast with foods such as turkey, ham, stuffing and vegetables; serve mince pie for dessert. Include other favorite recipes from your childhood holiday meals.

Step11: Attend church on Christmas Eve.

Step12: Remember that the true meaning of the season is really about giving.

Skiing in Switzerland

December 3rd, 2007

 

Switzerland is a skier’s paradise. With some of the best ski slopes in the world and a number of Ski resorts with options for all levels of skiers. The rich and famous of the world spend the winter swooping down the snow-clad slopes of resorts such as St. Moritz, Davos and Klosters. From slopes for beginners to Olympic skiers Switzerland tours offer the best skiing in the world.

Central Switzerland is proud of its in ordinary peak. The Rigi Mountain at the level of 1800 meters is known as the Queen of the Mountains. Its railway is the oldest railway in
Europe. The world’s most steep railway goes to the Pilatus Mountains at the height of 2130 meters. The Titlis Peak can be reached by a superb Rotair rail and Stranserhorn offers superb time in a newly opened ratarory restaurant.

Those of you who love mountains should definitely try one of two superb excursions offered by the region of Oberland. The highest situated railway station in Europe Jungjraujoch (3454 meters) and a visit to the rotarory restaurant at the Schilthorn Peak at the level of 2970 meters should convince everyone. Due to its characteristics, the Schilthorn Peak’s area was even chosen as a background to one of the James Bond movies. Swiss ski resorts are easily accessible by car or train. Although the whole skiing equipment can be brought by the skiers, it can also be quickly rented on the spot. Unlike it is widely thought, holiday in Switzerland does not have to be expensive.

All winter villages offer wide range of accommodation possibilities. Tourists can choose from basic family pensions to large, luxurious hotels or from a youth hostel to a charming, extremely well equipped, wooden house. Spend your winter holiday in a romantic mountain village! You will be able to try exquisite cuisine or go on a spending spree in elegant boutiques or, provided you wish so, spend a romantic evening in a 4-horse sleigh. The pleasure in Switzerland knows no boundaries!

Blog Content Contest

November 21st, 2007

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