Posts Tagged → travel
Byron Bay Whale Watching Tours Are Popular With Kids And Adults
Byron Bay is one of the premier beach vacation destinations in Australia. This small town, nestled by a cape that forms the eastern most point of the Australian continent, has a unique laid-back style that every visitor learns love and envy. They leave relaxed but yearning more. Byron Bay whale watching is one of the key attractions the town offers its visitors.
Every year thousands of humpback whales leave their summer feeding grounds in Antarctica and migrate north to tropical waters of the southern hemisphere to breed. Some of these whales choose to complete this migration along a route close to the Australian east coast. Why only some whales choose to journey close to the Australian coast is not well understood. But it provides us with a perfect opportunity to observe them up close.
Humpbacks are one of the largest animals on the planet. They grow to approximately 16 meters long and up to 50 tonnes in weight. Their name refers to the distinctive arch they form as they dive. They time their migration up and down the coast from May to December. The peak viewing season is June to November.
The peak viewing season is June to November. A number of boat operators based in Byron Bay specialize in carrying groups a few kilometers offshore to watch this marvelous natural spectacle. Some operators launch their boats from the beach at Byron Bay. Others provide a shuttle bus service from the town to Brunswick Heads (about 18kms north) where they moor their boat at the small harbor on the Brunswick River.
Humpbacks are often distinguished by the natural markings. Their top half is commonly black while their underside, but there is enough variation away from this basic schema for individual whales to be identifies based on naturally unique pigmentation patterns. Scarring, particularly on fins and tails, provides another basis for identification. One humpback that is completely white has been observed for several years along the Australian coast.
Several whale watching tour providers operate out of Byron Bay to ferry watchers a few kilometers offshore. Some providers launch their craft from Main Beach. Others moor their vessels at Brunswick Heads, some 18 kilometers north, and arrange a complimentary bus service for patrons.
In summary, Byron Bay whale watching tours usually last 2 or 3 hours. Operators usually provide at least two tours a day, if weather permits. The tours also provide an opportunity to view dolphins and some of the local natural ocean topography like Julian Rocks.
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Visiting A Summer Youth Camp
[youtube:pTbm0BuWg84;[link: Summer Camp] ;http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTbm0BuWg84&feature=related] So you have made a decision that you are going to send your child to Overnight Summer Camp. But have you been to the camp you have chosen? It can be difficult for most parents to take a camp tour while camp is in session. Yet, if you can find a way to tour a camp, you will learn so much more than the brochures and video tell you. Be sure to phone ahead for an appointment, to ensure that you can visit on a day when you can see that camp’s programs in action.
Picking the right day is important. Call ahead for an appointment to make sure that you can visit on a day when you can see the summer camp program in action. The director may ask you to come a different day than you request. Your first choice may fall on a day when too many campers would be off camp property, or it might be during visiting day or between sessions when no campers are present.
Plan on taking at least three hours at the camp so that you will have time to observe activities at length and chat with campers and staff. The settings, facilities and activities matter, but more important to your child’s experience will be how the administration and the staff behave in action. Watch how the camp’s counselors juggle the demands of campers. Of course, be sure to observe that safety precautions are consistently being taken.
While walking around camp do check the facilities and the settings, but take careful note of how the administration and the staff interact with the campers. Try to take your child with you, and watch how the tour guide relates with and includes your kid during the tour. This reveals a lot about the camp’s attitude and relationship with children.
Don’t be overly concerned if the camp director cannot guide your tour, but if that is the case you should ask for time to meet the directors before you leave. Be sure you feel as if you can trust the directors with your child for the length of a camp session. Here are a few questions to keep in mind about a camp director: is he or she a hands-on administrator, comfortable spending time with campers and staff, or is the majority of time spent in the office with paper work? Where is the director’s on-camp residence? Does the director know the names of the of the kids he or she encounters?
If the counselors aren’t kind, caring, sensitive, imaginative, and skilled, then the facilities and activities don’t matter. Counselors are directly responsible for making sure your child has a safe and fun summer. Pay careful attention to how the counselors you see interact with campers. During activities, counselors should be supervising and continually attentive to the campers, rather than chatting amongst themselves. Praise should be specific and given to all children in activities, not just the superstars. Make sure that the specialty counselors are not just skilled themselves, but also great teachers who can translate their enthusiasm and skills to children.
If you feel parental concern about sending your child to a summer camp this year, be sure to take the time and visit that camp. It will help you feel more comfortable about your wise choice for sending your child to a summer of great fun.
Additional information can be found at Summer Camp Advice, a FREE Summer Camps website filled with information to help parent select the best summer camp for their child
Swift Nature Camp is an overnight camp for Boys and Girls Ages 6-15. Our programs are for first time campers as well as adventures for teens.
The Mapes Hotel: Lost Landmark Of Northern Nevada History
On January 31, 2000, the historic Mapes Hotel in Reno was imploded by 75 pounds of explosives tucked into the art-deco structures support columns. The destruction of the Mapes put an end to years of efforts to preserve the building via lawsuits, redevelopment proposals, and grass roots action. The National Trust for Historic Preservation took up the cause of the Mapes, and challenged the destruction in a suit that eventually reached the Nevada Supreme Court.
While the efficacy and justification of demolishing the Mapes is debatable, one thing that is not is the glorious history of the hotel. It was built in’47, and signaled the start of the modern era of casino gambling. Despite the notoriety of Bugsy Siegel and the Flamingo in Las Vegas, it was the Mapes that became the first building in the nation to have a hotel, casino and live entertainment under one roof. It also became the hotel of choice for celebrities staying in Northern Nevada. Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe stayed at The Mapes during the filming of ‘The Misfits’. Joseph McCarthy, America’s famed anti-Communist crusader, admitted to a reporter over cocktails in the Mapes Lounge that he really didn’t have a list of Communists in the US despite his frequent and vitriolic insistence to the contrary.
In the 50s and 60s it became, along with Lake Tahoes Cal-Neva Lodge the place to be seen in Northern Nevada. The top floor, window-walled Sky Room showcased performances by the legends: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jackie Gleason, Louis Prima, Mae West, Milton Berle, Sammy Davis, Jr., and the Marx Brothers among others. Subsequent years were not kind to downtown Reno but the Mapes continued to do well during the 60′s and 70′s. The hotel finally closed in’82, due more to financial difficulties experienced by the Mapes family caused by one of their other Northern Nevada gaming properties than anything else.
Reno never experienced the massive growth that occurred in Las Vegas and southern Nevada, and for that reason the destruction of the Mapes is more open to debate than the hotel demolitions to the south. Even the demolition of The Sands–perhaps the most historically significant casino in the state–is hard to argue against given the inability of such a small property to compete in the current Las Vegas marketplace and in light of the value of the mid-strip real estate. The old properties may have historic value to pop culture historians, but their survival doesn’t make economic sense. They’re simply ‘analog players in a digital world’.
This is not the case in Reno, where land and buildings for development in virtually every casino area are abundant. The official reason that the Mapes had to come down was that the city needed the land–which sits along the banks of the Truckee River–to expand its riverside district of art galleries, restaurants and shops. The revitalization of downtown Reno is definitely needed and a legitimate goal, but at the same time it is hard to think that the Mapes was a barrier to this. Indeed, a number of proposals for redevelopment including office space, artists lofts and upscale senior housing would have probably served to enhance the livability of the downtown area. For whatever reason, the City Redevelopment Authority wouldn’t approve any of the proposals and the fate of the Mapes was sealed.
The role of the City Redevelopment Authority was questioned throughout the process. Overlooking the Truckee River, the hotel was on a prime location between the downtown casino area and the riverfront district. Back in’96, the city of Reno purchased the hotel and began entertaining proposals for renovation and redevelopment. A number of sound financial proposals were presented that would preserve the integrity of the structure including condominiums, office space, and perhaps most viable, upscale senior apartments. Oddly, all of these proposals were turned down by the citys Redevelopment Agency which eventually led to the demolition of the structure.
Following the 2000 demolition, the lot remained vacant for over a year until a temporary ice skating rink was hastily constructed the following winter. The property has been improved and the rink is now permanent which, while not in itself a bad use for the land, further calls into question the efficacy of demolishing the structure. It would appear that the city had no clue what to do with the land, but for whatever reason wanted the building brought down. This has led to all sorts of conspiracy theories, from the City Development Agency having financial incentive to raze the hotel to rumors that the building was haunted and was destroyed to keep the Reno area from being overrun with paranormal activity. Whatever the reason for the decision, the city of Reno has lost a beautiful art deco treasure that played a significant part in the economic growth of the state.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on World Series betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook review sites. He lives in Northern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
The Legacy Of Japan’s Pro Wrestling Icon Mitsuharu Misawa
Mitsuharu Misawa died in Hiroshima, Japan earlier this year less than a week before his 47th birthday. Akitoshi Saito hit a back suplex on Misawa, which appeared to knock him unconscious. Medical staff attempted to revive him in the ring, but when CPR failed he was taken to a hospital by ambulance. Initial reports in the Japanese media suggest that he was pronounced dead at the hospital, but a number of eyewitness accounts have speculated that he may have died in the ring.
There’s at least a small bit of solace in the fact that he died in the ring doing what he loved, and what he did better than just about anyone on the planet. Misawa’s last moments were spent working the kind of brutally stiff, athletically realistic match that got a generation hooked on Japanese wrestling.
A top level amateur wrestler in high school, his skill gained the attention of All Japan Pro Wrestling president Shohei Giant Baba. Three years after his pro debut, he got his first big break in’84 when he was chosen as the second Tiger Mask replacing Satoru Sayama. In’90, he had his longtime friend and rival Toshiaki Kawada unmask him.
Misawa would wrestle as himself from then on, and become an even bigger star in the process. In June,’90 he became one of the top stars in All Japan Pro Wrestling when he defeated Jumbo Tsuruta. That match was his first main event appearance at the famous Nippon Budokan. He soon faced Triple Crown Champion Stan Hansen in an unsuccessful challenge for the title, and would become the biggest star in Japanese pro wrestling for the next decade.
Hed have legendary battles against Kawada, Hansen, Kenta Kobashi, Jun Akiyama and Steve Dr. Death Williams in singles competition. Hed also become a force on the tag team scene along with Kawada facing Williams and Terry Gordy along with Tsuruta and Akira Taue. Misawa would continue as a mainstay in AJPW until the early part of this decade. After the death of Giant Baba, he repeatedly bumped heads with his widow over the companys direction and in 2000 quit to establish Pro Wrestling NOAH. He would serve as the companys president while wrestling a full time schedule until his untimely death.
Japanese pro wrestling served as an introduction for many American fans into shoot fight sports and MMA. Before the Internet, fans would trade videotapes to stay up on the latest matches from Japan and along with Jushin Thunder Liger and The Great Muta Keiji Mutoh it safe to say that Misawa is one of the wrestlers most responsible for getting a generation of American fans hooked on the product. Were it not for the subculture he created in America, later wrestling promotions like Ring of Honor and MMA promotions like the UFC wouldn’t have had a ready made audience to tap into.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and noted authority on NFL football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Rio Beats Out Chicago, Two Other Cities To Claim 2016 Summer Olympics
South America will host the Summer Olympic Games for the first time in 2016, as Rio De Janeiro, Brazil was awarded the honor on Friday. Rio beat out the US choice of Chicago, Illinois along with Tokyo, Japan and Madrid, Spain to earn the right to host the games. Despite a high pressure effort from the American power elite–including President Barack Obama and TV gabfest queen Oprah Winfrey–Chicago was the first city eliminated from contention. Tokyo was the next to go, before Rio got the nod over Madrid in the final round of balloting.
Bookmakers offered odds on the host city choice, with Rio listed as second favorite at +200. Chicago had been the wagering favorite at most books, particularly after President Obama got involved personally in the US bid effort. Chicago was bet as high as a -300 favorite, while Madrid and Tokyo were priced in the +250 range. Some suggest that Tokyo didnt deserve to have such short odds, but was the beneficiary of regional pride from the notoriously enthusiastic betting population of Japan.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, got the better of his US counterpart Barack Obama The Brazilian leader stressed the unfairness that South America had never hosted the games in his speech to the committee;
“It is a time to address this imbalance. It is time to light the Olympic cauldron in a tropical country.”
The Olympic committee was apparently swayed by this presentation and paid no mind to Rios many downsides. It is without a doubt the most dangerous of the finalist cities, where drug cartels and armed bands of thugs roam without impunity. Well do to Rio citizens are used to removing watches and jewelry before they drive anywhere lest they be targeted by carjacking brigands. Rios murder rate is also one of the highest in the world. Brazilian bid officials have stressed that security will be a priority at the games and it better be lest the Olympics turn into a bloodbath.
Some IOC members suggested that the summary dismissal of Chicagos bid was more of a rebuke of the notoriously corrupt USOC. The last two Olympics held in the US were tainted by crime and corruption. The’96 Atlanta Olympics were disrupted by a terrorist bombing, while the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games were marred by a well known bribery and corruption scandal.
Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and highly respected authority on football betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sportsbooks and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas, Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former interior secretary James Watt.
Travel Agencies Of LA And Off The Road Tours
Travel agencies LA are aware that California just isn’t extremely hectic and favorite holiday destinations for absolutely nothing. It is full of natural and man-made wonders that everybody desires to check out in this generation. Of course you will find the most common tourist destinations like Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Disneyland, water parks and a good number of theme parks to select from. That is why travel agencies LA offer trips to off the road places for tourists to discover the splendor of nature in the area. There is a rush different from that of the movie and entertainment industry but it is equally enjoyable and exciting.
Balboa must be one of the most favorite beach towns in California with the many activities it can give. Beach lovers often rent houses during the summer for some fun under the sun throughout the day and house parties at night. A swift drive and you could have a ferry that could allow for three cars, pedestrians and bikes. For a very small fee, you can discover and have a view of the whole island from the sea. In case the salt water makes you hungry, you can stop by the small burger shop at the corner or perhaps get a bite of their famous frozen bananas. Travel agencies LA know of the hotels and inns in the vicinity.
Located on Highway 18 in San Bernardino Mountains, Big Bear River is actually an off the road place you wouldn’t wish to pass up. Being seven miles long and a mile wide, it is easy to forget that this lake is manmade. Generally there are usually inns and hotels in the area and also a number of dining places such as La Paws which serve Mexican food and Cowboy that is identified with its steaks and ribs. Apart from level of privacy and leisure, Big Bear River offers adventures such as horseback riding, boating, parasailing, shopping, river cruises, movie theaters and also a water slide park. There’s no room for dullness within this part of California. Book your vacation there today simply by contacting travel agencies LA.
Laguna Beach must always be one of the many beautiful beaches in California. Situated in between Dana Point and Newport, this place offers the spectacular view of rock formations while standing on powder white and fine sand. A crystal clear view of the seashore can be seen in practically every location in town thus store shopping and simply walking is actually accompanied and made much more enjoyable simply because of the beautiful sight. Laguna Beach can be particularly recognized for its Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts which is followed by the actual Pageant of the Masters and the Sawdust Festival at some time in July. As the place is created by performers and influenced by the environment, these kinds of festivals are worth sees and also definitely an enjoyable experience. Travel agencies LA definitely have the exact date of these exciting festivals.
Solvang that means “sunny fields” in Danish is situated northern part of Santa Barbara. True to its name does paint a picture of sunny fields. With all the windmills and several pastry stores, this place can make you feel that you’re not really in California. Solvang offers many items which you probably have certainly not known before and the smell of bear paws, cookies and pies makes it also more alluring. California offers so many stuffs to discover in places not too far from the city. If you’re touring, call travel agencies LA for best offers of must see places that can give unforgettable encounters just in California.
Off road trips that travel agencies in Los Angeles offer are not commonly availed by tourists. Maybe they believe that driving is actually a waste of time and flying is the best way to go from one place to another. Although this is valid, they miss out on experiencing the splendor of nature along the way. One thing is certain, the few that avail of scenic trips encounter much more than people that choose to rush from one place to the next. If you are travelling, call travel agencies LA for best rates of must see locations which can give memorable experiences only in California.
Are you a foreigner who wants to seek the services of a travel agency LA metropolitan area? Lots of LA travel agents are more than ready to assist you delight in your trip far away from home.
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