AMAZING - WITH PEACE COMES TRAVEL

Amazing! With peace comes travel. A recent article on KAYAK points to the fact "with peace comes travel". So true. So true. Recently in particular
Croatia, Sierre Leone, Afghanistan, Vietnam. Prior to this the European and Japan wars were beads for North American's wishing to revisit centres of conflict for themselves and their families. These areas of conflict are magnets once hostility ends for numerous reasons that go beyond simple interest or marketing efforts. As each war ends the tourists come. Not a great endorsement for a priority sales plan indeed. The Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan perhaps in the future? Fact is already there are bone-fide tourists all be they Independent Travelers, by security escort finding themselves crossing through Afghanistan or conflict areas in Northern Africa. Pretty scary but a heck of a story for the kids.
(Photo - Satka. Located in the Southern Urals of Russia. Arms Collection on display)

OKAY - FLY & FRY HOLIDAYS STILL HAVE MOMENTS

Princess Juliana International Airport-Island of Saint Martin. The airport is famous for its short landing strip — only 2,180 metres/7,152 ft. Planes approach the island extremely low on the horizon, right over Maho Beach. Sometimes these planes fly at just 10--20 m/30-60 ft over the heads of paralized numb beach goers. Heck there might even be a tour for the best photograph of a zonked tourist. Bring a second set of shorts dudes. You might need them.

The Dog House Hotel? Bring Your Kibbles

DOG HOUSE HOTEL?
THIS IS FOR REAL TRAVELERS!

Not for your dog but for you and the family.


Pull into the Dog Bark Park Inn outside Cottonwood, Idaho U.S.A., and you’ll be greeted by the world’s largest beagles, Toby and Sweet Willy. While Toby is a 12-foot-tall wood carving, Sweet Willy is literally a dog house — a comfy, modern and kitschy place to crawl into and lay your head for the night. “At Dog Bark Park Inn, sleeping in the doghouse is a good thing!” Wonder if you get a water dish thrown in. Yes you will have to bring your own kibbles.

10 Worst Travel Destinations of 2007!

HOLY Burning Sands!



10 Worst Travel Destinations of 2007! Subjective perhaps but hey what the hey! These certainly sit at the top of the shelf. Only the brave, lonely and very lost souls would have enjoyed their visits here. Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Myanmar, DR Congo, Chad, Sri Lanka are as polled by crazies on another planet.

Well. As long as your having fun. Wink. Wink. TRAVELSAPIEN say's. Hey! We are not arguing.

TICKET TO RIDE! NORWAY PLEASE

Give it up for the sleeper of the year! NORWAY. Actually if you have not considered or even thought about NORWAY as a holiday destination just where is your head travelers?

Trains. Fiords. Northern Lights. A journey to please.

Norway includes great train journeys - the Raumabanen line, the Flam Railway & the Bergensbanen line across Hardangervidda National Park, along with the quaint coastal cities of Bergen and Alesund. If you have never considered NORWAY well travelers you are missing out. Put NORWAY on your travel to do list NOW! TRAVELSAPIEN suggests you will twitch with sites you experience.
http://www.fjordtravel.no/

CRAZY RICH DESSERTS $14,500 A PLATE?

YES! YES! YES!
CRAZY RICH TASTE!
Expensive Desserts For The Very Loaded Traveler.
Cash - That is......
The dish called Fortress Aquamarine worth of $14,500 can be tasted in Sri-Lanka restaurant Wine3. Here travellers are served a tiny tartlet with fresh berries, decorated with an 80-carat aquamarine brilliant. The gourmands with a thick purse will also be pleased with Brownie Extraordinaire - a chocolate cookie soaked in Crystal champagne. It is served with a sprinkler filled with vintage port wine which is used to spray the mouth after each eaten slice of food. You can taste this delicacy worth of $1000 in Tropicana Casino and Resort (New Jersey).

The Serendipity restaurant (New York) will offer its guest the ice-cream worth of $1000, prepared from several kinds of vanilla, truffles, bitter chocolate and sweetened caviar. The crystal vase which was used to serve the dessert might be taken away. The Istanbul Ciragan Palace Kempinski offers the unique “sultan pie” which costs $1000. The pie is staffed with fresh fruit and figs pickled in Jamaica rum, and then covered with plates of gold. In Bangkok restaurant Mezzaluna you can taste the ice-cream made of truffles, decorated with hand-worked chocolate and soaked with a forty-years aged cognac - just for $200.
(Thanks to Forbes Traveler and Trendhunter for their heads up!) Actually Travelsapien already knew about this however these people write better and have more money. Wink Wink)

COLOMBIA SOUTH AMERICA HEATING UP!

Colombia South America is heating up!

HOT Tourism destination? You bet. How does a nation ravaged by years of bad publicity turn itself around? One road at a time. When President Alvaro Uribe took over office in 2002 the rate of normality to Colombia has grown significantly. Shedding the leadership role in world cartels and (B) rate movies portraying the country in a bad light Colombia is emerging as a physically stunning and culturally vibrant country. Having spent a number of months touring the interior of the country TRAVELSAPIEN can say to those looking for a new destination for either coastal beaches, interior adventure packages including agro-tourism, cultural exchange, festivals and CHIVA Colombia is a super choice. Inexpensive, raw, untainted by mom and pop dressed simpletons who only want processed burgers for dinner Colombia offers antiquity to rival anyone. 3 UNESCO designated sights in Heritage, Biosphere, and Antiquity. Pre-Colombian art, and much much much more. Medellin is now gaining a reputation as a cultural center, with its own international fashion week with a thriving art scene. Other major cities are discovering their identity. The interior areas such as HUILA especially GARZON as the centre point has Coffee Plantation Guesthouses, Farm Stays including sugarcane processing, pinapples, coca of course with chocolate to challenge the world's best. Activities from water rafting, extreme packages, and friendly people everywhere. More on Colombia coming soon. TRAVEL + LEISURE in their March 2007 issue feature Colombia and it is worth the read. Get aquainted. Be first. Many will follow soon.

In the mean time check out POLLO LOCO Radio Garzon for a mix of Cumbia, Urban, Rock and plain great background music while you surf your favorite sites. Nice!

http://myradio.batanga.com/Player/player.aspx?PlaylistID=42193#

VISIT www.belltours.com for detailed travel itineraries to Colombia. Experts to help you find your way. Close up experience and personal contacts for Home Stays, Rural Tourism and more.

RURAL COLOMBIA A TOURISM TREAT

SUGAR CANE OH YES! HUILA COLOMBIA

BED JUMPING A POPULAR HOTEL ACTIVITY

HOTELS ALL JUMPED OUT?

Not yet it seems. This is likely headed towards an Olympic Sport soon!
TRAVELSAPIEN thanks the Bed Jump guys for an opportunity of getting world endorsement. (lolo)
www.bedjump.com
Go ahead. If you have been hiding your amazing talent why not upload your talents to them. Now next time someone says "I enjoyed the hotel I stayed at" we know what that means. Wink Wink

Man What A Great Hotel! Wink Wink

Thanks MOM!
What a great Hotel!
TRAVELSAPIEN is just the messenger Mom! He He He
(all photos courtesy Bed Jump Guys)

BED JUMP Is This The Travelers Dream Trip?

HOLY MOLY!
Now we know what those housekeepers say is true!
(all photos courtesy Bed Jump Guys)
Want to play? Send them your best effort http://www.bedjump.com/ Is this really 15 minutes of fame? Love it!

"DANCE YOUR WAY TO CHINA". TRAVELSAPIEN

There is an awesome dance, called the Thousand-Hand Guanyin.
Considering the tight coordination required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf. Yes, you read correctly. All 21 of the dancers are complete deaf-mutes. Relying only on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage, these extraordinary dancers deliver a visual spectacle that is at once intricate and stirring.

Thousand-Hand GuanYin (Thien Thu Quan Am).

http://www.advite.com/thousandhandguanyin.wmv
PS: You can turn OFF the BLOG background music to fully enjoy this fabulous video. Simply find the SONIFIC Music Banner located on the side or bottom of the BLOG, depending on your browser. You can turn it back ON as you wish while viewing the rest of this BLOG.

Their first major international debut was in Athens at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. But it had long been in the repertoire of the China Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe and had traveled to more than 40 countries. The lead dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute.

The video was recorded in Beijing during the Spring Festival celebrations this year. You won't regret it. CHINA opens it’s doors to Tourism. Cuisine. Culture. History and Dance! If going to travel this is the time for China. This VIDEO should prompt you to decide.

I GOT MINE IN CHELYABINSK

FACE LIFT, RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY, HIP AND JOINT REPLACEMENT - PROFESSIONAL STATE OF THE ART FACILITIES When thinking MEDICAL TOURISM or BEAUTIFICATION, Chelyabinsk, Russia, boardering on Siberia to the east, may be your choice. Best Doctors's on the Planet is the word out of this once 'hidden' city. Southern Urals make for a new travel destination and why not get a new face while your at it. Worth considering. Price. Quality. Options. puts Russia on the map with one of the fastest Tourism growth areas being MEDICAL TOURISM. If doing it one should consider all consequences and a check list will certaintly make this a top choice.
Lips or hips the options are yours!

CHELYABINSK - BEST DOCTOR'S ON THE PLANET!

CHELAYBINSK - Southern Urals. One of Russia's "SECRET" Cities! "Best Doctor's on the Planet" describes the future potential for MEDICAL TOURISM. World Class Doctor's indeed, state-of-the-art hospital facilities, great food too! A fraction of the cost for cosmetic re-construction, hip and joint replacements and much more. The redevelopment of the numerous elegant Soviet "REST" facilities nearby speaks volumes to the potential. Numerous clean lakes, and reconstructed hotels meeting Western Standards is well underway. Visit the "tank" city! Chelyabinsk. The famous tanks of the Russian Army were built here. Old Russia, trams, Bashkir and Tatar villages nearby makes Medical Service trip both practical and a great vacation as well. Sure their are accounts of past ecological errors and yes it does exist in many areas however the containment is evident and the locals shrug off the descriptions many have placed on the area. If concerned, don't be, as you are not there long enough to worry about things like radiation exposure. Heck if that is your only issue one has to ask the millions living in this "hidden" zone their perception. Having visited the area the response would be "you doth worries too much about nothing". Somehow that makes sense! Never saw one green person nor experienced my shoes burning. No really!
Want proof? Take a look at http://www.uvildy.ru Plan now to fix your nose travelers. There is a the magestic CLIFF Resort where my good friend Valerii runs a great modern little hotel on this location calling it the "Home". A great host and conscious of Western needs.

CHELYABINSK HOLIDAYS & MEDICAL TOURISM

Within short distances from Chelyabinsk there are many villages, and a lot of 'Old Russia' to see. This fabulous log church is one awesome piece of work. Towards the Kazahkstan boarder the Steppes offer up remote villages, horse trails and miles of wheat fields. No. Borat was not seen anywhere. Must have been busy promoting his latest movie. Check out Chelyabinsk, and the Southern Urals in what is actually referred to as Siberia. The experience is a mosaic of all the peoples who populate the area. Get new hips in Chelyabinsk so you can explore the region and don't forget to get the wrinkles out while you are at it.

MEDICAL TOURISM IN RUSSIA? CHELYABINSK

CHELYABINSK - "TANK CITY" Memorial in downtown Chelyabinsk to the workers and soldiers who rode the famous Russian built tanks. Now close by one of the world's largest truck building plant replaces the tanks. The city holds the Siberia (Southern Urals) largest hospital. World Class Doctor's, state-of-art facilities and great food too! Medical Tourism in Russia brings a new player to the table and one that offers up proven surgeons with amazing success in their respective fields. Once a "Hidden City" of the old Soviet Empire the reopening of the Region brings not only an opportunity for medical procedures worth considering but a new exciting travel opportunity. Worth doing? You bet!

LAKE TURGOYAK - Chelyabinsk Southern Urals

LAKE TURGOYAK Beautiful, clean, deep and one of the Urals most celebrated locations. Many Russians have summer homes nearby. Not too far from Chelyabinsk. While in the city, check out the Zoo. Ornate, and exotic. Make Russia a future stop on your world travel calendar.

CHELYABINSK, Russia - Once A 'Secret' City!

Old Chelyabinsk once a 'secret' city with it's stately homes from Soviet times. A city of contrasts quickly modernizing yet celebrating the cornerstones of it's history. Modern yet traditional.

Southern Urals - Russia - Chelyabinsk Visit Soon!

Welcome HOME! That is the name of the hotel. One of the modernized properties located on the grounds of the CLIFF Resort in the Chebarkul area not far from Chelyabinsk. An opportunity to relax after obtaining medical procedures at the Chelyabinsk Hospital for Medical Tourism. Relax by the lakeside, walk the wooded trails, enjoy your sauna, play billiards watch TV, or relax in the whirlpool tubs. There are numerous activities you can enjoy while recouping and awaiting your trip back perhaps to Moscow where you can live it up in the city of 24/7 Those Moscow nights will mesmorize you. Return home relaxed, and ready to rock and roll!