Posts Tagged ‘travel’

A TripAdvisor™ TripWow video of a travel blog to Postojna, Slovenia by TravelPod blogger Misocutlet. See this TripWow and more at tripwow.tripadvisor.com Postojna Cave “On the second day in Zagreb, I had to get up early in the morning to catch a train at around seven. Thanks to the good hostel and Mr. Fukuda, however, I didn’t want to leave the hostel quickly. So I changed my schedule to take the train at quater past nine, and headed for Postojna Cave, instead of Scokjan Cave from the original plan. That was because Scokjan was more difficult to reach than Postojna. My guide said Postojna Cave was touristy and expensive, but easy to access. At the Ljubuljana train station, I asked about the way to get there both at the railway office and the TI office. While the lady in the railway office was not helpful, the lady in the TI office was very kind to give me a bus timetable printed out. Because I had a Eurail Pass, I took a train, but I was glad to get trnsportation information at the TI. From the Postojna train station, I had to walk 30 mins to the cave. At the ticket box, I chose an English guide and waited in front of the entrance. It was hot on the day, but very cool inside. The cave system is the second largest in the world, and so we had to take a train up to the main sightseeing point. Taking pictures were prohibited, but nobody couldn’t resit the temptation to shoot gorgeous staractites and stalagites even from on the train. I met a couple from Slovenia, who gave me …

 It never fails to happen in my family. We’re on vacation, traveling by car, when we come across a cute little restaurant. Maybe it’s a “Mom and Pop” restaurant, or maybe it’s a regional favorite, but either way we are almost always guaranteed a good meal.

And, sure enough, we just had the greatest chicken fried steak or pecan pie that we’ve ever tried. How do we recreate these recipes? Local restaurant recipes can be hard to come by, and may be rather tricky to recreate, especially if “Mom and Pop” didn’t leave any written recipes for their now famous dishes.

What have we learned in our traveling culinary experiments? One trick to recreating a dish is to take some leftovers “to go.” Once you have a bite or two of chicken fried steak away from the restaurant, and you’re not so hungry, you can take your time and figure out some of the flavors.

All the other aromas wafting from the restaurant’s kitchen are not inundating your senses. This helps to isolate those harder to recognize herbs, which become more difficult to identify when they mingle. You can also take notes about what flavors you taste.

Famous and attractive like its name; Beverly Hills Plaza Hotel is set in a garden of tranquility and peace. It occupies a privileged position on the extravagant Wilshire Boulevard. Situated in the heart of Rodeo Drive, Century City and West Village, Beverly Hills Plaza Hotel provides you easy access to a wide assortment of restaurants and shops. A golf course and spa center is present for the sake of relaxation of corporate and leisure travelers alike. Free Internet access and on-site restaurants provide you scrumptious food and access to the World Wide Web whenever you please.

Ask all your family members to take turns trying to guess ingredients. Brainstorming ingredients with more people will yield more results than one person can alone. Besides, its fun – sort of like show-and-tell, only it’s taste-and-tell!

Of course, many local restaurants are happy to share their regional recipes, especially if Mom and Pop get to brag a bit. The owner often runs local restaurants. In other words, you’ll probably find the owner in the kitchen. Take time to praise the cook, and you may just walk away with more recipes than you can handle!

www.localrestaurantdirect.com

www.shopping-in-beijing.com Beijing Travel: This video focuses on a Drum Tower area shop in Beijing that offers the Tibetan object of Marnyi stone, which is rare to see outside Tibet.

www.shopping-in-beijing.com Beijing Kites Shop: One traditional Beijing kite is “Sha Yan”. It is a kite with a swallow’s head on its main body, which represents good luck, wealth and happiness.

This article is about the Lhasa travel and you can find some useful information in it if you are planning your Lhasa travel now.

The Lhasa railway station is located in the south west of Lhasa. It is 20 kilometers far away from the Potala Palace and its altitude is 3600 meters. Now the road from the Lhasa railway station to the downtown of Lhasa is much better than it used to be.

There is a 100 thousand square meters’ square in the north of the Lhasa railway station.  The Lhasa railway station is built near a mountain and its decoration is in a traditional Tibetan style(mainly with 3 colors: white,red and yellow). It occupies 23.6 thousand square meters and is 22.9 meters high.

Entering the Lhasa railway station, you will find youself in an ancient Tibetan palace. The hall is mainly decorated in red. 8 pillars are a very special feature of this hall. They are in a traditional Tibetan style and is fireproof because of some specail chemical disposal. In the south east of the hall, there are three VIP waiting rooms and one soft seat waiting room. The booking office is in the west of the hall. You can buy the tickets for the train, plane and bus there. There are 10 service windows in the booking office. A big LED screen is used to show all kinds of travel information to the tourists.(You can find more information about Lhasa travel and China vacations at Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM)

In the second floor of the Lhasa railway station, you can find a small shopping center(fast food restaurant, cafes, small shops, etc). The regular waiting rooms is In the south of the second floor. It occupies 1760 square meters.(800 square meters for the soft seat waiting room and 700 square meters for the VIP waiting room)

There is also a small clinic in the Lhasa railway station. It is responsible for providing basic medical cares to the travellers.(altitude sickness,etc)

The Lhasa railway station has 6 platforms. 2 of them are backup platforms. 10 trains can enter the station synchronously. The total capacity of Lhasa railway station is 2700 travellers a day.

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NOTE: Permission is granted by the copyright owner to disseminate this article in whole or in part provided credit is given to the author (with a link to the article’s source URL Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM ) and this NOTE is not removed.

Everything is for sale in the United States. Man, that is so messed up. Chinese house hunt in US 2:17 Chinese investors travel to the US to hunt for bargains. CNN’s Emily Chang reports.

This article is about the China vacations and Qingdao travel. You can find some useful information in it if you are planning your Qingdao travel now.

Qingdao, best known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city in eastern Shandong province, China. Qingdao today is a major seaport and industrial center of Shandong province. “Qing” means “lush” in Chinese, while “dao” means “island”. This city was recently named China’s 9th-most livable city by the China Daily.
 
German fort at Qingdao in 1898. In 1891 the Qing government decided to make the area a defense base against naval attack and eventually began to improve Tsingtao’s existing fortifications. This Chinese activity was observed and reported by German naval officials during a formal survey of Kiautschou Bay in May 1897. After the Tsingtao region was ceded to Germany in 1898, the German authorities soon turned Tsingtao into a strategically important port administered by the Imperial Department of the Navy (Reichsmarineamt) rather than the Imperial Colonial Office (Reichskolonialamt). The navy based their Far East Squadron here, allowing them to conduct operations throughout the Pacific. From January 1898 the marines of III. Seebatallion were based at Tsingtao. The German imperial government planned and built the first streets and institutions of the city we see today, introduced electrification, a sewer system and a safe drinking water supply; commercial interests established the world-famous Tsingtao Brewery. German influence extended to other areas of Shandong Province, including the establishment of diverse commercial enterprises.

Eat:
The Beer Street is very famous in Qingdao. It is located in the Dengzhoulu Street ( close to the Tsingtao Brewery). This street is not a broad one but you can find lots of good restaurants and bars here. I recommend the Meidaer Barbecue. Lots of people like this restaurant. The price is reasonable and the service here is not bad. You can find the unique plasmogen beer here ( only 30 rmb for a mug of beer ). The Tsingtao Brewery provides fresh plasmogen beer to the restaurants in this Beer Street every day and this is why the beer you can get here tastes so good. (good info for your China vacations)

See:
(1). The Eight critical junction (Badaguan) of Qingdao was built by the German and you can find all kinds of architectures here: Russian, German, Japanese, etc.
Eight critical junction ( Badaguan ) fine scenery, attracted the numerous new people to come here to photograph the nuptial dress to illuminate, the blue tree, the sand beach, the villa, the beautiful woman, formed a nice contrast, too beautiful to behold, caused that the pedestrian poured the foot in abundance.
There are many famous villas here but now the only one villa open to the travellers is the Huashilou (flower and stone villa). The cost is 5 rmb. You can see the beautiful beach and sea from this place. To get here, you can take the Line 15, 26, 202, 228 city buses (helpful info for your China vacations).

(2). Qingdao Beer Museum: It is a very interesting place in Qingdao. You can take the Line 15 city bus here. The cost is 50 rmb. Why so expensive? Because you can have free beers in it,   In this museum, you can see lots of pictures about the history and producton of the Tsingtao beer. I like the old TV advertisements here. In one advertisement, it said that the Tsingtao beer can cure the beriberi.

Some tips for your Qingdao travel:
(1). Qingdao is a city near the mountain and you will not find many people riding bikes ( like other cities in China) here. The public transportation systems are very convinient in Qingdao. Not like other crowded Chinese cities, it is easy to find seats in the Qingdao’s city buses (costs only 1 rmb for one person).

(2). The flag-fall price of the taxicab here is 7 rmb and you will need to pay 1.2 rmb for every kilometer.

(3). A Qingdao map can be very helpful for you. (especailly for the first time travellers to Qingdao)

Copyright belongs to Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM .  You can find more information about china vacations, lhasa travel guide and travel tips from our web site.
NOTE: Permission is granted by the copyright owner to disseminate this article in whole or in part provided credit is given to the author (with a link to the article’s source URL Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM ) and this NOTE is not removed.

A visit to china is like a visit to another world. China has different culture, food and people. It is necessary with some paperwork before you enter the country, among other things you need to apply for a visa. This are some of the reasons why you need some China travel tips before you go visit this vast and beautiful country.

When you are planning your trip to China there are some things you should take care of. Here is a list with the most important things;

* Ensure that you have all necessary paper-documents, you need this in order to entry the country. A Chinese visa you could get at a Chinese embassy in your country, some travel agencies may also be able to arrange this for you.

* For group travel, your travel agency will help you get a group tourist visa, which is acceptable for entry into the country.

* Travel insurance is also recommended to buy even though it is not absolutely necessary.

* Make sure that you bring small amounts of the local currency, named Yuan, and American dollars. American dollars is good to have in case of emergency. Keep the American dollars in your socks or shoes.

* Undergo all requisite immunizations.

* Learn the geography and the different time-zones.

* Memorize the location to one of the embassies that belongs to your country.

Before you leave home, brush up on the country declarations. There are certain rules about what you can bring into the country that may limit you on certain items, especially electronics like cameras, camcorders, laptops and more. Items like these will need to be declared in customs upon entrance to the country.

China has a very large land-areal, it is one of the largest countries in the world, because of this the climate is very different across the country. Some places it can be snow while it is summer and sun in others. A good tips is to choose the time of travel carefully.

The best times to arrive are in May, September and October. Although the country can be visited year-round, these three months are the most comfortable weather wise but you might find some great travel deals in the winter months.

A good advice is not to try to cover all the great tourist-attractions in one trip, the country is simply way to big. Your best bet would be to identify a few areas that you want to explore and then try to plan your itinerary based on these places.

Some nice places to visit may be;

* The great wall of China

* Hainan island

* Beijing

* Yangtze river

* Shanghai

These places are awesome and it is highly recommendable that you visit them, even though it is a great distance between some of them. You can get to them by take the train, bus or plane. I would recommend to take the plane because China is very large country and you don’t want to spend all of your vacation on a bus or train, even though bus and train are a cheap way of travel in China.

Be prepared and you will do fine in China. Have a nice trip.

This article is about the China vacations and you can find some useful information in it if you are planning your China vacations now.

Beijing Botanical Garden is a very good choice for your China vacations.

Office hours: 7:00 – 17:00 (Outdoor Gardens), 8:30 – 16:30 (Wofosi temple), 8:30 – 16:30 (Cao’s Memorial), 8:30 – 16:30 (Conservatory).

Ticket price: 5 rmb for the entrance of the Beijing Botanical Garden (you can get 50% off if you can show them your student ID), 5 rmb for Wofosi temple, 10 rmb for the Cao’s Memorial, 50 rmb for the Conservatory (50% off for the student), 5 rmb for the battery bicycle.

To get here:

(1). You can take the city bus (Line 331, 634, 696, Yuntong 112 ) to the bus station named “Wofosi Temple” or “Beijing Zhiwuyuan”. Line 360, 318, 714, 698 city bus to the bus station named “Zhiwuyuan”.

(2). Take the Line 1 subway to the “Pingguoyuan” station, then transfer to the Line 318 city bus. (info for your China vacations and travel)

(3). Take the Line 2 subway to the “Xizhimen” station, then transfer to the Line 634 city bus (from the D exit of the subway).

(4). From the Beijing West Railway Station: Take the Line 374 or 437 city bus to the “Gongzhufen” station, then transfer to the Line 698 city bus.

Some tips for you:

(1). If you are planning to visit the Beijing Botanical Garden in the morning, you’d better leave your home in the early morning no matter you drive your car or take the bus. You will probably meet the traffic jam if you leave your home at 9 am or 10 am.
 
(2). To visit the Beijing Botanical Garden at 3 pm or 4 pm is not a bad choice. The garden is still very beautiful at this time and it will not be very crowded like the  morning. The traffic of Beijing is also in a better condition during this period of time.(info for your China vacations and tours)

(3). The Beijing Botanical Garden is very big but there are no good restaurants in it. You can bring your own food here if you want. (like chocolate, cookie, etc)

(4). In my point of view, the most attractive places of this botanical garden is: China rose garden, music fountain, Cherry Valley. The Tropical Conservatory is very beautiful too, but you will need to pay an extra 50 rmb for it.

About the Tropical Conservatory in the Beijing Botanical Garden:

The Tropical Conservatory was located in the center of Beijing Botanical Garden. It started on March 28, 1998 and was open to public on January 1, 2000. It was ranked as one of the Ten Buildings of Beijing in the 1990s, and with an area of 9,800 square meters, it stands as the largest exhibition conservatory in Asia.(info for your China vacations and China trip) It also boasts the country’s advanced facilities. The conservatory is divided into four display areas, including the tropical rainforest area, the cacti and succulents area, the orchids, bromeliads & carnivorous plant garden and the four-season garden. Totally more than 3100 taxa of tropical and subtropical plants grow in these areas, which makes the conservatory an important site for people to know more about plant science and nature, and for scientists and researchers to conserve plant resources and conduct research.

Copyright belongs to Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM .  You can find more information about china vacations, lhasa travel guide and travel tips from our web site.
NOTE: Permission is granted by the copyright owner to disseminate this article in whole or in part provided credit is given to the author (with a link to the article’s source URL Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM ) and this NOTE is not removed.

China is set to register the world’s largest online population in 2008, according to a recent survey by the China Internet Network Information Center. With 73 million new net users in 2007, taking the total pool to 210 million, China is only 5 million Internet users behind the US, which leads the world in terms of connectivity. And there’s room for growth, as China’s current Internet penetration ratio of 16 percent is well below the world average of 19.1 percent.

China News

Golden Down – Previously one of China’s “Golden Week” national public holiday periods, the May Day break is no more. New regulations have reduced the holiday from three days to one day, while four traditional Chinese festivals – Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Lunar New Year’s Eve – have become one-day national holidays. In addition, the fairer sex are now also permitted a half-day public holiday on International Women’s Day (March 8), children younger than 14 can take a break on Children’s Day (June 1), and active-duty soldiers get a half-day off on August 1. Tough luck if you’re a male office worker over the age of 14.

A Bicycle Built For Two – The Beijing government is pedaling pretty fast to encourage locals to forget the car and get back on a bike. In recent months, a number of new bike hire ventures have started appearing all over town. Located in the vicinity of subway stations and shopping precincts, the bike stations allow patrons to pay a deposit, pick up a bike, and drop it off at one of dozens of other bike stations when done.

Tourism Trillions

For the first time ever, China’s tourism revenue broke the one trillion mark in 2007, reaching RMB1.09 trillion (US$137.92 billion), according to the China National Tourism Administration. The number of inbound travelers topped 132 million, up 5.5 percent on 2006 figures, and over 54 million people stayed overnight, up 9.6 percent. The influx created an estimated 500,000 job opportunities in the tourism sector.

Olympic Update

Beijing’s National Aquatics Centre, a.k.a. the Water Cube, was officially unveiled on January 28 and an Olympic test event in the facility will be staged on February 5. Taking four years to build, the US$130 million building is comprised of a series of blue membranes, creating a distinctive “double bubble” appearance. Come August 2008, over 42 gold medals will be given away inside the Centre, which houses 6,000 permanent and 11,000 temporary seats for spectators.

The Beijing Capital Airport Express Line – the express rail line connecting Beijing with its airport – will begin test runs on April 1 and is due to be fully operational by July 1. Extending from the central transportation hub of Dongzhimen to Beijing Capital Airport, stopping at Sanyuanqiao Station, Airport Terminal T3 Station, and Terminal T2 Station, the 28.1-kilometer (17.4-mile) line will soar above the traffic, whipping passengers to the airport in a speedy 17 minutes. Needless to say, taxi drivers are not happy that their most lucrative route may be compromised.

The Beijing Olympic Village – apartments for 205 athlete delegations – is preparing for a July opening. Located less than three kilometers (1.86 miles) from the Bird’s Nest, the village is also equipped with indoor fitness and training centers, a jogging path, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, recreational facilities such as Internet cafes, games and DVD rooms, worship and meditation rooms, and a comprehensive outpatient clinic providing emergency and doping detection services.

Protecting Its Young – The Forbidden City and Great Wall are, like, sooo yesterday. The Beijing Municipal Government recently announced that it’s now focusing on the protection of modern architectural monoliths previously overlooked in favor of ancient historical structures. A total of 188 buildings built within the past 160 years are to be given government protection, including the 50-year-old Great Hall of the People, schools built by missionaries in the 19th century; and the city’s first water works.

New Restaurant And Bars In China

A Gourmet Revolution – A chic new warehouse space – 1949 – The Hidden City – will open this Spring in Beijing. The 6,000-square-meter (64,590-square-feet) space features Gallery 49, showcasing modern art, as well as seven restaurants and bars. Located in a glass house, Sugar Bar is dedicated to coffee and chocolate sweet things; Duck de Chine is an innovative duck restaurant with an exclusive Bollinger Champagne Bar; 1/5taverna has digs in a rustic warehouse and features a made-to-share menu and live mariachi music; Noodle Bar dishes up fresh noodles in a contemporary setting; 1/5 is a chill-out lounge, situated in a loft space; for the summer months, outdoor Well Bar serves ice cold beer around an abandoned well; and Club 49 is a private club devoted to good food, good wine, and good art.

Global Sounds – A nightclub partnership between Hong Kong’s Love Da Records and local DJs, Globe Music Bank is the newest mega-club to grace the nightlife scene in Guangzhou. Spread over four different rooms, the club debuted in January with sounds from legendary DJ Meat Katie, alongside wild pyrotechnic displays and bar antics that put Tom Cruise to shame.

In Da House – Throwing open its doors in Shanghai just before Christmas, the sleek, sexy Hamilton House is located in a 1930s art deco building, featuring high ceilings, quirky loveseats and art deco knickknacks above the bar. Within spitting distance of the Bund, the restaurant dishes up modern international cuisine, and some of the best desserts around.

Not A Silly Sausage – The cold weather may be over for now, but the comfort food has just begun. A newcomer in 2008, the German Sausage Corner in Suzhou sells (you guessed it) German sausages, beer and not too much else. The succulent Bratwurst and Currywurst platters are a treat with a freshly brewed beer in the cozy restaurant, tucked down Bar Street.

For Sure Faurs Chou – The newest gallery on Beijing’s Dashanzi 798 Art District block, Faurschou, is the brainchild of notable Danish collectors Luise and Jens Faurschou, who opened their acclaimed Galleri Faurschou in Copenhagen in 1986. Their 1,000-square-meter (10,765-square-feet) space in Beijing is dedicated to showcasing the best in modern international art to the Chinese community, with an opening exhibition from renowned American artist Robert Rauschenberg and planned shows from the likes of Michael Kvium, Andy Warhol and even Pablo Picasso.

Upcoming China Events

It Really Is a Great Wall – To be run on May 17 this year, the Great Wall Marathon is regarded as one of the most extraordinary races in the world. Held on a spectacular section in Tianjin of China’s most famous landmark, the marathon is for the truly hardy. It includes 3,700 steps, many of which are irregularly shaped or spaced; exhausting ascents; slippery stones; and unfinished paths.

Ghostly – Also known as Tomb Sweeping or Ghost Festival, Qingming is a traditional Chinese holiday marked to remember and honor ancestors by visiting their graves with family, offering food, wine, tea, chopsticks and incense. Falling on April 4 in 2008, the festival is also considered a good time to make a fresh start – it’s a popular time for first dates, and sees fallen-out friends and relatives mend bridges.

Midi Me – From humble roots, the Midi Music Festival has grown the biggest outdoor music festival in China, held over four days in Beijing every May (May 1 to 4, 2008). The festival attracts an eclectic mix of local and international bands – from folk, rock, punk and metal to electronica and even a spot of rap – and a crowd just as diverse. This year will see one stage sponsored by Sutasi, which has promised to up the international cred of the festival and bring out a couple of big name bands.