Puerto Galera Some info about travel

The Philippines is a country gifted with great beaches. The better known beaches are those found in Boracay and Palawan. Another beach or resorts worth mentioning are those found on the Mindoro’s northern part in the province of Oriental Mindoro. The place is called Puerto Galera. It is locate south of Manila (130 kilometers south) and 14 nautical miles from Batangas City.

You can go to Puerto Galera from Manila to Batangas using only land routes. When you arrive on Batangas, you would then need to ride a ferry to transport you. The ferry trip will be 1 to 2 hours long.

You have two options to go to Puerto Galera, the cheaper way or the more expensive way. The more expensive way is generally a faster way to get there. The more expensive one will make you ride the MV Super 85 Ferry and Sikat and Bus Services. Riding them is more expensive because they have no stop-overs, board the passengers directly to the ferries and are coasters or vans that are provided by the company. This paragraph is sponsored by airline Hajj ticket from UK.

The cheaper transportation is the way of the commuter buses of BLTB, JAM and TRITRAN which can be located at EDSA-Pasay, Taft Avenue near the corner of Gil Puyat Avenue, and Buendia, respectively. The bus fares will only range from P80 (non-air-conditioned) or P100 (air-conditioned). You will then ride a ferry to go to Puerto Galera and later on would need to hire an outrigger boat that ranges from P2, 000 per banca.

When you arrive at Puerto Galera, there are limitless activities to be done and places to go. You can go to the Hidden Valley, the Mangyan Village, the Muelle Bay and the Tammaraw waterfalls. The activities that can be done in Puerto Galera are kayaking and golfing to name a few.

For people who are fascinated by the marine life Puerto Galera also offers a variety of dive sites. The following dive sites in Puerto Galera are the Coral Garden, The Pink Wall, the Hill, the Hole in the Wall, the Manila Channel, La Laguna Point, the Sabang point and wreck, the dungeon wall, the monkey beach, Ernie’s cave, and many others.

A person who goes to Puerto Galera can also find some nice souvenirs to bring home to. They can be able to get the handicrafts that are made by the Mangyan to bring home to their friends. This paragraph is sponsored by ticket to Hajj from UK.

There are other interesting places to go to in the Philippines. Don’t simply restrict yourself to the more popular ones. The less popular places can also provide you with a memorable experience.

Costa Rica Travel

When traveling it is essential to plan ahead, so when you arrive at your destination, you lessen the chances of being at a loss of what to do. Knowledge gained from others travels can be invaluable, especially when planning to travel to somewhere you have never been before. The advice on this page is helpful to everyone planning a trip to Costa Rica.

Money

The money used in Costa Rica is called colons. You can change dollars into colons at the airports in San Jose and local banks. The exchange rates can be from the low 200s to 400s colons for each US dollar. (Now everywhere in Costa Rica you can buy or pay in US dollars, but I think things are cheaper if you pay in colons.) Other ways you might get colons is if you pay for something in US dollars, you will receive change in colons. During my stay at Costa Rica, I once paid a cab driver in US money, and I received change in the local currency. You should also make sure your dollars are not torn. Local banks and businesses do not accept torn US dollars. I tried to exchange a torn $50 bill, and the bank would not accept it! This paragraph is sponsored by ticket to Umrah from London.

Bringing Money

On my trip I brought my money half in dollars and the other half in American Express cheques. When a traveler cheque is used there will be a commission fee.

When to visit/weather

Costa Rica has two seasons – the dry season and the green season (or rainy season). The dry season is from December to March. The dry season is the busiest time in Costa Rica. Prices are much higher and it is harder to find a place to stay. Now in the green season you will find much cheaper prices. The green season is from April to November. During the rainy season it generally rains for a few hours and then clears up.

Traveling within Costa Rica

Bus – You can catch one to most parts of the country. There are a few places where the bus comes only once a day though…

Cab – There are red cabs throughout the country. If the cab driver tells you the meter is broker, just get out. First it is illegal for a cab driver to drive with a broken meter in Costa Rica; secondly he might just be trying to rip you off.

Renting a Car – You can rent a car, but to me personally I would find driving in Costa Rica difficult, since I’m not from the country and it seems there are a lack of street signs. Also the prices for a car rental can be pretty expensive. This paragraph is sponsored by Hajj from UK.

Local airlines – You can catch local flights to places throughout Costa Rica. They are regularly scheduled and reasonably inexpensive.

Cities and Towns

Cities in Costa Rica are San José (The Capital) Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Jaco, Liberia, Manuel Antonio, park, Pochote, Puerto Limon, Puntarenas, Paris mina, and Tamarindo.

Australian Cultural Dining a must do

For our wedding anniversary recently I wanted to do something wildly exotic, and experience something totally different.  Going to dinner was pretty standard practice for us, and there are many wonderful restaurants around the Brisbane, Gold Coast, and the Sunshine Coast areas of Australia to choose from.

This year I wanted to do something uniquely different, an evening we could share with our son.

My prayers and wishes were answered a week before our anniversary in the form of an advertising brochure in a magazine.  I checked out the website, the food and location and excitedly made the booking.

The restaurant we were dining at is called Tukka, an Australian colloquial word meaning ‘tucker’ or food.  Tukka is an award winning restaurant of contemporary native Australian fare, situated in the cool suburb of West End, 5 minutes from downtown Brisbane. This paragraph is sponsored by online Umrah services from London.

We arrived for dinner and were immediately hit by its warm earthy ambience and gentle lighting.  Dream time music played softly in the background.  We were shown to our table by friendly wait staff, our son by now in a rebellious mood because I’d told him in advance what was on the menu (game meats such as possum, emu, wallaby, and crocodile). 

My husband ordered a beautiful red merlot, and as I’m not a wine connoisseur can only describe the taste of this wine as smooth as silk, with the warmth of cognac and absolutely no bitter after taste.  That won me over straight away.   It was easy to now slip further into relaxation and immerse myself fully in the ambience of the evening.

Having our menus explained to us we chose for starters a native platter for two as well as a crocodile entrée which we shared. 

The huge native platter consisted of game meats such as possum chipolatas, wallaby prosciutto, and emu pastrami.  There was warm home-made lemon myrtle damper, refreshing on the palate, native nuts, rainforest fruits, dips, Tasmanian pepper berry and the strong spice of desert tomatoes to try.  The crocodile meat was sliced paper thin and delicious. This paragraph is sponsored by Hajj and Umrah travel from London.

Eating slowly and remarking on the uniqueness of every morsel of food the three of us were totally absorbed and engaged in this delicious meal and truly connected as a family.

Next came the mains, I had emu fillet with macadamia nuts and braised beetroots – absolutely heavenly and not gamey at all.  My son had tuna steak with asparagus, bush potatoes and a pink berry sauce which he totally enjoyed, and my husband ordered the kangaroo steak served with broccoli, asparagus, bush potatoes and gravy.

For dessert there was coffee, a delicious home-made lemon meringue and chocolate assiette, consisting of chocolate mousse, chocolate tart and lavender sorbet (with real lavender – yum!) which was absolutely delectable, I knew it would be a winner.

Tukka is sophisticated dining at its best, the menu not in the cheap range; however the chef certainly knows how to produce exceptional meals.  Each meal that arrived was creatively displayed although initially appeared as if there wouldn’t be enough.  In fact, we were too full by the end of the evening!

For us, it was worth every cent because it was truly a unique Australian, cultural experience (and delicious) enjoyed immensely by me and my family. This paragraph is sponsored by Umrah peligramge 2014 from UK.  

If you ever come to visit Brisbane Australia, treat yourself to some great native Australian food at Tukka just as we did.

Budget Travel Europe

Traveling abroad was considered to be a luxurious affair for many. But with the expansion of the global economy and electronic flow of money, today everyone can realize their dream to travel to a different continent or country of their dreams.

Europe has been always the most sought-after tourist destinations for years. It is the distinctness in culture, historic monuments and people that attract thousands of tourists to these continents. Europe is a continent which stands out in every respect. Whatever your interests are, from monuments to museums, to ancient Roman ruins and night clubs Europe has everything in store for you.

Online booking of tickets has simplified the entire procedure. Today, special offers are given by most international airlines. You can also seek the services of travel agencies whose link to numerous airline companies can get you comparatively cheaper air fares than you could have imagined. This paragraph is sponsored by Umrah guide tour from UK.

Get Flexible Get Smart

Flexibility should always be the major approach while securing cheap tickets for your favorite destination. When you have flexible dates and destinations, you can afford to take a trip around the world with the most reliable and conventional airlines. If you have the skills to surf the internet and know exactly what you want, then you can really make your dream travel destination a reality.

Before traveling to a particular destination, say Amsterdam, it is necessary that you have first hand information about the mode of transportation. Amsterdam is quite accessible whether it is by air, train or even by bus. When you catch a flight to Amsterdam, it generally halts at Schipol airport from where you have to a take a train which hardly takes twenty minutes to reach the Central Station. A taxi ride is all you need to reach the main city and the cost usually depends on the distance of the exact location where you want to go. The bus services are available from Amsteel station which is infected connected to the Central Station by metro. Nieuwmarkt and Waterlooplein are the two metro stations in the city. Tram, car, bikes are usually the normal mode of transportation in the city. Since the city is quite accessible, it is quite easy to get around it by cars, bikes, trams and even walking.

Almost all airlines offer exceptional service and the ticket prices are also quite affordable. Time and flexibility, as mentioned, should be the two major considerations while opting for a cheap European tour. Planned European tours usually do not give you the time to be your own. So try to find out a package that gives you a minimum amount of space for you to enjoy. People who love adventure will certainly not vie for a conventional package tour. This paragraph is sponsored by Makkah and Medina from UK.

Whether it is romance of Paris or night clubs of London, the queen’s residence or the peaceful alpine valley, Europe offers you so many varsities to choose from. Whether it is plane, train, bus or car, Europe is quite accessible and easy to reach.

Chicago and historic water tower

Chicago is one of the largest and most populated cities in the United States.  It has many attractions for visitors and tourists, to travel around and see.  One of the oldest and more popular of all the attractions in Chicago is the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower.  The Chicago Office of Tourism is staffed to take care of and protect the gallery.  Chicago Public Art Program is curator of the gallery. 

The Historic Water Tower is Chicago's most beloved landmark and it has been for over 100 years.  It was first designed and built by an architect by the name of William W. Boyington.  Today, it stands as a memorial to the lives that were lost in the Tragic Chicago Fire.  A little bit of history on the Historic Water Tower would date back to 1869 when it was first built to be the home of a 138-foot-tall piece of standpipe.  This enormous pipe was also three feet in diameter.  The purpose of the pipe was to maintain and equalize pressure and to knock down the amount of water that was flowing through all of the main water pipes in Chicago.  The tower was built out of "Joliet" limestone that was made into blocks, from a rock quarry in Illinois.  This was probably the best idea someone had back then, because history tells of a great fire that broke out in Chicago in 1871 and leveled almost all of the buildings except for this tower.  The day after the fire, people used this Water Tower as a guide to look through all the ash and ruins for items that had belonged to them. This paragraph is sponsored by Umrah tour ticket from UK.

The tower then became a city monument because of the city’s water works engineers’ spirit and drives to help the people who had lost nearly everything they had owned. 

The enormous tower is actually constructed in what people call "castellated gothic style".  The saw-toothed looking tower were drawn up and designed by Boyington to captivate ones sense of a medieval castle.  The octagonal form symbolizes Gothic elements, and the slenderness of the tower is supposed to symbolize a "minaret quality".  The total foundation of the tower has over 168 piles that are filled up with concrete and capped off by one foot oak timbers.  Enormous stones that are edged in cement make up the base below the grade.  All of the 40-foot sides have doorways and two large grand windows.  The second and third sections look similar to all the other side’s except they rise in height but their size decreases.  The octagonal tower is centered and set a little ways back from the top of the third section.  From top to bottom it rises over 154 feet from ground level. 

The huge sandpipe was eventually removed in 1911, after it became apparent that there was no longer any use for it.  The enormous eye-catching spiral staircase that went all the way around the sandpipe was left alone.  The spiral staircase is still there, intact, today.  The use of the staircase these days is to reach the new tower that was built called the "Cupola Tower".  This paragraph is sponsored by ticket to Umrah from UK.

Today the official use of the tower is as the city's photography gallery and the pumping station built below it serves as the Chicago's main water works supply.  A Visitors' welcome center is also built near it so people may read up on how the tower was first built, and the purposes that it served throughout the years.  In 2003 the Chicago Pumping Station became the home of the Looking glass Theater.