1) A passport, valid for at least 3 month after your visit to China and the necessary visa or permits if you are traveling with our program. The visa should be approved prior to entering China and a permit for Tibet must be obtained 15 days before entering Tibet. If you only plan to travel and stay in Hong Kong you are exempt from applying for a China visa.
2) Most people only need to apply for a single -entry visa, which is usually valid for 3 months after the issuing date and will permit you to stay in China for a maximum of 30 days.
3) You need permits to go to Tibet. If you only go to Lhasa, a Tibet permit will be sufficient but, if you want to go further to the “unopened” areas, you also need an Alien’s travel permit issued by the PSB of Tibet.
4) If you are to travel to Tibet, you are required to provide a doctor’s certificate stating that you are fit to travel and your blood pressure and heart condition are normal in case that the very high altitude have the possible effects on you.
5) We suggest you take your medical record with you in case that you need it in the event of an emergency, and please also take with you your doctor’s name, address and phone number, emergency contact name and phone number, and your insurance company’s name, address and phone number.
Written by Travel News on November 5th, 2009 with no comments.
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Yes. At China Odyssey Tours, our quotation is based on the size of the group, which can be divided into four categories as: 1 person, 2-5 persons, 6-9 persons, 10 or over 10 persons, the more people in your group, the more discounts can you have.
So it is always a good idea to invite your family members or close friends to travel together to save on per-person spending.
Written by Travel News on November 5th, 2009 with no comments.
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Today marks the 70th anniversary of the first retirement under the Social Security pension system. It was a woman named Ida May Fuller, and she filed her claim in Rutland, Vermont. She got her first check a few months later, for $22.54.
The new system worked out pretty well for Ida May. According to this source, she worked only three years under Social Security and paid only $24.75 into the system, but she lived to be 100 and wound up collecting $22,888.92 by the time she passed away. [Via Jim Maule.]
Written by Travel News on November 5th, 2009 with no comments.
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Oregon Health and Sciences University may be falling apart financially — it suddenly lost another chief financial officer on Friday, just as we were all drifting off into a weekend-long, sports- and holiday-induced coma — but at least some of the docs are still doing great stuff. Check out this fellow. I’m not being sarcastic — his is a cool story, indeed. There’s even an internet chat room angle.
Written by Travel News on November 5th, 2009 with no comments.
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Ah – the glory days of travel: excitement, romance and luxury. The first time I stepped onto a plane, the experience was alluring. Seating felt roomy (I was young), there was food on little trays, and the cabin crew visibly loved their jobs – or put on a good show of doing so. Not any more. Here are three (plus one) things that take the shine off air travel.
Mealtime Woes
On most flights these days, you don’t get a meal unless you are flying long haul. Perhaps that’s good for our waistlines in a more health conscious era, but there are some flights where you could do with a bit of sustenance. I’ve spent a lot of time on AA flights this year. Sure there are food choices available, but the range of sandwiches, cheese and crackers, chips and cookies available is not exactly inspiring. As a semi-vegetarian, I’d love to have more choice on board. Since it’s not there, I have to prowl the airport looking for something decent or starve. Let’s not talk about the prices – this is a money spinner, pure and simple, and it increases the feeling that you’ve been had.
Paying For Booking Seats
So far, for me at least, AA has been in the clear on this one, but others are not so great. On many of the budget European airlines you can’t pre-book seats at all. Those that do allow it want to charge you for the ‘inconvenience’. Last I heard, you needed a seat to fly, so why should you have to pay extra? It’s not as though you are getting any extra comfort – it’s still what the British call cattle class – economy to us. Economy?! It’s the airlines who are raking it in from this move.
Paying For Carrying Bags – Or Not
How are you to travel without a suitcase? While there are times when it’s best to travel light (a good packing list will help with this), if you’re traveling for more than a few days, you need a suitcase. This year I’ve noticed many airlines changing their rules on bags. On some domestic flights you pay for an extra bag, while on some European budget airlines, they charge you both for checking a bag and for not checking one – having their cake and eating it too. That is soooo unfair, as my six year old would say.
Bonus – Too Much Reality
I’ve been lucky enough to get seats with extra legroom on the last couple of flights. That means I’m near the jump seats the crew members use for takeoff and landing. I can tell by the way they talk that these seats are their living room, and they behave as if no one can hear them. There’s lots of bitching and moaning about other crew members, some passengers and the tours they are assigned. It’s a bit too much like being a part of a reality show for me.
With these trends and others, travel just isn’t what it used to be. I still love the excitement of seeing a new place, but flying has lost its allure for me. I feel like part of a herd – and that’s not a good way to start a trip. What are your pet peeves about travel?
Written by Travel News on November 5th, 2009 with no comments.
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No matter where you go in the world, you can see people tapping away on a Blackberry. It’s fair to say it’s taken the business world by storm (yes, the pun IS intended). In the past we have looked at iPhone applications for travelers. Now it’s the turn of the Blackberry. Here are the best free Blackberry apps for travelers.
10. Flight and Hotel Travel Search by Kayak
Search Kayak.com for deals on hotels and flights. You can also check flight status, useful if you’re on the move.
9. Tube Buddy
Traveling in London? Tube Buddy gives live departure boards for tube lines and Underground and DLR service updates.
8. SimulTravel GPS
This is a quick way to find a hotel while you’re traveling. You can even find out if the hotel down the street is a better deal than the one you are staying in.
7. OpenTable
Make free restaurant reservations at over 10,000 restaurants in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom, and earn reward points while you do it.
6. HRS Hotel Organizer
This is a great way to find out about available hotels, their location and facilities. Book anyone of 250,000 hotels around the world from your Blackberry, even if it’s a last minute reservation.
5. The FastPages
This may be one of the quickest ways to get information, with thousands of mobile websites and touch-to-dial phone numbers instantly available.
4. Interlecta Translator
Translate the text you enter on screen and send it as an email or text message. Translate email as it comes in. Interlecta integrates machine translation by adding a ‘translate’ option to menus.
3. WorldMate Live
WorldMate Live integrates a range of travel options, including creating an itinerary, navigation, calendar sync, local search, hotel bookings, currency conversion and world clocks. Paid membership has additional features.
2. Navita Translator
This translation app supports 52 languages and is compatible with all BlackBerry smartphones. Translation is available for words and phrases in emails, SMS or when you type.
1. Trapster
Find out where the speed traps, red light cameras, and speed cameras are without having to communicate with CB radios and flashing headlights.
Find more useful BlackBerry apps on BlackBerry World.
Written by Travel News on November 5th, 2009 with no comments.
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Start packing your swimsuits and sunglasses, and head to the Caribbean this
winter! BA has launched several new flights to the Caribbean this season, bringing their total number of flights to the region up to 45 flights every week. The new flights will be between
London Gatwick and Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic (both known for their sun-drenched beaches). These new routes mean that
British Airways currently
offer more flights to the Caribbean than any other UK carrier.
So if your summer tan is fast fading away and you’re languishing under layers of knitted jumpers, maybe it’s time to ask the boss nicely for a week or two off. After all, lounging about on the golden sands of a beach in St. Kitts, rum-based cocktail in hand, will surely help recharge your batteries in no time. Just tell your boss you’re trying to boost your productivity. If St Kitts or Montego Bay isn’t your scene, BA also offers flights to Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, and St. Lucia. Just open up a map of the Caribbean, close your eyes point, and BA will take you there.
And don’t forget to pack your sunscreen!
(Photo: travelmodule.csiadmin.co.uk)
Written by Travel News on November 5th, 2009 with no comments.
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A wee bit of Scotland can be found in central Texas each year in Salado, and whether you are searching for your ancestors in a genealogy workshop or simply savoring the event’s sights and sounds, the three-day gathering is one Highland fling that will never be forgotten.
Events
The rhythm of Scottish drums and blare of pipes are sounds that stir the blood during a competition of musical mastery, while performers prancing to the steps of the Seann Triubhas, the Sword dance and the Pas de Basques tap out the heartbeat of the Highlands during the dance competition.
In a battle of brawn, find out who will be the king of the clans in a tug-o-war, and cheer on the kilt-clad contestants aiming to win first prize in the athletic games, which include the weight toss and weight throw, tossing the sheaf the hammer throw, the stone toss and tossing the caber.
Passersby intrigued by the intoxicating aroma of Scottish shortbread can head to the Clan Tent area for the start of a culinary contest, then stay for the day’s quirkiest competition, the bonniest knees contest.
In the evening, a Texas Tattoo says farewell to the setting sun on College Hill, then head to the Longhorn Room for a Texas-style Scottish soiree– a ceilidh.
Shopping
Find a Scottish souvenir of your stay in Salado among the vendor booths in the clan tents and at the Wee Scots Shop next to the Central Texas Area museum.
When: November 13 – 15, 2009 (the grounds for the games are not officially opened until November 14th.)
Where: Salado Civic Center in Salado.
For more information:
Written by Travel News on November 5th, 2009 with no comments.
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I was 10 and living in suburban America when the Berlin wall fell. I remember learning about it in school and not quite understanding what it was all about. The Wall made another brief appearance during an undergraduate European history course (I understood it better that time around) and I began to appreciate the symbolism of this massive barrier. However, until I stood at the foot of one of the last remaining stretches of wall in Berlin, I had never fully pondered the impact of this structure on the people who lived in the city.
As I looked up at the relatively low wall (9 feet, 11 feet with the 2 feet of barbed wire that ran along the top of the wall – I had always imagined it to be higher), I wondered what it would be like to wake up one morning and not be able to see those I cared most about, to know that the landscape of my city had drastically changed, and that my home city may never be the same again.
The border was sealed off along Bernauer Strasse on August 13, 1961, causing a drastic shift in the daily lives of those living on this street. Residents of Prenzlauer Berg could no longer travel freely through their own neighborhood. Even worse, neighbors, friends, and relatives were separated from one another. The house across the street was suddenly part of a different political paradigm.
Due to the geographical placement of their homes, the people of Bernauer Strasse became directly implicated in this important period in post-war German history. Out of desperation and panic, people jumped out of the windows of apartments along Bernauer Strasse. Though some were successful in making it to West Berlin, many lost their lives.
The section of the former border strip running from Behmstrasse to Bernauer Strasse is now known as Mauer (“wall”) Park. In addition, you can see various fragments of the wall from Behmstrasse along Norwegerstrasse in the direction of Bornholmer Strasse or from Eberswalder Strasse along Bernauer Strasse. Along Bernauer Strasse, there is an informational wall 
(called a “street gallery”) with photos, testimonials and descriptions of experiences associated with the wall.
Another part of the memorial is the The Berlin Wall Documentation Center, located on Bernauer Strasse. It is home to a wide variety of exhibits, archival information, and opportunities to explore the history of the Berlin Wall. The center also hosts seminars on politics and other events throughout the year. It is open Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (March to November: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.).
S-Bahn station Nordbahnhof (S1, S2), U-Bahn station Bernauer Strasse (U8), Bus 245
Related posts:
- Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall …
Related posts:
- Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall …
Written by Travel News on November 4th, 2009 with no comments.
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The Ardèche Gorge, the largest natural canyon in Europe, angles through southern France, northwest of Avignon. Its craggy limestone cliffs rise as high as 1,000 feet. The Ardèche River begins in the massif central, cuts through the gorge and crosses the plateau to flow into the Rhone.
The best-known landmark of the gorge is Vallon Pont d’Arc, a huge natural bridge arching far above the river. A pleasant way to spend part of a day is to rent kayaks and paddle along the river to the awe-inspiring bridge, perhaps stopping at a beach along the way for a picnic. Shortly after passing under the bridge you can come ashore, where the kayak rental company will meet you with transportation back to your car. Being on the water allows for an intimacy with the place that tourists who only watch from high on the cliff never experience.
Millennia ago, prehistoric people may have floated the river too, in hand-carved boats. You can see remnants of their lives on the plateau above the river, where standing stones remain, the dolmens and menhirs that had deep meaning in ancient times. In caves dotting the cliffs, arrowheads and knives are often found and, in some, paintings from Paleolithic times.
Along the cliff road are signs to the grottes (caves) or avens (deep holes). The most famous by far is Grotte Chauvet, near the Pont d’Arc. Discovered in 1994, its walls have more than 300 designs painted and engraved some 30,000 years ago. There are rhinoceroses, lions, bears, owls, mammoths and more, all beautifully rendered and in amazing perspective. The Chauvet works are the oldest found in the world so far.
The cave is closed to the public, but there’s an excellent exhibit in the nearby village of Vallon Pont d’Arc, open from mid-March to mid-November. It shows cave painting replicas and much more. There are artifacts from archeological finds, a reconstruction of a prehistoric dwelling, and full-size animal reproductions. At the end, there’s a movie that shows more about Chauvet Cave.
Quite different is Grottes de St-Marcel d’Ardèche, which is open to visitors. Walking down the long main passageway, you come to an array of beautiful rimstone pools, perhaps a hundred of them. Continuing through this enchanting place, you arrive at the last chamber, full of stalactites, stalagmites and other mineral formations. Classical music and lighting add to the effect.
L’Aven Grotte de la Forestiére, discovered in 1966, is open April to September. The cave has several levels, formed at different time periods. Near the surface are roots from trees that grew into the cave for its water. On a lower level, hundreds of animal bones were found, some from animals now extinct. In one 
chamber, the animals and fish that once lived here adapted to the dark environment and were eyeless and colorless.
The Grotte de la Madeleine contains beautiful and irregular formations set off by special lighting. This cave, set into the side of the cliff, can be reached from the river or from the plateau above. There’s a gift shop, snack shop, and a viewpoint overlooking the gorge.
Aven de Marzal was investigated in 1892 but left and forgotten until 1949, and now is open for guided tours daily between April and October. It has numerous stalactites, stalagmites, cauldrons and multi-colored crystals. A museum shows the equipment used for early explorations. There’s also a “”zoo” with life-sized models of prehistoric animals.
Finally, there is the splendid Aven d’Orgnac, an enormous cavern filled with strange and eery shapes, all carved by nature over eons. A staircase and pathway descend into the cavern, where lights show off the formations (you return to the top by elevator). It is open year-round.
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Written by Travel News on November 4th, 2009 with no comments.
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