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Archive for August, 2010

Las Vegas Vacation An Odd Hybrid Between The Adult And Childs Playground

A Las Vegas vacation can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people from a booze and gamblingfilled party to a nice vacation away from home with the kids some people even combine these two vibes in one vacation. The Las Vegas vacation industry really boomed in the late 60s and early 70s when Las Vegas invented its image as a playground for adults full of glitzy casinos extravagant shows and bars that were open night and day. In this Vegas you could catch a show gamble all night throw back a whiskey sour with breakfast at 8am and go to sleep for a few hours before doing it all over again.

In the early 90s the Las Vegas vacation became something completely different. With the introduction of attractions like New York New Yorks roller coaster and MGM Grands childfriendly environment the Las Vegas casinos began to attract families who were traveling together. Casino owners realized they could attract the allnight gamblers and high rollers while catering to a completely new crowd the families who brought their own money to play in the Las Vegas sands. Kidfriendly shows restaurants and attractions popped up everywhere and many casinos also offered child play areas so mom and dad could still go off to drink and gamble.

Now Las Vegas vacations represent an odd hybrid between the adult and childs playground. Roller coasters rumble over casino floors where slot machines ping and whiz and roulette wheels clatter. Thanks to the legalization of prostitution in Vegas advertisements for escort agencies litter the sidewalks and ads for topless shows are displayed on taxi cabs next to ads for Sponge Bob Square Pants. Though the strip has reinvented its image as a familyfriendly location the adultplayground feeling still persists. You can still find more highend restaurants and nightclubs that just about any other small area in the U.S. and money and champagne still flow freely.

Though adults and young children alike can enjoy a Las Vegas vacation the environment is a little tougher for teenagers. Since those under 21 cant drink nor can they gamble most of the adultorientated attractions in Vegas are offlimits to them. Likewise older teenagers probably arent very interested in the arcades or the roller coasters that their younger siblings are so excited about. Though some nightclubs arent 21 most of them are leaving older teens with little entertainment. If youre a family with a few teenagers another location may be better as vacationing with older teens in Vegas may entice them to try out more adult forms of entertainment.

About the writer:  Muna wa Wanjiru is a web administrator and has been researching and reporting on Internet Marketing for years. For more information on Las Vegas vacation visit his site at Las Vegas vacation

Laos Old Kingdom Past And Present

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Mist shrouded mountains surround the village in the morning a slight chill is in the air. During the day temperatures reach to the 40 C centigrade. I sip a cup of “Lao” coffee and enter a second.

The French left their legacies in form of “Cafe aux lait” milk coffee and an added surprise baguette French white bread for those who are unfamiliar with the word.

Sitting on the Veranda I order a Vegan baguette it comes with a variety of garden fresh vegetables. Amazingly good served by the proprietress of the guesthouse I live the hearty smile adds to the beauty of the morning.

The sun rises with it comes the heat. The jungle surrounding us is now steaming. I rent a bike for the day and set off to my discovered place “MY” private jungle pool a few miles from where I lodge.

A cave that was discovered long ago a Buddhist temple adjacent; the hermit Buddhist monk who passed away years ago his skull has been placed into the cave for those who want to admire it.

A small paradise in a foreign land amidst of lush tropical foliage. The daily plunge becomes a ritual an experience that leaves me refreshed and invigorated. My thoughts wander to Hungary Budapest where I Spa in a five star property. In stark contrast to the daily underwater massages the mud packages the Bio Sauna here I have it all and for nothing. I would not exchange with Acapulco nor with Biarritz at this moment.

Tiny fish swim curiously around me the bottom is a few meters deep and I set out to explore the cave underground. Deep from inside the mountain the spring has its beginning and rushes out in powerful force. Difficult to overcome its current swimming against is difficult. I manage into the dark unknown cave grabbing on the rocks that protrude from the side.

Not being exactly a cave explorer I return when it gets darker. You never know what you may encounter here.

Many years in Africa have taught me many lessons and one them is not to take unnecessary risks. Challenging nature is unwise in any form. I enjoy the sight and return to my fishes companions who are playing in the current.

I could stay the whole day here enjoying the wonder of god’s creation for it is nothing less than a wonder. So I lay back float in the pool till lunch time. I notice by then that my body temperature must have dropped significantly. I step out finally sit on a wooden bench nearby the cave and drench myself in the sun.

I cycle back through rice paddies the farmers waving friendly towards me standing knee high in the paddies. Water buffalos plough the fields a unforgettable scene.

In another episode : Laos with its many surprises ….

About the writer:  visit Heinz’s work and travels

Kham East Tibet

The news was shocking!

The ticket agent at the Shangrila bus terminal in Zhongdian Yunnan province was happy to tell me over and over in both Chinese and English that yes foreigners can now travel east through the Tibet Autonomous Region to Lhasa overland and without a permit! I really couldnt believe what I was hearing but rather than falling down in rapture I agonized over taking advantage of this new policy or continuing as planned on my alreadypaidfor governmentauthorized oneweek tour across Kham to Lhasa. Ultimately it would have been silly for me not to choose the latter.

The decadeold Land Cruiser was in surprisingly good condition having driven through Tibet 99 times. We set out through northern Yunnan to the crags of Feilaisi finding ourselves at a dizzying 4000 meters above sea level and nauseously breathless to stay overnight at a roadside pilgrimage site of sunbleached chortens windtattered prayer flags and a stunning view of Mingyong Glacier.

Bright a light so bright it was hard to believe and early the next morning we continued into undulating hills. Vistas of incomparable beauty revealed themselves with each bend. The forest was a tapestry of earthy shades in orange purple browns and greens both light and dark. With the iridescent blue sky and cottony white clouds above us we traced perilous dirt switchbacks whose collapsing shoulders threatened to toss us hundreds of meters below into the Mekong River; it looked peaceful enough from above its banks and farmland dotted with eyecatching whitewashed adobe homes that seemed to beckon us into Tibet.

Xizang! our driver called out. In fact we had been in Tibet for half a day but how could we know without having crossed any sort of border or being stopped by officials asking to see our papers? We had to remind ourselves that entering Eastern Tibet was now a permitless process and all the checkpoints on our maps and guidebooks were recently abandoned. We celebrated our unbeknownst entry into the TAR Tibetan Autonomous Region by spending the day in the small dusty city of Markham. Winding down from its weekend market the city was brimming with the splendor of the traditional Khampas population: goldenskinned women with their long striped dresses and colorful plaits and largesized men with lengthy braided hair woven with red Chamdo tassels and a solid jade hoop. We were greeted by dozens of redcheeked runnynosed children dancing around us. My European traveling companions were constantly surrounded by a crowd of curious adults who took turns running their fingers along the thick blonde leg hairs then letting out a collective fascinated murmur.

Traveling through Eastern Tibet can be compared with experiencing the four seasons in just a matter of days. While we started with clear skies and venerable forests the next morning took us into icy tundra. Ascending 99 bends into the Hengduan Range the mountains seemed to freeze over before our eyes. At 5008 meters we reached the highest altitude of our trip.

At the bleak Dongdola pass we encountered a settlement of nomadic shepherds drokpas living in black tents while herds of emaciated yakcows grazed the surrounding frozen pastures. These gentle people of an inhospitable land were dressed in simple handwoven attire but they were extravagantly accessorized in coral turquoise and silver jewelry. These shepherds had seen few white faces in their lifetime. One drokpa family had yet to see a digital camera and they were mesmerized by the sight of their own images on the LCD screen.

At Pomda a noisepolluted junction of logging trucks and tractors we met a bunch of international backpackers and hardcore cyclists sitting at the literal crossroads that connects the northern route of the busy SichuanTibet highway with the lesstraveled southern roads. From there our journey took us through and down into verdant terraced hamlets and patchwork plots of land fed by snow springs over the Salween River to the unbelievably mintblue twin lakes of Rawoktso. Dodging Khams morning traffic of goats lamb and yakcows yes crossbred we pressed on along the boulderstrewn road of the Sundzom Valley past the Parlung Tsangpo white water rapids and old avalanches of frozen snow to Tongmei where we encountered our first real obstacle.

Rumors had been circulating amongst the backpackers wed been meeting on the road about a downed bridge at the Brahmaputra and Parlung Tsangpo convergence which would prevent anyone from continuing on to Lhasa. It turned out the bridge was fine but a landslide on the other side had literally wiped the road off the sheermountain face. Anyone wanting to continue on had to either nimbly navigate a narrow footpath or wait a week or longer.

So it was here that we said goodbye to our Land Cruiser and crossed the bridge to meet another driver. The organizer of our trip told us via cellphone from his cozy office in Kunming that the new driver would be waiting just a short walk from the landslide. It turned out to be an arduous fourhour hike up a treacherous mountain path above the Rongchu gorge in the dark of night under the pouring rain of Tibets monsoon season. We braved the muddy slopes deftly crossing washouts and literally dodging falling rocks from above before finally arriving at a construction workers tent made from a giant nylon bag. The Israeli and British backpackers decided to stay while my companions and I trekked onward in search of our new driver.

With our new vehicle and driver we headed onwards toward Lhasa. Passing vivid fields of yellow youcai flowers we arrived at the famous Draksumtso an azure lake and lush Alpine forest which would have been breathtaking had it not been for the sea of baseball capwearing tour groups the isolated beauty of Eastern Tibet was behind us.

About the writer:  TOM CARTER is the author of ‘CHINA: Portrait of a People’ a definitive 600page book of photography due out winter 2007 from Hong Kong publisher Blacksmith Books.