Your Travel Notes

Archive for April, 2011

The Delicious Lipstick Tree

What does cheese shoe polish candy and lipstick have in common?

The lush South American tree Annatto Bixa orellana better known as the Lipstick Tree which is derived from the Achiote trees. It is a native spice to Brazil that turns out to be used for much more its coloring power than for flavoring which is slightly sweet and peppery. The Annatto grows 2 3 metres in height and produces large fragrant flowers with red furry pods and its real surprise inside. Once broken they expose little red seeds that can be crushed to produce a paste of red stain. This natural stain has been used by the South American Indians as decorative body paint and hair dye for many centuries. They collected the pods from the Amazon Rain Forests of Brazil but they have now been found growing in the humid lands of Ecuador. They were not the only ones to find beauty in the special coloring powers as we have added Annatto to our cosmetic lines enhancing lipstick rouge nail polish and hair colors. The dye power in Annatto is so versatile that it can also be used in household products such as furniture polish shoe polish floor polish leather and textiles as well as the dye in foods such as butter margarine cheeses and warehouses filled with candy. This wonderful plant also has medicinal purposes. By using the extract from the Annatto leaves seeds and roots the South American Indians treated diarrhea wounds and asthma.

So the next time you are trekking through the jungles of South America remember the Lipstick Tree and its decorative nature not only beautiful to look at but also beautiful to wear.

About the writer:  Michelle is an avid traveler. To read more tips and information see www.chemuyilproperty.com

Thailand – Dangers And Annoyances

Thailand Dangers and Annoyances

Things dont work too badly in Thailand but they dont work too well either. Visitors who are still in Western impatience mode will get annoyed by the often slow service lack of attention and forgetfulness in all but the top resorts whilst those who have adjusted to the more laidback attitudes here wont let such generally minor inconveniences annoy them too much. The standard of English isnt that high so doing anything slightly unusual for example ordering your club sandwich without tomato can be difficult. Patience is essential.

Thailand is not at all a safetyconscious place: you will see people juggling firesticks next to thatched roofs builders teetering at the tops of wobbly ladders and a motorbike being shared by three people ridden by a minor with no lights on a rainy night and with the driver riding with only one hand whilst he chats on a phone clasped in the other. How these people manage to keep their bikes vertical most of the times is amazing: they shouldnt be on the street they should be in a circus. If however you are tempted to mock or moan then consider that it is precisely this carefree attitude which makes Thais so lovable so its pretty pointless to complain about their laidback attitudes other effects. The biggest danger to your health in Thailand is by far the roads. Especially the motorbikes on which tourists die pretty much every day.

Many longstay Western men come badly unstuck in the country. Whatever problem they had back home whether it was drink women or drugs the laisee faire attitude here reduces selfrestraint and causes many to behave worse than they did at home and in a way that makes it difficult to feel sympathy when they come to grief as they often do.

Anybody who studies the geology of the matter will have no fear of another tsunami. There will be another one but it will be triggered further south on the faultline and thus in a place where the bulk of the Indonesian island of Sumatra will shield the Thai coast. Shortly after the December 2004 tsunami scientists predicted that the next undersea earthquake would occur further south on the faultline which is what happened a year later. The resulting tsunami didnt touch Thailand and nor will the next one which will occur even further southeast and so even better shielded by Sumatra.

One of the most admirable aspects of Thailand is the safety with which women can travel around the country due to the admirably low incidence of physical molestation of foreign women by Thai men. They might annoy a Western woman by proposing too many times but they almost never pose a danger. Women travelling alone should of course still be cautious. If she is sensible she has nothing to fear. A number of women do come to grief here but almost always because they ignore the same elementary rules of selfprotection that they would take for granted in the West.

This is not paradise. Paradise is a silly concept which is mostly a result of how the perceiver views his or her conditions. Most Thais are much happier with the very little they have because they are taught from an early age that it is not happiness but contentment to which they should aspire. Happiness is a fleeting condition but contentment is not. Many Westerners have used Thai Theravada Buddhism as a springboard to improved contentment via ridding their lives of craving and attachment to impermanent phenomena.

It is extremely unlikely that you will have a problem with a snake unless you go hacking your way through the jungle but you might get bitten by a scorpion.

A year ago I grabbed my shorts off the floordrobe and pulled them on. I knew it had been lazy of me not to hang them up the previous night but didnt realise that they had acquired an unwanted passenger. Twenty minutes later I boarded a bus and just as it pulled away I felt a stab of pain somewhere extremely tender. God what was that? I thought before rapidly realising that a bit like a Victorian society host I had company downstairs. But what was I to do about this surrounded as I was by a busload of people? I shouted for the bus driver to stop but he didnt hear me. Well call me indiscrete but faced with the alternatives of either making myself a laughing stock or being bitten in the nether regions again I pulled down my shorts stood up and shook the culprit loose. He turned out to be one of the little brown ones rather than the big black fellows. The smaller scorpions hurt you more as they have venom whereas the bigger ones just rely on their impressivelooking claws. The remainder of the bus journey wasnt very comfortable both because of an unpleasantly numb feeling in usually the most sensitive of spots but also because of the sidelong glances and barely concealed giggles of the vehicles other occupants who seemed to find it amusing that I had to continually cross uncross and then recross my legs.

Whilst in Thailand why not visit out one of the countrys currently best three beach destinations:

Koh Lao Liang: http://www.andamanadventures.com/kohlaoliang.shtml

Ao Nang: http://www.andamanadventures.com/ao_nang.shtml

Railay/Tonsai: http://www.andamanadventures.com/railaytonsai.shtml

About the writer:  Runs Andaman Sky Co. Ltd specialising in climbing and diving trips to Thailands best beach destinations.

Salwan Hotel Apartments Dubai Signs Up With Rci

RCI the largest timeshare exchange company with world wide network and a part of Wyndham Worldwide signed an affiliation agreement with property management company Salwan a subsidiary of Dubai Properties Group DPG to offer the RCI Points exchange program to the owners at Salwan Hotel Apartments Dubai. RCI pioneered the concept of exchange vacations in 1974 and currently has an international network of over 4000 affiliated resorts and three million members world wide.

Geoff Ballotti President and CEO of Group RCI had high notes on Salwan Hotel Apartments while speaking at the signing ceremony at Salwan Hotel Apartments.

Owners of Salwan Hotel Apartments Dubai will profit from the large number of value added services and travel benefits offered by RCI and its global reach will provide an added incentive to prospective Salwan owners who will be having access to the largest portfolio of vacation resorts around the world. Also they will be supported by dedicated online multilingual vacation guides in all of RCI call centres across the globe.

According to a Senior Official of Salwan the Dubai Hotel Apartments will provide the international clientele an opportunity to visit and spend time at one of the most sought after locations in Dubai. RCI and Salwan Hotel Apartments Dubai affiliation would create worldwide brand awareness and attract tourists from abroad. In parallel number of RCI members will benefit by having access to properties at the exclusive Jumeirah Beach Residence and thereby enjoy modern living.

Salwan Hotel Apartments Dubai has dedicated 80 luxurious one two and three bedroom units with five star facilities for RCI timeshare program. The property located in the heart of new Dubai offers close proximity direct to the beach direct access the Marina and The Walk showcasing the latest in designer shopping and haute cuisine spread across a 1.75 km beachfront boulevard.

In the coming years Dubai is will transform itself into a most sought international tourism destination and this tie up will guarantee the visitor an array of options.

About the writer:  San fran is a travel journalist who has written extensively on mega cities like San Francisco and the companies providing bay area limo services and the San Francisco party limo services.