Xperiance Travel - The Movie

Join our team of courageous adventurers as they travel the world to bring you the latest reports from the wildest of destinations! It's the first video edition of the Xperiance Travel blog - or, as us in the trade like to call it, a VLOG!

A Correspondance With Harold

Hello dear readers! We have received a letter in the old postal services from one of you called Harold! The envelope had a post mark from Eygpt on it, so we will assume that Harold is an intrepid traveler of the globe who is currently exploring the temples and architecture of Egypt!

Dear Xperiance Travel,

>> That’s a good strong start.

My name is Harold.

>> Nice to meet you Harold.

As the old song goes, ‘I’ve been around the world a couple of times or maybe more’.

>> Wow, you must be dizzy Harold, would you like a chair?

Travel is more or less, as they say, ‘in my blood’.

>> Have you seen a Doctor about that Harold, it sounds painful! Do you have any other clichés you would like to start this letter with?

Knock it off, I'm trying to write a letter here.

>> Sorry Harold. The floor is all yours.

Thankyou.

>> No problem

Now back to my point. I have spent the last lifetime exploring the world, and there are so many special places too see. But what I wanted to know was; what is your favourite travel destination ever?

>> Can I talk now?

Please, go ahead.

>>Thankyou.

No problem.

>> Well I have been to quite a few places, and while many of these blog posts I’ve done in the past have been, well, less than serious. My favourite location is actually a split decision between sailing the Caribbean and skiing the French Alps.

Wow, they are complete opposites, from the cold of the snow on the Alps to the whitewashed waters of the warm Caribbean.

>> Oi, calm down on the alliteration there Harold, you might strain yourself.

And, what would you say is your worst ever travel adventure.

>> That would be the devastating stomach bug in Peru, it pretty much incapacitated my entire body for a couple of days.

Was it something you ate?

>> Either that or something that ate me, the mosquitoes are huge there!

Well thankyou Xperiance Travel, while I’m not 100% sure how we managed to have this conversation in letter form, I am glad that we had it. I think with summer coming around, I might check out sailing in the Caribbean for my next holiday adventure.

Yours Truly,

Harold.

This is what we imagine Harold looks like. It was either this guy or a Helen Mirren look alike

*Please note, Harold may or may not exist, and this letter may or may not just be a figment of Jack’s imagination.

Istanbul – leave all your skirts at home!!!

My mum always likes to keep an eye on flight ticket sales, discounts and promotions. There is a big competition between low fare flight companies in Europe and we sometimes get offers that cannot be refused. So, one day my mum bought a 3in1 ticket or buy 1 get 2 for free. Three of us got return tickets and we paid only for one person. Isn’t it great??? We went to Istanbul.

The first thing I realized was that I packed only summer skirts and dresses, which was a big mistake. The majority of Turkish people are Muslim and in their culture woman should cover her body, mainly the lower part. Well, at that time I was a silly teenager who did not care much about stuff. I got punished in a way… While wandering around the city some of the men were staring and commenting on me which felt quite uncomfortable. Also, I was not allowed to visit mosques. Talking about mosques, they have one more rule - women must cover their hair in order to be able to go inside. I learned two things. Firstly, people should care and respect other cultures, beliefs and traditions. Secondly, if you want to visit their country just adjust to the customs.

Apart from having trouble with my clothing we really enjoyed the long weekend abroad. Our main interest was to see mosques, drink tea and smoke water pipe, eat and just wander around markets. Turkish people have the great tradition of just sitting in a café, drinking teas, smoking pipe, talking and simply relaxing. This was our favorite activity. We have tried so many different tobacco flavors and smoked so much that it made us really dizzy time to time.

Eating was another part of our recreation. Kebab is probably the most famous dish and you can find kebab restaurants and take away shops everywhere…it seemed like they do not eat anything else!!! Apart from that, we enjoyed seafood dishes and baklava desserts.

Markets in Istanbul are just great. You can find there everything from clothes and jewelry, home ware, food and spices to plants and animals. Each stall is colorful and seems to be completely overstocked. Owners of the shops stand outside and hunt for potential customers in a way that they shout at you to come and see what they have or simply grab you inside. The whole complex of stalls, little ‘streets’ and exits is so confusing that each time we got there we were always lost…but maybe it is made on purpose so you just stay there longer and spend more money. I have only one warning they will try to rip you off so badly. You cannot even imagine…the best way to try to reduce the prices is to bargain unashamedly. Because of being a tough customer you can get a great discount, but trust me you will still pay too much!!!

Apart from restaurants and markets you can find a number of people trying to do the business on the street. And they are just everywhere!!! Some examples are food stalls, shoe polishers and trinket stalls. We have tried them all…How about you?

Let’s go to Istanbul for kebab, shopping and pipes :o)!!!

Top Ten Things to make you the most hated person on a flight!

Want to amuse yourself on a long trip and gain complete and utter hatred from your fellow passengers? We have complied this list just for you then! Please note, if you are travelling with someone when you attempt to complete this list, they may never speak to you again.

10) Ask the pilot to turn the engines off, as you “can’t sleep with them on”

9) When everyone starts to go to sleep, put on a very serious movie and start laughing as loud as possible, then look at all the death stares you get!

8) Whenever the plane encounters any turbulence, lay in the foetus position in the middle of the aisle, suck your thumb and shout “We’re all doomed! Doomed I say! Dooooomed!”

7) Complain that the ‘fasten seatbelt’ indicator looks sexually explicit and refuse to do it up until they replace it with something more appropriate and family friendly.

Warning, seatbelt signs may be offensive, please ignore them.

6) Whenever the drinks tray comes around ask for a ‘vodka martini, shaken not stirred’ in your best Sean Connery voice, once the attendant has prepared it inform them that you didn’t really want it, but just like saying it.

5) Halfway through the flight sneak up into the business class section. If any of the business passengers have vacated their seats to go the toilet take their seat. Upon their return proclaim “finders keepers!”

"Well I can't see your name on it!"

4) 5 minutes after take off inform the attendant that you have left your favourite lucky t-shirt at home and that you are going to have to turn the plane around and go back, if the attendant refuses – point out the window of the plane and say “but that’s my house there, it’s practically on the way”.

3) Once the person next to you is asleep, put your hand to your ear and raise your other shirt cuff to your mouth, then say (loudly enough to wake the person next to you up), “Roger that Skyhawk one, I’m currently next to the suspect, so far I haven’t been able to see the package, but I’m pretty sure he’s got it on him – tell team 2 we’ll need to pick him up at the airport”. Watch him very nervously depart the plane at the end of the trip.

2) Stand up on your seat and ask the rest of the passengers if they have seen your pet snake, as you were sure you put him in your carry on, but now he has disappeared. Reassure the screaming passengers by saying “It’s okay, he’s not THAT venomous…”

1) Suddenly realise that the person next to you is actually George Clooney, do not let them deny it. Spend the rest of the trip asking about their career and giving your opinons on their movies. P.S. This works even better if the person looks nothing like George Clooney or, even better, is female!

Oh my god! It's George Clooney! I loved you in Oceans 11!

Bangkok, The city of Angels

My family and I decided to go to Bangkok in the summer time from Sydney. A small background about Bangkok is that its the capital, largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon meaning "city of angels" for short. We went from the airport to Majestic hotel in Nana district to manage our tour in Bangkok and place our baggage’s. At night, we went out in Nana road, which they had many restaurants covering the area as well as many booths along the road selling various objects such as t-shirts, DVDs, handcrafts, fruits and many other amazing things. Some of the exotic fruits that they had where Durian, Dragon Fruit, Jackfruit, Coconut, Starfruit and Mangosteen, the fruit that I actually loved the most was durian, which everyone should try when going there ;) . They also have various kinds of cuisines that could just amaze your taste.

After exploring the surrounding of the area we lived in, we went back to our hotel to rest for a while and the next day we started our tour to head to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, which we woke up quite early to reach the market before it gets busy and crowded. It was quite an interesting market as most of the market is dealt within boats on the river, which we needed to rent a boat as well to go and buy some of the goods they have to sell like exotic fruits and traditional Thai crafts. 

After that we went back to the hotel to go to another tour that includes cycling. We went on a cycling tour to Chinatown and got to know Bangkok’s vibrant Chinatown and its communities of Chinese descents, whose ancestors migrated from southern China in the early 19th Century. Then we explored the other side of the Chao Phraya River, where we learned about the history of Thonburi, the first capital of the Rattanakosin Period, before King Rama I moved the capital across the river to The Grand Palace. We also saw some of the most popular Bangkok landmarks such as Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), which has many Buddha statues, gardens and a temple at the top of the structure with long staircase, and Royal Barges Museum. To know more about the cultural view and the beliefs of the Thai people, I would recommend the Siam Niramit show in Bangkok, as we went to it and it was a dazzling experience there. The first act describes how Siam became a crossroads where civilizations met, the second how karma binds Thai people; the last how religious ceremony earns Thais merit in this life. Another good thing to do is to go to elephant shows and also ride them, which you can go to Kwai river and ride an elephant through the jungle and even take control as the mahout as well as taking the elephant to the river and bath them. 

After all this excitement, we all went to the MBK shopping centre and Central World on Sukhumvit Road for shopping, which are two shopping centre’s that cannot be missed when going to Bangkok. It is an amazing to go to and a place where the memories will stay forever, and its true when they say that it's the city of angels.

England a good shopping spot

Believe it or not people from Eastern Europe do go shopping to England. It may seem unusual as people from ‘poorer‘ countries go to the ‘richer’ just to buy some stuff… Well, it is because they have a few great discount clothing stores, where everything is just for a pound or so. As a result, it is still cheaper for us to pay a flight ticket, accommodation and do the shopping there than do a big shopping in local shops.

Firstly, Primark is well known for not branded, quite good quality cheap clothes. Oh, you may think that it is a small venue located somewhere on the outskirts of a main city or in a small town – NO. For example, in Manchester it is a 4 level building situated in the busiest part of the city. There you can find everything for kids, men and women, from shoes and clothes to various accessories. Can you imagine spending £20 and adding 5-15 new pieces to your wardrobe collection? Well, why not?

Another store is called TK Maxx and you can find there both current and out of season branded clothes. They usually have the well-known brands such as Billabong, Quiksilver, Puma, Nike and many others (sorry, nothing else comes in my mind right now, but you can find a great range of brands there). It is little bit more expensive than Primark but still cheap. Generally, the prices are about 60% lower than the recommended retail prices. And again I am asking you – why not?

There are many other shops like that with home wares, furniture and such. However, I wanted to emphasize the clothing shops because it is easier to do the shopping and bring it back ‘home’.

So, as my friend always says lets go shopping to England!!!! While booking a flight ticket it is sensible to pay for one piece of luggage on the way there and two pieces on the way back. Why? Because I promise you that once you get there you will never end up purchasing just few things, it will be a crazy shopping weekend or so. The friend I mentioned before is a great example. She always goes there with nothing and comes back with two absolutely full suitcases weighting 40-50kg. And it is worth going there and spending some money, because the money you save on the ‘discounts or cheap clothes’ will cover your airfare and more.

All this applies when you plan to do a big shopping. If you want to buy just a jumper better go to a local store. Also, this post IS NOT relevant to people who wear only Prada, DG, YSL and so on…

So shall we go?

Let's Talk About Carry-On

Carry-on luggage. While it may sound like a 1970s movie starring Sid James (if you don’t know these movies look them up!), really it is one of the biggest contributors to travel nightmares.

“Does this airline allow 4.6KG or 3.2KG, or is that
supposed to be 3.2lb or even metric lb? Am I allowed beauty products, or do
they need to be checked in, am I allowed food and drink? No I don’t think so,
last time they confiscated that at outgoing customs, or was that inbound
customs! AGHHHH!”

Yup, it’s awful. So let me explain the best policy for carry-on luggage – all or nothing. If you want a book, that’s fine you may take that onboard, but if you are going to be one of these people that
stuff all their extra socks and undies into a day bag and take it onboard with you, no! Either you fit all of your gear into that teeny-tiny bag, or you put it all into the checked in luggage.

"Why?” You might ask, a question I am only too happy to answer using reasoning akin to that of your mother – it’s for your own good! If you separate your clothes, they will never, NEVER, be able to be reassembled.

Okay, well maybe I am exaggerating, and maybe I seem bitter on the topic, but know this – I have a good reason!

So there is one particular traveller that I am aiming this at, and that is the man who overstuffs his oversized carryon bag and places it into the overhead storage, taking up the room of all the other
passengers at the same time. You sir, are someone I don’t like.

So, the moral of my rather convoluted story is: When you are travelling, be considerate. No-one wants a bag full of your dirty laundry taking up all of the overhead storage!

Sarawak, Malaysia

As Malaysians say, “Malaysia is truly Asia”. I have been to Malaysia for a couple of times and usually we would go from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur, however, one time we decided to change the destination to Sarawak, which is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Sarawak is located in the north-west of the island and is the largest state followed by Sabah. We decided to go to two cities there, Kuching, the capital, and Miri. First thing we did after we arrived at the airport is head to Batang Ai Longhouse Resort, which is managed by Hilton. It took us 4 hours drive to get to a river and then we crossed the river in a boat, which took us 20 minutes approximately. As we were arriving there, it seemed as if we were heading to a tropical jungle, however, when the boat stopped we saw a huge resort in the middle of all the trees and plant. After we arrived at the resort, we immediately were planning for our exciting adventure in Kuching’s jungles. After a day of planning and resting we decided to go to Matang Wildlife Centre. In there they had rock pools, flora and fauna of endangered species, nature trails and waterfalls. It was an exciting day as we saw Orang-Utans, bears, fresh water crocodiles, hornbills and many other endangered species. 

After that we went to the Fairy and Wind caves, which was really extraordinary as they had quite large entrances to it with wonderful limestone formations decorating the caves and the caves have also cool streams that flow out of it and a small river, which some of the tourists with us went and swam in it.

We then rested for few days and during these few days I went on some trails beside the resort exploring the jungle that surrounded us, which was a “one of a kind” experience as I don't go on trails in the jungle that often. After resting for few days, we decided to go to Lemanak Long House. Longhouses conjure up images of a simple wooden structure built on stilts in the jungle. For protection in days gone by, the houses of individual families were joined together to make one long house for the entire community. The majority of traditional Borneo longhouses are located in Sarawak. The long, narrow, single-verandah building is raised on stilts off the ground and divided into one long open communal area with a row of private living quarters at the back of the structure. The size of a community is determined by how many doors the longhouse has as this is an indication of how many families live there. Being raised, cool air circulates underneath the floor of the dwelling and livestock take shelter underneath. 

This provides protection while keeping the building cool. Longhouses are traditionally built from timber since most of the inhabitants are rural indigenous people who live in or near the forest. This was an up close and personal experience with the Iban people who were former headhunters of Borneo. Ibans are the largest ethnic group in Sabah. For centuries these people who live near the rivers of Borneo, were feared because of their reputation as fierce warriors who practiced headhunting. Today, the practice is banned and they now live peacefully as agriculturalists alongside their neighbours. As we met the Iban tribe, they showed us their traditional dance, music, textile-weaving, blow-pipe prowess and fishing. My brother asked them about their headhunting past and how could they define who is the bravest or strongest in the tribe, which the person we were talking to accompanied us to meet an old man that was sitting outside the longhouse. He told us that this man was the strongest in his tribe and he showed us his body and arms, which was full of tattoos and he said that this was a symbol of how strong the person is. So, we greeted the old man and talked with him for a bit and then he showed us the skeletons of his enemy’s heads long time ago.

The day after that we went on a tour to the tropical jungle with a guide that knew everything about these jungles. We walked for 3 hours in the jungle, looking at amazing sceneries along the way and walking beside rivers and lakes. On the way back to the resort during our walk in the jungle, we rested beside the river and waited for a delicious and authentic meal cooked inside a bamboo. It was a really thrilling and exciting adventure in Kuching.

After staying in Kuching for 2 weeks almost, we went to Miri for almost a week or so and we went to Mulu caves and Niah caves, which were also extraordinary. The Mulu cave had a river in it that the guide told as that it is said that the river gives the youth back to a person as its water touches your skin, same as “the fountain of youth”, it was exciting just hearing that and everyone in the tour decided to splash the water on their faces or arms, hopefully it worked for someone ;)

Hong Kong

On the way form Czech to Australia I have decided to arrange a 3-day stopover in Hong Kong. I think that the possibility of having a stopover is a great opportunity to see new places while undergoing long tiring flight from one continent to another, or from one side of the world to another or maybe from the north to the south hemisphere :o). There are many places you can visit on the way from/to Europe to/from Australia such as Bangkok, Seoul, Dubai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Peking and many others…

While I was booking the flight ticket I though that 3 days in Hong Kong would be enough…Well, I was terribly mistaken!!! I love to travel, get to know new places and once I go somewhere I am willing to get up early in the morning and go to sleep late just to have more time to see more. Even after all this effort 3 days is just too short.

After checking out from the airport and leaving the nice air-conditioned building I was struck by a terrible heat and humidity. That is something we are not used to in Europe. I have never ever experienced anything like that and it felt little uncomfortable breathing and moving around, but eventually I got used to it. I have booked a room in a hostel in advance. First thing after I entered the room (I was already sweaty and yucky) I saw a picture of a pig having bath in the bathroom – UNBELIEVABLE!!! Thanks for the warm welcome and pointing out the unbearable truth :o).

Evenings in the city are great. There are a lot of people on the streets walking, chatting, selling and buying staff, eating – it looks like an ant colony. Every building seems to have installed lights or neons on the outside, so the city glows like a large colorful bulb. What surprised me was that I couldn’t see stars; it was only possible to see a moon. Usually stars are less visible because of the city light, which is reflected by the sky. However, in Hong Kong there is so much light that you cannot see any stars at all!!!

I was advised to go out of the city to see the Big Buddha and surrounding fishing villages. It was actually a great idea, because the statue and monasteries of the Big Buddha are spectacular. It is said that it is the biggest bronze sculpture of Buddha in the world. I think that even the stairs to the statue are the longest – at least for me haha! The small villages around look like from a different world in comparison to very modern Hong Kong. It seems that time just stopped there 100 years ago and the life just remains the same since then. People there look very poor, but they live in a peaceful place.

Well, that is pretty much all I managed to see in those 3 days… Have you been there? What did you like about Hong Kong? Or why would you like to go there?

Why You Should Travel During a Revolution

With the recent spate of uprisings and revolutions in the world – think Egypt, Tripoli, London riots – you may wonder; why anyone would want to travel at all? Well, time to rethink your out-dated views and look at why a revolution is the best time to visit a country!

A scene any holidaymaker would delight in

First up, getting there – so there is not going to be a whole lot of people heading towards these countries in upheaval, which means you can score some great rates for your airfare. The major airlines aren’t flying to the country anymore? That’s fine! The Australian government will be chartering a number of their own flights there with the intention of getting Australians out of the area – so you can always try scoring a seat on the empty flight over to there.

Once you get there the great prices continue. The tourist industry there will have bombed out a while back, so the owners of the local B&B will be just grateful to have any trade. Make the most of their unfortunate situation and pay just a few dollars for what used to be a 5 star hotel – you might even be able to get some of that money back by complaining that the gun fire keeps you awake at night!

Your surprisingly comfortable (and cheap) accommodation

But why pay money for goods and services when you can take them for free?! Civil unrest is a time characterised by looting and pillaging, so you may as well join in with the festivities and score yourself that new 60” TV you have been wanting for the great price of… Nothing!

But what do we hate most about travelling? That’s right, other tourists. But during a revolution there are little to none of them there. The best part is, if one of your co-travellers is annoying you too much, you could always just point him out to the leader of the revolution and say that he is anti-revolution – then watch as your new best friends take care of your annoyance permanently!

Tourist attractions usually have queues reaching all the way down to the end of the street, but no tourists = no queues, so go on out there and enjoy yourself without the hassle of waiting around – just remember to take your bullet-proof vest. Palace tours are usually dull, just showing you specific areas of the palace that have been designated as ‘tourist accessible’. During the revolution there is no need for these restrictions – just sign up to one of the palace raiding parties and you get an access all areas pass to the place! You might even get to meet the King (just before one of your fellow raiders chops his head off).

God save the king! Cause these guys sure don't want to...

So despite the government’s warnings to the contrary, a time of civil disturbance and revolution really is the best time to holiday in a country. Sure there are some dangerous downsides, but generally speaking, the upsides more than make up for them.

Cuba

In 2008 we have decided to travel to Cuba. The main reason was to visit my family as I have Cuban origins. So, my expectations were to see a new country, get to know new culture and life style and have fun wi
th my family.

In order to be able to go to Cuba we had to have visa, which were not that expensive and quite easy to obtain but extremely essential. Everybody warned us to be careful while checking out in the Cuban airport. There are many prejudices that passengers are being constantly checked, interviewed and the controllers are ridiculously suspicious. Well, nothing like that happened to us. So, either these are just gossips or we were lucky that we were not picked from the crowd.

First two impressions were: “OMG look at these old fantastic cars!!!! And OMG look how poor this country is!!!” Cuba is famous for its historical and still functional old school vehicles. The government proclaimed the cars national heritage and their export was banned. The locals are poor and do not have spare money to buy new car parts as well as nobody produces this outdated type of technologies anymore. As a result, the majority of cars are not fully original.

In comparison to us Cuba is a poor country. Cities, buildings, roads and just everything looks old, worn out and holey. Although, it was a shock in the beginning, soon we realized that it is a vibrant, inviting and friendly place.

Another false judgment is that you should not eat food from street, fast food or drink water from the tap. We did not have any problems and the food was delicious. For few cents we had a feast and tried local cuisine, which is really yummy!!! We were put off once though. After purchasing some sort of slush from a pushcart and sipping about half of it, we noticed that on the bottom of the cup there was heaps of black particles floating happily – well, enjoy! What we had to laugh at was how innovative Cubans are. Once we bumped to a guy who was selling a deep fried penne as a form of crackers. You might have had it already somewhere else, but for me it was something new.

One of the most memorable leisure ‘activities’ was a Cuban disco. I have never experienced anything so WILD, TOUCHY and HOT! I am, of course, talking about a local disco for locals and

the one for tourists. The way these people dance is uniquely South American, if I can put it this way. They do not use their hands and legs and maybe head sometimes as we do in our culture. When they move they employ the body, soul, heart and mind, and it is amazing to watch and dance amongst them. They do touch a lot each other in a very ‘opened’ way, which seemed way too inappropriate, but after a while we just got used to it and adjusted hehe :o). And of course, Cuba is a hot country and when you dance intensively in 30-40 degrees temperature you sweat a LOT! Some of the people looked like they just took a shower without taking their clothes of. And it did not end there… As the t-shirts were completely wet, the sweat continued to drip in the pants…I know it is a little revolting, but funny…and mainly men they looked like they peed themselves YEY! It was something I have never seen and it looked absolutely ridiculous and not sexy :o).

So, those are some of my memories and experience from Cuba... Have you been there? What was your holiday/visit like?

Dubai, a Dream in the Desert

Dubai is located on the Eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, in the south west corner of the Arabian Gulf. Dubai is one of the cities in the United Arab Emirates, other cities are Abu Dhabi (the Capital), Fujairah, Ajman, Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain and Ras al-Khaimah. Dubai is extremely well known for its warm hospitality and rich cultural heritage, which the Emarati people are welcoming and generous in their approach to visitors. With year-round sunshine, intriguing deserts, beautiful beaches, luxurious hotels and shopping malls, fascinating heritage attractions and a thriving business community, Dubai receives millions of leisure and business visitors each year around the world, which makes the city a very diverse place. I'll start with talking about the attractions a person could find in Dubai and what makes it look as a dreamland in the desert. One of the most known attractions and why many people come to this city is because of its huge and unique shopping malls, and when it comes to shopping malls, Dubai breaks many boundaries in terms of size and style. 

From Dubai Mall, which is the largest shopping mall in the world that has an ice rink, an aquarium where you can dive with sharks, and an indoor amusement centre, which is also a part of the Burj Khalifa complex, the $20 billion project has around 1,200 shops and hosted over 37 million visitors in its first year of operation, and attracts more than 750,000 visitors every week, to Mall of the Emirates, home to the world's largest indoor ski slope. 

The Ski Dubai in the mall is really fascinating as I went there and it was extraordinary to people who live all their life in a desert country to have something like this. Ski Dubai opened in November 2005, the indoor resort features an 85-meter high indoor mountain with 5 slopes of carrying steepness and difficulty, including a 400 meter long run, the world's first indoor black run, and a 90 meter long quarter pipe for snowboarders. A quad lift and a tow lift carry skiers and snowboarders up the mountain. After shopping, people would want to rest for a bit and some of the most worldwide known hotels and resorts could be found in Dubai.

One of the most famous hotels in Dubai and its also an icon of the city is Burj al Arab hotel. The hotel cost $650,000,000 to build at 321 meters with 60 floors. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island and connected to the mainland through a bridge. The structure itself is designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat. Its a luxury hotel with the world's only 7 star hotel that also has a restaurant below the sea called Al Mahara, which is accessed by a stimulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 35,000 cubic feet of water.


If anyone went and travelled to Dubai, please share some thoughts of how it was when you were around, and if you didn't, its a place not to be missed... ;D

Australia - good or bad for international students?!?!?!?

Australia is a great place for travelling. It is a country full of culture, history, beautiful destinations and also full of cockroaches!!!

I think that I do not have to discuss here whether it is desirable to

travel to Australia or not, because the answer is obvious. My question is about something different, which is rather important for foreigne

rs than for locals. So, why to study in Australia or why not? What are the implications for a student? And m

ost imp

ortant, how to get through the studies and get away with some things? :o)

Firstly, money money money and hmm maybe MONEY!!!! That is what you should first think about. It is rather sad, but what can you do? According to your financial position you can decide what to study. So, cheap college for international students (vocational) cca A$4000 per 6 months, cheap college for international students (english) cca A$250 per week, TAFE (mix in

ternational and local students) cca A$12000 per year and university - undergraduate cca A$20000 - 35

000 per year. So, now you can see what I meant before.

Secondly, you have to think about th

e purpose of your arrival. Do I want to focus on studies and work just to be able to support myself? Or, do I want to work and go to school just because of my visa?

If you want to focus on studies I recommend TAFE or university, because cheap colleges have terrible education (from my own experience). It is bec

ause they know that most of the students go there just because of visa (surprisingly you can find a few exceptions hehe) and therefore you can really get away with lots of things. What I have noticed the attendance is quite flexible (but it is getting stricter!!!), many teachers do not give a damn and late submission of assessments is fine and overall the 'discipline' is pretty loose.

If you are serious about your education better go to TAFE or uni. That is what I did after spending over a year in the colleges. I am not sure how TAFE works exactly, but I would say that it will be

something in between of colleges and uni. I attend Macquarie University in Sydney and I am absolutely happy. Maybe it is because I do what I love. Universities around the world have similar systems such as years, semesters, units, exams etc. However, if I compare a Czech and Aussie uni I have to say that the Aussie is much more difficult and demanding. It is not just because of the foreign language but also the semester is divided in weeks and we have to study week by week. In Czech I would say that we do not do much first 3/4 of the semester and than last month we stuff our heads with all the study materials for the examination period. Unfortunately, after all exams are finished, I did have terrible headaches and forgot everything - ge

t it fast, loose it fast :o). So, in Aussie unis I would say that you can not really get away with stuff. If you want to have good grades work hard otherwise just try to pass and that is it.

By the law international students can work only 20 hours per week while studying and any hours while on holiday. To be honest, I do not know anybody who works just 20 hours!!! Usually people work around 30-70 hours per week. I know, working 70 hours and more is crazy, but believe me there are many people who do it. As you can see, you can also go around the law with the working hours. Either your employer is happy with your performance and is willing to pay the extra hours in cash or you can have 2-4 jobs and work just a few hours in each:o). I said 2-4 jobs because I think that having more jobs and school is impossible!

So, from my own experience Australia is one of the best countries in the world to live. The only thing for international students is that if you want to be successful in what you do just put your head down and do it. If you can not handle it, well there is only one option - go home.

What is your experience??? Or, if your are local, what do you think???

Places You Don't Have on Your Holiday List

Reading, Berkshire, England.

Reading is a large English town that lights up once every year for the Reading Festival – a combination of music, comedy, 87,000 people, and any kind of entertainment you can think of compressed into one medium-to-large muddy field.

Outside of the festival season however, Reading’s major attraction becomes its’ train station. It’s not a particularly special train station. Just a train station. Now, before Reading’s population takes up arms and calls my comment unfair, I must clarify – reading is also home to Reading University, the Museum of Reading, and the rather impressively named Minister Church of Saint Mary the Virgin. But let’s face it; the majority of you would be apt in describing it as… well… dull.

Reading's Train Station... Nothing special really....

Oh! Almost forgot, for any Oscar Wilde fans out there – Reading is also home to the unsurprisingly named ‘Reading Gaol’, where Mr Wilde served out his prison sentence for homosexuality. Want to go have a look at that? Sure, you have two options: 1) drive by it at high speeds on the motorway, or 2) commit a major crime. Reading Gaol is still an active prison, and it's more than likely that if you decide to go ‘touristing’ there, it’s friendly residents will detach your scalp from your skull and eat your fingernails. Might be best to give that one a miss then.

So would I recommend Reading as the place of choice for your next holiday? Sure, if you are the person at the dinner party who talks about 13^th century long swords or the failings of the Norman’s conquest of Europe strategy, specifically including the troop tactics at the 1166 Battle of Hastings. If that’s not you, I’d suggest you give the area a wide birth – and if you’re just traveling past on the motorway or the train; bring a good book. It’s even boring just to go past.

Is this you? If so Reading is your kinda town!

Český Těšín, Czech Republic

Hi,

Český Těšín is my hometown and I would like to share with you some information about this little town.

It has a really interesting history. Three brothers, who were on a pilgrimage, met after a long time in a empty area with a spring. Because they were very glad to see each other, they decided to find a new settlement and called it Těšín. Těšín means be happy or happiness.

During The WW1 new formed countries Poland and Czechoslovak Republic were demanding the Těšín region to be included in their territory. After a serious dispute, the town was split. The Polish and Czech borders were allocated along the river Olza, which flows right across the town. Since than we have twin town Czech - Český Těšín and Polish - Cieszyn.

Český Těšín is a small town and can sometimes be quite boring. However, we do have several cultural events, which attract a big number of visitors and bring Český Těšín to life. Těšín is also know for its markets (on the Polish side), where you can buy cheap food, clothes, plants and furniture. Also, there are several historical attractions.
Summer is the best time to come as there are many possibilities of cycling, hiking, sports events, cultural events, shopping and it may be just easier to move around when the temperature is around 20-30 degrees.
In winter the region is covered in snow and temperatures can go down to about -20 degrees. The main attraction during this period is skiing.

My hometown is a nice place to live. Unfortunately, it can be little tedious for young people. Controversially, it seems that older people do love this area, its history, nature and culture.

So, welcome to Český Těšín....;o)

Blog outline and design

1. Topic - We have chosen to write about travelling. However, it is not going to be a travel guide or brochure. The main focus will be on personal experience, tips and likes.

2. Audience engagement - We would like to engage our readers to comment on the posts, tag them and follow our blog. There will be uploaded funny, interesting and controversial articles. The fact that most of the information will be based on personal experience and opinions will help us to appeal to the viewers. We will also provide the possibility of sharing the posts on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and via mail.

3. Layout of the blog - It will consist of a name of the blog, main content - posts, and side tables with additional information. Each posts will have clear heading, date, body, labels and tags. Commenting on the post will be available to everybody. The right hand column will include important details about contributors, followers and blog archive. The left hand column will consist of less significant information such as number of visitors, survey and popular posts.

4. Design - Our blog will have a modern layout, eye catching background and original font and colour of the text. There will be pictures attached to every post for a better illustration and to make the content more interesting.

Some Background

Hi there!

This is a blog for our group project, so we thought we would write about travel and give you something interesting to read!

We are going to talk about our experiences here, but we want to hear about YOU! Make sure you comment on the posts and tell us about your experiences with an area, place or people.

But for now we will introduce ourselves:

Jack - Hi, I'm from Sydney, Australia and have mainly traveled Europe, UK, and the US.

Orwa - Hey, I'm from Dubai, United Arab Emirates and I traveled to some Middle East countries as well as Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and Malaysia.

Natalie - Hi, I am from Cesky Tesin, Czech Republic. I have been to Europe, Cuba, Egypt, Hong Kong and Australia and wanna travel more>o]

We look forward to hearing from you! :)