Visit Hong Kong

Written by Tony Fenton


HONG KONG is very much 'abroad'. Now thatrepparttar near continent is easily accessible, countries such as France, Spain, Italy seem to merge styles and culture to become one generic Euro-Country. In contrast Hong Kong feels like a foreign country. It also has reminders of a colonial past, so your trip there as well as being a trip to a foreign country is also a trip intorepparttar 133809 past.

Hong Kong is also a brash mixture of Western and Eastern cultures, a meld of designer clothing, electronic consumables and Chinese superstitions. Modern apartment tower blocks, very Western in style and decor, do not have floor numbers ending in '4' asrepparttar 133810 number 4 in Cantonese is very close torepparttar 133811 Cantonese word for 'death'.

You will also stand out as a tourist amongstrepparttar 133812 Chinese rather than being able to blend in with other Europeans as you would nearer to home. And unless you're an exceptional linguist there won't be any attempts to converse in Cantonese withrepparttar 133813 locals. But don't despair, thanks to its history and a large ex-pat community most Chinese, at least in restaurants and shops, will be able to speak English. Most ofrepparttar 133814 street names and signs are in English as well as Cantonese.

The first thing you will notice about this lively place is its modern, efficient mass transit systems. Arriving atrepparttar 133815 new airport, Chek Lap Kok, you essentially walk in a straight line from gate through baggage & customs onto a (usually) waiting train that takes you right intorepparttar 133816 heart of Kowloon, a popular hotel and tourist district. For exploring furtherrepparttar 133817 subway system (MTR - Mass Transit Railway) is very cheap and clean with air-conditioned trains and stations.

Taxis are also plentiful and very cheap, thanks torepparttar 133818 fact that most people do not run their own cars and rely instead upon buses, taxis andrepparttar 133819 MTR.

It is a good idea to getrepparttar 133820 name of your hotel printed onto a card in Cantonese so that you can make yourself understood torepparttar 133821 taxi driver when you want to get back to your hotel.

You will also noticerepparttar 133822 fact that you are inrepparttar 133823 tropics. The climate is hot and humid, even at night. But air-conditioning is abundant, in fact on some streets you will probably be dripped on by water fromrepparttar 133824 air-conditioning condensers attached to most every window ofrepparttar 133825 buildings towering aboverepparttar 133826 streets.

As a gweilo ('ghost people',repparttar 133827 Cantonese term for pale-faced Westerners) you will be targeted on busy Nathan Road byrepparttar 133828 many street salesmen : "Copy watch, sir?", "Custom suit?", "Free drink?", "Jade rings?". Unless you are happy to part with your money for fakes, or buy clothing with a higher price tag than its quality merits, learn to ignore these people. Even saying 'No' is seen as a sales opening.

Hong Kong has much to offer everyone from sightseeing to shopping to eating to simply absorbingrepparttar 133829 atmosphere and mix of cultures this world-class city has to offer. Here are some must see places on your visit :

The Peak Tram is perhapsrepparttar 133830 most popular tourist attraction and definitely a must on any visit to Hong Kong. A furnicular railway takes you up The Peak for some breathtaking views ofrepparttar 133831 Kowloon Penisular, Victoria Harbour and surrounding islands.

You can reachrepparttar 133832 Peak Tram station usingrepparttar 133833 No 15C Shuttle Bus fromrepparttar 133834 Star Ferry Terminal in Central orrepparttar 133835 No 12S bus from Admiralty MTR station. The Peak Tram runs every 15 minutes from 7am to midnight - views at night are equally breathtaking to see Hong Kong's sparkling panorama.

Atrepparttar 133836 summit there are shops, restaurants and other attractions besidesrepparttar 133837 360 degree panoramic view.

The Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui (pronounced Chim Sow Choi) for a few pennies plys back and forth across busy Victoria Harbour linkingrepparttar 133838 Kowloon peninsular with Central and Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island.

You can takerepparttar 133839 MTR from Kowloon to Central, but a trip onrepparttar 133840 ferry is a must forrepparttar 133841 experience and views of Victoria Harbour.

Hilton Head Island Tips For Visitors

Written by Jeff Palmer


Hilton Head Island

Hilton Head Island wasrepparttar first ecologically-planned destination in The United States. Light pollution ordinances are in effect acrossrepparttar 133808 island to protectrepparttar 133809 habits ofrepparttar 133810 loggerhead turtles which sometimes confuserepparttar 133811 lights of dwellings and street lights with that ofrepparttar 133812 ocean. Protections are in place to protectrepparttar 133813 beautiful live oaks and palmetto trees which coverrepparttar 133814 island. Salt marshes, beaches and lagoons remain in pristine condition acrossrepparttar 133815 island. While modern conveniences such as shopping malls and five star hotels are widely available; care has been taken to blend these structures intorepparttar 133816 native ecology as much as possible.

The 2.5 million travelers who arrive annually to Hilton Head Island find an infinite variety of activities and reasons for visiting. Whether they are searching for a world class golf vacation, relaxing onrepparttar 133817 miles of sandy beaches or enjoyingrepparttar 133818 gentle sway of palm trees in unspoiled nature, a stay on Hilton Head Island is sure to pleasethe most discerning of vacationers.

Hilton Head Island is home torepparttar 133819 Heritage Classic golf championship andrepparttar 133820 Celebrity golf tournament. With an average yearly temperature of 70 degrees, visitors torepparttar 133821 island are sure to enjoy year round golf on any ofrepparttar 133822 24 golf courses located on Hilton Head. There are also another 40 golf courses to be found in thesurrounding area, just a short distance fromrepparttar 133823 island.

Tennis enthusiasts can enjoyrepparttar 133824 many professional courts available on Hilton Head. With over 300 courts to chose from there is no shortage of playing opportunities. Professional tennis instructors are also available to those wishing to improve their games.

With over twelve miles of sandy beaches overlookingrepparttar 133825 Atlantic Ocean, water lovers will find that Hilton Head Island is a coastal paradise. Whether you just want to relax inrepparttar 133826 sun or try your hand at scuba diving, waterskiing or dolphin watching there's is something for everyone onrepparttar 133827 island. Fishing charters, kayak tours, wind-surfing, island cruises and all manner of water activities are available.

If you really want to seerepparttar 133828 island consider renting a bicycle from one ofrepparttar 133829 numerous bike rental outfits.With miles of bike paths available, many of which take you through nature preserves, this is truly an enjoyable way to experiencerepparttar 133830 natural splendor ofrepparttar 133831 island. At low tide,repparttar 133832 beaches of Hilton Head make an excellent bike riding surface.

Over 250 restaurants of every price range and cuisine dotrepparttar 133833 island. Fresh seafood abounds. From five star formal restaurants to fast food and everything in between, every taste and budget is catered to here.

There are a variety of accommodations available in several price ranges. From hotels to villas, condos to timeshares, you are sure to find lodging which fits your taste and budget.

A few things to watch out for, traffic, pollen, bugs, alligators.

Traffic onrepparttar 133834 island can be very heavy at times, especially durring tourist season which runs from April to August. If you are planning on exploringrepparttar 133835 island your best bet is to rent a bicycle from any ofrepparttar 133836 many bike rental shops and enjoyrepparttar 133837 scenery at a leisurly pace instead of trying to fightrepparttar 133838 traffic. If you are interested in exploring nearby Bluffton expect about an hours drive time durring peak hours.

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