Sunday, July 5, 2009

Fireworks Burst Over New York City On Fourth Of July

The New York City skyline as seen in the distance as fireworks explode over the Hudson River during the Macy's fireworks display on July 4, 2009 in West New York, New Jersey.  It was the first time since 2000 that the Macy's display took place over the Hudson River and not the East River.


The New York City skyline as seen in the distance as fireworks explode over the Hudson River during the Macy's fireworks display on July 4, 2009 in West New York, New Jersey.  It was the first time since 2000 that the Macy's display took place over the Hudson River and not the East River.


The New York City skyline as seen in the distance as fireworks explode over the Hudson River during the Macy's fireworks display on July 4, 2009 in West New York, New Jersey.  It was the first time since 2000 that the Macy's display took place over the Hudson River and not the East River.

The New York City skyline as seen in the distance as fireworks explode over the Hudson River during the Macy's fireworks display on July 4, 2009 in West New York, New Jersey. It was the first time since 2000 that the Macy's display took place over the Hudson River and not the East River.




The New York City skyline as seen in the distance as fireworks explode over the Hudson River during the Macy's fireworks display on July 4, 2009 in West New York, New Jersey.  It was the first time since 2000 that the Macy's display took place over the Hudson River and not the East River.


The New York City skyline as seen in the distance as fireworks explode over the Hudson River during the Macy's fireworks display on July 4, 2009 in West New York, New Jersey.  It was the first time since 2000 that the Macy's display took place over the Hudson River and not the East River.


The New York City skyline as seen in the distance as fireworks explode over the Hudson River during the Macy's fireworks display on July 4, 2009 in West New York, New Jersey.  It was the first time since 2000 that the Macy's display took place over the Hudson River and not the East River.


The New York City skyline as seen in the distance as fireworks explode over the Hudson River during the Macy's fireworks display on July 4, 2009 in West New York, New Jersey.  It was the first time since 2000 that the Macy's display took place over the Hudson River and not the East River.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Boracay island

Boracay is a tropical island located approximately 315km (200 miles) south of Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of the island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations. The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak (3 of the 17 barangays which make up the municipality of Malay), and is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan.

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Boracay Island is located off the northwest corner of the island of Panay, and belongs to the Western Visayas island-group, or Region VI, of the Philippines. The island is approximately seven kilometers long, dog-bone shaped with the narrowest spot being less than one kilometer wide, and has a total land area of 10.32 square kilometers.South-facing Cagban Beach is located across a small strait from the jetty port at Caticlan on Panay island, and the Cagban jetty port serves as Boracay’s main entry and exit point during most of the year. When wind and sea conditions dictate, east-facing Tambisaan Beach serves as an alternative entry and exit point.Boracay’s two primary tourism beaches, White Beach and Bulabog Beach, are located on opposite sides of the island’s narrow central area. White Beach faces westwards and Bulabog Beach faces eastwards. The island also has several other beaches.White Beach is the main tourism beach. It is a bit over four kilometers long and is lined with resorts, hotels, lodging houses, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses. In the central portion, for about two kilometers, there is a footpath known as the Beachfront Path separating the beach itself from the establishments located along it. North and south of the Beachfront Path, beachfront establishments do literally front along the beach itself. Several roads and paths connect the Beachfront Path with Boracay’s Main Road, a vehicular road which runs the length of the island. At the extreme northern end of White Beach, a footpath runs around the headland there and connects White Beach with Diniwid Beach.


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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Las Vegas



Las Vegas is the most dynamic, spectacular city on earth. At the start of the twentieth century, it didn't even exist; at the start of the twenty-first, it's home to well over one million people, with enough newcomers arriving to need a new school every month.

Las Vegas is not like other cities. No city in history has so explicitly valued the needs of visitors above those of its own population. All its growth has been fueled by tourism, but the tourists haven't spoiled the "real" city; there is no real city. Las Vegas doesn't have fascinating little-known neighborhoods, and it's not a place where visitors can go off the beaten track to have more authentic experiences. Instead, the whole thing is completely self-referential; the reason Las Vegas boasts the vast majority of the world's largest hotels is that around thirty-seven million tourists each year come to see the hotels themselves.


The casinos want you to gamble, and they'll do almost anything to lure you in; thus the huge moving walkways that pluck you from the Strip sidewalk, almost against your will, and sweep you into places like Caesars Palace. Once you're inside, on the other hand, the last thing they want is for you to leave. Whatever you came in for, you won't be able to do it without crisscrossing the casino floor innumerable times; as for finding your way out, that can be virtually impossible. The action keeps going day and night, and in this windowless – and clock-free – environment you rapidly lose track of which is which.



Saturday, March 28, 2009

Puerto Vallarta



PUERTO VALLARTA is smaller, quieter and younger than Acapulco. In its own way, it is actually every bit as commercial – perhaps more so, since here tourism is virtually the only source of income – but appearances count for much, and Puerto Vallarta, while doing all it can to catch up with Acapulco, appears far less developed and retains a more Mexican feel.


It lies in the middle of the 22-kilometre wide Bahía de Banderas, the seventh largest bay in the world, fringed by endless sandy beaches and backed by the jungly slopes of the Sierra Madre. Its hotels are scattered along several miles of coast with the greatest concentration in Nuevo Vallarta, north of the town and sliced through by an eight-lane strip of asphalt. Just south of Nuevo Vallarta is the new marina, where you can stroll along the boardwalk and have a look at how the other half live, on beautiful boats. Despite the frantic development of the last decade, the historic town centre, with its cobbled streets and white-walled, terracotta-roofed houses, sustains the tropical village atmosphere, an asset assiduously exploited by the local tourist authorities.


The town's relative youth is undoubtedly a contributing factor. Until 1954 Puerto Vallarta was a small fishing village where the Río Cuale spills out into the Bahía de Banderas; then Mexicana airlines, their hand forced by Aeroméxico's monopoly on flights into Acapulco, started promoting the town as a resort. Their efforts received a shot in the arm in 1964, when John Huston chose Mismaloya, 10km south, as the setting for his film of Tennessee Williams' play The Night of the Iguana, starring Richard Burton. The scandalmongering that surrounded Burton's romance with Elizabeth Taylor – who was not part of the cast but came along – is often attributed to putting Puerto Vallarta firmly in the international spotlight: "a mixed blessing" according to Huston, who stayed on here until his death in 1987, and whose bronze image stands on the Isla Río Cuale in town.





Saturday, February 21, 2009

The Magna Plaza





The Magna Plaza is a beautiful mall behind the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. It was built in 1899 in Neo-Gothic style and was once a Post Office building. Inside this four floors shopping mall are all major fashion brands represented.

The Market Square of Antwerp






The Market Square in Antwerp is surrounded by Guild houses and the Town hall. Most of the guild houses are rebuild after they burned down in the 16th century. On the first photo you can see the town hall, a renaissance building constructed between 1561-1565.
The statue (last photo) is made by Jef Lambeaux. It was inspired by a legend of a giant who used to live on the banks of the river Scheldt. Whenever sailors on the Scheldt refused to pay toll, he punished them by cutting off their hand. A Roman soldier called Silvius Brabo, killed the giant, cut off his hand and threw it in the river.


Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Hong Kong - City of Life

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Hong-Kong, the "city of life", designed and run by architects and entrepreneurs from around the world is a dense city of many cultures where you can find anything at anytime. It is one of the most crowded and diverse cities everywhere. It also has one of the most stunning urban landscapes in the world, especially at night where it blazes like a great flower of light with petals of neon.Hong Kong itself is divided into four main areas – Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, the New Territories and the Outlying Islands. Though each have a vital and long-standing role in Hong Kong tourism, most visitors spend the majority of their time in the densely populated area of Kowloon.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Kagay Anons whitewater rafting adventure

Kagay-anon's Whitewater Rafting Adventure


Whitewater rafting is indeed a very exciting recreational activity which is popular all throughout the world. Before, rafting is only a means of transportation. But in this modern age, it becomes a pastime or a sport to some individuals. Rafting isn’t an easy activity. You get to encounter different classes of rapids until you get to bump into the most dangerous rapid: large waves and huge rocks. Safety is always important to this kind of activity.

Cagayan de Oro: a blooming city in Misamis Oriental province never gets too late when it comes to rapids. One of the city’s major tourism attractions are their WhiteWater Rafting Adventure. Aside from being friendly (since the city is known to be as the City of Golden Friendship), the whitewater rafting guides are also equipped with professional skills traversing the Cagayan de Oro River a couple of times.


Kagay-anon's Whitewater Rafting Adventure


Salt & Sill, Sweden's First Floating Hotel

 Salt & Sill, Sweden First Floating Hotel
alt & Sill Hotel - Sweden's first floating hotel, the innovative, eco-friendly development will offer visitors a new way to experience the beauty of the Bohuslan coast and enjoy the seafood of this Taste of West Sweden restaurant. The underside of the hotel’s pontoons will be a perfect home for shells and mussels, acting as a natural purification plant for the marine environment. A new reef outside the hotel will also be created to benefit shellfish.

The hotel consists of six two-storey building on floating pontoons.The floating hotel has 23 rooms with 46 beds, one of which is a suite. All the rooms have their own entrance and access to an outdoor seating area. The interior is characterized by modern Scandinavian simplicity with functional furniture and unique detailing. There is also a clear connection to food and wine. All the rooms are named after spices used in the kitchen and the colors have been carefully chosen to match.


Salt & Sill, Sweden First Floating Hotel