Making Long Haul Fun

Flying with whole family, including young children?
Try This:

Choose your in-flight entertainment

Check website and consult a travel agent for airlines with diversionary activities such as video games. Even better, seek out those with individual in-seat audio and video systems with dedicated children's channels, such as Singapore Airlines. Or take a portable DVD player or CD player with your own movies and music.

Choose flight times carefully

If you're spending most of the time airborne at night, that's a good thing. There's more chance your kids will sleep and less need to entertain them. If bedtime is usually 8 p.m choose a flight that leaves in the late afternoon. Lots of time for a meal and a movie, then slumber.

food and drink

Don't rely on airline food and schedules. Pack sandwiches, water and plenty of snacks.

Give a helping hand

Jet lag affects everyone, including toddlers. Encourage your kids to drink more water than usual. Take a stopover if you can. Your kids will get a chance to slowly adjust to changing time zones.

Into The Jungle

To contack jungle Environment Survival Training, phone +(63-47)353-9072.More information about the jungle tours in Subic Bay can be found at
www.sbma.com
klik on Natural Subic.

More details about Singapore,s Night Safari can be found at
www.nightsafari.com.sg

For the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia jungle tours, visit
www.frim.gov.my
and go to the Facilities link.

Higher Calling

A temple stay can be an inexpensive, fun way to discover another culture.
Follow these links to discover temples across Asia:

Jogye Order, Korea:
http://eng.buddhism.or.kr/

Vipassana Meditation Center,various countries:
http://www.dhamma.org/

World Fellowship of Buddhists, Thailand:
http://www.wfb-hq.org/

Technorati Profile

Mount Kinabalu

Location of Mount Kinabalu ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kinabalu )

Large lower pitcher of Nepenthes rajah
Mount Kinabalu (Malay: Gunung Kinabalu) is a prominent mountain in Southeast Asia. It is located in Kinabalu National Park (a World Heritage Site) in the east Malaysian state of Sabah, which is on the island of Borneo in the tropics.

In 1997, a re-survey using satellite technology established its summit (known as Low’s Peak) height at 4,095 metres (13,435 ft) above sea level, which is some 6 metres (20 ft) less than the previously thought and hitherto published figure of 4,101 metres (13,455 ft).[1] The mountain is the third tallest in Southeast Asia behind Hkakabo Razi of Myanmar (Burma) and Puncak Jaya of New Guinea - Indonesia,[2] and is therefore also the tallest in Malaysia and on the island of Borneo, which Malaysia shares with Indonesia and Brunei.

The mountain and its surroundings feature a huge variety of flora, and is one of the world’s most important[citation needed] biological sites.
The main peak of the mountain (Low's Peak) can be relatively easily climbed by a person with a good physical condition, and requires no mountaineering equipment. Other peaks along the massif, however, require rock climbing skills.

External Links :

http://www.mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/

http://wikitravel.org/en/Mount_Kinabalu

http://www.mysabah.com/mount-kinabalu/

http://impressions.com.my/Kinabalu/kinabalu.htm

Trips With Tots

One Golden Rule; Plan Ahead

If the thought of taking your toddler on holiday fills you with dread, think again. With careful preparation, it can be a rewarding experience..

1. Avoid environments that are too hot, too cold or too wet. The ideal temperature for a toddler is tepid. If you are not sure where to go, remember that playing on the beach is a favourite activity for most toddlers.
2. Young children invariably get bored during long journeys. Fill the day before with activity so they're more likely to sleep.
3. Consider travel by train-toddlers' favourite type of transport.
4. If flying, choose a departure time that fits in with normal sleeping patterns.
5. Don't count on an airline to feed toddlers to their tease. Pack food.
6. Toddlers can be fussy about the place they sleep-take their own bedding or a pillow. And bring a favourite cuddly toy.
7. Consider going with another family so you can share childcare.

http://www.amazon.com/Have-Toddler-Travel-Sarah-Tucker/dp/0340819960

Maps Off The Beaten Path

Tried of traipsing around the usual tourist attractions?
A Green Map of a distant city, or even a nearby neighbourhood, can show you the links between cultural sites and the natural environment.

Compiled by local residents using software provided by the Green Map System, the maps highlight everything from bicycle paths to bird watching platforms in cities from Jakarta to New York.

The slick Singapore map reveals just how many green, open spaces the city-state has. Even the less professionally produced maps are a great insight into what resident find important.

Most of the maps can be downloaded at http://greenmap.org
click on "store". Individual maps cost $5, including shipping. Some maps can also be found at tourist information kiosks.

How to pack a Suitcase

Many of us over pack for our holidays- 40 per cent of women admit taking too many shoes, for instance. Some ideas to let you squeeze more in and help them arrive in good shape:

Place Heaviest Items.
Such as shoes and denim, at the bottom.

Leave dresses
in dry cleaning bags and fold them at the waist. If packing more than one, pile them up and fold.

Turn suit jackets
inside out and fold in half along the body. Fold suit trousers along the crease.

Avoid coloured tissue paper.
If the luggage gets damp, colours could run.

Roll knits
rather than folding them. Takes up less room and avoids wrinkles. Ditto for cotton items and ties.

Zip-lock bags
work well for T-shirts and jumpers. Press out the air and seal.

Put beauty products
into small bottles. You can always leave them behind.

Fill handbags
with socks and underwear. It saves space and keeps their shape.

Vanessa Friedman - http://www.rd.com/

CAPTURING THE MAGIC

Professional Tips For Memorable Holiday Pics:


Plan Ahead

Imagine shots you might want to take. Will you need a wide-angle lens?
Should you set out with a change of clothes or rock-hopping footwear in a spare bag?
Knowledge inspires creativity, so do some research on your locale.

Time The Light

Early Morning gives a warm, golden light. For the bright, contrasting light in the middle of the day, use a wide-angle or telephoto lens. When the sun is vertical, create graphic images by using shadows. Try trees, lattice work on a wall or a human form.

Weather Equals light

Learn how to read a weather map. When travelling for pictures of the mountains, choose an overcast day. The light will then be distributed evenly for your pictures of waterfalls, forests and plants. Have some sense of the seasons if the vegetation is to be part of your photographs. Travel in spring to capture splendid wildflowers and wildlife.

Helen Chryssides - http://www.rd.com/

Tips for the Physically Challenged Traveller

1. If flying with a wheelchair, ensure that your batteries operate on gel. If you wheelchair has a "wet cell" battery, it will have to be disconnected, taken out of the chair and placed in a special container.

2. Have your chair serviced one or two weeks before you leave.

3. Talk to your travel agent about these needs:

• Is the resort or cruise ship wheelchair accessible?
• Is your room and washroom large enough to accommodate a wheelchair?
• What electric cal current dose your resort or cruise ship use? if 220 volts is required, make sure this will be provided.
• Ensure you have transportation from the airport to your destination, and back.
  

4. Before travelling overseas, phone the consulate or embassy of any countries you will be visiting. They may be able to supply information on appropriate local medical and transportation services.

Jaq Le Blang0-in the Toronto Star http://www.rd.com/

technorati tags: travel tips

Fun in The Jungle

The dense tropical forest of Asia are magical places to spend an afternoon, an evening or even a night.

Deep in the jungle, as the canopy above darkens the path, you realise that you have nothing but your hands, your wits and your guide to help you survive.

Fortunately, at the Jungle Environment Survival Training camp in Subic Bay, Philippines, your guide is about all you need to live through a hike into the area's 10,000 hectares of virgin rain forest.

Filipino tribesmen have lived in the jungles around Subic Bay for generations, and today they offer jungle hikes and tours. But don't expect your usual guided tour. Subic's vast jungle is home to 3000 types of trees, 10,000 varieties of plants and over a thousand animal species, including huge bats and playful monkeys. Lessons cover starting a fire with two pieces of bamboo, fishing with your hands, and even brewing a from of 'jungle coffee."

Around Asia. similar jungle jaunts are available for travellers looking for something a bit more robust than the tour bus. The Singapore Zoological Gardens offers a night safari set 40 hectares of dense secondary, visitors can see more than 1000 nocturnal animals.

Near Kuala Lumpur, the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia offers a variety of ways to interact with its adjacent forest. The 1.5-kilometre Salleh's Trail winds along a path lined with interesting trees typical of Malaysia's forests. Another trail is reserved for mountain biking.

For those with no fear of heights, the Canopy Walkway offers a view of jungle life at the treetops. The 200-metre series of walkways is suspended about 30 metres above the ground.

There are impressive viewing points along the canopy, but the trail up to the area is steep and gruelling.

A small fee is charged for all these jungle tours. In Subic, an overnight tour is offered at varying but reasonable rates, depending on the equipment involved.