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Just a few minutes walk from Ebor are the Ebor falls. Situated in the Guy Fawkes River National Park some 40km east of Dorrigo. 45 minutes east of Armidale on the Waterfall Way and 1.5 hours west from the coast high on the New England, Australia.

Ebor Falls is where the Guy Fawkes River takes a spectacular plunge over basalt rock.

The Ebor falls are falling 115 metres over columned basalt rock in two falls, the upper and lower Ebor falls, into a steep forested gorge below.

Although not very high, the two part fall presents the visitor with some great views and some interesting walks. Walking tracks lead through Antartic Beech forests below the escarpment of this ancient, extinct volcano.

Mammy’s Cupboard, Natchez, MS

Mammy’s Cupboard is located only a few miles from Natchez, MS, USA. It’s a restaurant built inside a 28-foot tall black woman’s skirt. “She” is 28 feet tall, and “she” has a 20-foot diameter skirt. Mammy was built by Henry Gaude in 1940 and has endured cycles of decay and restoration. The restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 2 pm.

The Public Library, Kansas, USA

The Newton Public Library is located in Newton, Kansas at 720 North Oak Street, in Military Park. This public library in Kansas City is made to look like a giant bookshelf.
Open hours: Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Friday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

“House Attack” by Erwin Wurm, Vienna.

Wurm’s most recent work – “House Attack” was opening at 19 October, 2006 in Vienna, Austria. It’s a family-home, which hits the facade of the museum like a “bombs”. Erwin Wurm said: “House attack is a symbol for an everyday occurrence as well as small-mindedness”.

Tonga is a kingdom. The islands lie south of Samoa and are about one-third of the way from New Zealand.  It is the only South Pacific group of islands (170) that has always ruled itself. Several of the islands are volcanic, with active craters, but most are coral atolls. The entire island is population- just over 100,000.

It became a British protectorate in 1900 and gained independence as a constitutional monarchy in 1970. There is exceptional sailing and snorkeling, and many tiny islands with gorgeous beaches. There’s laid-back resort life around Tonga’s marvelous whale-watching. A relaxing holiday, a fishing trip, an exhilarating dive. There are private resorts, guesthouses, making it a much less populated and more relaxing place to visit.   

Mauritania is a country in North-West Africa. Chinguetti was founded to serve the caravans crossing the Sahara. The old mosque was constructed 700 years ago and is the main mosque of the town considered to be number 7 most sacred town of Islam in the whole world.

The wooden doors are amazing and many have an excellent hand work carved on them.  The sanctuary is best known for its massive square minaret, which towers over the town and is built of rubble masonry without mortar. The minaret is capped by four acroteria, or pedestals, each topped with a stone ostrich egg. The nature is totally wild.

Chinguetti is really venerated as one of the most holy cities in Islam. This remote place is the most frequently visited tourist spot in Mauritania. In the 1970s the mosque was restored through a UNESCO.

Positano is situated in the Campania region of Italy. It’s a port for Capri and health and seaside resort on the Amalfi Coast. Once a wealthy maritime power, it began the last century as a fishing settlement, and ended it as a popular, and rather chi-chi resort, famous for its hotels and boutiques as well as for the winding stairways that connect the town, and the towering cliffs above.

The structure of the town is very original; its buildings cling, in tiers to the rock face. The small houses, all huddling on top of each other, so characteristic of Positano, form the subject of endless photos. To Positano you find many hotels, small pensions, residence, bed & breakfast, to lodgings and optimal restaurants and pizza where it will be able to be appreciated the local “gastronomia”.

Positano has several churches of interest, most notably the Duomo by the beach, with its green and gold dome. The white-and-gold interior is airy and attractive and merits a visit, and the tiny piazza outside, where boys kick footballs around, is pure Italian.
The holiday “season” extends approximately from June to the end of September. If you want to avoid the crowds, October/November is a nice time to visit. No wonder tourists love it as it has a lot to offer: amazing sites, wonderful places of interest and breathtaking views. Positano is a town you will never forget!!

The Republic of Nauru is a small oval-shaped island in the western Pacific Ocean, located just 42 kilometers south of the Equator. The nearest neighbor is Banaba Island in the Republic of Kiribati. One of the world’s smallest island nation, the smallest independent republic, and the only republican state in the world without an official capital, Nauru offers travelers a truly unique Pacific Island visit.

Total area: 8 sq mi (21 sq km)
Population (2007 est.): 13,528
Largest city (2003 est.): Yaren
Languages: Nauruan (official), English
Religions: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Currency: Australian dollar.

The Nauruans originated from a mixture of people from Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia. During the early 1800’s, Nauru was a base for American whalers. In the late 1800’s it came under German administration. In 1914 it was surrendered to Australia and eventually became independent in 1968, the world’s smallest. The country’s predominant economic development has been based on phosphate exports, which has given Nauruans one of the highest living standards in the world.

The island is surrounded by a coral reef, exposed at low tide and dotted with pinnacles. The reef is bounded seaward by deep water, inside by a narrow sandy beach. A 150-300-meter wide fertile coastal strip lies landward from the coast, ending in forested coral cliffs that rise to the now mined-out central plateau. Nauru has limited tourism activities, however, those in the know recognize the diving and fishing conditions here are world class. Discover excellent deep sea fishing, scuba dive amazing ocean depths, take a tour of the island’s past economic mainstay the phosphate mines or simply experience a holiday in a world far from your own.

The Hotel Amigo is located in the heart of Brussels, next door to the historic Grand Place – one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, near enough to any number of shops, restaurants, the financial district, and even the Town Hall. This five-star accommodation and personal service, should ensure that you will have a pleasurable stay, whatever the reason for your visit to Brussels.
Hotel Amigo offers a variety of bedrooms and suites, which are individual in style including 174 bedrooms and 19 suites. Many have views over the ornate town hall and the rooftops and terraces of the city, in particular the 180 sq m. The hotel itself is sublime—a Spanish Renaissance building decorated with ancient Brussels flagstones, Magritte and Broodthaers prints. Blaton Suite which has its own roof terrace, two ensuite bedrooms, sitting room, and dining room for private entertaining. Good-sized bathrooms contain mosaic details in red or green to match their marble vanity tops, and figures of Herge’s characters Tintin, Snowy the dog and Captain Haddock enliven the walls with a touch of humor.

“Superb!”, said David Bowie following his stay.

Alcantara Gorges and the Alcantara River are the most interesting natural monuments in Sicily, Italy, as a lot of tourists say. The gorges are accessible for a stretch when the waters are low, at a depth of between 50 and 200 cm. Long ago during the eruption of one of the small craters Mogo lava flows made the river-bed on the northern slope of the mount Etna. The magma, cooling off, formed prism basaltic high walls and the erosion of the river  transformed it in a canyon. The tourists will have an opportunity to see the river in all its beauty: its numerous shallows, water falls and vertical basalt cliffs of whimsical forms.
The river-bed stone cliffs rise over 50 meters above the narrow tongue of water awkwardly stretching their cumbersome beauty. Black geometric forms seem to confront each other ominously as they surge skywards. The beautiful stone cliffs tower forms pentagonal and hexagonal prisms, irregular shapes which interplay with the light, creating forms both graceful and monstrous.

During the period from May till September the water in the Alcantara river becomes lower. At this time it is possible to bathe there and many tourists use this opportunity to cool down in its pure stream. The most interesting place of the river is called Gole dell’Alcantara. The water is cold though, even in the summer. If you want to walk through part of the actual gorge, you can hire waders (similar to those used by fisherman).

The descent on foot allows a beautiful, overall view of the initial part of the gorge. Once down at the riverbed, the rock-faces are remarkable in their ambiguous beauty, squeezing a narrow strip of water between them: black, geometric structures which rise up, one facing the other. The entrance ticket costs 3Eur. There is a lift for the climb back up. A special elevator was built there to lift tourists to the field of view, which is open from 7 a.m. till 7 p.m. Free-camping is possible in the specially provided clearings.

Laos, officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south, and Thailand to the west. Laos traces its history to the Kingdom of Lan Xang or Land of a Million Elephants, which existed from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. In the Lao language, the country’s name is “Meuang Lao“. Laos’ isolation from foreign influence offers travelers an unparalleled glimpse of traditional Southeast Asian life. From the fertile lowlands of the Mekong River valley to the rugged Annamite highlands, Laos is the highlight of Southeast Asia.
Enigmatic and relatively undeveloped, Laos bears the dubious distinction of being the most bombed country in history. However, it is gradually emerging from its tumultuous recent history thanks to a combination of foreign aid, a growing ecotourism industry, and its charming, philosophical people. Theravada Buddhism is a dominant influence in Lao culture. It is reflected throughout the country from language to the temple and in art, literature, performing arts, etc. Many elements of Lao culture predate Buddhism.
Laos has rich vegetation, mainly monsoon forest. Parts of the Annamite chain are covered with tropical evergreen forest, where rainfall is highest and in the south, tropical pine forests can be found. Laos has a large number of animal species, including as many as 500 different birds. Reptiles include many snakes, including king cobras. Laos is famous for its woven silk and cotton which are found in varying designs throughout the country. Each area has its own specific design.

Put your right arm on the heart and be honest with yourselves – you can’t remember a trip which didn’t bring the taught “How badly I want my luggage to be liter!”. The first (most important) priority of the experience traveler is to pack the most necessary stuff and leave all other things at home.1. DO YOUR HOMEWORKCall your hotel administration or check out the website (if any) if they have available iron, hairdryer and other heavy or space-consuming necessities witch you’ll be better off leaving at home. Check out what the weather is going to be where you’re going. Take only the things you really need, forget about “in case”. If you think that a specific cloth MAY be in use of you- just leave it. Take it with you only if you are a 100% sure that you can’t go on without it.

2. PICK UP THE MAIN COLOR

Pick up a color around witch you are going to center all the different colors of your clothing – especially good choice would be neutral colors – gray, brawn and white. Black is also a good choice but when wearing it stay away from the summer. Pick up all accessories in the accordance with the main color of your clothing.

3. PUT TOGETHER A “TO DO” LIST

Make up a list with all the things that you intend to take with you. This is a way for you to see that you are going to pack six pairs of pants for a four day trip, for example. A good thing to do is to cut down half your list or even more.

4. PLAY WITH THE DIGITS

The rule you are going to use follows – a shirt or T-shirt a day and underwear for everyday (excluding the fact that you may stay somewhere away from home for than a week), a jacket or sweater, two pairs of shoes and pair of pants or flip-flops.

5. SEARCH THE LITEPack litter clothing possible ones that don’t need any ironing. Your priority should be comfort, not the model tendencies. It is extremely important your pants and jackets to have big pockets, to be ones that don’t need ironing and to have color that could guise light spots. Shoes can take great amount of space that you can use to put your socks in. Choose a suitcase, a sack or backpack with a number of pockets attached to it. This is a way for you to arrange and pack not only your clothing but also your camera, tourist guide, etc. If your luggage is smaller and compact it can be checked in as carry on and it will be save you a lot of time waiting at baggage claims and you won’t fear that your luggage might be lost.6. DO YOUR LAUNDRY

If you travel for longer period of time there is no way for you to take a pair of pants, pair of socks or underwear, for each one of the days away from home or if you are going to a country where the standard are lower or your budget is not on a break, explore the services offered by your hotel-laundromat, ironing (ironing tables), dry cleaning.

7. NECESSITIES

Take all the cosmetics you need- tooth paste, deodorant, gel, shampoo hair, etc – in the smallest available for you amounts, the so called “travel-size”. If you can’t find them in the mall, by yourself mini-bottles (you can find them while shopping in the travell’s section) and pour the amounts needed in them.

8. LAST CHECK

Make a big pile of the things you plan to pack and put it on your bed, for example, before you actually pack them. If you directly pack all your stuff you’ll be tempted to add more. Believe me, you’ll do it. That is way after you do your final check, pack only the things that you see on the bed in front of you.

9. LEAVE SOME SPACE

Make sure that you leave some space in your suitcase, backpack or sack you’ll need it when you get to your destination and decide to get souvenirs. For most of the people (especially for the ladies) souvenirs is a synonym of clothing.

10. WELCOME BACK

After you come back from your trip check your luggage once again, take a look at each cloth and accessory and ask yourselves the question if you actually needed them. This will definitely help you the next time you pack.

InterContinental Chicago is ideally situated on the Magnificent Mile. With its art deco exterior and Roman-style swimming pool, this Chicago hotel was originally built as the Medinah Athletic Club in 1929 and is a historic Chicago landmark. Extensive renovation translates into the highest standards for guest comfort, set within an old-world elegance that is combined with the best in modern amenities.
The InterContinental Chicago is one of the city’s most luxurious hotels and landmarks referenced in architectural tours of Chicago, the hotel displays a stunning blend of architecture and art from all over the world. This unique Chicago hotel combines historic charm with contemporary elegance and modern efficiency.
InterContinental Hotels, renowned for its international portfolio of historic restorations, purchased the property in 1988 and immediately began renovations. It was the original athletic club’s 1930 yearbook, the SCIMITAR, which guided much of the original work which was used to replicate the restore entire rooms – right down to the detailing in the draperies, carpets, and murals, throughout the entire hotel.
The hotel features a four-story lobby with grand staircase and cast bronze ornamentation, 807 newly refurbished guest rooms and suites, and over 40,000 square feet of choice conference and banquet facilities, all resulting in a brilliant merger of old-world elegance with 21st-century craftsmanship.

Trips, journeys, exploring…. it is always a pleasure to go to some cool new place and explore. But sometimes it happens to get lost in this unfamiliar atmosphere. That’s why i always take my GPS enabled Pocket PC every place i go and i don’t have this problem.

Here i want to point at article about the release of new HP iPAQ Travel Companion, which i read today.

With this gadget you can navigate, stay connected, and be entertained when you travel for business, for pleasure, or both. It can helps you make the most of travels ranging from walks around the block to jaunts around the world. It is about new addition to the iPAQ’s family called HP iPAQ rx5915 Travel Companion, which is more than just a guidance system. It has built-in 802.11 b/g wireless and Bluetooth and runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC operating system so you can do all the things you would normally do with a PDA and stay connected everywhere.

If you are interested in this device read the whole article at MobileTopSoft.