I’ve travelled to both Thailand and Fiji- and to be honest I prefer Thailand. My issues with Fiji come under a) politics and b) costs.
Fiji is a military dictatorship, so although Thailand’s democracy is not perfect, I’d rather give that regime my money.
Which brings me to my second point – Fiji is expensive because bascically tourists have to stay at resorts. There is very little local accommodation. For all the laid-back welcoming culture of the Pacific its hard to find local accommodation. While in Thailand – its everywhere. Sure you can stay in an international 5-star resort at Phuket or Koh SAmui, but there are plenty of no star local-run places which are nice too.
Then there is the food- most of Fiji’s food, what the tourists eat anyway, is imported from Australian or New Zealand. So its expensive. And the local cuisine is a little- dull – to be honest. Thai food on the other hand, is one of the world’s great cuisines, with enough flavours and methods to give France a run for its money.
Thai people love to eat – and you will find great local food for a few dollars on any street corner. Its not the same in Fiji.
So having decided to go to Thailand for my next trip: one last issue: Phuket or Koh Samui?
Who wouldn’t want to vacation in Fiji? Those who haven’t seen the right infomercial is my first guess.You may look at a vacation in a tropical paradise in two ways; exciting because of all the new and great things to do, delicious foods to try and beauty to see. Others may see the delicious food as a haven for weight gain in undesirable places such as the waistline. To solve the latter let me introduce you to the flex belt, read a flex belt review to find out if it is right for you.
Fiji is made up of over 300 islands most of which are not inhabited. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the South Pacific. It is known for its beautiful weather and white sandy beaches and pristine oceans and other waterways. All these attributes make it a great vacation spot for families, newlyweds and singles alike.
If you are worried about the cost of such a trip all you have to do is start planning well in advance. Do your research and find out what times of year offer the best deals on hotels, flights and attractions and plan to make your trip then. Look for ways to save such as bundling your flight and hotel packages or find family vacation packages that give a discount with a certain amount of members.
You won’t regret taking a trip to Fiji, here is a little taste of what to expect:
If you are not into just sitting on beach in the sun, then your considerations as to where you are going to go on holiday are probably more varied. You may like to go and enjoy the culture of a certain country, enjoy the architecture, so somewhere like Italy might be your choice.
Then there is the city of London, where you can soak up all the traditions, the palaces and Tower of London, along with several monuments and museums. If you have not visited there before, you may really enjoy it. With the Olympics in 2012, it really might be a good choice.
Then there are other places that you could visit at certain times of the year to enjoy there festivals and carnivals. Take Germany for example, in the new year they have a fantastic carnival where everyone dresses up in carnival costumes, and celebrates. It is similar in New Orleans, they have Mardi Gras, again lots of carnival costumes are worn, it is a truly colourful sight. The atmosphere at these celebrations is hard to beat, everyone gets caught up in it.
So think about when you are able to take your vacation, then look to see if there is anything special going on somewhere, and join in with the spirit of the celebrations.
Cap d’Agde lies nestled next to the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France, so there is no mystery to the reason why water is a major attraction in this popular seaside resort. In addition to the scenic shoreline, the city marks the spot where River Herault empties into the ocean. It is also where the Canal du Midi offers passage from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean. These natural water formations have contributed greatly to the prosperity and growth of this bustling resort.
Many of the city’s landmark historical structures are found overlooking the River Herault. A walk on the banks will take visitors past the great cathedral and eventually to a fishing village at the river’s mouth. This relaxing hike is an ideal way to drink in the natural beauty of the region and get a good feel for how important the waterways are to the city’s heritage.
Another pleasant way to tour the region is by bicycle. Tourists can rent a bike and take a ride beside the Canal du Midi. Hikers will walk along footpaths lined with trees and enjoy good views of the Round Lock. This engineering marvel rotates huge canal boats to allow access to one of three exits. And visitors who want to get out on the water can also take a leisurely boat or barge tour.
Guests can participate in many water-based activities and then indulge in the wonderful seafood dishes prepared by local chefs. Many Cap d’Agde restaurants take advantage of the daily bounty from the sea to prepare the freshest gourmet meals possible. Diners are treated to the finest local cuisine created by professional chefs. Sitting down to a superb meal and a bottle of regional wine is a relaxing way to top of a day of taking advantage of all Cap d’Agde has to offer.
I think of salt and pepper shakers as very practical little decorative figurines! I love to decorate my dinner table in festive ways for special family dinners over the holidays. Perhaps Santa salt and pepper shakers are my most favorite of all of the Christmas salt and pepper shakers available.
I love to look at all of the jolly Santa Clauses dislayed on my table. Because I have a long dinner table, I will usually put out at least 3 sets of salt and pepper shakers for large family gatherings. I don’t try and have all the salt and pepper shakers match either. At Christmas dinner each table section gets a different Santa set.
The kids in the family love to look at all of the different Santas and decide which one brings the best presents! My favorite are the kissing Santa salt and pepper shakers that show Santa and Mrs. Claus smooching! Santa and a Christmas Tree is another popular combination as well. Of course it’s impossible for Santa to deliver all those presents without his reindeer so Santa and a reindeer look great on your table as well. If you love a Winter Wonderland theme, Santa and a Snowman look adorable together as well!
Fly a Halloween Ghost Flag to let the trick-or-treaters know that ou’ll be handing out candy on Halloween. You’ll smile as you put up a Halloween flag that shows a friendly ghost jumping out of a pumpkin and yelling Boo! You’ll also see a bright purple flag with a dapper ghost in a bow tie holding his friendly jack-o-lantern. The ghosts on these flags are whimsicaland friendly. Perfect for the houshold with small children – or for the household that expects a lot of toddlers for Halloween candy. You want to give the little ones a bit of a thrill – not scare them and give them nightmares for a week!
You can add another layer of visual interest to your Halloween ghost decor with a ghost sign attached to the front door. You’ll find trios of ghosts holding up the letters B O O. There’s silly ghosts saying hello with big grins on their faces. And there’s friendly ghosts welcoming people into your home.
Pair the ghost flag and sign together and you get a lot of bang for your Halloween decorating budget. The two will complement each other and create a pleasing vignette from the street as your neighbors drive by.
So as you can see it’s possible to easily get in the Halloween spirit without spending a great deal of time or money. When Halloween is over, it’s a simple procedue to take the ghost flag and sign down and store them until next year. It’s always geat on the budget when you can use Halloween decorations from one year to the next.
You’d think that all the fun to be had in Thailand would be reserved for the crazy, insomniac capital of Bangkok, and the cities far in the north would attract an older, more discerning crowd of tourists. That’s what I thought, too, when I first arrived in Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand.
After a few days in the city I realised that there are at least as many things to do in Chaing Mai as there are in Bangkok, and in fact Chiang Mai is a fantastic location for sightseeing, adventure tourism, eating, drinking and shopping.
The things to do in Chiang Mai aren’t just limited to the city, either. Outside Chiang Mai you can find Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand, as well as a whole host of rainforests, rivers and waterfalls. Flight of the Gibbon, a local tour company, offers rides on the longest zipline in the world, plus skywalks and viewing platforms high in the tree tops.
In Chiang Mai itself you can find great bargains at the Sunday walking market, the Night Bazaar and Thapae gate, and the city is absolutely bursting with great bars, cafes and restaurants serving authentic Thai food and western options equal to anything you’d find back home.
The only problem with Chiang Mai (and this is a problem you’ll find everywhere in Thailand) is that the Chiang Mai weather can be very changeable in the monsoon season between May and November. The Indian monsoon weather brings rain to Chiang Mai every day, along with the occasional spectacular lightning storm. Personally I don’t mind the Chiang Mai weather, as during the wet season it only really rains for a few minutes on most days – monsoon rain is short and sharp – and most of the day is dry as a bone.
I’ll be returning to Chiang Mai airport fairly soon for a six month spell in the city. This time I’ll be staying during the dry season, so I may even get a tan!
Some of the islands were first discovered in 1643 by the Dutch explorer Tasman, others more than a century later by Captain Cook. Captain Bligh (of Bounty fame) was among the several European navigators who attempted to chart the group. The first comprehensive survey was made by Captain Charles Wilkes of the US Exploring Expedition (1840).
The Melanesian name for the main island was Viti, but it is from the Polynesian form (Fiti or Fisi), first heard by Captain Cook, that the present name derives. After tribal wars and disease had ravaged the islands, the Fijian chiefs asked the British to take control, and in 1874 Fiji became a British colony. Indians were first brought to the islands in 1879 as indentured labor for the sugar plantations.
Today, Indians descended from plantation workers form more than 50% of the population. The indigenous Fijians, primarily Melanesian but with some Polynesian blood, come second.
Although the constitution, established in 1970 when Fiji became independent within the Commonwealth of Nations, contains safeguards to prevent the political domination of one group over the other, racial friction has been one of Fiji’s problems. The Indians have the economic power, but most of the land is owned by Fijians.
Christianity (mainly Methodism) and Hinduism are the principle religions; there are also Muslim and Sikh communities. English is the official language and about 85% of the people are literate.