TravelCent

Beaches

Ibiza is one of the beautiful Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the second smallest of the four major islands, though it is definitely not short on cultural heritage, scenic wonders or entertainment. As with the other islands, it is known for its spectacular beaches that offer plenty of opportunity to enjoy one of a number of water sports. Some of the more common sports include boating, swimming and scuba diving. Each of the island’s beaches has interesting aspects, unique views and natural attractions. And with all of them, the beaches are extremely popular. Two of the more popular beaches on Ibiza are the Talamanca Beach and the Playa d’en Bossa Beach. Tourists staying in the best Ibiza hotels have no problem gaining access to these sandy parks.

The Talamanca Beach is located very near to Ibiza Town, and is frequented by locals as well as tourists. It is an elongated curved beach that borders the Talamanca Bay. It has extremely soft sand that leads into the water and is ideal for sunbathing. There is also a wooden boardwalk that covers the length of the beach and is an excellent way to stroll along as one finds their perfect spot. There are plenty of nearby restaurants and many of these are open all year. Some of the hotels are open year round as well, which makes it a perfect spot for a winter vacation. There are showers along the beach for swimmers to wash off after a dip in the Sea.

The Playa d’en Bossa Beach is also extremely popular and has the longest stretch of sand on the island. This beach becomes even busier when the south wind blows, as it is a popular place for windsurfing. This beach has plenty of bars and restaurants along it, and there is a style and taste for everyone. Beach parties are common with house music pulsating with the waves. For families and individuals who prefer a quieter time, it is recommended they wander over to the far end of the beach. One of the secrets of the beach is a hidden bay at the beach’s end. Few people are aware of this and it is usually quiet and secluded.

The Bengal Tiger

Delhi India is a major city with much to offer in the realm of cultural arts and entertainment. However, to really experience much of the natural beauty and wonders of India, a tourist may have to venture far outside the city. For those adventure seekers, willing to travel the distance and make their way through the country’s terrain, they may actually be able to see first hand one of the beautiful Bengal tigers. This is becoming less of a possibility due to the increased endangerment of this amazing species. Tourists staying in one of the five star hotels in Delhi may even explore some of the conservation efforts the country is putting forth.

The Bengal tiger is a subspecies of the well-known Siberian tiger and is known for its beautiful stripes. It is most commonly found in India and Bangladesh, although they have also been seen in parts of Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Myanmar. It is one of the largest of the Siberian tiger subspecies and historically has been one of the most populous. These amazing animals were at one time found throughout the Indian Subcontinent, though their natural habitat has been greatly reduced due to increasing amounts of interaction with humans and technology. At this point, while most of the world’s tigers are still found in India, they are reduced to small, isolated populations, which contributes to their danger of extinction.

The diet of the Bengal tiger consists entirely of meat, which classifies them as carnivores. They eat a variety of other animals that are found in their natural habitat including water buffalo, boars, deer and antelope, among many others. Occasionally they will also consume smaller animals such as monkeys, birds and rabbits, though this is not enough to sustain their necessary daily calorie intake. Also, though infrequently, they have been known to consume other major predators as the need demands. Because humans have encroached upon their natural habitat, the Bengal tigers have been known to attack and eat humans. This should serve as a precaution to over eager tourists who may wish to get up close and personal.

Dancing in the Streets

Street Dance is an umbrella term used to describe dance styles that evolve outside of dance studios. Competitive street dancing started in the early 1970s among the New York City gangs, such as the Zulu Kings and the Rock Steady Crew. The street dance movement know as ‘King Tut’ uses the head and arm movements of the Egyptians dance style depicted in the hieroglyphic of Egypt. Break Dancing, dancers spin the body on the head, back, hands and performing aerial dives and complicated fast footwork, started in the Bronx and grew out of the graffiti art and rapping culture. The aims of break dancing which developed control and coordination of acrobatics and athletic feats either solo, with a partner or in a group to demonstrate the superiority over rival gangs. Break Dancing exploded on to the world market not to long after the late 70’s and became popular among non-gang members and any American traveler could witness this phenomena being performed on the train platforms in India all the way to witnessing break dancer as young as eight perform right outside one of Singapore Luxury Hotels to earn a living.

Break Dancing evolved to what is called ‘Body Popping‘ with terms like The Turtle and The Beetle Crawl. Body Popping consist of a jerky articulation of isolated parts of the body creating a chain of movements which appear to ripple. A mechanical effect is created by tensing the muscles in a stiff body; the exacting movements are small and sharp. Today’s street dancing is commonly used specifically for the many hip-hop dances and funk dances and are no longer considered gang related. The popularity among the younger generations have taken street dance to a whole new level. There is now an American television show almost dedicated to the street dancer called ‘So You Think You Can Dance?‘.  Which has brought legitimacy to the once gangster related activity and is now being taught in the better known dancing schools and studios.

Projects to Manage and Balance

Sitting in a lobby in one of the hundreds of Singapore Hotels, Sandra watched the travellers in a constant flow of coming and going. She was waiting for her inspiration, her muse to show as so to spark a new poem or a new short-story. This was her favorite way to be creative, to rely on the world’s population to make her living for her, even though they do not know that that’s their purpose when they come into Sandra’s view. Even if they read one of her pros or poems, they would be unaware that they were the project managers of her work. Demanding she create a project that will enhance their portfolio of awareness and bring in a wealth of understanding.

Sandra is an accomplished writer and poet. But, she never let herself be addressed as a writer or as a poet. She would instead request when being introduced at a bookstore or lecture hall, to refer her as simply an employee of the world. This always gets queer looks of non-understanding from the announcer and many of the audience members hoping for a glimmer to making sense of her and her writings. Sandra is all to familiar with this look and she makes a note of it in her future projects notepad of how she needs to allow another completely different project manager to put on her desk the project she thought was complete. This suits her well, for if she can make one person understand that they are her employer, her project manager and that it is her job to bring to task the very nature of the projects existence, then she herself feels accomplished and to finish the task that of their necessity of living their lives all worth while. This is Sandra’s talent, to find the balance in the project and make the project itself become a medium of conscious awareness. Nothing more than that will she create for nothing more is necessary. So, she waits in the lobby, waits for her that next project in need of balance to be placed on her desk of imaginations.

Find Dining a must

My parents, no matter what their finances were, no matter if they were in a fight, always went out ‘Fine Dining‘  every Friday night. This is the one activity they would not give up. Even if they didn’t enjoy each others company for the evening, they enjoy the socializing with their favorite waitstaff, favorite Maitre’d and favorite bartender. My mom would tell them one of her new dirty jokes and my dad would flirt with all the females.

No matter where they were in the world, from Singapore Fine Dining to the obscure small towns like Harlan, Kentucky Fine Dinning, they would always make instant friends with the entire staff of the restaurant they were patronizing, by inviting the staff to come by the bar they would go to after eating and offering to by them drinks. My mother, when she and my father visited a friend in a small town in Germany, made instant friends with the Burgermeister who was dinning next to them at a Fine Dinning restaurant because she invited him to go for drinks afterwards at his favorite watering hole. Today, they still correspond back and forth via the mail.

It was a rare opportunity for me to be able to join them, when I was old enough, and witness how my parents transformed right before my very eyes from the disciplinarians of the house into the most wonderful and delightful people anyone would ever like to meet. My parents were fun to hang around with and truly a revelation I will always treasure along with my friends who were also invited a few times and treated to a night of dressing up to Fine Dine, drink and laugh all night long. Surprisingly, my friends always ask me how my parents are doing and if they’ll ever be invited to go out with them again. Surprising because they are what you’d call non-conforming agitators, but for some reason, getting a chance to dress up and go out for the evening with my folks made them forget about their resolve and just enjoy. I will forever be grateful to my parents showing me a side of life that I rarely get a chance to do, Fine Dine and for letting me see that they are some much more than my parents, they are a gift to treasure and enjoy.

Red Panda

India has many natural wonders and beautiful scenic aspects. As with every country’s geography, there is a natural habitat that is included in the cultural orientation. The Red Panda of India is one of those features. Tourists staying in a five star hotel India may wish to explore the country’s geographic elements as well as its major cities and urban landmarks. While the Red Panda is known as a beautiful animal original to the Himalayas it is also indigenous to Pakistan, Laos, Burma, Nepal and of course India.

The small mammal is commonly known as the Firefox or Lesser Panda, with the Red Panda being its Western name. The term Red Panda most likely originates from the Nepali word ponya. This became the standard Western name for it in 1821 when Thomas Hardwicke introduced it to Europe. It is also known as the Wah due to its unique cry. It is also called a Cat Bear because it resembles a small bear though it washes itself much like a cat. The panda is slightly larger than a domestic cat, which contributes to the association. It is classified as a vulnerable species due to continual declines in its population because of habitat fragmentation. Its diet is mostly composed of bamboo and it is primarily considered to be an herbivore.

These endearingly charming creatures are most active at dusk and dawn, making them crepuscular. During most of the day they are sedentary and can be found lounging in the trees. They only increase their activity in the early evening and early morning. They are extremely skilled acrobats and spend most of their time in the trees. They are generally solitude animals and rarely, if ever, live in groups with another. The pandas begin their day with a washing ritual of licking their paws and using them to massage their backs, stomachs and faces. The next item on their agenda is to patrol their territory and ensure their boundary markings. They spend their evenings searching for food. This is one of the rare times they come to the ground, though they don’t stay long.

Chicken crossed the Road Less Travelled

You know that old joke? “Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.’ As a young girl in kindergarten, it didn’t get it. I didn’t get why that was funny or profound. To me it made perfect sense. Of course it crossed the road to get to the other side. Children, at that age, do take every statement literally. Sometimes I still do, and I get the weirdest looks from people. For example: I was staying in one of the Business Hotels Singapore for business. Earlier that day, in a business meeting with my clients, one of them say to get someone tonight to sign a document giving permission to access one of our online analysis statistics spreadsheets. I took that statement literally, maybe it was my jet-lag, but I waited until it was night to do this. I mean, I literally waited until dark! Needless to say, my client was very upset I took so long to get him access to this information. My boss, my colleagues and my client, in not so polite words, told me to reconsider my career.

I’ve actually been reconsidering my career, my life, my boyfriend, well every aspect of my life really. My career, well I’m just a glorified paper pusher. All my so called mainstream friends think I have a fantastic career; I get to travel across the world. I just get time in the other countries I visit for business to push more paper there.  That day, in Singapore, I made a decision, I decided to take that road less travelled. To quit my well paying job, sell my big house, pull out my 401K, buy a used beat up RV and see what I’ve been missing. My boyfriend will break up with me, my friends will not understand and for sure my folks will disapprove. But, doesn’t sound wonderful? To drop out of the rat-race and join in the joy of not living up to other peoples expectations.

Hong Kong Waters

Consumers in Hong Kong are urged to respond in action to a global call for access to clean water. With the exception of the Water Supply Industry, all major utilities in Hong Kong are owned and operated by Hong Kongs private enterprises. In terms of price, returns, and productivity, the water supply industry in Hong Kong compared unfavourably with privately owed utilities. The financial performance of the Water Supplies Department (WSD)  has been deteriorating in recent years, especially in the Public Rental Housing (PRH) arena. In order to improve the performance of the water supply industry, the Hong Kong Government should consider inviting the private sector to run the industry. Hong Kong can learn from other countries with regard to reforms made in the water supply industry

The travel industries such as the Best Hong Kong Hotels and Hong Kongs Technology Research Centers in a joint effort with the Consumer Council has collaborated with the Water Supplies Department to heighten consumer awareness of the importance and need of maintaining a high quality of water supply at the taps. Although the quality of treated water from the WSD fully complies with the World Health Organization guidelines for drinking water and that more that 99.9% of residence have government water supply in Hong Kong, discolored or dirty tap water remains a source of consumer grievance.

To arouse public awareness and help consumers in their choice of service providers, the Hong Kong Consumer Council has surveyed the market in the cleaning of water tanks. And today quality fresh water supply in Public Rental Housing blocks have a guaranteed certification from the Water Supply Department for Fresh Water Plumbing Quality Maintenance Recognition Scheme (FWPQMRS). The WSD encourage building owners to maintain their plumbing properly and to provide it’s tenants with good quality tap water. The public is further advised that the task of cleaning water tanks should be performed only by personnel with appropriate experience and supervised by competent personnel.

The Intention of Healing

When I was in my twenties and participating in a weekend workshop for actors being held at a Singapore Boutique Hotel, I learned about Script Analysis. In that workshop they taught us about how to dissect a script and find our characters intentions. We had to do this for every line in the script our characters had. This was my first time having to understand what an intention was. Being young and not too worldly, concepts came slow to me, but learning about how not only my character has ‘intentions’, but how I have intentions. This was a powerful moment for me.

Now, twenty years later, I’m seeing all kinds of books and movies being made concerning intentions, like ‘What the Bleep’ which is all about scientific studies on how powerful thoughts and intentions really are in our lives. The power of intentions is based on the principle of ‘like attracts like.’ Whatever we focus our minds on, we will draw to us.  for example, if we have fearful thoughts, we will attract fearful situations and people to us, or if we have thoughts of peace and have inner balance we will attract peaceful situations and peace balanced people. It’s because our thoughts have a powerful effect in the physical world.

All of us have this power, but for some reason as children we were conditioned, educated about our limitations, about the skepticism of us having our own powers. Because of this conditioning we forgot about our innate abilities to manifest what we want; we were taught that all power is outside of us. But, there are now documented studies proving that our thoughts, our intentions do have power.  In one study, half of the participants that actually exercised were able to achieve a 30% increase in strength. The other half who just imagined themselves exercising achieved and astonishing 16% increase. Showing that virtual workouts can give the same effects as actually working out.  There are now journal after journal documenting such experiments. Seeing all this material being produced makes me wonder if when I learned about my character having intentions that I created an intention to be ready for the next phase of the true power behind intentions.

The Long Sit

I’ve been practicing a particular type of meditation Vipassana, Insight meditation. Seeing things as they really are; India’s most ancient techniques of meditation. It’s a non-sectarian technique taught by Gotama Buddha as a universal remedy for universal ills over 2600 years ago. I found out about this Vipassana Meditation technique when a good friend of mine told me that she just finished doing a 10-day sit recommended to her by one of her spa clients. She was all excited and told me that this meditation technique is life changing and amazing. She said there’s tons of Vipassana Meditation Centers around the world and there free. The centers do not charge to attend a 10-day sit. They even give you room and board.

I could tell in her voice that she was a changed person. She was more alive and calmer at the same time. I arranged a time to meet up with her a one of Singapore Best Spas, my favorite way to meet up with friends for a day, when we meet up I could ’see’ the change in her. I couldn’t wait for her to tell me all about what she learned. She and I have been meditation buddies for years, going from one spiritual center to another, learning how to meditate. There are so many techniques and so many ways to meditate, all promising a peace within. Some techniques require chanting a mantra, another is to visualize a deity and some focus on the breath, counting how many breaths you take. All of which my friend and I found lacking. Yes, after practicing these meditation techniques we did feel peaceful and happy, but it didn’t last.

She proceed to tell me that what she learned in those 10-days is a technique aimed for the total eradication of mental impurities and the results of the ultimate happiness of becoming fully liberated. This got my interest. She continued saying Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self observation of the mind and body interconnection. This definitely sounded like something I’ve never tried before. But, seeing how she glows, and it’s been a month since her 10-day sit, and how much joy is in her life, I decided to try it myself. To date, I’ve been to four 10-day sits and all I can say is that this Vipassana Meditation Technique is truly transforming and life changing.