Budapest Christmas - November 24th to December 29th, 2007 in Vorosmarty Square

By Zoran Ibrahimpasic

This year "Budapest Christmas" is being held for the ninth time, with events getting under way on Saturday 24th November, 2007.

The Christmas Market in Budapest is not only a tradition, but an event of high standard, which is very popular among Hungarians and by foreign visitors as well.

Budapest's official Christmas Market promises to again be an atmospheric special occasion for the people of Budapest and visitors from outside the city and from abroad in 2007, well worthy of the Christmas spirit. The market, which is the main out-of-season tourist event, is equally popular amongst Hungarian visitors and foreign tourists, who often travel to Budapest specifically to visit the Christmas raft Market. By keeping standards high and maintaining a wide and expanding variety of programs it can now be said that one of the largest events in Budapest in December has grown to become internationally well-known and respected. The location is very attractive, Vörösmarty Square lies in the heart of Budapest.

Traditional Hungarian craftsmen show their talents and sell their hand made products. Only the top Hungarian craftspeople are invited to Budapest's Christmas Market, so the intricate porcelain, cut glass and leather goods, for instance, are of the highest quality. All products are hand-made and the Hungarian Society of Folk Arts guarantees their quality.

The market also has a gastronomic side. Don't forget to taste traditional Hungarian food and cakes: strudel, grilled sasuges and meat, Christmas cookies, kürtös kalács (hollow, cylinder-shaped pastry with different coatings: sugar, walnut). If you get tired, have a cup of coffee with a delicious Hungarian cake in Gerbeaud Café.

As part of this year's series of Christmas programmes in Budapest, is it also planed to host the real Santa Claus from Finnland , who will be waiting with great interest for the children visiting the square, and personally listen to their wishes. An inseparable part of the Budapest Christmas' series of programmes is the Advent Calendar.

This spectacular fair is located in the heart of the city, in Vörösmarty Square and claims to be amongst the ten best Christmas markets in Europe. Indeed, many visitors make the trip to Budapest specifically to come to the Market.

The Budapest Christmas Fair is one of favourite events both for tourists and locals in winter. Come and visit the Budapest Christmas Fair if you want to buy something unique and original for your loved ones.

What You Must See in Bangkok

By Hosh N

Bangkok is an exhilarating destination, with her interesting mix of traditional sights and attractions, exotic aromas and western influence. To unravel the layers of this city, you'll need to understand its history and culture. A trip to this Kingdom of smiles will allow you to do this if you allow yourself enough time to see some of the treasures this place has to offer. At least three days, and this is not a problem with an abundance of cheap flights and good hotels available in Bangkok throughout the year. This article features some of the highlights and traditional must-see attractions.

Wat Pho

Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) is one of the oldest and largest temples in Bangkok and located next to the Grand Palace. It is most famous for its grand and splendid reclining Buddha, covered in gold leaf and measuring more than 150 feet long. There are some cool spots under the trees beside the temple for rest and rejuvenation as well. Treat yourself to their famed massage services where they offer trained professionals in the school of traditional massage housed within the temple itself. You will also enjoy the action of dropping coins into a long line of small containers around the reclining buddha, as an act of accumulating blessings for yourself and others.

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace, with its glittery, extravagant architecture, is simply grand. This famous palace was built in 1782, and it continues to capture visitors' imagination with its magnificent buildings and intricate details. It gives you an insight into Thai royalty, in local Siamese style with its wonderful mix of colours.

Entering the palace grounds, you will have to wear long trousers or skirts. The dress code states no jeans, but don't worry, you can always rent the appropriate clothing for free if you turn up in them. Audio guides are avaliable near the entrance and are helpful if you are not in a tour group.

There's always touts outside the palace scamming unaware tourists that the grand palace is closed, and suggesting to follow their tours. Just don't be fooled by them.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo)

Located inside the grounds of the Grand Palace, and regarded as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand, Wat Pra Kaeo enshrines Phra Kaew Morakot (the Emerald Buddha), the highly revered Buddha image meticulously carved from a single block of jade.

This temple is a huge incredible riot of glittering gold and colours, everywhere you look. There are a million details not to be overlooked and part of visiting the Grand Palace is seeing this Emerald Buddha. If you happen to visit the palace on the same day as the King himself, grab the chance to see the Emerald Buddha clad in its gold outfits!

Floating Market

The floating market has been reduced to a touristy state nowadays, but even though transactions are more involved and to do with tourists rather than locals these days, the floating market boats are still piled high with tropical fruits and vegetables, fresh coconut juice and local food cooked right on the boat itself.

With each boat jostling for space within the narrow canals, it's absolutely frantic and disorderly. The paddling skills of each boat-woman are to be admired at and they will stop and bargain with you at any time. It's vibrant, noisy but great fun.

Chao Phraya River

The Chao Phraya River flows through the capital and is where Bangkok's historic roots lie. One of the most fascinating and scenic areas of Bangkok, the riverside reflects a constantly changing scene day and night. The river is also one of the major transportation systems of the city, with massive traffic jams along the roads all day. The water-taxis ferries commuters up and doen the river, and heavily laden rice barges can also be seen in the waters.

The river is set against a backdrop of glittering temples, palaces and historical landmarks. You can also find luxury, five-star hotels, as well as cheap hotel deals along the riverside.

Chinatown

Chinatown is a busy area, packed with market stalls and has probably the greatest concentration of gold shops in the city. Always crowded, especially during the Chinese New Year period, this area still retains its old look and relatively untouched by modern high-rise developments. The Chinese community here still continues their own traditions and religious practices. Restaurants can be found abundant along the streets, offering Chinese cuisines, delicacies and seafood. One of the best places to enjoy sumptuous seafood at relatively cheap prices, and this area has lots of budget hotels for any backpacker.

Jim Thompson House

Jim Thompson or James Harrison Wilson Thompson was born in Greenville, Delaware in 1906. He is an American who started the Thai silk industry in Thailand after World War II. With his natural flair for design and color, and his dedication to reviving the craft, Thompson gained worldwide recognition for his success in generating international demand for Thai silk. This former residence of his houses a magnificent collection of Asian art and many unique displays, in addition to it being best place to purchase silk in Bangkok.

This place has an intriguing history to boot as well. During the Easter weekend in 1967, Thompson disappeared while on holiday with friends in Cameron Highlands, a northern Malaysian resort. An extensive and extended search failed to reveal any clues about his disappearance. Theories abound about his disappearance, but there has been no answer as yet.

Vimanmek Mansion

Built by King Rama V upon his return from Europe in 1897, this palace is the world's largest golden teakwood mansion featuring an elaborate and unique blend of Victorian and Thai architecture. Altogether there are 31 exhibition rooms, with the bedrooms, the throne room and the bathrooms maintaining the atmosphere of the Thai past. Some display rooms house exhibitions of Thai art including silverware, ceramics, crystal ware, and ivory.

Having a desire to know the world, Hosh loves travelling and peeping into other countries' cultures, food, lifestyles and attitudes, infusing herself with the spirit and soul of each foreign place. Go out explore the earth, it will not be a wasted trip on this planet, she believes.

New Zealand - Its Quite Nice

By Joe Metcalfe

SUMMARY: Go on, do it! You'll thank me afterwards. I've travelled to many places on this fine earth but I'm yet to visit a place as invigorating and revitalising as New Zealand. Some might say I'm a little biased because this just happens to be my country of birth, and to them I say Phewy! New Zealand is best and I'm going to convince everyone I can that I am right in saying this.

Greatest Place on Earth

New Zealand is beautiful, it's people are also beautiful, and there simply is no better place to be if your living there or on holiday.

New Zealand's landscape is only unique in it's variety not in its individual features. You can see beaches and mountains all over the place, and to say that ancient rain-forests and stunning glaciers are a rariety, would be a complete lie. But in New Zealand you can see all of these things and many more within the space of a day (although you'll probably need a whole month to appreciate them fully). If you're living here or working here this means you can go where you want and do what you'd like to do at the drop of a hat and generally without the crowds of people you might expect to find at attractions in other countries.

The people in New Zealand are honest, helpful, welcoming of strangers, and incredibly out going. People who travel in New Zealand always find they have somewhere to visit or place to stay because the locals will have shown them the best the area has to offer and probably even given them a spare bed for the night (failing that a sofa).

For those who are lucky enough to have the privilege of working in New Zealand you're probably already familiar with the kiwi custom of inviting the new guy/gal to at least two barbecues in their first week on the job. This number of course only grows with the number of people you meet in your workplace and it might be advisable to find some good excuses to avoid the excessive barbecues else the waistline may expand beyond all reasonable proportions. Most workers will have caught their first snapper on the boat of a workmate within their first month on the job. If not, then it was probably a kingi, or yellow-finned tuna.

Hopefully I've now done enough to get you interested in New Zealand and you can go dig for some more information about this top notch country. And if you're not already convinced that New Zealand is the greatest country in the world then you soon will be.

The Maldives - Water Wonderworld

By Eric Hartwell

SUMMARY: What some people call a "thousand Robinson Crusoe islands" could be your next travel destination. The Maldives are ideal for a honeymoon, a family vacation, or a private getaway.

The Maldives are a perfect destination for a holiday, especially if you enjoy the water and all it has to offer. What some people call a "thousand Robinson Crusoe islands" could be your next travel destination. The Maldives are ideal for a honeymoon, a family vacation, or a private getaway. They are the destination of choice for those that enjoy scuba diving and snorkelling.

Warm temperatures all year round, picturesque scenery, and deep-sea underwater diving are just a few of the great reasons to book a trip to this beautiful Maldivian wonderland. Each of the 86 tourist resorts comprising the Maldives caters for scuba diving, and every one has scuba instructors, equipment, and easy set-up for underwater expeditions.

Special courses cover night diving, rescue diving, underwater photography, simple naturalism, and sharks. The growing interest in marine biology amongst students and laymen has influenced the Maldives' instructional courses. All the dive schools instruct in English, at least. It's not uncommon to have German, Italian, French, and Japanese instruction availability.

Some dive schools are instructor development centers, yet others cater to a large variety of advanced and specialized dive courses. All are concerned for safety and security so you will always be in good hands.

These are the ideal islands to get your introduction into scuba diving because all the islands have the basic equipment of compressors, tanks, BCDs, wetsuits, weight belts, etc. Some islands even rent out underwater cameras and video cameras. Snorkeling is better for those afraid of deep sea diving, and surfing is better for those that want to stay above the waves.