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Hello from sunshineblog.net. The musings of Sunshinebob and others from our base in Barbados , London , Spain and the United States. We hope to put the fun back into travel with tips ideas and information for many sources. plan to have daily articles , photos and video from all round the world.

Sunshinebob goes to Barbados… Part I

As the alarm went off for the second time I peeped out from under my Duvet. I remember thinking that it cant be time to get up but as I looked through bloodshot eyes at the alarm I realised that the holiday adventure I had been looking forward to for the last eight months was about to start.. I felt like death.. This was not the ideal start I had planned.. It was not the eight hours relaxing pre-holiday sleep that myself and Mrs sunshinebob had intended and the taxi would be here within the hour..

As I shaved the face of the grey looking man in the mirror I made a solemn promise to myself never to drink that much the night before I fly.. It’s a promise I broke less than 24 hours later….

So , taxi to the airport.. I live in southern Spain so the airport in question was Malaga.. It was mobbed , loads of sombrero wearing eurochavs with a wicker donkey tucked under their sunburnt arms and 2000 fags and a bottle of cheap whiskey in a yellow plastic bag at their feet.. Snotty kids in fake Burberry caps were running riot and the headache pills I took only 90 minutes before were already wearing off. BA flight number whatever to Gatwick was on time and I had managed to bag two wing exit extra legroom seats in row 11.. On the plane I looked around and noticed that there were no kids.. In fact I think that mrs SB and I were the youngest passengers by some way bar the odd so-and-so. I guess that the internet aware younger type were on the cheaper “no frills” airlines and all the “greyer” saga-louts who bought their tickets from the travel agent travel on the worlds favourite airline.. Not that they are our favourites (especially mrs SB ) as the buggers lost our bags on route to JFK in December.. But I digress… Good flight, horrid wobbly sandwiches, and got in on time.. The bags appeared (yippee!!) and we wandered the 400 meters to The Gatwick Sofitel located slap bang in the North Terminal.. We were staying there overnight as our connecting BA flight to Bridgetown was not until the next morning at 11am.. I had booked the hotel online through holidayextras.com and saved a pretty penny. I tried (and failed) to get a free upgrade and settled for some small, slightly smelly room on the third floor with a wonderful view overlooking the car park.. We dumped the bags and headed back to get a train into London. The Gatwick Express sped us into Victoria in no time. I bought the tickets online and got a 50% discount with some special code I managed to google. Then onto the underground and into Covent Garden. I wanted a lightweight jacket from one of my favourite shops, Rohan.. They sell some great travelling clothes and I have been buying them for years.. It’s the kind of stuff that wont stain or crease is easy to wash and dry and wears really well.. I had seen a couple of options I liked online ( rohan.co.uk ) and was looking forward to my new purchase. BUT , as with most things in life , events did not go as planned. They were closed for stocktaking.. It was a Saturday afternoon and Covent Gagden was buzzing. The whole of London was mobbed but they were closed.. When I spoke to the spotty assistant having a fag at the door he said “ its coz na-one wantz to cumm in Monday morning and doo it den “… This is a perfect example of why this great country of ours is going to the dogs and why I moved to Spain in the first place. Mrs SB and I uttered a few choice words and we left them to their paperwork.. Three hours later and laden down with a new jacket for me from a open shop , M&S knickers , some junk jewellery and two new dresses for mrs SB we re-entered our hotel and sat down at the bar for a quick drink before retiring to our small , smelly broom cupboard. You can guess what happened next…Well we had (more than ) a few cocktails and some very nice tapas and a few short hours later woke up a 7.30 with what can only be described as the worse hangover I have ever had..Long island iced teas must be made with Napam. All those promises I made not 24 hours before were in tatters on the floor.. I wanted to shoot myself and put and end to it all there and then.. As I had no gun (over zealous hand luggage restrictions) I reluctantly settled on a cup of tea , a bar of very expensive chocolate from the mini bar , a litre of (tap) water and four headache tablets..

Nine-ish we wandered back into the airport and looked to check in.. The club line snaked back and forth like a Disney ride queue and the fast (slow) bag drop system was groaning under the shear weight of traffic. .Lucky a very nice young BA assistant directed us to the virtually empty economy queue round the corner. Through security via the empty fast track queue and airside within moments.. Mrs SB and I were travelling with another couple and rang their mobile to arrange a meet and a big of breakfast.. The other couple are buddies of ours from our previous lives living in Essex. He is a mid forty ex-British gymnast and she is a super looking blondish lady half his age.. As a side note I would like to mention Mrs SB and I are more “terry and june” than our friends “posh and becks”. The wife and I had already made a promise to each other to sit as far away from their perfectly shaped bodies on each and every beach we all visited.. It makes you sick , all they did was eat cake and biscuits the whole time we were away , if I even look at a cake I gain weight , but I digress again. For the purpose of this story and to save them any blushes I will refer to them as Ken and Barbie. We met them in one of the many restaurants and ordered some breakfast.. Coffee and extra strength Panadol for me and mrs SB and a full English and double cake for Ken and Barbie..

Our flight got called and off we trudged off looking for our gate. Mrs SB and I were seated in seats 12 E and F in business whilst Ken and Barbie (who booked after us) had to make do with World Traveller plus as club was full. We sat in the middle two rear facing seats and quickly availed ourselves of the champagne. It’s quite weird facing the other way but the two seats were very comfortable and quite private. We could see Ken and Barbie back in WT+ and waved to them at every opportunity until the magic curtain was slammed in their faces. One glass of poo followed another and we settled down with our new books.. I had the new John Grisham (The Innocent Man – very readable ) and Mrs SB had some chick book or another. Lunch was nice with the usual chicken or beef. Its nice to have proper cutlery to eat with and real glass glasses to drink the rather good wine out off.. The lady next to us spilt her châteaux neuf de pap all down herself and had to get changed which cheered us both up immensely. I followed it all with the excellent cheese board and a couple of glasses of aged port. The lady next to us then spilled her wine again , had to change again and made us giggle like naughty school kids for hours.. I dozed to chill out Ibiza 2 and awoke as the twenty minutes from landing announcement was made. I was going to watch the telly but never found the time. It was a lovely flight and the time passed with effortless ease.

Touchdown….

To be continued……….

4-Feb-2007

Sunshinebob goes to Barbados… Part II

Touchdown…. Welcome to Barbados..

I looked out the window of the plane as the ground sped by and it looked hot.. Hot and wet.. We deplaned and joined a queue for immigration. I stretched back out of the air-conditioned concourse back onto the tarmac area. Apparently three planes had landed within minutes and the airport had gone into overload.. We inched forward like a sloth on mogadon for the best part of 40 minutes. Ken and Barbie, who had had their passports stamped before us stood and waited and the inspector examined our passports from cover to cover for what seem like an eternity. Ken remarked that as they were on a (2 hour) later flight home at the end of our trip and they had cleared immigration first that “ their holiday was to be substantially longer than ours”.. This was something we were to hear on a regular basis every day until the holiday was over..

The bags appeared again and we exited the airport to find our “meet and greet” driver supplied by the Hotel.. The man with the sign was Michael..He and his brother (Andrew) are the two tame taxi drivers who appear to look after most of the guests in the hotel. He and his trusty Lexus fetched and carried the four of us many times during our 11 nights in Barbados. He cannot be recommended highly enough. He was always happy to oblige no matter the time or situation. He has a wealth of local knowledge and contacts.. He somehow managed to fit the four of us and luggage into his car and delivered us promptly to our hotel Little Arches. Little Arches is a small family run 10 room hotel situated 15 mins for the Airport on the south coast of Barbados near Oistens. We checked in to room 10 with Ken & Barbie in room 8. Both rooms were situated at the rear of the property and had views over the garden areas. The rooms were large and well finished, comprising of a seating area , a big bathroom ( with no bath ), hall with plenty of storage and a rather comfortable four poster style bed. Both rooms were air-conditioned , had a TV, fridge ,safe and hairdryer for the ladies. Ours also had a small kitchen area. The rooms both shared a large raised wooden patio to the rear. It was here we sat to chill out from time to time and drink the odd beer of three during our stay.. I think these are the best two rooms the hotel has to offer..Sean ( reception ) then gave us a brief orientation tour and a bottle of rum and some rum cake as a welcome gift. I swapped the cake for the booze with ken and Barbie whose eyes popped out of the sockets with the thought of more cake.. We all unpacked and wandered over to the restaurant upstairs for a beer and bite to eatbefore bed.. We were on euro time and things were getting late. I don’t remember too much of the meal except I had pasta , it was tasty and we all retired to out respective rooms and well tucked in bed by 9.30 local time.

The next morning I awoke bright and early at about 6am and it was still dark. It was the first time in three days that my head was not pounding and my tongue did not taste like the floor of a taxi cab. I felt great.. Mrs SB and I took the opportunity to wander around and to get some local bearings. We exited the hotel and turned left.. The sun had risen and so had the temperature.. We walked for about forty minutes quietly taking in the sights and sounds around us. Every body we passed said good morning.. It was kind of surreal like a moment from “it’s a wonderful life”.. Everybody was so darn nice. We turned on our heels and started to walk back to the hotel. The sun on our backs felt nice and we strolled. We waked straight pass the hotel and carried on to see what we could see the other way. The hotel itself is not on the beach. Some posters on this forum have noted that.. Its near the beach of course.. In fact the road is about 4 meters wide , it’s a no though road and used very little. It’s not a problem I can assure you. The Beach is one minute away. Again some posters have said this is a problem, its not. Don’t forget if you stay in a bigger beach front resort on the west coast you will be further away from the beach purely because the resort is bigger. The beach itself is beautiful. Its on the south coast so don’t expect flat water , there are waves and at times the sea is not suitable for weak swimmers or kids. The beach is called Enterprise Beach although the locals know it as Miami Beach. Its 400 metres of sand with lots of shade from the many trees slightly set back from the sea. The sand by the way is not red hot like the beaches near me in Spain but soft , cool and white. Towards one end there is a little cove, a shower block and the “world famous” Mr Delicious restaurant. Well not a restaurant in the true nature of things more an old bus parked on the beach under the trees. I made a mental note to visit here a couple of times to try out the local cuisine purely for research purposes. As mrs SB and I looked into the water by the cove we could not help but notice the water. It was full of locals.. I glanced down at my watch and it was before eight.. But there they were.. The average age was in the upper sixties I guess and there must have been at least a hundred of them. They sang and chatted with each other and the laughter in air was infectious.. I defy anyone on this earth to go there and not have a great time.. People were milling about , getting in , getting out , showering , chatting , dancing. It was a fantastic way to begin to try to understand what make the Bajan people tick. They are simply the happiest bunch I have ever met.

It was almost 9 by the time we walked back into the hotel and the sun was already high in the sky and the mercury had risen to the late twenties.. We wandered up to Café Luna (the in-house restaurant) and found ourselves a seat for breakfast.. Café Luna is owned jointly by the Hotel and the resident Chef ( and part time surf dude ) Moo.. The staff there are undoubtedly the best bunch of lads and ladies I have ever met. They along with the other 10 members of Hotel staff made our holiday. More about that later. The restaurant is one of the best places to eat on the island.. We then met out waiter for the first time.. Gregory immediately reminded me of a cross between “bill and ted” and some stoned hippy from the sixties.. He was sooooo laid back he was almost laying down. We later found out the staff refer to him as Johnny Bravo and enjoyed some great tales about his short by immensely interesting life thus far. He is both forgetful and unforgettable. He might ask how you want your egg but it don’t matter as ninety percent of the time he gets it wrong…. He epitomises relaxed and casual and it like the old folks in the sea gets under your skin so quick you don’t care whether the eggs are scrambled or poached anyway.

Breakfast at the hotel was a bit disappointing if I am honest.. I have been lucky enough to have travelled very extensively in the last twenty years and I have had better.. Don’t get me wrong its not bad but a little indifferent and slightly odd.. The portion sizes differ greatly over the dozen or some offerings. The biggest (although not enough if you are a big eater) thing was the burrito and smallest was the (two bite) BLT. There was the traditional full English , a veggie option as well as French toast and pancakes for the ladies.. Also the fare differs day to day depending on who cooked it.. Breakfast came with coffee or tea and choice of fruit juice.. As we were all there for more than seven days the breakfasts were complementary.

More later folks , some of us have got work to do!!!!

Sunshinebob goes to Barbados…. Part III

This is where it gets a little fuzzy.. The old grey matter has gone a bit soft over the last few years so the actual order of things following is about right although not perfect.

We went to the beach. If you ask reception they will arrange for Trevor or Sly to carry two sun beds down onto the beach for. Its so civilised. Mrs SB and I took our usual positions in the shadier area and sat back to continue with John and Chicky (our books). After an hour or so Ken and Barbie appeared and plonked themselves in the sun not too far away.. I tried to give Trevor $10 to move them further down the beach as they are too darn good looking to be within fifty feet of me but he could not be bought. Ken and Barbie also have that good kind of skin that don’t burn either. They went home with a deep conker colour whilst me and the mrs went slightly pinker.. I digress again.. Then the strangest thing happened.. I stood up and wandered over to Ken and Barbie for no apparent reason, just being friendly like I suppose… I was half way there when all of a sudden I stopped for no apparent reason. I looked up to the sky through the dappled shade of the trees and saw a coconut plummeting towards me.. I don’t know if it was my razor sharp brain calculating the exact trajectory on the incoming missile or my slow reflexes but I watched it fall all the way past the end on my nose and into the sand by my feet. It missed me by an inch. Now 2kg coconut falling at 10m/s from 15 metres up is coming in a fair lick and would have smarted a tad if it had hit me on the head. I instantly made a mental note not to sit or walk under coconut trees again. I glanced back up to see the leaves part high above me and two eyes and a flash of white and gold teeth amongst the foliage. Within seconds a man slide down the tree at a vast rate of knots. So quick in fact he caught his undercarriage on the way down and proceeded to hop around rubbing his wedding tackle in some pain.. After he checked if he had left any of “himself” up the tree he bounded over full of apologies and offered me the coconut at my feet for free… I declined his kind offer and carried on with the day none the worse from the experiance. I still don’t know why I stopped walking and looked up.. I told Mrs SB that’s its to do with by superman like powers and my highly trained ninja skills.. She it was just that I was always a lucky git and stuck her nose back into her book without even looking up.. Either way , I wont sit under a coconut tree again and suggest you don’t too.

Mrs SB and I had a wander later and popped into the local fish market.. Its like every other fish market.. It stinks of fish , but we did buy some flying fish at great expense ( about three quid ) which mrs SB fried up on the small kitchen in our room and we ate them with local salad. They were very tasty. Ken , Barbie and two of us enjoyed them immensely washed down with the rum , some cola , a six pack of Banks and of course some extra cake for our oh so slim friends. Later after a short and very needed snooze we wandered back to the beach and watched the local fishing boats unloading their daily catch. As the fishermen gathered round off loading, buying and selling many of the off cuts were simply thrown back into the sea.. In the water there were 10 or so turtles feasting on the unusable or un-sellable bits left over after the fish had been gutted.. It was like a scene for the discovery channel. Some were the size of dinner plates and others at least a metre long. We stood watching like childred untill the sun dipped down below the horizon. One of the fishermen slipped and dropped his catch. Most of the fish fell onto the bank but one big ( 20 pounds or so ) fish fell back into the sea. It did not make a beak for freedom as it was a dead as a dodo and sank towards the bottom like a coconut falling from a tree. The largest turtle decided he would investigate and swam over to have a look.. Much mayhem ensured with plenty of p1ss taking amongst the fishermen and onlookers alike. One brave local kicked off his shoes and shirt and dived in to claim the fish from the very clutch of the turtle. It was like a man verses turtle tug of war and through the bubbles we clearly saw the fish snatched from the very mouth of the creature. The local returned to the surface much to the delight and cheers of the crowd with his prize.. He told us he would be able to eat for a week for free and his wife would be happy with him at least for a day or two.

With a spring in our step we headed back the hotel for a shower and a trip into St Lawrence Gap.. Refreshed and no longer stinking of turtle food we jumped in Michael’s cab and in less than 15 minutes were sitting in a bar with alcohol in our hands . Jumbies is the first bar and was as good as anywhere to start.. We had out usual round Vodka and Cranberry for me, Rum and coke for Ken and two Gin and Tonics for the ladies. We had 2 or 3 quick rounds and wandered off to find something to eat.. Like all good boys and girls we had made plans and had reserved a table at Café Sol less than thirty seconds away. We ordered our food and studied the cocktail list.. They were buy one get one free. We ordered eight straight away and that was perfect. Not too much alcohol and a bit sweet for my liking but nice enough none the less. It’s a tex-mex restaurant and I ordered the chilli. The waitress asked if I wanted it mild or wild and I said somewhere between wicked and spiteful.. God it was hot , but being the brave (stupid) soul that I am I finished it all up. I tried to big it up to the waitress that I have had hotter but the fact that I was red and covered in sweat gave the game away.. We all enjoyed the food and would recommend café sol as a great casual restaurant. We were still a bit jet lagged and so headed back to the hotel by 11.30..The air-conditioning in the room helped cool me down after the chilli but I put the toilet rolls in the fridge just in case.

Much more of the same to follow…

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There are lots of reasons Florida homebuyers ask for an FHA loan instead of taking a conventional or an expensive and risky sub-prime mortgage loan. Many Florida homebuyers prefer to take advantage of the many benefits and protections that only come with FHA:

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Costs Less – Many times, FHA loans have competitive interest rates because the FHA loans are insured by the Federal Government. Always compare an FHA loan with other loan types.

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Florida home buyers should know the many advantages of the FHA mortgage loan programs. FHA loans were created to help increase home ownership. For the Florida home buyer the FHA program can simplify the purchase of a home, making financing easier and less expensive than a conventional mortgage loan product. Some highlights of the Florida FHA loan program include:

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Although Florida FHA home loans require additional paperwork, the reality is that applying for an FHA mortgage loan in Florida is not much different from applying for conventional financing. In fact, for many borrowers the small amount of extra time turns out to be an exceptional mortgage bargain because they save thousands of dollars over the life of their Florida Mortgage.

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FHA :: Mobile Homes ::

Technorati Tags: Florida, homebuyers, Loan, loans, Mortgage, Over

Technorati Tags: Madrid, Palace, Royal

KHS: David, you are originally from San Francisco, you have lived here in Paris for more than twenty years and you recently wrote a book entitled “Paris, Paris : Journey into the City of Light”. It includes thirty chapters about “Paris places”, “people”, “phenomena” and features some extraordinarily beautiful black-and-white photographs taken by your wife Alison Harris.

What makes you so enthusiastic about the “City of Light”?

DAVID DOWNIE: The list would be long: beyond the physical beauty of the city, its setting, the Seine that curves through it in a gentle arc, I enjoy the layered aspect. It’s a great layer-cake of art, archeology, history and culture, an endlessly rich cake by the way.

I’ve lived here forever but every time I step out I discover something. Then there are the practicalities, like the fact that I can live happily without a car—I’m very much anti-car in old European cities. The public transit system is great, it’s a safe city that’s wonderful to walk through at night.

As a French citizen—I’m a dual national—I’m covered by health care and social security. Paris has plenty of drawbacks, of course, and I describe some in the book, but by and large it’s a fantastic city, a real city, a place where the urban edge and seductive beauty go hand in hand.

KHS : “David Downie has a delightful sensibility and the most delighted eye, the most perseverance, and the perfect French, bien sûr, and these allow him to uncover secrets”, writes Diane Johnson in her foreword to your book. What are the most exciting mysteries you unveil?

DAVID DOWNIE: Well, if I told you I’d be giving them away. I’d rather think people will enjoy them more by reading the book and discovering them for themselves, or on one of my tours. Put it this way, when I go out for a walk through Paris I look for things, I look at everything from the gutter to the sky, and I’m not afraid to push through street doors, go up staircases, poke around places that seem off limits but often aren’t—at least not during daylight hours. I guess I really enjoy revealing the mysteries accessible to all that are somehow overlooked. And I like to put them in a historical context, so that people can wrap their minds around them and appreciate the reasons for their existence and continued popularity. You find the most amazing things hidden away in courtyards, cemeteries, parks—even train stations!

KHS : When you first arrived in Paris, what impressed you most?

DAVID DOWNIE: The first time I visited Paris was in fall 1976 and frankly I wasn’t impressed, I was shocked by the air pollution, the traffic, the unwashed people, the filth of the Seine—all the nasty things in terms of urbanism that the Pompidou era had created, from the hideous shopping mall at ‘Les Halles’ to the tower and mall at Montparnasse. Luckily I returned several times in the late 1970s and early 1980s and began to see things differently.

By 1986 when I moved here fulltime I’d decided that Paris was probably the only really cosmopolitan European city where I could both enjoy life and make a living. I was impressed by the efficiency of everything from the telephone company on up—I got a phone in a matter of days, whereas in Italy, where I’d been living for several years, it had taken me 6 months!

I also felt that the sheer number of things to see and do—150 museums, scores of monuments, 20 big arrondissements to explore—would keep me busy for a very long time. I was impressed by the challenges that young French people faced when they arrived here. Paris was and is the New York City of France, and I decided I liked it better than the real New York, where I’d lived in 1983-84. I decided to make my stand.

KHS : When you were looking for a place to settle, how did you choose “your district” and for what reasons did you like it?

DAVID DOWNIE: I think I’ve answered some of this above. I lived in various parts of Paris, including the 17 th arrondissment near ‘Place des Ternes’. I wound up in the Marais because the woman who later became my wife already lived there. And I also happened to love the Marais’ old buildings, the patchwork of streets and squares, and all the history. The hole-in-the-wall shops, too. The liveliness. But Paris has so many great neighborhoods. It’s hard to go wrong. I’d say the major issue is, do you want quiet above all, or liveliness? Do you prefer the old or the new? Once you’ve answered those two questions the search becomes a lot easier.

KHS : Do you still remember your first apartment visits here in Paris and what was different here in comparison to America?

DAVID DOWNIE: Paris apartments are often small and the plumbing is a challenge. For Americans used to big houses or apartments it can be a shock. Also, the lack of insulation between apartments and floors of a building. Sometimes you can hear everything from neighboring properties. Of course the grander and more modern apartments in Paris are often fabulous and there’s no trouble with them, as long as you can get used to having a separate toilet room. What apartments have here is atmosphere, and that compensates for other shortcomings.

KHS : There is a particularly interesting chapter in your book which you entitled ‘Past Masters: Keepers of the Craft’ and where you describe the city’s long history of craftsmanship, its traditions and some of its principal locations. If you were to decorate or to furnish a beautiful apartment, what are your favourite addresses and places?

DAVID DOWNIE: Well, believe it or not, I would start at the BHV—the Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville department store. The basement is a treasure trove with everything you need in terms of hardware. Upstairs you’ll find many useful and pretty high-quality furnishings and housewares.

When it comes to artisans—the highly specialized crafts workers who make Paris one of the great crafts cities in Europe—everything depends on what you’re looking for and how much you want to spend. And your time. If you need to have visiting cards printed before you do anything else, and you demand the best quality, go to an engraver named Gérard Desquand. His workshop is in the 11 th arrondissement.

To find a dozen furniture makers, restorers, sellers of custom floor tiles, chandelier makers and more, go to the ‘Viaduc des Arts’—a series of arcaded workshops on Avenue Daumesnil. It’s a municipally funded project and opened about 10 years ago. Michel Fey is one. He comes from a clan of tooled-leatherworkers whose great grandfather André created Maison Fey in 1900. But you’ll also find Yamamoto contemporary Japanese furniture, and Cherif, the trendy Algerian-French designer, and more—everything from blown glass to hand-painted armoirs.

The best way to go about finding them is, put together a wish-list and consult with me. I can set up a tour of artisans’ workshops. You really have to see most of them by appointment. They rarely speak anything but French. And some can be prickly. But it’s worth the effort. Or get my wife Alison to take you around to the flea markets and antique dealers. She’s an expert.

KHS : Do you have architectural preferences?

DAVID DOWNIE: I like old buildings, the older the better. I also love those big, overloaded turn-of-the-century piles, with bay windows and faux turrets and silly cupolas. Haussmann-era buildings from the mid-19th century are wonderful, too. They’re spacious, with parquet floors, balconies, and wide doors, and sometimes big kitchens.

KHS : David, you are also a tour guide. Do you have a tip for KHS customers once they have moved in their new Parisian homes?

DAVID DOWNIE: Yes, I would encourage them to get to know their neighborhoods and the rest of the city as soon as possible, and of course I would encourage them to take one of my tours. Don’t just read guidebooks. Go out and meet people, talk to merchants, get to know as many locals as you can. I enjoy creating custom tours precisely because each new Parisian is different, and will be interested in different aspects of the city—art, architecture, history, food, dining, parks and gardens… Paris has so much to offer, but you can also spend a lot of time finding your bearings. I hesitate to say “wasting your time” but, if you don’t know how to navigate the city, and if you have language difficulties, that can be a real problem. The more you know, and the more you see, the more you’ll enjoy your new home. I was fortunate in that I married a woman who’d grown up in Paris. Having an insider and a friend to take you around really transforms the whole experience, and that’s what my tours are all about.

KHS: David, thank you very much!

………………………….

The book:

David Downie, ‘Paris, Paris – Journey into the City of Light’

Foreword by Diane Johnson

Photographs by Alison Harris

published in the US by Transatlantic Press

ISBN 0-9769251-0-9

Technorati Tags: About, Book, David, Downie, interview, Paris

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Travel insurance is necessary for your vacation packages and without it all your travel dreams cannot come true. Travel insurance is essential for a traveler as it covers your medical and financial expenses and losses incurred on your domestic or international travel. It’s usually arranged at the time of booking the trip and covers the exact duration of the trip.

Many travel agents offer insurance, as part of their travel packages but it will be worth for you if you arrange it on your own through an online source. You can search for a good insurance policy and choose between single and multi trip insurances. If you plan to travel once in a year, then travel insurance of single trip policy will be suitable. But if you have plans to travel frequently then you can consider taking multi trip insurance policy. Continuous insurance can be bought from travel agents, travel suppliers like tour operators, cruise lines and companies offering travel insurance.

A multi trip insurance policy is commonly referred as annual insurance travel policy and can save big money in the long run. While arranging for insurance policies for travel, be clear with what the insurance coverage is provided along with the inclusions and exclusions. Always remember to look at other things also if you look for a compromise between your travel insurance coverage and the premium to be paid. Never assume that a policy with cheap premium will not offer good insurance coverage. This may work in reverse also. A policy taken at a higher price need not cover all aspects of insurance coverage required by you.

As a traveler you face lot of problems and risks while traveling like loss of property and money, trip cancellation, natural calamities, accidents, occasionally death and terrorist attacks. You cannot prevent these risks or stop your travel plan but you can reduce the risk involved by taking travel insurance policies.

The concept of travel insurance is very simple. You pay a travel insurance premium to the company and they in turn covers for your loss of valuables, accidents and unforeseen things.

The premium you pay for travel insurance covers risks faced on travel like:

There are lots of possibilities for trip cancellation due to unavoidable circumstances and last minute cancellation will fetch you very less amount as refund. Your travel insurance covers such losses and provides the cancellation cost but the reason for cancellation must be part of the agreement you have signed with the company.

If you lose your baggage then the insurance company pays for the baggage cost but again based on the rules of your insurance contract. A travel insurance policy sometimes covers your medical expenses if incurred while traveling. But if you have got health insurance separately then you don’t have to spend again for health insurance during travel.

Generally travel insurance covers other things like accidental death, medical evacuation etc.

An important golden rule of all insurance policies is to go through the agreement carefully because most of the time you apply for insurance policies during emergencies.

Travel insurance is offered with various options for different types of travelers like student, business, adventure, international and leisure travelers. Travel insurance is also offered for participating in sports involving high risk and traveling to certain countries which have a high risk.

Technorati Tags: Insurance, Must, Travel

Hong Kong was once a sleepy fishing village. But, with the arrival of the British in 1842, it became a crown colony of the United Kingdom, which continued until 1997, when the British handed it over to China, after signing an historic agreement by the then prime minister of the UK, Margaret Thatcher, and the then Chinese President, Deng Xiaoping.

The city has now become one of the vibrant destinations in the world, apart from being a prominent economic center in Asia. The World Tourism Organization rates the city among the 15 most preferred tourist destinations in the world. Al though a part of China, Hong Kong is quite different from rest of the nation, and has its own government and legal systems, monetary policy, and immigration policy. Situated in Eastern Asia, bordered by the South China Sea, it is made up of three areas, such as, the Hong Kong Island, Kowloon Peninsula, and the New Territories as well as the Outlying islands including Lantau Island, Lamma Island, and Cheung Chau Island.

The center of economy, entertainment, and politics – Hong Kong Island is considered the heart of the special administrative region. Stretching from the Tin Hau to Chai Wan on the eastern part of the island is the prime residential area of the region. The northern part of the island is the main commercial as well as entertainment area, stretching from the Central District to Causeway Bay. Likewise, the southern part of the Island is home to some of the destinations that are abound in natural beauty, such as, Deep Water Bay, Repulse Bay and Ocean Park, which is one of the top-most theme parks in Southeast Asia.

However, most popular among the destinations in the island is the Peak, the highest point on the island that is perched at an altitude of 554 meters. The Peak serves as a perfect base to have a bird’s eye view of the whole of the thriving island as well as the spectacular Victoria Harbor, which is one of the three natural water harbors in the world.

One of the most popular ways to reach the Peak is to take a ride on the Peak Tram, which runs from the city center and reach here within seven minutes. Another stunning landmark of the island is Bank of China Tower – a soaring 70-storeyed building. In addition, situated on the southwest coast of the Island is the Cyberport, a high-tech facility supporting the multimedia, telecommunications, and IT industries.

The island is also much famed for its destinations including Aberdeen, a traditional village inhabited by hundreds of fishermen. From traditional style Chinese boats to most sophisticated boats, an amazing variety of fishing boats can be seen here. Further, located here are the HK Convention and Exhibition Center and Golden Bauhinia Square, which stands as a symbol to memorize the Return of Hong Kong to its motherland.

Kowloon is an exciting part of the city, and is considered one of the prominent industrial and commercial hubs of the nation. It is also home to one of the busiest airports in the world, namely, Kai Tak international airport. A ride on Star Ferry from Kowloon across Victoria Harbour to the Island would be a great experience. On utilizing the excellent options rendered by Kowloon, the city has now become a prominent shipping center in the world.

A visit to Hong Kong is incomplete without touring its amazing attractions such as Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank (HSBC) Building, Exchange Square and the International Finance Centre, Victoria Park and the Hong Kong Central Library, The Fringe Club and the Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Happy Valley and Sha Tin Racecourses, and Murray House.

Attractions in Hong Kong also include an array of Buddhist as well as Chinese temples including Man Mo Temple, Chi Lin Nunnery, Wong Tai Sin Temple, Che Kung Temple, and Tin Hau Temple. In addition, included in the landmarks are a range of museums, such as the Arts Centre Pao Galleries, the Racing Museum, the Film Archive, Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, and Sheung Yiu Folk Museum.

Gastronomy – The city boasts of a variety of excellent options to satisfy your gastronomic needs, with restaurants providing cuisines, ranging from Japanese, French, and Italian to Asian and Chinese cuisines.

Shopping – Fabulous choices are available in the city for a great shopping, with a variety of shops on such happening areas as Stanley Market and Temple Street.

Also referred to as the ‘Pearl of the Orient,’ the city provides excellent options to cater to the accommodation needs of all types of tourists, no matter you are a budget conscious traveler or a luxury lover traveler. Many of the hotels and resorts are located within the heart of the city, and hence are within easy close proximity to almost all top tourist attractions.

Technorati Tags: Administrative, China, Hong, Kong, Region, Special