Zoocap

Perth, Australia is a beautiful city that is rich in cultural history as well as the arts. It is the fourth largest city in the country, while it is also the capital and largest city of Western Australia. In addition to a progressive arts scene, beautiful geography and an interesting history, Perth has many cultural landmarks and historic attractions that entice numerous guests who stay in one of the Perth boutique hotels each year. The Round House is one example of a landmark testifying to Perth’s history, while the Art Gallery of Western Australia testifies to its contemporary significance.

The Round House dates to 1830, which is just shy of the establishment of Perth. It is the oldest building in that is still standing in Western Australia. Henry Willey Reveley designed this building that served as the Swan River Colony’s first permanent freestanding building. Its originally intended purpose was to function as a jail and it was designed with a jailor’s residence and eight inmate cells. Each of these opened into a central courtyard. It is now considered to be one of the major historic landmarks of Western Australia and is open to the public seven days a week.

The Art Gallery of Western Australia is located in the Perth Cultural Center and is nestled in among other major arts institutes such as the Western Australian Museum and the State Library of Western Australia. It was established and opened in 1979 and has an annual population of visitors that reaches four hundred thousand. The permanent collection contains over fifteen thousand pieces and includes works from the beginnings of the area’s settlement up through the 1960s. There is also a popular exhibit called Year 12 Perspectives, which is annually based and includes paintings, sculpture, digital art and more representing artists from Western Australia.

It was finally going to happen. The trip that Adam and Rachel had been planning for years was finally here. To many people planning to travel is not that complicated, however, Adam and Rachel were always running into unexpected scheduling conflicts and other major interruptions to actually going. Next month, however, nothing can stop them from leaving for their two-week stay in one of the finest Delhi hotels. They had been trying to almost from the day they met.

Rachel and Adam had met during college six years ago and almost instantly became friends after sitting next to each other during astronomy. Rachel was always fascinated by astronomy and Adam was taking it simply to fulfill his science requirement so the relationship took on an almost mentor-ish perspective from the start. However, once they began going places together and spending time together in social situations, they quickly re-oriented into peer status and have been great friends since that semester. In addition, there has never been any romantic connection between the two of them, which they both agree has helped to keep the friendship open.

One of the first things they intend to do when they get to India is to visit the National Museum in New Delhi. Adam was an art history major and had a special interest in Indian culture. He could not wait to see up close the collection of miniature paintings that are housed at the museum. Rachel is also interested in touring the museum, though she can’t wait to visit another attraction that is high on their list, the Jantar Mantar Observatory. This is one of five masonry built observatories that dates to the early 18th century, though there are only four remaining stations. They also plan on visiting many of the temples and other major cultural attractions.

Some of the most interesting studies in stress relief in recent decades has to do with brain waves, and particularly alpha waves.  There is a correlation between different kinds of relaxation and the ability to reach a state of mind that is called alpha.  Portable spas can be a great tool for getting to this state of consciousness, and having one in your own backyard is like having your own relaxation station right in your home.  Finding the right spa for you, of course, is very important.

You’ll want to find something that suits your needs, as well as your own personal sense of style.  Fortunately, there is a wide variety of hot tubs that can fulfill any requirement today.  You can find portable spas that are large enough to swim in, or small enough for intimate evenings for two.  The most popular, of course, are the ones that can accommodate a small group of friends, to allow you to use it for personal use, or to host a backyard barbecue party.  There are also many different options these days that new technologies have made possible, and spas with media centers, music, hdtv, as well as decorative lighting, are widely available.

It doesn’t necessarily matter how many people are over, because you can always get to a lovely state of relaxation, even among friends.  Spas have wonderful effects on the whole body, and you can get most of the benefits whether you are consciously trying to relax or not.  It is better, however, to spend some time every day focusing on doing nothing, and being in a hot tub can help.  Alpha waves come when you are at a state of calm that’s not quite meditation, and the brain registers this as the state that’s closest to dreaming.  It’s a very pleasant state of mind to be in, and it helps to unblock creativity, emotional health, as well as the simple joy of living.  A spa can be an excellent aid toward this, and with a little time and practice, you can get there in no time, and linger longer in that place that’s so close to dreaming.

Phuket is one destination that has consistently made the top of our list as places to visit. It’s known to have some exquisitely beautiful beaches. It’s also know for it’s infamous nightlife. Our desire to go was inhibited for a few years due to the affects of the tsunami. After the relief work we’ve done here in Sri Lanka, we didn’t have the energy to help with the tsunami relief efforts in Thailand.

But, only about two years later, we were invited to spend some time with friends, which gave us the reason we were looking for to bring us to Phuket. When we arrived in Phuket, we could tell it was still recovering from the devastation, which made us feel some what out of sorts. But, we didn’t let our funk deter us from having a good time. We decided to enjoy the most of what we love about Thailand: the food, the sun and the massages. This kept our minds as far away from the tsunami as we could keep it.

We couldn’t entirely escape the devastation. We spent a day a Patong Beach, this was one of the harder hit beaches. It’s been two years and there’s no sign that anything ever happened. The abundance of tourists on the beach and in the town is evident. There were still some construction and repairs being do along the streets facing Patong Beach, but mostly every building and luxury Phuket hotels are back to normalcy. The sand is beautiful and white and the water is a sparkling turquoise wavy gem.

We couldn’t compare Sri Lanka to Phuket, even though we tried; it was like comparing apples to oranges. We were grateful though, to witness the emotional and physical progress of Phuket. We marveled at the improvements of Sri Lanka and ached for their plight, without foreign interest, (tourism) of a solid infrastructure, it will take much more that a couple of years to reach the state of recovery Phuket is relishing in.

Daniel D. Tompkins was the New York Governor for ten years, 1807-1817.  He was then the United States Vice President from 1817 through 1825.  The President he served with was James Monroe.  Tompkins Square Park in the East Village of Manhattan is in honor of him.  Tompkins purchased that bit of land in the mid 1800′s, and during this time is was put into development for the creation of a town square.  The original plans for the site involved the construction of a large market place that would take up the space beginning with 1st Avenue and stretch all the way to the East River.

But this project fell threw.  The land was originally a swamp and when the state acquired it, the swamp was cleared away and landscaping was was planted.  This process took fifteen years.  However, all but three of the trees were removed in 1866.  Two of those trees are now believed to be the oldest in the city.  The park is steeped in history, and what was once a swampland is home to many sculptures and monuments, and the streets surrounding it are lined with hip apartment buildings and restaurants. Of New York the history of the art scene of the late 1950′s and 1960′s, many of the pubs and bars of the Beat Poets, the song writers and the artists still stand and remain a huge draw for those still involved in the art world today.

The band-shell was removed during the renovation of the park in the early 1990′s, but performers still set up on the corners and along the sidewalks.  The movement of dissent and demonstrations that the park is so known for began in the mid-1800′s demonstrations were stage to due lack of jobs.  In the 1980′s people demonstrated against gentrification, even though the park had become over-run by the homeless and a breeding ground for illegal drug activity.  Now, there is a fancy dog park, new playground equipment has been constructed, the grass and the sidewalks are repaired, and many of the statues were conserved.  This is still a place that is diverse and creative, and offers a bit of a meditative pause, in a city where those quiet moments are oh so necessary.

We will be taking the family to Irvine for a little pre Christmas vacation this year. It has been a very busy year and without being able to get away fro more than a couple of weekends this summer we all are in need of getting away. Unfortunately it can’t be sooner than December, but at least we will be able to take some time then.

Irvine is only a couple of hours away so getting there will be easy and quick so we won’t have to eat up too much of our vacation time traveling. We’ll leave early in the morning and get there in time for lunch and possibly get some shopping in that afternoon. With rooms booked at hotels Irvine we afre pretty much set to go.

We will be going to the observatory at the University of California with the kids interest in astronomy now and the lessons they have been getting in school the observatory is a nice tie in and will be something they will really enjoy and learn something from. We will also be taking the kids ice skating at the Irvine Spectrum Center. The kids have never ice skated so this should be fun. Growing up in upstate New York I remember ice skating nearly all winter just about every winter of my life. Now we will be sharing that experience with the kids. The topper for the weekend away will be going to see the Barclay Theater production of the Nutcracker, a perneial favorite and something we have not been able to do witht he kids any holidays before now.

Hopefully while we are there we will be able to get all our holiday shopping done too. I really dislike the dragging it out (the shopping that is) over weeks and weeks. It can seem like an endless task, so my hope is we will get a good day or so of shopping in and get that part of the holidays done and behind us.

The great Basque city of Bilbao is a splendid place for a traveler, looking to absorb culture and beauty, and some of the most splendid offerings from Spain.  There is an exciting atmosphere here that is ripe for tourists looking to enjoy sumptuous landscapes and a thriving city that has experienced an urban renewal that is starting to make the best of Bilbao apparent to any visitor.  It is a gorgeous old port town that has many splendid museums, and of course, fantastic luxury hotels.  Bilbao is a great place to escape to, and have your own Spanish adventure in a town that’s becoming one of the world’s great tourist destinations.

Our hotels are selected for their excellence in service and hospitality, offering generous combinations of charm and luxury, to give you a heavenly experience.  Waking up in our spectacular and spacious rooms, you’ll enjoy a sense of lightness as your day opens up to new experience.  After tasting a fabulous meal prepared by world class chefs who are schooled in the best of Spanish cooking, which is some of the finest in the world, you might enjoy having a work out in our state of the art facilities, or heading out into the city straightaway.  You’ll certainly hear a lot about the Bilbao Guggenheim, and it’s all true, it does live up to its name.  It has an absolutely spectacular collection, and there are marvelous exhibits here all year round.

The curatorial staff is extremely savvy, and would have to be in a place like Bilbao.  The sense for art here is as keenly tuned as the sense of style.  A day, or often even a moment, can hardly go by without some artistic flourish.  One of the Guggenheim’s artists in collection is the queen of the flourish, Berlin’s Rebecca Horn.  With a spectacular career both behind and ahead of her, this surreal sculptural poet of the unknown has never dabbled in any art forms, but has mastered nearly all of them.  See her work when you’re here, it’s stunning.

There was a time when the neighborhood known as Hell’s Kitchen did have fine restaurants or luxury hotels.  New York City history is rich with tales of the gritty world of gangsters.  This particular neighborhood has been known throughout the history of the city, as the area of the organized crime rings of the Irish/American circles.  As with many of the neighborhoods of the city as well, the history and the racial tension that has been part of Hell’s Kitchen’s reputation, is brought to life any time a tiny community theater in any small town puts up the musical “West Side Story”.

Over the last forty years the area has been gradually renovated and gentrified, as it is located close to Midtown and close to the theater district and the Broadway Venues.  Many of those who come to the city for the purpose of becoming actors move to the area as this is where the famous Actors Studio is located.  And due to the proximity to the theaters, those who are making their living as actors on Broadway, also reside now in Hell’s Kitchen.  I have been to this area of the city.  It is a strange mix, of architecture, of people, of just an overall feeling.  I wasn’t really sure how I felt, I mean, it was a bad feeling or a scary feeling per se.

It was a feeling of being in a place wherein the brutal gangs of the Five Points once resided, while also attending a class at at the Actors Studio, it was a place wherein some of the most famous actors and playwrights throughout history once resided.  I went shopping at a Goodwill, and had a coffee from Starbucks all in the hour’s time.  And I passed a young boy selling flowers from a cart, and heard an older “gangster” looking man yelling obscenities to someone on his cell phone.  As I said, it is a strange and wonderful area of the city and the feeling of those few days I spent there has remained with ever since.

Law school.  This is a decision that will demand dedication and commitment.  After the first Bachelor’s Degree, law school will be another three years of study.  Just as with the decision to go to medical school, this will mean many years of spending money on schooling before one can collect the paychecks for both of these professions.  This may influence which school one chooses to attend, especially if they will be taking out student loans.

Just because a school is more expensive does not necessarily mean that this is the best option.  There are many people going to law school, more so than there are jobs, to these are odds that one must face with tenacity and drive in order to succeed.  Once one makes that decision, there is the LSAT.  In order to qualify to even take the exam, you must have graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree–and a high grade point average.  Once that has been successfully passed, and law school has been completed, there is the Bar Exam.

So, one passes that exam, then it is time to look for a job in law offices, wherein one may or may not even see the inside realms of court rooms nor stand in front of the judge and the jury, for many years.  The first years in a firm require hours spent doing research and taking interviews, filling motions and doing paperwork.  This is one reason why some get very close to their dreams of being defense attorneys and prosecutors.

This is a lot of work, that requires diligence and patience which quite a few people just do not possess.  Twenty years ago, in a group of friends, ten of them were lawyers.  Today, six of them are still practicing law.  For almost half of them, the wait or the work was just not something they had the drive to continue.  However, those six attorneys are now finally having their dreams realized, and are some of the finest attorneys practicing law today.

I woke up to my hotel phone ringing, it was this guy asking if I wanted to go on a safari. I was still mad at being woken up so early, and I said no and went back to sleep. I’m thoroughly enjoying my Dubai beach resort lifestyle, and I really wanted to sleep in this morning. Once I finally woke up, I felt kind of bad for being so rude to this guy, I met him poolside of the resort, but he stayed up as late as I did last night, so he should’ve known I was very tired.

Anyway, I got up and went down to the reception desk to see what was there for me to do today, and there he was, at the reception desk. He again asked if I wanted to join him on the safari, plus he gestured that another couple would be joining us. He handed me a brochure to read and after reading it, I found that it sounded actually fun, so I agreed to go. The safari wasn’t until 4pm, so this kinda got me ticked again, I mean, why did he have to call me so early in the morning? I must have sounded so rude.

The safari was exciting. The driver was a bit unfriendly in the beginning, but later, he got very chatty. The other couple was from England and they were Muslim, which we had an extremely interesting conversation about the differences in religions and the similarities. I think our driver might’ve taken offense, but he stayed cool through our whole conversation. There were also 2 Iranian men who didn’t talk mush at all, but they were still very friendly. I would say they were probably smart about keeping their mouth shut instead of saying something that might be upsetting.

The tour began with us driving out to the desert, it really wasn’t that far and we switched cars from the van to a 4 wheel drive made to travel over sand dunes. Our driver was crazy, he liked take on the dunes fast and furious. My adrenalin was pumping, I would recommend anyone who’s afraid of car accidents, to not go on this safari tour, it’s totally scary and thrilling all at the same time. We made a few stops, so I got to take a few pictures, but it was so hot the sand was barely walkable. I now know why people don’t were denim here, it makes you hotter than you should be and it holds in the heat. I was suffering. Then we went on a camel ride, totally awesome and sandboarding, I wasn’t dressed to well for that, so I didn’t participate, but all the other people did and I could tell they were having a blast. I should’ve read the brochure more carefully about what to wear.

When we got back to my hotel, that same guy asked me out for dinner, I told him to meet me back down in reception in about an hour. I needed to change and shower. I think something is happening here, I just don’t know what.

After leaving Cochi, we arrived in Dubai. We went from on extreme to another extreme. Naturally, we didn’t have any reservations, so we just went on the web at this free Internet cafe’ not located in the airport, which was very bright and clean. We found a great deal with one of the five star Dubai hotels located in central Dubai. We booked a room over the Internet. It was great to do this over the Internet, when we were in India, we gave up on trying to find last minute deals concerning accommodations, because the connection kept crashing.

We took airport transportation to our hotel and checked in. From booking our room on the Internet and actually making it to the hotel lobby took us only about an hour. I like Dubai. Our hotel was centrally located and a breakfast was included in the price of the room. We booked 2 nights. On our way here, we couldn’t help but notice how clean and fresh this city was. There was no trash, no cows, dogs, or hundreds and hundreds of people everywhere. Dubai is no India. New skyscrapers, new cars, green grass and perfect roads with no pot holes!

Our hotel lived up to our expectations and surpassed them. Our beds were comfy, satellite T.V., a pressure shower and any other amenity we would want. We had a great view of the Dubai skyline and the pool was fabulous.

The next two day, we spent living it up. Dubai is a shoppers paradise and the prices are unbelievably low. We here that’s because Dubai is serious about bringing in tourist. We got access to a jeep, my companion really knows how to charm the pants off of anyone, so we were able to drive around the local haunts of clubs, restaurants and bars. We needed to return the jeep, so we did and stayed our last night in Dubai at our hotel and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Sometime I forget where I am, it’s so hectic here! Just kidding. I flew into Bali late in the evening and managed to find transportation to take me to my hotel in Bali, Indonesia. That was the easy part, because all I had to do was look for the driver with a sign that had my name written on it. The hard part was finding his car! It took us about fifteen minutes before he remembered where he parked it. Even this late at night, the roads were jammed packed and the driving is hectic here. I saw one scooter that had a Dad driving, his son stood between his legs, his daughter was nestled down between the mother who was holding a baby!

My driver made it to my hotel and I crashed for the night after grabbing a very late dinner. The next morning I was eager to find out what Indonesia has to offer. The answer, I found out, is everything! I got my hair cut with a pair of very blunt scissors from a woman who I think has only been cutting hair starting today for about a half-a-pound. It only took her a minute to cut my hair and she was off to her next customer. I then head off to Lombok, my transportation was a bemo, this rusty old mini van with no side doors, which after agreeing on a fare price, took me to Padangbai to catch the ferry to Lembar. While on the ferry, I bumped into a Swedish man, named Duke, who joined me on my journey to Senggigi. We parted ways, when it came time for me to head off in a different direction, too bad, he was cute. I went to Pondok Siti Hawa which is about 2 kilometers south of the main town Sengiggi.

On the beach, I watched families pull their fishing net in for the mornings catch. Right now it’s Ramadan, so as they are doing this, which does take a couple of hours, they won’t eat or drink anything. After watching all the fishing families, I ran into an ex New Zealander who has been on a mission to clean up Lombok. Not a bad idea, I wish him luck. But, I like it just the way it is.

Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan, India was once the capital of royalty. Located in the desert lands of India, Jaipur is this country’s first planned city and over 3 million residents call Jaipur home. When planning your next trip, be sure and place Jaipur as a top contender as a most desired city to visit. Research the city, the area, the country, the people and their cultures and heritages and you will be drawn here. Over the centuries, Jaipur has become an extremely popular destination for tourists the world over.

The climate is considered semi-arid with fairly hot summer days with the monsoons adding humidity. The other seasons are relatively mild and pleasant, making for ideal sightseeing and outdoor excursions throughout the city. The architecture here is breathtaking to say the least. The palaces and temples, the museums and other historic buildings are exquisite in their design as well as the material used in their construction. You have to see the Albert Hall Museum, the Hawa Mahal, the Lakshmi-Narayan Temple, the Jal Mahal and the Rambagh Palace, just to name a few of these fabulous buildings.

However, the architecture should not be the only thing on your agenda. Take in the rich, colorful gardens, the shopping with top name shops and unique boutiques, the vibrant festivals, experience the exciting music and dancing as you visit the local nightclubs. And of course you will want to stay at one of the many five star Jaipur hotels and allow yourself to be pampered and spoiled. The friendly, well-trained staff is ready to attend to your comforts as you partake of the many amenities. And what about the restaurants? Experience the various and sometimes unusual spices and herbs used in the delicious local cuisine. From the onset of planning this trip to reliving it through your photos and memories, Jaipur will be a treasured experience.