Tropical Malaysia

Malaysia popularly known as "Truly Asia" is the most attractive and well-known tourist destination in the South East of Asia. It attracts tourist from all over the world for its exotic marine life, nightlife, pristine beaches, international shopping malls, long coastlines, skyscpapers and infrastructure, beautiful under water world of the islands, lush tropical rain forests and scenic beauty. Its sultry climate attracts a lot of tourist from all over the world.

The diversified tourist destinations of Malaysia comprises of Kuala Lumpur-the garden city of light,Putrajaya-the newly developed city,Mallaca-the delightful old town,Penang-the heaven for food and culture,Perhentian island-the dream island, National park,sabah-known for eco-tourism,Langkawi,Cameron Highland and sarawak.

Kuala Lampur is the capital and the ultra modern center of Malaysia. It is situated in Peninsular Malaysia, the heart of selangor state. The worth visiting places in Kuala Lumpur are Petronas Twin Towers, National Museum, central Market, vibrant Chinatown, bustling night markets and a little of Indian culture. Petronas twin towers, a master piece of earth is the second tallest building in the world after recently built Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Kuala Lampur is a wonderful destination for shopping, recreation, nightlife and sightseeing, envious shopping malls, mouth watering food, Chinese cultural festivals. The worth visiting places in Kuala Lampur includes Istana Negara (National Palace), Kuala Lamour Tower, the Putra World Trade Centre.

Putrajay located in the south of Kuala Lampur is the newly developed city .Most of the government office of Malaysia can be found there. The most famous places to visit here are Perdena, Putra, Putra Mosque, Putra Bridge, and Seriwawasan Bridge.

Situated in the south of Malaysia is a beautiful old town called Mallaca which presents an interesting mix of different cultures like Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese and British cultures.
Tourist enjoys seeing the Chinese streets, temples, antique shops parts of European colonial area and the nostalgic Dutch buildings .These include the ST. Paul Hill, Jonker's Walk, Portuguese Settlement village, A'Farmosa Fort.

Penang is the paradise for food and culture lovers. It is located in the North West coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The worth seeing places include George Town, Penang Bridge, Snake Temple, Fort Cornwallis, War Museum, Kek Lok Si Temple. George Town is a very compact oldest British settlement and the countries leading resort areas. The beautiful old Chinese houses, Mahjong games, glimpses of Asian life, trishaws captures the eyes of the tourist in the city of George Town.

Perhentian Island consisting of two island-Big Perhentian and Small Perhentian is located in the state of Terengganu. This island is a heavenly place for snorkeling fans and scuba divers. Tourist loves this place also for sunbathing and turtle and shark watching.

The three states namely Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan encompass the National Park located in the peninsular Malaysia. This gastromical paradise attracts tourist to the home
of some rare mammals like the Indochinese Tiger, Asian Elephant and Sumatran Rhinoceros. The tropical rain forest, jungle trekking, bird Watching, adds up to the delightful experience of the tourist coming from all over the world.

Sabah is a tropical paradise that amazes the tourist with the presence of both beaches and island. Earlier it was known as the” Land Below the Wind" as it lies below the typhoon belt.Kinabalu National Park is Malaysia's first" World Heritage Site" and the most popular biological sites in the world. It is located on the west coast of Sabah covering an area of 754 square kilometers surrounding Mount Kinabalu. It has become an outstanding tourist spot in Malaysia.

Langkawi is one of the most wonderful tourist destinations in south East Asia. It is famous for its nostalgic sandy beaches, scenic beauty, nightlife, tasty food, as well as world-class resort, spas and hotels. It is the best place to go, relax and enjoy.

Cameron Highland is located in the centre of Peninsular Malaysia. It is popular for its beautiful scenery, eye catching tea plantation, amazing butterfly farm, strawberry farms, hill stations, waterfalls, jungle walks, plenty of wild flowers and beautiful gardens.

Sarawak is a lovely Malaysian island state known for its flora and fauna and deep jungles. Tourist can witness various types of animals around this beautiful island, dive into the crystal clear sea and colorful marine life.

The mouth watering and tasty food of Malaysia also attracts a large number of tourists from all over the world. Right from spicy Malay food, Chinese food to Indian and Portuguese food, everything is just electrifying. The most popular Malaysian delicacies include chicken rice, fried noodles, satay, roti canai and rendang.Western food chains are also equally famous. Nyonya cuisine also dominates the taste of tourists.

Malaysia is an excellent spa holiday destination. The numerous luxurious resorts provide the best spa treatments of Malaysia. Different spa therapies, traditional Asian facial, body messages helps to cleanse, restore, refine and hydrate our skin.

Today Malaysia has emerged as one of the strongest economies of Asia. The economic growth of its country is contributed by its tourism sector to a great deal. Thus millions of tourist visits this beautiful and lovely country every year.

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Beautiful and Historic Florence Italy

Florence is one of the most attractive places to visit in Italy thanks to the rich cultural and historic heritage the area boasts of. Florence is the capital city of Tuscany and is located besides the beautiful banks of river Arno, in close proximity to the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas. The City of Florence was founded by the Romans in the 1st century and since then, it has grown in bits and bounds particularly between the 1200s and the 1600s to a desirable tourist destination that it is today characterized by a booming local industry, commerce and tourism.

Accommodation
Accommodation in the city of Florence is not a problem as there are many hotels centrally located within the city center as well as on the outskirts. Be advised though that due to the popular destination that Florence has become, most of the hotels get fully booked during peak tourism season, hence it is advisable to book your accommodation weeks in advance. Important to note also is that the accommodation can be quite expensive but with some little research, you can be able to get cheaper alternatives. The area around the green Viale dei Colli, is where most hotels are located.

Restaurants
‘Trattories’ or ‘Ristoranti’ is the local name given to restaurants in the city of Florence. The restaurants are synonymous mouthwatering delicacies from different cultural backgrounds. Lunch, the main meal of the day, is normally served at around 1 pm while dinner is served between 8 pm and 9 pm. The costs of meals in the menu don’t include the service charges hence you should plan accordingly.

Tourism
As mentioned, tourism is the backbone of the economy of the city of Florence and thousands of tourists flock this part of Italy every year to relax and relish beautiful views, as well as admire the impressive architecture, famous works of art and historical buildings. Some of the major attractions in Florence include the Palazzo Strozzi, the Piazza del Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, and the Campanile di Giotto.

Museums
Nearly all museums in Florence have very important art exhibitions as well as great exhibits that have stood the test of time. Ensure you visit the National Archeological Museum and the Uffizi Gallery. Looking to relax and unwind, ensure you visit the Chianti area located between the city of Siena and Florence. Here, you will see the most impressive countryside landscapes in Italy and some of the well-known vineyards.

Transportation
The city of Florence is accessible by air through the Amerigo Vespucci Airport located Just 5 km / 3 miles from the heart of the city. In the city, there is a well-structured transport system made up of taxis, railway services, and orange ATAF buses. To have a good time in Florence, many people prefer to rent a car. The A1 motorway is a well-structured transport network that links Florence to all major Italian cities such as Rome, Milan, Bologna, and Naples. It also links Florence to some of the coastal resorts and places such as Pisa and Lucca.

M Gravlee is a retired newspaper publisher who spends several months a year traveling. http://akumalvacation.com/

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Take the Kids to Maine!

It is always a difficult task to try and come up with interesting activities for the children when they accompany you on your trips around the country. Notice I say it may be difficult but it is not impossible. As an example, we decided to take a vacation to the state of Maine and as anyone would guess there simply is not an abundance of things for children to do. We still decided that there was sufficient interest on our part to visit this great part of America and as such we decided to still complete our travel plans.

Most visitors to Maine never consider the possibility that Maine could also be considered a farm rich area. There are in fact a vast number of actual working farms located in this section of the nation. We decided that one way in which we could enjoy the state’s great outdoor environment as well as to provide the children with some interesting activities was to spend the day on one of the many animal farms in the state. The children were actually excited about this prospect as they would be able to see what happens on the farm while getting to know and understand other children.

We were fortunate enough to locate a farm in Rockport that does exactly that. It was the Aldermere Farm. As you approach this vast farm you will begin to see acres of beautiful pasture land filled with the cows known as Belted Galloways. These are an interesting breed of cow in that they have a band of white which goes completely around their mid sections of their bodies. Besides seeing these unusual cows the farm offers the visitors a variety of seasonal tours as well as established activity programs.

No farm visit of course could be complete without a side trip to nearby Jefferson’s Blueberry Hills Farm. You will find a vast array of farm animals here ranging from cows, and cattle, pigs, Shetland ponies, chickens and goats. Before you depart this farm you are offered the opportunity to purchase some of the finest organic produce in the area. In addition you can even watch them make their own syrup as they tap into their maple trees each year.

In the fall you will see how busy the farms apple orchards become as the harvest begins. There is always something going on around the farm at all times of the year. Often you will find that many of the farms act as bed and breakfast inns allowing you to remain on the farm as long as you so desire.

As you can readily see traveling to just about any area of the nation can be an exciting adventure for not only the adults but the children as well.

Or you could take the kids to Mexico. We have a House for Rent in Akumal, Mexico.