Archive for April, 2010
Todays Backpacking Tents Are Smaller And Lighter Than Ever Before
Backpacking tents tents usually nylon designed specifically for hikers and backpackers in mind can be a backpacker’s best friend. Sure there alternative ways to spend a night in the woods. Many fast and light hikers are relying on bivy bags to keep themselves warm nesting their sleeping bags inside waterproof bags and eschewing a tent all together. However these weight watchers often wake up in sleeping bags soaked with condensation even if the sky was clear all night. Other hikers spend the night under ultra light tarps or in hammocks but when it starts to rain most of them find themselves flooded out all too happy to share your dry waterproof tent.
Backpacking tents aren’t the heavy leaking cumbersome shelters they once were either. Construction from nylon shells and fiberglass or carbonfiber poles mean that today’s tents are smaller and lighter than ever before. No more hassling with mismatched tent poles in the middle of the night either; most manufactures now string their breakdown poles with bungee cords which allow the pieces to snap together quickly. These poles combined with colorcoded snaps on the tent body mean that most tents can be set up by one person in minutes even if that one person is stumbling into camp in the dark as it’s starting to rain.
Once the tent is set up you can be assured a dry night. The rain flies of modern backpacking tents are waterproofed and seamsealed so you won’t wake up at 3am to that telltale dripdripdrip of a leaking seam. They’re ventilated too allowing the moisture and condensation from your breath to carry outside and avoid wet tent walls in the morning. Another handy common feature is a vestibule allowing you to leave your muddy boots and pack outside your tent but still out of the rain.
Other small touches abound. Many backpacking tents are equipped with gear lofts utilizing the extra space at the top of the tent’s dome for storage of small items and bags. Others have attachment points for flashlights or lanterns though it’s important to keep sources of flame or heat away from the synthetic materials. Small pouches sewn into the inside of the tent serve as handy places for pocket change or eyeglasses.
When storm clouds roll in it’s good to know that you can easily carry a warm dry shelter in your backpack which can be ready to keep off the rain and snow for years to come.
About the writer: Muna wa Wanjiru is a web administrator and has been researching and reporting on Internet Marketing for years. For more information on Backpacking Tents visit his site at Backpacking Tents
Title: Loving The Nightlife In Mexico
No vacation is complete without seeing what a place has to offer when it comes to nightlife and partying. There are a lot of exciting and jumping places in Mexico where you can party the night away dance to the Latin beats of their music and drink the libation of choice in the region tequila. Some of the nightspots in Mexico offer you more than just a place to hang out in but a place to get to know the other side of the country based on the kind of night life that they have.
La Bodeguita in Puerto Vallarta
If it’s salsa music you want it’s salsa music you will definitely get in this Latin club called La Bodeguita which is found in Puerto Vallarta. This bar which is built in the Havana style gives you more than just its wonderful music good food and excellent drinks; it also gives you an outlet to observe people and how they interact in this community. Perfect for gazing at crowds that go by and for sharing a drink or two this bar and restaurant also features a wall where past guests have left their marks on. You can write on this wall too as a testament that you were once here enjoying the crowds the music and everything else in La Bodeguita.
Cabo’s Latitude 22 Roadhouse Bar and Squid Roe
One of the bestknown bars in Cabo that live up to the theme of fishing which is what the region is best known for is the bar called Latitude 22 Roadhouse. This bar is one of the best places for people who loved Hemingway’s book to hang out in since it exudes the ambiance of such a novel. Live piano music is the source of entertainment here; and along with food drinks and the lively company of people who simply enjoy a laidback atmosphere you can find yourself staying for hours on end in this bar. Another bar you can find in Cabo with an altogether different atmosphere is the bar called Squid Roe. This is reputed to be the biggest bar in all of Cabo and is the one place where people can actually let loose and just drink and dance to their heart’s content.
Daddy O in Cancun
Said to be one of the most popular nightclubs if not the most popular in Cancun is Daddy O. With a reputation that can only be called legendary this club will have you moving to the beat and staring in awe at the laser light shows that happen here every night. The Daddy O club in Cancun also features smoke machine effects and a topoftheline sound system that blares out all the crowd favorites to keep people coming back for more. With a 2500person capacity in a club that is designed to look like a huge cavern Daddy O will definitely get your adrenaline pumping and your party moods jumping.
After an exhausting yet enjoyable night at one of these hotspots you can then come home to the relaxing atmosphere of your Grupo Mayan hotel and sleep in comfort and style in the lovely rooms that these hotels have.
About the writer: You can certainly mix fun leisure and business all together when youre in Mexico. There are a lot of hot nightspots to choose from. Whats more you can always retire to the huge cozy beds of Grupo Mayan hotels. If you like to get a glimpse of the luxurious lifestyle waiting for you visit http://www.grupomayanvacations.com.
Tips To Enjoy Your Travel In Sicily
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean and it’s more than a simple Italian island; Sicily is a unique place full of art archaeology history folklore and Mediterranean breathtaking scenery.
Having been ruled by Asians Africans and Europeans this wonderful island is a cosmopolitan place with a multicultural society. Imagine this: Sicily have been a Greek colony a Roman province an Arab emirate and a Norman kingdom. The Phoenicians Carthaginians Swabians Angevins and Aragonese made Sicily their own leaving behind an eclectic history that you can still touch today!
Knowing this is easy to understand why this land is so complex and why its a land like no other.
WHAT TO DO THERE
Just because the great natural beauty of the land Sicily is an island in the sun with heavenly beaches majestic mountains and Europe’s greatest vulcan Mount Etna and the incredible complexity of its history there is really very much to do there!
Basically you can group your activities in Sicily into five main categories:
Swimming. The islands rocky coastline makes it an ideal diving platforms; snorkellers and scuba divers will appreciate the variety of marine life in its waters.
There are also plenty of beaches to choose from particularly at Taormina in the northeast which is part of a huge nature reserve and Mondello near the town of Palermo one of the islands most popular sandy beaches.
Climbing and Trekking. The Romans thought the 3323metre Mount Etna which last erupted in 2001 was the forge of Vulcan the god of fire. Local authorities monitor its activity closely and visitors can take a day trip up to its lava dunes and moonlike surface. If you dont fancy the hike the 70mile Circumetnea railway runs around the base from Catania to Giarre Riposto. A round trip takes around five hours.
Driving. One of the best ways to explore the island is driving all around it to explore the many historical and archaeological places. The Old Palermo In just a few hours on foot you can explore some of Sicilys most famous monuments and charming squares such as the Piazza Pretoria the Valley of Temples in Agrigento The largest collection of classical Greek ruins in the world with many well preserved temples monuments and other buildings which create a truly surreal atmosphere the Greek Amphitheater in Taormina The view of Mount Etna and the sea beyond is absolutely superb at Taormina’s 10000seat ancient Greek amphitheater which was erected in the third century BC and expanded by the Romans
Siracusa with it’s dense archeological zone with theatres ancient churches greek temples norman battlements baroque faade and much more Monreale Duomo A jewel of Norman architecture well known for its magnificent series of mosaics adorning the whole interior and many many other attractive places around this beautiful land.
Eating. Sicilian cuisine is one of the oldest in existence and Sicilians even have a reasonable claim to the invention of pasta. Their cuisine represents Sicily’s unique cultural mix imaginatively combining fish fruits vegetables and nuts with Arab and North African ingredients such as cus cus couscous. Stop for a coffee anywhere in Sicily even along the coastal road and you’ll be overwhelmed by an embarrassment of little riches like fried sweet or savory dough pockets stuffed with ricotta. Every town has its own trademark snack but they all have arancini literally “little oranges” which are actually deepfried risotto balls one of Sicily’s trademark snack foods. Driving around the most famous localities you can taste many specific and local cuisines. Also snacks are in rare form in Sicily. Catania is famous for sweets: pasta di mandorla a soft cookie made from almonds and honey is a delicious showcase for the famous Sicilian bitter almond. Going to Siracusa don’t miss the spectacularly chaotic and wonderful fish market in the center of the city: fresh pesce spada swordfish and ricci raw sea urchin are a must!
Marsala is a sleepy town with an ancient Punic warship in its archeological museum and an amazing wine tradition that spans hundreds of years. You may encounter marsala wine more often in a dish of sauteed chicken or veal than you do as a afterdinner drink but here this fortified wine is taken very seriously.
Palermo is the place where you can have the chance to sample the island’s most traditional homecooked specialties. Pasta con le sarde an emblematic dish that goes back to the Saracen conquerors with fresh sardines olive oil raisins pine nuts and wild fennel is different at every restaurant. Firm white fish such as orata sea bream simply grilled and served with lemon and olive oil are reliable staples as secondi piatti almost anywhere in town. And nothing is more famous in Palermo or in Sicily as a whole than spaghetti alla Norma with a sauce of tomato fried eggplant ricotta and basil.
TRAVELLING TO SICILY
If you plan to bring your own car or have hired a car in a different part of Italy at some point you will need to take a ferry. The same goes for if you are arriving by train.
There are many option to get there with your car: you can book your ferry from many ports Naples Genova Villa S. Giovanni and Cagliari and you can choose four different Ferry Companies Tirrenia SNAV Grandi Navi Veloci Caronte
You can also book hydrofoils but in this case you cant bring your car with you.
Getting to Sicily by Ferry there are a few things you should take into consideration like the frequency of the Ferry services booking rules and places where buy tickets
Although passenger and car ferries do operate throughout the year Car ferries to and from Sicilia get extremely busy during the summer and it is advisable to book your ticket well in advance. This can be done at the various ticket offices located in travel agencies but what we strongly recommend is to get in touch with a professional agency to get all you need in one simple stop. Thats what Traghetti Sicilia can do for you! General informations timetables tickets travel assistance and much more to help you booking with ease your ferry tickets from Naples Genova Villa S. Giovanni and Cagliari ports. Traghetti Sicilia Agency is now open 24/24 and this will speed up and simplify the whole process for you.
About the writer: Roberto Gardenti is a travel enthusiast and has to travel frequently to places like Croatia Corsica Sicily and other popular tourist destinations. To find out more about what he suggested here regarding ferries to Sicily please visit Traghetti Sicilia at www.traghettisicilia.it
