Snorkelling Abroad

Are you considering snorkelling abroad? Why not? It’s definitely a fun activity and that’s what holidays are all about. Here are five top tips when snorkelling.

 

  • Never dive alone – We recommend minimum snorkelling party is 3; a buddy pair to lookout for each other in the water and a shore lookout.
  • Get Fit – By getting fit you will not only be able to enjoy your Snorkelling better, but also be safer
  • Train with a recognised training scheme – The BSAC’s Snorkelling syllabus is a progressive training course to help people build skills and technique and enjoy the sea safely.
  • Check your equipment – A strap breaking on a fin, a badly fitting mask or a leaking snorkel valve while you’re at sea can all cause problems and discomfort. Taking good care of the equipment and checking it carefully can reduce the chances of problems.
  • Choose a safe site – Avoid areas with heavy boat traffic, dangerous currents and rip tides. Make sure the entrances and exits to the water are easily accessible and that there are alternative places to exit if the dive is cut short.

 

Holiday Hotel Problems

Common problems with hotel rooms include cleanliness, electrical items not working and issues with the bathroom (a major issue). If you do discover a problem you should first call down to reception and ask for the problem to be rectified or for you to be moved to another room. If this doesn’t seem to get you anywhere you could ask to speak to a manager. Tell them that you have tried to sort the issue out with reception but to no avail so therefore have had to escalate the problem.

If you are still not happy with the outcome you could write a letter of complaint when you get home or if it is a chain hotel, contact the head office.

Most hotels are keen to rectify problems quickly as they often get a lot of business through word of mouth, so don’t stay quiet!

The History of Bangkok

Compared to most popular cities, Bangkok is a young capital, established in 1782 after the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya, which was the former capital. A temporary base was set up on the western bank of the Chao Phraya River, which is now Thonburi, before work started on the more defensible east bank, where the French had built a grand, but short-lived, fort in the 1660s. The first king of the new dynasty, Rama I, built his palace at Ratanakosin, within a defensive ring of two (later expanded to three) canals, and this remains the city’s spiritual heart.

Initially, the city was largely amphibious: only the temples and royal palaces were built on dry land, while ordinary residences floated on thick bamboo rafts on the river and canals; even shops and warehouses were moored to the river bank. A major shift in emphasis came in the second half of the nineteenth century, first under Rama IV (1851–68), who as part of his effort to restyle the capital along European lines built Bangkok’s first roads, and then under Rama V (1868–1910), who constructed a new residential palace in Dusit, north of Ratanakosin, and laid out that area’s grand boulevards.

The Lakes of China

If you’re a lover of lakes, you should decide to visit the Asian continent. There are so many wonders to see in the land of China, but one of the most beautiful have to be the lakes, here is one example:

Yamdrok Lake (A Pearl from the sky) – was formed from the melted snow of the nearby mountains. It is said to be the female guardian of Buddhism in Tibet. Located 105km to the southwest of Lhasa. Yamdrok-Tso Lake is 130km long from east to west and 70km wide from north to south with a total perimeter of 250km and the surface area of 638 square km, average depth of 20-40 meters

Benidorm Shopping and Food

The majority of shops in Benidorm are open from 10am to 9pm. Some shopping-centres may be closed during a working day for a lunch break. Fans of shopping should keep in mind that in Benidorm low price of goods is usually the indication of its poor quality. The travellers, who want to save money on purchasing souvenirs, are recommended to go to Cala de Finestrat market, which is open on Fridays.
Carrefour supermarket is the best place to purchase food. It works every day including weekends and lunch breaks. The shopping centre is distinguished not only by the largest choice of products, but also by very attractive prices.
In many famous restaurants the high cost of dishes is not always a sign of their special taste. As a rule, travellers pay more for the name of the restaurant and its luxury decoration. While selecting a place to eat, tourists are better to keep an eye on the local residents. The more visitors a restaurant or a cafe has, the higher is the quality of its dishes.