Sunday, July 29, 2012

Exploring Camden

Camden is a fabulous place waiting to be explored whilst staying in cheap hotels in London. Part of central London, Camden is easily accessible from many areas all over the width and breadth of London on the tube or by bus or taxi. Known for its fantastic market area and eclectic range of shops, Camden is the perfect place for any shopaholic or tourist looking for an 'unconventional' London. Home of Amy Winehouse and many other rock stars alike, this fantastic hub of delight is waiting to be explored. This area of London is fantastic as it covers a whole range of budgets from pocket change to hundreds of pounds.

Shopping Delights

Camden's foremost speciality is its shopping. With many cheap hotels in London close by, families and couples alike can easily find time to spend a day or afternoon here shopping. As you enter the main high street from the underground, the tourist will be amazed at the variety of shops. From the traditional high street stores such as 'All Saints' 'Boots' and HSBC banks, head north and you will find everything from tattoo parlours independent boutiques. Further down the road comes what Camden is most famous for, its market. Unlike traditional markets, the market running on the left of the river is undercover and is filled with beautiful and unique stalls selling everything from incense, phone charms, handmade jewellery, crafts, ornaments, printed clothing and more. There is a vast variety of items for every budget and Camden is fantastic for finding really unique items that are not mass produced. Whilst you are visiting London, Camden is a fantastic place waiting to be explored.

Street Food and Eating in Camden

One of the things Camden and its shopping area is most famous for is its fantastic variety of street food. Right in the hub of the market lies a fantastic variety of food stalls just waiting to be explored. In the mix there is a vast variety from Chinese, Thai, Italian, Mexican, Japanese and more. As you walk past the various street sellers there are many samples for you to try attempting to lure you in and buy the delicious food. The smell is mouth-watering and the fantastic deals will definitely tempt you to take a break and have a bite. Purchase your box of heaven and view the stalls as you eat. If you are looking for more of a sit down meal though, there are many independent cafes and restaurants dotted around the streets of Camden as well as the famous Starbucks coffee house that can all be enjoyed whilst staying in cheap hotels in London.


Sunday, July 22, 2012

Museums in Singapore

Singapore Art Museum

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) advocates and presents contemporary art work methods of Singapore as well as the Southeast Asian region. Opened in January 1996 like a museum below the Nationwide Heritage Board of Singapore, SAM has amassed one from the entire world's largest community collections of fashionable and contemporary Southeast Asian artworks, having a developing component in world contemporary artwork. Housed in a restored 19th century mission university, the museum draws from its selection and collaborates with primary intercontinental museums to existing exhibits covering both nearby and intercontinental artwork methods, too as cutting edge artwork expressions. Contemporary artwork of the area is specified global exposure via the museum's travelling exhibition programme and selection bank loan.

By way of strategic alliances with international arts and cultural establishments, SAM facilitates visual arts schooling, alternate, research and advancement inside the region and internationally. The museum has forged partnerships with institutions which include the Centre Pompidou, Guggenheim Museum, Shanghai Artwork Museum, Seoul National College Museum of Artwork, Stedelijk Museum, Bonn Fine art Museum, Centre of International Modern Art work, Nationwide Museum of India, Hong Kong Museum of Artwork, Asia Society in New York, Fukuoka Art Museum and Queensland Fine art Gallery. With Singapore turning out to be a world city for the arts, SAM's international networks deliver about a confluence of tips, and produce a dynamic arts scene invigorated by global flows of concepts, talents, knowledge and assets.

Community outreach continues to get an essential location of the Museum's function. By way of the Museum's exhibition programmes likewise as its instruction and public programmes which go over a diversity of fine art traits and procedures, fringe actions and community lectures, SAM Museum promotes consciousness and appreciation of contemporary artwork and encourages the development of an energetic and stimulating cultural atmosphere in Singapore. The museum's extension creating, SAM at 8Q, was opened in August 2008, expanding the museum's contemporary art work area to present recent, multi-disciplinary, interactive and neighbourhood-oriented programming. These days, SAM is really a site the place the public can straight experience the diversity of contemporary art work methods ranging from portray and sculpture, to installation, film & video recording, pictures, new press, effectiveness art and sound art work, expertise the perform and suggestions of living artists of Southeast Asia, and relate to your area's distinctive aesthetic and communal context.

NUS Museum

NUS Museum's mission is usually to actively facilitate the intellectual and cultural daily life in the NUS community. Focusing primarily but not exclusively on Southeast Asian artwork and culture, the Museum contributes to and facilitates the production, reception, and preservation of knowledge through collections advancement and curatorial demo, creating partnerships inside of NUS, the cultural and heritage business, and also the world-wide know-how local community. The roots of NUS Museum is usually traced towards the establishment in 1955 from the College Art Museum at the then College of Malaya located in Singapore. Underneath the direction of Michael Sullivan, the museum's very first curator from 1954 to 1960, the variety was instrumental within the teaching and research of Art Historical past on the university. Established earlier than Singapore's independence, the University Artwork Museum might be regarded as a prototypical museum institution, its historical trajectory and variety reflecting the search for a Malayan id situated inside the context of Southeast Asia, China and India.

With its diverse variety ranging from classical Chinese and Indian resources to modern and contemporary Southeast Asian fine art, the NUS Museum right now stays an integral part from the National University of Singapore (NUS). Its collections and curatorial practices make it a comprehensive resource for educating and research, furthering NUS' mission to transform the way individuals feel and function by way of education and learning, analysis and support. In 2004, the Museum turned affiliated towards the NUS Centre For that Arts (CFA) - a multi-faceted arts company that promotes the excellent and growth of the arts in NUS, Singapore and past. The museum has around 7000 artefacts and artworks divided throughout four collections: The Lee Kong Chian Assortment consists of the huge representation of Chinese components from historic to contemporary art work; the South and Southeast Asian Variety holds a array of performs from Indian classical sculptures to modern pieces; and the Ng Eng Teng Variety is usually a donation from the late Singapore sculptor and Cultural Medallion recipient of around 1,000 artworks. A fourth assortment, the Straits Chinese Collection, is located at NUS' Baba Home at 157 Neil Road.

NUS Museum also manages the Baba Residence located at 157 Neil Avenue. A single in the survive surviving Straits Chinese houses in Singapore, it had been launched in September 2008 immediately after comprehensive study and restoration get the job done performed in partnership with the NUS Department of Architecture and the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The Baba Property was a present from Ms Agnes Tan towards the University to encourage appreciation of and analysis into Straits Chinese heritage, id, iconography and architecture.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Get to Know Zimbabwe



Having had various names in the past - Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, Zimbabwe-Rhodesia - Zimbabwe now goes only by this name. Having regained independence from the United Kingdom in April 1980, the country entered its still ongoing era of Robert Mugabe's rule.

The controversial leader has been President since 1987, and has been criticised internationally as an unfair ruler, tolerating state-level corruption and torture. His main opponent is Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change.

In the late 90s and early 2000s, the country started experiencing economic turmoil with many industrial firms forced to shut due to high real interest rates.

Elections in 2002 gained international attention as they were found to be rigged, and members of the opposition found to have been intimidated and suppressed. In 2008, Tsvangirai went as far as to withdraw his candidacy for presidency due to violence against his party members.

Since 2009, a coalition government has been in force, with Tsvangirai the Prime Minister. Many believe this is the long awaited start of political change.

Tourism

In light of the political goings-on and the Land Reform programme that was passed in 2000, quite a few international airlines have stopped serving Zimbabwe. Though this has made travelling to the South African country a tad more difficult, it doesn't in any way imply it's not worth the journey. In fact, the tourism industry is seeing a gradual revival with international tour operators beginning once more to offer package deals and tours.

Zimbabwe is well worth a visit. Its best known attraction is Victoria Falls, the world's largest waterfall in terms of the overall size of its sheet of falling water. The falls are located on the river Zambezi, on the border with Zambia. Accommodation and amenities are available at the tourist towns nearby.

The Great Zimbabwe National Monument is the site of a ruined city, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe. It was built from the 11th to the 14th Centuries. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The capital city of Harare is definitely worth exploring. Inner city sights worth seeing are the National Gallery, Chapungu Sculpture Park, the National Botanic Garden, and Kopje hill for stunning views.

To ease your travels, look into a cheap calls to Zimbabwe service to book your accommodation and tours.

English is an official language in the country so foreign visitors can communicate very easily with the friendly locals. As a tourist, there's no need to worry about the political situation unless you do something to provoke a reaction.

Harvey McEwan writes to offer information on a variety of areas, from travel and politics in Zimbabwe to cheap calls to Zimbabwe. View Harvey's other articles to find out more.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Follow Your Dreams - A Lesson on Synchronicity

Synchronicity (n.)
- a philosophical concept of a meaningful coincidence in time of two or more causally unrelated events

When I really think about it, our lives are wonderfully synchronistic. The impetus behind major life changes can sometimes be traced back to the meaningful coincidence when the inception of an idea first occurred. Sometimes these ideas grow in unique and inexplicable ways, even taking years before they actually manifest into something real.

In 1998, I was a freshman in college, and it was the first time I had ever heard about through-hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT). At the time I found the notion of a six-month hike intriguing, but improbable. A couple of year later, a friend of mine from Georgia also talked about the AT. We even did a day-hike up Blood Mountain which was part of this legendary footpath. The wheels were starting to spin and upon graduating, the once improbable, became possible. The following year, in spring of 2003, I set out to through-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

A little over five months later, I neared the end of my AT through-hike. Throughout the journey, I met an eclectic group of people from all walks of life. Their unconventional outlooks inspired me to consider a road less traveled. I decided to pursue another dream of living abroad and learning another language. Just days before I finished the hike, I found myself at a hiker-hostel reading an article in Backpacker Magazine. The article was about the biodiversity in Costa Rica and some of the eco-friendly hiking trails the country had to offer. I remember thinking to myself, "Costa Rica would be a cool place to live." I worked a couple of seasonal jobs to save money, and one year later, in the fall of 2004, I booked a plane ticket and traveled to Costa Rica on a whim. It was a true leap of faith.

After moving to Costa Rica, several other synchronistic events occurred. I became a long-term volunteer with Habitat for Humanity International. Thus, I came into contact with many incoming volunteers. The first volunteer who I met was a former English teacher in Japan. He spoke highly of life in Japan and the money that could be made teaching English. A different volunteer, who came as an intern to complete a study on the effects of housing, also had international teaching experience. Several years back she was a WorldTeach volunteer in Ecuador. I met yet another teacher when I traveled north to Nicaragua for a week in order to renew my tourist visa. I found myself in a small beach town called San Juan del Sur where I met an American girl out on the beach. She was a volunteer teacher at an orphanage called Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos. Still, my chance meetings with international teachers continued. Before leaving Costa Rica, I went hiking with my father in one of Costa Rica's most pristine national parks, Corcovado. The ranger station where we stayed was practically deserted because it was the start of the rainy season. However, there was a Canadian couple who stayed the night. They were vacationing in Costa Rica after having just completed a year teaching English in Busan, South Korea. They had a lot of wonderful things to say about Korea and planned to return for another year of teaching. Suffice to say, as my time in Costa Rica drew to a close, I had decided on my next professional adventure - teaching English abroad.

My financial situation dictated that I look for teaching positions that paid well. Thus, I focused primarily on East Asia. Per the strong recommendation of the Canadian couple I had met hiking in Corcovado, I focused my search on teaching positions in South Korea. It wasn't long before I found a position in the city of Daegu. In 2006, I moved across the Pacific and taught English in Korea for three years. Eventually, my wanderlust prevailed and I decided to move on. After such a positive experience volunteering in Costa Rica, I wanted to explore international teaching opportunities as a volunteer. When I began my search, I contacted the volunteer whom I'd met in Costa Rica to get more information about the WorldTeach organization.

WorldTeach is a non-profit organization that places teachers in educational capacities in developing countries. A month after leaving South Korea, I applied and accepted a teaching placement with WorldTeach in 2010. This opportunity led me to the country of Namibia in Southern Africa. My commitment in Namibia was for only one year. It wasn't before long before I started thinking about my next possible teaching job. But I already had one place in mind - Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos.

Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) is an organization that cares for orphaned and abandoned children. Currently, NPH operates 9 homes throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Since the end of 2004, I had followed the NPH website and would periodically check the site for potential volunteer opportunities. A few months after I returned from Namibia, in early 2011, I came across a job posting for an English teacher at the NPH home in the Dominican Republic. It had been over six years since meeting that girl in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua who first told me about the orphanage. To this day, I'm convinced that if I had never met her, I would not have moved to the Dominican Republic to teach English at NPH's school.


Sunday, July 1, 2012

Things to Consider to Find the Right Park City Resorts for Your Event



Park City is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Utah. This means tourists will flock to the area throughout the year, particularly in the winter when skiing is in season. However, this isn't the only reason people come to stay in the Park City resorts. These resorts often offer banquet halls and meeting facilities for weddings, business meetings and more. Knowing what resorts offer for these events can help you choose the right one.

Space

One of the first things you need to consider for your event is how many people will be invited. Whether you are having a small or large wedding or other event, you need to find a resort that offers the space you need. In some cases, you may be stuck with a large room, no matter how many people attend. However, other resorts can customize your space so you only use the amount you need for your event.

Catering

Many events, especially weddings, offer food to those who will be attending. In some Park City resorts, you will have to find an external caterer to bring in the food for your event. However, you can make your entire vent go more smoothly by finding a resort that offers onsite catering so you don't need to worry if the food will get there on time or whether it will still be warm. You will have a delicious meal or appetizer spread when you are ready for it.

Lodging

When people travel to Park City to attend your event, you need to make sure you have the lodging space for them. However, you can't simply think about having the right number of rooms for everyone who is attending; you also need to make sure the rooms are affordable for everyone. Choosing to have your reception or business meeting in a resort, you can be sure there will be a wide variety of rooms from which to choose.

As you consider all the Park City resorts that have banquet halls and meeting rooms available for your event, be sure you think about all aspects of the room and your event. You need to find a place that will offer the space you need to accommodate your guest list. It is also beneficial to find a resort that will provide the catering on the spot instead of relying on an outside company. Finally, if people are coming from out of town, you want to be sure they have the right lodging available for all your guests who need it.