SANTO DOMINGO

Once under the overseas territory of Portugal, Macau is now one of the two Special Administrative Regions under the territory of the People's Republic of China; the first being Hong Kong. When it was included in the Chinese territory, Macau became another tourist spot of this beautiful and vast country. Macau is divided into three sections, namely The Macau Peninsula; Taipa and Coloane. You can enter from China through the Macau Peninsula. Though this peninsula is the main hotbed of tourist activity; other areas are however no less significant. With the Taipa Island linked to the peninsula via three bridges, people easily get around this region as a whole. The Taipa Island is home to the only airport in Macau. Low cost airliners such as Air Asia, Tiger Airways, Air Macau, Shanghai Air and Viva Macau regularly carry tourists from major Asian cities like Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Jakarta. No surprisingly Macau is home to a lot of hotels. Located on ...

Thanks to the free port status of Macau, the isle becomes a shoppers' paradise. There several shopping arcades in Macau with shops full of gold jewelry, branded label clothes, Chinese antiques, porcelain and pottery as well as wine, cameras, watches, knit-wear together with a host of electric gadgetry all at free duty prices. Where to shop in Macau? The isles of Macau,Taipa and Coloane have many fantastic places for shopping. One of the most fashionable is the new municipal market around Senado Square. The walkway at Avenida Almeida Ribeiro is another most popular Macau shopping streets with everything from high-end luxury boutiques to traditional Chinese crafts. The boulevard between Rua Nossa Senhora do Amparo to Rua da Tercena houses the original artisan creations of Macau. The Red Market, situated on the conjoint of Avenida Almirante Lacerda and Avenida Hora e Costa is another arena to shop in Macau. Erected in Art Deco style, i...

Love is in the air Love conquers all, even a bad economy. While you're scrimping and saving to afford a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon or special vacation, use the downtime to scope out 10 of the planet's most romantic destinations -- so when you're good to go, you'll know where to go to make memories that last a lifetime! San Francisco & Wine Country, california Lovers easily can lose their hearts in San Francisco . The trolley's clang-clang-clang is music to their ears, as they hold hands in a cable car crawling up, down and over the hills of San Francisco. A walk or drive down Lombard Street, "The World's Crookedest Street," is an experience to remember. Shops in busy Chinatown lure passersby with fresh fish, produce and imported specialties. An ice cream at Ghirardelli’s is a must, as is a walk through touristy Fisherman’s Wharf. With more than 1000 acres of rose gardens, parkland and lakes, plus more than 1 million trees...

Love is in the air Love conquers all, even a bad economy. While you're scrimping and saving to afford a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon or special vacation, use the downtime to scope out 10 of the planet's most romantic destinations -- so when you're good to go, you'll know where to go to make memories that last a lifetime! Venice, Italy Gondolas of snuggled lovers quietly slip through inky black canals at sunset. City lights dance on the water and set romance aglow as the evening darkness draws in. In Venice , all is quieter in the evening, when the day tourists are gone and lovers are left behind to stroll through narrow city streets and across small bridges. Dinners along the Grand Canal are splendid, especially at the Naranzaria in the heart of the Rialto, where the specialty of the house is raw food. If money is no object, lovers can sleep like royalty in the Gritti Palace , an actual doge’s palace built in 1525. By day, the Bridge of Sighs whi...

Love is in the air Love conquers all, even a bad economy. While you're scrimping and saving to afford a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon or special vacation, use the downtime to scope out 10 of the planet's most romantic destinations -- so when you're good to go, you'll know where to go to make memories that last a lifetime! New York City Central Park, a beautiful 843-acre refuge nestled in the center of New York City , invites lovers to stroll hand in hand along meandering paths. Skyscrapers rim the park, reflecting their grandeur in the lakes below. Nearby department store windows tease shoppers with their creative displays, while Tiffany's sparkle entices lovers inside. Rockefeller Center is always a treat with its rotating seasonal displays and historic Radio City Music Hall only steps away. Sweethearts kiss on the observation deck of the Empire State Building as the entire city stretches out below. The cobblestone streets of Greenwich Villag...

Alternative vacation Tough economic times call for cutting back on luxuries. But it doesn't mean you have to completely forfeit your summer vacation. Many lighthouses offer free housing in exchange for volunteering, allowing you to enjoy the aqua waters without drowning in debt. Volunteering while on vacation "It was one of the highlights of my life," said Karren Jeske, who volunteered twice at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on Lake Superior, WI for the United States National Park Service. Jeske trained for about a week on the mainland and helped out at the lighthouse from May to October. The work schedule consisted of 10 days on and four days off with tasks including greeting visitors, painting picnic tables, keeping the house clean, and providing on-site vandalism protection. The lighthouse was primitive, located on a remote island without running water or electricity. Jeske would take solar showers, which involved heating up a ...

Santo Domingo, the capital of the dominican republic and a UNESCO world heritage site, is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas and one of the most populous cities in the Caribbean. The city is a mix of old world charm and modern Latin flair. Its medieval palaces and fortresses mix with nightlife and shopping to rival any modern city in the world. You'll find pristine beaches and hidden gems like a salsa/merengue club set inside a huge underground cave.

Most visitors to SANTO DOMINGO understandably make a beeline for the Zona Colonial , Santo Domingo's large, substantially intact colonial district, home to dozens of wonderful old buildings and a dramatic setting right on the river. Many never bother to venture outside of this expansive, historic neighbourhood, but while it rates the most attention you should also make the effort to check out at least a few other diversions – especially around the barrios of the Gazcue and Malecón – throughout the city.

Vacations enhance the bond between family members and provide an opportunity for fun, relaxation and new experiences. Prepare your family and save your sanity with organization and planning for the best vacation possible. The plan Figure out what your family is looking for in a vacation and plan out your budget. With the higher cost of gas and airline tickets, transportation can easily be your biggest budget-buster. When packing your carry-on and hand luggage (a backpack works best because it frees up your hands), the general rule is to be prepared for delays and messes. Once your luggage is checked or placed in the trunk, your carry-on transforms into a veritable magician’s hat! Some things to have on when traveling by plane, train or automobile are: A change of clothes for your child. It's cold in airplanes, so pack a sweater or jacket, too. Any medicine your child is taking. If it's trapped in the suitcase, flight delays and locations in the trunk...

Yokohama took over Osaka not so long ago as Japan's second largest city. Yokohama has become an extension the urban sprawl of Tokyo, although it does retain a unique character. Yokohama was established as a treaty port in 1858. It was here that a special foreign enclave was created for the merchants, missionaries and other adventurers to live in and conduct their business. However, with the collapse of the Shogun government the area opened up and became one the major trading areas in Japan. In 1872 the first railway was built in Japan linking Tokyo and Yokohama. The Great Kanto earthquake in 1923 virtually flattened the city. After slowly building up after the earthquake, the city was again destroyed by US bombers in the Second World War.

When you're planning your visit to Tokyo, we are all you will need! This is a one stop shop where you can: read up on Tokyo, see the sights, book your flight , find bars and restaurants, book your Tokyo hotel or hostel , buy your Tokyo guide books , find free and cheap things to see and do, learn some Japanese and even check the weather ! Before you come to Tokyo, you'll need as much information as possible, to make your stay an enjoyable one. Whether you're a tourist or are coming to Tokyo on business or for Aichi World Expo, we hope that you'll find this site invaluable and that it will help you to get the most out of one of the most exciting cities in the world. Read about great Tokyo places to visit and find out how to get into the city center from the airports. See our Tokyo tips page for information on staying and living in living in Tokyo. If you are new to Tokyo you may want to try and make some new friends . Tokyo Classifieds A classif...

Today saw the Tour de France zip through a village close to us. We loaded up the car with our folding chairs and motored up to Saint Jean de Barrou. We found a good spot and set up the chairs and got settled in for a long wait. The publicity caravan of vehicles arrived on the dot at 1.30pm and various goodies where thrown to the waiting crowd. The cyclists were a bit behind schedule and arrived at about 3.30pm. 60 seconds later it was all over. I think the credit crunch must have affected the Tour de France this year because there seemed to be a lot less promotion vehicles and the ones that were there seemed to be giving out a lot less freebies than they did last year when the Tour de France passed through our village. The Photos ~ Publicity Caravan The Photos ` The Riders

Paul Cézanne )19 January 1839 – 22 October 1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th century Impressionism and the early 20th century’s new line of artistic enquiry, Cubism. The line attributed to both Matisse and Picasso that Cézanne “is the father of us all” cannot be easily dismissed. Cézanne’s work demonstrates a mastery of design, colour, composition and draftsmanship. His often repetitive, sensitive and exploratory brushstrokes are highly characteristic and clearly recognizable. He used planes of colour and small brushstrokes that build up to form complex fields, at once both a direct expression of the sensations of the observing eye and an abstraction from observed nature. The paintings convey Cézanne’s intense study of his subjects, a se...