Joomla! site syndication http://www.holidays-4u3.co.uk Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:40:16 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.holidays-4u3.co.uk/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.holidays-4u3.co.uk Joomla! site syndication http://www.holidays-4u3.co.uk/content/view/6/2/ Best Asian street eatsGot to eat ... buy from a street or market stall. Look for fresh produce but if the locals don't eat there, nor should you / Aun Koh, Lonely Planet ImagesCurry up ... you can't walk down a Bangkok street without falling over someone selling a delicious dish / Juliet Coombe, Lonely Planet ImagesScoot through ... mobile food stalls appear in the evening on the streets of Phuket - but feel free to try your own ride-through / Paul Beinssen, Lonely Planet ImagesGot crunch ... go on, try the local delicacy such as the Cambodian town of Skuon's favoured freshly fried tarantula, which are cooked in garlic or chilli / FileASIA'S best eats are found on the street. Night markets and day stalls across Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia offer something special for those who dare to dine.1. Pulau PenangBEFORE the sun goes down over Penang, a select few streets are filled with stalls and charcoal cookers. Smoke and flames catch the eye and fill the air with tasty scents. The keen competition between vendors pits flame-grilled skewers against the flash and dazzle of wok-tossed noodles. For a really special treat try the lok lok stalls, where dim sum meets fondue. Skewered morsels of meat, seafood and vegetables await dipping into steaming hot soup and sauces. The newest street in Penang to convert to night market dining is called New Lane - be sure to try the Hong Kong duck.Food Explore: www.tourismpenang.gov.myExplore Travel * more Food Wine * more Travel2. Bangkok BonanzaYOU can barely walk down a street in Bangkok without falling over someone selling delicious fried fish cakes, charcoal-grilled chicken or spicy papaya salad. The key theme to eating on the run in Bangkok is freshness. Thai flavours pour on to footpaths crammed with stools and tables as customers indulge in the world's best seafood, fried rice and green chicken curry. But why eat off the street when you can eat on the water? Bangkok's tradition of floating markets can still be experienced. In among the chaos of fresh produce and tin pots you will always find a few boats doing more cooking than paddling.Food Explore: www.bangkok-city.com3. Heavenly HanoiWOMEN carrying pineapples in rattan baskets and mangoes on bicycles are just the beginning in Hanoi. In the old quarter, the local tastes are reflected in street dining. Vietnamese food is light and fresh, yet generous in flavour. Some flavour sensations not found anywhere else in the world include freshly steamed river crabs served with fresh limes and chillies, roll-your-own spring rolls with catfish and herbs and - my personal favourite - bun cha , seasoned fillets of flame-grilled meat dropped into fish sauce then poured over soft rice noodles. Freshly squeezed lemon juice with soda water on ice is a cleansing and refreshing drink while you eat.Food Explore: www.hanoitourist-travel.com4. Kuala LaksaTHE hawkers' markets in Kuala Lumpur offer innovative Malay cuisine blended with influences of the Hokkien and Hakka people of China. Expect to find exotically balanced dishes such as char koay teow (quick fried flat rice noodles), nasi lemak (coconut rice topped with savoury treats and sambals), hokkien char mee (fried egg noodles with pork, squid and fish cake) and the always satisfying curry laksa (coconut-based soup with tofu, shrimp and thin noodles). Hawker markets are popular for breakfast and lunch, but often close before dinner in expectation that most locals will head home for a family meal.Food Explore: www.tourism.gov.my5. Skuon SpidersAS A general rule I try not to eat anything that has more limbs than I do. About 70km north of Phnom Penh is Skuon, a town famous for its produce market and freshly fried spiders. The locals harvest a particular species of ground-dwelling tarantula and cook them with garlic or chilli. If you have spent much of your life being careful of things that bite, then popping a spider in your mouth may not come easily. Food Explore: www.mot.gov.kh News - Latest Wed, 07 Jul 2004 11:54:06 +0100 http://www.holidays-4u3.co.uk/content/view/11/9/ A world of wonders on Heron IslandParadise ... white sand beaches rim Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef.Stunning ... Heron Island, on the Great Barrier Reef, is actually a coral cay.Diving with turtles ... one of the few islands accessible to tourists on the Barrier Reef, Heron Island offers excellent diving in the pristine watersJetison your cares ... you can arrive at Heron Island via boat. The crossing takes the two-and-a-half-hours from Gladstone.No day trippers ... one accomodation option is the Heron Island Resort.IT was a chilly 13 degrees the afternoon we arrived at Gladstone airport en route to Heron Island. This was not the start I had anticipated to our island vacation, but then the reality of travel is often different from what we anticipate.In part, I blame the glossy travel brochures where even images of Antarctica, never mind Great Barrier Reef islands, seem to be drenched in sunlight with a bright blue sky.This four-night Heron Island escape, however, starts without much sun. We have chosen to travel in late June on an internet package offering a special rate.Enlarge Travelling around Queensland?Next day, on the two-and-a-half-hour sea crossing from Gladstone to Heron Island, I am not sure if it is the swell or the rush of seasick stories my travel companion has stored like souvenirs from his worldly adventures that causes me to leave the outside deck and assume the prone position across a few seats. I am not alone.Heron Island is a coral cay, one of the few islands accessible to tourists that is actually on the Great Barrier Reef. You can walk around it in less than an hour.Like most tourists, we stay at the Heron Island Resort. No day-trippers allowed here! The Heron Island Research Station is nearby but it accommodates only a very limited number of student groups and researchers. FAQs - Examples Wed, 12 May 2004 11:54:06 +0100 http://www.holidays-4u3.co.uk/content/view/2/9/ Best Christmas breaksXmas cheer ... visiting Europe's Christmas markets are a great way to soak at the festive spirit / APNew York, New York ... the Big Apple offers the quintessential Christmas experience / APJoyeuse fêtes! ... Paris' famous Champs Elysées twinkles during the festive season / ReutersFurther afield ... St Basil's Cathedral in Moscow's Red Square. Orthodox Russia celebrates Christmas January 7, two weeks later than Western Christianity / ReutersVisual feast ... Germany is especially renowned for its outdoor Christmas markets / ReutersOK, so the weather outside can be frightful – I'll give you that much. But, really, winter in the northern hemisphere can be quite delightful.Suddenly, you're inhabiting those Christmas carols of your childhood, right down to sleigh bells in the snow and chestnuts roasting on open fires. And if you're dreaming of a white Christmas, snow decorates rooftops and muffles streets in a dream-like hush.Anyone brave enough to endure the cold is in for a treat. Kids build snowmen in city parks and Santas ho-ho-ho in hotel lobbies. Across America and Europe, cities come wrapped in ribbons and tinsel like giant holiday presents.Add plenty of cosy cafes and restaurants, fascinating and well-heated museums, and a thousand shops decked in Christmas finery, and you may find the northern hemisphere a very engaging place to spend a white Christmas.Explore TravelHere are some of my favourite places and things to do during the northern winter:Bright lights of New YorkNew York in winter is cold: there are miniature ice floes on the Hudson River and snow drifts in Central Park. Still, the city has some of the best Christmas decorations anywhere – a superb display of lights giving the city a truly magical atmosphere.Perhaps the most beautiful are those strung up on the Christmas trees lining Park Avenue. Fifth Avenue also puts on a fine show, capping it with a huge illuminated snowflake above the intersection of West 57th Street.Even Bronx Zoo breaks out in illuminated animal sculptures and 12km of tree lighting.A giant Christmas tree with 30,000 lights stands at the heart of the Rockefeller Center. It's the lighting of this tree that kicks off the festive season in the Big Apple.You can skate on the famous sunken ice rink right in the heart of the Rockefeller Center, overlooked by the golden statue of Prometheus. Lights twinkle and angels blow trumpets: the quintessential Christmas experience.Shopping in central EuropeIf you're tired of shopping malls and want a more traditional Christmas shopping experience, the winter markets of eastern Europe have changed little since medieval times.Some last only a few days, others run the entire month of December, but you'll find them just about everywhere.In Prague, puppets, candles and traditional Czech tree ornaments are the best buys, while mulled wine nicely warms your insides. In Budapest, Christmas cake and spicy sausages keep you going as carol singers and folk dancers entertain.Germany is especially renowned for its Christmas markets. The largest are in Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich, Dresden and Frankfurt, attracting millions of visitors.Perhaps the most beautiful is the Stuttgart market, which opens with a concert in the courtyard of its medieval castle. It features Advent singers and a wonderful open-air skating rink.There are 200 stands. The antiques section of the fair is a great place to browse for old-fashioned Christmas decorations, such as hand-blown glass ornaments and nativity figures. Newsflashes - Newsflash Mon, 09 Aug 2004 08:30:34 +0100