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Book now for the Ultimate Pampanga Giant Lantern
Festival Tour!

post from Ivan About Town on 05 December 2009 09:06:00 PM. © Ivan About Town

Mark your calendars! The Giant Lantern Festival will be on December 19, 2009! And Ultimate Philippines will be organizing a culinary tour to coincide with the Giant Lantern Festival. We'll be at Everybody's Cafe for breakfast, Claude Tayag's Bale Dutung for lunch and merienda, and attend the world-renowned Giant Lantern Festival in the evening.Book now because slots are limited! To reserve, e-mail reservations@ultimatephilippines.com or contact Ivan[...]

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http://www.ivanhenares.com/2009/12/book-now-for-ultimate-pampanga-giant.html

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If Tiger Woods Had Been Busted in Peru

post from Streets of Lima on 05 December 2009 08:11:00 PM. © Streets of Lima

[...]

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http://streetsofperu.blogspot.com/2009/12/if-tiger-woods-had-been-busted-in-peru.
html

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Japanese space beer

post from Japan Probe on 05 December 2009 05:32:31 PM. © Japan Probe

Sapporo’s space beer is finally ready for consumption:The brewer will receive orders for the Sapporo Space Barley beer via the Internet until Dec. 24, making 250 six-packs, holding 330-ml bottles, available at a price of ¥10,000 each, Sapporo said Thursday, adding the product will be delivered to customers in late January. Proceeds will be used [...]

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House built on the edge of a cliff

post from Japan Probe on 05 December 2009 05:28:33 PM. © Japan Probe

A “Nanikore” worthy house in Hiroshima prefecture that has been built on the edge of a cliff:There isn’t a lot of flat land in the port of Kure, so the Fukudas decided to buy the hillside land and use metal girders to support a house where one normally would not be built. They’ve had [...]

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Mochi Commercial

post from Japan Probe on 05 December 2009 05:09:25 PM. © Japan Probe

2010 is coming soon, which means that it’s about the time of the year that Japanese people buy their new year’s mochi. Here’s one commercial that’s been airing on TV a lot recently:—Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

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Thai Kings Birthday Celebration

post from Thailand Travel Blog on 05 December 2009 04:26:00 PM. © Thailand Travel Blog

Last night Thailand Celebrated their Kings 82^nd Birthday and it was a gala event as promised. Many streets in center city Bangkok were closed to vehicular traffic to allow many thousands of Thai people to walk freely from the Grand Palace area to the Dusit area and Bangkok was a sea of pink. Strange color I know, but pink is their King's color, based on the day of the week he was born and last night pink was everywhere, worn but Thai people everywhere. I was able to visit from the Golden Mountain area to the Democracy Monument then back down to the Dusit Museum (once the parliament building years ago) along Ratchadamnoen Road. The events began with a candle light ceremony where the Thai People professed their undying loyalty to their King.

This lead to an extravagant firework display from several areas along Ratchadamnoen Road.

Following the firework display was a parade of light, again along Ratchadamnoen Road, where floats decorated with a dazzling display of lights and carrying Thai Celebrities, were seemingly magically transported along the road. The floats were of many sizes and shapes and the most impressive to me was a huge float decorated in orange lights in the shape of a dragon. Quite amazing..

At the Dusit Museum there was another show of light and sound, telling the story of their King's Reign, showing inspirational tails of how their King has improved the quality of life for the Thai People.

For more photos of the Gala Event you can go to my Flickr Photo Set Page by clicking here...

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http://blog.apllc-connect.com/2009/12/thai-kings-birthday-celebration.html

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Long Live the King & Happy Fathers Day

post from Thailand Land of Smiles on 05 December 2009 10:53:00 AM. © Thailand Land of Smiles

A very happy 82cnd birthday to the king of Thailand today. The King’s birthday is also fathers day in Thailand so a happy fathers day to everyone in Thailand as well. Let’s hope the King continues to recover from his recent illness and that[...]

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Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice in Lima, Peru

post from A Traveling American Photographer Living Abroad on 05 December 2009 09:47:00 AM. © A Traveling American Photographer Living Abroad

One the best things about living in Lima is the fact that there are thousands of street vendors lining the streets, each one selling something different from succulent anticuchos (cow hearts) to alfajores (peruvian pastry) and empanadas. These vendors can usually be found at just about all hours of the day and usually have an identifiable cart or stand. Quite possibly one of the most popular and numerous of street vendor items is none other than orange juice and BOY is it GOOD!

As you can see from the picture above an orange juice stand consists of two special devices that help to make the juice making process easier. The first device is located on the end of the cart and resembles a vice with the exception of a small blade and a crank handle that is used to quickly and efficiently peel the oranges. Next, the peeled oranges are cut into halves and placed inside an old fashion juicer, this device like your grandfathers push mower requires good ole fashion brute strength to operate. The juice is produced rather quickly as the perveyours have several years experience in their field.

The quality of the fresh squeezed orange juice is uncomparable to anything I have ever drank in the States, here the oranges come in a wide variety with some of the sweetest types that you wont find in your local grocery store. Once you have tried GOOD fresh squeezed orange juice like what can be found in Peru, you will be able to tell the difference when you try drinking pasturized orange juice. What makes fresh squeezed orange juice so popular in Lima is not just it's availablity throughout the city, its also its price. Often times S/.1.00 is all you need to purchase two tall glasses of OJ, probably one its main reasons for success after flavor of course.

Why is the orange juice so good here in Peru? It's because of Peru's geography really, Peru is regarded as one of the only topographically diverse countries in South America. What does that mean? That mean's that the geography of the country is widely diverse from coastal deserts to high mountainous plains all the way to dense rainforests. It is because of this that Peru is also known for being a resource rich country (not just minerals and oil either), a reality that has helped the country through it's rough economic situation.

So the next time your in Lima, Peru I recommend you hunt down an orange juice stand (its not hard to do, really) and give it a try, I guarantee you'll love it.

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juice-in-lima.html

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Gild Hall, Financial District, Manhattan, New
York City, NY ***

What do you do if you build a hotel and Jim Walrod wants leatherheadboards? My guess is that you[...]

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http://www.guidebook.se/?p=688

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Vientiane Motorbike and Bicycle Rental in Laos

Motorcycle and Bicycle Rental in Vientiane Laos

Vientiane - Scooter (Vespa) for rent

Motorcycle and bicycle rentals are easily found in Vientiane town. There are numerous companies offering bike rentals and most of them can be found in the popular area near the Mekong River. I would easily recommend renting a bike as it made my explorations around Vientiane hassle free and saving money on the tuk tuks especially that in December, it is the Laos SEA Games in Vientiane.

The writer and his rented motorbike in Vientiane

Renting a bike was suggested to me by another traveler whom I met in the guesthouse. I had been moving around with the local tuk tuks in Vientiane which every trip costing me US$2-$3 so I ended up getting my Suzuki Smash 125cc motorbike for US$7 rental a day from one of the local shops around Quai Fa Ngum Road. These are automatic bikes without a clutch.

Here's the catch - When you rent a bike, they will ask you to leave your passport with them during your rental period. If you think it is unsafe, you have an option of leaving a US$300 deposit with them. I was skeptical at first but when the owner went in and took out a bag of about 20 passports, I reluctantly gave him mine as I did not carry any USD with me. Overall, it is safe from my experience.

Vientiane Hello Kitty bicycles for rent

Another thing that you must be very careful about is that you should always carry your bike rental papers with you at all times. This is because the Lao police do make random checks and if you get caught without the papers, it could lead to trouble. You should also always wear your helmet when riding. Gas prices are pretty cheap in Vientiane so moving around is not a problem. I even rode over 4 hours on my rented bike out of Vientiane to the Buddha Park and also to the most popular tourist site, The Golden Stupa or That Lung Stupa.

Vientiane Jumbo, a larger version of a tuk tuk

Tuk Tuk / Jumbo ride around Vientiane Town video

video details and more

Alternatively, everyone takes the local Tuk Tuk or Jumbo when in Vientiane town. They are similar to the Thailand Tuk Tuk and are found just about anywhere in town. Prices are reasonable and cost around US$1 to $3 per trip. They are also quite safe as I used them for my first two day in Vientiane until another traveler advised me to rent a bike instead.

Video of Jumbo (tuk Tuk) ride around Vientiane, Laos

video details and more

Vientiane is easy to navigate as the town area is pretty small where most of the hotels and guesthouses are located around Quai Fa Ngum Road. Most of the time, you would be renting the bike to travel to various sites in and out of Vientiane like visiting temples and so on.

Motorbike, Bicycle and Car Rentals in Vientiane;

Requirements for renting a motorbike in Vientiane;

Generally, you need to know how to ride a bike
No driving license needed, just passport
Alternative is to give a US$200-$300 deposit if you do not want to leave your passport
Bike rentals cost from US$7 - $35 depending on the size of the bike
Bicycles cost about KIP10,000 (US$2) a day

Map of Vientiane Town Area

View Vientiane Motor Bike Rentals in a larger map
My other Vientiane Postings;

~ David Jr

Read The Full Article:
http://blog.malaysia-asia.my/2009/12/vientiane-motorbike-and-bicycle-rental.html

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