Melbourne is also known as Australia’s sporting and cultural capital.

Savvy shoppers make a bee line for Queen Victoria market.

To get your bearings of this great city head for the 55th floor of the Rialto building where you will find the Melbourne observation deck.

A must see while you are in the city is Cooks cottage, complete with a pretty cottage garden and relics of Captain James Cook.

The cottage was actually built in England in 1755 but transported to Melbourne in the 1930’s.

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Chelsea Flower Show

I recall visiting the Chelsea Flower Show many years ago and can really recommend for a great day out for everyone

The Chelsea Flower Show is an annual event organised by the Royal Horticultural Society and since its inception in 1913, has been recognised as the foremost show of its kind in the world. An immensely popular event, the show draws crowds of thousands every year with its colourful and beautifully sculptured displays. Experts from the Royal Horticultural Society are on hand, ready to impart gardening advice to the show’s many visitors. Tickets can be bought via the website and visitors are advised to book early to avoid disappointment.
Venue: Show grounds at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea; Date: 19-23 May 2009; Website: www.rhs.org.uk

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International fashion buyers and writers descend on Auckland during October each year to celebrate in grand style the unique indigenous-inspired collections of New Zealand’s talented designers.

About 50 designers show their collections at this major event. Some shows are open to the general public, but on the final day of the week everyone can join in the fashion extravaganza when Aotea Square becomes a hive of fashion, music, markets, and interactive and educational activity for all.

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Anne Arthur | annearthur08@yahoo.com

My stepson Timothy Ryan Arthur went to Australia in April of 2008.He hasn’t been heard from since July of 2008.He is 21,he has brown hair,blue eyes,he’s 135-145 lbs.,he’s about 5″10-5″11.I know this is probably weird. But,we have contacted everyone else that we can who might help.Like jails,police,hospitals,newspapers,missing persons websites.
If you have any information,please contact me or the Missing You Foundation.”Thank You”,Anne Arthur

After travelling around Turkey for 2 months my intention was to head to the Greek Island of Kos. But after a somewhat slow bus journey through the rugged mountain passes in south west Turkey I found myself in the delightful seaside town of Bodrum.  However once reaching Bodrum I decided to stay a few days longer basically to relax. The Hotel I stayed at was  great, cheap and had a pool. Bodrum is a touristy area but not over the top, and because it is on the coast its a nice place to chill for a few days.

Bodrum is a very nice place indeed it is built on two adjoining harbours that are divided by a large castle. Modern day Bodrum is a marina town that has actually planned its development to keep a wonderful European atmosphere. The coast line of the eastern harbour is particularly pleasant place to stroll along where you can sit back and relax at any of the many beachside cafes whilst watching the sun set. In the old town behind the bazaar  area there are narrow  streets where you can go to escape the growing crowds. Situated in the western harbour is the port, where you can admire the seriously expensive yachts that fills the marina. 

Many Hellenistic influences can still be found in Bodrum due to its closeness to Grecian trading and social centres such as Rhodes and Athens. I ve never really known much about Hellenism nothing about the promotion of principles and ideals of classical Greek civilisation which includes aesthetics, philosophy, science, law and democracy outside ancient Greece. Bodrum was a major port in ancient Greco-Roman times and was known as Harlicarnassus , and because of its beautiful Mediterranean environment it is easy to see why Hellenism was practised here.

The main feature of Bodrum is the castle and according to an information board situated in Bodrum it is the ’strongest castle on the Mediterranean’. It was built by the Knights of St John but in the name of St Peter why I have no idea !! The work started in 1406 and wasn’t actually finished until 1522 and was just in time to be peacefully handed over to the Turks one year later when Rhodes finally fell to Islam.  You have to pass through seven fortified gates to reach the inner sanctum that was built to support up to 50 knights and more than 150 soldiers.  249 coats of arms cover the walls, mainly belonging to the Grand Master of the St John order and to various castle commanders. Five internal towers were built by specific Crusader nations England, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. The English Tower was built under Henry IV and is the largest English monument built outside England according to another plaque however I find this quite hard to believe.. The castle has also been used as a prison and in more recent history it was used as a target for French naval bombing in WWI on May 26th 1915 as the Allies suspected Turkey was helping to refuel German subs in Bodrum.

Once you get inside the castle you will be fascinated as a number of rooms and courtyards house the fantastic Museum of Marine Archaeology. Here you will find recoveries from some of the oldest wrecks ever excavated and that are displayed here you can also see pottery and glassware that was found from the Minoan trading period 1,600 to 1,200 BC and hundreds of amphorae, which include some dating back to 3,000BC.

One wreck which is known as the ‘Uluburan’ which sunk around 1,400BC contained about 20 tonnes of raw materials, including seals from Assyria and Babylonia, Jewellery and weapons, Cypriot ceramics and copper pieces, African ebony, Eastern spices, Baltic Amber and swords from Italy and Greece. This exhibit shows the extent of international trade in ancient history. The wreck was found in 1982 in waters of 44 to 61 metres deep. The divers could only do dives of  20-25 minutes at this depth and it took more than 22,000 dives over an 11 year period to complete the excavation!

Bodrum Castle is a great castle, with plenty of detail on every wall to compliment the museum and the significant aspects of its construction. Parts of the older carved stones have been built straight into newer walls and the many coats of arms are evidence of creativity on the part of the allied Renaissance period and European builders.

Even the smaller details like the wall lanterns and the Hellenic statues and carvings placed over the vast public grounds make every turn an adventure.

Bodrum is just a short ride from the town of Gumbet which is a tourists paradise with much livelier nightlife than Bodrum. During the day you can soak up some sun which is exactly what I did on its long beach where the waters are perfect for floating around on a lilo… I got talking to a group of British girls who go there pretty much every year and they invited me out.. So after heading back to Bodrum getting changed I met them in Planet Yucca one of the main restaurants in Gumbet and geared up for tourists you wont find much locally cooked food but I did have a huge bowl of pasta for a really good price.. After dinner we headed for Bar Street which consists of a number of bars all blasting out music and trying to convince you to enter… The two main bars on the strip are X Bar and Shakers both are cheesy but were good fun and both open until the early hours of the morning… Luckily for me the mini buses run 24 hours so I managed to get myself back to the hotel even though I was a little worst for wear..

The next day waking up feeling not to healthy I decided to visit a Hamam also known as a Turkish Bath. The older more traditional Hamams are mainly for male clients, and females are only allowed in during limited hours. Luckily there are Unisex ones although they are more touristy than traditional but this was fine for me. So I booked my Hamam with the hotel and I was picked up in a minibus. Once I had arrived and the guy behind the counter shows me to the lockers and tells me to leave on my bikini and put on the plastic slippers provided.

I was then lead into a large steam room. The steam room was really pretty and totally made of marble, with a domed roof, and a raised circular marble slab in the middle of the floor. I was then told to lie down, and the man then poured a few buckets of water over me, luckily it was warm water. He then said in a gruff voice ‘’someone will come in to scrub you in ten minutes ”’…. By this time I was starting to feel just a little uneasy !! This was due to the fact that I was the only one in there and I am sweating and steaming away in the humid and slightly smelly surroundings. Ten minutes then turns into twenty and all of a sudden in strides a local man, short ( like most Turkish men ) and stocky, wearing only a towel around his waist and carrying what looks like a huge brillo pad on his hand. For one slight second I had flashes  of ‘Midnight Express’, and every other foreign prison film I have ever watched in my life. Here I was alone in a bikini with a foreign bloke in a bathing area, with him wearing nothing other than a loin cloth and a glove what the hell was I thinking.

The glove man then told me to sit up while he poured a few buckets of water over me. With his hand inside the white brillo glove, he then grabbed my arm and started running this harsh scrubbing glove all over it. He then proceeded with the other arm. Then to my surprise my chest and back. Next he grabbed a leg and so on. This part of the Hamam is apparently to rid me of dead skin layers. Next he pours more water over me, and then tells me to lie down on my stomach… He then switches the glove for a large towel looking thing that somehow contains a huge amount of soapy foam. He then squashes the towel together so that I am covered in soapy suds while he rubs the towel on my back and shoulders legs and arms and he even manages a small massage !!!   Quickly enough he is covering me with more water. Then I here the magical words ‘Finished’ thank god is what I reply !!!

Outside of the steam room I am pointed to a ’sofa for me to chill out on. I am then asked if I want a massage or other treatments what other meant I am not to sure but I quickly declined the offer…I paid for the bath which cost me about £5 and was then whisked back in the mini bus to the hotel. The experience was very strange but my skin felt amazing and it did look awesome…

That evening I sat down at the western bay in a lovely pier restaurant drinking and enjoyed a nice bottle of Rose and again eating some quality pasta. This is the ideal place to sit and watch the yachts and best of all people watch….

The next day I decided to do something more adventurous and booked myself to go horse riding in the town of Turgutreis which is 20kms from Bodrum on the Peninsula. So I was booked up around lunch time and it took us about 40 minutes to reach the riding school. The journey was really pretty with some great scenery.Once we reached the riding school we were each given a horse depending on your experience. My horse was nice tempered and had I had no problems guiding him on the trek.  The views are splendid and the trek lasted just over an hour and we even got to see a camel which was all alone just grazing in a field. The trek was through the countryside and I did feel totally isolated and away from any other communities and I could imagine how Turkey used to be before all the tourists etc..

So that was just a few nice days spent in Bodrum and then it was on to visit some of the Greek Islands…

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We decided to visit the resort of Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt but with a stop over in Cario. Sharm el Sheikh is located to the south of the Sinai peninsula and is characterised by plenty of rocky mountains and desert.  .

We landed in Cairo and had a great transfer to our hotel. We actually arrived during the religious festival of Eid. So the following morning we woke up to the animal sacrifices which take place throughout the city. We watched the animals being transferred throughout the city which were mainly cows and sheep. Some animals were slaughtered in the streets and there was plenty of blood to be seen. Watching this was amazing and a good insight into another countries religions and beliefs.

After watching all of this we then made our way to the bus station and boarded our bus. The journey was actually really nice even though we had to stop every 30 or so minutes at various check points. This was quite daunting as Egyptian soldiers would come on to the bus and check everyone’s passports.  Luckily we never had any problems. The journey to Sharm el Sheikh was beautiful we drove through the desert and then had amazing views of the Red Sea. 

Once we arrived at the bus station we jumped in a taxi after some major haggling and finally reached our hotel. We checked in the hotel was pretty nice, good clean rooms and the view from the hotel was fantastic.  We had amazing views of the Red Sea, and the clear turquoise water, and the town below was picture perfect. 

We headed out and walked down the 109 steps so that we could do the walk to Na’ama Bay. Na’ama Bay has a long sandy beach and is where the first hotel was built back in the eighties. The area is extremely developed and the seafront has a beautiful paved walkway which was perfect for an evening stroll and there are plenty of shops, restaurants, bars and ‘Sheesha’ cafes where you can sit and soak up the atmosphere of this eastern touristy place.

Once refreshed we went back to town we found a  great restaurant and had some great food. I ate some  tahini, roasted eggplant , I also tries some quail and some amazing lentil soup.  After diner we took a slow walk back to the hotel and saw the nightlife of Sharm el-Sheikh which involved lots of drunk people who all looked like they were having lots of fun. Being tired we decided to call an early night and headed back to the hotel.

The following morning we went for a walk and explored the gorgeous Cliffside bar and swimming area.  This was right on the Red Sea, and was filled with sun umbrellas and lounge chairs.  We went for a swim and the water was so clear really warm. We decided to go to the dive centre located at the hotel and rented some snorkelling equipment and then went back to the swimming area.  There were loads of colourful fish and beautiful coral.  There were plenty of clown fish the same as in the film Finding Nemo. The colours under the water is just amazing bright blues, greens, yellows, pinks, oranges every colour possible.

 After a couple of hours chilling out and snorkelling we went and got changed and then made our way back to Na’ama Bay’s downtown area to have a walk around.  We strolled along the waterfront strip right passed the hotel that had been bombed in a terrorist attack in July 2005  it felt very strange being right next to it but the hotel has been completely rebuilt.  We stopped for some lunch at a waterfront restaurant in one of the restaurants that is part of the Movenpick Hotel it was very nice and I really enjoyed my pizza..

That evening we ate at Sabsaba, which is very well known for it’s seafood.  I though the sea food was amazing it tasted so fresh. We then bought some Egyptian wine which was pretty awful Egypt is not known for having the best wine but we chucked it down and then made our way to Little Buddha, which is an Egyptian bar/club. The club was lots of fun. The club was really smokey as smoking hasn’t been banned in public places yet. But there were belly dancers and people just dancing and enjoying themselves. I felt a little nervous about being in a placed that had been attacked by terrorists, but didn’t let it spoil my fun.

We also visited the old town of Sharm El Sheikh which was originally developed by the Israelis after the 1967 war had finished and not much really goes on there because the place has an oddly shaped harbour which is surrounded by high cliffs that makes getting to the water difficult. But the old market in Sharm itself is definitely worth a visit and is colourful and lively and you can find all sorts of things here.

We spent some of time at Fantasia, which was some kind of theatre with a load of restaurants all done up in Disney style, It was very cheesy, but lots of fun, and we found a couple of cheap restaurants serving pizza and Egyptian Stella beer which was actually not to bad.

There’s not a lot to say about this place apart from its great for those who want a small insight to Egypt. Its a package holiday resort geared up for tourists with plenty of good spots for diving. It was a good relaxing place to go for a holiday.

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We decided to go to Milan for a few days due to the cheap flights and it was somewhere that my partner and I wanted to go so after a two hour flight from Manchester to Malpensa Airport, we hopped on the Malpensa Express coach which took us to central Milan which took about an hour or so. Because we landed early evening by the time we found our hotel which was close to the fashion district I was to tired to go exploring so just crashed out for the night and decided to leave the exploring until the morning.

The next morning we got up bright and ate a good breakfast before setting out to catch the metro into the city centre. Milan’s metro is clean and efficient but it was difficult to navigate unless you speak Italian. There are hardly any signs in the stations and tickets are only available from shops and newsagents and there were no self service ticket machines like you see in other cities. After finally buying a ticket we had a quick journey into the centre. We stopped and exited the metro and we came out on the central square which is home to the Duomo, Milan’s impressive cathedral one of the largest churches in the world. The cathedral has 135 spires and 3,400 statues. It was commissioned in 1836, but it didn’t get finished until the early 1800s. The Duomo has spent several years under restoration and covered completely in scaffolding which was luckily removed during our visit. After a great stroll around this massive and impressive building we ventured to the nearby Galleria Vittorio which is Milan’s famous shopping area and home to many top notch designer boutiques and restaurants. The Galleria Vittorio leads directly into another square which is home to the famous La Scala opera house.

That evening we decided to get tickets for the Milan Philharmonic at the La Scala theatre which was a great performance. However we made one small mistake we bought our tickets which cost about 12 Euros rather than buy the tickets for 20 and although we could hear everything we couldn’t see the orchestra, because we were right up in the top tier. So it would have been better to have spent the extra money to see the orchestra.

The following morning we decided to take a tram tour. It was on the tram that was built in 1820 and has been renovated solely for tour rides. It starts near the palace and goes around the city for about 90 minutes. You get given headsets with a choice of different languages and the narrator explains the sights along the way. Once we had fished we had a walk through the Castello (Castle) Sforzesco and the park situated behind it. The castle was built by Francesco Sforza as his residence and fortress in 1450.

Since most of the museums are closed on Monday in Milan we decided to go as visit Bergamo which is an ancient town situated in the Italian Alps. So we headed for Central Station of Milan which is huge and looks like it is made of white marble and you also get a great view of the famous Pirelli Skyscraper, which was one of the first in modern Europe. So we jumped on the train and after about an hour we arrived in Bergamo which was is a really nice town. From Bergamo station you get great views of After a pleasant stroll through the streets and a sit down in a small cafe with a slice of real Italian Pizza and Ice Cream we hopped on the Funicalar railway which takes you to the more interesting place of Citti Alta. Here you can just wader around the narrow alleyways and charming little streets of this medieval town which has hardly changed over the years. The views from the top are awesome and overlook the whole of Bergamo and the Po Plain heading towards Milan. We then wandered to the centre of the old town and to Piazza Vecchia which is home to the cities cathedral and other historic buildings. After a another stop for some great Italian coffee we headed back to Milan.

The following morning we went out on another walking tour again. We walked over to the Cenacolo Venciano which is where Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous masterpiece, which he completed in 1498, is kept. Unfortunately there were slots available for visits because the museum only allows a certain amount of visitors in at a time and then only 15 minutes per group. The museum was booked solid right until the end of May 2009 so we were unable to get in.

From the museum we went and saw the Basilica San Lorenzo Maggiore, which was built between the 4th & 5th centuries. There are 16 columns made of marble, which stand in front of this church and are the most important remains of Mediolanum, capital of the Roman Empire of the West, they belonged to a Roman building of the Imperial period 2nd or 3rd century B.C.they were either baths, a temple or a palace. They were then bought here in the IVth century and lined up to form the front of the Basilica of San Lorenzo.

Our hotel was actually located close to the fashion district and Milan is definitely the fashion capital of Italy. We managed to do a couple of hours of window shopping and If there’s a brand name you want in fashion, shoes, or bags then Milan is definitely the place to go.

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After a long flight to Cape Town via Jo’burg my husband and I arrived in Cape Town around 23:00pm where we then had to embark on the trip to the hotel in a mini van which was pretty scary even though the roads were quiet.

One of our first stops in Cape Town was the V&A waterfront this is a rejuvenated docklands area with beautiful chic bars, restaurants and plenty of designer shops. This is where people come to be seen and is a cool place to come where you can munch on good food and listen to jazz players that play in the courtyards. Once we were refreshed we made our way back into central Cape Town via Government avenue where we some how managed to we get chased by massive , courageous and extremely over fed park squirrels!!

The next place visited was Robben Island. This is an island which is home to a maximum security prison which has housed thousands of political prisoners over the last 400 years. The most famous inmate was none other than Nelson Mandela. We started by having a bus tour of the island where we were shown the main sites. This was followed by a guided tour of the prison grounds by a former prisoner which also included a look at Mandela’s former cell. The prison was an interesting place we were given plenty of information and a good insight into the political persecution of many people not only during the apartheid years but also during the periods of colonial rule.

The next day we did a township tour. For those who don’t know a township in South Africa is where a large proportion of the black community live. Even though the apartheid era has finished, in Cape Town, and other major towns and cities you will still find townships on the outskirts of town. Townships are extremely populated and more often than not the accommodation are shacks made out of anything that the owner can get their hands on. We decided to do this tour so that we could get a better understanding of how the black communities live now in South Africa and to gain a view of the things that happened during the Apartheid era. Firstly we drove through a vacant area that everyone knows as ”District 6″. This is basically a whole suburb that was flattened during the apartheid period and people were forced to abandon their houses and businesses and simply get out of the area. All the buildings were then knocked down. It felt like we were going through an old war zone.  We then went to a museum   which showed a more personal account of the tragedies that happened here. Part of the township tour included visits to different local businesses and up and young entrepreneurs just trying get somewhere is life.  There was the man who was making flowers out of cans and tins.  Vicky’s B&B where a lady is providing the first accommodation in a township area, Rosie’s soup kitchen this wonderful lady supplies several hundred local children with food 7 days a week, funded by the church and other donations and then finally we went to a local beer hall. Once the township tour had finished we made our way back to the hotel and we came away with a better understanding of modern day life in Cape Town but at the same time you can not imagine the extreme poverty, dense constructed and dangerous housing until you actually see it for yourselves.

The following day in the afternoon we caught the cable car to the famous Table Top Mountain. Once we reached the top we were able to see some unbelievable views of Cape Town. You can see the whole of the central town area, across the posh suburbs of the Clifton district and down along the vast western coast line. We decided to walk down the mountain which took us about 1.5 hours to complete but as tiring on the legs it was well worth it.

Because of huge size of South Africa we decided to hire a car for the period that we were there. We got an amazing deal with Hertz which was a bit of a shock !!. Our first adventure was a drive around the city of Cape Town so that we could easily visit the sea side district of Clifton. Clifton has 4 beaches and really has to be seen to be believed. The area had a very LA feel and you kind of forgot that you were in South Africa. There were college boys playing beach volleyball, and locals bathed on their lawn filled gardens of their beach front properties. When I say beach front these buildings are in the sand right on the foreshore. We then headed along the Atlantic coastline taking the scenic route so that we could see the likes of Chapman’s peak before making our way into Table Mountain national park and the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve.  Whilst on the road we passed through a baboon population feeding on the side of the road thank god we didn’t hit anything. Once inside the reserve we headed to Cape Point look out and also the Cape of Good hope. We then went towards Hermanus which is a small town famous for whale watching  unfortunately we were out of whale season!

After spending the night at Hermanus the next stop for us was Mossel Bay. Mossel Bay is a fishing town it has a lovely harbour with plenty of fishing boats and seafood restaurants. In Mossel Bay we visited the Bartholomeu Dias Maritime museum which houses a replica of the Dias the Portugese vessel which was used in 1488 on the voyage of discovery. 

Our next stop was Stellenbosch which was a beautiful town and just a 40 minute drive from Cape Town. There are hundreds of wineries in the surrounding areas and one of the ones we visited was the Le Pommier winery. This was a boutique winery that sells only from the cellar door and has won many world awards. We did a tasting tour and got to taste some great wines. After that we made our way back to Cape Town where we enjoyed our last few days at the beaches before heading home.

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There are two ways to visit Cuba.. One as a holiday maker and one as a tourist.. You may ask what the difference is and I will tell you.. First you can come to Cuba for your two week break and spend your time in an All Inclusive hotel or you can come and back pack around the Island and stay in some lower budget places.. Both choices are fine and when you visit Cuba for the first time you will be amazed at how friendly the Cubans are. When you take away the 5 star hotels you realise that Cuba is in fact a very poor country and the fact is that the people have very little but they would give you whatever they have and they give you a smile. It’s genuine. They may not have the material things that people believe make you happy, but they have this tremendous spirit..

I remember the first time that I went to Cuba. I remember flying in and landing and the weather was gorgeous, we sorted out our visas, collected our luggage and then boarded the coach for another hour in order to reach our hotel on the coast. The scenery was fantastic however this was when I first realised the extent of poverty that people live in here. It was really sad to see the kids with no shoes and barely any clothes but no matter what they were always smiling.

The hotel we stayed in was great, there was plenty of food to choose from and the hotel was minutes away from the beach. We were booked to stay in this particular hotel for a few days only so that we could enjoy lazing around and getting a tan.

After a good relaxation period and booking our hotels in advance we set of to Havana. For those who have never experienced Havana I will try to enlighten you in the best way that I can. Havana is like some lost city and I doubt there is any other place in the world quite like it. Many of the old colonial buildings are crumbling and look like they could collapse any second,there are many drunk people due to the rum.

Old Havana is one of the most amazing places I have visited. Old Havana is one of the oldest settlements in the America’s and it is full of charming buildings and narrow roadways. You don’t have to be an architecture buff to be instantly delighted by the atmosphere of the city. We also visited La Habana Vieja which contains more than 900 important building, which are now being restored to their former glory which is great it is also a recognised UNESCO site. The way of life here seems very out dated and many of the cars are the old vintage style American cars, what I did love though was watching the little old women smoke these huge massive cigars which were nearly as big as them.

When we went out for dinner in Havana we found many of the restaurants served local food a lot of rice and beans, fresh lobster which was relatively cheap and plenty of fresh fruit. We also managed to find an Italian restaurants and many Chinese restaurants and there is even a Chinatown in Cuba.

Whilst in Cuba you must visit Varadero which is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. A little bit about Varadero, it is not the real Cuba. It is located on a small peninsula that has been pretty much fenced off from the rest of the country and is purely for tourism. It is composed of many hotels and a businesses geared towards the tourism. However Varadero is beautiful and we spent nearly a week here soaking up the sun and just taking in the breath taking scenery of the area.

Varadero is very safe and I doubt that there is ever any crime here. From just sitting and chatting with the locals it appears that if you do get into any trouble, you are moved out of Varadero and into other areas of Cuba.

Whilst in Varadero we did venture out of our hotel and go and see what the nightlife was like. The nightlife consisted of a couple of night clubs which were full of tourists and some smaller local bars. Many of the restaurants appear to be closed however as soon as you go to try and enter you will be greeted at the door and then given a table where you will be provided with a real friendly service.

Whilst we were in Cuba we went to a small place called Vinales where we were lucky enough to go horse riding. It was great fun and we managed to see some of the lush green scenery of Cuba. This area is made up of orange and grapefruit trees, and is mainly for farmers which you can also see using their old fashioned wooden ploughs. Going to this area was extremely different than that of the more touristy parts and gave a feel of how life goes on away from the resorts.

I think I saw Cuba with two sets of eyes. One pair that fell in love with its amazing history that lives in it historical buildings and old culture that´s remained hardly unchanged for hundreds of years, the warm hearted people, the music, the rum and cigars. The other eyes see the poverty and the government communist policies. But hey at least they don´t have a Pizza Hut

Whenever you travel to Cuba you must go with an open mind. Cuba is still a Third World country and a lot of things don’t work properly. But travel with an open mind and you will discover a wonderful country.

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Whenever anyone speaks the words Las Vegas we immediately think Casinos, money, big hotels and bright lights.. However there is a lot more to Las Vegas than you would first think.. Of course, there are plenty of casinos in Las Vegas, but they aren’t the only thing there. Las Vegas is a top city destination, and it has everything plus more that you’d expect in a city. You can find Art galleries, theatre, cinema, concerts, sporting events , zoo’s and even snow boarding.

Before you go to Las Vegas, here is a check list for some things that you will find essential:

Take comfortable shoes, Las Vegas is a huge city and you will do a lot of walking. Although the hotels appear to look close together, you could find yourself walking for half an hour or more and still be on the same hotel complex. The city is big and the hotels are equally as big.

A high factor sun screen and some good lip balm, don’t forget you are in the middle of the desert and the air is really dry, which means that your lips will dry out very quickly.

Drink lots and lots of water to make sure you don’t de-hydrate

Last year on our annual trip we were booked to at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino. Arriving jet-lagged and after a long flight from London, we were greeted warmly by the staff who kindly offered us a room upgrade to a larger suite for a small charge. Due to the fact that there were only two of us, we didn’t think we would need that much extra space and decided to stay in the room we had previously booked. Once we were taken to our room I was glad that we didn’t take the extra space. The room was massive and decorated very nicely.. The bed was huge and must have been over 6 foot wide and all the furniture was wooden and all polished including a table and chair that we could sit and have dinner on if we wanted. The bathroom was all decorated in marble with a lovely bath with separate shower.. All the hotels are covered in carpet and all the walking about on the carpets in Las Vegas, means you generate a lot of static electricity so every time you touch a piece of metal, you get a small electric shock. So many of the hotels have covered many of their door handles and other bits and pieces were covered in leather straps so that you didn’t get a shock!

Once we had finished the tour of the room we were keen to get out and explore Las Vegas…

First stop however was to the Zanzibar cafe in the Aladdin, where we ordered a stack of pancakes for breakfast. Once again we were shocked by the size of everything here. We thought we could easily manage a short stack which consisted of only 3 pancakes each, but how wrong were we. The pancakes were about eight inches wide and six inches deep, we were just unable to eat them all, no matter how tasty they were. The Aladdin also has its own Desert Passage shopping mall, which has lots and lots of shops clothes, souvenirs, cafes, toys. There are all different sections, some looked as though you were in a bazaar in Morocco and some as though you were in a outdoor market.

For those who are not interested in the casinos that much there are lots of other things you can do.. Visit the Mandalay Bay where there is a beautiful aquarium called Shark Reef, where you can see plenty of sea life and seeing the sharks close is amazing

If you fancy something a little different then go and visit Circus Circus, where there are circus acts performed for free every day. They also have a funfair, with a large rollercoaster and fait rides. At the lake in front of the Bellagio hotel every morning and evening you can see the dancing fountains come a live, dancing in time to the music. There is also a lovely conservatory in the Bellagio, with beautiful tropical flowers and plants where you can have a pleasant stroll and hide from the heat for an hour or so. The hotel also boasts an art gallery although it is mostly sculpture.

Take the free shuttle to Sam’s Town from Harrah’s on the main strip where you can see a small fountain show inside the hotel although it is not as spectacular as the show in the Bellagio, but it is still worth a look, especially if you are in Las Vegas with children. Sam’s Town also has a large multiplex cinema and a bowling alley, as well as a casino.

From dusk till dawn a volcano erupts every 15 minutes from The Mirage Hotel. During the day you can see Siegfried and Roy’s secret garden, where you watch the white tigers and dolphins used in their show. The Flamingo Hotel has a lovely wildlife garden, where you can see penguins and other birds as well as little turtles and fish in the clear water pools..

The Imperial Palace has a great classic car show. An entrance fee is charged, but normally you can find someone standing outside giving away free tickets, which we managed to get. Many of the cars are spectacular and you can even buy one if you wanted. There was also a collection of classic jukeboxes and other collectibles which were also for sale.

The world famous Caesar’s Palace Hotel is home to the Race for Atlantis ride, which is inside the Forum Shopping Mall. There are two free fountain shows, which includes the Fall of Atlantis. The shopping mall as well as having lots of shops has plenty of benches where you can stop and rest those aching feet!

The Luxor Hotel is famous not only for its amazing casino but you can also go to the Imax Cinema, where different features are showing each day, including films in 3D. The Luxor is also home to the ride, In Search of the Obelisk and have a look at a replica of King Tut’s tomb.

Watch the amazing Pirates battle it out at the Treasure Island hotel, with a great show with fantastic sound and light effects and even real life sized ships.

You can even take a trip up a half sized replica of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel and get some great views.

For Star Trek fans then The Star Trek Experience is found inside the Hilton Las Vegas Hotel and you can get a shuttle bus from the main strip which will take you directly to the hotel.

For food there are some great buffets in Las Vegas. The best value for food we found was at the Sahara and the Imperial Palace. The best place for a bit of wow factor was at The Flamingo, where the buffet restaurant overlooks the gardens and waterfalls and nearly any food from around the world that you could think of was available.

Whilst in Las Vegas no trip would be complete without a trip to the Grand Canyon and you can find many tour operators providing day trips and you can even fly over the Canyon and get a great view of this massive phenomenon

If you wanted to go a little further afield then the Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon are certainly worth a visit.

Before you leave Las Vegas, do remember to go up the Stratosphere Tower for an amazing bird’s eye view of the strip and the surrounding mountains. If you have time you can go up twice, once in the day and then again at night, where you can see why Las Vegas is called the City of Lights.

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