Top Places to Visit in Canada

Prince Edward Island
Green pastures and the distinct red-soil cliffs make Prince Edward Island a great destination for travellers who are just looking for some relaxation or a fun day at the beach. Take a car to get around, the island is not big so you could see everything in a day.
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa is the Capital City of Canada and a great place to soak in Canadian culture. The Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill or the RCMP march are always popular sights, along with some world class museums. There are also many parks and bike paths that make summer outdoors fun. The winters aren't bad either. The Rideau Canal, which connects the Ottawa River to the Great Lakes for leisure boaters, makes for the longest skating rink in the world when it freezes.

Kelowna, British Columbia
Where do Canadians go on vacation? Kelowna, BC. In the heart of the Canadian Rockies is the Okanagan Valley, a river-valley that has some of Canada's best weather. Warm in the summer and mild in the winter; the most you can ask for in the Great White North. The valley produces Canada's world famous B.C. apples (illegal in the U.S.) and wine. The Valley has a marina for the avid boaters and many golf courses. Relaxing at the beach or sitting on the porch of a lakeside cottage is everyone's idea of the perfect destination.
Lake Louise, Albert
The picture says it all. Deep in the Canadian Rockiesa large turquoise lake trickles from the thousands year old glacier in the distance. The Fairmont Hotel is world class and books visitors months in advance. But don't let this deter you from visiting, there are many camp-grounds that make visiting fun and affordable.

Saint Martin's Island

Saint Martin's Island is a small island in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, and forming the southernmost part of Bangladesh. It is the only coral island in Bangladesh. It is about 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar at the mouth of the Naf River. The local name of the island is "Narical Gingira", also spelled "Narikel Janjina/Jinjera", translated from Bangla, meaning 'Coconut Island'.

Saint Martin's Island has become a popular tourist spot. Currently, three shipping liners run daily trips to the island, including Sea-Truck and Keary-Sindbad. Tourists can book their trip either from Chittagong or from Cox's Bazar. The surrounding coral reef of the island has an extension named Chera Dwip.

In the past 5 years St. Martin's visitor population has increased dramatically. While this situation has proven to be lucrative for the islanders, it is causing the natural beauty of the island to deteriorate. Presently there are many efforts being put forth to preserve the several endagered species of turtles that nest on the island, as well as the corals, some of which are found only on Narikel Jinjera. Pieces of the coral reef are being removed in order to be sold to tourists. Nesting turtles are sometimes taken for food, and their hatchlings are often distracted by the twinkling lights along the beach. Species of fish, a few just recently discovered, are being overfished. Every year the fishermen must venture further out to sea to get their catch. Most of them use motorless boats.

At high tide the island is about 3 miles around, and pinched in the middle. The island exists only because of its coral base, so removal of that coral risks erosion of the beaches. St. Martins has lost roughly 25% of its coral reef in the past 7 years.
Get in
Getting to Saint Martins Island is a three-step process. First you'll need to fly or bus it down to Cox's Bazar, and then catch a bus to Teknaf, which is right on the very southern tip of Bangladesh, sandwiched up against Myanmar. From Teknaf, ferries run daily and take around 3 hours. The total distance from Dhaka to the island is 510 km.

Ferries leave the island around 3PM. For the regular Eagle ferries you don't need to prebook, but if you're taking the more reliable Keari Sindbad ferry and you don't have a roundtrip ticket you can book the return leg at the Keari Marzaan restaurant ( just before Saint Martin's Resort, off the main road). The restaurant itself only caters to daytrippers on tours arranged by Keari Tours. The one-way fare is Tk 225. the website address is http://www.tourismkeari.com. you can find all services by Keari here.
Get around

Arriving from the port you'll walk through a strip of basic restaurants and shops, and hit a t-junction. Left will take you to the eastern beaches (the cement ends shortly before the scuba dive center), while a right turn will take you along the main cement 'road' where most of the hotels and guesthouses are, ending at the north-west part of the island.

At one point a left turn leads around the newly built hospital and into the center of the island. It's an interesting walk and eventually leads out to the western beach just north of the Sea Turtle Hatchery, after a couple wrong turns.

Flatbed cycle-rickshaws are the only transport aside from walking. There are no motorized vehicles on the island, not even motorcycles (yay!).
See

    * Sunrise on the east side of the island, and after a lazy day head over to the west side for sunset. Sunset Point is a rocky peninsula on the northwest corner of the island, near Saint Martin's Resort, which exists only at low tide — a popular spot if sunset and low tide coincide.

    * Village life is slow paced — most work happens in the morning and evening, while midday is reserved for drying fish and rice and selling your coconuts. Or, more likely, sitting in the shade chewing paan.

    * There's a Sea Turtle Hatchery on the west side of the island south of Shemana Pereye Resort. It's not officially open to visitors, but it's usually empty and the gate unlocked. If it's the right season there will be several bamboo cages in the sand with eggs buried under them — not much to see, but it's nice to know that good work is being done.

    * Stars are amazingly plentiful on a moonless night, due to the lack of electricity on the island.
    * Rock Beach (Rocky Beach Area), Dhakinmatha, (Last point of the Island). The southern point of the Island has a millions of years old Rock formed from Coral. The area is popular as Rock Beach and can be visited on foot. A 10-15 minutes track can be explored within the area by taking permission from the local land owners to see wild life including lizard, migratory birds and unique sweet water turtles habitat. 
Buy

There are a couple of small shops near the port and along the main road selling very basic necessities, and the odd souvenir t-shirts, hats (Tk 40) and sunglasses.

Sea shells and things made from them are sold by little children around the island, but it's illegal and leads to the depletion of sea life.
 Eat

Food is a little more expensive here than on the mainland.

The food shacks that line the road to the port all cook up similar fare: parothas (Tk 5), omelettes (dhim, Tk 10) and vegetable curry (Tk 15) for breakfast, and fish, dal, rice and veggies the rest of the day. Cha is Tk 5.

All of the hotels also have restaurants with basically the same typical Bangladeshi offerings, with higher prices and better quality than those near the port. Chicken is sometimes available but not very tasty, and lobster and crab may be available occasionally at very high prices. The restaurant at Blue Marine Resort and Appayan at Saint Martin's Resort are the best on the island.

The islanders also sell dried fish, which is a bit more expensive but fresher than those available upshore in Cox's Bazaar.

Early morning is the best time to get fresh fish from the fisherman near the market, you can often bring it to your hotel chef and ask him to fry it up the way you like, or some places may do a nice evening barbeque. Some places may even give you kitchen access to cook it yourself if you ask.
 Drink

    * Coconuts are the drink of choice (Tk 20), and coconut pushers are to be found along the length of the island, getting slightly less aggressive as you move south.

    * Alcohol may be available at the larger hotels or if you ask discreetly near the port, though there is not even a hint of nightlife.

 Sleep

There are several budget guesthouses along the main road such as Hotel Sea Heart, Bay of Bengal Guesthouse, Coast Guesthouse, Hotel Sadek, Oceanview and Coral Reef Guesthouse, all similarly dark and characterless with dank attached bathrooms and no running water. Anywhere else these rooms would cost around Tk 500-700, but here you'll be lucky to pay Tk 1000 and be asked for as much as Tk 1500.

Most evenings will be candle-lit since there's no electricity on the island, but a few of the more expensive hotels have generators.

    * There's a government resthouse signed only in Bengali on the main road next to Bay of Bengal Guesthouse. Rooms are a little larger and cleaner than the surrounding guesthouses and have mosquito nets. It's not possible to prebook rooms and, even if they're available, whether you can stay will depend on the mood of the man on duty. Rooms ~Tk 600.

    * Blue Marine Resort, (on the northeast corner of the island, visible from the port),. The most upmarket option on the island, this place is set to lead the way in tacky, environmentally unfriendly Cox's Bazar-style development (though thankfully still on a smaller scale). It's impeccably clean with a blue and white Miami sailboat feel and crisp white sheets. Attached baths are clean and have cold running water, laundry and room service are available, and there's a generator. There's also a good restaurant here selling the usual, plus lobster and crab at a premium, when available. The beach is visible from the front and the back of each room on the upper floors, and both the sunrise and sunset can be enjoyed from the private veranda attached to the rooms. They've also got a couple of cottages (Tk 2000) on the remote southern point of the island with kitchens. Tk 2000-3000. 

    * Shemana Pereye Resort Ltd., (on the west side of the island, walk south from Abakash Parjaton). Budget-minders may want to splurge a little and stay at this super friendly and relaxed place with a nice garden environment, set just back from the beach in a quiet area yet still close enough to the village. It's not signed in English, but as you walk south look for a sign in Bangla next to a bamboo gate — if you reach the Sea Turtle Hatchery you've gone too far. They've also got a decent restaurant serving the usual fish and chicken. Tk 1400/1600/1800 for brick/wooden/bamboo rooms. 

    * Saint Martin's Resort, (at the end of the main road, on the north-western corner of the island), ☎ +880 01819 490129. checkout: 2PM. Also known as Hotel Nijhum, it's run by the government owned Abakash Parjatan. Rooms are cleanish, staff are friendly, and it's very popular with Bangladeshi families on holiday. The beach in front of here is the most popular on the island, and where the day-trippers from Cox's Bazar hang out around during the middle of the day. It has running cold water, some sit and some squat toilets, and a generator running in the evening. Appayan restaurant is attached and good. Tk 1500-2000. 

    * Riyad Guesthouse, (on the northwest corner of the island),  Probably the best pick of the budget guesthouses. Basic facilities but clean with friendly owners and a relaxing location. Tk 1500-3000. 
    * Coral Blue Resort (Eco Resort in St.Martin Island), Last tip of the Island, Dakhinmatha (Adjacent to Cheradwip). checkin: 01:00pm; checkout: 12:00pm. Probably the best view of St. martin & Cheradwip can be get here. It is the last point of the Island, where it is connected to Cheradwip by tide. It is on 24 acres land with a natural lake with millions of migratory birds habitat.This is the only tent resort in Eco friendly environment with modern sanitation facilities and solar power (back up generator is there).A good restaurant is within the resort area to serve fresh fish grill and BBQ besides regular meals. Tk. 2000/2500.
    * Coral Blue Resort (St. Martin's only Eco Resort), Cheradwip area (ast tip of the Island on souther side). checkin: 02:00pm; checkout: 12:00pm. Probably the best view of the Island and Cheradwip's can be get here. The Resort is on 24 acres of land, based on Eco friendly concept. 10 Tent rooms with proper sanitation and solar power make it unique. A in house restaurant to BBQ or Grill fresh fish besides regular meal is available. Run by professional stuffs and quality of food and service is expected. The resort has water sports and beach activities facilities. Besides its scenic beauty of the sea, the resort has a sweet water lake inside the premises where you can see millions of migratory birds. TK. 1500/2000. 

 Respect

The island has seen a massive increase in tourism (mostly Bangladeshis) over the last few years, and the fragile ecosystem on the island is not well equipped to handle it. Do what you can to encourage eco-friendly practices, and definitely don't litter the island. It's also a good idea to avoid eating fish at every meal on an island where overfishing is a major problem and sea life is rapidly vanishing.

If you come across sea turtles or their eggs, keep a reasonable distance and don't disturb these fascinating but fragile creatures.

Westerners should be alert to the modest lifestyle of the islanders, especially women. It is not a good idea to swim in public places in western bathing suits, and modest dress is appropriate for both women and men.
Contact

There are no landlines, but cell phones work well, due to a few very imposing cell phone towers dotted around the island. GrameenPhone and Aktel are the service providers.There is no internet on the island, the nearest is in Cox's Bazaar.
Get out

As tempting as it may be to cross into Myanmar, it is highly illegal and very unlikely that you could arrange a boat from here anyhow. Simply enjoy the views of the coast during the boat journey, and if you're intent on going, head up to Dhaka, get a visa, and fly from there.

Bali island

Bali islands is one of the thousands islands constructing the Indonesian Archipelago that has long been famous as a leading tourist destination in South Pacific or even in the world for its exotic and vibrant art and culture, natural beauties and the hospitality of the people.Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country's 33 provinces with the provincial capital at Denpasar  towards the south of the island.

With a population recorded as 3,551,000 in 2009, the island is home to the vast majority of Indonesia's small Hindu minority. About 93.2% of Bali's population adheres to Balinese Hinduism, while most of the remainder follow Islam. It is also the largest tourist destination in the country and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music.
History
Bali was inhabited by about 2000 BC by Austronesian peoples who migrated originally from Taiwan through Maritime Southeast Asia.  Culturally and linguistically, the Balinese are thus closely related to the peoples of the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippines, and Oceania.  Stone tools dating from this time have been found near the village of Cekik in the island's west.
Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian and Chinese, and particularly Hindu  culture, in a process beginning around the 1st century AD. The name Bali dwipa ("Bali island") has been discovered from various inscriptions, including the Blanjong pillar inscription written by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in 914 AD and mentioning "Walidwipa". It was during this time that the complex irrigation system subak was developed to grow rice. Some religious and cultural traditions still in existence today can be traced back to this period. The Hindu Majapahit Empire (1293–1520 AD) on eastern Java founded a Balinese colony in 1343. When the empire declined, there was an exodus of intellectuals, artists, priests and musicians from Java to Bali in the 15th century.
The first European contact with Bali is thought to have been made in 1585 when a Portuguese  ship foundered off the Bukit Peninsula and left a few Portuguese in the service of Dewa Agung.  In 1597 the Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman arrived at Bali and, with the establishment of the Dutch East India Company in 1602, the stage was set for colonial control two and a half centuries later when Dutch control expanded across the Indonesian archipelago throughout the second half of the nineteenth century (see Dutch East Indies). Dutch political and economic control over Bali began in the 1840s on the island's north coast, when the Dutch pitted various distrustful Balinese realms against each other.  In the late 1890s, struggles between Balinese kingdoms in the island's south were exploited by the Dutch to increase their control.

The Dutch mounted large naval and ground assaults at the Sanur region in 1906 and were met by the thousands of members of the royal family and their followers who fought against the superior Dutch force in a suicidal puputan defensive assault rather than face the humiliation of surrender. Despite Dutch demands for surrender, an estimated 1,000 Balinese marched to their death against the invaders. In the Dutch intervention in Bali (1908), a similar massacre occurred in the face of a Dutch assault in Klungkung. Afterwards the Dutch governors were able to exercise administrative control over the island, but local control over religion and culture generally remained intact. Dutch rule over Bali came later and was never as well established as in other parts of Indonesia such as Java and Maluku.

In the 1930s, anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, and artists Miguel Covarrubias and Walter Spies, and musicologist Colin McPhee created a western image of Bali as "an enchanted land of aesthetes at peace with themselves and nature", and western tourism first developed on the island.
Imperial Japan occupied Bali during World War II, during which time a Balinese military officer, Gusti Ngurah Rai, formed a Balinese 'freedom army'. The lack of institutional changes from the time of Dutch rule however, and the harshness of war requisitions made Japanese rule little better than the Dutch one. Following Japan's Pacific surrender in August 1945, the Dutch promptly returned to Indonesia, including Bali, immediately to reinstate their pre-war colonial administration. This was resisted by the Balinese rebels now using Japanese weapons. On 20 November 1946, the Battle of Marga was fought in Tabanan in central Bali. Colonel I Gusti Ngurah Rai, by then 29 years old, finally rallied his forces in east Bali at Marga Rana, where they made a suicide attack on the heavily armed Dutch. The Balinese battalion was entirely wiped out, breaking the last thread of Balinese military resistance. In 1946 the Dutch constituted Bali as one of the 13 administrative districts of the newly-proclaimed State of East Indonesia, a rival state to the Republic of Indonesia which was proclaimed and headed by Sukarno and Hatta. Bali was included in the "Republic of the United States of Indonesia" when the Netherlands recognised Indonesian independence on 29 December 1949.

The 1963 eruption of Mount Agung killed thousands, created economic havoc and forced many displaced Balinese to be transmigrated to other parts of Indonesia. Mirroring the widening of social divisions across Indonesia in the 1950s and early 1960s, Bali saw conflict between supporters of the traditional caste system, and those rejecting these traditional values. Politically, this was represented by opposing supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI), with tensions and ill-feeling further increased by the PKI's land reform programs. An attempted coup in Jakarta was put down by forces led by General Suharto. The army became the dominant power as it instigated a violent anti-communist purge, in which the army blamed the PKI for the coup. Most estimates suggest that at least 500,000 people were killed across Indonesia, with an estimated 80,000 killed in Bali, equivalent to 5% of the island's population.With no Islamic forces involved as in Java and Sumatra, upper-caste PNI landlords led the extermination of PKI members.

As a result of the 1965/66 upheavals, Suharto was able to manoeuvre Sukarno out of the presidency, and his "New Order" government reestablished relations with western countries. The pre-War Bali as "paradise" was revived in a modern form, and the resulting large growth in tourism has led to a dramatic increase in Balinese standards of living and significant foreign exchange earned for the country.A bombing in 2002 by militant Islamists in the tourist area of Kuta killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. This attack, and another in 2005, severely affected tourism, bringing much economic hardship to the island. Tourist numbers have now returned to levels before the bombings.
Geography

The island of Bali lies 3.2 km (2 mi) east of Java, and is approximately 8 degrees south of the equator. Bali and Java are separated by Bali Strait. East to west, the island is approximately 153 km (95 mi) wide and spans approximately 112 km (69 mi) north to south; its land area is 5,632 km².

Bali's central mountains include several peaks over 2,000 metres. The highest is Mount Agung (3,142 m), known as the "mother mountain" which is an active volcano. Mountains range from centre to the eastern side, with Mount Agung the easternmost peak. Bali's volcanic nature has contributed to its exceptional fertility and its tall mountain ranges provide the high rainfall that supports the highly productive agriculture sector. South of the mountains is a broad steadily descending area where most of Bali's large rice crop is grown. The northern side of the mountains slopes more steeply to the sea and is the main coffee producing area of the island, along with rice, vegetables and cattle. The longest river, Ayung River, flows approximately 75 km.

The island is surrounded by coral reefs. Beaches in the south tend to have white sand while those in the north and west have black sand. Bali has no major waterways, although the Ho River is navigable by small sampan boats. Black sand beaches between Pasut and Klatingdukuh are being developed for tourism, but apart from the seaside temple of Tanah Lot, they are not yet used for significant tourism.

The largest city is the provincial capital, Denpasar, near the southern coast. Its population is around 491,500(2002). Bali's second-largest city is the old colonial capital, Singaraja, which is located on the north coast and is home to around 100,000 people. Other important cities include the beach resort, Kuta, which is practically part of Denpasar's urban area; and Ubud, which is north of Denpasar, and is known as the island's cultural centre.

Three small islands lie to the immediate south east and all are administratively part of the Klungkung regency of Bali: Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. These islands are separated from Bali by the Badung Strait.

To the east, the Lombok Strait separates Bali from Lombok and marks the biogeographical division between the fauna of the Indomalayan ecozone and the distinctly different fauna of Australasia. The transition is known as the Wallace Line, named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who first proposed a transition zone between these two major biomes. When sea levels dropped during the Pleistocene ice age, Bali was connected to Java and Sumatra and to the mainland of Asia and shared the Asian fauna, but the deep water of the Lombok Strait continued to keep Lombok and the Lesser Sunda archipelago isolated.
Tourism
The tourism industry is overwhelmingly focused in the south, while significant in the other parts of the island as well. The main tourist locations are the town of Kuta (with its beach), and its outer suburbs (which were once independent townships) of Legian and Seminyak; the east coast town of Sanur (once the only tourist hub); in the center of the island Ubud; to the south of the airport is Jimbaran  and the newer development of Nusa Dua.

The American government lifted its travel warnings in 2008. As of 2009 the Australian government still rates it a 4 danger level (the same as several countries in central Africa) on a scale of 5.

An offshoot of tourism is the growing real estate industry. Bali real estate has been rapidly developing in the main tourist areas of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Oberoi. Most recently, high-end 5 star projects are under development on the Bukit peninsula on the south side of the island. Million dollar villas are springing up along the cliff sides of south Bali, commanding panoramic ocean views. Foreign and domestic (many Jakarta individuals and companies are fairly active) investment into other areas of the island also continues to grow. Land prices, despite the worldwide economic crisis have remained stable.

In the last half of 2008, Indonesia's currency had dropped approximately 30% against the US dollar, providing many overseas visitors value for their currencies. Visitor arrivals for 2009 were forecast to drop 8% (which would be higher than 2007 levels), due to the worldwide economic crisis which has also affected the global tourist industry and not due to any travel warnings.

Bali's tourism economy has not only survived the terrorist bombings of 2002 and 2005, the tourism industry has slowly recovered and surpassed its pre-terrorist bombing levels and the longterm trend is a steady increase of visitor arrivals. The Indonesian Tourism Ministry expects a record number of visitor arrivals in 2010.
Bali received the Best Island award from Travel and Leisure in 2010. The award was presented in the show "World's Best Awards 2010" in New York, on 21 July. Hotel Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran also received an award in the category of "World Best Hotel Spas in Asia 2010". The award was based on a survey of travel magazine Travel + Leisure readers between December 15, 2009 through March 31, 2010, and was judged on several criteria. The island of Bali won because of its attractive surroundings (both mountain and coastal areas), diverse tourist attractions, excellent international and local restaurants, and the friendliness of the local people.

Best places to visit in New Zealand

New Zealand has so many outstanding places to visit that it is difficult to choose among them. We know that your vacation time is both brief and valuable. Our recommendations for the best places to visit will help you find the right place for your vacation in New Zealand. Be sure to note that the period of the  seasons in the Southern Hemisphere is the opposite of the Northern Hemisphere.  During  summer, the Kiwis are experiencing winter. So if you want to ski in Queenstown, July and August can be the heart of the season. If you are not a skier, don't let the concept of winter stop you from taking your summer vacation in New Zealand, since the snow usually stays at the higher elevations.
A trip to New Zealand should cover the country's two major islands, known simply as the North Island and the South Island.  Both islands are interesting, but we recommend that you spend the majority of your time on the South Island, which, in our opinion, is pretty close to paradise.  For you fantasy fans, significant portions of the epic movie trilogy Lord of the Rings were filmed on the South Island. 
The South Island

 
The South Island  is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The territory of the South Island covers 151,215 square kilometres (58,384 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate climate.
The South Island is sometimes called the "mainland". While it has a 33% larger landmass than the North Island, only 24% of New Zealand's 4.4 million inhabitants live in the South Island. In the early stages of European (Pākehā) settlement of the country, the South Island had the majority of the European population and wealth due to the 1860s gold rushes. The North Island population overtook the South in the early 20th century, with 56% of the population living in the North in 1911, and the drift north of people and businesses continued throughout the century.
The North Island

The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is 113,729 square kilometres (43,911 sq mi) in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island. It has a population of 3,328,700 (June 2010 estimate).
Twelve cities are in the North Island: Auckland, New Plymouth, Tauranga, Gisborne, Napier, Hamilton, Hastings, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Wanganui, Whangarei and Wellington, the capital, located at the southern extremity of the island. Approximately 76% of New Zealand's population lives in the North Island.

The South Island:

The South Island of New Zealand is characterized by grand open landscapes. The island is well known for spectacular fiords, large beach forests, golden sand beaches and broad plains. Everybody can enjoy the travel to south island.
The south island has ten national parks. These parks incorporate world heritage sites, lakes, glaciers, fiords, native forest, coastline, and world class hiking tracks. The fabulous scenery across the south land attracts many people to plan vacation.