Posts Tagged ‘travel’

An Unforgettable Story About Bali Diving

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

In 1982 I worked as an English speaking tour guide, but during my free time I learned Italian language by my own method autodidact using English Italian; Italian English dictionary and grammar book.. I spent about 2 hours a day to learn it, sometime early in morning, in the afternoon and sometime late at night. I succeeded to keep in my mind 2 words a day but I found much difficulty in learning the grammar because it is very different with my mother language Balinese and Indonesian, but I insisted to meet with success. Day by day, week by week and month by month, and .. finally I got it.

In October 1982 one of my friend who run a travel agent in Bali asked me to handle his clients, they were Italian and speak a little English. That was my first time to practice my Italian tongue. When I met them at Bali International Airport, the first question I must answer was where is the best place to dive. With honesty actually I didnt know the answer, but I promised them for the good news the day after.

I visited my friends house and meet Bli Monyoh, a fisherman live in Sanur the village on the southeast coast of Bali. I knew he was a good fisherman and very smart in shooting fish, diving with his own talent using very simple dive equipment.

We talked about diving places and he told me that in order to discover most enjoyable dive, must visit 2 o 3 different places of the fascinating underwater world among the coral reefs. Mr. Bli Monyoh looked at his Balinese calendar to see a good day to go to the sea. My clients were crazy about dive.

The first day he brought us to Semawang at Sanur by his outrigger sail boat. Located in front of Sanur Tourist Beach. Dives at a few meters depth was rewarded by beautiful underwater panoramas, table and trophy shaped coral and sponges, a thousand of colorful fishes swim by in kaleidoscopic profusions. I am not a swimmer or a diver, I just sit on the boat and prepared the needs when they go up. Was a wonderful day.

The second day Bli Monyoh brought his companion a smart diver named Agung Toya, together with them some gun (exactly an arrow) unwound by a strong rubber band made of tire. Before living Sanur, Bli Monyoh laid an offering and perfumed incense in front of a temple and prayed to God. Along the road about one and a half our drive, he stopped several times for praying where there are temples for Gods blessing, safety and luck. Even before touching the water he did so.

When we arrived at Buitan was a very traditional fishing village, located at the district of Manggis Karangasem eastern Bali near Candidasa, I was amazed by the beauty of the nature, a spectacular panorama or the terraces ricefield, rural ambience and the Majestic Mount Agung at the far back, for Bali it is the place of the Supreme God The Navel of the World. The sea was magnificent, clear blue water, remained untouched by modern influences, seduce everyone especially beach and dive lovers. Now Buitan boast a luxury 5 stars hotel and some small accommodations in Balinese style bungalow.

When we were preparing everything for dive a cordial local man came close to us and gave his own wooden boat used for free in the hope of us catching a lot of fish. We sailed at 09.00 a.m in calm sea. About 50 m from the beach we arrived on the coral reef where the wave breaks itself. Under very good weather we could see a wonderful underwater world among the coral reefs.

My Italian clients brought their own dive equipments because they were the holder of PADI license. While the native divers used their own talent. Wow, wow, wow, what a great day, we fished a lot (only selected fish), one thing surprised me that Bli Monyoh got 4 king lobsters. At 11.00 a.m. we finished our adventure and the local man was waiting us on the beach ready with his woods fire, chili, onions, garlic, salt and coconut oil. We grilled our fish in relax atmosphere on the beach with nice breeze of the ocean, than enjoyed a delicious gala lunch in cowboy style. Wow amazing, we really celebrated and enjoyed a great day.

Now in Bali there are some exciting and fascinating, world renowned dive sites: Nusa Dua, Sanur, Padang Bay, Gili Tapekong, Tulamben, Amed, Nusa Penida and Lembongan and Menjangan Island.

So if you are a sea and dive lover why dont you choose Bali for your next destination, this enchanting island is waiting for you with its fascinating underwater world. Plan your travel and book your preferred hotel or contact your travel agent. The quickest and the easiest way is, go online and choose Bali Dive. One of the most reliable dive center on the island now is Ena Dive Center (www.enadive.co.id).

Use Your Commute

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Two commutes a day, ten a week, forty a month, about 440 times a year. If you commute 45 minutes to work, that is ninety minutes a day, 1,650 hours a year!

You know those goals youve been meaning to achieve? Why not use this time to work on them! How you choose to use the time is as broad as your imagination.

So much of our commuting time now is spent as a negative experience, that it drains us for other activities in our day. When we use our commuting time to benefit ourselves and make accomplishments, it not only will benefit us, but you will see positive impacts at work, home and play!

Using the time to organize your day at work will help you to be more productive at work and less time will be spent away from home and play. The more you are able to achieve, the goals you have been putting off will no longer seem like clouds hanging over you, and will free you up to both mentally and physically.

If you have things to do for the day call into the office (on speaker phone) and go over things that will make your day at the office more organized. If you never have time to write, bring a tape recorder and narrate your stories in your car. If youre into exercise, isometrics (muscle contractions held for a count of 10 and repeated; do not do this if you are hypertensive or have a heart disorder) are well-documented to work in developing muscle. There are, of course, books on tape and even courses on various subjects. Why not take the time to enrich your life.

The commute is also a great time to schedule the day or review how the day went. Whatever you choose to do, getting value out of the commute helps to change your attitude about the commute and relaxes you throughout the time because you are focused on something more interesting than counting the minutes or the traffic jams. So now, instead of a major block to living, the commute can actually become an opportunity to advance your life.

Think of ten activities that you can do during your commute, and prepare some of them ahead of time. This way if you dont feel like doing one, you have another ready to go, even if its just as simple as listening to your favorite music. You wont always want to read or listen to music, so you might be prepared to work on a puzzle or compose a letter or song in your head. Your commute is as open to possibilities as you are!

Lune de Miel en Mer

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Il est loin du temps du Titanic, avec sa carapace majestueuse, sa luxure, son confort, ses services bord! Dtrompez vous, les paquebots de croisires existants de nos jours ne font que reprendre l’ide du Titanic, avec des matires plus simples mais d’avantage confortables et fiables. De plus, l’ide des jeux dj prsente bord du Titanic a t reprise bord de la majorit des bateaux avec la mise en place de salles de casinos et leur fameuses tables de craps pour des parties pleines d’motions et s’amuser lorsque le bateau reste en mer.

Branched Oak Lake in Nebraska – A Great Vacation and Travel Destination

Monday, November 21st, 2011

A beautiful vacation destination is Branched Oak Lake in Nebraska. This man made lake is close to Malcolm, Nebraska and just northwest of Lincoln. It is one of the state’s largest lakes and it offers visitors plenty of fun activities. Those who visit can take advantage of fishing and swimming as well as motor boats and jet skis. No matter what kind of fun in the sun you love there is something for you at Branched Oak Lake in Nebraska. You can even try an extreme sport so to speak by water skiing in November on Branched Oak, which is pretty cold!

Getting Around The Usa–When Is The Bus Your Best Option?

Friday, November 18th, 2011

Visitors to the US have many options when it comes to getting around. In the land of (relatively) cheap gas and expensive trains, renting a car is often the most appealing option. On the other hand, for journeys between cities that are further than a few hours drive, flying quickly becomes a viable option. Still there are other times when the best option is taking the bus. How should you determine when this is your best option? Read on.

Bus travel in the US

Whether or not it is warranted, bus travel has a somewhat beleaguered reputation in the U.S. Many consider line run bus service to offer the most basic level of service. In truth there is a wide range of service offered, from luxury to budget, depending on the bus carrier. The bus industry in the United States is dominated by Greyhound, which is the only bus company with service nationwide. Several other companies such as Trailways and Coach USA are made up of independently owned bus companies that share marketing functions and branding. In addition there are several strong regional players in the bus industry, although they may share service with Greyhound on certain routes.

A newer development in the bus industry is the Chinatown bus. This is a term used to describe low priced bus companies that operate paired down service on selected routes and charge much less than traditional bus companies. Originally these carriers tended to operate in, and cater to, the Chinese immigrant community. Now the phenomenon appeals to a much wider group of customers. Another trend in the bus industry is luxury service that competes more directly with the airlines. These carriers offer first class amenities and luxury coaches. They tend to be most successful for destinations that are fewer than 6 hours apart.

So, how should you decide when the bus is your best option? Here are a few questions that might help you make your decision:

1. What is your budget?

If you are on a tight budget you wont be able to beat the bus for price. It is by far the least expensive way to get between destinations in the U.S. This is particularly true on heavily traveled routes in the Northeast where there is a lot of competition.

2. Will you need a car once you get to your destination?

In many U.S. cities (ie. New York, Boston, Washington DC) a car is not only unnecessary, but will be a burden to drive and to park once you arrive.

3. How far are you going?

If you are traveling less than a five or six hours it is probably faster to take the bus than to fly when you factor in waiting time at the airport. Moreover, the bus will likely drop you off in the downtown core so you do not have to find your way into the city once you arrive.

4. Where are you going?

It is worth noting that for many more remote destinations in the US, the bus is really the only public transportation option. If you do not drive, taking the bus may be your only choice.

5. How much time do you have?

If your trip is not rushed, you might enjoy the more leisurely pace of bus travel. If you are under time pressure, the bus is probably not the best choice as it is subject to traffic delays and usually takes a little longer than other modes of transportation.

Overall, the bus is a great option for visitors to the US who are looking for transportation between major US cities and more remote destinations alike. As gas prices rise and train service sees more cuts, it will undoubtedly be an even more popular way to get around going forward.

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Friday, November 18th, 2011

Marketers should consider employment status when allocating resources for targeting consumers. Full time employees make as many daily contacts as part time employees and stay-at-homers combined! A consumer package goods manufacturer might consider sampling its products in or near their targeted consumers’ workplace rather than, or in addition to, traditional in-home sampling. For purposes of the study, “contact” was defined as “any type of direct communication a person has with another person including spoken to in-person, by phone, or written via email, or instant/text message.” Stay-at-homers tend to make more daily visits to chat rooms, message boards, free email services, forums, and any information station they can easily find. Including web site addresses and promotion codes in marketing efforts, making it easy to pass this information along online, is a tactic that works well with this group of people provided there is perceived value. Marketers often use household income of $75,000 as an affluence threshold but there was no apparent increase in word of mouth or (WOM) activity for people with incomes from $75,000 to $90,000. The results showed acceleration in WOM likelihood for households earning $100,000 or more. As expected, technology has a significant influence on how different generations foster WOM. Here’s a glimpse into the future, as well as today. Younger generations are creating personal online media to a greater extent, with nearly half (49%) of Gen Y having built a website and one quarter having their own blog. When reaching out to their peers, one-quarter visit chat rooms or message boards daily and 17% of their contact activity is done through instant or text messaging. Gen X and Boomers tend to use email more often and are more likely to spread positive WOM. These groups are ripe for viral email campaigns. An overlooked and interesting area for marketers is reaching Silver Birds through message boards and chat rooms. They have more activity in those areas than Boomers and nearly equal activity to Gen X. This is likely due to their desire to reconnect with family and friends, and to discuss health, medical, and other issues of aging with peers and professionals. At this time of their life they tend to go on cruises, flights, and lots