Most families have visited aquariums, but few can compare to St. Thomas Coral World Ocean Park. As one of the highest rated attractions on the island, Coral World delights scores of visitors every year. Unlike many other aquariums, Coral World also features several distinct activities each highlighting a different aspect of the Caribbean’s diverse underwater universe. Families can interact with sharks or observe a colorful coral reef from an underwater observatory. If you want to get in the water yourself, Coral World is located next to one of St. Thomas most popular beaches for snorkeling and the parks two-story catamaran, complete with slides and rides, takes visitors out into the Caribbean. When you visit St. Thomas, trust the recommendations and experience the Coral World Ocean Park for yourself. Refer to Shark cage diving for more information.

For aquarium lovers or anyone curious about life under the sea, the Underwater Observatory is the can’t-miss attraction. Located 100 feet from the shore, the observatory takes you 15 feet underwater to the home of coral reef and more fish than you can imagine. At the complexs bottom level, you can photograph numerous species of tropical fish swimming amongst the natural coral reef. Check the times of the twice-daily feedings as you will have the opportunity to see creatures of all sizes swim into view to meet the courageous diver.

Another part of the offshore facility is the Predator Tank, a 50,000 gallon aquarium housing all of the regions most imposing sea creatures. Gazing into the massive tank, you can expect to see plenty of sharks, moray eels and tarpon. Much like the observatory that is open to the sea, Coral World has scheduled feeding times for the predators throughout the day. Lastly, while you are keeping dry underwater in the sprawling offshore exhibit hall, check out the Caribbean Reef Encounter. In addition to being one of the world’s largest coral reef tanks, this 80,000 gallon aquarium is open to the light at the top, providing a truly unique way to view different types of coral, sponges and tropical fish. For more information refer to Mako sharks

If you are thrilled by the predators of the deep, you can take your obsession one step further at the Shark Encounter. After participating in a lesson about these often misunderstood creatures, you can hop in the Shark Shallows Pool with the guide and swim with over a dozen young lemon, blacktip and nurse sharks. With your mask and snorkel, your guide will allow you to get within two feet of the sharks. Afterwards, guests are invited to touch one of the parks baby nurse sharks.

If you decide you want to get wet out at sea, make a reservation for the parks popular Sea Trek. Supported by an underwater handrail, visitors walk on the bottom of the sea while schools of fish dart through the coral reefs. Sea trekkers are supplied with giant underwater helmets capable of providing oxygen and stability without the weight of a tank. A less-wet but no less eye-opening alternative is the Nautilus semi-submarine, described as half-boat, half-submarine. From the air conditioned interior, you can relax and watch all the bustling activity of the Caribbean through oversized windows.

Within the past year, Coral World Ocean Park also added two new activities a Sea Lion Splash and Lorikeet Garden. The Sea Lion Splash allows visitors to interact and swim with some of the world’s friendliest sea creatures. The Lorikeet Garden is an aviary full of sociable tropical birds. If you saunter the trails of the garden with a cup of nectar, the birds will flutter down and eat from your hand.

Once you have experienced all the sites of the Coral World Ocean Park, walk up the shore to Coki Beach one of the most popular beaches in St. Thomas and a great site for snorkeling. Rental equipment is available at the beach for snorkeling and other water sports. When you are finally done playing in the water, relax on a stretch of sand and plan your next adventure in St. Thomas. If you just can’t get enough of the Coral World Ocean Park, you can always head back the next day and take advantage of free admission for return visitors. Visit Dive with sharks for more information.

Last minute vacations don’t have to be spent in hole-in-the-corner hotels and doing the same things again. With a bit of creativity, an adventurous spirit and resourcefulness, you can enjoy a unique and wonderful last minute vacation without going over-budget. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Choose somewhere near.
Don’t be so hasty in thinking that nothing at home can offer you enjoyment. Sometimes, the best things are right in front us and it’s only their proximity that makes us blind to their beauty.

Vacationing somewhere near also comes with a variety of benefits. For one thing, you won’t have to spend much on transportation. Second thing is, if an emergency occurs at work or home, you can get back right away from there. Last but not the least, making arrangements for your vacation is also easier because you can verify your reservations directly with the source.

Enjoy more quality time at family camps.
There’s always one running any time of the year. The activities involved in a family camp vary so it’s important to find one that can offer entertainment for every member of the family. These camps are a bit costly, but they’re worth every penny because they give your family a chance to get to know each other better and be closer to one another, an experience that not even five-star hotels and the best beach resorts can match.

Get away with a train tour.
Train tours may only be composed of one meal or occupy your entire weekend. During Fridays and Saturdays, train tour companies often offer dinner rides and weekend getaways for guests. Sundays are special; they’re reserved for the family and with respect to the resumption of work and classes on the following days, rides are usually scheduled for breakfast, brunch, or lunch.

Mystery tours are arguably the most popular type of train tour. A mystery tour may take a few hours to an entire weekend. Passengers will have to determine who the murderer is before the last victim dies.

Historical tours are also in the offing. Some train tours, for instance, let you experience a staged coach robbery and maybe a couple of minutes of staged gunfight between cops and robbers.

If you’re lucky and you’re traveling in a group, you can even have the entire train reserved for you. Some may even allow you to attach an additional car and have it served as your private dining hall or ballroom.

With train tours, you don’t have to worry about your travel itinerary because everything will be taken care of for you.

Join another tour.
Train tours are not the only kind of tour you can enjoy at the last minute. If eating for you is an art, there are food tours for you to enjoy. Food tours generally involve visiting different types of restaurants, marketplaces, and other food-related establishments. There are also wine-tasting tours for wine connoisseurs, nature tours for lovers of Mother Nature, and many other types. Use the Internet to find the ideal tour for you.

Rough it out.
Rent an RV and start exploring any of the dozens of national parks in the country. Be one with nature and get up close and personal with creatures you used to see only behind zoo bars.

Take a cruise.
Finally, if living in the lap of luxury is what you’re after then you should take a cruise. There’s always one leaving during the weekend so even if you’re arranging for last minute bookings, there’s sure to be a seat for you!

Lanzarote´s capital city of Arrecife is often left unexplored by the bulk of visitors to the island.  But this bustling and cosmopolitan conurbation has plenty to offer tourists.  Including two historic castles, a great city centre beach, an inland lagoon and the best shopping on the island.

Despite the fact that everyone arriving on flights to Lanzarote has to pass through Arrecife airport very few ever end up discovering the capital city.  Which is in fact located just 3km away.  As they are instantly whisked away to purpose built holiday destinations across the island instead.

But Arrecife is worthy of much greater exploration – boasting a range of attractions that should feature on any visitors’ itinerary.

Arrecife first assumed the mantle of island capital back in 1852 – when the title was passed from the historic inland town of Teguise.  As trade and the importance of a coastal port become of paramount importance to the islands economic development.

Today the capital is home to around half of the island s total population of 127,000 people.  And revolves around the central hub of Calle Leon Y Castillo – which is the commercial and retail heart of the island.

Arrecife has a surprisingly rich history – as the town (as it was then) was attacked on repeated occasions by the likes of Raleigh and Drake.  Resulting in the creation of two imposing fortresses which were designed to protect Arrecife from further incursions.

The Castillo de San Jose is located around 2km from the city centre – past the fishing harbour and ferry port at Porto Naos.  And was constructed during the 18th century. Becoming known locally as the Fortress of Hunger as it was effectively a latter day public works scheme designed to alleviate poverty and hunger on the island.

Today it is – somewhat ironically- home to one of the best restaurants in Lanzarote.  Which is located in the basement of the castle, overlooking the ferry port.  Whilst the rest of the building has been converted into Lanzarote´s very own Museum of International and Contemporary Art.

The other fortification – the Castillo San Gabriel dates back to the 1590´s and is located right in the heart of the city.  Just at the end of Calle Leon Y Castillo.  And now houses a small display of pre-Spanish Guanche artefacts.

Arecife´s other unique edifice of note is the Gran Hotel.  Widely regarded as one of the very best Lanzarote hotels and the only high rise building on the island.  The Arrecife Gran Hotel first opened it´s doors for business in 2004 and provides guests with breathtaking views across the island.

The city of Stirling has appeared throughout the history of Scotland, especially during crucially important times. In and around Stirling has an incredible number of excellent visitor attractions and a mass of of monuments and places to photograph. In article that follows I provide details of three places to visit in Stirling; Stirling Castle, Stirling Old Town Jail and Argyll’s Lodging:

Stirling Castle

Sat 250 feet above the city of Stirling, and surrounded on three sides by shear cliffs is Stirling Castle. The castle is immensely important in Scotland’s history, there have been a number of coronations in the castle, including Mary Queen of Scots’ in 1543. The castle was also witness to an horrific murder in 1452. The eighth Earl of Douglas was victim to James II in 1452. The castle is home to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, even though they are, sadly no longer stationed at the castle. However, the regimental museum of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, is located within the castle.

Stirling Old Town Jail

The Stirling Old Town Jail we see today is not the original jail, for four hundred years, Stirling’s prisoners were secured in the Old Tollbooth Jail. This jail was shockingly overcrowded, and smelled vile, with twenty four prisoners per cell, and no sanitary facilities. The Tollbooth jail was condemned, due to the awful living conditions there, and in 1847 the current jail was opened. Although the jail was classed as a custodial prison, from 1888 to 1935, it was also the only military prison in Scotland. Today the Stirling Old Town Jail is a visitor attraction, and was only restored in the 1990′s. As well as guided tours, there is a glass paneled elevator that rises to a viewing deck at the very top of the jail. From this superb vantage point a person is able to gaze out across the Forth Valley, and soak in the atmosphere of the Highland mountains.

Argyll’s Lodging

Argyll’s Lodging can be found on Castle Wynd, near the middle of Stirling and is Scotland’s finest surviving renaissance house. The house was erected around 1630, by Sir William Alexander, originator of Nova Scotia and Viscount Canada. Sir William Alexander who was appointed Secretary of State for Scotland, and was then appointed the first Earl of Stirling. Argyll’s Lodging became the property of the Argyll family on his death and was further extended by the ninth Earl in 1666. The rooms which include the laigh hall, dining room, drawing room and bed chamber, have all been carefully restored and furnished, as they would have been when the ninth Earl lived there, around 1680.

If you are thinking about a short vacation in Stirling you will discover a large selection of online Stirling guest houses and hotels
and you will discover a huge range at http://stirling.hotelreservationhelper.com/

The mere sound of the name rings bells of adventure, exploration, realization and hunting. Because of the diversity of hunting safari, it offers as much opportunities for hunting fanatics to explore a range of ecological areas that have their own specialties.

Well, it’s hard to imagine how we can exactly describe the purity of Africa. It is safe though to tell you that it is filled with rich resources of plain animals suited for game, predators that follow after their kill, animals grazing on fertile and unspoiled lands and others. For more information visit hunting safari

The game aside, Africa gathers the largest, most dense and extreme concentration of plant species and strange animals that seem to have come directly from the sixth day of the creation. Now going to the bird, at any given time of the year, a single national park can contain an average of 300 to 500 bird species, which make Africa not only a haven of species but also a paradise for naturalists and ornithologists.

The plant and tree species are also diverse that it is impossible to record them all. Some species are as old as several thousand years ago, which again seemed to be the direct link to the Creator. Al these combined (and the mixture of other components), Africa is one big paradise for man and the creations to enjoy. To flourish and to experience the circle of life. The dance that plays with each organism and specie. And the life that sets the balance between the created and the wardens.

As for the hunting safari, Africa boasts the most excellent sites and species that fuel man’s passion for hunting animals in their natural habitats. Though hunting is restricted in some national parks, local governments still assigned African hunting safaris where varieties of games are enjoyed but in accordance with ethical restrictions. Refer to hunting safaris for more information.

Some common hunting safari animals in Africa are: black wildebeest, gemsbuck, red hartebeest, springbuck, waterbuck, bushbuck, zebras, antelopes, eland, steenbuck, rhebuck, impala, blue wildebeest, warthog, kudu and many other species. In African hunting safaris, the most common method used is the rifle hunting. However, although it is popular enough there are still unsettled issues concerning the caliber of the rifle. Please check on the guidelines as suggested by you tour operator.
Next to the rifle hunting is the bow hunting, which for the present is not as customarily used as the rifle hunting. Experts see the future of bow hunting though as the standard to restrict any other issues that must be dealt with the more common form of hunting.

The lion, being one of the big five along with the rhino, buffalo, leopard, and elephant is very much esteemed since it is the king of the jungle. Though safaris are not exactly characterized as jungles in the typical sense, lion country safaris are still very much sought after.

Lions tend to be lazy though. However, it is their instinct to give as much distance away from humans if possible. This is why they are rather hard to hunt than those of the plains games like the antelopes, wildebeests and the likes. So how would one maximize lion country safari game viewing?

For one, you have to know the right season. It is usually the dry season that encourages the congregation of both preys and the predators in common places. These places are normally around the riverbed, water holes and the lakes. If you would not want to take the risk of getting to near with the lions and other wild animals, you may chose to avail small shelters that overlook the spots where animals naturally proceed. Nonetheless, you can maximize the use of your open vehicle.

Summer is not only good because it is when most animals group. This is also the season when vegetation is significantly thinned. Thus, better game viewing. It is strange how the biggest of elephants can camouflage with the thickest grasses but that still is the way that it goes.

Dry season varies depending on the region where you are camping. In the eastern Africa, first dry season occurs between January to March and the second dry season is from July to October. In southern Africa however, dry season extends from May through October. Visit hunting safaris for more information.

After being delayed at an airport for 5 hours recently, it made me wonder, what are the post delayed and most punctual airports in the world.

All data used to build the list below is from Flightstats 2008 data.com site which keeps note of all arrivals and departure times from every airport around the world.

Most delayed departures airports

1. Beijing Capital International, Beijing, China – percentage of on-time departures: 47.86%
2. Manchester Airport, Manchester, UK – percentage of on-time departures: 49.11%
3. Venice Marco Polo Airport, Venice, Italy – percentage of on-time departures: 53.59%
4. Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, Nice, France – percentage of on-time departures: 56.31%
5. Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino, Rome, Italy – percentage of on-time departures; 57.83%

So currently, it doesn’t look very good for Italy, having two of it’s airports in the most delayed list.

Most punctual airports

1. Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan – punctual percentage: 90.0%

Being the worlds fourth largest airport in the world and handling mainly domestic flights, Haneda holds the record for on-time departures at 93.3%, it's on-time arrivals were 87% in 2007, giving it a total score of 90.0%

2. New Tokyo International Airport, Narita, Japan – punctual percentage: 84.2%

This airport is the Haneda’s sister airport and was built to manage most of the international flights in and out of Japan. It has an on-time arrivals score of 82% and an on-time departures rate of 86% giving it an overall grade of 84.2%

3. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei – punctual percentage: 80.3%

Taipei’s airport opened it’s second terminal in 2000 allowing it to handle 22 million customers in 2006. Taoyuan has an on-time departure rate of 82% and an on-time arrivals rate of 78% giving it a total of 80.3% Leaving it very close to the fourth position, Sydney's airport.

4. Kingsford Smith International Airport, Sydney, Austrailia – punctual percentage: 80.1%

Handling over 30 million passengers in 2006, the Kingsford Smith airport is the biggest and oldest airport in all of Australia, and this was where I had my 5 hour delay. It's on-time departure rates are very similar to it's on-time arrivals score. With a on-time departure rate of 79.3% and an on-time rate of 81% giving it an overall total of 80.1%, making it almost tied with the Taoyuan airport.

5. Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong – punctual percentage: 79.7%

This airport is the busiest in Asia and was voted airport of the year in 2007 by UK company Skytrax. It has on-time departures of 81.1% and an on-time arrival rate of 79.3%, giving it a total grade of 79.7%

It looks like Tokyo airports take the crown for most punctual airports, seeing as they pinched the top 2 spots, but overall, it looks like if you want a delay free holiday, you will have to visit Asia.

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Old files have recently been released by the MoD about possible UFO sightings that took place in the past, one of the files released contains information about a UFO sighting outside of Stansted Airport.

Stansted Airport recieved 7 calls from the public after they spotted a strange object in the sky on June 30th 1990 around 2.40am.

One person that saw the object was a member of the RAF and his uncle while they were fishing, why they were fishing at 2.40am is unknown to me, but he described the object as having “an oblong front, lit up with searchlights, flat around the back with two red lights to the rear”, he also said that it had “no engine noise” even though he said that it could have been no more than 200 yards from him.

When the man was questioned by the police about what he saw, he said it was “just sitting there over the top of me, no noise. It sat about 10 minutes, the lights went out and then it disappeared.”, also, “It didn’t shoot off – it just disappeared”.

The member of the RAF was one of the seven who called the airport that night, and he called to see if anything strange had happened, he was informed that he had been the 7th person to phone the airport that night about the possible sighting.

The report about the sighting was handed to the Civil Aviation Authority at Gatwick Airport, but no further action was taken.

This is just one of the files released by the MoD containing information about possible UFO sightings between 1986 and 1992. However, the chairman of British UFO Research Association, Robert Rosamond, has said that he doesn’t believe that any of the files released actually contain any sitings, he said that every one of them could be explained: “Some are everyday like aircraft, military or civilian, or astronomical phenomena like shooting stars,”.

So, are we alone in the universe? or is it just a military aircraft.

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When buying any kind of vehicle you need to ensure it is fully insured with the proper coverage for both the vehicle and liability for the people in it.

With a recreation vehicle, this is extremely important because there is simply more that can go wrong with it, not to mention that on a trip you will typically have more people traveling with you. No doubt you have already committed a significant sum of money to finance your RV, so you don’t want to allow it to be vulnerable to an expensive incident.

When you begin looking for insurance for your RV, you need to seek advice from an insurance company that deals mostly with recreational vehicles or has someone on staff who is very familiar with how they work and what to insure.

For example, an RV has more functional parts and RV supplies than a typical car, such as electrical components, plumbing, and even appliances inside. All these parts must be insured for you to be fully covered. If you neglect to do so, then the out of pocket expenses you eventually pay can be excessive.

You should also cover your recreational vehicle against acts of nature that you could encounter along the way.

Although you may not have to deal with flooding where you live, you may pass through a flood prone area during your trip. So insurance for floods, fires, hurricanes, tornados, and other potential catastrophic events is an important consideration.

Additionally, consider adding towing service to your insurance coverage. Most insurance policies charge extra for towing, but it is not something you should overlook. To tow an RV without coverage can be very costly.

And if you are traveling in a location unfamiliar to you and the need for towing arises, you may have no idea to where you need to be towed, so you have the additional mileage cost risk of being towed to some out-of-the-way garage. Insurance for towing covers the vehicle being picked up both while you are vacation and even if you are home.

Since an RV is like a home (on wheels), you will bring personal belongings that need to be covered in the event of an ugly incident with your RV. Clothes, televisions, and other items that you would normally have in your home should also be insured against RV accidents and theft.

If you spend a significant amount of time in your RV, it really will be worth the investment to be completely insured. Some RV insurance covers you only part time and others cover you year round.

The best option is to pay the extra money for 365-day coverage so you never need to worry about it when you decide to take a spontaneous trip. As you travel roads and various parts of the country, you will enjoy the extra comfort of knowing that if anything with your RV goes wrong, it will all be taken care of and your wallet won’t gag.