Celebrate Saint Nicholas Day In Curacao

Each December in the ABC Islands - Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao - locals and tourists celebrate the traditional Dutch holiday known as Saint Nicholas Day. Throughout the weeks leading up to the feast day on December 5, Sinterklaas - the Dutch precursor to the American Santa Claus - makes appearances throughout the islands and distributes gifts. Much like the Christmas season in America, the weeks surrounding Saint Nicholas Day are a very exciting time for Curacao and her sister islands. When you visit Curacao this year, add a little fun to your vacation by participating in some of the traditions of this special holiday.

As the character known as Sinterklaas appears each year to celebrate the feast day of Saint Nicholas, the fictional character of Dutch custom certainly bears a resemblance to the venerated saint. Saint Nicholas was actually the bishop of Myra, a city in what is now Turkey, in the 4th century. In the Catholic Church, Nicholas came to be the patron saint of children as a result of numerous stories claiming that the bishop had saved many children from lives of destitution, some from death. Today, Sinterklaas appears in Europe and the Caribbean wearing the traditional red cloak and mitre (pointed hat) of Catholic bishops. He carries a gold staff known as a crosier and keeps a large book with the names of each child under his arm, complete with designations on who has been naughty or nice (zoet or stout in Dutch tradition). As the American version of Santa Claus is based in large part on this Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas is also known for his great white beard.

Much as Santa Claus relies on the assistance of his elves to deliver gifts to all the world's children, Sinterklaas employs a number of helpers known as Zwarte Pieten. Known for their black faces and colorful 16th century clothing, the Zwarte Pieten actually found their beginnings in a Middle Ages tale about the devil. The original legend stated that on the eve of Saint Nicholas' feast day the devil was enslaved, evil was overcome and Zwarte Piet (Black Peter) came to serve Saint Nicholas. In recent centuries, the legend came to state that the Zwarte Pieten's faces are black with soot from sliding down chimneys to deliver gifts. Within the last few years, efforts have been made to incorporate helpers with different colored faces into the legend, explained by Sinterklaas passing through a rainbow in his boat. In Curacao, keep your eye out for these playful helpers during the holiday and you may be rewarded with a special treat.

Dutch tradition always held that Sinterklaas sailed each year from Spain and was greeted with great fanfare upon his arrival. In Curacao, this tradition remains intact and represents one of the island's most exciting events for locals and tourists alike. A few weeks before the feast day, Sinterklaas will make his scheduled arrival to the island. Immediately afterwards, Sinterklaas and his helpers lead a parade through the streets, handing out treats along the way. In the weeks leading up to Saint Nicholas Day, Sinterklaas can be seen throughout Curacao in shopping centers and resorts, interacting with excited children and curious adults. As a result of the holiday, many resorts and tourist destinations feature special events during the season and tourists are always encouraged to participate.

If you visit Curacao with your family during this holiday season, you can also participate in the gift giving traditions of Saint Nicholas Day. While Sinterklaas is in Curacao, it is customary for children to leave their shoes near the chimney or front door each night. Current holiday tradition still holds that Sinterklaas and his helpers make a flight each night and drop candy and other small gifts down each chimney into the shoes. You can also celebrate the feast day of St. Nicholas by creating either a "present evening" on the eve of the holiday or receiving gifts from Sinterklaas on the following morning.

In Dutch tradition, families often hear a knock at the door and find a sack of presents outside for the whole family. If you are staying at a resort in Curacao during the holiday, the resort staff will be able to help you celebrate this traditional holiday with your family. As Saint Nicholas Day falls in the heart of Curacao's tourism season, there isn't a better time to visit the island. During your time in Curacao, join in on the celebration and add a little Old World tradition to your Caribbean holiday.

Places in the West side of Puerto Rico

Places in the West side of Puerto Rico are some how the places that you will find more relaxing and the ones that you will learn more about them since is not a place where you are going to have that many tourist. These places are known as adventure and more relaxing places since you can find some of the best beaches in the West Side of Puerto Rico also you can find some nice restaurants and < href="http://www.nuestro-puerto-rico.com/Hoteles-de-Puerto-Rico.html">hotels that you will be amaze with the prices and the services that they give you for that price. Since I said before this are not tourist places so this means that the prices are not going to be that high and since there's not that many people in the restaurants or hotels you get a better service.

The west side of the island is not that far from the city of San Juan, you can get a car or taxi and be there from San Juan in about 1 hour to 2 hours depending on the traffic. Other than beaches, hotels and restaurant you can find some interesting places like the Radar in Arecibo. This is a Radar that it's been in a lot of movies because is one of the biggest one around. I know is not easy to say well lets go to Puerto Rico for vacation and spend all the time that we need to see the whole island because I know that is almost impossible to happen since you cant have that many days at work also is hard to only every time you go on Vacation go to Puerto Rico because I know you might want to see other countries or states too. The only advice I can give you is that make sure that you plan and organize you trip to Puerto Rico the best you can since is a place that you can't go that many times because the money and time. The only thing I can say is that once you decide to go to the island I know and suggest you to do your homework so you can get the best out of Puerto Rico on your vacation.

I will recommend you to go to Puerto Rico if you haven't because you will love Puerto Rico La Isla del Encanto for all the qualities and good things that you can find there. I would like to finish saying that im proud to be born in Puerto Rico.

Discount Airfares To Australia: How To Get Low-Cost Tickets

Australia has always been a popular destination for tourists from all over the globe. But in recent years, the tourism industry has risen tremendously. A lot of the credit for this goes to the Summer Olympics that were held in Sydney in 2000. Since then, tourism revenues in Australia reach an impressive $10 billion each year.

So what makes Australia such a popular tourist destination?

Most of the tourists head to Australia to experience the world-famous Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, see the wildlife in the Kakadu National Park, and take a peek at the architectural splendor of the Sydney Opera House. Outdoor enthusiasts also enjoy the surfing at the famous beaches of Brisbane, Sydney and Cairns.

Many people wrongly assume that a visit to Australia is only meant for the more affluent traveler, as transportation expenses can be quite high. While this is generally true, there are also discount airfares to Australia that make it possible for practically anyone to visit this beautiful country - you just have to know where and how to look.

There are actually many places where you can avail of discount airfares to Australia. The most common is the Internet. In this age of technology, you can get almost anything you need just by a few clicks of the mouse. This includes discount airfares to Australia as well.

Tens of thousands of websites offer discount airfares to Australia. You have to be very discriminating in choosing which website you want to buy your tickets from. Many websites actually have scheming companies behind them who are using false advertising to lure customers into their traps. Most of the time, they are not displaying the real deal on their web pages.

In order to avoid being victimized by these companies, it is highly important to read all the fine print on the websites before submitting your credit card information to them to buy your discount airfares to Australia.

Another option is to go directly to the airline companies. They also offer discount airfares to Australia and other places in the world, but the savings you will get might be lower than if you purchased your tickets from a discount website.

Of course, if you want to stay away from all the hassles of preparing your trip, you can just pay a travel agent to do all the hard work for you. With most travel agencies, you can be assured that they will be able to find you great deals on discount airfares to Australia. All you have to do is unwind, relax, and dream of the fun time you will have down under.

Planning a trip to Egypt

In my capacity as the UK Director of Operations for One World Tours Limited, I am often asked all kinds of travel questions. With that in mind I have put together some things that you might like to consider on a trip to Egypt. 1 Flights â€" obviously this will depend upon where you are coming in from, but Egypt is served by numerous airlines from all over the world and there are international airports in Cairo, Luxor, Hurghada, Sharm el Sheikh and to a lesser degree, Alexandria). North American clients have the choice to fly direct by Egypt Air or via a number of airports in Europe, such as London, Paris, Rome etc using a whole list of International Carriers such as BA, Air France, Air Canada, Alitalia etc.

2 Visas â€" For most major nationalities obtaining a visa to visit Egypt is very easy indeed and in the case of residents of the US, Canada, Australia, EU etc, you will actually be able to get your visa on arrival. You do not need any extra paperwork, photos etc. its just a two minute process at the airport and you are set.

3 Accommodation. Hotels in Egypt are generally of a slightly lower standard that western cities, but this having been said, the yare much cheaper and therefore even if you are working on a budget, you will still be able to get a comfortable hotel for the night and not break the bank. The hotels are available in 1,2,3,4 and 5 star categories but also include 5 star deluxe. These include hotels like the Four Seasons in Cairo, The Cataract Hotel in Aswan and the Old Winter Palace in Luxor. For those of you who cannot run to this sort of expense, then we suggest visiting the Old Winter Palace in Luxor, where you can take in afternoon tea as a guest but without out the shock to your wallet !

4 Tours / Getting around â€" Egypt is a bit of a minefield for getting around. If you do go independently, you will get lots of misleading / mis information, mainly aimed at getting you to take up the services of local guides. Theres nothing actually wrong with this system and almost all of the guides are fine, it just means that your trip is likely to come with a few more hassles and arguments then you may ultimately want. I would suggest booking your tours in advance. That way you will be met at the airport and from then on, each morning you’ll be picked up from your hotel for your days touring and you will not be faced with what otherwise can be very daunting tasks such as buying entry tickets. Something that should in fact be very easy, but is not when you are alone and being told, the place is closed or that you need a special permit etc. Having a guide with you to tell the locals your are spoken for, is worth its weight in gold.

5 What to take â€" Finally, here are a few things you may or nay not have thought of. Electric. You’ll need an adapter for electrical items / laptops, phone chargers etc as Egypt has European type 2 pin sockets and also runs similar currency. For currency, you can only take in 1,000 LE or Egyptian pounds, however, Australian Dollars, British Sterling, American and Canadian Dollars and travellers cheques are all gladly accepted and all major credits cards are of course taken and there are plenty of ATMs too, so you’ll have no problems is obtaining cash to spend on all those souvenirs. Last of all â€" take pens. Pens are like currency to children. They loves them. So take a boxof 50 pens with you and give them out whenever you can. Do this subtly though as if you took a whole box out and tried to hand them out, you would have a good natured riot on your hands, this is just how popular pens are with Egyptian youngsters

Have great holiday or vacation in Egypt