Discover Unhabitated Beaches, Jungle, and Mayan Ruins in Belize

Only its own country for the past 18 years, Belize was known as British Honduras until 1990. Its located just south of the Mexican Yucatan, and though tourism is one its most profitable businesses, travelers aren't as quick to go here as they are to go to better known resorts just north, around Cancun and Tulum.

Here are a couple highlights in and around Belize.

Caye Caulker is one of the most popular islands off the coast of mainland Belize, yet its still extremely easy to get some time to yourself in or around the beautiful coral reefs.

Caye Ambergris is another popular island in Belize, located just north of Caye Caulker. Here you'll find some of the best island nightlife in the country. That is, if you like dancing, live music on sand beaches, and cold cervezas.

For more of an offbeat experience, head up to Orange Walk in Northern Belize or to San Ignacio in Western Belize. Both offer small hotels located in the middle of the Central American jungles. From San Ignacio, you can catch a bus to the Guatemalan towns of Flores and Tikal. You can go to both in a day, or, for a more leisurely trip, reserve three days for this excursion.

Flores is colonial town in the middle of a lake. Tikal has arguably the most impressive Mayan ruins in the region.

If you're into Mayan ruins, also check out the ruins at Xunantunich, located just inside the Belize border with Guatemala.

Picture of Caye Caulker



Picture of Xunantunich



Picture of the Streets in Flores Guatemala, a city located just West of Belize



Picture of a Howler Monkey

Is the Sherlock Holmes Museum Any Good?

Sure, my last name is Holmes, and I've been called Sherlock plenty of times by not-so-funny individuals, but even considering these circumstances, do I want to go to the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London?

Not really.

Wikipedia calls it the most popular museum in London, meaning big lines, not a lot of walking space, and over prices admission tickets.

I'd rather go to a pub in Chelsea.

5 Free Things To Do in Las Vegas

Almost all casinos in Vegas want you in the door. For that reason, they'll offer free entertainment, free drinks, and sometimes spectacular shows for their non-paying customers. Here are 5 of my most-recommended free activities:

Fountains at the Bellagio



Remember those scenes in Ocean's 11? This amazing fountain display shoots water almost 240 feet into the air. That's the equivalent of a 20 story building, and while standing at ground level, it can be spectacular. I'd recommend not robbing a casino first. Unless you're into that.

The Bellagio fountains consist of 1200 nozzles and 4500 lights, and the water display is set to music. Very cool. The show lasts from 5 to 10 minutes, and is played every 15 minutes from 7 pm to midnight every day of the week, plus every 30 minutes from noon till 7 pm on the weekends and from 3 pm to 7 pm on weekdays.

The Lions at the Mirage



Another landmark hotel in Las Vegas has their own tourist display that is free of charge. As soon as you walk into the Mirage, anytime between 11 am and 10 pm, watch lions lounge, play, or feed, in their 5000 square foot home. The Mirage may have a white lion in this habitat as well.

Bellagio Hotel Flower Conservatory




This floral display contains over 1200 types of plants, all pressed together under a 50 foot roof.

This garden is placed in the middle of the Bellagio hotel, so try not to get sidetracked by the sluts, er slots, sprinkled around the lobby while walking here.

Its open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so this could be a nice place for rest and relaxation after an 8 hour blackjack binge.

Masquerade Village Sky Show at the Rio



This Rio style event occurs five times a day at the Rio Hotel and Casino. It consists of many large floats with clowns and acrobats performing all kinds of stunts. There's usually a live band playing as well. Try to get a view from the upper deck to take in all of the festivities.

Rock and Roll Memorabilia at the Hard Rock Cafe



The Hard Rock Cafe is not to be outdone by its equally established name brand casinos. They have all kinds of memorabilia on display to the public, free of charge, including autographed guitars, leather jackets, motorcycles, and underwear. Now THAT's Rock and Roll.

While at the Hard Rock Cafe, try catching a show as well, though that may cost you 20 bucks.

Not enough? Here are some more free things to do in Las Vegas.

Things to Do in Beijing other than Watch People Run around in Circles

The Olympics officially start today, so if you're in Northwest China, and don't feel like watching 200 pound people with muscles on top of muscles jumping into pits of sand, check out these world-renowned sites in and around Beijing

Attraction 1: The Forbidden City




Very much a city within a city, The Forbidden City housed the Chinese Emperors and their entourages for over 500 years. And their entourage would make Vinny Chase look like a knife salesman from Queens in comparison.

Built from 1406 to 1420, The Forbidden City contains 980 buildings currently with over 7000 rooms. It became a world heritage site in the 1987, just before the Chinese communist government trampled and shot the student protester at...

Attraction 2: Tiananmen Square



Student protests against the communist government happened here in 1989. Separated from the Forbidden City by Tiananmen Gate, Tiananmen Square is a must for any recent history buff, though don't expect any tank rides. Well, if you do get yourself a tank, you're either going to jail for a really long time or you go by 007 in some circles.


Attraction 3: The Ming Tombs




The Ming Tombs lie about 50 Miles Northwest of Beijing, so you'll have to find yourself a car rental, and it is definitely worth the trip. These tombs sit on almost 30,000 acres of land, at the foot of Mt. Yan. It includes 13 emporer mauseleums (I'm not really sure what a Mauseleum is), seven tombs for concubines (I know what this is) and one grave for euneuchs (no idea). Overall, their are 13 emporers buried here. Watch your step. Hopefully, none will rise up, reincarnated as Jet Li, with only Brendan Frasier there to defend you.


Attraction 4: The Great Wall of China





About 30 miles northwest of Beijing is one segment of the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall stretches more than 4000 miles, and was built and rebuilt over a span of 2,200 years to keep away those pesky Mongol bandits from the North. During the reign of the Ming Dynasty, the wall was patrolled by as many as 1 Million soldiers, and more than 2 Million workers died building this 'wall'. Almost none of them are buried in the Ming Tombs. That spot is reserved for the more important people - the emporers and their mistresses with little feet.


So, enjoy Beijing. Find out more about this amazing city at the Beijing Travel Guide.

Go Back 800 Years in Dubrovnik, Croatia

With its city walls built between the 13th and 16th Centuries, Dubrovnik Croatia offers a medieval Mediterranean experience, commonly thought to have only been found in Western Europe




Comprised of cathedrals, monasteries, and towers, all packed together between 30 foot walls that touch the Ocean, Dubrovnik Croatia is an Adriatic beauty. Founded in the 8th century, Dubrovnik was protected by the Byzantine Empire for 500 years, though later came under authority of the Venetians, whose capital city, Venice, was another major trading force of the Adriatic.

Dubrovnik was especially vibrant during the European Renaissance, experience peace and economic prosperity for a few hundred years, during which artists and culture flourished.

Though confrontations emerged within its massive walls during the Yugoslavian civil wars in 1991 and 1992, Dubrovnik's timeless architecture and beauty still stand strong today, and is considered by many to be THE jewel of Croatian tourism.

After looking at these pictures. I agree.

Iguacu Falls is Huge

Iguacu Falls, consists of 275 waterfalls, and sits on the Iguacu River between Brazil and Argentina.



Rumor has it that the waterfalls were created when a native woman named Naipi fled an arranged marriage with a God. The God then created the waterfalls in his anguish, kind of like a modern day person with anger problems bunching a dorm room wall.

Iguacu Falls was featured in Miami Vice as well as the latest Indiana Jones movie. It is not quite as wide as Victoria Falls in Africa, but still wider than Niagara Falls. Take that Buffalo, NY.







To visit this surreal waterfall, check out Macuco Boat Safaris

Busiest Airports in the World in Q1 2008

This data is from January through March, 2008. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta is now the busiest airport in the world.

Next on the list? Tokyo, Chicago, London, LA, Dallas, Paris, Denver, and then Madrid.

Before seeing this list for myself, my guesses were Denver, Chicago, and London. If NY's airports weren't such a headache, I'd think they'd be on the list as well, but apparently, those folks still can scale their airport.

Here's the full report from wikipedia.

The Beijing National Stadium is Magnificent

completed in March 2008, Beijing National Stadium will host the primary track and field events of the 2008 Summer Olympics.






The stadium was designed by dutch architecture firm Herzog and de Meuron with collaboration from ArupSport and Chinese design and research group. By collaborating with ArupSport, the design of this magnificent building will not be completely credited to the Dutch.

The stadium has capacity for 91,000 people.

Check out the Beijing Travel Swicki for more information on things to do in Beijing, such as visiting the Forbidden City or Tianenman Square. Following the Olympics, I wouldn't be surprised if Beijing became a predominant tourist destination, not just in Asia, but in the entire world.

The Great Barrier Reef Spans almost 350,000 Square Kilometers

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of more than 2900 coral reefs and more than 900 individual islands




Nestled in the Northeast of Queensland, Australia, some 2 million tourists come to the Great Barrier Reef every year. In 2005, it was estimated that this tourism generated 5.1 Billion Australian dollars, up from 4 Billion Australian dollars in 2003.



By far, the most popular vacation activities here are diving and snorkeling, but if you find yourself here on a not-so-sunny afternoon, try glass bottom boats, underwater observatories, or helicopter flights. Judging by the above picture, a helicopter flight may be the best way to take in the magnitude of this coral paradise.






There are also 1500 species of fish living here. Keep an eye out for Yellow Faced Angelfishes, Fusiliers, or Tiger Sharks.

Happy swimming.

Tahoe Boat Rentals and Bar BQs

Tahoe City, located in North Lake Tahoe, 3 hours drive from San Francisco, serves up both extreme water sports and a relaxed and serene vibe



Living and vacationing in Tahoe California isn't a thing to do, its a lifestyle. Live there for a year plus, and you may even be emblemized via a black and white photo, artistically personifying the collective mindset of the thousands of people that vacation/live within the hundreds of thousands of square miles of state forest and clear, green blue water that makes up the region.

Snow run off creates the clearest lakes in the United States at altitudes of 5,000-10,000 feet. This creates semi-deserted paradises, where one can lounge/swim with few onlookers.





To do more than just lounge, check out Cope and McPhetress Marina in Tahoe City, which offers boat and jet ski rentals on Lake Tahoe. You can then Bar BQ on the nearby beaches and grassy knolls. Not too shabby of a lifestyle after all.

Mayan Ruins at Sunrise

Found these pictures at the BACAdventures Blog. Beutiful Mayan ruins at sunrise, with the tops of the structures just showing above the tops of the clouds. Where are Mayan ruins? They're all over the Yucatan Penninsula in South/Eastern Mexico. Yes, near Cancun. But check out Tulum for a more adventurous/exciting/offbeat vacation.

Bazaruto National Park

Bazaruto National Park, located off of the coast of Mozambique, is made up of 5 partially deserted tropical islands.




For the 95% of people looking for deserted white tropical beaches, be sure to check out Bazaruto National Park, an archipelago made up of 5 islands off the coast of Mozambique. People come here for the ocean life, so don't expect cheetahs, lions, and giraffes here, just because its technically part of Africa. You'll have to go across the water into mainland Mozambique for a snapshot of African Animals. Here are some more pics. Looks likes the kind of place Brad and Angelina would go, before and after doing their civic duty of adopting 8+ kids from small villages.

Random fact that isn't true: Maasai Warriors used to come to this national park as a form of entertainment. OK, this is a bit of a stretch, but can you imagine?

Largest Swimming Pool in the World

The San Alfonso Del Mar, located on the Coast of Chile, in South America is the world's largest man-made pool




I recently stumbled this story about the largest swimming pool in the world.

Clocking in at 1,000 yards and 20 acres, it definitely looks more like mid-sized lake than a swimming pool. More stats? It took 5 years to build, and it costs 2 million dollars per year to maintain. This is a swimming pool we're talking about. A whole in the ground with water in it. Since when did people start needing to drive motorboats and sail catamarans in chlorinated bodies of water?

If you want to do either of those things, head to this lake, er pool off the coast of Chile. You shouldn't be disappointed.

If for whatever reason, the million plus people needed to fill this pool have created an over-booking, you can also check out the Big Splash in Morocco, the world's second biggest pool.

Here are some more pics of Lake Huron, er the San Alfonso Del Mar: