Sharing Travel Tales from Around the World

Having recently returned from an eleven day vacation to Puerto Vallarta, I have nothing but positive things to say about the plenitude of things to see and do there. That being said, sometimes the busyness of this popular resort mecca can get a little overwhelming, particularly if you are the sort of person that likes to get away from the crowds and the bustle of city life and enjoy the relative peace and quiet of the forest.
After a few days of shopping, crowded beaches, and about fifty lengths of the Malecon I was ready for an escape into nature, so I took to the internet to see if there were any local trails worth exploring. The first recommendation I stumbled across was a “hike” up …

By: Susan Gerle

Back in 2002 I made my first visit to China. One of the ah-huh moments, besides standing on the Great Wall and shopping in Shanghai, was to see an exact replica of the White House. A multi-millionaire had it constructed it in the middle of nowhere and back then it was being designated as a private school.
Ten years later I am back in China and getting a further understanding of the country. Even though Hong Kong is a beautiful, progressive city, it is still trying to grasp the idea of being itself. It still hasn’t embraced its own identity but continues to copy the USA. It’s too bad because it is such a beautiful place and …

It’s always exciting traveling to a new destination. The opportunity to explore a new city and experience the local culture is always a rush. However, after that initial burst of wonder fades inevitably one of the first questions on our lips is: Where are we going to eat?
One of the best parts of any vacation is having the opportunity to sample the local cuisine. The culinary art varies widely from region to region and patronizing local eateries – rather than eschewing them for familiar American chain restaurants – is something every traveler, no matter how unsophisticated their palette, should do.
Okay, so you’ve made the decision to skip the Outback Steakhouse and try a strange new restaurant. New problem: Which one? One of the reasons many …

You can often feel like Venice’s alleys and canals can’t contain the volume of tourists that visit every day. Tourism is the city’s main industry, and all those businesses chasing the tourist euro can obscure opportunities for more ‘real’ experiences: all too often you can end up eating pizza at a restaurant with a laminated menu in English, or paying upwards of €80 for a not-so-romantic gondola ride.
Strangely enough, finding the free stuff can often lead to doing more enjoyable and ‘authentic’ things. Without handing over your cash, you can purely enjoy the amazing sights and experiences that Venetians take for granted every day. If you check in to a cheap hotel in Venice, you’ll also manage to save.
Check out our ten …

Photo by: Paula Wallis
Vancouver at night is a photographers dream; with loads of lit up
highrises and calm inlets for reflective beauty. This shot was taken
from the Olympic Village on False Creek, looking toward the city
center. Off to right of the shot you can just see Vancouver’s revamped
BC Place peeking into the scene.
Copyright:
This photo is being published on Globetales.com with the permission of Paula Wallis. All copyrights to this work are retained by Paula Wallis. Downloading of this photo for personal use or for distribution purposes without the express written permission of the copyright holder is prohibited.
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