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 Brainstorming Party, Where people can brainstorm ideas for Jo and her guidebook |
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| inasia2008 |
 May 7 2008, 11:32 PM
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even better! sounds cool!
what does atm mean? I have seen it a lot on here and I dont even know!
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| inasia2008 |
May 7 2008, 11:33 PM
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A lot of the SK's have VISA info. health and safety, how ti get there, internal/external travel, currency, cuisine info in them! So should be easy enough! LOL!
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| inasia2008 |
May 8 2008, 12:06 AM
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Its okay, just wondered what it meant!
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| inasia2008 |
May 8 2008, 06:45 PM
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I think its all getting a bit confusing now! We have started up so many forums re. this now, and even starting the corresponding one, didn't help too much as I kept forgetting to swap users! Oh well.. may be we can just keep it all here in the Brainstorming forum! I am going to post the Introduction page here and see if anyone wants to add/change it or make some suggestions! Also, I did get a response to my request for email info, which was great!
So far I have articles for NZ, UK (London), Thailand, Bahrain and have work being done on Victoria, Cairns and Melbourne in Oz, also I have the Egypt one I can use. That's all so far! Plus the page below for the Intro!
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| inasia2008 |
May 8 2008, 06:46 PM
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Introduction
Hi, are you planning your next big adventure? Then this is the book for you. This book will give you the best advice and useful tips to help make the most of your travels, and because this information is from local people and real travelers, people who have written about where they live or have actually been there and done that, then you won’t go far wrong!
This book was made possible with the experience of the members of Travelpod, the original online travel guide. This site was originally founded by ***** in ****and their offices are based in Ontario, Canada. They have over 150,000 members on their site with more joining every day.
Going traveling, whether it’s a short break, a family vacation or a big round the world tour, is an exciting, but daunting prospect for a lot of people, and we do our best to take some of the stresses and strains away.
Traveling is meant to be fun and enjoyable and this was the main aim when it was decided to make this book a reality. We found that a lot of guide books out there were written by people who had never even left their office.
There are tips and advice on safety and health issues, accommodation and the best gadgets for the “geeks” out there! We have also enclosed some wonderful photos for you, which were taken by the Travelpod members and with their kind permission, we were able to print then for your enjoyment.
We hope you enjoy this book and it helps to make your trip the best it can be!
Bon Voyage!
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| inasia2008 |
May 8 2008, 07:06 PM
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Yeah sort of! I have to get each one set out as follows I think:-
VISAs
Getting Around
Climate
Accommodation
Restaurants/Bars
Sightseeing
Medical/Safety/Emergency Contacts
Currency
Useful Websites and Tips
Something like this!!!!
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| inasia2008 |
May 8 2008, 07:15 PM
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As many as I can! So anything goes right now!
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| inasia2008 |
May 8 2008, 07:28 PM
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This is a very rough example of how I am going to set stuff out, this is my extract for Bahrain! Its not full edited yet, just giving you ideas!
Bahrain
Bahrain is an archipelago situated in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Salwa in the centre of the Arabian Gulf. Named Dilmun in earlier times, referred to as 'The Pearl of the Gulf'. It has an approximate land area of 106,550 sq. kms and its capital Manama, is located on the largest of its islands which occupies 85 percent of the country's total area.
VISA Information
(TBA)
Getting Around
Driving is the only way to get around in Bahrain, if you don’t drive then you will need to use local taxis. Be warned, these can be a rip-off, especially for the unsuspecting tourists. Local taxis do not have meters in them, so the fare is usually made up the driver. There is a local taxi company, run by *******, called Speedy Taxis, which is fully metered and is extremely efficient.
There is very easy access to other Gulf Countries from Bahrain. You can get to Saudi Arabia by travelling across the Causeway (you do need to take your passport), and also you can fly very easily to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar quite inexpensively also.
Climate
Its climate is moderate by its island nature, with the surrounding sea helping to keep it a little cooler than mainland areas during summer and somewhat warmer during winter.
Rainfall is low and somewhat irregular with most falling during winter months. Summers are hot and dry with humidity. January is the coldest and June the hottest month.
Bahrain's climate is tempered somewhat by its islands nature and the moderating effect of the surrounding sea. Winter temperatures are around 25o to 27o while summers enter the 40s. Humidity is lowest in summer months. Rainfall fluctuates dramatically from less than 20 mm to over 200 mm per year.
Accommodation
There is every major hotel in Bahrain and these can be found in any travel guide, they range from the SAS Radisson to the Ritz Carlton, which has a gorgeous Spa.
Restaurants/Nightlife/Leisure
There is a wide range of restaurants to choose from, from the local cuisine to the more luxurious Blue Elephant (Thai). You will find Chinese, Indian, French you name it!
Night life is plentiful, with a host of clubs, pubs and bars to choose from. You can enjoy a pint at the Irish Bar, Fiddlers Green, located at the SAS Radisson Hotel, or the other Irish Bar is JJ's which has an adjoining nightclub called BJ's. There is also Al Layali (which translates to The Nights in Arabic), located at the Sheraton Hotel. A British pub called The Sherlock Holmes is located at The Gulf Hotel and Riks Kountry Kitchen is the place to go in Juffair (where the American Navy Base is located). The place is an American Bar/Restaurant and is owned by a guy called Rik, who is from Texas. The bar is lively and has live music and is run by a very experienced bar staff with waitress service also.
Golf: There is a gorgeous golf course called Riffa Golf Club, which is well worth a visit for the next budding Tiger!
Horse Riding: Is available at the riding stables in Sar, owned privately, or you can go to the Bahrain Country Club and take lessons there also, the guy there who takes the lessons is a great guy and we had so much fun there with him!
History/Sightseeing
The Amir of Bahrain HH Sheikh Isa bin Sulman Al Khalifa, has been the Prime Minister since December 16, 1961, and is the architect of its modern socio-economic development. The preset governmental infrastructure was defined by two royal decrees, issued on August 14, 1971, Bahrain's Independence Day, when Bahrain reaffirmed its status as a fully independent sovereign state. The current ruler of Bahrain is HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Sulman Al Khalifa.
Bahrain's long history is closely interwoven with the sea and it is therefore not surprising that its traditions have a distinctly maritime flavor, ranging as they do from songs and dances associated with pearling and fishing to the skills of boat building and sailing.
Bahrain is also part of the regional tribal culture involving crafts, stories, poetry, song and dance. Today many of the latter are still practiced on special occasions while practical art forms such as cloth weaving, pottery, and basketry are kept alive, often with various forms of government support. Traditional carpentry is often used to adorn modern buildings while embroidery is highly valued in dress making and for home decorations.
Medical and Safety and Emergency Contacts
There are several major hospitals in Bahrain, the leading one being the Bahrain Specialist Hospital in Juffair. It is very modern and clean and has excellent medical facilities. Other hospitals are the American Mission and *****. There are also walk in doctor surgeries, which are reasonably priced and these are also excellent facility-wise and very clean.
Currency
Bahraini Dinar.
Useful Websites/Tips
Independence Day: August 14.
National Day: December 16.
Religion: Islam.
Language: Arabic (but English very widely spoken)
Capital: Manama.
Time: 3 hours ahead of GMT.
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| inasia2008 |
May 8 2008, 08:33 PM
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Thank you!
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| inasia2008 |
May 8 2008, 08:39 PM
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I think its about time mmb donated an article for Miami! Give him something to do rather than looking up all these facts!!! Not that the facts aren't cool of course...  But it would be a very well written article I think too... |
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