Travel and holiday guide

There's no better way to feel at one with nature than by peeing in an African bush while wildebeest graze in front of you.

In the Mara I was paired up with a lady from England named Cathy.  She had been on safari a few times before, loved birds and was thirsty for knowledge.  Meaning, she was great to travel with since she opened my mind up to a number of new observations.

At one point her thirst produced a question I wouldn't have otherwise asked in my desire to know more.  We had been talking to our guide, Joseph, who is Maasai.  We asked him of his culture; how old he believed it was.  He stated that he, and other tribesmen, believe the tribe is thousands of years old, having traveled south from Mt. Sinai.  It had me thinking, and when I made mention of the 12 tribes of Israel, he said it is believed that the name Maasai is derived from Manasseh, Joseph's son. He stated that non-tribesmen believe his tribe originated from somewhere in the Sudan.

He spoke of how most men have more than one wife.  He is the oldest of his father's sons, being a child of his father's first wife.  There are five.  When he was a child, the Kenyan government mandated all Maasai tribesmen to send one child to school. Joseph was sent because he was the only one of age.  Most fathers send the least favored child to school, that child is generally born from the least favored wife.  The seemingly harsh infliction is a huge blessing for the unpopular son.  In the end, that son turns into a great blessing for his father and rest of the family as well, since he is the means of financial support for them.

When Joseph was around 14 or 15, the age at which most men in his tribe reach adulthood, the government placed a ban on killing wild game.  Until that time, teenage boys, to prove their manhood, would spear a lion. The boy who's spear first pierced the animal would be honored and allowed to wear the lion's mane around his neck. Now there is no ritual accompanying their circumcision into adulthood.

It was upon hearing that which caused Cathy to pose the question I wouldn't have otherwise asked. "What about female circumcision?," she inquired.  He explained that after a girl's first menstruation, she too is circumcised. Before Cathy's question, I tried feigning ignorance.  Although I had heard it common in Africa, it still left a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I couldn't help myself at that point, I had to ask, even though it wasn't my place.  "Joseph," I said, "will you circumcise your daughter?"  He responded that he didn't want to, but unless tradition changed by then he would have to, since it's hard to find a man who will marry an uncircumcised woman.

As saddening as it to see an ancient culture desintegrate, Joseph saying most people doubt the Maasai will be around in 100 years, it is wonderful to know that modern day knowledge is being brought into the tribe, and the end of barbaric and brutal practices is in sight.

Lying in the heart of Europe... Austria occupies an area of 83,854 square kilometres and is home to over 8 million people. The Alps make up the southern and western parts of the country and peak at the Grossglockner summit.
The powerful Habsburg family ruled Austria from 1278 right up until World War I. Under this dynasty Austria became one of the most dominant political forces in central Europe. The country attracted countless European composers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Beethoven, Brahms, Hayden, Mozart, Schubert and the Strausses all came to Austria at some stage in their careers. Today, this rich musical heritage lives on in the form of the Vienna Philharmonic, the unrivalled Vienna Boys’ Choir, the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus.




The most dramatic Alpine scenery is found west of Graz and Linz in the Tirol. The capital of this breathtaking region is Innsbruck and it makes a great base for exploration.
Winter sports like skiing and snowboarding, the plentiful hiking trails and the opportunity for romantic cruising on the Danube make Austria a year-round holiday paradise. The cities of Salzburg and Vienna are also well worth a visit. Straddling the Salzach river between Innsbruck and Vienna, Salzburg is Austria’s most picturesque city. Vienna, Austria’s capital city, bears the legacy of the 600-year Hapsburg dynasty. Bursting with architectural gems, it boasts an unparalleled musical ancestry.

Top Austrian Destinations Guide

Salzburg
Salzburg is known as the "Rome of the North" because of the sheer number of churches. A compact city, it is packed full of attractions, and should be an essential part of any visit to Austria. Attractions include the Mirabell Palace whose gardens featured in The Sound of Music; the Hohensalzburg, a beautiful white fortress overlooking the city; the Carolino Augusteum Museum; and the High Altar at Franziskanerkirche. Salzburg is also the birthplace of Mozart. Visit the Mozarteum - the college of music where Mozart composed "The Magic Flute."

The Hohe Tauern National Park
The Hohe Tauern National Park is one of the last great wilderness areas in Europe. The area has been immaculately preserved and showcases nature at its best. Taking up an area of more than 1,000 sq.km, it lies at the foot of Austria's highest mountains.The park offers plenty of activities including more than 450km of ski and snowboard slopes and a vast network of nature trails.

The Museum of the Future (Ars Electronica), Linz
Prepare to be visually stunned with five levels of 21st-century technological wizardry. The museum aims to ‘ facilitate and implement the harmonious collaboration of art, technology and society’ and it is this collaboration that is so fascinating.

Eisriesenwelt Caves
First discovered in 1879 by Anton Posselt, the Eisriesenwelt Caves are the largest ice caves in the world. On a tour of the caves you will be given a carbide lamp to guide yourself though the passage. The caves are decorated with all kinds of ice formations including gigantic columns and towers, waterfalls and glaciers. The cave remains frozen throughout the year and even in summer the temperature remains at around 1 degree centigrade

The Benedictine Abbey, Admount
The Benedictine Abbey was founded in 1074 by Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg. The Abbey was destroyed by fire in 1865, the world-famous Baroque library was untouched.

Gurk Cathedral was founded by the Benedictine order in the 11th century and is regarded as the most outstanding example of Romanesque architecture in Austria.

The Grossglockner Alpine Road
Since 1935 the Grossglockner Alpine Road has played host to more than 50 million visitors. It is the most famous of all alpine roads and terminates at the highest mountain and the largest glacier in Austria, the Grossglockner (3798m). Driving up the Grossglockner Alpine Road is an experience not to be missed, just sit back, relax and enjoy spectacular views.

Vienna - Top Attractions
The Spanish Riding School of Vienna has been cultivating the art of equitation in its purest form for more than 400 years. It trains both horses and riders according to centuries-old methods. The Lipizzans and dressage have become synonymous with the school and you can see them both at any of the shows or special events held here.

The Austrian National library is the oldest in the world. The palatial room with its mesmerizing ceiling paintings by Daniel Gran is regarded as one of the most beautiful library rooms in the world.


The Belvedere palaces were built for Prince Eugene of Savoy. The Palaces’ architecture and interior design are in the Rococo style. They now house two museums which offer an excellent and comprehensive survey of Austrian art from the middle ages to the present day.

Built in 1279, the Hofburg Imperial Palace bears testament to the wealth and power of the Hapsburgs. It was home to Austria’s ruling family until 1918. Today, the Imperial Palace houses the offices of the Austrian president, an international convention centre, the chapel where the Vienna Boys' Choir perform, the hall where the Spanish Riding School Lipizzan stallions perform as well as various official and private apartments and several museums and state rooms which are open to the public.

The enormous and elegant Schönbrunn Palace is one of Vienna's top attractions. Originally the 1,440-room summer palace of the Habsburgs, it was designed by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and completed in 1711. Forty of the 1440 rooms are open to the public. The interior is designed in the classic Rococo style of the 18th century with lots of red, white and gold. There are beautiful formal gardens surrounding the palace.

The Vienna Natural History Museum is based in a handsome neo-Renaissance building near the Museum of Fine Arts. This museum has important collections of early Stone Age exhibits. The most famous display at the museum is a Stone-Age body called "Venus of Willendorf," whose unearthing in 1906 confirms Vienna’s ancient origins.

Of all European countries, Italy is perhaps the hardest to classify. It is a modern, industrialized nation. It is the harbinger of style, its designers leading the way with each season's fashions

If there is a single national characteristic, it's to embrace life to the full: in the hundreds of local festivals taking place across the country on any given day, to celebrate a saint or the local harvest; in the importance placed on good food; in the obsession with clothes and image; and above all in the daily domestic ritual of the collective evening stroll - a sociable affair celebrated by young and old alike in every town and village across the country.

Italians often feel more loyalty to their region than the nation as a whole. Italy breaks down into twenty regions, which in turn divide into different provinces. Some of these regional boundaries reflect long-standing historic borders, like Tuscany, Lombardy or the Veneto

The north is one of the most advanced industrial societies in the world, its people speak Italian with the cadences of France or Germany and its "capital", Milan, is a thoroughly European city. The south , derogatively known as il mezzogiorno , begins somewhere between Rome and Naples, and is by contrast one of the most economically depressed areas in Europe.

The economic backwardness of the south is partly the result of the historical neglect to which it was subjected by various foreign occupiers. But it is also the result of the deliberate policy of politicians and corporate heads to industrialize the north while preserving the underdeveloped south as a convenient reservoir of labour. Italy's industrial power and dynamism, based in the north, was built on the back of exploited southerners who emigrated to the northern industrial cities of Turin, Milan and Genoa in their millions during the Fifties and Sixties.




Rome

The Italian capital attracts around 20 million visitors a year, lured by its culture, rich sense of history and status as one of the world's most intriguing cities. Rome is unique because past and present are indelibly linked. The city's history isn't packed away in a museum; it's visible everywhere you look, living and breathing in the here and now.Italy Holiday Guide

It's hard not to be impressed when a city's vistas take in over two thousand years of achievements, and this is evident in some of Rome's most popular tourist attractions. Visit the Pantheon and the iconic Colosseum, neither of which need much explanation. A visit to Vatican City - home to new Pope Benedict XVI - will take in the amazing St Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel (home of Michelangelo's masterpiece) and St Peter's Square.

Finally, no visit to Rome would be complete without a visit to the Trevi fountain, the world's coolest wishing well. Throw one coin over your shoulder into the Trevi and you are destined to return to city once again.

Venice

All the postcards in the world cannot prepare you for your first view of Venice, surely in contention for the title of World's Most Beautiful City. The city is built on 117 small islands, with 150 canals and over 400 bridges linking them all together. Cars can't traverse the city's watery streets, so to see the sights you're either walking or navigating Venice's waterways by water taxi or the celebrated gondolas.

Wind your way up the Grand Canal, past bridges and ornate canal-side homes; sip espresso in famous St Mark's Square (if you can afford it and don't mind sharing your table with a few pigeons!); sip a Bellini in the cocktail's birthplace, Harry's Bar; or visit the late Peggy Guggenheim's impressive collection of modern art.

It can cost a lot to visit somewhere this good-looking. Restaurants and accommodation are the most expensive in Italy, and a ride in a traditional Venetian gondola can set you back €62 for less than an hour's ride. But is the expense worth it? We say, most definitely.

Florence

This beautiful city in the heart of Tuscany still emanates all the artistic wonder so prevalent here several centuries ago. It was of course the home of the Renaissance, of Machiavelli and Michelangelo, and it seems Florence is still intriguing and inspiring its visitors today.

The famous Uffizi Gallery is a mecca for art lovers, holding Botticelli's Birth of Venus and works by Rembrandt, Raphael, Titian and Caravaggio in what was Europe's first modern museum. Amble onwards to the Santa Croce, a church which holds the skeletons of some of Renaissance-era Florence's most prominent names. The duomo, or dome, which sits atop Florence's cathedral is the most recognised symbol of the city. Then of course there's the world's most famous statue, Michelangelo's David, carved out of one large piece of marble and able to be viewed at the Galleria dell'Accademia.

And for those who prefer something a bit more modern, visit the Galleria Poggiali e Forconi, an exhibition gallery dedicated to contemporary artists like Enzo Cucchi, Luca Pignatelli and Gilberto Zorio.

For non-art lovers, have a wander around the city's craft shops where you'll be able to pick up leather goods and silver ornaments and jewellery at bargain prices.

Sorrento

Sorrento is a picture-perfect Italian tourist town balanced on the high cliffs overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. It's a beautiful resort style town, handily close to the nearby island of Capri, and a short albeit hairy drive away from the beautiful Amalfi Coast.

If you can bear to leave your people-watching spot at one of the city's elegant cafes, take a stroll around the town's piazzas and up to the hills for spectacular views; or shop for Sorrento specialties like clothing, embroidery and furniture; or hire a boat or eat your fill of fresh seafood. Whatever activity you choose, it's exremely difficult not to find la dolce vita in this part of the world.

Safari Destinations Guide lets you see two of the most famous reserves in Kenya, the world renown Masai Mara with its superb wildlife and Lake Nakuru, famous for its huge flock of flamingos.

The joy of camping in Kenya is that it allows you to get off the beaten track and experience the wilderness. In the Masai Mara you will stay at a semi-permanent camp where everything is ready when you arrive. At Nakuru you stay at a local hotel because there are no camping facilities in the park.

The Swahili word "safari" means journey and over the years Kenya has become one of the most popular destinations for such a trip. Justifiably so, boasting diverse and beautiful landscapes and the most diverse collection of wild animals on the continent. Situated on Africa’s east coast, Kenya straddles the equator and its eastern coast is lapped by the Indian Ocean. The Rift Valley and central highlands form the backbone of the country, and this is where Kenya’s scenery is at its most spectacular.



A short safari to the South of Kenya, visiting Amboseli with its excellent views of Kilimanjaro, and Tsavo West National Park. The safari ends in Mombasa from where you transfer to your hotel for a relaxing stay on the shores of the Indian Ocean.
You will stay in some of the best available lodges, situated in beautiful locations to give views out over the Savannah or surrounding countryside. Often you have the luxury of game viewing from the comfort of the lodges outdoor lounges while enjoying a cool drink. All lodges provide en-suite facilities and many have small swimming pools. Comfortable minibuses with guaranteed window seats are used on all trips and they are equipped with large roof hatches to ensure perfect game viewing and photographic conditions.




Western Kenya takes in the fertile fringes of Lake Victoria and some prime game parks. The vast, arid north-eastern region is where Kenya is at its wildest and in places almost untouched by the modern world. Kenya’s flora and fauna defies easy description. The vast plains of the south are dotted with flat-topped acacia trees, thorn bushes and the distinctive bottle-shaped Baobab tree. On the rarified slopes of Mt Elgon and Mt Kenya, bamboo forests sprout and even higher up is the bizarre groundsel tree, with its huge cabbage-like flowers, and giant lobelias with long spikes. If you are more into fur and feathers, then head for the teeming game parks. Lions, buffalos, leopards, elephants and rhinos all cavort openly in at least two of the major parks. Endangered animals such as the black rhino are slowly making a comeback and sanctuaries for these creatures can be visited in Tsavo and Lake Nakuru national parks.