Posts from ‘January, 2008’

1.5 million people watch these otters each week

The Vancouver Aquarium in Canada has had a You Tube hit on its hands with 2 of their furry little otters. The video has been You Tube’s biggest animal video for a few weeks now and over 1.5 million people have viewed it each week. It shows a video which was actually taken about five years ago of two otters holding hands and looking very cute. The aquarium is hoping for bumper traffic for people rushing to see this little critters live and hopes that the touching story about Nyac the female, who survived the horrific Exxon Valdez Oil spill will help educate people about the importance of the coastal environment. Read the rest of this entry »

How can I sleep with Hitler watching?

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You have got to wonder about some peoples idea to make a dollar. What would possess you to build a hotel room and have nasty old Adolf Hitler on the wall your hotel room overlooking your bed. It is what nightmares are made of but some guy in Belgrade is trying to make a quick buck. Well if you don’t want to stay in the Hitler room and rightly so how about the George W Bush, Joseph Stalin or even Margaret Thatcher room and have them looking down on you while you are trying to take a nap- well you can- they also feature in other rooms at “Mr President”. The Hitler room is pretty popular, and sadly all the outrage and controversy it has caused has only helped bookings. Dusan Zabunovic the hotelier at Mr President has been quoted as saying that it’s not wrong to have Hitler in museums like Madam Tussauds so he doesn’t think it is wrong to have him featured in his hotel- well many might like to argue, but there’s always a few who will agree. Read the rest of this entry »

Lousy amusement park and dirty old man shop

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We have done a lot of great amusement park stories like Disney, Seaworld and zoos and stuff so we thought it was about time we told you about a really crap one. This one’s called South of the Border and its on US interstate 95 in South Carolina. It’s called South of the Border not because its Mexican like Pedro it’s poncho and sombrero wearing mascot it’s because its just over the border from North Carolina. The attraction if we should call it that features a gas station and road house restaurant, a motel and a small amusement park and some shopping but we will come to that a bit later.

The whole complex is a bit kitsch and tongue in cheek, the owners really must know its bad, and having a bit of fun, everyone does, but they do a pretty good job promoting it for what it is- crap. It is well worth a look if traveling down Interstate 95, but don’t spend the day getting there, there are so many other things to do. And as for the shopping there, well they sell fireworks and adult items- as you would expect- not sure if you could buy guns and liquor there but I’d expect so. For the newly weds they have some lovely hotel rooms too, $99 gets you married, a night in an “heir-conditioned” honeymoon suite champagne and even breaky the next morning for both of you if you are still together, probably good if your trailer park isn’t romantic enough for the big night.

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A giant dome and a mouse for a mascot

Well lets set this up first, we have found a theme park, the mascot is a mouse, the centerpiece of the park is a giant silver dome, there’s attractions representing different countries of the world and plenty of rides and fun for all. Well you have probably guessed where I’m talking of, well you are wrong, its not in the heart of Florida it’s in Germany! Europa Park is a park in Rust which is in the south western part of Germany between Freiburg and Strasbourg. The park is home to nine rollercoasters, some great shows including a very popular gladiator show, a 4d cinema and has a few other familiar attractions like jungle rafts, a Mississippi steamer and even a dwarf city and fairy tale alley. It still sounds a bit familiar doesn’t it, but there’s more- there’s a puppet boat ride, a ghost castle ride, even a pirate boat ride and they have a monorail and a castle too. The park is Europe’s second most popular park, guess what is the most popular, it has a mouse and pretty much most of the above- it’s just outside of Paris.

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The Sydney Opera House

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There is probably not a more recognisable image of Australia than the magnificent sails of the Sydney Opera House, one of the world’s most beautiful and creative buildings. Sitting on the banks of Sydney’s beautiful harbor the Opera House Sydney Opera House recently received World Heritage recognition. It is one of the architectural wonders of the world, designed by Jorn Utzon, the building is truly amazing. The building is going under some extensive redesign with the help of Mr Utzon who after much controversy never had the chance to see the finished building. The building will receive some modernization inside which will also include some original design features which were never built into the building after cost over runs and political involvement. There are always different performances running from opera, jazz, rock, or comedy, ballet or theatre, the theatres are so versatile. But to see the real Opera House a tour is the best idea. Here you can learn about the interesting history of the building and see many of the behinds the scenes things you would never see sitting in the beautiful theatres.

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Bathurst Racing Museum

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As today is Australia Day we thought we would feature a couple of Australian Icons over the next few days. Today’s story is the National Motor Racing Museum at Bathurst. Bathurst is the premier car racing event on the Australian calendar and it is where legends of the track are made. None other than the Peter Brock who’s car is featured on today’s photograph. The vehicle exhibits change regularly and is located next to the mountain’s circuit which is a public road on non race days. The ever changing display at the National Motor Racing Museum showcases an array of motorcycle and vehicles and car racing memorabilia from all over the country, especially featuring the ‘kings of the mountain’ Every October tens of thousands flock to the mountain to cheer on either Ford or Holden in the battle for the best V8 super car.

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Dinosaurs in Dubai

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I’m sure you all remember Jurassic Park where dinosaurs roamed a theme park to the amusement of visitors, well guess what its coming true in Dubai, well nearly. Restless Planet opens later this year and over billion dollars is going to build an amazing theme park with robotic dinosaurs roaming the park. The are going to be nearly 40 different types of dinosaur and they are going to be so technically advanced they will be able to sense visitors and fully interact with them. As well as dinosaurs there will be places for kids to do a fossil dig and the park will double as an entertainment park and also a very useful educational tool. The park will also feature volcanoes and landscapes which were around at the time of the dinosaur. Designers are working closely with the National History Museum in London and the makers of the amazing Walking with Dinosaurs TV show and arena event to pull of this spectacular theme park and ensure it is as real as possible. Restless planet will be the jewel of the huge City of Arabia project which will also feature the worlds largest shopping centre and housing for 35000 people and huge office development. It will basically form a new suburb and be is biggest entertainment development in the world, and is on the blocks next to the Burj Dubai which is now the world’s tallest building out dwarfing anything in the world.

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Butterfly Park in KL

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One of Kuala Lumpur’s most popular attractions is the Butterfly Park, its lush tropical gardens in the heart of the city are home to more than 6000 of the beautiful insects which are made up of over 120 species. The park even features an insect museum where you can see plenty of creepy and crawly creatures. The gardens have quiet a few lovely spots where you can sit back from the hustle and bustle of the city and just watch these tranquil creatures go about their short lives. The best thing about this attraction is it’s free! and if you haven’t had enough of flying things, the bird park is just next door! Read the rest of this entry »

Piranhas -Eat them before they eat you!

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The Piranha is notorious for being a vicious blood thirsty pack hunting fish, and legend tells how they can rip the flesh of man or beast within a few minutes, well in South America the table has turned and now they are becoming hunted by fishermen for their tasty meat. There are now quiet a few tour operators operating out of Manaus in Northern Brazil which have trips to fish for piranha on the mighty Amazon. One popular family run agency we found has a four day hunting expedition deep into the Amazon to catch fish, simply with a bamboo stick with a piece of meat at the end with a hook. Other than fishing there is an amazing experience to be had on the Amazon, with wildlife and plant life like you have never seen. Expect to see monkeys, jaguars, tapirs, reptiles and beautiful birdlife- and lucky travelers sometimes see pink dolphins and even sloths on their journey.

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Knut the polar bear and friends

Knut the Polar Bear has made the Berlin Zoo even more popular and when you see the cute little bugger on this video you will see why he is gorgeous. But the Berlin Zoo is more than just Knut there are a huge variety of fascinating animals to see including monkeys, penguins, kangaroos, ostriches, hippos, tigers, and some pretty weird and mean looking wart hogs among other things. The zoo also features an Aquarium which is ranked as one of the world’s best and includes tropical reefs and even sharks. The Berlin Zoo is right in the heart of the city- near Zoo Station, where else and is a great experience for young and old.

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