Posts under ‘Must see’

Ever wanted to come face to face with one of the worlds most feared creatures in its natural habitat, well Australia’s Kakaudu is the place. Imagine taking a majestic cruise up the South Alligator River and watch salt water crocodiles glide by. The Yellow Water Bilabong is the place at the end of Jim Jim Creek not far from Jabaru. Experienced guides point out some of the spectacular scenery and magnificent wildlife from canopied cruise boats. Kakadu is home to not only crocodiles but nearly a third of Australia’s bird species including magpie geese, eagles and the magnificent Jaburu stork. At the begining of the cruise to satisfy safety regulations the crew explain the important rules for an emergency including where the life jackets are kept, only a brave person would want to use them in this croc infested area.

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Donkey Kong is one of the most loved of the video games and has survived over quarter of a century. Today the game is celebrated in a huge display at Berlin’s Computer Game Museum or computerspielemuseum. The huge scaffolding covers the front of the museum’s facade complete with barrels, ladders and of course everyone’s favorite ape Donkey Kong.
The museum itself is an amazing display of everything computerized it will keep the geek in you interested for hours, there’s lots of early computers and games from simple ping pong right up to the latest state of the art computer games and gadgets of the present.

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Well here’s a trip with a difference, imagine jumping in a black London taxi and touring the famous political icons of Belfast. This entertaining and informative tour takes in all the sites, the murals, the Falls and Shankill Roads and peac walls which have been so much a part of the political struggle over the last few decades in Northern Ireland. Tours vary a bit too depending on the point of view of the driver you get, so you never quiet know what you are in for. And if the tour wasn’t one of the best days you have in Belfast it only gets better at the end when you are treated to a tasty bowl of Irish stew and a pint of world famous Guinness. Each tour takes about an hour and a half but you can usually do a deal with the driver and cater it to your tastes for a few extra pounds.

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For a wonderful and informative adventure in New Zealand’s Auckland visit Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World and Antartic Encounter. This attraction was built in a old storm water holding tank and now houses some of New Zealand’s and the Antartic’s finest collection of sea life. The complex features a huge acrylic tunnel with moving footpath where you can get an up close look at some amazing fish including huge stingrays and sharks. The largest stingray called Phoebe weighs in at over 200kg and has a massive wingspan of over 2m. The highlight of the visit for most people is the penguin encounter, here is one of the few places outside the Antartic where you will see the king and gentoo penguins. The centre has plenty of informative interactives and lots of fun for young and old.

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The Ponte di Rialto or Rialto Bridge is one of Venice’s most famous landmarks. Dating back to 1588 the bridge spans the Grand Canal and was the only way to cross the canal on foot before the Accadenua Bridge opened in 1854. The bridge offers some magnificent views up and down the canal although it can become very busy. The centre of the bridge is jammed packed with souveneir stalls selling everything including a huge selection of Venician Glass and jewelry, you are probably better to buy it elsewhere to avoid the tourist markup. The bridge was designed by Antonio de Ponte and was very close in design to the wodden structure it replaced it features two incline ramps which are basically all steps and a central portico which carry the stores and shops.

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In Odabia which is the new waterfront technology district of Tokyo, Toyota has a giant showroom come, car museum, come theme park and its really fun for the whole family. There is plenty to do including ‘driving’ the Crayon which is a self driving electric micro car. As you can see in the picture the car is one of Toyota’s latest efforts to revolutionise transport. Reading sensors on the road this car follows the track around the complex. There are simulator rides, an outdoor driving course for people wanting a test drive of a Toyota product and plenty of technology exhibits including Toyota’s cutting edge designs and quite a good display on hybrid and new power plants. The centre also features a beautiful museum where iconic cars from around the world (not all Toyota) are on display and then there’s a discovery centre hall which demonstrates how products are designed to suit as many people as possible. The centre attaches to the huge Pallete Town shopping complex where you can easily find plenty do do for the whole day.

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The Daintree about an hours drive north of Cairns in Australia’s tropical Queensland is home to the giant Barramundi. This fish sits apon the Barbeque garden at the Timber Museum and Gallery. The Barramundi isn’t the only big thing found in the rivers of these parts of Australia, the freshwater crocodile is also in plentiful supply. The region has several river cruises to choose from and you are all but guarenteed to see one of these ernormous and deadly reptiles on your journey.

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Paris is one of the more expensive cities in the world but not on the first Sunday of the month when many of the cities museums are free- yes free. And we are not talkin B grade museums, the most popular ones are in on the act too, including the Louvre, home to the Mona Lisa and the Musee d’Orsay and even the Musee National Picasso. Now if museums are not your stuff, why not visit one of the Arc de Triomphe, or Notre Dame they are free too between October the 1st and March on the first Sunday.

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You have probably noticed Tripandom loves a good Disney Story well here is a real exciting one. The Disney corporation has just announced that it will spend squillions on its California Adventure park in Anaheim to bolster visitor numbers. They plan to give the park a huge overhaul and ad some great new attractions including a Toy Story attraction, 3 Cars attractions where you will be able to visit Radiator Springs and a Little Mermaid attraction. It is not yet known if it will be similar to the Mermaid attraction at DisneySea in Tokyo. It is expected the attractions will start coming on line late 2008 and be complete in around 5 years. The company has also just started work on a huge expansion of its California Hotel & Spa resort.

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On the banks of the River Thames The Tower of London is one of London’s most popular tourist attractions. The history of the tower dates back to 1078 and has had dozens of rebuilds and extensions and just as many uses. For most of it’s life it has been a fortress but has also been a prison and home of torture and execution. The fortress has also been an armory, a mint, somewhere to house public records, even an observatory and a zoo. Today it is the home of the Crown Jewels which have been kept in the tower since they were stolen from Westminster Abbey in 1303. The burly Beefeaters guard the tower along with ravens which have been kept at the tower for over 100 years. Legend says that if the ravens ever leave the tower the British Monarchy will fall- Good Old Lizzie better hope they don’t find a better place to live.

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