Travelling Studies

People from all over the world, and not just the Japanese people themselves, have planned to climb Mount Fuji at least once during their lifetime. Millions more have traveled to Japan via Mount Fuji tour packages to experience the world famous mountain. Even though it is a dormant volcano, there are still risks involved in such an activity. What encourages normal, everyday people to throw caution to the wind and attempt to scale the mountain peak?

To first understand that, one must take into account the symbolism of Mount Fuji in both Japan and across the world. The mountain volcano is considered the tallest mountain in the country, with the highest point measuring over 12,000 feet in height. As with many other well known mountains across Japan, Mount Fuji has its own legends that tell of its rise and fall, and permeates the folk stories of the Japanese. This has cultivated both a love for and respect for the snowy peak in the people.

The extent of their admiration for Mount Fuji can be seen in the many other smaller Fuji-sans sprinkled all across Japan. These are all smaller hills or mountain peaks named after the original volcano. There have also been many origami books that have taught avid paper folders how to create a likeness of Mount Fuji using the art form.

The emblem of Japan even dominates the country’s landscape, with a large portion of the west of Tokyo taken up by its splendid view. Mount Fuji is known to be an extremely shy mountain, with its peak often smothered by clouds or haze. It is said that Mount Fuji’s peak can only been seen clearly and unblocked by weather for ten days out of the every calendar year. That rare occurrence perhaps adds to the mystic of the mountain.

A more negative aspect of the attraction that Mount Fuji holds for many individuals is the power and control it has over the immediate areas surrounding it. While the volcano has been dormant for centuries, geographical experts have predicted that Mount Fuji is due to stir with activity in time. Tokyo and many other cities could suffer a terrible fate if that were to happen, and it is perhaps why there are also Japanese legends which have led its people to worship gods and other deities that might be connected to Mount Fuji, praying for their safety and peace. However, Fuji-san is also an enabler of economic well-being, with numerous Mount Fuji hotels surrounding it, not to mention in Hakone and nearby resort towns.

Perhaps the final sign of how much the volcano mountain is revered in Japan is the sight of its peak shown on the country’s 1,000 yen note. It is also the most common denomination of the Japanese currency, and perhaps symbolic of the importance of Mount Fuji in the people’s psyche for it to be used in such a way. The life and death of millions of Japanese are held in the cradle of Mount Fuji’s existence, and it is therefore hard to ignore the allure and attraction the beautiful mountain peak has throughout history.

Most cities in the United States could be defined as melting pots. The mixture of cultures and backgrounds of the people that live in these cities is a wonder all in its own. Just sitting at a bus stop or in a restaurant can provide a great chance to take in the vast majority of cultures the cities have to offer.

Probably the individual that has the most interaction with the different types of people in a city is the driver of a Yellow Cab. Just imagine what it would be like as a cab driver in a city, and the vast types of people you would encounter on a daily basis. You could learn so much about different cultures just by striking up conversations with the people that take a ride in your Yellow Cab. It is amazing to see how many drivers of these cabs are more than willing to strike up conversations with the passengers of their vehicles, as if each new passenger is a fresh start and a new opportunity to learn something about someone. The fascination of the life of a cab driver is even so great that it has spurred television shows and movies to depict what it would be like.

The Yellow Cab stands as a symbol of sorts to life in a city. Movies and television shows depict city residents and visitors standing on street curbs hailing down the yellow vehicles. Therefore when people visit cities, they have come to expect the cabs that they see driving the streets of the city to be yellow and might be taken aback if the vehicles are any other colors.

In addition to the Yellow Cab being an icon of sorts of life in a city, these vehicles are also very much the support system of transportation in cities. Very few residents of cities own their own vehicles for many reasons. It is very expensive to park a vehicle close to your apartment in a city and it can also be a pain trying to drive in the traffic of a city. Additionally, living in a city can be very expensive, paying rent alone can be nearly impossible at times, so many residents opt to forgo the expensive of maintaining a vehicle and choose to utilize public transportation instead. Furthermore, visitors to cities rely a great deal on cab drivers to help them get to where they are going because it can be very confusing trying to navigate a city that you are unfamiliar with. Many of these visitors have taken a plane into the city and do not have many other options of getting around a city rather then renting a car for the duration of the trip or taking cabs. Many times, taking a cab is a much less expensive and more convenient option.

There are many things that define the fast paced style of life in a city, but few things are as definitive as the yellow cab. The depiction of this vehicle goes far back and has become quite the icon of life in the city.

Travel allows us to reinvent ourselves over and over again. We merely open our eyes and hearts and change happens. When you travel with your eyes and your mind open, you realize that you are not the same person you were when you left home. I realized some time ago that travel had changed me. The scenery, the adventures, the people I met, the places I stayed at all changed me; all for the better.

This idea of being changed by travel stuck with me and last year I decided to develop the idea further. I began writing down the funny things that happened while I traveled. As an ecotourism development specialist I get to visit some very cool places, often before they are discovered or ready for tourists. The results can be hilarious, like the time I stayed at a retirement home as the local hotel was not suitable for tourists! Or the time I had the chance to work on my perceptions of what is pleasant or constitutes a real tourism attraction, when I was given the chance to visit the Gomantong Cave in northeast Borneo with large numbers of birds and bats.

Caves like Gomantong are home to thousands of small birds known as swiftlets. Their nests are made from saliva mixed with feathers and other nest materials, and are highly prized as ingredients in birds-nest soup. A nest can be worth over $500US per kilogram so it is important to regulate collection so that over harvesting does not occur. The Gomantong Cave has been described by the World Wildlife Fund as one of the best managed edible birds-nest cave in the world.

The Gomantong Cave is also a popular tourist attraction. It is a unique chance to see how the bird’s nest industry works, and to observe the delicate ecosystem of the cavern. I have always enjoyed seeing new bird species and I like bats, so it was not hard to convince me to add a visit to Gomantong Cave to my itinerary.

A stop at the visitor centre explained the intricacies of nest harvesting and the risks people take in climbing the fragile-looking rattan ladders and ropes to the cave’s highest reaches. After a quick stop, we were off to see the Sumud Hitam, or the Black Nest Cave. It is a large cavern, 30 metres wide and 100 metres high, with raised boardwalks to make walking easier. I soon realized I underestimated the challenge in this adventure. The short walk to see the cave would turn out to be one of the longest walks of my life.

I entered the cave, gagging on the ammonia-fumes of bat guano permeating the stale air and feeling my feet sliding on the accumulated droppings of thousands of bats and birds. Wearing open-toe sport sandals may have been a good fashion choice in the morning, but made for precarious footing in the cave. In the corner of my eye, I caught the flash of red on the ground. Closer inspection with a flashlight showed the ground was alive with hundreds of cockroaches. I wished I had not looked.

Saat, our guide from Borneo EcoTours, pointed out there would be rats around who would eat the insects and snakes who would eat the rats. A very healthy ecosystem, but not exactly what I had anticipated when entering one of Borneo’s newest ecotourism attractions.  ”It is interesting, but slightly unpleasant,” Saat said as he tightened his shirt around his neck, “If you look up, keep your mouth closed.” Wise words I figured, knowing that the cave is home to hundreds of busy swiftlets who flew back and forth in their daily search for food.

When I entered the cave, I had not counted on almost falling on my rear end in bat droppings and enough cockroaches to keep me in therapy for years. Saat gallantly offered his hand to keep me upright; probably figuring, somewhat correctly, that the trip would be cut short if I fell down. We proceeded further into the cave to a sight that would have taken your breath away if you were not already holding it.

The cave’s walls sweep up over 100 metres (300 feet) with sunlight streaming in from openings at the top; it looked like a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Swiftlets darted back and forth from their nests to the forest in their ongoing search for food. Bats moved about in darkened corners of the cave. Ladders and ropes lying idle, waiting for the next nesting season when skilled collectors would risk their lives to gather their bounty. In all, it was a stunning sight and one I am glad I did not miss despite the perils of getting there.

I figured there was a life lesson in this experience. Like my trip to the Gomantong Cave, it may be necessary to endure a little unpleasantness, keep your mouth shut, risk falling on your rear and wade through some droppings. However, if you hold true to your vision, you will be rewarded.

So I kept to my vision and collected my best stories in a book which was published recently by Trafford Publishing of Victoria, B.C. I did not want to write lists of sights to see or restaurants to visit. Travel can transform people and the communities they live in. By sharing stories like the visit to Gomantong Cave, one can learn that if you travel with an open mind and an open heart, change is inevitable.

Many people feel they have left some of their dreams behind in their quest to manage work and family obligations. People seeking the impetus to dust off their childhood dreams and undertake a new direction can often create the spark they need though a travel adventure. I  found a new direction in life from travel and I think others can too!

For centuries, Granada, Spain has been a mecca for poets, playwrights, philosophers, artists and hopeless romantics. Such is its beauty that the entire city has been declared a national landmark by the Spanish government. There is a dreamlike, mystical quality to Granada, a medieval elegance that seeps into you and slowly seduces.

You’ll see these words written on ceramic tiles all over Granada: “Dale Limosna, mujer, que no hay en la vida nada como la pena de ser ciego en Granada.” Written by the Spanish poet Francisco de Icaza, the words describe an old gentleman and his wife who are walking down a street in the Zacatín marketplace. They stroll pleasantly along, taking in the sights and sounds of Granada in the early evening, and they come upon a blind beggar. The gentleman, clearly moved, turns to his wife and says, “Give him alms, my wife, for there is no pain in life greater than that of being a blind man in Granada.”

Everywhere you look, you’ll see the reflections of Granada’s glorious past where, for 800 years, Moorish sultans presided over a tiny but rich and powerful mountain kingdom. So powerful, in fact, that Granada became the last bastion of Islamic rule before its cataclysmic fall at the hands of King Ferdinand, Queen Isabel and the Catholic Reconquest in 1492. Still, the majestic Alhambra palace, perched high above the city on the Sabika hill, serves as a testament to the lyrical elegance and enduring influence of Moorish culture in Spain to this day.

The Alhambra is the largest, best preserved, and most beautiful medieval fortress on the European continent: an artistic and architectural wonder which stemmed directly from the greatest Moorish sultans, architects, artists and visionaries. The first wave of Moors who swept into Spain in 711 AD. had been nomadic tribes of the desert, and they looked upon Granada as their oasis. As the Alhambra was being built, water became the dominant theme, and everywhere you look there are still fountains, pools, and man-made water channels that follow you wherever you go. There’s a story for every tower and room in the palace, most of which will be offered by a bartender once you’ve stuck around for a while.

Beneath the Alhambra, in the city itself, there are the “secondary” monuments, the Cathedral and Royal Chapel (where the Catholic Kings Ferdinand and Isabel are buried), the Alcaicería (the old market place), and the Plaza Bib-Rambla. The soul of this city, however, is the Albaicín (the old Moorish quarter). Replete with private courtyards, hidden lookouts, immaculate gardens and tapas bars well off the beaten path, the Albaicín fills a day without ever moving a finger. Spend a week in the Albaicín and you’re bitten. You’ll move through the cobble-stoned walkways among the ghosts of Christians and Moors, magicians, princesses, soldiers and saints.

And you may get the sense that a part of you, too, will be left behind.

Many people spend their vacation time, or nights away from home, in hotels and motels all across America and the world, sometime during each year. The choice of a hotel for them may depend on many different things.

It seems that the favorite hotels are those that are associated with a chain, that are located in many different cities in the U. S. and all across the world. Why do so many people prefer the chain hotels? Let’s think about some of the top reasons that people prefer these hotels.

First of all, chain hotels are much better known hotels. They are usually located near an interstate highway, or in the center of the downtown area. Always, they are located in the nicer part of the city. The service in this type of hotel is always a little better, and they go to greater lengths to make you comfortable, with certain amenities that are included along with the room that offers you rest.

If you make a habit of staying in chain hotels, another good thing that you will notice is that each of them in the same chain have the same amenities and have the same type of service. You can, thereby, pretty much know what to expect when you get to the place where you are going. In chain hotels you are usually able to book ahead if you know when you are going to arrive in the area, and have confidence that you will have a nice place to stay, when you arrive.

Accommodations are always as you expect. No one wants to choose a hotel room, get inside and realize that the bedding is not quite up to par and the room looks like it has just barely been cleaned since the last guest. Chain hotels must keep their rooms and bedding clean and up to par, because they are located in a lot of places, and if they are not careful to keep things clean, neat, and tidy it will ruin not only the local hotel’s reputation, but all the others in the chain. It would not take long for word to get out in every place where their hotels are located, and guests would begin to turn away from their hotels.

Amenities are another thing that people have come to appreciate from chain hotels. Hotels offer many different amenities including, but not limited to: 24 hour room service; flat screen TV’s, baby sitting; pet care; fitness centers; courtyards; hot tubs or saunas; early morning breakfasts, including cereals and bagels. Many have small, or perhaps not so small, rooms where you can sit down and have your breakfast items and drink your coffee, perhaps visiting with other hotel guests. Other amenities include, coffee makers, hair dryers, shampoos and conditioners, tissues, and perhaps even small refrigerators in the rooms. This makes for a convenient overnight stay.

In the busy world in which we live, many people enjoy the fact that most chain hotels have added WIFI internet service to their amenities. Many business people use their computers as they travel from one place to another, and it is very important for them that they have connections to the internet. Whether they use their computer for business or for pleasure, it is always nice to know that the service is there if it is needed.

There are many hotel chains in America and across the world. When traveling in the USA or abroad you can, more than likely, find your favorite one located somewhere in the city to which you travel. Anyone who travels quite frequently, has probably chosen a favorite hotel which offers the amenities that they most often use. Once you have chosen your favorite hotel, you can feel comfortable staying with that particular chain wherever you travel.

Most chain hotels, also, can be found online, and reservations can be made online. You can shop around for the best prices, and locate the hotel before you arrive at your destination, thereby saving you time and the trouble of driving around looking for it when you arrive at your location.

Chain hotels offer you the best accommodations for your money, and are always clean and ready to be occupied by you when you get to your location. Check out the various chains to discover what awaits you at your next night away from home.

On the map it just looked like a long thin sea creature floating in the South Pacific off the east coast of Australia. Kind of small I complained; but WOW, I was certainly glad that I did decide to join my friends there last summer (winter in the US). When you get there you realise that the whole place is pretty much just one big holiday destination; it seems to have everything, and all within remarkably short driving distances.

As a country with abundant lakes and rivers, and literally beaches everywhere, the whole world’s water activities are there. Rafting, Kayaking, river and sea fishing, great swimming and surfing to name just a few. Oh, and if you haven’t bungy jumped over one of their crystal clear rivers, well, I’ll leave that hair-raising experience for you to discover for yourself. Many of the water activities are dotted amongst highly scenic wilderness areas, which are numerous right up and down the country.

The thing I liked best was how warm and relaxed the locals were. Every time we asked questions somewhere they seemed really keen to help and to tell us about the wonders of the place. The European New Zealanders are called Kiwi’s for some reason (named after a flightless bird that only comes out at night), and the indigenous people are Maori’s. Apparently in pre-colonial times the Maori’s used to eat people, but they seem a pretty friendly bunch now. Apart from the major cities, which were like small European cities, the pace of life seemed real nice and slow.

Here’s some of the absolutely must do things if you go there:

• Taking a boat trip around the great labyrinth of the Marlborough Sounds
• Fishing in lake Taupo, a lake the size of Singapore
• Tramping the Heaphy track (especially if you’re into exotic bird life)
• Doing the Kawarau Bridge Bungy, the original bungy jump from high over the glistening Kawarau river
• Visiting the garden city of Christchurch
• Seeing, and smelling, the amazing volcanic activity all around Rotorua
• Drinking great coffee and locally brewed beers all over the country
• (Apparently in winter, skiing the world-class ski fields of Mount Hutt)

Anyway, if you get a chance to go there just be careful, you might not want to come home. Oh and make sure you get a car or camper. This is a sparsely populated country and it just wouldn’t be the same without the freedom to drive where you want. We got great service from Rent-a-Dent. They seemed to have the country pretty well covered, in fact we couldn’t believe a couple of the tiny towns we saw their owner-operated branches in.

Just in time for the travel season, here is a guide to travel and altitude sickness that can help you prepare for any destination.

The term “altitude sickness” describes a group of disorders affecting the lungs, brain, and central nervous system after travelers arrive at an elevation over 8,000 feet (2,500 meters).

The most common altitude-related disorder is acute mountain sickness, or AMS. The hallmark diagnostic feature of AMS is headache. AMS occurs in persons who have recently arrived at altitude greater than 8,000 feet suffering dull, throbbing headache, worse when bending down or straining to reach, and more intense at night and during the morning. Other AMS symptoms may include vomiting, nausea, fatigue, vertigo, or insomnia. Mountain sickness may strike as soon as 1 hour after arrival, but more usually develops within 6 to 10 hours. It can be relieved by descent to a lower elevation, and usually dissipates with or without treatment in 3 to 7 days.

There is a set of factors that do not protect against AMS, including:

• Gender
• Physical condition
• Pre-ascent training
• Previous high-altitude experience
• Smoking or not smoking
• Youth or age

Counterintuitively, persons in good physical condition are actually more like to suffer AMS, not less. Younger, fit individuals are more likely to engage in vigorous physical activity and to go higher and faster than the less athletically inclined. Moreover, common conditions such as coronary artery disease, mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension, and pregnancy do not increase (or decrease) susceptibility to AMS. Persons under the age of 50, however, are more susceptible than older adults.

What are the factors that increase risk of AMS? The most important risk factor is previous incidence of altitude-related illness. If you have been to a given altitude before without symptoms, you can probably return to that altitude safely. However, if you have had problems at an altitude before, you will probably have problems at that altitude later.

At the other end of the spectrum of altitude-related disorders is high-altitude pulmonary edema. It less common than mountain sickness, but also strikes even the physically fit. About 8 per cent of climbers who develop acute mountain sickness at altitudes greater than 15,000 feet go to develop HAPE. HAPE is diagnosed by a combination of two symptoms and two signs in the setting of a recent gain in altitude:

Symptoms (at least 2):

• Dyspnea (being out of breath) at rest
• Cough
• Weakness or decreased exercise performance
• Chest tightness or congestion

Signs (at least 2):

• Rales or wheezing in at least 1 lung field
• Central cyanosis (blue color not just in the fingers but also in the lips and mouth)
• Tachypnea (breathing fast)
• Tachycardia (racing heart)

The symptoms of HAPE usually begin 1 to 3 days after arrival at a high altitude. There may be a dry cough, followed later by coughing yellow sputum and/or blood. A mild fever of up to 101° F (38.5° C) is not uncommon, although higher fever suggests pneumonia. These symptoms are caused by a condition analogous to a high-pressure leak in the lung. When the concentration of oxygen in the bloodstream goes down, the pulmonary artery constricts, and pulmonary artery pressure increases. This vasoconstriction, however, does not occur evenly throughout the lung. Some regions of the lung become engorged with blood, and the capillaries relieve their pressure by pouring water and proteins into the lung. As small patches of the lung are “flooded out,” the lungs absorb even less oxygen and the pathological process accelerates.

HAPE is a medical emergency, requiring immediate treatment on site and evacuation to lower altitude. Mountain sickness, however, is treatable.

The first thing travelers can do to avoid mountain sickness is to travel to high altitudes slowly. If you trek to a high altitude during the day, try to sleep at a lower altitude at night. Especially when climbing above 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), it is important to sleep at an elevation no more than 2,000 to 3,000 feet (600 to 900 meters) higher than the previous night. An alternate strategy is called staging.

You spend 2 to 3 days at an intermediate altitude (typically 8,000 feet/2,500 meters) before traveling higher. Every 3,000 to 4,000 feet (1,000 to 1,300 meters) up you spend another day acclimating to altitude. Unfortunately, few guided tours allow you the luxury of spending a day acclimating to altitude, and AMS is common.

Travelers to mountain destinations are also well-served to abandon their high-protein diets. Why? Eating carbohydrate and fat encourages they hypoxic ventilatory response. Simply put, carbs and fats have to be burned. The body produces more carbon dioxide, increasing the volume of respiration of carbon dioxide out, but also increasing the volume of respiration of oxygen in.

Finally, travelers to mountain destinations can take prophylactic treatment. The standby of mountain climbers, Diamox (acetazolamide) forces the kidneys to excrete bicarbonate. This acidifies the blood. Metabolic acidosis is a stimulant to respiration, increasing ventilation and oxygenation. Diamox prevents extreme hypoxia during sleep, but it also increases the need to urinate, which may be complicated in conditions of extreme wind and cold.

Be careful with the use of aspirin and Ibuprofen, particularly pretreatment with aspirin before travel to the mountain destination. NSAIDs stop headache, but may make you unaware of serious symptoms. Sleeping aids are also not recommended because they may depress respiration and decrease oxygenation.

Tourist Destinations at Elevations of More than 7,000 Feet Above Sea Level

Location
Altitude (Feet)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 7,900
Arequipa,Peru 7,559
Bogota, Colombia 8,653
Cuzco, Peru 11,152
Darjeeling, India 7,431
La Paz, Bolivia 12,001
Lhasa, Tibet 11,830
Mexico City 7,546
Quito, Ecuador 9,300
Sucre, Bolivia 8,530
Thimphu, Bhutan 7,700
Toluca, Mexico 8,793

Just in time for the travel season, here is all you need to know to avoid an unpleasant surprise from that seaside feast on your next vacation.

A frequently overlooked source of food poisoning is toxins in seafood. Shellfish poisoning, fish poisoning, ciguatera, red tide illness, and sombroid are special hazards to travelers because the toxins typically do not affect the taste, smell, or appearance of the fish or shellfish. Moreover, cooking, drying, freezing, or smoking does not affect them.

Ciguatera poisoning occurs in coral reef fish that have consumed toxic algae. The highest concentrations of ciguatera toxins are found in the gut, head, liver, and roe, usually disdained by Western travelers. Since the toxin is concentrated up the food chain, ciguatera is most common in carnivorous fish weighing more than 6 pounds (2.5 kilos). Barracuda, sea bass, grouper, jack, and moray eel are the most common reservoirs of the toxin. Most ciguatera outbreaks occur in Florida and Hawaii, although the toxin also occurs in fish caught in the Caribbean.

Symptoms of ciguatera poisoning begin with abdominal cramps, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, with neurological sequelae, numbness and tingling in the arms, legs, and lips. There may be sensory reversal where cold objects feel hot; for instance, biting into an ice cream cone may cause a sensation of burning in the mouth. The teeth may feel numb or loose.

Symptoms may last weeks or months, and can be reactivated by eating alcohol, fish of any kind, or nuts.

Most cases of shellfish poisoning result from eating bivalve mollusks (clams, mussels, oysters, and scallops) that have been exposed to algal blooms or “red tides.” Fortunately, most cases have symptoms no worse than diarrhea, although amnesia, memory loss, and paralysis are not unknown. There is no medical treatment for shellfish poisoning.

Scombroid poisoning occurs after eating fish that has not been adequately chilled after capture. Tuna and related species contain high concentrations of the amino acid histamine. If the flesh is allowed to stand at warm temperatures, histidine is chemically converted to histamine, although the fish tastes, smells, and looks normal.

Histamine causes allergic reaction. Scombroid poisoning symptoms include abdominal cramps, diarrhea, flushing, headache, hives, nausea, and vomiting. Treatment with antihistamines (your product?) is very effective.

How do you avoid seafood poisoning?

• Avoid any fish that has a sharp, peppery taste even before it is seasoned (risk of scombroid poisoning).
• Avoid any fish that has an ammonia smell (risk of scombroid poisoning).
• Avoid reef fish that are larger than your plate (risk of ciguatera).
• Avoid shellfish harvested in areas suffering red tide
• Do not eat bivalve mollusks (clams, mussels, oysters, and scallops) in developing countries.
• If fish makes your tongue tingle, suspect ciguatera poisoning.

Spring Break is the time of year most college students look forward to. It’s right before the end of the semester and exactly what students need before cramming for finals, thesis projects and such. Spring break is a chance to get away from it all and have some fun. Spring break is essentially the biggest party of the year. And the college spring break experience is far different from that of high school, but it can also be quite expensive. Not every starving college student can foot the bill for a massive drinking fest in some exotic location. However that doesn’t mean they can’t still have the unique experience a spring break can bring, it’s all just a matter of timing and packaged deals.

Obviously the sooner you book your spring break plans the cheaper it will be. So plan early. Get together with your friends and decide where you want to hang out for a week then commit to it by making it happen. The more people involved the cheaper it will be as well. Check out all your options. By sitting down and figuring out the numbers you might be able to save a wad of cash. Or ask your travel agent about packaged deals. Some Spring Break companies in both Panama City and South Padre Island offer packages that include food, a specified number or hours of drinks and more. Think about it, forty hours of free drinks can be a lot if you schedule your days rights. Party it up for two days then relax for a couple and your alcohol bill won’t be that high.

Another great affordable spring break option is an all inclusive. For one flat fee you have access to an entire resort, all the food and drinks you can consume and lots of extras such as entertainment, sports and scheduled activities. Or catch a party bus! Party buses take you to your destination and allow you to start the celebration on the way there. Many even have connections with hotels and will offer a packaged deal. One special to Mazatlan in Mexico offers a 5 night stay at a hotel, transportation and some drinks for only $299. Now that’s a steal. A spring break experience can be planned on a budget; it is just a matter of doing some research and early planning. Have fun and try not to get yourself into too much trouble!

The word Tulúm is said to be a Yucatec (Mayan language spoken in the Yucatán Peninsula) Mayan word meaning fence or wall. The wall was about eight meters thick and 400 meters long on the side parallel to the sea. Though it is believed that’s its old name is Zama, meaning a city of dawn. Tulum really have a beautiful sunrise which is worth getting up early in the morning. This walled city gained its greatest importance during the 13th-15th century. Also became a major site in the Maya’s extensive trade network for the Post classic Mayans. Salt and textiles were just a few of the goods brought to Tulum by sea that would then be strewn inland. Exported goods include feathers and copper objects. Tradespersons could come ashore with their seafaring canoes. These canoes were up to 50 feet which were also carved from tropical hardwoods. El Castillo, the most impressive building in Tulum now, served as a lighthouse to make navigation easier. The castle is 7.5 meters tall and has a small shrine.

Tulum sits on the edge of a limestone cliff facing looking out over the vast turquoise ocean. Mayan ruins are one of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites and have a number of interesting structures from the ancient Mayan world. It is also the most visited archaeological sites on the Yucatan Peninsula. One can choose to ride a collectivo, which is a public transportation white colored van. Tour bus package prices vary widely, depending upon what is included. Just be early when you’re planning to visit the site. The view is really breathtaking. The pristine beach is so beautiful it is almost unreal. Some visitors bring their swimsuits and grab the chance of a refreshing swim. Don’t forget to bring you’re sunglasses, and a bottle of water which you can also buy at the entrance. Wear your sunscreen and hats.

You can find beachfront cabanas which is more expensive, but if your budget tight or looking for a bargain try those tulum hotels in town. Tulum accommodations, for the most part, are rustic and simple. Electricity around the beach area is limited. You won’t find air conditioners but most hotels have ceiling fans inside the rooms. This place is not for those people who are looking for luxury and updated facilities. This is the place for those who wanted to escape the busy modern world and searching for a serious and quiet relaxation.