CYTravel

There are several spots where the traditional Easter atmosphere is totally animated by very weird um..elements.

1. Taipei, Taiwan

If you like to spend most of your time on the toilet seat, you can meet people just like you in Taipei. Here is the (in)famous “Toilet Restaurant”. The table are actually modified hot tubs, and the seats are…toilets. The exotic food (fortunately, no other surprises here) is served in other mini-toilet plates.

2. Dawson City, Alaska

Now we get to drinking. In the menu of an Alaskan club there is a cocktail that is a bit different. So different that the magic-ingredient is a man’s finger. You need a hard stomach for this and must be vigilant cause the hosts are evasive when it comes to the origins of the ingredient or if it is a different finger in every cocktail.
One more thing: house rules say the lips of the tourist must touch the salted finger.

3. Bangkok, Thailanda

Bangkok has an out of the ordinary spot as well. The “Cabbages & Condoms Restaurant” raises funds for the Population & Community Development Association. The coffee is served with a condom so…an extra-safe drink. Also the design of the restaurant is in association with the name.

4. Riga, Letonia

A cafe from Riga, Letonia, can brag about their toilets, which are the weirdest I’ve ever seen. Shot Café is famous not for their menu, but for the…excellent atmosphere they create in the bathroom. The transparent toilet seat is iluminated  with a color depending  on the people’s mood. Red, light green or dark blue uncovers the joy or sadness of the ones that stop by.

5. Hakone, Japonia

About Japanese we can definitely say they are the first when it comes to freaky tech developments. If you will see someone looking like you following you on the street, you’ll know they are trying to take over the world by replacing important people with their robots. But they are good at relaxation as well, it seems…at the bottom of Mount Fuji, they built a pool and they filled it with red wine. Hundreds of tourists and locals come daily cause it’s said the Yunessun Spa has amazing effects for the skin. The hosts recommend visitors not to leave by car…

6. San Francisco, California

In San Francisco there is a very interactive hot spot. La Cafe Gratitude, the name of the things on the menu ask you to buy them. A classic is the salate “I AM FESTIVE”. And if a waiter ask you “For what are you grateful today”, you MUST answer “For the food I’m going to receive”. Otherwise, you may walk away with your stomach empty.

7. Brisbane, Australia

To close our list we talk about a hotel in Brisbane that encourages visitors to take part (just as spectators) at the “BYO Roach”, a F1 with cockroaches. This is a serious event, that has a tradition of 23 years. There are 14 trofees at stake. The crazy event starts at noon and ends up with the best thing: “Bugs Golden Cup”.

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Top Easter 2010 Promotions

NEW! Easter Sale: Save up to 30%! – Expires 4/5/10

NEW! Chicago on Sale – Save up to 40% on hotels! – Expires 4/12/10

Updated! Final Week! Texas on Sale: Save up to 30% in Fort Worth! – Expires 3/22/10

NEW! Spring Sale: Monterey hotels from $59! – Expires 4/5/10

NEW! Deal of the Week: Save up to 50% in Cabo San Lucas! – Expires 3/29/10

Last Minute Easter Deals – Expires March 23, 2010

NEW! Hotels.com Weekly Last Minute Deal! Phoenix from $91! Travel by March 23, 2010

NEW! Hotels.com Weekly Last Minute Deal! Nashville from $53! Travel by March 23, 2010

NEW! Hotels.com Weekly Last Minute Deal! Myrtle Beach from $37! Travel by March 23, 2010

Weekly Deals – Expires March 30, 2010

NEW! Atlantic City from $30 at Hotels.com! Travel by March 30, 2010

NEW! London from $44 at Hotels.com! Travel by March 30, 2010

NEW! Barcelona from $56 at Hotels.com! Travel by March 30, 2010

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If you are seeking for some adrenaline rush, bungee jumping can really provide some exhilarating seconds that you will not forget your whole life. Since you have decided to embrace danger, then we are giving five of the best jump spots in case you find yourself in Asia.

Macau Tower – 233 meters

This is the best jump that you can have in Asia if not the best in the world. Why not, it is the highest bungee jumping that you can in anywhere in the globe at 233 meters. Step on the edge of the Macau Tower and you can hear the strong gust of wind spelling danger in every way it can. Bungee jumping from the Macau Tower is a lot more dangerous than betting your house, your car, and your bank account in any casinos you can find in town.

Bhote Kosi River – 166 meters

Thrill seekers can find some excitement in the laid back, quiet country side of Nepal. It is quite a rush jumping from a suspension bridge with sharp rocks and rushing river welcoming you down below. The Bhote Kosi River is about 3 hours from the capital Kathmandu. This spot can also inspire you to pray while plunging down from a height of 166 meters.

Cheongpung Land – 62 meters

Cheongpung Land is a South Korean theme park which doubles as a fantasy land for bungee jumping thrill seekers. The experience is like diving from a 62-meter high spring board down to a lake below. After the jump and you still want some fun, you can try a human catapult or a human pendulum ride.

G-Max Singapore – 60 meters

The Singaporean government had a ban on bungee jumping until 2003. G-Max really does not just tie a rope around your ankles. They will put you in a capsule with two other riders who want to enjoy a reverse bungee. Reverse is not that simple. It is done by catapulting you up 200 kilometers per hour.

Pattaya Thailand – 56 meters

The height of 56 meters might not be that high for regular bungee jumpers. What makes it exciting is that you have to climb an old crane by foot and jump from the tip of its arm. A lake promises to help you break your fall.

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The world has been amid tough times in the recent years with natural calamities striking in different corners of the globe. We thought that instead on focusing on all the negativities, we try to remind ourselves how beautiful our world is.
We created a list to remind us of natural wonders that we can look forward to every month as we go through 2010.

January – Monarch butterflies in Mexico

We featured the flight of the monarch butterflies before as they journey from the very cold northeastern portion of the United States and Canada to a sunnier central Mexico. The journey takes the butterflies 2,000 miles to flap their wings but how the butterflies navigate to a place where they have never been before fascinates experts. Generation after generation of these orange, wing flapping insects do not miss the 215 square mile spot in Mexico.

You can catch the monarch butterflies turning Angangueo, a small town in Mexico, orange. The rocks, the trees, and anyone can be practically be covered by the butterflies.
Catch the magic at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. You can book a room at Rancho San Cayetano just 40 minutes away from all the monarch butterfly action.

February – Pororoca in Brazil

Pororoca or the longest wave known to us hits the coastline of Rio Araguari in Brazil just off the Amazon Basin. The surf rolls every February and March. The resistance of the narrow waterway of Rio Araguas against the strong flow from the Atlantic Ocean creates a tidal bore as high as 15 feet that rolls for about 40 minutes. The poroc-poroc as Tupi Indians call it literally means great roar, and truly seeing the wave can be amazing and terrifying.

The power of the wave is overwhelming and only surfers with a death wish will brave. You will see trees, snakes, piranhas, alligators being swashed to the shore.

It is not advisable to get very close to the waves. It will be safe to rent a room overlooking Rio Negro along the Amazon Basin.

March – Denmark’s Black Sun

The sun is not changing colors nor is it not a title to a Danish horror film. Black Sun refers to Sort Sol or when starlings, about a million of them, cover the skies of western Denmark. This happens from March through April and around September through October. You can see the biggest flocks in the southern Jotland just above the Tonder Marsh. Wait for the starlings before sunset and watch the sky blocked for about 20 minutes. Aside from the number of the birds, how they move back and forth is really impressive.

There is a modern day hotel in Herning called Hotel Homeland and it will be perfect for your Scandinavian experience.

April – Whale Migration in Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The big boys of the sea converge in Cape Cod between April and October to feast on the rich waters near the Stellwagen Bank. They take a break from their 4,000 mile journey traveling from their winter and summer homes. Most commonly seen are the humpbacks and you can join a cruise from Pymouth, Barnstable, or Provincetown in Massachusetts to watch the whales.

You can rent rustic lodges along the beach of Chatham for a classic Cape Cod escape.

May – World’s biggest colony of bats in Mexico

We hope bats don’t freak you out but we understand how you will find it unnerving to see about 100 million of them. Between May through October, free tailed bats of Mexico enjoy feeding on the insects and nourish their young in the caves of the Texas Hill Country.

Checkout the Bracken Cave which serves home to about 20 million bats, and that wont them the label as the biggest single colony of bats in the whole world. If you don’t want to hear them hurling and squeaking in the air from near the caves, you can go to Austin and see around 1.5 million bats hanging out (well literally hanging) under the Congress Bridge. This one is the biggest urban colony of bats in the globe.

From March to November locals and tourists flock to this corner of Texas at dusk to watch the winged night creatures take flight.

June – Elephant Migration in Botswana

The biggest herds of elephants in the world live in the Okavango Delta near the Chobe National Park in Botswana. The big animals move from their home to the Kalahari Desert in search of water when the delta starts to dry up between June through November.

The elephants move with their families and the herd can go as big as 500 elephants. The older female elephants lead the herd to the oases using over 50 years of its experience. When the rainy season starts, the elephants go back home.

If you are going with your special someone, you can get a romantic, luxury ten at the Zarafa Camp in Chobe National Park. Yes, that is fine dining right under the canvas.

July – Sardine Run in South Africa

The unassuming sardines get together near the coast of South Africa from June and July to start their migration to the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean. The swirling schools of sardines are really an amazing sight. It is not smooth sailing for these small swimmers though since they have to deal with dolphins, sharks, whales, seals, and gannets which also come to the area to feast on them.

Experienced divers are able to come close to see the predator-prey action but it might be more sensible to snorkel just above the going on feeding frenzy.

August 12 to 14, 2010 – Perseid Meteor Shower in California

It is worth the neck muscles to look up the sky when you wait for the Perseid meteor shower happening between August 12 and 14 this year. You need to get out of the city to enjoy the real wonder of specks of ice and dust falling off the trail of the Swift-Turtle comet.

During the peak of the meteor shower, you will be able to see around 80 shooting stars in an hour. Look up the Perseus constellation and you might just witness an earthgrazer or shooting stars which skim the sky and giving off a really good trail of color.

All you need to pack is some clothes, water, food, your MP3 player and head to the Joshua Tree National Park for the ideal pitch black foreground.

September – Migration of the Cownose ray in Florida and Mexico

You don’t want to mess with the stingrays so judgment call says it is safe to be seeing this migration from a boat. The cownose rays, so called because of the two lobes in front of their heads, travel from the coastline of Florida to their feeding grounds in Yucatan, Mexico.

It is an amazing sight to see the glow from the big numbers of cownose rays as they skim under the water. You will be able to see thousands of these sea creatures traveling in groups or fevers as they call it. These are shy animals (is it because of their looks?) but you should not really test the theory knowing they have 15-inch poisonous stings with them.

October – Wildebeest and zebra migration in Tanzania and Kenya

Some of us spend most of our lives going in circles. Wildebeests and zebras create art while they run around 1,800 miles from the plains of Masai Mara to the savannas of Serengeti. About 1.5 million hairy wildebeests joined by zebras and chased by lions, tigers, hyenas, and leopards disturb the dusty landscape.

You can go to Tanzania around October or November to catch the animals covering the Serengeti Plain. You can also try to see the corrsin go the Grumeti in Tanzania and Mara (Kenya) rivers between July and September.

Book a lodge in the Singita Grumeti Sasakwa located right in the path of the migration.

November – Red Crabs come marching in Australia

When the calendar hits late October through November, and monsoon rains start pouring in Australia, about 130 million crabs walk from the lush green of the Christmas Island. They literally turn the town red since it takes them 18 days to complete the 5-mile journey towards the sea.

They will be everywhere from gardens, to houses, golf courses, and rail roads. Some roads are also declared closed to traffic while the crabs’ crusade goes on. Some bridges are specially built so crabs will not be messing with the highway traffic. What triggers the migration? Mating, of course. Now ask why they walk sideways?

If you want to witness this amazing event, rent a bungalow on the Christmas Island. Just make sure you check the pool for nipping crab claws when you take a dip.

December – Aurora Borealis in Norway

You probably heard of the breathtaking Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis. The best time to see it is from December through January. The purple, green, reddish glow is actually caused by the solar wind colliding with the magnetic field of our planet. The southern hemisphere on the other end boasts of the Aurora Australis or Southern Lights.

Whether you are a science junky or not, the display of lights is just purely spectacular. In Norway, you can get a guide or join a tour so you can click away with your camera.
You can book a room at Juvet Hotel in Burtgard on the west coast of Norway. The room has a panoramic view of the skyline. The surrounding is very dramatic.

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It is a nightmare when you get to your destination and you find out that your baggage did not. The baggage is somewhere but not where you are. What do you need to do to avoid losing your baggage? Here are some tips:

Pack light so you don’t have to check in your luggage

This is the only guarantee that everything you need will always be with you. You really don have to bring a ton if you will only be gone for three days or so. Just bring the essentials.

Tag your luggage properly

Make sure that you have the right information on your bag. Make sure you have a contact number there and the place where you will be staying. Make sure that you also remove old tags other airlines. Put a keychain or a colorful ribbon that you will notice even your on the other end of the world.

Avoid connecting flights

If you can avoid connecting flights, avoid them. Connections can sometimes make things complicated. There are also airlines which share codes with other airlines but sometimes they don’t have accreditation for the same luggage service. And somewhere in that sentence, you lost your baggage. J

Check in early for the flight

Getting to the airport on time allows you to have some space for security checks and gives the airport crew enough time to place your bags onto the right plane.

Worse comes to worst, what do you do when your baggage is lost?

Complete all the forms needed

Act promptly if you don’t see your luggage on the carousel. Most likely the airline crew will have an explanation. There are times that they will be able to locate it immediately but there will be times that you need to wait. If you can wait for your baggage, by all means, wait. If you are pressed for time, fill out the necessary forms so the airline can get the baggage to your hotel or house.

Ask how the airline can help you

Some airlines will extend a helping hand like they can give you some petty cash so you can buy some essentials like toiletries. They can also give you coupons so you can get some clothes or equipment. In case you have a damaged luggage, ask how they can address that since some will go out of their way to have your bag repaired. Some also give a replacement luggage so problems of damaged suitcases are solved on the spot.

File a claim

When you can not really trace your bags, file a claim but remember that the liability can be limited for domestic flights and even smaller fees for international flights. There are credit card companies and travel insurance that covers lost or damage luggage.

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