PUFFING BILLY RAILWAY and HEALESVILLE SANCTUARY

STONEHENGE, England

Stonehenge: Up Close and Personal ( Shared by my friend Chris in UK)

it has always been my dream to see the stonehenge in person and that dream was realized 3 weeks ago. a week before that, my friends and i were already busy checking for the train times and train fare, trying to figure out how we can spend less, planning our itenerary and of course checking on the weather for saturday, 9th july, the big day! everything was set. the 4 of us were excited. and then came thursday, 7th july, the atrocities in central london…

we had to make a decision. the decision was unanimous. no terror attack can stop us, we thought. we thought it was a clever idea not to inform our relatives that we’re on a "field trip" 2 days after the attacks as well. just show them the pictures later. hehehe…

we met at clapham junction, britain’s busiest railway station, at 8 am to catch the train to salisbury. nothing unusual in the train. thank god! it was an hour and 15 minutes train ride. we had to hurry up to catch the wilts and dorset number 3 bus going to stonehenge as buses run every hour, on the hour. we stopped at the tourist information centre to get our bus tickets and to collect "souvenir items" like leaflets, etc.

salisbury to stonehenge is a 30-minute bus ride. the bus stopped at amesbury bus station for a couple of minutes to collect other passengers. finally, the stonehenge, towering over the salisbury plain!






after paying for our tickets (£5.50/adult) and a short walk, the stonehenge stood there, infront of us. the feeling was indescribable (well, at least for me). others may find it boring (they’re just stones!). unfortunately, it is not allowed to touch the stones. it is enclosed with a rope, and mind you, there are lookouts everywhere so there is no chance to get inside the barrier. well, maybe it depends on how adventurous you are. you might fancy trying. hehehe. audio tours help you learn about it’s history and surroundings.

i would like to believe that there are 7 stations of the tour. the thing was, the 4 of us didn’t actually use the audio tour during the tour but after the tour! so obviously, we don’t know where exactly on earth the stations are and i personally just imagined which part of the stonehenge the recording was talking about! hahaha! as far as i can recall, i only used mine until the 2nd station, huh! we just can’t be bothered! we were just absolutely smitten by the mystery of the stones, i think. so what did we do for the rest of the tour then? well, you guessed it right! we’re a bunch of photophiliacs (is there such a word? what do you reckon?), posing here and there! blimey! we have pictures on every angle of the stonehenge!

we spent 2 1/2 hours admiring the 4,000-year-old monument. we visited the gift shop and i bought loads of postcards (which i’m planning to keep and definitely not for posting!

CITY OF LONDON, United Kingdom (UK)

City of London nice spots.. shared by Chris, my friend in UK.

GREAT OCEAN ROAD in Victoria, Australia

TULIP FARM in Victoria, Australia

GRAND CANYON in Arizona,USA

MOUNT BULLER in Victoria,Australia

Kathy and I had our snowy trip on Mount Buller last
July 2008. Our first time in snow. We survived the -4 degrees.
We tried "Tobogan" (mini sleigh ride) and enjoyed the snowy scenery while riding on a chair lift. This year we plan to experience skiing.

HOOVER DAM in Nevada,USA

Hoover Dam is few minutes away from Las Vegas.
It is the boundary of Nevada and Arizona..
This dam was famous scene shots in films like the early versions of Superman, James Bond movie and others. The latest was the "Transformers".

ENCHANTED KINGDOM in Sta. Rosa Laguna-PHILIPPINES

Enchanted Kingdom is among the best amusement park in the Philippines.
Full of breath taking rides on the different park zones. Best rides include
Space Shuttle, Jungle Lomg Jump , Rio Grande and Flying Fiesta.

ATLANTIS - THE PALM in Dubai, UAE

The Grand Opening of Atlantis Resort in Dubai.

Atlantis is the majestic focal point of Palm Jumeirah, a man-made island that has captured the world’s imagination with its magnificent scale and ingenuity. From the moment of arrival, you’re immersed in a dazzling world of imagination, pleasure and luxury. The resort offers relaxation and thrills for couples and families alike, including a landmark hotel, unique marine habitats, an exhilarating water park, pristine white beaches, world-class cuisine, indulgent spa and cosmopolitan boutiques.

EUREKA SKY DECK City View - Melbourne

My friend Kathy and her friends from New Zealand touring
City of Melbourne.

LAS VEGAS in Nevada, USA

This is the best place in US that I admired most.
6 hours car travel from Los Angeles.
The "Las Vegas Strip" is long and you would surely get tired in
visiting all the hotels. Each one got some views of replicas of world
wonders and some spactacular rides or shows.

The "Dancing Fountain" of Bellagio Hotel

The "Volcano" of Mirage Hotel

Overseeing TAAL Vocano in Tagaytay, Philippines

SOUTHBANK River Cruise in Melbourne, Australia

These tour photos are taken during visit of our friends from New Zealand (Lai and Suncy).

CATALINA ISLAND in California, USA

This is when we had a company outing in Catalina Island.
Glass Bottom tour was cool. You would see the beauty of marine wildlife.

BAGUIO (Summer Capital of the Philippines)

My first trip to Baguio with my College friends. (BYTES)

Travel to PHILIPPINES

Explore the wonders of the Philippines. Includes sceneries, best beaches , food and festivities..

Song theme sung by Filipino artists.

SHRINE of REMEMBRANCE in Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne Museum is one of the best spot in the City of Melbourne. Cheap entrance fee, wide area and very educational. Subdivided into different subjects of interest.

Shrine of Remembrance is tribute to Aussie soldiers who died during World War I and II.
Remembered during ANZAC Day ( every 25th of April) and every 11th of Nov, 11AM .

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE in San Francisco- California, USA

San Francisco is in the northern part of Los Angeles California. Home of cable carts and the well known "Golden Gate Bridge". (actually red in color but they say it appears golden when seen thru space).

Lombard Street was considered the world's crookedest(most winding) road, only open to one way entry downwards because of its 16 degree inclination.

It is nice to eat Crab Chowder in Pier 39 while viewing the Alcatraz (previous prisoners island) few kilometers away.

Palace of Fine Arts was cool too for its Roman-Greek architecture constructed in 1915. It is located few kilometers away from Golden Gate Park.

NAYONG PILIPINO in Manila ,Philippines

Nayong Pilipino (or: Philippine Villlage) is a 45-acre theme park featuring a miniature version of the Philipppines and its culture.The display is divided into a number of geographic displays -- Ilocos, Cordillera Central, Tagalog, Bicol, Visayas, and Mindanao. Each of these displays contains a typical house or building and a typical landscape of its region. For example, the Visayas display contains a replica of the historical landmark, Magellan's Cross, Cebu, and Bohol's famous Chocolate Hills.
It was located in Pasay, Manila but was been closed now.

There is a New Nayong Pilipino located at Clark, Pampanga and another under development
"Bagong Nayong Pilipino" Tourism City in Manila Bay ( like a mini Las Vegas).

WALK of FAME in HOLLYWOOD, USA

I was been tour guided by my "Ninangs" (God mums) and "kinakapatids" (God bros).
We went to famous "WALK of FAME", signatures and hand/foot prints of American celebrities. Then we visited the facade of Chinese Theatre.. Entered the Wax Museum..
Finally, visited the common shops of the stars in RODEO DRIVE, Beverly Hills .

3 SISTERS - BLUE MOUNTAINS in Katoomba, New South Wales

Last September 2007, I attended the wedding of my bestfriend in Sydney. It is so frustrating that Sydney Harbour bridge and Opera House area had a closure for the "APEC Summit" for the security reasons of dignitaries.

My bestfriend's family and I just visited the "3 Sisters".



The 3 SISTERS is located at Echo Point in Katoomba, New South Wales.
They are 922, 918 & 906 metres tall, respectively. That's over 3000 feet above sea level.




Their ridge formation is part of the Seven Sisters and has profound spiritual significance to Aboriginal people (natives of Australia).

Facts About AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA is one of the world's oldest land masses. Earth's biggest island and the only country continent. It is the sixth largest country area in the world. It is so large that experiences most climatic conditions, ranging from snow and frost to searing heat. It got great diversity of landscapes and committed to protecting and conserving its environment and animal wildlife.

STATES and TERRITORIES
Two places in Australia that are well known to the world are Sydney and Melbourne. Actually they are only capital cities of 2 States. Australia has 6 states and 2 mainland territories.

1. NEW SOUTH WALES . The capital city is Sydney. The national icons were Harbour Bridge and Opera House. It is also characterized by famous beaches, including Bondi and Manly and its natural features such as Blue Mountains.




2. VICTORIA. The capital city is Melbourne. The sports capital of Australia. The home of Great Ocean Road, 12 Apostles, Puffing Billy, Grampians , Yarra Valley and Phillip Island's Penguin Parade.




Want more details? I will share my tour photos and videos soon.. so subscribed on this blog and keep in touch..

The New 7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Year 2000, when they started the campaign to get the entries of the The New 7 Wonders of the World .. Based on the fact that only "Great Pyramid of Gizah in Egypt" is the only one left among the "The 7 Ancient Wonders of the World", others were destructed by war.

Various countries participated to nominate their respective famous landmarks. Out of numbers of nominees. 21 entries were picked.. The winners were decided by the number of votes via internet.

>

(Special Thanks to Arthur a.k.a .aacj03 of Brazil)

On the 7th of July 2007.. The New 7 Wonders of the World winners were announced in Lisbon, Portugal. UNESCO supported this event and attended by various representatives of each countries.

(Special Thanks to Reposa Negra Production)

The organizers also announced the nominations of "7 Wonders of Nature".

Please support and vote for "Puerto Princesa Subterranean River" entry, located in Palawan-Philipines to maintain its rank 1 in the Forest and Natural Parks Category. The announcement of winners will be on year 2011.

Visit http://www.new7wonders.com/ for details ,

or click the link on the upper right corner of this blogsite page.

STUDIO TOUR - UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

WATERWORLD Stunt - UNIVERAL STUDIOS

MUMMY Ride - UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

BACKDRAFT Show - UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

JURASSIC PARK Ride - UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

TERMINATOR 3D Ride - UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS in Hollywood, California USA

At start, you would pass the "CityWalk" ( got nice all sort of shops ..and fine restaurants or fastfood..) leading to the entrance of the themepark. Inside the themepark, you would see a lot of well known costumed characters associated with films produced by Universal Studios.

The best ride I like here is the "Terminator 3D", a dramatization happens before you are leaded to the main cinema..a 3D movie..It shocked me when the crystalized villain pop in front of me. Its so real.. and when he bursted into liquid cold crystals effect.

Secondly, I liked the "Back to the future", riding on a flying car..with 3D cinema surrounds you.. Its sad to hear that this ride was been replaced last 2008.





Next great sight here is the "Backlot Tour", you would ride in a tram passing all the film locations and studios.. You would feel the effects of parting of red sea as seen in the 10 Commandments, chase by a shark.., the flood, earthquake effect in the
subway, roaring Kingkong encounter(you would smell the banana scent) and the newly
Mummy film effects and War of the World wreckage .. I've seen a news that some of the part of this site had a fire
(year 2008)..and was closed to the public.. Hopefully it was been restored.



Next nice ride here is the "Jurassic Park Ride".. you would travel in water seeing the moving dinosaurs.. getting into a height of 84 feet and splunging down.. There's no way you wont get wet. Be sure to wear plastic coat before entering this ride.
After this ride, we went to watch the "The BackDraft", a fire effect studio, as well as to dry ourselves..

Another nice spot here is the "WaterWorld", cool actor speed motor stunts,airplane crash and blasts in water..

Overview of UNIVERSAL STUDIOS ThemePark in Hollywood

SEAWORLD in San Diego, California USA

The home of dolphins, whales, sharks, wild arctic polar bears, penguins and other marine life.

During the time I went here, there are various shows like "SHAMU" (killer whale) Show, dolphin show and Sea lion show..There are separate exhibits for sharks ,polar bear and arctic penguins.




There are some few rides here which I enjoyed such as :
Bayside Sky Ride - hanging cable carts traveling on both ends showing the sea below,
Shipwrech Rapids - a swirling circular raft where every passengers would surely get wet.
Pirates4D - a 3D theatre show interactive where I experienced seems true buzing bees under my seat.




At present, when I checked SeaWorld website, theres a new Atlantis Ride. Anyone tried
this ride who wants to share?

DISNEYLAND in Anaheim, California USA

This is the first theme park I visited. My first visit is with my co-workers then the
second one is with my highschool friends..

This park is so wide, your one day tour may not be enough..
It was subdivided into different themes. The best rides
I like here were the Indiana Jones(you could really feel the action), Splash Mountain (get wet),
and the Hunted Mansion (where you could see a lot of hollogram ghosts).

Disney characters are all over the place.




What I missed to see here is the parade and Fantasmic Show during the night..

I wish I was a kid when I first came here, I would truly enjoy the most of it and a dream come true fantasy. ;-)