Cuti ke Gua Tempurung Perak & kolam air panas hot spring

Pada cuti 29-11-2007 Khamis. Kami telah bersiap awal pagi untuk pergi ke Gua Tempurung. Ekpedisi tersebut bersama dua buah kereta dan sepuluh orang peserta termasuk saya.

Kami terlewat sedikit. Bangun pada jam 7.00 pagi dan bertolak pada pukul 8.00 pagi.

Semua berjalan lancar.

Tetapi pada pertengahan perjalanan dari jalan Duta menuju ke Perak. Satu kereta yang dinaiki telah pancit tayar. Tayar kami bocor dan terpaksa di tukar di tepi jalan. Selama 30 minit kami terpaksa menukar tayar.

Satu kereta terlambat sampai dan kami perlu bergegas menunggu semua peserta sampai kerana hanya seorang travel guide yang diperlukan untuk meneruskan perjalanan. Oleh itu, kami telah sampai pada pukul 11.15 pagi. Tetapi kerana mereka dapat menunggu maka kami meneruskan perjalanan bersama-sama.

—–

Perjalanan dalam gua.

MELIHAT Menara Tokyo menjulang tinggi dari jauh mengingatkan kepada menara terkenal di Paris, Eiffel Tower.

Sangkaan itu terbukti benar kerana Menara Tokyo setinggi 332.6 meter di Taman Shiba, Minato-ku, memang menciplak reka bentuk menara terkenal milik Perancis.

Bagaimanapun, Jepun adalah sebuah negara yang hebat dari segi teknologi membina menara keluli yang lebih canggih. Menara ini mengatasi ketinggian Menara Eiffel sebanyak 8.6 meter, tetapi hanya seberat 4,000 tan berbanding Eiffel seberat 7,300 tan.

Mengikut sejarah pada 1950-an apabila Jepun bangkit daripada debu kemusnahan Perang Dunia Kedua dan muncul sebagai antara kuasa ekonomi dunia, Kerajaan Jepun membuat keputusan untuk membina mercu tanda yang dapat melambangkan kehebatan ekonomi negara itu.

Berkiblatkan Barat, Jepun memutuskan menjadikan Menara Eiffel sebagai model menara kebanggaan negara itu.

Menara ini siap dibina oleh Takenaka Corporation pada 1958 yang membabitkan perbelanjaan sebanyak 2.8 bilion Yen.

Selain reka bentuk, Menara Tokyo menjadi perhatian sesiapa saja yang berkunjung ke Tokyo kerana warna putih jingga, iaitu mengikut peraturan keselamatan udara antarabangsa cukup menyerlah pada waktu siang dan menarik dipandang apabila dihiasi lampu pada waktu malam.

Antara kegunaan utama menara ini untuk tujuan telekomunikasi. Antara stesen televisyen yang menggunakan kemudahan di sini termasuk TV Asahi, Fuji TV, NTV TV, TV Tokyo, TV Pendidikan NHK, manakala stesen radio ialah Tokyo FM dan Nikkei Radio.

Sudah tentu seperti kebanyakan menara terkenal di dunia seperti Menara Kuala Lumpur setinggi 421 meter, Menara Tokyo menjadi tumpuan pelancong kerana sebahagian besar wajah Tokyo dapat dilihat daripada menara ini.

Terdapat dua lokasi untuk melihat pemandangan, iaitu tingkat pemerhatian utama pada ketinggian 150 meter yang membolehkan pelawat menyaksikan keseluruhan wilayah Kanto yang mengelilingi Tokyo.

Jika ingin melihat lebih jauh, pelawat boleh menaiki hingga ke tingkat pemerhatian istimewa pada ketinggian 250 meter, iaitu tingkat tertinggi menara ini. Jika keadaan cuaca baik, pelawat boleh melihat Gunung Fuji yang terkenal.

Terpulang kepada pengunjung untuk membuat pilihan kerana selain membayar 820 Yen untuk ke tingkat pemerhatian utama, tambahan 600 yen diperlukan untuk ke tingkat pemerhatian istimewa.

Bagaimanapun, menyaksikan pemandangan Tokyo memang cukup menarik. Kebanyakan pelawat tidak melepaskan peluang mengambil gambar pemandangan Tokyo dan semestinya diri mereka sendiri di menara itu.

Bagi memberi nilai tambah untuk menarik kedatangan pelancong, Menara Tokyo mempunyai akuarium yang menempatkan kira-kira 50,000 ekor ikan, Galeri Believe it or Not, Muzium Lilin dan Muzium Silap Mata.

Kehadiran deretan bas pelancong dan pelancong bertali arus membuktikan Menara Tokyo menjadi antara destinasi pelancongan utama di Tokyo.

Setakat ini, Menara Tokyo adalah buah hati Tokyo, tetapi keadaan mungkin berubah apabila Menara Sumida yang hampir sekali ganda lebih tinggi, iaitu 613.5 meter dijangka siap pada 2011.

Berita Harian

Malaysia country

Warm and sunny describes not only the weather in our beautiful nation but also the natural disposition of the people in Malaysia. Widely dissimilar in ethnicity, believes and traditions they are invariably similar in warmth and friendliness towards all visitors.

Experience Asia in Malaysia’ is a frequently used phrase associated with Malaysia. It may sound absurd but the reality is truer than you could ever imagine.

Malaysia is rather exceptional as both man and nature have conspired to make this nation extraordinary in its combination of cultures, traditions, believes and much more besides, representing a blend of most of Asia and beyond.

Malaysia, which lies in the heart of South East Asia is in a strategic location along a major maritime trade route which has drawn people from all over the world for eons.

From spice traders to exotic princes and princesses to pirates and colonizers, many have come and all have left their indelible marks which have been woven into the very fabric of Malaysian society. Our culture, tradition and believes have been shaped and have evolved over the years into what forms Malaysia today, an amazing nation of contrasts, contradictions and unity.Similarly the bounty of nature bestowed upon Malaysia displays a contrast of forms, shapes and colours. From natural rainforests, rivers, lakes, hills and mountains to sunny, sandy beached islands and coral reefs you will find it all here.

If, however, what you crave are cities in their myriad forms, you will find it here too. From those steeped in tradition to thriving ultramodern cities, they co-exist side by side in this exciting nation of contrasts.

The Malay Cafe

Fresh Malay cuisine spices up the Northland.
Restaurant

Kansas City has always played host to some of the greatest world cuisines. But until now, one type of cuisine has been missing — Malaysian. Fortunately this culinary omission has been remedied with the opening of the Malay Cafe, where exotic spices of the East are enticing all who enter.

For starters, you must order the spring rolls. These are not like the egg rolls you’ve seen in every Chinese restaurant from here to Bejing. The rice paper encircles rice vermicelli, fresh herbs, meat and vegetables to create an experience you will savor. A hint of cinnamon pleases your palate. The coconut shrimp are delictably covered in huge flakes of roasted coconut and served with a cantelope-mango fiery salsa.

Each entree comes with a fragrant saffron rice, a miso soup and a curried potato wonton. For the main courses, you must experience the Malay Cafe more than once. The Chinese influences are apparent in Java Mee, which closely resembles Lo Mein but with Java spices and a hint of fresh lime. The Royal Almond Chicken is tender white meat encrusted with sliced almonds and teased with coconut milk. The Indian influence manifests itself in the Curry Chicken with its fresh herbs tempered with spicy curry and coconut milk. Other entrees that are uniquely Malaysian include Borneo Steak, Sultan Curry Delight, Basil Beef and Emporer Shrimp. Among the other stars of the menu are a Malaysian noodle soup called Laksa Lemak that tempers curry with other Malaysian spices to heat up your taste buds. Whatever you decide on, the savory spices of the Malay cafe with the hospitality of the owners make this a neighborhood gem. — Jenni Simcoe (Photo: Brett Hacker)

6003 NW Barry Rd
Kansas City, MO 64154

10.72 Miles Away
Get directions | View map

Phone: 816-741-3616

Hours

* Mon.-Sat. 11:30AM-10PM
* Sun. noon-10PM

Restaurant

* Asian
* Malaysian

Price

* $$ (moderate)

Payment types accepted

* Cash
* Credit Cards
* Debit Card

Restaurant Attire

* Casual

Photo By

* Brett Hacker

Wheelchair accessible

Wired on WheelsRate accessibility with Wired On Wheels

International tourism revenues up 14.6 percent compared with same period last year

May 17, 2007 (FPRC) — Mexico’s international tourism arrivals and revenues were up in the first quarter of this year, demonstrating the continued growth of one of the country’s most important economic sectors and allaying fears that the new passport requirement imposed on travelers returning from Mexico to the United States would hurt tourism south of the border.

According to Mexico’s Tourism Secretariat (Sectur), the country’s international tourism revenues during January, February and March reached US$3.758 billion, a 14.6 percent increase compared with results posted for the same period in 2006. The 3.6 million international tourism arrivals during the period represented an increase of 8.3 percent compared with first quarter 2006 results and 1.2 percent compared with first quarter 2005 figures.

Mexico’s tourism trade balance, at US$1.946 billion, registered a 31.5 percent increase compared with the US$1.480 billion reported during the first quarter of 2006, Sectur reported.

According to the latest statistics, the number of international visitors to Mexico via cruise ships increased 78,000 from first quarter 2006 to first quarter 2007, showing that the country has more than recovered from the damage suffered by Cozumel—Mexico’s and the Western Caribbean’s largest cruise port—by Hurricane Wilma in late 2005. Revenues also increased nearly 20 percent from first quarter 2006 to first quarter 2007, to US$173.8 million.

Although the Mexican government expressed fears last year over the possible effects on tourism of the requirement, which took effect in January 2007, that travelers returning to the United States from Mexico and other Western Hemisphere countries carry a valid passport, the numbers show U.S. travel is actually up compared with last year, with 15 percent more Americans traveling to Mexico during the first quarter of this year than during the same period in 2006.

“These numbers demonstrate that requiring a passport has not deterred Americans from traveling to Mexico,” said Rodolfo Elizondo, Mexico’s Secretary of Tourism.

About the Mexico Tourism Board
The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico’s tourism attractions and destinations nationally and internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico’s tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

About Chichen-Itza, the World Wonder
Swiss-based New7Wonders Foundation is revising the original seven ancient wonders of the world, and Mexico’s Chichen-Itza in Yucatan State is one of 21 finalists to become a new Seven World Wonder. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998, Chichen-Itza is considered to have been one of the greatest Mayan centers of the Yucatan peninsula, and today is one of the largest and most impressive archaeological sites in Mexico. To vote for Chichen-Itza as one of the new Seven World Wonders, visit the “new7wonders” website.

How to Tie the 10 Most Useful Knots

Mother Earth News editors

1: Overhand Knot
2: Figure-eight Know
3: Reef (Square) Knot
4: Sheet (Becket) Bend
5: Carrick Bend
6: Bowline
7: Clove Hitch
8: Timber Hitch
9: Taut-line Hitch
10: Sheepshank