Exploring Palau With Island Trader Vacations

The Rock Islands are located in the southern lagoon of Palau. Palau is an island country that is located in the western Pacific Ocean.  The island is part of the island group of Micronesia that includes 250 islands that is the part of the western chain of the Caroline Islands. The island of Palau share nautical boundaries with Indonesia and the Philippines.

The island of Palau was settled nearly 3,000 years ago with the closely neighboring Philippines and was first visited by the Europeans in the 1900’s when the island was part of the Spanish East Indies. There are roughly 450 islands in the group of Rock Islands that encompass 18 square miles and the top height of any of the islands is almost 670 feet.  The islands are called Chelbachbeb, and they are a grouping of limestone and coral uprisings that are parts of ancient vestiges of coral reefs that viciously surfaced to form the islands.  The islands are primarily uninhabited, but are striking to view as you set out on an exploratory view from a boat. Most of the islands have a mushroom shape, with a smaller base that have become the habitats for many underwater creatures such as sponges, chitins, and snails that live of the algae that grow on the base of the islands. The islands are located in crystal clear turquoise lagoons that are surrounded by coral reefs. The Rock Islands of Palau were named a World Heritage Site in 2012.

Although the Rock Islands are currently uninhabited there have been remains of previous human occupation found.  There have been archeological remains found on three islands, Ngeruktabel, Ngeanges, and Chomedokl. The remains that have been discovered include caves with rock art and burial sites.  It is believed that the islands were occupied by humans around 3,100BC. There are also stone villages located on a few of the islands that date from 950BC-500BC. These islands were abandoned for habitation in the 17^th and 18^th centuries with much of the population moving to the larger island of Palau and other surrounding islands. The Rock Islands of Palau are a popular tourist site for those that are traveling to Palau.

A Trip To The Theater With Island Trader

The Fox Theater is located in downtown Detroit at 2211 Woodward.  The theater originally opened in 1928 as the flagship theater of the Fox Theaters chain.  It was the first theater to be designed and built with a speaker system for films with sound. The Fox Theater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and was also designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

The Fox Theater of Detroit is one of five Fox Theaters built in the late 20’s by film innovator William Fox. The other theaters were built in Brooklyn, Atlanta, St. Louis and San Francisco. The architect that built the Fox Theater in Detroit was C. Howard Crane, who also designed other theaters in the area at that time.  The Fox is that largest surviving theater of the time, and the largest of the original five that were built. The Theater seats 5,048 and 5,174 if the removable seats from the raised orchestra pit are in use. The interior design of the building is a mixture of Burmese, Chinese, Indian and Persian motifs.  This style of design was quite unique for the time period, as most buildings were designed in the Art Deco style of the time. The theater features three levels of seating that include the Main Floor, the Mezzanine, and the Gallery, which is the balcony. The building also features 10 stories of office space and the façade of the entire building is done in an Asian style that is illuminated at night.

Unlike many of the other theaters in the area, the Fox Theater was a movie destination for years and years.  While many other theaters were closing their doors, the Fox remained open. The theater did start to show its age though, especially in the 1960’s and in the 1970’s the mezzanine and balcony levels were closed off to the public.  The theater closed in the early 1980’s for a major restoration project. Mike and Marian Ilitch purchased the Fox Theater in 1988 and put into motion a $12 million restoration project of the beloved theater headed by William Kessler. The current marquee was installed during the restoration but it is based of the original marquee that once graced this phenomenal theater.

Not Just an Ordinary Walk In The Park

Central Park is located right in the center of Manhattan in NYC. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1962. Central Park is managed by the Central Park Conservancy, a non-profit organization. They are under contract by with the city government. The park is bordered by West 110^th Street on the north, West 59^th Street on the south and Eighth Avenue on the West.  The parks border streets are known by Central Park North, Central Park South, and Central Park West.  The only street that retains its name is to the parks eastern border and that is Fifth Avenue.

Central Park is a public park that opened in 1857 on 843 acres that the city of New York owned. The park was designed in 1858 by the winners of the design competition, Frederick Law Olmstead a landscape designer and Calvert Vaux an architect. Their design came to complete fruition in 1873. The two also designed Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

The park was originally 770 acres but was expanded to just under 850 acres. The beauty of the landscape design of the park is that it appears natural when almost the entire park is actually landscaped.  The lakes and ponds that are located in the park are actually man made.  There are seven major lawn areas, known as the meadows, one of which is called Strawberry Fields, after the Beatles hit. There are also smaller grassy areas that are popular for team and informal sports.  There are also grassy areas that are specifically set aside as quiet areas. 

Central Park is one of the most visited urban parks in the US, and receives more than 35 million visitors a year.  The park offers many activities there are two ice skating rinks, one of which is turned into a pool in the July and August, tons of walking paths, and bridle paths. Of course there is the Central Park Zoo, the Central Park Conservatory Garden, a wildlife sanctuary and a large area that is still dedicated to natural woods. There is a man-made reservoir that holds a billion gallons has a circular running track that surrounds it.  One of the perks of summer at Central Park is Shakespeare in the Park which takes place at the Delacorte Theater, an outdoor amphitheater.  Of course one of the must sees in Central Park is the historic Carousel; it was installed in 1951 from its original location of Coney Island, and is the largest in the US.

How To Miss The Crowds During The Holidays

A journey to New York City

New York is the most popular city for travel in the U.S. today, hosting over 50 million each and every year. This in mind, one of the most busy times for travel in New York is during the holidays. With millions of visitors on top of the already bustling city, its popular events and attractions fill up during the day. If you are travel savvy, you can avoid many of the biggest crowds and still have an ideal New York experience during the holidays.

Popular Attractions

Rockefeller Center's tree and rink will be must sees for anyone visiting during the holiday season. A long tradition makes the ceremony the festivities and of course the tree and the rink one of the most visited areas in all of New York. It is imperative that you plan around the crowds to enjoy these destinations. Plan on visiting the tree in the early morning hours to miss the crowds. Open from 5:30 am to 11:30 pm, after sunrise and until dark you will be fighting the crowds. If you plan on hitting the skating rink it is open from 9 am to 10 pm during the holidays but as the day progresses, the ice will become harder to skate and the crowds larger. Much like the tree, plan on visiting early to get the best experience possible.

Other popular destinations such as shopping downtown and other major attractions are also best explored in the early morning. If you have the option of purchasing tickets to skip lines, you will definitely want to choose this option during the holiday season.

Plan ahead and make the most of all your journeys by being savvy when you travel.

Island Trader Vacations reviews tips and information to help you travel smarter not harder. Save, enjoy and make the most of your travels with Island Trader Vacations reviews.

A Journey To Portugal Reviewed With Island Trader Vacations

Barcelos is located in the Braga district in the north of Portugal. The Braga district is home to 89 parishes throughout this district.  Barcelos is well known for its Festas das Cruzes, the Festival of Crosses, which dates back to the early 16^th century.

The festival originated in the observance of the Lord of the Cross.  The story is told that the local cobbler Joao Pires was walking home from mass at the Chapel of the Savior one Saturday and he observed what appeared to be a black cross in the earth. This inspired the devotion to the cross.  The devotion was recognized in a temple that was then built nearly 2 centuries later, and this is the temple that is still the epi-center of the Festas das Cruzes.

Up until the 19^th century, the parties that surrounded the Festas das Cruzes were primarily religious in nature.  Hundreds of people from the surrounding region would make the pilgrimage to Barcelos in honor of this festival.  In the 20^th century the festival evolved into more of an actual festival.  There were fireworks and parades, as well as tournaments and horse racing.  Although the festival was still religious in nature it became more fun, and less staid and serious. The festival has long been a pretext for people in surrounding areas to meet up and do business, as their parishes are far apart from one another.  The festival has also long held a premise as a place of promise. A place to have innocent flirtations for the young, and for those that are a little bit older it is an opportunity for these flirtations to turn to dating and then marriage. The festival has long been a matchmaker.  If you are traveling in the area, and even if you are not religious, this festival gives you the opportunity to take part in a centuries old festival and one of the unique aspects of the culture of the area.

Exotic Botswana Explored With Island Trader Vacations

Botswana, the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa.  The country is flat and 70% of its area is the Kalahari Desert.  It used to be one of the poorest countries in the world when it gained its independence from the British in 1966, but now has one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

It is a country that is rich with tradition which is called Setswana.   The music of the nation is called Tswana and is primarily based around vocals without drums.  It might feature string instruments.  The traditional folk music of the area has been highly inspired by the guitar in the last few decades. The northern villages of Etsha and Gumare are known for the baskets that the women of the villages make. There are three types of baskets usually made and they are used for storage or carrying items on the head and plates that they use to inspect the local grain. The artistry of these baskets is beautiful with rich colors, and has become quite popular in commercial use. There are also traditional art galleries that can be found in the more populated areas of the country that often show the beautiful landscapes of the native land.

A great place to stay for an adventure is Jack’s Camp.  It was recently refurbished in 2003 and is in the traditional West African 1940’s safari style.  There are 10 roomy quite stylish tents that do have en-suite bathrooms and provide indoor as well as outdoor showering facilities.  The outdoor ones are of the customary style set in a palm grove in the stark, yet beautiful environment. The tents are furbished quite luxuriously with Persian rugs and crisp cotton sheets, and quite go against the rugged wilderness of the landscape that surrounds you. The wilderness is full of lush grass and herds of zebra and wildebeest.  During the wet season you will see flocks of flamingo and other migratory birds.

The guides at Jack’s Camp are usually graduate students that combine their research with guiding.  They team up with a small group og Bushmen to guide the guests on morning walks and game drives. You can also go out on 4 wheel quads and explore the area.  Here you will see archeological sites possibly of now extinct animals.  You can ride for miles and miles, and there is absolutely nothing, it is a vista of nothing but the absolute wilderness at its best and you are the front row viewer.