History Hound Travels

Isn’t that gorgeous? I found on the Auckland Tourism site. I tell you, I thought we knew how to celebrate food here in southeastern North Carolina, but these New Zealanders are almost our equals in that regard. They have festivals for olives and mussels, among other food festivals. And if food is not your thing, they have lots of sports festivals, as well. In fact, the Junior Badminton Championships started today in Waitakere City. Looking at the site, it’s quite obvious that fall is festival time, as they have so many activities going on in the next few weeks. Of course, it’s not really fall there, is it?

Of course, if it is fall for you, that means you don’t live in Aukland, and you’ll need to find Auckland Accommodation in order to enjoy the goings on. Hotels in Auckland run the gamut from scary to splendid, just like everywhere else. Get a good place, but like I always say, don’t spend more than you have to. Every penny you save on the Auckland hotel can be spent doing something fun!

I saw something today that I know will interest those of you who are into adventure vacations. Chaa Creek is a nature reserve nestled in the foothills of the Maya Mountains in Belize. Not only do they have the types of vacations you might naturally think of like, touring the rain forest and swimming with the dolphins, they are offering a couple of courses this fall. First is a cooking course with Chef Rob and second is the “Chocolatissimo”. This last one is so incredibly decadent that I am not even going to attempt to explain it: you will have to read about it on the site.

Seriously, if you are thinking about the Caribbean, give Chaa Creek a look-see. From horse back riding, to relaxing on the beach, they have a bit of everything good that the tropics has to offer. Food, fun, frolic: their wide variety of vacation packages means there is something for everyone.

As for me …… it’s all about the chocolate, baby.

Here’s another fun travel blog, and this one is more in line with my own sarcastic humor. At Bellhop Chronicles, you’ll find several funny articles but the funniest one on the front page is How To Take Photos In Beijing, China. Short on words, loaded with examples, it’s powerfully punny. And don’t miss this tongue-in-cheek list of Ten Things To Do If You Are Trapped On An Island.

I enjoy reading what others have to say about different destinations, and I hope you enjoy the blogs I have suggested to you today.

Hey, I have something to tell you about, and I think you will enjoy it. Well, assuming you like this site, and I have to make that assumption since you are here, ykwim? Unless you are just a sadist and come here for the pain. It’s a travel blog, and in addition to accommodation stories, you can see an air conditioned bus stop and an article on Niagara Falls. Hey, didn’t I write about that??

The articles are fairly short and snappy, although I am sure you will agree that lack my own perverse humor. Which may not be a bad thing after all. Enjoy!

I was reading today on The War of Northern Aggression oops, I meant The American Civil War. This is a site I had not explored before, but I did find some interesting tidbits on it. This one was particularly striking:

if the Northern states had bought out the slave-owners and traffickers the cost would have been a fraction of what the war cost in money let alone in lives

This supports the contention of many (including yours truly) that the war was not only about slavery, but about other factors, and while slavery played a role in the conflict, it was used a s a focal point in a much larger ideological dichotomy. Check out the site for more on that.

And now a word for those of you (yankees) who wonder why this is still such a big deal: you’re not from here, are you? It’s only been 2 lifetimes since Sherman marched to the sea, ya’ll, and the collective memory goes back a long, long way. There are areas in the South that have still not recovered from that particular punishment.