Archive for November 26th, 2009

Experience Holidays On Your Mauritius Vacation!

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

One of the nicest ways to vacation is to experience your destination’s holidays and celebrations during your stay in the area. When you are thinking about a Mauritius vacation, you might like to consider the time-frame you have for your trip so that you can check into the possibility of being present during one or more of the island’s most special holidays.

Even though most of the festivals on Mauritius are religious in nature, the locals do welcome visitors; just remember to be duly respectful of their traditions and practices. It is sure to be an enriching experience!

Some of Mauritius’s holidays are always observed on the same dates, whereas others differ. This is a very important point to keep in mind if you want to fit a festival into your vacation plans. The best way to go about it is to check into when each holiday falls during the year you plan to visit the island.

Christmas is celebrated on Mauritius on the same date as it is observed in the United States. If you are lucky enough to be able to schedule your vacation during this time, you are certain to have an enjoyable experience.

Mauritius also observes New Year’s and All Saints Days the same as in the United States. Their Independence Day and Labor Day both differ, however, due to specifically reflecting how these holidays fit in with Mauritius.

This island’s religious holidays contain festivities which many tourists enjoy; if you can schedule one into your vacation, you will surely appreciate the once-in-a-lifetime experience.

If your trip to Mauritius will be at or near the beginning of the regular calendar year, this is the time-period that will give you the most options for experiencing a religious festival. As there are two Hindu observances as well as the Chinese Spring Festival all during the first two months of the year, your vacation will be chock-full of interesting, exciting festivities for you to enjoy and always remember. The Chinese Spring Festival, with its colorful themes, firecrackers, and abundance of traditional foods, will make your Mauritius vacation a very memorable experience.

Ramadan, the Muslim holiday which is observed all around the world, is highlighted on Mauritius with traditional prayers on Id El Fitr, which is observed in May and June. Ganesh Chaturthi, observed in September, and Divali, which is held in October or November, are other religious holidays which are observed on Mauritius and would be an excellent addition to your vacation plans.

Whether you have an interest in religious holidays in general, or if you are just interested in seeing and experiencing different ways, scheduling one of Mauritius’s festivals into your vacation plans will be a great way to learn more about Mauritius, its people, and its diverse backgrounds.

The holidays celebrated on the island range from the quiet respect of their religions to the all-out fun and excitement of their cultural holidays. You are sure to find one or more which captures your interest; and being able to experience one of these festivals for yourself will be an experience that you will always remember.

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Where the Mountains Talk to You

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

In the classic fantasy series The Lord of the Rings, the author J.R.R. Tolkien gives us many enduring and imaginative images. One phrase that stands out in a passage concerning a dangerous passageway is, the runes were carved into the very living mountains You can almost envision those mountains having a life of their own and being able to somehow express themselves to the Hobbits who were on their noble quest.

The magic qualities of Tolkiens fiction are wonderful to read about. But when you go to spend some time on one of the great mountain ranges of America, you can actually almost see how a gifted writer could ascribe magical qualities to those amazing peaks and rolling hills.

Of the many mountain ranges that grace this great land, Colorado seems to have an extra blessing of mountains that have that magic that we are talking about. And whether you are vacationing in Colorado to enjoy her many great cities or if the mountains are your destination, there can be no question that you will find yourself gazing in silent wonder at the majesty of what God has made in the high lands of Colorado.

There are many delightful ways to make a trip to the mountains of Colorado a memorable and special event for you and your family. If camping is within your abilities, that is one of the finest ways to truly get a feeling of intimacy and oneness with theses powerful mountains. There is nothing like pitching your tent with the towering mountains all around you and the tall trees above knowing that soon you will be virtually alone with the wilderness as the sun sets behind those hills.

Sometimes it is easy to feel a bit fearful of wild beasts that might prowl the mountains. And to be sure, it is not at all uncommon to look up and see an Elk or a wandering family of dear drinking from that mountain stream that gurgles gently near your campsite. There are some camping precautions that you can take to assure that more aggressive beasts such as raccoons or even bear do not take interest in your campsite. But Colorado has some of the finest park rangers in the country. They will work with you to assure that you know how to camp safely to keep curious animals from coming too close.

In addition to camping, hiking can give you an up close and personal look into the wilds of the Colorado mountains in ways that are otherwise unattainable. The National Parks System works hard to provide hundreds of well maintained trails that you can use to explore these mountains in safety. You can easily come upon wildlife or witness a falling tree or tumbling rocks on a prepared trail as much as you can wild hiking on your own. But with a prepared trail, you never have to worry about getting lost and becoming one of those tragic stories we sometimes hear about on the news.

The mountains of Colorado offer many fun and exciting ways for you to explore to your hearts content and come away from your time in the mountains refreshed and feeling that you truly have communed with nature. If a bit of danger is in your blood, white water rafting tours are readily available all over the state. The risk level of these tours can vary from mild for a family with children to somewhat dangerous for the adventuresome in your party. And as your are hurled down the raging rivers that cut through the mountains in Colorado, not only will you be full of adrenaline, you will be having an experience that will bond you with these mountains for the rest of your life.

Along with these great options, fishing, picnics and searching for wild moose are other pastimes that fascinate many a Colorado visitor. You will have no trouble finding a great way for you to come close to the mountains. And as you watch the sun set behind those majestic peaks, it will be hard not to want to pour out your hopes and dreams to them. And when the Colorado mountains talk to you as well, they call to you to come back again and again. It is a call that gets in your soul and will be there forever until you comply and return for another great time in some of Americas greatest mountains.

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