Australia - driving from Sydney to Brisbane

Australia - driving from Sydney to Brisbane  - more info or question please get intouch with me, LissaCaldina.
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Are you thinking of coming to Sydney and then heading up north to Byron or Brisbane? Here are some ideas for a driving holiday. Whether it's sight seeing, surfing or just an alternate way of getting around there are lots of places to stop on the way along a beautiful stretch of Australian coast.
 

If you drive straight from Sydney to Brisbane, you're looking of about 13 hours of travel time. A flight is usually about 1 to 1.5 hrs...but then you need to add in airport time.

So, if you have a few days to spare... or longer it's a great drive with lots to see. It's usually good to do it in 3 - 4 days, a few hours driving each day coupled with some sight-seeing, relaxing and surfing.

Itinerary options:

Option 1: 
Day 1 - Sydney to Crescent Head or Coffs Harbour - approx. 7 hours
Day 2 - Coffs to Byron Bay (relax for a few days if you have more time) - approx. 6 hours
Day 3 - Byron to Surfers Paradise or Brisbane- approx. 2 hours

Option 2:
Day 1 - Sydney to Port Macquarie - approx. 6 hours

Day 2 - Port Macquarie to Yamba - approx. 4 hours

Day 3 - Yamba to Surfers Paradise - approx. 3 hours

 Area 

About

Seal Rocks

- beachside hideaway 
Seal Rocks is a sleepy little seaside town with not much more than a general store, some awesome beaches and a couple of camp-sites. Some great waves to be had around here depending on the swell/wind direction. This takes around 3 hours, depending on traffic and your speed.
Forster/Tuncurry

- family getaway 
An area which is a bit more built up than Seal Rocks with plenty of shops, safe beaches and cafes. There are many options for accommodation, just depends on what you're looking for.
Click here for great accommodation deals in Forster wz us!
Port Macquarie

- beach town 
A little further north from Forster, is Port Macquarie - a much bigger town center. It is a great stop over with awesome beaches and a typical East Coast holiday town feeling.
Click here for great accommodation deals in Port Maquarie wz my travel company(LissaCaldina)
Crescent Head

- surf haven 
Heading north again about 6 hours travel time from Sydney. A small surf haven and popular camp spot. If you have time you can get a car-ferry from Port Macquarie over the river and take the back-roads to Crescent Head for a different approach than the Highway. There are some beautiful beaches along the way off the main road.
Coffs Harbour and Bellingen

- Banana capital!
Another hour north (7 hours from Sydney) is one of the bigger towns on this stretch of Highway up to Brisbane. It's home of the Big Banana a good lunch stop, and you'll find lots of options for accommodation. There are a few nice beach towns just north of the main centre like Scotts Head.
Bellingen is also in the area off towards the Dorigo National Park. A laid back country town that hosts some great music festivals and lets you get back to nature.
Click here for great accommodation deals in Coffs Harbour
Click here for great accommodation deals in Bellingen 
Yamba and Angourie

- more surftime
North from Coffs Harbour there are lots of off-the-beaten-track stop-overs and camp spots.  are well known for their surf and localism ;-)
Click here for great accommodation deals on the North Coast
Lennox Head and Byron Bay

- time to chill
The next major stretch worth stopping at is Byron - the hippy center of Australia... well, it used to be, it's now become more the yuppie center of Australia. Byron is Australia's eastern most point. There are awesome beaches and surf around the area. There are lots of options for accommodation including backpackers, hotels, rental accommodation (ie. a holiday house), camp sites and some really expensive spas. Let me say Byron is a beautiful space which is probably why it's gone from hippie to yuppie... do not let me put you off as it's a great place to stop over. Drive up to Nimbin for all the colouful characters and check out Proteser's Falls. You may want to find out where the markets are being held as it rotates every week.
VIEW AND BOOK BYRON BAY ACCOMMODATION 
Surfer's Paradise  and Gold Coast

- surf and shop 
From Byron to the Gold Coast/Surfers Paradise, the Super Bank it's a hop skip and jump.
is like Miami... at least to me. Lots of high rise buildings, Movie World, Dreamworld, Sea World and even a casino... you get the picture. A great place to stop over with the kids.
VIEW AND BOOK SURFERS PARADISE ACCOMMODATION  
Brisbane

- QLD capital 
The capital of Queensland, full of quite trendy cafes and shops these days. So many areas to look at with different character, just drive around and take your pick.
VIEW AND BOOK BRISBANE ACCOMMODATION

 Have fun! Drive Safely! Respect the locals! Cool







 

CNNGo speaks in tongues !!!

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We've gone multilingual, rolling out CNNGo in Japanese and both Traditional and Simplified Chinese. 

What is better than a site in one language? A site that is in four languages! Duh.
We've gone multilingual, rolling out CNNGo in Japanese and both Traditional and Simplified Chinese.
This means that visitors to our Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong sections have the choice to read our content in English or in the predominant local language.
Why did we do this? Well, our readers tell us they've been aching to share our content and obviously not everyone can, or should have to, read English. If you haven’t tried it, it’s kinda tough to read something when it’s in a language you don't understand.
And besides, CNNGo is a site about your city and your world. "Local insights, global experiences" is our clever, highly marketable and extremely catchy tagline. So it makes good sense to make sure we deliver our goods in the language that people speak and read. Big pats on the back to us.

The local language sites reinforce CNNGo's commitment to providing the ultimate insider guide for Asia's greatest cities. And with China and Japan being two of the biggest countries in Asia Pacific, it's in keeping with our strategy to reach more users in these countries in their own language.
So, check it out. It's taken us a bit to get here, we've brought in some top Chinese and Japanese editors to look after these sections and will be posting not only our English content in local languages but also original Japanese and Chinese pieces.

We'll also be showcasing Chinese and Japanese blogs and and also giving more voice to Chinese and Japanese-speaking/writing folks in these cities, not only on where to go, what to do and see, but also on all the things that give a place its identity. 

 Japanese
1つの言語で書かれたサイトより優れたものは? 答え)4つの言語で書かれたサイト! 
大正解!
CNNGoが英語の他、日本語、繁体字中国語、簡体字中国語サイトと多言語化によりパワーアップした。
つまり、CNNGoの上海、東京、香港セクションを訪れた読者は、その記事を英語で読むか、ローカルな言語で読むか、選択が可能となるのだ。
何故そんなことをするのかって?それは、記事を英語で読むのは辛いという読者の声があったからだ。そもそも英語を読めない人もいるだろうし、もちろ ん英語で読む必要もない。慣れていなければ、理解困難な言語で書かれた記事を読むのは、なんというか、キツイものだ。
それにCNNGoは読者の皆さんが住む街や世界に関するサイトである。「ローカルな知識と、世界規模の経験を」が我々のキャッチコピー。ということ は、皆さんが読んだり喋ったりしている言語で記事をお届けすることは、非常に理にかなっている。どう?いい仕事してるでしょう?
サイトを現地の言葉で綴るからには、CNNGoはアジア最大の都市群について究極のインサイダー・ガイドをお届けする所存である。そしてアジア太平 洋圏におけるビック2といえば日本と中国。この国々の多くのユーザ層へローカルな言語でアピールすることは、我々の基本方針に沿っているのだ。
さあ、お見逃しなく。ここまで来るには我々も多大な努力と労力を要したが、各サイトの責任者として日本語と中国語のトップレベルの編集者を揃えた し、英語記事の翻訳ものだけでなく、日本語や中国語で書き下ろした記事も載せていく予定だ。
更に、日本語と中国語ブログを用意して、各都市に住む日本語・中国語スピーカーの方々へ直接語りかけていく。ブログのテーマも、どこで何を見ろと いったお勧めものに留まらず、それぞれの土地にその場所ならではのカラーを与えている事柄について、カバーしていこうと考えている。
サイトはそれぞれこちらから:日本語 繁体字中国語 簡体字中国語
酷! 正啊! すごい !

Traditional Chinese

有什麼會比一個擁有單一語言的網站厲害?就是同時擁有四種語言版本的!哈!(有點冷,但是事實啊!)
我們的日文、簡體和繁體中文頁面正式啟動!
這表示,上海、香港和日本的讀者今後不單可以閱讀我們網站的英語版本,還有自家地道語言可供選擇。
為什麼會有不同語言的版本出現呢?我們一向都很尊重讀者的意見,鑒於一直以來收到不少用家意見,認為想跟其他人分享我們的內容時有難度,因為不是每 一個人都會/想讀英語。
而因為CNNGo本就應該是關於你的生活、你的城市的網站:「Local insights, global experiences - 本地視野,環球體驗」正是我們的標語。所以,本地語言版本的出現,就是這麼理所當然!
本地語言版本跟原有的英文版本一樣,目標是為大家提供亞洲最精彩城市的一切有趣人與事。而中國和日本作為亞太區最大的兩個國家,推出本土語言版本能 令我們的內容可聯繫到一個更大的讀者群。經過一段時間的籌備,我們的中文和日文編輯不僅翻譯精選的英文內容,之後還陸續會有不同的本地內容提供。
我們還會搜羅不同的Blog,希望透過不同城市的本地 bloggers 眼中所看到的,為你帶來更多不同角度的精彩人與事,不只是最獨特的美食、最絕色的景緻和最好玩的活動,更要展示出給予這個城市獨特身份的一些重要元素。
瀏覽不同城市:日本,香港,上海


Bangkok grabs World’s Best Award 2010 for best city


Bangkok has been named the best city in the World’s Best Award 2010 organized by Travel & Leisure magazine while Chiang Mai ranks second.

Bangkok has topped the World’s Best Award 2010 in the Top 10 Cities category and is followed by the northern province of Chiang Mai and Florence, Italy. The Thai capital city was given the highest score by readers of Travel & Leisure magazine. Factors that were included in the questionnaire were location and scenery, tradition and culture, food, shopping, hospitality and money-worthiness.

Bangkok and Chiang Mai also rank first and second, respectively, on the Best Asian Cities list, followed by Kyoto, Japan.

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra will travel to the Trump SoHo Hotel in New York City, the United States, on 21 July 2010 to claim the World’s Best Award 2010 for Bangkok. The capital has once been named the best city when Mr Apirak Kosayothin was the Bangkok Governor.

Tourists warned not to feed Bangkok's street elephants !!!!

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Tourists in Bangkok are being warned not to buy food for street elephants or risk a 10,000 baht (310 dollars) fine in the latest clampdown on begging by owners of the animals. The Thai authorities have repeatedly attempted to stamp out the problem of elephant handlers, known as mahouts, walking the creatures in the capital and selling bananas and sugar cane for people to feed them.  If caught, the mahouts face a 10,000 baht fine and six months in jail.  Now a warning not to feed the creatures will be aired on local television and written on signs at various popular tourist spots in the capital, a spokesman for the City Law Enforcement Department said.

 
At times in recent years as many as 100 elephants and their handlers were estimated to be regularly vistiing Bangkok and were even seen begging in the city's red light districts.  "There is nothing for them to do in their impoverished home villages," the spokesman said.  Street begging cuts an elephant's life expectancy by at least half, according to the Elephant Nature Foundation, a non-profit organisation which campaigns for elephant rights.  Activists warn that car fumes and narrow streets often leave the elephants with eye calluses and tuberculosis and make them vulnerable to leg injuries.

Airport reports high demand for flights to Spain !!!!!

Flights to Spain are proving increasingly popular among English holidaymakers, an airport has revealed.
According to Doncaster Sheffield Airport, the Majorcan city of Palma was the most popular destination among those passing through its doors last month, while Alicante came second in the list.  The appeal of these destinations helped to drive up the facility’s year-on-year passenger numbers by 16 per cent during this period.  Mike Morton, director of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, described this as "fantastic news".

"Holidaymakers from across Yorkshire and the Humber, north Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire are realising how much easier it is to fly from their local airport," he commented.
More than 109,000 people passed through the airport during 2010, which means its passenger numbers have risen for two months in succession.  This comes shortly after Skyscanner named Palma and Alicante as two of the most popular destinations among Britons during June, along with Malaga and Tenerife.

SINGAPORE NEWS !!!!

S'pore ranked Asia's 2nd best city in provision of end-of-life care!!!

Singapore has emerged as Asia's second best city in the provision of end-of-life care, according to the first-ever global Quality of Death Index. It ranked 18th after Taiwan, which occupied the 14th spot in the index of some 40 countries and territories.   Coming in close to Singapore was Hong Kong which took up 20th place. Japan was placed 23rd, South Korea 32nd and Malaysia 33rd.

The index by The Economist Intelligence Unit was commissioned by Singapore's Lien Foundation.
It ranks countries based on 24 indicators split into four broad categories - quality, availability, basic health care environment, and cost of end-of-life care.  "Quality" is given the largest weighting of 40%. "Availability" accounts for 25%, "Basic End-of-Life Healthcare Environment" 20% and "Cost" 15%.

The United Kingdom topped the table, followed by Australia and New Zealand.  Experts involved in the study said that UK's top rank comes despite the country having "a far-from-perfect healthcare system".  It gained high marks when it came to indicators such as public awareness, training availability, access to pain killers and doctor-patient transparency.

These indicators make up the most important category - quality - which accounts for 40 per cent of the overall score. Singapore was also strongest in this category.  Experts said factors like training for end-of-life care in medical schools, level of doctor-patient transparency and accreditation for end-of-life care providers put Singapore in good stead.

The country, however, was weakest in Basic End-of life Healthcare Environment category (30th place).

The findings also showed that the prosperity of a country does not have a direct bearing on the quality of end-of-life care.  And countries with a national palliative care strategy such as UK, Australia and New Zealand tended to fare better in their care for the dying.  The bottom-ranked countries include Brazil, India and Uganda.

The study revealed that combating perceptions of death and cultural taboos is crucial to improving palliative care.  The Lien Foundation said it will engage healthcare professionals, academics and community leaders for discussions on the future of end-of-life care in Singapore. 



  Construction of Changi Motorsports Hub to start in August
Construction will start in August for the Changi Motorsports Hub, and is on track to be completed by end 2011 says the company behind Singapore's first permanent motor racing track, SG Changi.
The 3.7 kilometre-long FIA Grade 2 Track will not be able to host F1 races, but other events that are being planned. SG Changi says it is in talks with prospective race promoters and should have more details by June next year.

A racing academy will also be part of the project.  Up to 15 drivers will be recruited together with an equal number of engineers, to run the academy.  Fuminori Murahashi, executive chairman, SG Changi, says: "At this moment, we don't have any definite number of students we are going to take. This school will be a kind of open school where racing academies from Japan, Korea and China will come here and operate their classes."  Racing will not be the only activity as the Hub wants to be seen as a 24/7 lifestyle destination.

Among the attractions, F&B outlets and a museum.  Other highlights include a warehouse for 750 cars and even a hotel.  Fuminori Murahashi says: "We see (the hotel) as a phase two, it will not be together with this 2012, it will perhaps be another six months down the road."  "The development of the Changi Motorsports Hub will also present opportunities for the exchange of cultural elements between Singapore and Japan.

The organisers are considering introducing traditional sumo wrestling and Japan's Spring Festival for the enjoyment of Singaporeans and all visitors.

The Oil Spill and Tourism: What You Need to Know!!!

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The Oil Spill and Tourism: What You Need to Know 

Despite the oil spill's threat to the region's ecosystem and economy, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas tourism boards want visitors to know that the region's beaches, hotels, restaurants, and attractions are open for business and welcoming travelers. At press time, there are currently no travel warnings in effect, although CNN reported that oil was spotted on the Alabama coastline. Local officials are watching the course of the oil spill closely and posting updates on their state and regional tourism websites; a full roster of links is listed below.

However, there have been conflicting reports between national news media and local tourism updates on the extent of the oil spill, particularly the presence of oil on beaches throughout the Gulf Coast region. As a traveler, your best strategy is to stay informed of the situation by consulting a variety of sources including the local media, tourism officials, and your travel provider, and determining what you're comfortable with if you do plan on having a beach-focused vacation. As this situation is subject to change, keeping up-to-date and in touch is key.
"Don't assume places around the Gulf have been affected by this spill," says Dan Toporek, VP corporate communications, Travelocity Global. "Most of the top destinations, such as Florida beaches, have been unaffected ... People also seem to think that New Orleans is affected, whereas the reality is that the only thing people might experience is slightly higher seafood prices."


"We are open for business and eager to invite visitors," says Mary Beth Wilkerson, director of tourism, Mississippi Development Authority. "We are being very tuned in to what is happening across the coast with the oil spill, its impact, and the impact that it will have in the future."
If you have already booked your trip and are concerned about the oil spill, get in touch with your travel provider to inquire about cancellation policies, refunds, and travel credits. Many companies are being flexible with travelers as the situation develops.
"If travelers have any concerns or questions, they can contact [local convention and visitors' bureaus (CVBs)] in those areas directly," says Wilkerson. "They have staff on the ground and in tune with the situation, and they can work with travelers in planning their vacation."
Get Regional Updates
As Wilkerson says, the best place to find the most up-to-date information on tourism and the oil spill is by visiting the state or regional CVB website of the area you're planning to visit. If you have questions or concerns as your vacation dates draw closer, it's always a good idea to get in touch with the local tourism officials directly. Access news, updates, contact information, and more resources at the following links:
Trip Planning Resources
Whether you've already booked a Gulf Coast vacation or are in the planning process, get in touch with the customer service department of your travel provider if you have any questions or concerns.
"We encourage all travelers to stay informed," says Katie Deines Fourcin, spokesperson for Expedia. "Expedia recognizes the situation is developing and could change. We do not charge Expedia change/cancel fees if our customers need to alter their plans. Many of our partners are also instituting flexibility policies." Expedia has also put together an oil spill advisory website with links to updates.
"Many of [Travelocity's] hotel partners in Florida are offering oil-free guarantees and will fully refund bookings if oil happens to come there," says Toporek. "We will be flagging this information for these hotels on our site. We'll of course work with our partners to try to find a solution if customers want to cancel."
Volunteer and Donation Opportunities
Perhaps you're interested in traveling to the affected Gulf areas to volunteer with cleanup and wildlife protection efforts. You can find efforts underway with the following organizations:


REMINDER: LE FRENCH MAY MUSICAL SHOWDOWN 2010 in HONGKONG!!!!!!!!!!!

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REMINDER: LE FRENCH MAY MUSICAL SHOWDOWN 2010 in HONGKONG!!!!!!!!!!!

Le French May Musical Showdown 2010 is taking place this coming Saturday 5th June from 6pm tp 11:30pm at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in the heart of Wanchai.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to see the following bands:

The Teenagers
Wax Tailor
Cocoon
Chochukmo
Noughts & Exes

Tickets: 480$, 360$, 240$
Tickets available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk)

Special discounts for full-time students, Alliance française Privilege Card holders and CSSA recipients.

LissaCaldina
-AF Student-

singapore_news:Beaches affected by oil spill expected to open this weekend !!!

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Singapore_news:Beaches affected by oil spill expected to open this weekend !!!

Beaches affected by last week's oil spill are expected to open by this weekend. Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Yaacob Ibrahim told reporters on the sidelines of a community event that officers will monitor the waters for any deterioration.  "We will continue to conduct tests and investigate if there are any forms of deterioration.  "But, at the moment, based on what we have seen and what experts have said, there is no discernible indication that there has been deterioration," said Dr Yaacob.  The oil spill followed a collision between a tanker and another vessel about 13km off the coast of Changi last week. Patches of oil eventually reached the beaches along East Coast Park and Changi Beach, triggering an extensive clean up operation.

Twitter plea on kidnapped son - internet helps to raise alarm over missing eight-month-old

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Twitter plea on kidnapped son - internet helps to raise alarm over missing eight-month-old

Tristan- was taken two months ago
A FRANTIC father has made a desperate appeal for help to find his kidnapped son - via Twitter.
Fraught Martin Perry, 32, has not seen eight-month-old Tristan since he was snatched from a nursery almost two months ago. The IT consultant, from Birch Road, Romford, but who has been living in Bangkok, Thailand, since September 2007, issued the last-ditch call to his 600 followers on the social networking site after local authorities offered little assistance finding his only child.

Feud

Amazingly, his heart-wrenching pleas were picked up by the British Foreign Office based in London, which has a specialist kidnap unit primed to be scrambled. His extraordinary cry for help was also picked up by the Recorder.  Martin said: "I got so desperate, I didn't know who or where else to turn. The local police were no help at all. This was all going on at the height of the rioting and it didn't seem to be a priority. "I was looking for help from some local friends, but was amazed when I started getting contacted by people from across the globe."  Martin and wife Gritchana, 32, believe their son's disappearance on March 30 is due to a family feud.  They have been contacted by Tristan's mother-in-law to reassure them the tot is safe and with relatives on the outskirts of the Thai capital Bangkok - the focus of recent massive civil unrest - but ordering them not to try to rescue him.

Tense negotiations have so far not resulted in a breakthrough. Martin added: "At first her mother would answer her mobile phone to my wife but just say we could not have him back.  "Now she has had her mobile phone switched off for the last month-and-a-half and just vanished with the odd infrequent phone call to my wife at her office telling us how he was and asking questions about him.  "We managed to find out just this week an address of one of my wife's aunts who her mother is reported to have been staying or still staying with, but when we tried to go there and called them they were very aggressive with us telling us to go away or they would call the police and complain that we forced our way into their house, saying they had many friends in their local police and could cause us a lot of trouble. "When we have repeatedly called they started asking for 10,000 Baht (about £400) if we wanted to go and see if our son was there.  "The last we spoke to them they threatened my wife and I and said they wished we had both been shot in the riots here in Bangkok the last few days.  "This is why it has escalated this week and my request for help on Twitter."
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are in contact with Mr Perry and are proving him with consular assistance.

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