The Shaolin Temple was built in 496 AD, and hosted a Buddhist monk named Bada. The temple became known for its teachings of Zen, and the martial art Kung Fu. From 1368 to 1644 the monastery preformed a military role and housed as many as 1000 trained monks. Between 1644 and 1928 the Shaolin Temple was attacked and destroyed three times, yet about 230 tombs and quite a large number of relics have survived.

A visitor to the Shaolin Temple today they find a number of buildings or structures on the site. There is the Bell Tower, and the Drum Tower, both of which are Chinese temples. There is also a building called the Hall of the Heavenly Kings, Mahavira Hall, and the Sutra-Keeping Pavilion.

The Mahavira Hall was restored in 1986 and was the temples main building during the Jin Dynasty. In the late 1980’s tourism to the area became so popular that the temple became a school to some 10,000 students interested in learning the martial art King Fu. Since then however a new abbot took charge and redirected the institution to its former glory and the practice of teaching Zen meditation and beliefs.

The Shaolin Temple is probably one of the most frequently visited tourist areas in the region. The reason for this popularity may have been the result of popular TV show and movies, or it may have been for some other reason. Either way, the Shaolin temple should be a must see on your list of things to do, during a visit to China.

One of the most interesting places to visit in Asia is Kuala Lumpur and one of the major attractions there is the Petronas twin towers. These magnificent structures stand 458 meters tall and have 88 floors. The foundation of these towers stretches 120 meters underground. The towers themselves are made primarily of reinforced concrete and steel with a glass façade. Construction on these towers was finished in 1996.

Visitors are allowed to go to the 41st floor to see the sky bridge. From this vantage point you can see the park below and on a clear day all the surrounding cities of Kuala Lumpur. In order to get into the sky bridge it is necessary to get a pass. These passes are given to about 1400 people every day, and usually they are all distributed before noon, so make sure you get there very early to ensure that you manage to get one.

In a building this massive it would seem logical that the elevator system be huge and I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. There are 3 groups of elevators that together service all the floors in the building. The elevator cars are two stories, so one story handles the even floors and the other handles the odd floors. These elevators are also specially equipped with a number of safety devices. The one that is the most interested is the way that one elevator can go up beside another elevator and evacuate people from it if it gets stuck or jammed between floors.

The petronas Company is the one and only tenant of tower one. The other tower called Tower 2 is available for rent to other tenants’. Currently Accenture, Bloomberg, Boeing, IBM, Microsoft, Reuters, and a large number of smaller firms all call this tower home.

After the long hot, scorching summer days, the first shower of monsoon brings a sigh of relief to each and everybody. The downpour quenches the thirst of the parching earth. With the onset of the season, both plants and animals, withered by the tremendous heat, enliven and come back to their full life. The sapless, pale-looking, dust-smitten trees regain their green and healthy look.

A day, especially if it is a holiday, when it’s raining cats and dogs outside, and you have no work to do, is an ideal day to spend it in an innovative way or to take a short afternoon nap under your blanket. The charm of such a cloudy day will remain unappreciated if I forget to mention an evening hot tea or coffee with some spicy snacks or a crumb of hot cake.

When we talk of monsoon a number of things come to our mind. Monsoon is associated with many things. It has a strong bond with music. The pitter patter sound of the rain droplets on the window pane makes us to dance and sing. Looking at the rain droplets hitting the ground, we cannot help remembering the song ‘singing in the rain’ from the movie Singing in the Rain where Gene Kelly has been shown dancing with the song while splashing through puddles during a storm. But too much of anything is destructive as well as cloying, so is to the rain. We appreciate raining till the climate becomes cool enough. But when it continues raining for several days and causes flood, we feel hell like and our trouble knows no bound. Suppose you are going to a party, all dressed up in your fineries and it starts raining heavily. How exactly do you feel? Oh! It’s quite mood dampening. It will ruin your party or somehow you manage to get outside, you will be completely drenched in the shower. But on the other hand, sufficient raining is important for a good harvest.

Monsoon is a season when extra care has to be taken to everything, be it our vehicles, our accessories or ourselves. Various diseases, accidents and ailments come trailing in monsoon. Monsoon is a bad time for the drivers for during this season the roads become accidents prone. So it is important to follow the traffic rules religiously while driving. People who are driving two-wheeler must be extra careful because such vehicles have a tendency to skid. Moreover, always turn on the headlights of your vehicle in dark or foggy condition, keep clean the wind screen of your car and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle before you. During this season, the corrosion of the body and the under-body of your car is a common phenomenon. So some extra care should be taken to prevent this.

Well, the above might not be a topic of concern for all of us because all of us did not have cars and so there is no question of driving them. But what might bother all of alike is the various diseases that monsoon brings with it. Diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, gastroenteritis or cholera-like symptom are quite common in this season. Vomiting, jaundice and typhoid from drinking contaminated water is also quite common. So boil your water before you drink. You should keep miles away from the street-side foods. Wash your grains and vegetables thoroughly in hot water. You also avoid drinking street fruit juices and salads. So a check in your food habit is the ‘mantra’ (magic words) of monsoon that would keep you in the pink of health.

Singing and dancing in the rain looks good only on-screen but for mortals like us, caught in the daily bustles of life, it is not the right thing to do. So avoid getting drenched into rain and always carry umbrella or raincoat before stepping out of the house. Some common ailments during this season are cough, cold and fever caused by the seasonal change. So it is wise to keep few medicines like paracetamol and cough syrup handy.

Except this our hair and skin also deserve special care. If you have been drenched in rain, shampoo your hair as soon as you get back home. As rainwater carries atmospheric pollutants, this will weaken your hair root and you will soon experience hair fall. You should also keep in mind that rainy season is the time for dandruff proliferation.

Our skin, both exposed and covered become vulnerable to infections, Fungal or bacterial infections, especially in the areas like groins or underarms, are common. Damp clothes and excessive perspiration make the situation worse. So wearing clean and dry clothes and bathing twice a day is a must thing during this season. The use of talcum powder must be avoided for they clog the pores of the body leading to infections.

Generally, the most neglected part of our body is our feet. But during this time of the year special attention should be given to this part. Wash your feet with lemon and hot water after you get back home. It is wise to wear front open shoes in rainy seasons to avert infections. Also use antiseptic creams or powder for better results.

Now let us talk about attire during this season. You should never wear damp and wet clothes for they proliferates germs. You always make sure that you wash, dry and iron your clothes before stacking them up in your wardrobe. Do not forget to spread some naphthalene to keep your clothes free from germs and insects.

Your electronic gadgets also need your attention in the monsoon. It is advisable to cover them well so that water must not sip.

As the season is ideal for the breeding of insects, keep your house, both inside and outside, clean. Do not forget to spray everyday insect repellents before the sunset and never allow water to become stagnant outside your house.

DID YOU KNOW THAT...
Perhaps the most famous South African movie is “Tsotsi” by Gavin Hood.”Tsotsi” is a story about a gang leader.On March 5, 2006, “Tsotsi” won the Academy Award for Foreign Language Film in Los Angeles. In his speech, Gavin Hood said, “God bless Africa. Wow. I have a speech, it´s in my pocket, but that thing says 38 seconds. But mine´s way too long. Go to tsotsi.com and there is a huge long list of people. Because I´m accepting this not for myself. This is for best foreign language film. It is sitting right there to start with.Please stand up Presley Chweneyagae and Terry Pheto. My two fantastic young leads. Put the cameras on them, please. Viva Africa. Viva. I´ve got ten seconds.Ten seconds I just want to thank my fellow nominees who I´ve become deep friends with. We may have foreign language films, but our stories are the same as your stories. They´re about the human heart and emotion. It says please wrap.Thank you so much. Thank you to the Academy. Thank you”. Winner: “Tsotsi” (South Africa) Finalists: -“Sophie Scholl” (Germany) -“Joyeux Noel” (France) -“The Beast of the Heart” (Italy) -“Paradise Now” (Palestine)

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
For the first time since 1960, South Africa sent a delegation to compete in the Olympic Games. Certainly, South Africa sent 94 athletes to the 1992 Olympic Games, which were held in Barcelona, Spain.The African delegation had athletes competing in seventeen areas: archery, badminton, boxing, kayak, cycling, equestrian, fencing, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, weighlifting and wrestling. They returned to South Africa with two silver medals.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Nelson Mandela was one of the most important leaders in the 20th century.He played a fundamental role in the recuperation of the nation´s democracy. Under his leadership, South Africa adopted one of the best constitutions in the world.Mandela once said, “And so it has come to pass that South Africa today undergoes her rebirth, cleansed of a horrible past, matured from a tentative beginning, and reaching out to the future with confidence. Our pledge is : never and never again shall the laws of our land rend our people apart or legalize their oppression and repression”. Since 1993, in South Africa you can feel the freedom. Different from Cuba, Iran, and Zimbabwe, South Africa is a democracy where the civil society has immense influence and power.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
South Africa has loads of national parks and reserves that are the home of some amazing wildlife. The Kruger National Park is one of the most popular tourist spots in the African continent. It is one of the world´s most beautiful national parks. The Kruger National Park provides an ideal habitat for animals such as elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses, monkeys, zebras, cheetahs, hyenas, hippopotamus, gazelles, elands, lions, and African wild dogs.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
South Africa has three capitals: Cape Town (legislative), Pretoria (administrative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).However, Johannesburg is the most important economic, industrial and cultural center in South Africa.It is one of the most industrialized cities in the Third World along with Taipei (Taiwan), Mexico City (Mexico), and Seoul (South Korea).In 2006 Johannesburg had a population of 2.6 million

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
For the first time, Africa will host 2010 FIFA World Cup.The Football World Championship to be held in South Africa.In 2000,Joseph Blatter, FIFA president, wanted the FIFA to vote for South Africa.However, New Zealand´s Charlie Dempsey ducked out of the final vote and Germany nicked it.For this reason, Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006. In 2007,Thabo Mbeki, South African president, said: “I have no doubt that our local organising committee, government at all levels, and everybody concerned will do the necessary work to guarantee that we host a better tournament in 2010 than the excellent 2006 German World Cup”. It also noted that millions of dollars have been spent in the past years on reforming South Africa´s sporting system.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
About half of the world´s gold is produced in South Africa.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
South Africa has many famous people: Christian Barnard (surgeon), Miriam Makeba (singer and anti-AIDS activist), Caron Bernstein (model,actress and singer), Nelson Mandela (former president and anti-AIDS activist), Nadine Gordimer (writer), Athol Fugard (writer),Mathosa (singer), Zola Budd (sportswoman), Charlize Theron (actress), Ilene Hamann (actress and model), Harry Oppenheimer (anti-apartheid industrialist), Richard Goldstone (international judge), Musetta Vander (actress and model), Danny Koppel (singer), Zakes Mokae (actor), Juliet prowse (dancer and actress), and Joe Mafela (actor).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
The South African Penny Heyns, won the 100-and 200-meter breaststroke events at the 1996 Summer Olympics.She is considered among South Africa´s national heroines. Like Anthony Nesty (Suriname), Felipe Muñoz (Mexico), Claudia Poll (Costa Rica), and Kirsty Coventry (Zimbabwe), Penny Heyns is a Third World swimming icon.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
South Africa has many World Heritage Sites by UNESCO: Greater Saint Lucia Wetland Park (1999), Robben Island (1999), Drakensberg Park (2000), Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape (2003), Vredefort Dome (2005), and Cape Floral Region Protected Areas (2004).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
On March 26, 1998, American U.S. president Bill Clinton visited South Africa.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
South Africa has more Nobel Prizes than Mexico(3) India (2) Brazil (0)Argentina (3) Cuba (0), and the People´s Republic of China (1).
South Africa has six Nobel Prize winners:
1960: Albert J. Luthuli (Nobel Prize for Peace)
1982: Aaron Klug (Nobel Prize for Chemistry)
1984:Bishop Desmond Tutu (Nobel Prize for Peace)
1991: Nadine Gordimer (Nobel Prize for Literature)
1993: Nelson Mandela and Frederik W. de Klerk (Nobel Prize for Peace)
2003: John Maxwell Coetzee (Nobel Prize for Literature)

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
The people of South Africa are proud that their country is a society of people with many different backgrounds. Many people are mixture of several nationalities and races. About 2 million Asians live in South Africa. The ancestors of the most of them came from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
South Africa superstar Charlize Theron is an icon in Africa. She is a woman one can not fail to admire.

Academy Award winning actress, Halle Berry worked as a fashion model in the 1980s.Berry is not the only Hollywood star who made a living from special jobs before becoming famous. For many actresses, this early experience came in useful in their acting career. The South African actress Charlize Theron –who has appeared in over twenty films in a movie career lasting over ten years- was a supermodel in the 1990s.

Hollywood actress Charlize Theron was born on August7, 1975, in Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa.She has German and French ancestry. Charlize grew up to be a beautiful young woman and attracted the attentions of many people.She speaks English, Afrikaans and Xhosa.

Charlize had been an international model since the age of 16. She began her career in Milan, Italy. In late 1996 she became an actress.On February 29, 2004, Charlize won an Academy Award for Best actress for her role as Aileen Wuournos in the film “Monster”. She became the first African actress to win an Oscar for Best Actress in the history.

Charlize Theron is one of the most beautiful women in the world.The elegant clothes she wears complement her perfect body. Filmography:”Celebrity” (1998), “Reindeer Games” (2000), “The Yards” ( 2000), “Men of Honor” (2000), “The Italian Job” (2003), ”Monster” (2003), “The Life and Death of Peters Sellers” (2004),”North Country” (2005), and “The Brazilian Job (2006).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
The Nobel Prize Nadine Gordimer is a human rights activist. Her proudest moment was when she testified at a 1986 treason trial on behalf of 22 South African anti-apartheid activists.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
South Africa has had famous athletes in the past century: Reggie Walker (olympic 100m gold medallist in 1908), Esther Brand (olympic high jump gold medallist in 1952), Joan Harrison (swimmer,won 1 olympic gold medal in 1952), and Sam Atkinson (olympic 110m hurdles gold medallist in 1928).

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
Mathosa was one of the best singers in South Africa. She was called “South Africa´s Madonna of the townships”. In the 1990s, Mathosa was considered among the most talented artists in Africa.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
The 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to South African author John Maxwell Coetzee. He was the fourth African Nobel laurate for literature after Wolle Soyinka of Nigeria (1986), Naguib Mahfouz of Egypt (1988), and Coetzee´s countrywoman Nadine Gordimer (1991). J.M Coetzee was born on February 9, 1940, in Cape Town, South Africa. He was cited by the Swedish Academy as an author “who in innumerables guises portrays the surprising involvement of the outsider”.Certainly, Coetzee is one of the most famous South African authors in the 21st century.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
South Africa hosted the 1999 Pan African Games.

DID YOU KNOW THAT…
The golf is a popular sport in South Africa. South Africa has had famous golfers throughout its sports history.In the 1960s and 1970s, Gary Player was one of the best golfers in the world. He won many tournaments such as the Masters Golf Tournament ( 1961,1974, and 1978), the United States Open (1965), the PGA Championship (1962 and 1972), and the British Open ( 1959, 1968, and 1974).His countryman Bobby Locke won the British Open (1949, 1950, 1952, and 1957). Furthermore, South Africa won two times the World Cup Golf: 1965 (Gary Player and Harold Henning) and 1974 (Bobby Cole and Dale Hayes).

Visit South Africa and be excited, entertained, enlightened, uplifted, spoilt and revitalized.

South African tourism offers unbeatable value, exceptional service, amazing people and out of this world products.

The locals want the world to visit South African because it affords them an opportunity to understand what makes this beautiful country at the bottom of Africa so special and inviting.

When visiting South Africa, you will find a sophisticated infrastructure, a booming economy and sky rise buildings in the city centres. One of the beauties of South Africa is just a short drive outside of these buzzing cities and you will find nature’s glories. Visit Guest Files to find South African accommodation, South African restaurants and South African tours:

* South African beaches offer clean waters, white shores and safety nets.
* South Africa is renown for its splendid wines, which must definitely be experienced at local South African wine farms.
* A trip to South Africa is incomplete without partaking in the majestic mountain ranges.
* South Africa offers fine dining, rated tops in the world.
* Amazing game and safari viewing with trips to suit your preference are available in all South African provinces. Get up close and personal with the giraffes, close enough to hear a zebra munching away and within 8km, you will hear a lion’s roar.
* South African tourism is also open to entertainment options of all kind.
* These are just a few of the amazing opportunities on offer.

All, Please be warned that even though your credit card may cover damage to your rental car, that is all it would cover. Insurance purchased through the rental agency is the only way to get liability coverage in this part of the world!

When Katey and Ron rented their car at the Cancun airport, they had the impression that their gold credit card would provide the Collision Damage Waiver part of the rental-- as is common in the USA-- and so they declined to purchase this vehicle coverage to save money. (Collision Damage Waiver eliminates the driver's responsibility for damage to a rental vehicle.) Not good! Later they learned that during the duration of their rental they had not had this protection at all. Basically, visitors are well-advised to over-insure rather than risk any possibility of under-insurance. Accidents do happen in this area, and even in the case of a minor dent your hassles can mount alarmingly without insurance coverage by a Mexican company. You may even be required to pay damages on the spot. Don't be penny-wise and pound foolish!

Also with your Cancun car rental avoid driving in heavy rains as puddles will hide the pot-holes. Avoid driving after dark. Look out for people walking animals or stray animals. Make sure that your rental car has good windshield wipers and make sure your rental car is properly insured!

When you rent your car, you will get a form indicating certain things related to the car or vehicle. It contains basic information like mileage, the rental date, and the car's gas level. It also has boxes to indicate that the car has working windshield wipers, seat belts, mirrors, spare tires and other things your Cancun vehicle has. The important part of this checklist for you is the area where you mark existing damage for the vehicle. The car could have dents, scratches, chips, tears, stains, marks. Verify please! And make sure it's indicated where applicable. You should be very thorough when signing the check-list.

A dollar will get you a dime or a peso will get you a centavo your car runs on gas. Perhaps the car is given without filling the tank completely. If it goes out near empty, you're supposed to return it at the same level. If it goes out half full, you are expected to return it half full. In the event you return the car with less than gas than when the car was given to you figure you'll be charged higher rates for the gas than at the pump. In Mexico, if you park illegally, the police may remove a license plate if they have a screwdriver and can figure out how.

Then you will have to go to the police station (transito) and pay a fine to get your plate back. If you return a car with a missing plate, the rental company will charge you a fee for it's recovery. Verify if your car has a license plate in the front and back when it is given to you. On brand new cars in may have a paper permit taped in the car's rear window in lieu of plates. When any doubt ask us. In the event the vehicle is missing one plate when you sign for it insure this is so indicated on the rental form.

As one of the most notorious global centers of fashion, it's only natural that London should boast a number of desirable high street shopping areas and designer boutiques. In fact, if you can get over the high cost of living, London offers one of the world's best locations for shopping breaks - and anyone thinking of commencing a shopping holiday in London will definitely be able to locate an area of the city in which they can find the key to all their retail desires.

First and foremost, shoppers in London will adore the world-famous Oxford Street - Europe's busiest shopping district. Oxford Street extends over two kilometres and offers retail enthusiasts a range of fashion, shoes and clothing stores - many of which include flagship stores of major British brands. For instance, on Oxford Street you'll find Selfridges department store - a London shopping institution - as well as Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, Debenhams, House of Fraser, HMV, Borders, the Disney Store and Topshop, the latter of which claims to be "the largest fashion store in the world".

If you're looking for a more alternative location for your shopping break in London, head straight to Camden Market. Camden Market comprises a range of markets, including Camden Lock Market, Stables Market, Buck Street Market and Inverness Street Market. Here, you'll find a variety of market stalls selling offbeat, vintage and second hand clothing, as well as handmade crafts, accessories and other goods. You'll also find one of London's oldest street markets in Portobello Road, in London's Notting Hill district. While Portobello Road Market also offers unique vintage clothing, additionally, it is known as one of London's premier destinations for antique-buying - so is sure to cater to shoppers with a variety of interests.

However, London's most prestigious shopping destination is undoubtedly Knightsbridge, home to some of Europe's most exclusive designer stores and boutiques. The Knightsbridge area houses the UK's top two luxury department stores - Harrods and Harvey Nichols - as well as leading designer brands, including Cartier, Jimmy Choo, Chanel, Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood. And the popularity of weekend shopping breaks in Knightsbridge means that hotels near Harrods are in high demand, ensuring that Knightsbridge is a first class shopping location in London year-round.

You can travel to Scotland from London on an overnight train from £19 one way. It's a great time effective, civilised and sometimes romantic way to get to the heart of Scotland. Two Caledonian Sleeper trains leave London Euston every night, except Saturday, and travel to Inverness, Fort William, Aviemore, Gleneagles, Aberdeen, Stirling, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Miniature hotels on rails, these sleeper trains have 1 and 2 berth compartments with real beds and a place to wash. Towels, soap and a complimentary toiletry pack are provided. They are fully air conditioned, have a lounge with steward service of spirits, beer, wine and soft drinks and snacks. Breakfast is included in the fare and is served in your berth. There are also cheaper reclining seats. ScotRail run Caledonian Sleepers and are crewed by Scottish staff.

The Caledonian overnight sleeper from London to Fort William is sometimes known as 'The Deerstalker' and is a fantastic train ride. Arrive in Fort William in the West Scottish Highlands at 9.43am after boarding in London at 9pm the previous day. Regular fares start at £49 one-way or £99 return including breakfast sharing a 2-berth room or £169 with a room to yourself (passengers travelling alone can book a berth in a 2-berth room and share with another passenger of the same sex, if they don't want to pay the 1st class single berth fare). 'Bargain Berth' fares are available online for just £19/£29/£39/£49 one-way, although these cheap deals are few and far between on this particular train.

For the complete experience, take the connecting train from Fort William to the end of the line at Mallaig, a small fishing port and ferry terminal for Skye. Alternatively, just 15 minutes walk from Fort William you could climb Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain.

September 2006 saw France celebrate the 25th anniversary of the TGV by completing a new high-speed rail line between Paris and Germany. The French arranged for the completion of the eastern line, which crosses the vineyards of Champagne, to coincide with the planned festivities for the silver anniversary of the first TGV that ran and continues to run between Paris and Lyon. They also arranged for SNCF to test TGV trains travelling at 225 mph on the Mediterranean line as an acknowledgement to the success of the network and how it can be improved. In comparison Britain’s fastest trains do not exceed 125mph.

This new line has completed the TGV-Est, the eastern train a grande vitesse, route at a cost of £2 billion. With trains travelling up to 200 mph (320km/h) the time taken to commute will be cut considerably. Paris to Strasbourg can be reached within 2 hours and 20 minutes, a time saving of almost 2 hours. For those living within France, commuting from Rheims to Paris will only take 45 minutes.

There are worries that this new link between Paris and Strasbourg will affect airline services between the two cities, as it has done between Marseilles, London and Brussels. The good news is that property prices have increased along its route.

The TGV network covers 1,250-mile (2,010km). This network has made the country smaller and enables people to live further away from Paris but yet still be within commuting distance. Every day, over 400,000 people use the TGV to commute.

Commuting between Paris and Lille (127 miles each way) will cost £415 per month.

Using a daily season ticket to commute between Paris and Tours will cost £390 per month.

President Pompidou, launched the TGV project in 1974. Since then it has opened up tourist routes and brought prosperity to the Atlantic and Mediterranean areas of the country. In 2001, the opening of the line to Avignon and Aix-en-Provence meant people could reach Paris in under 3 hours. It also helped the property market in Provence as people looked to buy a second home away from the hustle and bustle of the capital.

September 2006 saw France celebrate the 25th anniversary of the TGV by completing a new high-speed rail line between Paris and Germany. The French arranged for the completion of the eastern line, which crosses the vineyards of Champagne, to coincide with the planned festivities for the silver anniversary of the first TGV that ran and continues to run between Paris and Lyon. They also arranged for SNCF to test TGV trains travelling at 225 mph on the Mediterranean line as an acknowledgement to the success of the network and how it can be improved. In comparison Britain’s fastest trains do not exceed 125mph.

This new line has completed the TGV-Est, the eastern train a grande vitesse, route at a cost of £2 billion. With trains travelling up to 200 mph (320km/h) the time taken to commute will be cut considerably. Paris to Strasbourg can be reached within 2 hours and 20 minutes, a time saving of almost 2 hours. For those living within France, commuting from Rheims to Paris will only take 45 minutes.

There are worries that this new link between Paris and Strasbourg will affect airline services between the two cities, as it has done between Marseilles, London and Brussels. The good news is that property prices have increased along its route.

The TGV network covers 1,250-mile (2,010km). This network has made the country smaller and enables people to live further away from Paris but yet still be within commuting distance. Every day, over 400,000 people use the TGV to commute.

Commuting between Paris and Lille (127 miles each way) will cost £415 per month.

Using a daily season ticket to commute between Paris and Tours will cost £390 per month.

President Pompidou, launched the TGV project in 1974. Since then it has opened up tourist routes and brought prosperity to the Atlantic and Mediterranean areas of the country. In 2001, the opening of the line to Avignon and Aix-en-Provence meant people could reach Paris in under 3 hours. It also helped the property market in Provence as people looked to buy a second home away from the hustle and bustle of the capital.

Romania is a country not so many people have ever heard about. For some fans of sport the word “Romania” gains a meaning only after hearing such names as Gica Hagi or Nadia Comaneci. Others have heard about it from Eurovision contests. However, Romania is a country which is worth being discovered. It is situated in the South-East of Europe on the coast of the Black Sea. Her neighbors are Moldavia, Ukraine Hungary, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. These countries and the complicated history have definitively let important signs and defined its variety and specific.

The first aspect somebody gets to know when coming for the first time to Romania is the language – Romanian. For those who have never studied it it is very easy to note that the language is very similar to Italian, French, and Spanish. You are probably wondering why, as Romania is far from being a geographical neighbor of Italy, France or Spain. The history gives us the answer. The former territories of Romania, once called Dacia and populated by Indo-European tribes with the same name, were concurred by the Roman Empire in 106 AD, after which followed an intense process of colonization and romanization. This process had such a great success for the colonists that the new Romanian language, born from fusion of Latin and Dacik, consists to 60% of Latin word, which makes Romanian the most approached language to Latin. So if you know at least one of the Latin languages, there should not be great problems for you to understand the locals. Other relatively long lasting conquests (Turkish, Russian, or Austria-Hungarian) also let their imprint on the Romanian language.

However, the language was not the only element which had been influenced along the history. Different people brought to Romania their culture, traditions, architecture, religion, and even their specific way of living and thinking.

Romania is divided in nine regions and each of them has something special, unrepeatable, which is not to be found in the other ones. For example the regions which were under the rule of Austro-Hungarian Empire are very similar to the authentic Hungarian ones. At the time of Austro-Hungarian control, the people used to live in communities and this influenced the architecture of the houses. Have you ever seen more than seven houses, wall to wall without any gap between them? If you are interested, the West and North-West regions are the right thing for you. Advancing from the country side towards the center of the cities closed yards for ten houses give way to paved roads and European architecture as you know it.

Another region where the houses have an interesting architecture lay in the North of the country. Totally different from those in North-West and West, each house attracts by its fairy tail aspect and the gardens around them remind you about Eden Gardens. Some people would like to rest there, for the others it is their home.

As long as some regions impress us by their houses, the coast of the Black Sea impresses us with its ruins. From here on once started the Roman colonization and parts of the towns built by the colonists can be seen until today. The coast itself does not differ from the Spanish or Italian ones and can comfort you at any time.

Whether the South-Eastern region reminds us about the Roman occupation the capital of Romania Bucharest offers us a flashback into the times of communism. The impressive House of the People built at the dictator’s order is the second largest White House in Europe. To visit at least half of it you would need more than one day.

Religion is neither to be forgotten. The Romanians are a very religious people. From the whole population, about 80% are orthodox Christians, and only a small part of it is catholic (especially in the former Austria-Hungarian areas). There is an uncountable number of orthodox churches and monasteries, which brings the people closer to God. Only in the cultural capital of Romania – Iasi – there are over 300 churches. Each monastery from the neighborhood of Iasi (region of Moldavia) has its specific color, although their construction and style are mostly the same. There are both men and women monasteries in Romania, but curious is the fact that these monasteries differ one from another. For example in the Eastern region you will be more welcome in a female monastery, but in a mountain area the monks are much friendly than the nuns, although there the monasteries are isolated and far away from civilization. How paradoxical it would not be, we should not make fun of religion and the people who dedicated themselves to it.

The large spread of monasteries in the Eastern area can be explained by its economy. This area is considered to be the poorest one from the whole country. There are neither natural resources, nor mountains nor sea. On the other hand this area is very developed from the cultural and spiritual point of view. The locals from this region are also much friendlier than those from the other ones. Their difficult situation has probably brought them together and made them help each other.

Dalat is the first major city as you go north into the Central Highlands of Vietnam from Saigon. The French colonists realized the value of the mild climate when they founded the city in the late 1800s. The city's architecture reflects this heritage in many villas still scene in the city. Fortunately the buildings were spared the ravages of war from the 50s to the 70s. So much of the city is as it was in colonial times.

The cool temperatures result in pine forests surrounding the lakes and rivers in the area. Waterfalls, vegetable and flower gardens attract many tourists from home and abroad. For summer tourists this is a pleasant change from the tropical heat of the lowlands and should be on any summer traveler’s itinerary. Travelers wanting to experience Dalat should consider hiring the services of one of Dalat’s Easy Riders. These guides will shuttle you around on the back of a motorbike to visit the attractions in the area. If this isn’t your style hire a taxi to take you to see the natural beauty of the mountain town.

The area is the home to first groups of montanyard (hill) tribes, also known officially as “minority people” in Vietnam, as you go north. The people of the “Chicken Village” offer hand woven silk scarves and other colorful crafts to visiting guests. The village is an excellent place to pick up several unique souvenirs for those back home. Many bargain family run inns are available in Dalat, as well as several upscale hotels. A walk around Xuan Huong Lake will build an appetite for your next meal. A few restaurants have a decidedly French flavor. Several local pastry shops entice patrons any time of the day. And aromatic coffee, grown on local plantations, completes any break or full meal anytime of the day.