Archives: 2008 October

Hong Kong has much to offer everyone from sightseeing to shopping to eating to just absorbing the atmospheric state and mixture of cultures this best city has to pass. Here are some must see positions on your see :

The Peak Tram is possibly the most popular tourist magnet and definitely a must on any visit to Hong Kong. A furnicular railway takes you up The Peak for some breathtaking views of the Kowloon Penisular, Victoria Harbour and impending islands.

You can pass on the Peak Tram station using the No 15C Shuttle Bus from the Star Ferry Terminal in Central or the No 12S bus from Admiralty MTR station.

At the peak there are shops, restaurants and other attractivenesses besides the 360 degree wide-screen view.

You can get the MTR from Kowloon to Essential, but a travel on the ferry is a must for the experience and opinions of Victoria Harbour.

The Mid Levels Escalator, at 800m is the longest covered outdoor escalator system in the world. It runs commuters between the honorable Mid Levels residential area and the middle of Central Hong Kong.

Travel along it is free but beware it operates in one way (down) during the morning stimulate hour then is switched to up thereafter.

Nearby is the famous Chop Alley (Man Wa Lane) which is drew with small green-painted field huts where chop makers sell chops. A chop is a Chinese seal typically carved from jade, soapstone, bone or ivory. You can get the carvers to transform your name into Chinese for a custom-made seal. For a soapstone custom-made chop expect to pay around 15.

Catskill Mountain Thunder Motorcycle rally 2008

Most of us know that when the first settlers came to America they where following a dream! What many don’t know is that a lot of those dreams where inspired by paintings of the Catskill Mountains. At the beginning of this country’s history artists where mesmerized by the beauty of these mountains and painted great pictures of them. These pictures where sent and sold all over the world and they had a big part in creating what later became know as the American dream.

Fast forward a couple Hundred years to September 10th through the 14th 2008 and now what draws hundreds of American Bikers every year to the Catskill Mountains is the Blackthorne Resort in East Durham and the Catskill Mountain Thunder Motorcycle Rally. This event which is a weekend get away for some and a week long party for others has just about everything a biker dreams of. Even though the Blackthorne Resorts grounds are large, they do fill up fast and Bikers reserve there Cabins, RV sites or Camp sites up to a year in advance just to make sure there is room for them on the grounds. (There are plenty of other resorts in the area who welcome the Biker overflow from the Blackthorne) Me and my Brother Mopar Tom arrived on Thursday Night and the first thing We did was to check out what seemed like a million vendors, Who where selling every thing from Motorcycle stickers to Custom Motorcycles.Then of course it was time to grab some drinks. First drink was at the Tikki Bar by the large in ground pool. The Second was at the Blackthorne’s on premise full service bar. Not wanting to over do it on my first night there (I would save that for my second night) I called it an early night at around 2am and was off to get some sleep.

Once again, gas and oil prices are increasing. All the newspapers report home oil prices will be exorbitant this winter. Homeowners are at their wits end trying to figure out how to save on fuel, while having to keep their families warm. Not only that, they have to pay more at the gas pumps, in order to commute to work each day. People have no control on hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico that shut down oil operations, or how much crude oil OPEC will be producing, but there are a few strategies families can utilize to cut down their gasoline consumption.

Keeping the windows closed in the car actually saves energy. The wind drag produced by open windows causes your vehicle to burn more gas than having the air conditioner running. When using the air conditioner, keep in at a low setting to be comfortable. It doesn’t need to be blowing cold air constantly to be effective. During the heating season, the same techniques apply. Use only enough heat to be comfortable. This applies to your home as well. Close and weatherproof the windows in your home, decreasing draughts. Drapes over the windows also help in conserving heat.

Accelerating slowly uses less fuel than speeding up and then having to slow down. It also has less wear and tear on the tires and brakes. Try to stay a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you, avoiding sudden stops. It takes a lot more gas to get the car accelerating again than if you gradually slowed.