5 Easy Steps to Giving the Perfect BackCountry Gift

Does the thought of buying a gift for a friend or relative make you smile or does it stress you out? Is there a hiker or camper on your gift giving list? What can you give to the someone who already has everything? The secret of gift giving is not always the “what.” Many times the “why, when and how” make an ordinary gift the Perfect Gift. Continue reading to discover 5 sure-fire steps to giving the perfect gift to the outdoor enthusiasts in your life.

Step 1: Do Your Homework. This is the toughest of the 5 steps. Doing your homework means thinking about your outdoor enthusiast and what he or she likes about being in the backcountry. Are there any current or past outdoor interests? Perhaps he likes to fish or she likes to climb. Maybe you overheard the comment “I remember when I used to go camping every long weekend. I miss those days.” Our personal shopper service receives hints like this all the time. Chances are you already know their interests, so take a few minutes to think prior to shopping. There are loads of great outdoor gifts available.

Another part of your homework is to understand the relationship between you and your gift recipient’s outdoor hobbies. Last year I was camping with a dear friend who got mildly lost. After about an hour, he showed up in camp a little embarrassed – but safe. So the perfect gift for him before our next trip was a GPS unit. I also included a hand written coupon good for one free lesson and an extra set of batteries. The relationship we had allowed me to have a little fun with the gift giving. I did provide him with a quality gift and he uses it all the time.

Step 2: Speaking of High Quality. The best way to get the most enjoyment out of our backcountry experiences is to have good gear. When giving a backcountry gift, be sure it’s high quality. There are two gear buying rules to live by. First, only give gear you would use. And secondly, buy the best gear you can afford. Nothing derails good times in the great outdoors like bad gear.

Step 3: The Right Way to Give Certificates. Gift certificates can be an excellent choice for a gift. Here’s a great use of a gift certificate - I was fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of this story. A friend living across the country knew I loved to hike. He also knew from his own experience that you can’t just buy a backpack for someone else. Backpacks are a very subjective purchase. Instead of buying a me a pack and giving me the task of returning it in order to get the right one, he sent me a gift certificate AND he told me what to buy with it. So now I get the backpack I want and my friend has proven once again how well he knows me. I loved the gift. When giving gift certificates, tell the recipient what to buy with it.

Step 4: Seek Out Customer Friendly Retailers. This is especially important when purchasing a gift on-line. Make sure you are purchasing from a store with visible customer satisfaction and return policies. If your gift recipient needs to exchange or return a piece of gear, the process needs to be hassle-free. If the return procedure is clunky, the perfect gift just became imperfect.

Step 5: Timing is Everything. The best time to get “the birding binoculars I always wanted,” is not on your birthday or at Christmas time. The best time to get them is just before you go birding. The new backpack is a more thoughtful gift just prior to hiking the Grand Canyon than it is for graduation. The value of a gift is greatly increased when given at the right time. Surprise someone with a perfectly timed present.

Giving the Perfect BackCountry Gift is easy to do. Determining “what” to give is important, but so is knowing “why, when and how” to give. Make your next gift giving experience a good one. The outdoor enthusiast in your life is counting on it.

Use this information and you’ll Get It Right The First Time. Get Outdoors!

Tulamben Underwater Paradise

When divers see calm waters on a sunny day, it is as if they are being called forth to heaven to enjoy the marine paradise below.

When we arrived at Tulamben, one of Bali's most frequented diving spots, the water was calm and there was a light breeze of refreshing wind.

Nature's beautiful welcome more than made up for our 2.5 hour drive from Sanur, where we had spent the night. Getting out of the car, there was a strong buzz of excitement among us.

Our diving guide from Bali Scuba, Chris, seemed to sense our mounting enthusiasm and tried to speed up preparations for our adventure. But he still needed to stick to the procedure. He explained the diving plan after the usual dos and don'ts briefing.

"We are going to dive at the following spots: the US Liberty Shipwreck, Coral Garden and the Drop Off," he said, pointing to the underwater map.

While some people were still putting on their BCD (Buoyancy Control Device), Chris signaled to those who were ready to go with him. We walked some 100 meters along the sandy beach from the Paradise Resort, our base camp, to begin our adventure, diving to the entry point site.

Chris reminded us to walk carefully when we were approaching the edge of the beach, which was full of volcanic stones as big as adult's fist.

In a day at least 50 divers visit the diving site. They usually came in groups and the must-see spot was the shipwreck location.

"When holiday season comes the number (of divers) can double," Chris said.

The US Liberty shipwreck, which was torpedoed by the Japanese army during World War II, attracts divers to Tulamben. Those who prefer snorkeling can enjoy the ship stern for it is only located some 6 meters under the water surface with average visibility of 12 to 30 meters.

History has it the ship, which sunk in Lombok waters, was about to be towed to Singaraja port in North Bali but as Singaraja was already occupied by Japan army, the shipwreck was rerouted to Tulamben beach.

Mount Agung's powerful volcanic eruption in 1963 pulled the shipwreck deeper to the seabed - its present home -where it is heavily covered with anemone, gorgonian and coral.

When we reached the shipwreck, two schools of bright, silver trevally fish swam past us as if patrolling the site. They perfectly contrasted with the dark sand.

Hundreds of trevally moved in circles. They swam around the shipwreck and did not seem afraid of us. Locally known as kuwe, the trevally even approached some divers. Chris got an amazing welcome from surgeonfish that swarmed him as if performing their welcoming dance. Fishes in Tulamben are indeed friendly and recognize no fear - unlike in other less visited diving spots.

I remembered when I got a similar warm welcome from a school of small fishes in Bunaken, North Sulawesi. It was a priceless moment. The fishes not only "danced" around me but they also "kissed" my diving mask.

So when I saw what happened to Chris, I lifted my underwater camera and began pressing its shutter release to capture the precious moment and other beauties nearby.

If we observed carefully enough, we could spot ikan sebelah (flounders) and blue-spotted stingrays that hid beneath the sand, waiting for their lunch.

Not far from the shipwreck, I saw dozen of garden eels, eating floating planktons. Their bodies danced to the gentle sea currents that moved gently in this site. Many others rested with half of their bodies submerged in the seabed.

Our second destination was the Coral Garden, which was located right in front of the Paradise Resort. This garden is 2 to 15 meters depths, making it the perfect destination for snorkeling.

This spot has both soft and hard coral with light density. Yet, they were rich with marine life, including Napoleon fish, pipefish, parrotfish and clownfish. Even barracudas, which had sharp teeth, were seen swimming nearby when we got there. Chris said divers could come across blacktip sharks if they were lucky.

Columns between the soft and hard corals were the perfect hideout for shrimps. Local divers called them cleaner shrimps. One type was red and white but there was also one with combinations of red, white and green.

Fellow diver Emily Douglas from US was intrigued to find out if the shrimps were natural vacuum cleaners. She extended her hands to the shrimps, which immediately swarmed her hands and performed their famous duties.

Because of its average depth and generous light, this spot was also known as a perfect site for night-diving and heaven for hunting objects for macro-photography.

Our last destination was the Drop Off, located on the right side of Coral Garden. We walked to go to the side and had to go through the rocky beach.

The Drop Off site was formed naturally by a volcanic eruption. Our adventure began on a sandy slope, which was the starting point of the standard dive at Tulamben. At the end of the slope we could see the Drop Off's topography in the form of vertical walls whose depth could reach tens of meters.

The wall was heavily decorated with sponges and black coral. The marine life at this site is not very different to the Shipwreck site. There were butterflyfish, angelfish, Moorish idols and many other small fish with striking colors. Coral fish like groupers and anthias can also be seen at this site. Lucky divers can spot bigger fishes like whitetip and hammerhead sharks.

In general, Tulamben waters have relatively good visibility ranging between 12 and 30 meters. Its subtle currents make this place suitable for divers of any level.

Visiting Tulamben is a must for divers whenever they are in Bali. A growing number of diving operators are proof of the growing popularity of this recreational sport. Dive operators usually offer transport and accommodation, as well as alternatives to diving and snorkeling.

Tulamben has been included among spots recommended by nearly all diving operators, and is one of the best places to begin your underwater adventures.

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Private bliss at Panambungan Island

Trinissa is the 5-year-old daughter of Erwin Aksa, the chairman of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association and the president director of eastern Indonesia's well-known Bosowa Group of companies, owned by his father, Aksa Mahmud. Erwin's aunt is the wife of Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

This intimate knowledge of the wealthy and well-connected is conveyed to me by Captain Nurdi Cahyo, head of the berthing section of the harbor master department at the Sixth Naval Base, Makassar.

Trinissa is also the name of Erwin's Rp 8 billion Bertram yacht, which he uses to entertain his VIP guests, and transport passengers from Hotel Imperial Aryaduta Makassar, a property owned by the Aksa Mahmud family, to Panambungan, a private island owned by the family.

Departing from the mainland at about 9 am and returning at 4 p.m., it is a 45-minute trip to the island on Trinissa. The trip costs Rp 400,000 per passenger and includes a lunch of fried rice, and if you are quick enough, some snorkeling gear. "We used to have 20 of them," the captain said, unable to explain why the rest had disappeared. I managed to get one after hours of waiting.

Panambungan is a small island about the size of two soccer fields and is one of the 18,110 islands that make up the Indonesian archipelago.

"If you really want, you can dive into the waters off the island, which is now the gravesite of many used cars *former Bosowa taxis*. There are no great diving sites," Nurdi said adding, "For diving, many people from Jakarta go further north to the Kapoposang National Marine Park. The trip from Makassar to Kapoposang is three times as long as the trip to Panambungan."

The water around the island is clean and it was delightful to spend a Saturday there swimming in the afternoon sun, snorkeling, treading on white sand, and admiring casuarinas and other types of pine trees. Big trees with cherry-like fruit that scattered autumnal colored leaves on the ground, and the sweet-smelling jasmine plants, added to the beauty.

Inter-tidal-like pools had formed along some parts of the island. Sprinkled with reefs and some debris, the clear light-blue water is too shallow for swimming. Snorkeling though, you are likely to spot small simple-colored fish, some silvery, swimming here and there around dull-looking coral and equally lackluster anemones.

However, lurking in the clear clean water, are tiny translucent jelly fish locally called "ice jelly fish", which cause severe itchiness if they make contact with the skin. There is also a sort of oval-shaped flat fish camouflaging itself to resemble a thin mound of sand. Perhaps it was a Sting Ray. It seemingly felt my presence and slithered away. Later, after exploring some other parts of the shallow water, I went back to that spot, but this unidentified underwater object had gone.

The structures built on the island are still very rudimentary, including the toilets and the bathrooms. That's why I decided to take a bath when I returned to my hotel in Makassar. Some people decided to stay at the rudimentary bungalows on the island, paying Rp 500,000 per night not including breakfast, according to Mery, the secretary of the hotel's sales department. Nurdi and Mery told me there is a two-year plan to turn the island into a properly built and managed resort with amenities similar to the cluster of resort islands just off Jakarta.

On the way back to Makassar I sat on the second story of the Trinissa in front of the steering wheel. The triangular transparent plastic window in front of me had been rolled up and the open sea before me was like a rhapsody in blue.

Holding the right and the left hand steel bars that make up the triangular window, I stood up. The strong wind and the pace of the yacht made me feel like I was flying. The flying sensation faded away when the contours of Makassar emerged on the horizon. Memories of the island suddenly flashed in my mind, prompting me to turn back.

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Traveling into China’s Past

China today is a modern country, after rapid infrastructure development in almost every city.

In Beijing, the construction of the Bird’s Nest stadium and the Water Cube aquatic center for last year’s Olympic Games is nothing less than hard evidence of its economic might.

In Guangzhou, a city in southern China, we can also witness the robust economy, as seen from the massive construction of public facilities such as highways and bridges, not to mention skyscrapers.

Despite its modernity, China is admirable for its strong devotion to the preservation of its culture and traditions. Several journalists from Southeast Asia were recently invited to look at China’s glorious past and natural beauty.

Our tour guide Thomas Shau jumped out of the bus that took us from downtown Guangzhou in southern China to Kaiping City, about 140 kilometers to the southwest.

After talking with people at the ticket booth, Thomas shouted to us, “This way, please! This way, please!” This was heard repeatedly on our trip as he was worried we may get separated which might disrupt the tight schedule.

On that sunny day, Thomas had brought us to Li Garden to see the attractions and beautiful old buildings in the estate belonging to the wealthy family. Covering an area of more than one hectare, the complex consists of a man-made lake, narrow canals, hills and old buildings of outstanding architectural interest.

The area was built between 1926 and 1936 by Xie Wei Li, a Chinese man who migrated to the United States. After he became wealthy, he returned to China and built the houses and spacious garden later known as Li Garden. The property combines exotic Chinese gardens with the charm of Western architecture.

In the complex, all the houses, some multi-story, are alike architecturally and share similar amenities. The windows are protected by four different coverings; the outer part is an iron panel, followed by iron bars, mosquito nets and then a wood panel.

“They used extra safety measures because they wanted to defend themselves from Japanese invaders. One window was damaged when the Japanese tried to pry it open,” Thomas said, pointing to a damaged window.

The houses are special because there is a kitchen on each floor. Thomas explained that the kitchen allowed the inhabitants to still cook meals when the lower floors were inundated by floods.

The entrance to the rather grand garden has a stone-arched gate which declares the residency of the Li family in two large, handwritten Chinese characters meaning “Li Garden”. The garden incorporates a walk-in aviary, a small lake and a flower pavilion along with numerous trees and plants.

Standing erect in the garden are two steel poles called the “tiger whip” which were built to scare away evil spirits.

As many of us were still enjoying the breeze in this subtropical region, Thomas ordered us to gather and get on the bus.

“It’s time to go and see Zili Village,” he said.

Zili Village is only minutes away from Li Garden to the northeast. As our bus stopped in front of the gate, we got out and went to the old village on foot. With a dry landscape, dirty ponds and old brick houses, frankly, the village does not provide a feast for the eyes.

To ignore this place, however, would be a mistake as we have lessons to learn from this old village, which was inscribed on the list of UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage sites in 2007.

Located in Tangkou Town, still in Kaiping City, the village consists of three sub-villages constructed between 1821 and 1920. There is a cluster of nine towers known as Diaolou and a group of six Western-style villas, along with single-story houses built of brick and with tiled roofs among the rice fields.

The nine Diaolou are Anlou, Juanlou, Longshenglou, Mingshilou, Quianjulou, Yinonglou, Yunhualou, Zhenanlou and Shulinglou. They were built around the same time in the 1920s by prosperous Chinese emigrants returning to their roots from the United States and elsewhere.

Although different in ornamental detail, the Diaolou are all built of reinforced concrete and are similar in concept: five or six stories high with a balustrade-equipped terrace at the lowest level and arcaded loggias at the top level to catch the breeze.

We had the opportunity of entering one Diaolou, Mingshilou, and climbed to the rooftop. Similar to the buildings at Li Garden, the Diaolou at Zili Village also applied extra security measures. There are two holes above the main door through which the inhabitants can peep to identify anyone knocking on the door.

“If the inhabitants know the identity of the guest, they will open the door and welcome them. But, if they don’t know, they will shoot them through the holes,” Thomas said.

The furniture and interior decoration show visitors that those who lived in the Diaolou were extremely wealthy families. The beauty of the old standing clock, the chandelier, the paintings and sculptures would impress all visitors. They present a complete picture of the success and aspirations of the returning Chinese emigrants.

The next day, Thomas accompanied us to Xiqiao Hill, which he described as having breathtaking scenery. He said the hill had been hailed as a tourist resort by numerous literati and travelers since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, about 600 years ago.

Xiqiao Hill is about a one-hour drive or 45 kilometers from Guangzhou to the north. The natural beauty of several peaks, caves, rock formations and waterfalls has won the hill “National Forest Park” status from the state government.

On this trip, we visited the former residence of Huang Fei Hong, the martial arts master, a house where literary figures like Zan Ruoshui, He Yunshan, Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao studied Confucianism.

As well as visiting these historic places, our bus took us to the hilltop to see the fascinating giant statue of Guanyin. At 61.9 meters tall, it is the world’s biggest seated Guanyin statue. She is seated in the full lotus position, holding a vial of elixir in her left hand and making a gesture of blessing with her right.

In between the steps leading up to the statue, visitors can see beautiful sculpted reliefs, some of them telling stories in the Buddhist tradition.

Leaving the Nanhai Guanyin Cultural Park, we visited the Zumiao Temple or the Temple of the Ancestors. The name simply means that the site is the oldest temple in town. The most interesting feature of the temple is its rich ceiling decorations that show many Chinese figures and creatures.

Our next stop was the Nanfeng Ancient Kiln in Shiwan, the hometown of the ceramic industry. Built during the Ming Dynasty in the 1500s, its wood fire has lasted for 500 years, and it is still producing ceramics in the original way.

As we were visiting the kiln, an old man showed us how to make pottery with the help of his young apprentice, who turned the pottery wheel by means of his right foot. Within few minutes, the man had created a vase, which was removed from the wheel using a strong cord before being put into the kiln.

Walking through narrow corridors, we arrived at the Shiwan Ceramics Museum, where we saw displays of ancient ceramic collections with various designs and the history of the kiln.

The Borneo Post editor Harry Anak Julin who was on the tour expressed his admiration of the creativity and artistic skill the Chinese people possess.

“I would like to spend one or two more days here to learn about the pottery making process,” he said.

At the end of the tour, we came across another stunning view: It was of a man-made waterfall created from hundreds of pieces of colorful pottery pots over which a steady stream of sparkling water flowed.

Its stunning beauty highlights the creativity of Chinese people from the past to the present.

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Traditional Chinese houses enjoy reinvention

The trade of traditional-style courtyard homes siheyuan in Beijing thrives after the government issued a decree in March that encourages groups and individuals to buy the siheyuans.

Under the new decree aimed at promoting better siheyuan conservation, owners will have a legal right to sell, lease, mortgage or transfer their property at negotiated price.

Over the past five years, the price of siheyuan has soared to 30,000 Yuan (US$4,500) per square meter. The price is expected to continue rising given the fact that there are only around 1,000 siheyuan for sale in Beijing.

According to real estate agencies, most buyers are non-Beijingers seeking a solid investment. Because of the high cultural value, the profit margin ranges from 100 percent to 200 percent per sale.

One of the non-Beijingers buying or renting siheyuan is Mark Thirwall, an Australian who found his ideal place to settle down in Central Beijing’s Beixinqiao hutong.

Beijing has many hutongs, but Thirwall set his heart on Beixinqiao because he believed it had somemagical charms and, unlike other hutong in the capital, the lanes were meandering.

“It’s quiet and has no bars or tourist harpooning small shops near it. Instead it’s a piece of Beijing’s older past brought to the forefront. Besides, there are some beautiful big trees in the area that have their own identity papers issued by the local neighborhood group,” Thirwall said.

According to him, renting a hutong in Beijing was as simple as obtaining all the right papers including a leasing contract.

“The main issue that really needs to be addressed is how to deal with your neighborhood relations” he said.

It certainly is not an issue for Thirwall as he enjoys walking, riding his bike or sanlunche [tricycle] and talking with the locals.

After six months of renovation, Thirwall’s new home became a club called ‘The Hutong’. Opened in 2007, The Hutong has a kitchen for creative cooking classes, a private tea house, a multi function room and a roof-top terrace.

“I love tea and my business partner Stacey Shine loves painting. It seemed like the perfect place to convert into a cozy lounge/tea house atmosphere conducive for learning. We wanted a space that could offer Chinese cultural courses in a soft environment,” he said.

“The neighbors all know us now. They pretty much work as the tour guides pointing everyone whom has a “big nose” to our front doors. Sometimes even random strangers that didn’t even want to come to The Hutong.”

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Germans can now grab poolside chairs even earlier

BERLIN (Reuters) - German tourists can now reserve their poolside recliners before they have even left home.

The German arm of Thomas Cook, Europe's second largest travel company, has been deluged with inquiries since announcing that holidaymakers at nine hotels in Turkey, Egypt and the Canary Islands can book recliners in advance for a fee.

Germans are famous around Europe for rising early to reserve recliners near the pool with their towels, and then going back to bed or eating a lengthy breakfast.

This often annoys tourists from other nations, but they will be unable to take advantage of the new service -- it is valid only for tourists booking their trips from Germany, Mathias Brandes, head of communications at Thomas Cook in Germany, said.

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Tailored Suits From Bangkok – The capital for custom made suits

Bangkok is the perfect destination to enjoy the experience of getting a tailor made suit that will suit your taste and style. The city is popular for producing quality custom made suits in double quick time for both men and women at very cheap prices. When getting a suit, care has to be paid to the smallest details to get the perfect suit that will satisfy you. All across the city, tourists will find plenty of tailors eager to stitch a custom tailored suit for you.

Offering tailoring not only for suits, but also for other clothing items such as shirts and skirts, the tailor shops in Bangkok range from very cheap boutiques to shops that stitch suits from popular branded labels like Saville Row. Even if you want a suit within 24 hours, Bangkok is one of the few places in the world where you are ensured to get one!

When picking the perfect tailor in Bangkok for the stitching of your suit, there are several different areas that need to be considered. First off, you need to decide on the price you are willing to pay and the time frame in which you require the suit. Before deciding on a tailor, take the time to view samples or photographs of the work that the tailor has done in the past and whether the tailor’s view point of fashion is similar to your own. In addition, you are able to select from a wide range of colours and materials in Bangkok for the stitching of a suit ideal for any occasion.

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If you are holidaying in Bangkok, be sure to get a custom made suit tailored to perfection at this custom made suit capital of the world. Travellers looking for a Bangkok Sukhumvit hotel

to stay in should look no further than the classy and elegant Bangkok Grand President complex. This complex offers cozy and comfortable Bangkok serviced apartments that is a great place to be based in. Bangkok Grand President is within easy reach of the city’s main shopping, entertainment and tourist venues.