The Siberian Express across Russia to Moscow has been described as the best train ride in the world. Maybe not anymore. The Tibetan Railway from Qinghai to Lhasa has thrown its hat in the ring. It will eventually be extended to the Nepalese border, only an hour’s drive from Kathmandu.

Some things you might want to think about before boarding:

Price: Tibetan Railway tickets are CHEAP, ranging from US$49 to $180 depending on how much comfort you require and where you’re coming from. A soft sleeper from Beijing, a 48 hour journey, cost only $158 in early 2007. Although a travel agency might charge more than that, the frugal can purchase a ticket directly from the station.

Visas: A China visa is of course necessary. Contrary to some information on the Internet, though, a Tibet Permit is also required for foreigners. They are relatively inexpensive and not difficult to obtain, and can be arranged through a travel agency.

Altitude Sickness: Tibet is often called the “roof of the world”, and the Tibetan Railway is the world’s highest altitude railway. Nearly 1,000 kilometers of track have been laid at over 4,000 meters (12,000 feet) above sea level, and Tanggula Station, at 5,068 meters (over 15,000 feet) above sea level, is the highest railway station in the world at. Lhasa sits on a high desert plateau. Accordingly, altitude sickness is a very real danger. Fortunately the gradual acclimatization of going by rail rather than by air reduces this risk substantially. I flew to Lhasa from Chengdu in 1994 and got altitude sickness from my first breath of Tibetan air. I stayed that way for the rest of the trip, and then spent the next 10 years wanting to go again, because it was worth every single minute of discomfort. Be warned, however ? extreme altitude sickness can be life-threatening, and the only treatment is to get to a lower altitude as soon as possible. Accordingly, a trip to Tibet may not be appropriate for the elderly, the infirm, and people with lung ailments.

The Drakensberg is a 200 km long stretch of mountains in South Africa, the majority of this range falls in the Kwa Zulu Natal province. Translated into English, Drakensberg means “Dragons Mountain” and its Zulu name ukhalamba, meaning “barrier of spears” gives a brief description of this truly magical mountain range.

It is said to have been inhabited since the Stone Age and has captivated the imagination of every generation and culture, such as the San hunter gatherers and the Zulus, to have laid eyes on it. The Boers were forced to negotiate through this mountain range in 1837 during the great trek in order to reach their “promised land” and they came up with the name Drakensberg.

Towns in the surrounding area include Bergville, Estcourt, Underberg and Himeville, Mooi River, Nottingham Road, Rosetta, Winterton, Kokstad, MatatieIe and Swartberg. In the year 2000 the Ukhalambha-Drakensberg Park was made a world heritage site and rightly so. It met both the criteria for the natural and cultural listings and is a rare example of where such awesome displays of nature are interlaced with a deep and rich history. If one is in the South Africa it is a definite must see. As for accommodation the Drakensberg has it all. You can find yourself getting a deep tissue massage at a luxury spa or sharing a cave with other adventurous hikers. It also has hotels, bed and breakfast, guest houses, caravan sites, camping grounds and cabins so what ever your preference you are guaranteed to find it.

Activities are limitless and this region caters for every walk of life and every age. Obviously the most popular activity is hiking and walks. Once again the region caters for all, whether you would like to take a slow amble alongside one of the hundreds of streams and rivers or maybe spend five days on a guided hike through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Other popular activities include horse riding, quad biking, fly fishing for trout in a crisp mountain stream, playing on one of the many world class golf resorts, taking the 4X4 on a trail or simply catching up on some rest with a good book. The Drakensberg is also home to many game reserves managed and run by the Kwa Zulu Natal Parks Board where you have the chance of seeing many varieties of antelope, like Eland and the elusive Bushbuck, hundreds of species of birdlife and of course the baboon troops that make these mountains there home. The parks have excellent facilities and you can buy a pamphlet at reception that gives you a map and list of the trails in the park. Another major attraction is the bushman caves in various parts of the range. At Giants castle there is a bushman museum which allows you to get an insight into the life of the earliest inhabitants of this region and guided hikes can be taken to view the caves they lived in and the ancient paintings on the walls of these caves.

This area some how manages to offer a platter of accommodation, activities and experiences that appeal to such a wide variety of tastes that it is rare to come away from a holiday in the region and not have had a wonderful and memorable time.

Although no one can predict exactly when, every spring thousands of Tokyo inhabitants will flock to their public parks to enjoy “hanami”, the viewing of the cherry blossoms. The most popular of the city’s Cherry Blossom Festivals is at Ueno Park.

The Park’s main street is lined with over eight hundred cherry trees, the glowing blossoms of which are illuminated each evening by the light of fifteen hundred lanterns. Several hundred thousand daily visitors enjoy the blooms, which lend an aura of the palest pink to the park’s many other attractions.

History of the Cherry Blossom Festival

The Cherry Blossom Festival has its roots in the ninth century, when Japanese nobility had the first formal flower viewing at the Shinsen-en garden in Kyoto. Today Cherry Blossom Festivals unfold in stages as warm weather begins to spread over Japan from south to north and from the lowlands to the mountains. The Japanese listen intently to the reports from the Meteorological Agency as the cherry blossoms begin opening in Okinawa each January. When the blooming season arrives in Tokyo, usually in late March or early April, it is a signal for two weeks of celebration.

Families, friends, and even groups of workers in every part of Tokyo will head for the blossom-shrouded public spaces, spread out their picnic blankets, and enjoy the return of spring beneath the gently falling blossoms, which symbolize for them the fleetingness of life. By day’s end there is no way to tell where one group ends and another begins, and the sense of community is special indeed.

For those who would prefer to enjoy the ephemeral beauty of the blossoms in more contemplative surroundings, the Meguro River Cherry Blossom Festival, only six miles to the west of Tokyo Station, offers an evening stroll beneath the lantern-lit trees at the river’s edge.

Where to Stay during a Visit to the Cherry Blossom Festival

Located in Tokyo’s central Taitoku district, the four-star Hotel Sunroute Asakusa Tokyo is a modern facility within two kilometres of Ueno Park.

The Esencia Playa del Carmon, Quinta Roo Mexico is an amazingly beautiful, and very stylish place to have a vacation, and when you compare it to some of the mega resorts of the Mayan Riviera, quite frankly there is no comparison.

This place is near perfection, where you will be not only pampered but feel appreciated by the outstanding staff at the resort.

This definitely one of the very best places to stay in the Mexican Caribbean with your children, as there are house butlers, nannies, lots of activities, next to a stunning beach.

Having got the general description of the Esencia out of the way, what about the rooms, the food, the service, the price, because that either makes or breaks a vacation.

Our vacation was spent staying in a garden suite, and some of things that still spring to mind very quickly was the sheer size of the plasma TV with surround sound, the vast and extremely comfortable bed, and the pillows were soft, with bedside controls that meant you could enjoy the view without leaving your bed in the morning!!

The airconditioning didn’t freeze us, but we didn’t use it that much preferring fans, and natural breezes.

My wife places huge importance on the bathrooms, towels, showers, and all that sort of thing, and she was totally bowled over by the two rain shower heads in a separate shower room. The towels and the separate WC also met with her approval!!

I like to relax at the end of the day, and in the morning, so I particularly appreciated the large comfortable terrace, and before I forget, my wife really likes lots of hanging space, and there were huge closets, and plenty of hangers.

Food is a very important feature of a vacation for us, and we were not disappointed at the Esencia. For a start the rate included breakfast, and this wasn’t any ordinary hotel buffet breakfast, because you ordered it from the extensive menu, and it was delivered in some style, prior to that there was a coffee service straight to our suite, with nice pastries, at any time we requested. It is nice to sit on your terrace and devour it.

Dinner was in the garden restaurant, which only opened in the evening, and the menu had considerable choices, including about six desserts, with a lot of fish, which suited us. The wine list was good but expensive.

I can’t say the hotel was at all busy when we were there, so it wasn’t a problem to get a sun lounger on the beach, and they were padded too!! There was also prompt drinks service on the beach as well, and as far as the beach itself is concerned it has to be close to one of my favourites.

White sand, incredibly clear water in all of the shades of blue green and turquoise that you only get on a tropical vacation. There are a few rocks, but all in all it was good for swimming in right next to the hotel.

By the way the hotel is right next to El Cielo, which serves some of the best seafood and margaritas on the coast.

Many things about Esencia are special, but the service is really very good indeed. The staff seemed to have the ability to be there, but totally unobtrusive. We particularly liked the fact that straightaway they knew us by name, we never had to wait to sign anything, and our ‘running’ bill appeared magically in our room at regular intervals to allow us to see what we had spent.

There was definitely an attention to detail which helped make our vacation at the Esencia very special.