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Thursday 10 March 2016

Honolulu, Hawaii

Honoluluhttp:



Home to the State Capitol, Honolulu is the vibrant epicenter of Hawaii. Here you’ll find everything from historic landmarks and treasured monuments to world-class shopping and a flourishing arts and culture scene.
Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii and the main point of entry for most visitors to the state. Easily accessible by direct flights from North America, Asia, and destinations around the South Pacific, Hawaii is a major tourist destination, with visitors from all over coming here to enjoy the beaches and tropical climate.

The city of Honolulu falls roughly into three areas that include Waikiki, Downtown, and Pearl Harbor. Waikiki, the main attraction with it's beautiful stretch of soft sand beach, is a peninsula covering nearly half a square mile. In this small area, one of the most densely-populated in the whole of the United States, more hotels, restaurants and shops can be found than in the rest of Hawaii. Downtown, the center and historical part of Honolulu, contains a number of museums, historic buildings, and famous statues.

Attractions
 Iolani Palace



Iolani Palace is a historical landmark in downtown Honolulu that was originally built in 1879 by King Kalakaua. The palace was constructed in an effort to make Hawaii become more prestigious and more recognized as a nation throughout the world. It was initially known as Hale Alii, but King Kamehameha V changed the name to Iolani.Located in the palace grounds are the Royal Barracks where the king's bodyguards lived. Originally built in 1871 close to the site of the present Hawaii State Capitol, the barracks only moved to their current position when the Capitol was built. The building resembles medieval battlements with embrasures, which appear somewhat odd in these surroundings. The palace is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Pearl Harbour and USS Arizona Memorial
Pearl Harbor is one of Honolulu's biggest tourist attractions. Although it is home to the Navy's Pacific Fleet, visitors can take a tour to see the USS Arizona Memorial, and the USS Missouri.When you arrive at Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, you get a ticket with a time on it. When it’s your turn, you meet your group and first watch a 30 minute film which explains the history of what happened at Pearl Harbor – I thought the video was concise and provided good insight into the memorial.

Waikiki
Occupying a long stretch of the coast on the south shore of Honolulu, is the famous area of town known as Waikiki. It’s the main touristy area of town where there’s a sea of high rise hotels and resorts that line the beach, nearly all the way from the Honolulu Zoo to Ala Wai harbor.Waikiki is the main beach destination of most people heading to Honolulu and the island of Oahu. This area is known for its large crescent shaped beach, where visitors come to lie out in the sun, swim, and learn to surf. Stores, restaurants, and hotels line the oceanfront street backing Waikiki Beach.

Hanauma Bay



On the very east side of Honolulu, near an area of town called Hawaii Kai, is Hanauma Bay, one of the most famous places on the entire island for snorkeling.
The bay, sunken into a crater with a gorgeous stretch of golden sand, is a nature reserve and marine sanctuary.
When you arrive at Hanauma Bay, you’re normally required to watch a short video about the marine life and the preservation of it, and you can then take the short 5 minute hike to the bottom of the crater to get to the beach and get in the cool clear water.

Climate
Honolulu experiences a hot semi-arid climate , with a mostly dry summer season, due to a rain shadow effect.Temperatures vary little throughout the months, with average high temperatures of 80–90 °F (27–32 °C) and average lows of 65–75 °F (18–24 °C) throughout the year. Temperatures reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C) on an average 38 days annually,with lows in the upper 50s °F (14–15 °C) occurring once or twice a year.

Transport
ourists concerned about how to reach Honolulu will be relieved to know that the city is served by the Honolulu International Airport. This airport is the major gateway to the capital city as well as the state of Hawaii. It is one of the busiest airports in the whole United States. The airport, which is located 6 km towards the west of the Waikiki Beach, serves the flights from many of the countries as well as direct flights from London, UK. It also caters to the inter-island flights by Aloha and Hawaiian airlines through its inter-island terminal. Tourists are sometimes bothered by the distance of the island, but how to reach Honolulu is not a big problem. The best way to reach the city is to take a flight, which will not be too hard as there are a number of airlines, which offer services to the city. Indian tourists are often bothered by the question about how to reach Honolulu because of the lack of direct flights from India to Honolulu. However, they should not be disheartened as there are regular indirect flights operating from cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, New Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, among others. These flights are offered by airlines such as Lufthansa, Air India, Philippine Airlines and Malaysia Airlines, to name a few. After landing at the Honolulu International Airport, reaching the city centre is not a big task, as the city is quite near from the airport. There are regular car, taxi or bus services operating from the airport to the Honolulu city centre.Find detailed information about how to reach Honolulu by Train, Bus, air, flight timing and schedule. Read reviews, details to know how to reach Honolulu & get information about Honolulu.

Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt


Zermatt is heaven for snow lovers. There are pistes for beginners, experts and everyone in between. Here in Europe’s highest-altitude ski area, snow is guaranteed 365 days a year. Zermatt is a winter fairy tale. With unlimited fun on snow: skiing on 360 km of pistes. The winter landscape offers lots of sun. A pure romance.
Zermatt is a municipality in the district of Visp in the German-speaking section of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It has a population of about 5,800 inhabitants.
The mountain village of Zermatt is one of the great ski and climbing centres of the world. Nestled in a deep valley enclosed between steeply scarped mountains, it is dominated by the huge and graceful pyramid of the Matterhorn.


From the moment you step off your Swiss-red train and catch sight of the cobbled streets and horses with sleighs patiently waiting for their rides, you know you are in a special place.
The main street bustles happily with pedestrians. There are no impersonal tour buses belching out noise, fumes, and package tourists. Zermatt is no auto through-route. The train stops here. All journeys on from here are on foot or ski. Everyone is here because they love mountains. Walking through the cobbled paths of town, between the ancient sunburnt barns and chalets, you catch your first glimpse of the Matterhorn and know you have come to the right place.

he beauty of the setting is still unsurpassed. Dominated by the unmistakable peak of the Matterhorn, at 4478 metres (14,692 ft), standing alone at the head of the valley, Zermatt is encircled by a famous ring of mountains over 4000 metres (13000 feet) high. The names of Dent Blanche (4356m), Weisshorn (4505m), Dom (4545m), Gabelhorn (4062m), Zinal-Rothorn (4221m), and Monte Rosa (4634m) continue to attract mountain lovers to the heart of one of the world's most magnificent alpine areas.


Despite Zermatt's popularity, despite it's growth, it is still only a village, open and friendly, where people mix happily in the main street, mercifully free of cars, and dance the night away in the many rendezvous at hand. There are bars, restaurants and night-spots to suit every taste and pocket. Truly cosmopolitan, Zermatt rejoices in an easy comradeship among sportsman which knows no frontiers.