February and March sees the annual Hawaii Cherry Blossom Festival.  The theme of the 56th Cherry Blossom Festival is "Magokoro o komete – With a Sincere Heart."

Honolulu’s Cherry Blossom Festival was first held in 1949 and has been celebrating Japanese culture and heritage on Hawaii each year ever since. Events take place in various locations over a two-month period leading up to the festival finale – the grand Festival Ball where the Cherry Blossom Festival Queen will be crowned. Other events include heritage displays, fashion shows, a golf tournament, traditional Japanese musical performances and numerous cultural displays and exhibitions which celebrate Japanese culture, customs and heritage.

For travellers wanting to find out more check out the address below or why not meet the contestants at the official web site.

Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce (Tourist Info)
2454 South Beretania Street
Suite 205
Honolulu
HI 96826
United States

Tel +1 (808) 949 2255.
Email cbfhawaii@hotmail.com

Website www.cbfhawaii.com

Bad news for travelers.  American Airlines and Northwest Airlines have raised their fuel surcharges for flights to Europe by an additional $20 per round trip, an air fare expert says. The surcharges take effect on Wednesday.

The total fuel surcharge on U.S. flights to London on those carriers now totals $242, says Tom Parsons, who operates the travel Web site Bestfares.com. That's on top of fares that are surging as U.S. airlines try to recoup some of the extra expense of soaring fuel prices.  Parsons says Americans traveling to Europe this summer will face a triple whammy of higher fuel surcharges, higher air fares and the high cost of the euro.

He says total costs of U.S.-to-Europe flights this summer will be two to three times what they are now.

This is a story about new ports of call for many tourists.

Five years ago, Icy Strait Point was just a dot on a map of Alaska's Chichagof Island. Today, many thousands of cruise passengers visit there to get acquainted with the native Huna Tlingit population, observe a one-time salmon-canning operation, and ride the world's longest zip line.

Icy Strait Point is one of many emerging ports in today's cruising world. It's a brand-new port, built from scratch, as are several others. But most emerging ports are existing ones just now becoming popular ports of call as cruise lines widen their itineraries.

The reason?

Veteran passengers are looking for destinations they haven't visited, said Giora Israel, vice president of strategic planning for Carnival Corp.

"A second aspect is the sheer number of new ships," which are overwhelming some existing ports, he said. "St. Thomas can only handle five ships at one time."

Those pressures are pushing cruise lines to look for alternate ports of call. The result: Passengers now can visit many ports that in the past rarely saw a major passenger ship:

• Kotor, for instance, is the gateway to Slovenia and its lovely alpine country.

• Zadar is your stop to see to the unspoiled beauty of the Dalmatian coast of Croatia.

• Puerto Chacabuco gives access to Chile's stunning fjord country, Savona to the charms of the Italian Riviera, Vigo to historic Santiago di Campostela in northern Spain.

• Tampico and Vera Cruz on Mexico's Gulf coast expose leisure passengers to the charms of two historic port cities.

And there are others.

In Australia, some ships now stop at Hobart in Tasmania, home of the Tasmanian devil and of ecological preserves. And in neighboring New Zealand, cruisers now may call at Wellington, the country's capital.

Still other less-frequented ports will be making their way onto cruise itineraries in the next five years.

China, looking ahead to hosting the Summer Olympics this year, is ratcheting up its maritime facilities. Tianjin is the main port serving inland Beijing, site of the Games, but two other northern China ports, Dalian and Qingdao, are building new cruise terminals.

Another emerging Chinese port is Xiamen, situated between Shanghai and Hong Kong. Among its attractions: Gulangyu Island, where no motor vehicles are allowed.

China's established ports are gearing up for more visitors as well. Shanghai is opening a new terminal capable of handling three large cruise vessels at one time, and Hong Kong is building an entirely new port terminal at the former in-town airport, Kai Tak.

New ports of call

In the Caribbean, demand is so strong that entirely new ports are being created.Eight years ago, Costa Maya was a quiet little fishing village on the Yucatan's southern Caribbean coast. Cruise ships passed it by to get to Cozumel and Cancun, farther north on Mexico's coast. But in early 2001, a pier large enough to hold three cruise ships was opened and Costa Maya, the gateway to Mayan ruins and pristine jungle, welcomed its first cruise passenger.

Today, it is the second-largest cruise port in Mexico, hosting more than a half-million passengers a year.

Costa Maya isn't the Caribbean's only new port.

Carnival not only built an entirely new port on Grand Turk, but made it a destination in itself with its own swimming pool, beach, shops and the region's biggest Margaritaville restaurant. The line also developed attractions and helped to build infrastructure.

With Grand Turk now attracting ships from several lines, Carnival is building a new port on the island of Roatan, Honduras, due to open in September 2009, and is taking a look at Santo Tomas de Castilla in Guatemala and will expand the port at busy St. Maarten by autumn of '09.

Established ports also are seeing more leisure passengers.

In Europe, which is experiencing a boom in cruising, sophisticated Stockholm is building the city's first dedicated cruise terminal, slated to open in May. Liverpool, where the Beatles got their start, expects to open a new cruise berth in September. Genoa, where Columbus was born, is expanding its cruise terminal. In Estonia, emerging from years of obscurity as a Russian satellite, Tallinn opened a new dock for cruise ships. Two German ports, Rostock and Kiel, are new points of embarkation on the Baltic Sea.

South America, too, is becoming more familiar with cruisers. Santos in Brazil has long been an important cargo port, but recently more cruise ships have begun to call there, opening the temperate south of Brazil to visitors.

Stateside options

Many ports have emerged from cruise obscurity in the United States, but usually for a different reason: To provide more convenient embarkation and disembarkation points for passengers.

Miami and Port Everglades are still the world's biggest cruise ports. In fact, Miami opened two new terminals this fall. But passengers also can board cruise ships in Mobile, Ala.; Charleston; Baltimore and Jacksonville, Fla. -- cities that rarely saw cruise ships in the past but now are becoming hubs for passengers.

Even New York City, which cruise lines at one point abandoned as a home port, is resurgent. Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival have built new terminals there, enabling easy access for the surrounding huge population base. Also: Bayonne, N.J.

The Holi festival for Hindus begins. This is the begining of spring and
today I believe is the 11th day of waxing half of the Hindu month of Phalguna.

Hindus, respect all animate and inanimate
things because they are manifestations of the Universal Spirit,
Today Amalaka Ekadashi is a day for worshipping the Alma tree (Amalaka), where
Vishnu is believed to live.
After the morning rituals the Amalaka tree is ceremonially bathed and watered, and then worshipped. Fast is observed on this day and Brahmins or poor people are given gifts. From the piety observed upon others on this day happiness and prosperity flow on the person observing this fast.

Amalaka Ekadashi also marks the beginning of the Holi or spring festival in India, where people splash each other with colored water and red powder (an aphrodisiac), indulge in
eating and drinking, and generally behave in an uninhibited

Travelling to the Black Sea?  The Hotel Bulgaria in the Heart Of Bourgas is an ideal hotel if you are looking for a base before working out where all the best resorts and perhaps more cost effective places to stay are.  It is 5 star but reasonable with most exchange rates.  It also has a spectacular  view to the Bay of Bourgas and  the old town.

It is modern and luxurious and any business travel would feel at home here. The difference I expect is the excellent service. All the amenities are supplied from an excellent pool and spa to full internet access. Oh and surprisingly - Pets are allowed!

The hotel is located in the centre of Bourgas near the municipal building.

Tomorrow, is the discovery day festival in Guam.  Prior to Spanish arrival on the island, an annual celebration was held North of the village at Funa Rock where the first humans were created according to the legends of the Chamorros, the native people of Guam.

In 1521, the Spanish Explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived on Guam while circumnavigating the globe. Umatac Bay is traditionally sited at the location of the Spanish landing. Another explorer, Miguel López de Legazpi, arrived in Umatac in 1565 and claimed the island of Guam for Spain. During both visits, misunderstandings led to the Spanish burning village homes and killing islanders.

When Guam was colonized in the 17th century, the Spanish made Umatac a parish so the Chamorros in the area could be converted to Christianity. Remains of two Spanish forts built on hills on either side of the village are still visible today.

In 1898, Guam was taken by the U.S. during the Spanish-American War. Under the U.S. administration, the small village has grown gradually. Today, the Discovery Day festival is held every year in the village. While the holiday was first established in memory of Magellan's discovery of the island, it is now a celebration of Chamorro culture.

The climate is characterized as tropical marine. The weather is generally hot and very humid with little seasonal temperature variation. The mean high temperature is 86 °F (30 °C) and mean low is 76 °F (24 °C) with an average annual rainfall of 96 inches (2,180 mm). The dry season runs from December through June. The remaining months constitute the rainy season. The months of January and February are considered the coolest months of the year with night time temperatures in the mid to low 70's and generally lower humidity levels. The highest risk of typhoons is during October and November.

However, Guam enjoys a healthy tourist industry and is a beautiful and facinating place to visit.  The  economy depends primarily on tourism, Department of Defense installations, and locally owned businesses. Although Guam receives no foreign aid, it does receive large transfer payments from the general revenues of the U.S. federal treasury into which Guam pays no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam treasury, rather than the U.S. treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by local taxpayers to include military and civilian federal employees assigned to Guam.

Commonly referred to as "America in Asia," Guam is a popular destination for Japanese tourists, and with over 20 large hotels, a Duty Free Shoppers Galleria, Pleasure Island district, indoor aquarium, Sandcastle Las Vegas-styled shows and other shopping and entertainment features in its chief tourism city of Tumon. It is a relatively short flight from Asia or Australia compared to Hawaii, with hotels and ten golf courses catering to over a million tourists per year. Although 90 percent of tourists are Japanese, Guam receives a respectable number of tourists from South Korea, Philippines, and Taiwan. Significant sources of revenue include duty-free designer shopping outlets, and the American-style malls: Micronesia Mall, Guam Premier Outlets, and the Agana Shopping Center.

Many thanks to Wikipedia.

Liverpool continues to be the No1 European travel destination this year as The European City of Culture festival hots up.  This week sees the 'Now These Days Are Gone' exhibition featuring  photographs by Michael Peto, many where taken during the filming of the Beatles film Help in 1965. The collection of intimate black and white photographs show the Beatles in a variety of settings - at home, in the studio, relaxing between takes and joking on set.

Mainly taken in 1965, they mark the metamorphosis of the Beatles from pop stars into the most famous band in history against the backdrop of a decade of great social and cultural change.

The exhibition of over 40 images demonstrates Peto’s unobtrusive approach, which enabled him to fade into the background and capture his subjects in a relaxed, natural manner.

These photographs of the Beatles came to light during the digitisation of Michael Peto’s collection of 130,000 prints and negatives, donated by his family to the University of Dundee following his death in 1970.

Click here to see Michaels website.

If you are travelling to Spain or even Panama at this time of year, you should be aware that Lent and Easter are an important religeous time for many catholics. It can be the best or worst time to go.  Each regions hosts many festivals which are often unique to the area , but you may find some things closed, so plan ahead and research by the particular calander for the area you are visiting.  However, if you get the chance to witness some of these festivals it is a rewarding experience. Especially in the Sevilla,  home of flamenco the Easter parades there offer the richest slice of culture and music to be had anywhere in Spain.   

One particular tradition that caught my eye, is the custom of burying a thin slice of meat, nicknamed ‘‘the sardine,’’ on Ash Wednesday this  is common throughout Spain and is thought to have originated in an old fertility custom symbolizing the burial of winter in early spring. The Entierro de la Sardina also symbolizes the burial of worldly pleasures and serves as a reminder that people must abstain from eating meat on Fridays throughout the 40 days of Lent. After the burial is over, people attend Ash Wednesday church services.

Another Spanish custom is to make a figure of an ugly old woman out of stucco or cardboard or figures representing the King and Queen of Carnival and to burn or drown these personifications of Carnival on Ash Wednesday or Shrove
Tuesday.

This useful travel advice was issued by the British Foreign Office for people travelling to East Timor.  To find out a more detailed picture of security and health in the region I would advice going to http://www.fco.gov.uk

President Ramos-Horta was seriously injured following an armed attack on his home in East Timor on 11 February. There is a risk of popular violence on the streets as a result. The Government of Timor Leste has declared State of Seige (Emergency). All travel from 2000 to 0600, demonstrations and public gatherings have been prohibited. You are advised to monitor the situation carefully and exercise caution. See the Political situation section of this advice for more details.

We advise against all but essential travel to East Timor, because of the uncertain security situation. Since August 2006, there have been several incidences of civil unrest in the capital Dili, and in Viqueque, Bacau and Metinaro. On 4 October 2007 there was an explosion in Dili, adjacent to the Australian Embassy. There were no reported deaths or injuries. See the Political Situation section of this advice for more details.
You should avoid demonstrations and large crowds as outbreaks of violence can happen without warning, anywhere and at any time. You should also restrict your movements and avoid the areas surrounding IDP (internally displaced persons) camps, government buildings (including the Palacio da Cinzas and Palacio do Governno) and the vicinity of the Nicolau Lobato International airport in Comoro, including the airport road. You should also refrain from going outside after dark.

 If you decide to travel to East Timor, you should ensure that you are content with your own and your family's security arrangements and keep yourself up to date with developments, including by regularly monitoring this travel advice. You should ensure that your travel documents are up to date and readily available in case you need to leave the country at short notice.
There is no British representation in East Timor. All enquiries should be made to the British Embassy in Jakarta. See the General section of this travel advice for more details.
There is an underlying threat from terrorism. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
Tropical cyclones sometimes occur in East Timor. The cyclone season normally runs from November to April.

This is an excellent and well recommended hotel in Amsterdam.   It is located in an exceptional 17th century landmark on “Keizersgracht”, one of the city’s famous canals, creating a stylish residence for every purpose.

From the central “ring” around Amsterdam (A10), you take exit S 106 to Osdorp, this is the fastest way to the Overtoom. When you have taken this exit, you turn right at the end.

You follow this road till you get to a roundabout – this is the Surinameplein. Follow the signs “Centrum”; you are now on a long straight busy street, the “Overtoom”. At the end of the Overtoom you turn left.

The second street you turn right, this is the “Elandsgracht´. If you prefer parking in the parkinggarage you will see the parkinggarage “ Europarking” on your left-hand side.

Follow the Elandsgracht until you come to a T-crossing. Turn left and immediately right, so you go over a bridge.

When you have crossed the bridge, you turn left. You are now on the “Prinsengracht”. Take the second street to the right; this is the "Reestraat", then turn right to the "Keizersgracht". The Dylan Hotel is on this street at the right-hand side, situated at number 384.

The Dylan Amsterdam offers a totally unique wide variety of room colours and types. Every single room has been individually designed with care.

The design of the hotel building is an architectural makeover that respects the past and embraces the future. Each of the hotel's 41 rooms and suites is individually designed to provide the ideal blend of colour, texture and atmosphere. Daring and dramatic, offering style, elegance, efficiency and sensational service. The Dylan offers a haven, protecting the privacy of its guests.