Some of my friends started playing a game dubbed The Wishing List. I was surprised to find out that most of them would like to travel to spiritual places.
And I remember talking recently to another girl about her trip to Nepal and India. She took an organized tour and after her return back to Canada she admitted that it was a life transforming experience.
Drive to Kathmandu

To be honest, her drive was in a luxury, air conditioned bus, meaning a much pleasant journey.

Bodhi Tree in Lumbini

The Bodhi Tree is one of the most venerated objects in the Buddhism world. According to the legend,while sitting beneath the Boddhi Tree, Siddhartha became the Buddha, meaning the ‘Enlightened One’.
After getting enlightened, The Buddha spent the next seven weeks in meditation near the Bodhi Tree. Then, at the request of the god Indra, he began to speak of the great truth he had realized. His first sermon was given at Isipatana (modern Sarnath near Banaras). This first discourse, often called “Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Truth” presented the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path for which Buddhism is so famous.

The Four Noble Truths assert that human beings suffer because of the clinging nature of the mind. There is a way out of this suffering, however, and that is through the meditative practices of the Noble Eightfold Path. Through these practices an individual gains insight into how his or her suffering is caused by identification with the mind’s processes. Letting go of such identification, one discovers and increasingly resides in a pre-existing state of inner peace.

Lumbini-a place in the South-Western Terai of Nepal, evokes a kind of holy sentiment to the millions of Buddhists all over the world-as do the Jerusalem to Christians and Mecca to Muslims. Lumbini is the place Lord Buddha -the apostle of peace and the light of Asia was born in 623 B. C., Located in the flat plains of south-Western Nepal and the foothills of Churia range , Lumbini and its surrounding area is endowed with a rich natural setting of domesticable fauna and favourable agricultural environ. Historically, the region is an exquisite treasure-trove of ancient ruins and antiquities, dating back to pre-Christian era. The site, described as a beautiful garden in the Buddha’s time still retain its legendary charm and beauty. To the mere 12 miles north of Lumbini lies the dense and picturesque sal-grove.

For centuries, Buddhists- all over the world, knew that Lumbini where the Lord was born is somewhere around. The descriptions of famous Chinese pilgrims (of ancient times) Huian Tsang and Faeihan indicated to this area-saying ‘Lumbini-where the lord was born is a piece of heaven on earth and one could see the snowy mountains amidst a splendid garden-embedded with stupas and monasteries!

However, the exact location remained uncertain and obscure till December the 1st 1886 when a wandering German archaeologist Dr. Alois A. Fuhrer came across a stone pillar and ascertained beyond doubt it is indeed the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
Sources: http://www.nepaltravelinfo.com/lumbini.htm and http://www.sacredsites.com/asia/nepal/lumbini.html

More pictures from Nepal, including Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) are here

What is a hobby?
According to the dictionary it is “An activity or interest pursued outside one’s regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure”
Meaning that watching TV it’s a hobby? It does not sound like one, more like an addiction.
Actually, where do we draw the line between hobby and addiction?
I guess doing drugs it’s not a hobby, right?

In the past some of the most popular hobbies were:
Birdwatching, metal detecting, postcard collecting, gardening and so on.
With Internet explosion I could only presume that we have new hobbies.

Take a look at the following classification, as per Harris:

‘The proportions of those online who use the Internet “very often” or “often” for the most common activities are, in descending order of use:

* Sending or receiving email (67%)
* Doing research for work or school (45%)
* Getting information about products and services (41%)
* Getting information about hobbies or special interests (36%)
* Checking news, weather, etc. (40%)
* Surfing the web to explore new and different sites (32%)
* Shopping online (22%)
* Obtaining information on local amusements and activities (19%)
* Paying bills (18%)
* Downloading or playing games (18%)
* Financial management and investing (15%)
* Making travel plans or arrangements (15%)
* Obtaining information about health or disease (15%)’

Based on hobby definition it means that making travel plans could be a hobby.
Therefore I must declare that I found my hobby: Making travel plans!!

This is the situation: we are a family of three, with a four year old son, who gets bored pretty fast and is a picky eater.
Therefore I had to find some decent hotel, family friendly, with activities for kids (just in case, because I am too paranoid to leave my son out of my sight) and with less night life if possible, as in no disco activities until wee hours of the morning because we need to sleep and relax in preparation for another round of job duties.
All my friends who used to travel to Mexico chant the ‘all-inclusive’ mantra, which fits well with us as well. So all-inclusive is part of the quest equation.

Let’s summarize my findings:

Cancun:
- Nice beaches, super beautiful warm blue water
- Lots of things to do and see
- Organized tours to Chichen Itza where, for about $250 per family you travel by an air conditioned bus, with a bilingual guide and even get lunch while there
- Other tours, including an eco one
- Family friendly hotels with kid’s clubs
- Going there until May will ensure nice weather, because who wants to spend $6000 per week to enjoy- NOT- the rain? I can do it for free here
- March tends to be busy due to the spring break
- In the third week of April starts the mating season of the thimble jellyfish; their stings are not deadly but can cause allergic reactions or fever; the mating last for about 10 days
- It’s more affordable to go there on low season, between May and November, but the area is subject to hurricanes during this time; my friends had their trip to Cancun booked for August last year, and it has been canceled due to hurricane warnings
- Summer is not interesting to us to go there, because with a little bit of luck we may have decent weather here
- June and July are expensive months to go there due to European summer vacation; it may sound bizarre but I have heard about people from Europe coming to Mexico. Why bizarre? Because they have Tenerife and other Canary Islands there, they have lots of sea resorts along the Mediterranean shore, along the Black Sea shore, plenty of sunny places, but hey, people do what they want with their money.
- I had a very hard time finding a direct flight from Vancouver to Cancun. Finally I found it with AirTransat. For about $980 + $280 in taxes/ per person, you can fly without worrying about stops in Houston or other US cities. Traveling with a small kid makes you think about convenience vs. price. I don’t want to see us running like crazy in any given airport to catch a flight, not with the little one taking his sweet time doing everything. Another down to not having a direct flight: it takes longer to reach your destination. With a direct flight you should be able to be there in about 6 hours. One with at least one stop will take you there in at least 11 hours. This difference is a lot while traveling with kids.

Puerto Vallarta
- The beaches are mostly with pebbles and the water is cold and dark; it’s Pacific Ocean right?
- On many beaches the surf is too strong to swim in the ocean, therefore you have to spend your time by the pool
- Not so many things to do
- Time wise is closer, you can reach Puerto Vallarta in 4 hours I guess
- Cost wise it might be a little bit cheaper, depending on the quality of accommodations

Based strictly on the above and considering that on both scenarios the all-inclusive means bottled water in the room along with all the taxes and transfers paid, Cancun will be my preference. It is more expensive but not with much.

The biggest problem: the cost of the vacation. It came to a total of around $6000 per family per week.
Even if our kid will stay and eat free, the plane ticket is the same price as ours.
Based on the above mentioned amount listed by Airtransat, only the plane tickets for the three of us will come up to $3600.
The rest is the hotel, some tours, because we want to see at least Chichen Itza, and now I am sad.
We are not going to afford to spend $6000 on a short vacation.
I have to face the reality and maybe purchase some light therapy kind of lamps to deal with my seasonal disorder.

One of the local financial advisers recommended Tamarindo Beach.
This is a typical view from an ocean front property

Photo from Nica Projects Ltd
The development spreads over 247 acres, between Tamarindo River and the Pacific Ocean and boasts a lush tropical landscape.
Tamarindo Beach consists of 62 freehold beachfront lots (from $64,680), 28 ocean facing/river front properties (from $18,008) and 36 townhouse villas.
Future plans include an ocean-facing clubhouse, a town center, fishing lodge, hotel, family recreational area and full recreational facilities.

This is proposed view of the houses from the beach:

Photo from Nica Projects Ltd

Tamarindo Beach and Ocean Estate is located between the two largest cities of Nicaragua: Managua and Leon, 75 minutes from the capital Managua, and 30 minutes from the city of Leon.
The fine sand beach is pleasant underfoot, child friendly with no undertow, no rips, debris or garbage.
The weather is consistently 82° to 92°F (28° to 33°C) every day, the most comfortable months being from November to June.
Only that information would make me consider this investment opportunity!

The development includes beautiful trees, flowers, sea turtles, iguanas, hot springs, fish, monkeys, flamingos and great vistas.

Nicaragua is benefiting from massive aid programs, one of them is the USD $175,000,000 USAID package that is to be used, among others, to improve infrastructure, land title registration and environmental enhancement.

If the political climate would remain stable, which is always a big question mark in my opinion, Nicaragua would be an interesting place to invest in a beach property.

But if you are and consider buying your small piece of paradise in Nicaragua, these are the things you should know before doing it:

- There are no restrictions on foreigners buying, owning, or selling properties in Nicaragua
- Residency requirements: an income from outside of Nicaragua of at least $400 per month, and you must be over the age of 45
- Documents to ask before buying: A copy of the deed, the clear title form the public registry, and proof form the local municipality that property taxes have been paid to date. It’s highly recommended to retain an attorney to handle the purchase.
- Additional costs at the time of the purchase: The closing costs are between 2.5 and 3.5 percent of the purchase price and include a transfer tax of 1 per cent and the attorney fees.
- The real estate commission is usually 6 to 7 per cent and sometimes it’s paid by the seller; you have to ask and make sure who is going to pay it.
- Property taxes: 1 per cent of the value of the property paid each year for the previous year; if paid by March there is a 10 per cent discount.
- Title insurance: First American Title Insurance Company allows you to buy title insurance (available now to foreigners) in the U.S., Canada or the UK. Title insurance are important in case legal challenges do not work in your favor.

On a pretty decent Sunday- not too much rain in Vancouver- when everybody had a nice family lunch, I was getting ready for my first leg of the trip, the flight to Seattle. That proved to be bumpy, in a small Bombardier plane, served by Horizon.
Luckily the flight was short, about 30 minutes in the air. Arriving at Seattle, I had the surprise of finding that I had to take the train towards gate N. That was NOT in my itinerary. I was not supposed to change terminals and knowing that I would have avoided the route because I am a nervous Nelly. Everything proved to be much easier than I expected. I mean, compared to Pearson Airport in Toronto, where you have to take a bus to change terminals, the Seattle train even had information written and spoken in Japanese. But you still have to pay attention to the announcements.
Next step was to take the plane to Sacramento. I left enough time between flights to accommodate any possible delays, due to bad weather.
This time, the plane was a Boeing big enough to fly at 30,000 ft and avoid turbulences. As on any domestic flight, you are offered snacks and non alcoholic beverages, including coffee for free. No lunch.
The plus was getting the pillow and blanket free of charge. If I am not mistaken, not all air carriers offer these basic items for free anymore.

Arriving at Sacramento Airport my first impression was weather related.
It was cold, windy, overcast, very much like Vancouver. In my mind ‘California’ was supposed to be sunny, full of palm trees and happy people.
I guess I had it all wrong.

Returning back home everything was fine until I reached Seattle, where the flight was delayed almost three hours due to some mechanical problems to the plane. I was not happy at all. Instead of arriving at 2 PM I arrived at 5 PM, right in time to start fighting the rush hour, in Richmond on a rainy day.
Everybody who lives in Vancouver knows what ordeal that is.

Conclusions:
Alaska Air is a good carrier and I understand now why one of my colleagues has a membership with them.
The tickets are cheap and the service very good.
As an International Traveler you can enter your passport data on line and therefore you don’t have to be seen by an agent at the airport.
As well, you can do your check-in from home, if you have a carry-on baggage, print your boarding pass and voila, you are ready to go, hassle free.

Big White has been known as Canada’s affordable ski destination.
For $365 a night you can get a 4-bedroom loft at Chateau on the Ridge.
Among the amenities, for this amount of money you get: Bar, Dining Room, Dishwasher, 2 Full Bathrooms (Tub/Shower) and one ½ Bathroom, Full Kitchen, Gas Fireplace, In suite Laundry, PlayStation 2, Pool Table, Portable Stereo, 2 Televisions, 2 VCRs.

Other services:
- Ski in/Ski out
- Ski storage
- Underground parking
- Common hot tub

Going there
1. Fly into Kelowna International Airport
There are many air carriers providing services to Kelowna: WestJet, Horizon, Harmony and AirCanada.
2. Driving to Big White
- Once arrived at Kelowna Airport you could rent a car or use Big White Shuttle service to get you into the resort. Keep in mind that shuttle services must be booked in advance!
- Of course you can choose to drive all the way from Vancouver or Lower Mainland; in such case you are going to be prepared for the treacherous drive along Coquihalla highway. You better check this site to get the updates on the road and weather conditions.
- Finally, if you want to feel super special, you rent a limousine

Activities while there:
- Big White Telus Park
- Dog Sled Tours
- Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides
- Skiing
- Skating
- Snowmobiling
- Snowshoeing

Making reservations:

From Canada & USA
1-888-676-9977

From United Kingdom, Germany, & France
00-800-7542-2754

From Australia
0011-800-7542-2754

From Mexico
001-800-514-9977

I truly believe that if you write about things you are interested in, probably you are not going to find too many company eager to pay you money for that.
For example: my role model is Leonardo DaVinci, and if I could channel his spirit I would do it in a blink of an eye.
I would like to write more about his personality and his genius.
Now, most marketers will pay you to write about car insurance, life insurance, plastic surgery and other things like this. You can’t monetize your blog writing about DaVinci, right?
Then, what is your solution? You have to prostitute yourself and write about something you can be paid for. Right?
How much joy is that?
Probably the joy of getting the cheque. In today’s super pragmatic world, there is no room for dreamers.
Do you remember the artists in the past? Most of them lived and died dirt poor.
Now we have a new motto ‘It’s no business like show business’.
Some artists are very rich. But I digress.

Going back to the question ‘how to make money on the net’, I must accept that I don’t have the stomach to write about stuff I don’t believe in.
So, probably I am not going to be accepted by any program that pays you to blog.

A few months ago I had almost touched my dream, but it was not to happen yet.
I spent hours and hours gathering information about how to go there.

Some important things to know before planning your trip:
1. You have to get a Chinese visa first.
2. You can apply for a Tibetan visa only after you get the Chinese one; apparently vice-versa won’t bear very well with the Chinese officials. Some travel agencies would facilitate the Tibetan visa if you take their packages
3. Prepare yourself for the altitude problems: headaches and some sort of sleepiness.
4. Drink lots of water while there.
5. The average temperature in the summer time is about 15°C in Lhasa, meaning that you have to be prepared with warm clothing
6. While there, allow yourself a day of accommodation: rest and sleep, take your time to absorb the new environment

The most popular tour is to Lhasa.
When booking your trip keep in mind that the busy season is July-August and although Lhasa has 14 star-rated hotels, you have to make your reservations far in advance to make sure you are going to get a room.
I was supposed to go to Beijing, therefore I looked for flights from Beijing to Lhasa. There were a few of them, but you have to have your trip to Tibet booked and preferably to be part of a group to be allowed to go there. I guess it’s all about politics.
My understanding was that it’s very difficult to get a Tibetan guide; probably it’s again due to political reasons.

A typical 4-day tour to Lhasa costs about $413 for a group of at least 6 persons; if you go by yourself would be around $1099; flight is not included.
The tour includes: The Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple , Sera Monastery, Drepung Monastery, Norbulingka.
If you are more adventurous, you can take the 15-day tour from Kathmandu, which will cost you about $3200, not including the flight there.

Potala Palace

1. Visiting the golden roofs costs an extra fee of RMB 10 yuan. Taking photos inside the room also charges extra fee, the prices are clearly shown in the rooms.
2. More rooms are available in hotels on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Ways of getting to the top:
- By taxi from the back of the hill.
- Climbing up from the front path.
Opening time: 9:30am- 13:00pm; 15:00pm–18:00pm
Price for the Ticket: RMB 100 yuan per person

Jokhang Monastery

Lamas of Jokhang Monastery chant sutras at night, it is worth listening.
Guides are not enough in the monastery and only serve for tourism groups.
The life-sized statue of Sakyamuni aged 12 is the most scared statue in the eyes of Tibetan people.

Sera Monastery

The Sera Monastery is the representative monastery of the Gelugpa of the Tibetan Buddhism. It lies on the southern slope of the Serawoze Mountain in the northern suburbs of Lhasa. The monastery was built by SagyaYexei, one of the disciples of Tsongkhapa who was the founder of Gelugpa of the Tibet Buddhism in 1419. It is one of the six main monasteries of the Gelugpa of the Tibetan Buddhism. As one of the three main monasteries of Lhasa, it is here that the monks “famous daily debates” take place.
Location: It is located in the southern slope of the Serawoze Mountain of the northern suburb of Lhasa. Some people believe it means “hailstone”, while others believe it means “raspberry”, the full name of the monastery is “Sera Thekchen-ling Monastery”.
Transportation: By minibus in downtown. It is advisable for you to take a taxi.
Open Hours: 9:00-16:00
Admission Free: RMB:30

NorbuLingka


NorbuLingka – meaning ‘Treasure Park” is named the Summer Palace, located west of Lhasa. The beautiful garden was first built in the middle 18th century. That’s where they deal with affairs and hold religious activities. The garden covers an area of 46 acres, with 370 rooms of different sizes. In the garden people worship Buddha, spend their holiday, and study the Tibetan-style palaces.
Location: NorbuLingka, colloquially named “Dalai Summer Palace”, is located about 3 kilometers west of Lhasa.
Ticket prices: RMB 2 yuan for Tibetans, RMB 70 yuan for each tourist.
Opening time: 9:00-12:00,15:00(reopen time) on Monday-Saturday. Tibetan opera performances at 11:00.
Transport: From the Tibetan Hospital to the gate. RMB 2 yuan for each person.

Living spaces
Interiors features three sumptuous colour schemes to choose from: Purist, Westcoast and Classic.
Purist: European fitted kitchen by Bulthaup in white lacquer with contrasting island and tall cabinets in aluminum finish. Underfoot, sexy terrazzo tiled floors. Premium Sub-zero and Miele stainless steel appliances.
Westcoast: European fitted kitchen by Bulthaup in vertical elm veneer with contrasting lacquered island and tall cabinets with vertical elm surfaces. Contemporary flared plank wood floors. Premium Sub-zero and Miele stainless steel applicances
Classic: European fitted kitchen by Bulthaup in dark aluminum finish with contrasting island and tall cabinets with high-grade walnut surfaces. Herrringbone wood floors with walnut finish. The same premium appliances.

The price range: from $2 million to $10 million.