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Archive for May, 2009

Camping In Oregon

Were going to Oregon!!! What fun things can we do at the Lake? Why camp there? These are great questions and you will know why you will want to camp here and how to get going there.

What Can We Do when Camping in Oregon?

There are many things that you can do in this area if you want to look for them. You can enjoy a fun time at the lake with lake activities like waterskiing as well as swimming and hiking at the lake. There are also great Oregon coast camping in the park for you and your family. There are many areas there that you can enjoy Oregon coast rv parks. These parks have great views as well as the camping that they may offer.

Why Camp?

When you go to a place like Oregon for your Oregon coast vacation rentals you will notice that there is a lot to see and maybe a lot more to do then you thought there would be. Camping is a great way to learn about your family and what they may like to do. Camping Oregon will help you to bond as well as learn about the place that you may live in or be visiting. If this is your first time camping Oregon then you will learn more about the temperature and how to deal with the more cold weather kind of camping. You can have a lot of fun with your family here if you find the right camp grounds as well as finding the right camping site.

What is camping like?

If you have never been camping anywhere then this may be a bit of a culture shock for you. Camping takes a lot of hands on stuff and you may have to use a fire to get your food cooked. If you are lucky enough to own a camper then you may have a cook stove in it for your cooking purposes. Other wise the fire will have to do it for you. You also will have a more comfortable place to sleep if you have a nice camper than if you are using a tent for your camping needs. Oregon coast camping can be a great adventure if you are ready for the outdoors as well as the food and other kinds of facilities that you will be using.

There are a lot of things to think about when you are camping in the Oregon area. You need to think about the Oregon coast camping and understand if this is something that is right for you and what you are used to doing or not. You may have a RV that takes hook ups to function. If this is the case then an Oregon coast RV Park is going to suit you the best. You dont want to have to figure out a hook up solution if you are forced to be at a place that doesnt have one for you to use. Take your time and enjoy this fun time with your friends and family.

About the writer:  Jerry Fink a proficient Oregon outdoors writer is a frequent contributor to Oregon coast rv parks. This site has information and advice on Oregon coast camping the Oregon Coast.

Camping In Inner Mongolia

In the summer it is a scalding expanse of desert in the spring verdant grassland; but in the winter Inner Mongolia is a white kingdom few travelers beyong the occasional Mongol nomad brave to enter.

Indeed the traditionally nomadic lifestyle of the native Mongolian reflects the regions unforgiving climate. To quote the usually intrepid Lonely Planet guidebook chapter on Inner Mongolia “from December to March forget it!”

Occupying 12 of Chinas landmass in a majestic arching slope of over one million kilometers Inner Mongolia borders 8 other Chinese provinces in addition to the colossal countries of Mongolia and Russia to the north.

Today Mongolians make up only 17 of the provincial population. And while leatherskinned warriors on armored horseback may no longer pose a threat to the Chinese the mainland is now seeing a second Mongolian invasion this time in the form of sand.

The vast Gobi Desert which already consumes Inner Mongolias northwestern border is dramatically expanding at a rate of 10000 square kilometers per year and is calculated to turn 40 of the Peoples Republic into a veritable wasteland evinced by the apocalyptic sandstorms from the north that assault Beijing during the summer months

But vacationers to Inner Mongolia Nei Menggu in Putonghua need not concern themselves with such things as environmental catastrophes for in winter the gold sands of the Gobi slowly give way to white as frost slowly veils first the north and then the entire province.

Arriving in the Inner Mongolian capital of Hohhot pronounced Ho huh ha ta one finds that it truly is a “Blue City” as its Mongolian name implies but with a comparatively modern ambiance nonetheless.

The urban skyline falls behind the horizon as our journey via steam train progresses across the frozen plateau to the more rustic northeast. Following electrical lines from village to village the trains icetrimmed windows reveal an otherwise barren countryside dotted with red brick homes stacked with chimneys continuously exhaling their coal smoke.

This is the pastoral life of Mongolian miners farmers and shepherds hibernating for the winter nary a sole outside save the occasional caravan of camels led through the snowy waste by men as furry and indistinguishable as their charge.

The flatlands give way to hills of white birch and sinuous rivers of blue ice. Veering north the train then burrows into the Greater Khingan mountain range which forms a natural provincial border separating Inner Mongolia from the plains of Manchuria to the east.

Passing frozen Hulan Hu Chinas fifth largest lake and the Hulunbuir grasslands now blanketed in snow it comes as a pleasant shock to discover that the busiest land port of entry in the mainland is located here in the far reaches of Inner Mongolia. The Manzhouli crossroads situated directly on the borders of China Mongolia and Russia and the TransSiberian Railway is a fascinating fusion of northeastern cultures.

Shops hotels and restaurants are of distinct Russian personality and advertise in both Chinese and Russian script while the streets teem with rugged importexporters and big blonde Russian tourists extravagantly attired in plush fur coats pelt scarves and omnipresent ushanka hats.

But the final and most remote destination comes during the return trip south through tundra as vast as the sky above the snowscape spotted with resilient brush windswept fences and adobe villages of iceglazed rooftops untilXanadu Kublai Khans summer palace.

While the name Xanadu invokes an air of mystery to those who have never been there is in fact no “snowwhite mares with sacred milk rich and beautiful meadows” as observed by Marco Polo nor Samuel Taylor Coleridges oftcited “stately pleasure dome.”

Xanadu otherwise known as Yuanshangdu today is less an eternal world than a set of dilapidated stone walls and towers buried in centuries of dirt and weeds leaving the fantasies of a romantic Mongolian city to be written by the opiumaddled. Chinas tourism bureau has all but deserted the ancient area for literally greener pastures and according to locals it is a rare day when even one visitor can be found walking the venerable grounds during the winter months.

But the sheer desolation of Xanadu is exactly its attraction. Walking among 11thcentury ruins mantled in dazzling whiteness one is left completely alone to enjoy an untouched history and uncorrupted serenity that is otherwise not found in todays China.

In the immortal words of disco queen Olivia Newton John “Now we are in Xanadu!”

Tom Carter a freelance writer and photographer from San Francisco has lived in P.R.China the past two and a half years. He is currently backpacking through all 32 Chinese provinces.

Getting there

Daily flights from Hong Kong to Hohhot connecting in Beijing via Air China Cathay Pacific and Dragon Air 6 hours 7000 HKD round trip.

Daily trains from Hong Kong to Beijing 24 hours 800 HKD. From Beijing to Hohhot 12 hours 300 HKD

To reach the bordertown of Manzhouli daily trains from Hohhot to Hailaer approx 40 hours 270 HKD for a sleeper. From Halaer to Manzhouli via shuttle bus or express train 3 hours.

There are no official tours or direct routes to Xanadu. From Hohhot or Hailaer get off at Sangandali and then take a shuttle bus to Zhenglanqi simply called Lanqi by the locals. From Lanqi a private taxi can be retained for approx. 100 HKD for a round trip to Yuanshangdu 30 minutes away.

About the writer:  China photographer Tom Carter is the author of ‘CHINA: Portrait of a People’ a definitive 600page book of photography coming soon from Hong Kong publisher Blacksmith Books.

Camping For Fun

Camping is always fun we dont need those lazy sofa and that plasma TV. Its all about exploring the nature around us. Many of us in concrete jungles have forgotten about the importance of our environment. Lets imagine that beautiful grey night sky filled with brilliant sparkling stars and those shooting stars that pass the mountains in a fraction of second. Think of those lovely Marshmallows stuck on those long brown sticks fizzing over the campfire and its always wonderful to smell the fresh air from the woods!

One needs to take certain things to have a comfortable camping so you need to take your coffee/tea pots clean water dishes napkins butane lighters lanterns with enough fuel storage containers battery powered radio mattress or sleeping bags. Dont forget to take other important stuffs such as first aid kit mobile phone incase of emergency video recorder or a camera.

For you camping activities you can include; sports bird watching hiking even canoeing if you have a stream near by. Camping is unfinished without a campfire think of that sweet sound of a crackling fire the mild orange glow and the woody scent of smoke. Theres nothing like a campfire to make camping memorable and complete. Here are some tips which will help you keep safe and cozy. Never have a campfire if the climate is windy. Take care that your fire circle is enclosed by a circle of large rocks. Always see that there are no extraneous twigs leaves paper goods or other flammables near the campfire. And never forget to look whats up because there might be overhanging branches. Use the right wood for the campfire never burn plastics or other hazardous substances that pollute the environment. Once the team is done with the campfire then put the fire off by pouring enough water.

Camping can be in the form of reunions and retreats. Camping can be double the fun if its a class reunion or friends get together. No matter how much fun we have keeping the environment and the surrounding clean after the camp is very important. When your camping is over remove all the wastes around the camp sites and tent. Dispose all plastic and glass bottles carefully or take them with you and drop them off in a dumpster. Its always better to avoid making any loud noises; this might disturb the animals in the woods. We need to respect their rights too! Have a happy camping!

About the writer:  Ronvictor is a Copywriter of Group Retreats.He written many articles in various topics such as activity funGroup Retreats. For more information visit: http://www.palimountain.com .Contact him at ron.seocopywritergmail.com