The Best Tourist Places: November 2009

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Travel to Chile. Chile Most Beautiful Places

Chile is one of the few emerging market countries that is holding up well this year. The Bank of New York Mellon Chile ADR Index is up 9.05% year-to-date. Though the economy of Chile is heavily dependent on exports of commodities such as Copper, in recent years the economy has become more diversified. The domestic economy is strong due to various policies implemented by the government. While there are a few Chilean stocks trading as ADRs in the US, the easiest way to invest in Chile is via the iShares MSCI Chile Investable Market Index ETF (ECH) and the closed-ended fund The Chile Fund (CH). These two funds give broad exposure to many Chilean stocks. 1. iShares MSCI Chile Investable Market Index ETF (ECH): Launched in 2007, this ETF has about $150M in assets. The current yield is 1.96% and the expense ratio is 0.63%. Year-to-date the fund is up 12.34%. Since inception the fund is down 24.80%. One of the pros of this fund is that it has only 9% of the assets invested in financials. Energy, Utilities and Industrials account for a major portion of the portfolio. 2. The Chile Fund (CH) Currently CH is trading at a discount of 14%. The fund has an asset of base of $106M and the yield is 1.53%. The fund made a return of 49.58% in 2007 when Chilean stocks were hot due to the commodities boom. In 2008, it gave back all the returns from 2007 and ended the year with a loss of almost 52%. Year-to-date the fund is up about 12%. Similar to the ETF, the assets of the fund are widely allocated among various stocks in different sectors. Both the closed-end fund and the ETF are smart options get exposure to Chilean stocks. However CH will be much more volatile than the ETF in these turbulent times since it is a closed-ended fund. Back in January Marketwatch has an article titled Looking for defensive exposure? Try Chilean stocks. In this piece, Geoffrey Dennis, Latin America strategist at Citigroup, said “Chile always outperforms in down markets. There’s always been a substantial pool of domestic liquidity and that’s been a stabilizing force in the market.” Chile is being referred to as 'the Switzerland of Latin America' due to several factors such as the safety of the juridical system, the economy which is strong and on the increase, the multiple universities and high level of education. Many international investors have are now looking towards investing in the Chilean real estate sector. Investing advantages are the Chilean 'Unidad de Fomento' and the increasing middle class that will possess a high purchasing power in the following years.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

beautiful pictures of hua hin & info

Hua Hin is a famous beach resort town in Thailand, in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, some 200 km south of Bangkok. It has a population of 84,883 in an area of 911 km², and is one of eight districts (Amphoe) of the Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

Hua Hin is closely associated with the Thai royalty. Merely 25 kilometers apart, Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province enjoys a wealth of satellite attractions; prominent among them are national parks and historical cities.

hua hin lookout

hua hin images

Hua Hin beach in Thailand

hua hin property

hua hin beach front view

preise strand hua hin

hua hin thermal waters

hua hin beautiful beaches picture

hua hin girls

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

fact about prague tourism

About Prague

The story of Prague is no less turbulent than that of similarly large cities in Central Europe. It saw its first golden age under the rule of Charles IV in the 14th century. Prague was, at that time, the third largest city in Europe and witnessed something of an explosion in construction: the Charles University, the New Town, the Charles Bridge, and Saint Vitus Cathedral were all built during this period.

Most of the following centuries were passed in the same manner as other major central European cities i.e. in a frenzy of murder, battles, occupations, and looting: all of which has enriched the history of the place but was mighty miserable for the poor inhabitants of the time. After the German invasion Prague became the capital of Czechoslovakia, and remained relatively unscathed during the German occupation and Russian liberation. The Americans inadvertantly bombed the city in 1945, killing hundreds of residents, after somehow mistaking it for the German city of Dresden (which lies some 83 miles away).

Prague suffered in much the same way as the rest of the country during harsh Soviet-imposed Communist rule, and it was here that the Velvet Revolution was born and completed in 1989. Today, Prague is indisputably a modern European city and is becoming the capital of Central Europe. Many large companies have their regional headquarters here and the city is an enticing investment location, despite being more wealthy (and therefore expensive) than many Western counterparts.

Prague girls

Prague pics

Prague bridges

czech republic Prague

Prague imaegs

Prague girls

Prague night life

Prague red light district

Prague night lifestyle

Prague red light district

red light district amsterdam

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Cool Former Hokkaido Travel World

The Former Hokkaidō Government Office Building is an American-neo-baroque structure constructed in 1888 as a base of the Hokkaidō administration. The nickname is Akarenga or "Red Brick." It is the symbol of Hokkaidō and was designated a Japanese Important Cultural Property in 1969. Currently, the facilities inside the building include a conference room, a museum shop, a tourist information office, and a few historical exhibition rooms and libraries. Visitors can enter the building for free. Flower gardens and a pond are located in front of the building, which occasionally are designated as some event venues.

Though the interior was destroyed once by fire, it was restored in 1968 to its original state, and in 1969 was designated as an important cultural property for its superior western architecture. The building contains the Archives of Hokkaido and the Gallery of Hokkaido's History of the Historical Museum of Hokkaido, providing visitors an introduction to the history and culture of Hokkaido.

Cool Downtown Honolulu Capitol District

Downtown Honolulu is the current and historic central part of Honolulu—bounded by Nuʻuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Honolulu Harbor to the south—situated within the larger Honolulu District. The Capitol District, or Civic Center, contains most of the federal, state, and city governmental buildings and is centered on the Hawaiʻi State Capitol, ʻIolani Palace, and Honolulu Hale (city hall). It is roughly bounded by Richards Street on the west, Ward Avenue on the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the north, and Nimitz Highway to the south.

Double Helix Bridge Travel World

The Double Helix Bridge is a bridge under construction in Singapore. Linking Marina Centre with Marina South in the Marina Bay area, it is located beside the Benjamin Sheares Bridge. The design consortium is an international team with Australian architects the Cox Group and engineers Arup, combining with Singapore based Architects 61. The bridge is expected to be a focal point for the community, linking cultural, recreational and entertainment facilities in the area and complementing the walking look around Marina Bay. On the walls of the bridge, paintings and drawings of young children will be put up for tourists and Singaporeans alike to enjoy.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Hong Kong Travel places of interest on a tight budget

If you ae really on a budget traveler to Hong Kong, I would suggest you stay in Shenzhen, China, than in Hong Kong itself. Shenzhen and Hong Kong is only seperated by a causeway and the cost of living is definitely cheaper than in Hong Kong.

Where to stay in Shenzhen?
Do find a hotel that is near the railway station in Lou Hu area. This is because the China-Hong Kong border is in Lou Hu. There is also a subway station there. The hotels in this area cost between US$15 and US$500. 5 stars hotels such as Shangri-la is just above the subway station.

How do I cross over to Hong Kong?
The immigration is over at the railway station. It is an integrated station where you can find the bus terminal, the subway station, the railway station and the immigration.

Once you have cleared the immigration, you need to cross a bridge to Hong Kong.

How do I get to Hong Kong Disney Land?
When you are over at the Hong Kong immigration, you will see the Disney Land booth. You can purchase your entrance and transport tickets there.

REMEMBER!
The Chinese immigration closes at 12 mid-night. Do get back to Lu Huo before 12 mid-night. If not, you have to spend a night over at Hong Kong.

What is there to see at Shenzhen?
There is a Windows of the World. Here, you can travel around the world in half a day, including photo taking. Miniature monuments or building representing a country can be seen here. You can get there via subway.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3208/2700627702_0749e0241c.jpg

For good shopping, you may want to drop by at Hwa Chiang. It is a shopping haven and the price is cheaper than in Hong Kong. Do remember to bargain.

Hong Kong Travel places of interest on a tight budget