The 1st day.

It was a stressful start to our trip, bogged with one issue after another… the initial ride on the Maxicab was nice… with our luggage size and number… this was the cheapest option at S$45 to Changi Airport T1…

We were supposed to travel Cathay with transit at HKG… due to some hiccups, we flew direct via SQ on the A380 instead.

I don’t really like flying much… can’t get decent shut-eye no matter what plane you use… flight was uneventful, landed at Narita at about 7am, went to Airport Limo counter and was directed to the English speaking one instead…

The queue was outside the terminal… first gust of chill at about 12C… the LED boards at the queue were very informative… baggage is tagged quickly and the bus comes right on time.

All buses we sat on in Japan had large LCD screens in front depicting the route. It also shows you which stop would be next. Takes the guesswork out of figuring when to alight. English information is always shown after Japanese. This removes some amount of stress when arriving in a predominantly non-English speaking country for the first time.

The ride was uneventful… there were only about 8 passengers including ourselves… i wonder how they turn a profit with this kind of scheduling…

We arrived at Prince Shinagawa Hotel which is just a stones throw away from Shinagawa station…

…..

We dropped our things off at the tiny hotel room, had a short freshening-up and proceeded with the first item on our itinerary: Ueno

…

We stayed in Kihei at unit H-105 of the Maui Banyan. It was an amazing place to stay and we can’t wait to go back.

The condo itself truly was a home away from home. The king sized bed was very comfy. There is an A/C unit in both the living room and the bedroom, which was very nice since we were not used to the Hawaiian heat. The kitchen had everything we needed. Most days we only ate breakfast at the condo, and then set out to explore or relax on the beach. We often ate out for lunch and dinner. Although there were a few nights we enjoyed using the bbq area to do our own cooking for dinner. We stocked up on groceries at the Costco in Kahului, so it was definitely nice to have a full kitchen with a regular sized fridge/freezer. We were much happier to have a fully equipped condo than a hotel type setup.
The unit is a one bedroom condo. As you can see from these two photos, the kitchen, dining room, and living room areas are attached. The bedroom and bathrooms are to the right. The TV had a pretty sweet surround sound system as well, although we didn’t watch a lot of TV so we didn’t use it very much.

The two bathrooms are another nice feature of this unit. The ensuite bathroom has a sink, toilet, and the jacuzzi tub. The other bathroom near the entrance door has a sink, toilet, and the washer/dryer. It was great that we didn’t have to find a laundromat during our stay, and could wash our clothes and beach gear when we wanted to.

Kamaole II beach is a two – three minute walk from the unit. I wrote an additional post for this beach with more information and photos if you want to check it out.

The Banyan itself has two great pool / bbq areas – one at either end of the grounds. Quite often we wanted to swim after dinner, but since it gets dark around 7pm we did not want to swim in the ocean. So the pools were the best option, and we certainly got a lot of use out of them.The pools are open until 10 or 11, although they don’t seem to kick you out as long as you keep the noise down. And if one was busy, you could just walk to the other and see how it looked. The H building is in the middle of the complex, so it is about the same distance to either bbq/pool area.

The photo below shows the lanai at unit H-105. It runs the full length of the condo with doors on both ends – one from the living room and one from the bedroom. You can just see the building where one of the pool/bbq areas is.

The grounds at the Maui Banyan are very well kept. It was a great place to walk and look around. My wife really enjoyed taking photos of the many tropical flowers there.

Building H is far enough back from South Kihei Road that we could not hear the traffic. We found Kihei to be a great location to stay. The beach is right across the street so if you don’t want to drive, you don’t have to. But it is close enough to the beaches of Wailea, without the excessive prices of the Wailea resorts. And Kihei is about a twenty minute drive to Kahului, and about a 40 minute drive to Lahaina.

Additional information on unit H-105 at the Maui Banyan can be found at:

http://www.vrbo.com/160412

The owners were very good to deal with. Please let them know that Dan and Shauna from PG sent you if you do decide to book with them. They have a referral program for those who have stayed there, and we definitely plan to stay again. We will likely build our next trip around the unit’s availability (which is not very often, so make sure to book well ahead) They have an availability calendar on their website.

Please feel free to ask any questions you might have about this unit, or the Maui Banyan in general. I will to get back to you as soon as possible.

Well in September I moved into halls at my new university.  I can’t believe how nervous I was but we all seemed to click just like that.

There was 6 of us (2 guys and 4 girls) and we all got on so well and still do.  It ind of made it harder nad everyone was a little uneasy when a 7th person moved in 3 weeks later.  She had been living at home, but had decided that she wanted to live in.  She’s really nice but we did kind of feel it may be strange and in a way might break our such tight circle.

Anyway, that didn’t happen.  She gets on like one of us (although goes out with her other frineds and not with us – which is fine as I still like it us 6).

I have obviously gotton bouts of homesicknesh, but now it’ s more a case of I like the idea of going home, but not actually being at home as it can gets very boring.  I mainly only go home for the washing!  Hate tumble dryers as I just shrink everything!

Will post soon with more tales from my chapter of life!

ps birthday soon – can’t wait!

Here is a tiny post I wanted to put together for ages! A list of the best/most known immobiliaria websites in Spain /BCN. Let me know if I left out something you feel should be on the list!

www.idealista.es

www.loquo.es

www.bornliving.com

www.segundamano.es

www.mundoanuncio.com

And I recommend this article on how to get a flat in Spain…

Photo Credit

Obviously, you will have to plan your trip before going to UK. There are so many things we don’t always think about! Don’t worry! Read the essential steps below:

1- Shake if your documentation is up-to-date

2- Choose carefully the company you will travel with (you might have some weight restrictions, prices vary…). There are more than 40 airports in the UK, many of which fly to and from international destinations.

3- Try to arrive on a weekday (Monday to Friday) and in the morning as trains, buses or taxis may not run throughout the night. Then it will be easier for you to buy some food and the first essential stuff (food, phone…)

4- Arrange before arriving the transfer to your accomodation, university or hostel. It will be stressless for you to know what you will have to do when arriving in the country.

5- Try to have some prior appointments to visit flats (you need a budget to live the first days/weeks at the hostel, to pay your food, transport, etc.)

6- When you get a flat, try to open a bank account (very helpful not to pay commissions for every transaction)

We can’t give you the exhaustive list of all the companies you can travel with to go to UK but if you plan to take a plane from Spain, France or Germany for example, you can fly with Easyjet or Ryanair.

If you leave from Saudi Arabia, you can fly with Emirates, bmi, British Airways. There are so many possibilities that we recommend you to check what are the most common companies to travel with from your country. 

To make your trip easier, you can also contract a travel agent in your home country.

Zwei Beine, zwei Rucksäcke, ein Board mit Boots, Notebook, Kamera = 30kg Gepäck von Vancouver nach Whistler per Greyhound Bus. Eigentlich kein Thema. Ich war allerdings etwas später dran.

Start 7:00 Uhr am morgen nach erfolgreichem letzten Abend im Pub. Erstmal alle in meinem Zimmer wecken. Duschen muss ausfallen wegen Zeitmangel. Man sollte den Wecker auf 6:00 Uhr stellen wenn man um 7:30 Uhr aus dem Haus muss.
Schnell noch nachschaun, wo man überhaupt hin muss zum 11:00 Uhr Job Interview. Natürlich geht das WLAN im Hostel nicht und die Nachschicht an der Rezeption hat keine Ahnung. Naja muss dann auch los, Ticket verfällt sonst. SkyTrain zur Main Station und 7:58 am Busbahnhof ankommen, pünktlich. 10:30 Whistler, zum Interview laufen und noch rechtzeitig da sein. Es geschehen noch Wunder.

Das lief dann auch prima und ich könnte als Parkeinweiser-Chef mit “Personalverantwortung” anfangen. Ich musste mir ja das lachen verkneifen. Jörg, 24, beaufsichtigt, ohne jede Erfahrung, fünf Parkeinweiser für die Olympischen Spiele, wird dafür sogar bezahlt und darf bestimmen wer rein darf und wer nicht.

Gut gelaunt wollte ich dann zum Hostel, was “etwas” (ca. 45 Minuten zu Fuß) außerhalb liegt. Es fahren allerdings auch nur vier Busse am Tag dorthin. Wie verbringt man fünf Stunden mit Gepäck und allem Kram? Ab zu Starbucks und das Netz anzapfen. Viele Kaffee und einige Zeit später wars dann doch noch soweit, ab zur Unterkunft. Gibt natürlich kein Essen hier. Naja bin eh ziemlich bedient und müde. Bett beziehen, duschen, schlafen. Mehr is heut nicht mehr drin. Morgen früh wieder raus und ab zur Job Einweisung im Reinigungsbusiness. Wir werden sehen was es damit auf sich hat. Parallel wird nach Wohnung gesucht und weiter nach lukrativen Jobs. Season Pass für die Berge sind dann doch 1000 €.

A family safari is such a great way to spend time together and is excellent therapy for everyone!

An area of history and legend, offers some of the most excitinggame viewing in Africa. It is a place of exceptional beauty where one can explore therugged, unspoilt African landscapes either in the comfort of open 4-wheel drive vehicles,on a walking safari, on mountain bicycles, or horse back, guided by expert rangers and experienced trackers. In addition to the game experience, Mashatu offers a view ofAfrica, unchanged since the days of early visitors such as Kipling, Selous and artist/explorer Sir Thomas Baines. Historic and archaeological sites abound; notable are the Motloutse Ruins and the Pitsani Koppie sites.

The excitement of Mashatu has not changed over time. It is still home to large herds of elephant, prides of lion and cheetah. Along the river courses, huge Mashatu trees provide shade for eland, impala, wildebeest, giraffe and zebra, whilst at night, the bateared fox, African Wildcat and the magnificent leopard search for prey. Some 366 species of birds may be seen. Mashatu Game Reserve proudly provides a refuge for the largest, single population of elephant on privately owned land in Africa. Known as the relic herds of Shashe, these elephants are the last living testament to the great herds that once populated the meandering Limpopo valley. Today, the population on Mashatu Game Reserve alone, is estimated to number in excess of 500.

Source: Nature & Kind Travel Collection

Loisaba is a setting little changed since the Great Rift Valley split Africa in two. This private game ranch is set on 60,000 acres of wilderness.

Loisaba is made for adventure: guests enjoy complete freedom to choose how they spend their time … the only barrier is your own imagination. Trek through the bush with camels, mountain bike down the escarpment, raft the Ewaso Nyiro, horseback ride or drive through the wild canyons of the two great rivers that span this vast area.

The ranch also owns a micro-light and aeroplane so there are no limits to what you choose to do: heli-camp, then surf the remote sand dunes of the Northern Frontier District, rock-climb the soaring pinnacles thrusting up from the valley floor or just play a little tennis and lie by the pool.

A place of deep serenity, Loisaba attracts big game just as it attracts guests: both know they will be safe and well looked after, free to roam unconfined and undisturbed.

The Star Beds – four-poster- on raised platforms provide blissful sleep under the vast African sky with only the stars and sky for a ceiling. Even the spa – where pampering is unrivalled – is sensitively constructed and set apart from the other buildings, so that the eternal drama of the bush unfolds before your eyes.

Source: Nature & Kind Travel Collection

Bison Quest, on the Wild Echo Bison Reserve, is available to only one private group at a time…yours.

For a true back to nature experience, nothing can match the pleasure of relaxing in your private log cabin or learning about Native American history in a Lakota Sioux tipi, surrounded by a powerful bison herd in the magnificent Montana wilderness. Learn about the natural history of the awe-inspiring buffalo while living among them, and participate in bison and wildlife studies alongside internationally known wildlife biologists. Join us on an overnight trip to the famous Yellowstone National Park, go horseback riding and hiking in the Montana mountains, stargaze through a telescope where the brightest lights are in the sky, and share in a combination of other unique experiences, from saunas in a sweat lodge to campfires in a tipi, that you’ll not be able to find anywhere else.

Source: Nature & Kind Travel Collection

If you are a novice in the kitchen and know enough cooking to boil water this recipe is for you. We are just going to assemble a few processed goodies and some vegetables and rice to make a wonderful meal.

Time Taken : About 40 Minutes

Serves: 2 Persons

Ingredients:
1 packet Chinese Manchurian Knorr make a meal
1 cube Maggi Chicken concentrate OR 1 cube Maggi Vegetable concentrate
2 Cups of Soya Chunks
1 small onion
1 small carrot
1/2 a  small  cabbage
1 small capsicum OR 2 Big green Chilies
2 spring onions
Some red OR green chili sauce
Some vinegar and green  chili  sauce
1 cup rice
salt
ghee

Method:

Wash the rice in cold water. Soak the rice for 20 minutes in cold water.Throw away the water used to soak the water.  Take 2 cups of water in a pan add the soaked  rice,  a pinch of  salt and a little ghee and cover the pan with a lid and boil the rice on Simmer setting of your gas burner till the rice is tender.( Do not stir the rice while it is cooking.The rice will be cooked by the time all the water is used up. )

Grate all the vegetables and mince the spring onions. Put the spring onions aside.Take a wok add a little ghee and sauté the vegetables for 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of water to the vegetables. Add the chinese Knorr Manchurian make a meal mixture and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a little water boil the chicken cube or the vegetable cube ( as per your taste) and set aside.
Boil 4 cups of water in a pan add 1/4 tea-spoon salt and add 2 cups of Soya chunks and boil for 10 minutes. Use a strainer to get rid of the water used to boil the Soya chunks and to wash them in cold fresh water. Squeeze out the excess water.Put some ghee in a wok and fry the Soya chunks till they are a little brown. Add the boiled chicken or vegetable concentrate to the wok and bring to boil till the chunks absorb the concentrate a little and add the mixture of Soya chunks and concentrate to the Manchurian sauce.Garnish with the minced spring onions.

Your meal is ready. Use the chili  sauce as per your taste.

COOK IT UP A RECIPE WEB SITE

When I was going to do this mad adventure on my own, I had decided to pay for the support and organisational skills of a holiday company who sort out everything for you and carry your kit.  It’s a called a “supported trip”. 

The other option is to go “unsupported”.  On the plus side, it’s cheaper.  On the negative side, you’ve got to sort out all the logistics and carry everything you might need… but, as this was always going to be a challenge and as there are 4 of us, it shouldn’t be too much for any one person to sort out if we split all the tasks.

So, task one, is finding the various places to stay each night over 2 weeks.  Somewhere that will take us for one night and can keep our bikes safe – ideally with clothes washing facilities (yuk), nearby food (and liquid refreshments…) and can rustle up an enormous full english by about 7:30am so we can get fuelled up and on the road as early as possible (within gentlemanly limits of course – we’re not time-trialling here!).

To help find such accomodation, I have stumbled across a good site – where you can filter down to the criteria you are looking for – and importantly for us, they have a “cyclists welcome” facility so we’ll use those as our starting point…

http://search.enjoyengland.com/

We have secured our first night of accomodation for the trip, deposit has been paid and two rooms booked.  I keep forgetting the small matter of actually being able to do the cycling…. maybe I’ll just spend two weeks visiting the country in the car and staying in all these B&B’s along the way.  Would still be a nice holiday and I wouldn’t have to do any training, go on a diet, buy any kit or get any sore bits along the way….hmmmm.

Leckeres Essen. Sensationelles Ambiente, supernette Leute – einfach nur Wohlfühlen und die Seele baumeln lassen. Südafrika bot all dies wieder einmal zu Hauf. Auch im Hinblick auf die Fussball-WM nächstes Jahr möchte ich Euch nach und nach meine TOP5 – Unterkünfte vorstellen.

No. 1 – Nkorho Bush Lodge

Die Nkorho Bush Lodge ist der ideale Ort um die “Big Five” hautnah zu erleben – es gibt sogar eine “Quasi-Garantie” mit Zertifikat – okay das mag etwas überzogen sein, aber irgendwie ist es auch ganz witzig. In großzügigen Bungalows lebt man mitten im Nationalpark Sabi Sands, der ohne Zäune an den Krüger Nationalpark grenzt. Das Camp umgibt lediglich ein elektrischer Zaun in ca. 2Meter Höhe um die Elefanten auf Abstand zu halten. Alle anderen Tiere haben sozusagen “Zutritt”. Und ob man es glaubt oder nicht, aber es ist wirklich sensationell in der Badewanne zu sitzen oder der Outdoor-Dusche zu stehen, während 5 Meter entfernt ein Elefant oder Büffel vorbeitrabt. Täglich werden zwei Safaris à 3 Stunden (5.30 Uhr und 16.30 Uhr) angeboten – zusätzlich kann man gegen 11 Uhr den “Bush” zu Fuss erkunden. Die Ranger sind superfreundlich, hilfsbereit, geben über alles Auskunft und geben sich unglaublich viel Mühe auch ja möglichst viele Tiere zu finden.

Der Spaß ist natürlich kein Schnäppchen aber es lohnt sich zu 100%. Das Zimmer wurde am Tag zweimal gereinigt, der Service war sensationell und das Essen gut und üppig. Frühstücksbüffet, Mittagessen und Dinner sind im Preis inklusive, auf den Safaris gibt es Morgens Tee und Kekse, Abends – zumindest bei mir – Würstel und Gin Tonic. Die Gewichtszunahme ist also – wie übrigens bei allen anderen Unterkünften auch – garantiert.

CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR IN STYLE

Welcome in 2010 and celebrate in style, stay at the InterContinental Mar Menor Golf Resort and Spa, or the InterContinental La Torre Golf Resort for a truly sophisticated New Year.

Located in the heart of Murcia, these 5 star gems have an incredibly lavish offering you simply can’t refuse. From just 219€, indulge in 5 star luxury; this price includes a double room, buffet breakfast, access to the spa and a sensational five-course gala meal fit for a king.

Celebrating gourmet Spanish cuisine at it’s finest; choose from the freshest seafood, the most succulent meat and the richest deserts. If lobster salad or fillet steak takes your fancy, then a stay at the InterContinental Mar Menor Golf Resort and Spa. However, if Tobago chocolate covered biscuit, bathed in whisky and served with citrus truffle tantalises your taste buds, then book to stay at the InterContinental La Torre Golf Resort Murcia. With delicious canapés being served throughout the evening, and Moet champagne flowing, this will undoubtedly be one banquet you surely won’t want to miss.

With your stay you will also have full access and special green fee rates on the hotels’ golf courses designed by golfing legend, Jack Nicklaus. If you are looking for somewhere to unwind, then why not visit Mar Menor’s ESPA spa or the newly opened Thai Room Spa at InterContinental La Torre. Treatments can be tailored to suit your bodies every need and are perfect for infusing a little luxury into any busy lifestyle.

Prices for New Years Eve accommodation including gala meal start from 219€ at the InterContinental La Torre Golf Resort Murcia and from 239€ at the InterContinental Mar Menor Golf Resort & Spa. For more information and details of accommodation rates please visit www.polarisworld.com or call Reservations on +34 968 031 973.

So, the route is planned, the training is underway (well, kind of) so now we need to find places to stay – you’d think that would be the easy part right? Well, so far, the Cornish don’t need to be picky in May/June – they aren’t interested in 4 sweaty cyclists popping in for one night when they can have their pick of middle england staying for longer… can’t blame them, but maybe the campsites or youth hostels approach is going to be the simplest option…

[pre 0]

Choose the city you are going to is the beginning of the challenge of living abroad, besides the visa’s issues. Australia has beautiful cities with very peculiar characteristics and the decision must  meet your final goals.

Whatever the choice, enjoy the uniqueness of each site. Even if  you realize when you got there that the city is not exactly what you had in mind, all have to offer in personal development and learning of language. If the focus is to grow professionally big cities like Sydney and Melbourne offer more opportunities. Perth and Brisbane are also good options.

Rent: Australia is among the most expensive countries within the ranking of higher rents in the world. Smaller cities offer quality living at more affordable prices. In Brisbane you can find apartments for four people with swimming pool, sauna and gym in a privileged neibourgh for afforrdable rent price.  I recommend places like the Cathedral Place which combines affordableprices and complete leisure. Prices around 115/125 per week ¹.

Cathedral Place - pool area

In Sydney the prices are around 150/160 australian dollars per week in share accommodation ² and usually the leisure area is restricted to a small area for BBQ. However, the city has inumeours options of beautiful beaches, some very close to the center such as Coogee Beach.

Surry Hills, Sydney

In cities such as Caloundra, 60 km north of Brisbane, and Noosa (130 km from Brisbane), you can find apartments facing the sea at prices that are around $ 90 a week. Obviously the figures vary according to the size and conservation of the accommodation and the number of people with whom you will share the space.

Caloundra - Sunshine Coast

In all cases, please note that costs are proportionate to the facilities and opportunities that each city offers. If your primary objective is English, smaller cities  are a good option. If the focus is work, cities like Sydney and Melbourne, to possess a more dynamic market offer more opotunidades and of course, increased competition in the search for a placement.

1 – Values in January 2009.
2 – share acommodation: it is a very common type of accommodation for students and immigrants who are starting to settle in the country. You must divide kitchen, bathrooms, and recreation area. Each person is responsible for the hygiene of your own room and a generally a cleaner is paid to organize the rest of the house.

The innovative and intimate 12-seat eaterie in Campo Santi Filippo e Giacomo features exposed brick, mirrors, coloured Murano glasses, Versace coffee cups and Rosenthal plates. Charismatic patron/chef Gianni Bonaccorsi is on hand to guide you through the seasonal menu or suggest the day’s specials, which vary according to the fare available at the market. You’ll be offered the freshest fish, such as a trio of tartares made with salmon, mullet and red prawns, often served with various tangy fruit and vegetables concoctions, and dishes imaginative twists, such as black squid ink tortelli (a larger type of tortellini) filled with sea bass. Bonaccorsi is also an italian wine expert, and the drinks list is as impressive as cuisine. One more reason to visit Venice.

Well, I got a merit for my MA, I may have mentioned I was writing a dissertation…less than I wanted probably what I deserved, I think the other Pete did similarly well. I am now working in Gloucestershire, Roman burials. Most of them of them are done, maybe a couple left, which would be nice.

Anyhow, I had applied for a few other jobs before starting this one, which amazingly is only 10 minutes drive from where I’m staying. I applied for TVAS, PCA and recently Wessex, all of which were not offering accomodation with the jobs, even Wessex in which I know both their offices are over an hour away. I don’t think this is a good way to go for diggers in commercial archaeology. I suppose they can get away with it due to the lack of demand for us at the moment, but it’s not a good move. Anyone got any comments about this?

The type of accommodation to choose should be in accordance with the purpose of the trip. Keep in mind what you want from your investment coming here. It seems strange but it is quite possible to live 12 months in Australia and not learn the language, especially in cosmopolitan cities like Sydney. Be careful to don’t  lose time, money and opportunities. =)

 Homestay: Each person has an experience completely different. The family who received me in Brisbane, where I lived for 8 months before moving to Sydney, was a traditional ‘Aussie family’ with mother, father and 3 children,  of 8, 10 and 12 years. But my husband, who came directly to Sydney, lived for 1 month with a single woman who also used to receive other international students.
• Good points: The experience is worth at English and cultural integration irrespective of the family, but I would advise you to pay only one month of homestay and then renew if you want to.
• Bad points: You might not feel comfortable even being welcomed, this is not your home, is the site of another family, where different rules are imposed and to which you must adapt .

Price: usually around 250 per week including two meals, breakfast and lunch. Some families are more flexible than others regarding timing and the kind of food they serve. If possible, speak to your family before coming  and confirm the meals timing and type when you arrive to avoid misunderstandings.

Templetons - homestay for one month in Brisbane

 Share accommodation: Being an apartment or house, the idea is to split everything, living in community. Most rooms are doubles, but there are options for single rooms, obviously more expensive. Prices vary according to location and size of the room.

• Good points:  It is a great option for those who want to make friends quickly; you might fell less lonely in a share house.
• Bad points: You do have to share spaces such as bathrooms and kitchen. And some share accommodations might have students that speak your own language, which compromise the language learning process.

Price: Share room around 145/160 australian dollars per week in Surry Hills, neighborhood near the subway station.

Barbecue at share house

Some websites can help in the search for accommodation as Gumtree and Flatmates.

 Some agencies specialize in exchanges are very helpful when you’re a little lost. Brisbane talk to staff Hello Australia and in Sydney with the team Information Planet

AshMan says…

Are you a student? Do you want to know how to make your own PC and Xbox 360 Games? Well if you are already answering yes to these questions this camp is for you!

The camp runs from Friday December 18 2009 through to Sunday December 20 2009 and will be a nonstop experience full of gaming, development, learning and fun. You’ll hear about Imagine Cup and how you can help change the world through technology, learn about XNA and how it makes development for Windows and Xbox as straightforward as possible for both 2D and 3D games.

You’ll also team up with others who are as keen to get into game development as you are, potentially forming up proper partnerships to enter Imagine Cup, the world’s biggest technology competition for students.

And, best of all, it’s free to attend. And, even better, if you’re one of the first 50 students to register by December 8, Microsoft will cover your accommodation as well – you just need to get to the event, and we’ll look after the rest! How good is that!?

Prizes, gaming, learning game dev, fun, teamwork, challenges, all rolled up into one 3 day experience. Sounds good to me!

Agenda:

December 18

10:30 – Registration

11:00 – Camp Day 1 Begins

18:30 – Camp Day 1 Ends

19:00 – Pizza and Xbox Gaming Night

December 19

8:30 – Camp Day 2 Begins

18:30 – Camp Day 2 Ends

19:00 – LAN Party

December 20

8:30 – Camp Day 3 Begins

16:00 – Camp Day 3 Ends

*Agenda subject to change.

To RSVP simply follow this link: http://www.microsoft.com.au/events/register/home.aspx?levent=374345&linvitation

Accomodation at the 2 places that we stayed at in Sorrento and Naples are to be highly recommended. I always look forward to an inviting place to rest overnight after a tiring day of travel and I was impressed with both these hotels. Both were reasonably priced and exceeded my expectations for a 3-star hotel.

Sorrento – Palazzo Abagnale Guest House

the double room

This new 3-star boutique hotel, is situated on Corsa Italia, the road leading from the train station to Piazza Tasso in the centre of town. It is only a 5 minute walk from the station, but do look out for the numbering of the shop houses along the road, as the entrance is just a door that can be easily missed (the reception is a floor above).

With only 11 rooms, this cosy guest house has excellent service with a friendly reception. Each of the 3 floors in this building has an interior theme, with the rooms on each floor decorated according to the theme of the floor. There is the pop art floor, black and white floor (where our rooms were), and light beige floor.

the twin room

(left) spacious room with modern deco; (right) sparkling black and white tiles of the bathroom (though the bathtub should have had a curtain to prevent water on the floor after a shower)

Naples – Hotel Piazza Bellini

The entrance of this hotel was not overly welcoming especially with the ongoing construction. Still a new hotel, there were 2 blocks at the time and we were placed in the block opposite the reception block which had only 3 rooms at that time. However, the interesting part of this hotel is its interior and the art paintings by a young local artist, Alessandro Cocchia, on the walls of the rooms and other parts of the hotel. Locationwise, this hotel is central to the main historical attractions.

the towering entrance door – tight security with guests having to be buzzed in by reception

the red interior of the twin room

(left) table corner and tv on rotatable stand; (right) extra bed at the entrance of the twin room, guess it acts as a triple room too

stick-on room door numbers

stick-ons along the corridor from the reception to the breakfast area

cold buffet breakfast included

paintings on the walls of the breakfast area

fists and spanners