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July 1, 2011

Cruising The Mediterranean

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 3:18 pm

Are you thinking of going on a cruise this year? If you have never been on a cruise before you certainly should try one and if you have been on a cruise before you could have a go at cruising the Mediterranean this time

Cruising at sea, calling into a different port each day or two soon becomes a way of life, so short cruises can be a little exasperating. A fortnight is all right but a month is much better.

Imagine it, a different language and a different culture every day for weeks! The Mediterranean Sea is not thought of as a large sea, but it has to be the most diverse area in the world, because there are countries like Portugal, Spain and France to the northwest; the Middle East is represented by Turkey and The Lebanon in the northeast; Arabic countries like Egypt and Lybia line the northeastern coast of the African Mediterranean and Arabic/Berber countries like Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco bring us back to within miles of Spain on the northwestern African Mediterranean shoreline.

In fact, the Mediterranean Sea covers about 2.5 million square kilometres and has over 120 large seaports around it. The variety of food, culture and language is pretty extraordinary. If you are searching for variety, you will absolutely find it when cruising the Mediterranean Sea.

If you get a kick out of history, then you will not be disappointed by the ruins from the immense Greek, Roman and Egyptian empires that spread around the region prolifically. I should not think that there is a single area without something to remind the population about the power of the Roman army 2,000 years ago.

There are dozens of different Mediterranean cruises available lots of them specializing in one particular aspect or area of the Mediterranean. Some go for romantic destinations others specialize in Greek, Roman or Egyptian history.

The last Mediterranean cruise I went on was actually two cruises back-to-back. I flew into Barcelona from my home town. I did not have to take care of my baggage from my hometown until I saw it on my bunk on the cruise liner. That was a great touch. On the first leg of the cruise we steamed east to Sicily and then north along the Italian coast to the French Riviera and back to Spain.

The second leg went east to Sardinia and then south to Africa and returned along the coast calling into Tunisia and Malta on the way back to Spain. They were two completely different cruises on the same ship and separated just by a week from one another.

The luxury and the dining experience was wonderful and I discovered the saying to be true that you can expect to gain about a pound in weight every two days unless you take plenty of exercise, so make sure you pack your swimming costume, even if you do choose to leave your exercise kit at home.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with the Bikini Cup D. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Swimwear for Big Busts.

June 10, 2011

Skiing Holidays In Andorra – An Introduction

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 5:29 pm

Andorra is a tiny principality in the eastern region of the Pyrenees Mountains which run across the border between France and Spain. It is a very mountainous country where they speak Catalan, Spanish, French and their own local dialect. English is widely understood if not spoken. The co-rulers of Andorra are the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell.

The people of Andorra have the second highest life expectancy in the world (82 years at birth). Although Andorra is not in the European Union, it uses the Euro because it is easier for everyone. Andorra is a very prosperous nation because it is a tax haven and its 85,000 inhabitants are hosts to more than 10,0000,0000 tourists a year.

Most of those tourists are skiers or are interested in skiing. So, it goes without saying that the quality of skiing in Andorra is of world class proportions. For people who are not interested in skiing, the views are breath-taking and the clean mountain air is a tonic, which makes Andorra popular with ramblers and hikers. If you are touring the area, you can visit France or Spain from Andorra within several hours, depending on the weather.

The skiing industry in Andorra has come a long way since the first ski lift was installed in 1956. Most of the skiing tourists come from France, Spain and Britain. Although nowhere in the south of France can be considered cheap, Andorra levies hardly any tax on goods so this reduces the costs quite a bit. Perfume, cigarettes and alcohol are particularly cheap compared with its neighbours.

The largest skiing resort by far in Andorra is Grandvalira which has 193 ski slopes serviced by 66 ski lifts. Andorra in general and Grandvalira in particular has a reputation of being good for beginners and families. This is because numerous of the slopes are quite gentle and the area specializes in ski schools and training. Grandvalira alone has seven separate training centres and more than 450 qualified skiing instructors. Snowboarding is also taught at many of these schools.

Vallnord is another of Andorra’s famous resorts. Vallnord has perhaps a wider range of ski slopes than Grandvalira, since it also caters for the advanced skier. It is smaller than Grandvalira with just 50 different slopes and 30 ski lifts, but that helps give it a more intimate, isolated atmosphere than its enormous competitor.

There are also training schools at Vallnord and it is a centre from which you can sight-see and tour. If you want to ski, but also travel around, it is best not to take your own skis. You can travel by bus or by car, although you really should have some experience before driving through snowy mountains, where the weather can become treacherous at the blink of an eye.

If you travel by coach, you can hire skiing apparatus and clothing wherever you decide to come to a halt. Nowhere is far from anywhere in Andorra as the whole principality covers less than 200 square miles, but the weather can be a hazard to drivers who are not used to mountain weather conditions.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on several topics, but is now involved with short ski breaks. If you would like to know more, please go over to our web site at Ski Package Holidays.

June 5, 2011

Winter Sports – Skiing

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 2:00 pm

Skiing is a very economic way of travelling over long distances of snow and people have been using it as such for thousands of years. In fact, the first recorded instance of skiing was found in Norland, Norway and it has been dated back to 5000 BC. Skiing has been used for rapid travel, hunting and warfare ever since then and probably before.

However, there are basically three types of skiing, namely, Nordic, Telemark and Alpine skiing. Skiing was made popular for the international market by Sondre Norheim in the late Nineteenth Century, which coincided with Europeans becoming more adventurous in their choice of foreign holidays – well, for the rich at any rate.

Telemark skiing was developed in the Nineteen-Seventies from his notions on skiing. However, the development of skiing techniques did not quit there. The Austrians, Mathias Zdarsky and Hannes Schneider were key in developing techniques further, although one cannot help thinking that the skiers of seven thousand years ago knew most of those methods way back then as well.

As skiing has become more and more popular over the last sixty or seventy years, so more and more skiing locations have sprung up. There are skiing resorts all over the world, but the most famous and popular are in Europe, especially in Scandinavia and mainland Europe.

There are skiing locations in the Pyrenees on the border of Spain and France, in Croatia and in Italy, but the most famous resorts are in the Swiss and French Alps, which are actually adjoining. There are even skiing resorts in Scotland.

However, there are also equally good skiing resorts in the United States, Canada and Asia. Wherever, you go skiing, there are items that a skier needs to get in order to be able to ski. a skier needs warm clothing and skiing apparatus. If you are a frequent skier, then you can buy your own clothing and your own equipment, but for most skiers, renting is good enough. At least, if you rent apparatus you do not have to carry lumpy gear around with you.

Resorts have ski runs of different skill levels, but you can also ‘go off piste’, which means ski the wild, untended slopes. This is a lot more dangerous as these slopes are not tended, cleared or manned, so there is more risk of an accident and less chance that you will be discovered if you be into trouble. Avalanches are also less well investigated for off piste ski slopes.

Skiing is something that anyone can learn, but it is not easy to master. The earlier that someone starts the better. Skiers take falls and older bones break more easily than younger ones. Beginners fall more frequently than experts, so it makes sense to learn how to ski when you are young.

However, do not let that put you off, it is only a warning to be sensible. If you have always wanted to learn to ski, then go for it, but please do yourself a favour and learn the safety rules of skiing too.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several subjects, but is now involved with short ski breaks. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Ski Package Holidays.

May 9, 2011

Skiing In Modern Croatia: Where To Go

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 7:28 am

Twenty or thirty years ago, no-one in their correct mind would have gone to Croatia, unless they were in the army, but that has all changed. These days, Croatia is part of the European Union and is much more hospitable to tourists.

One of the tourist activities that Croatia is building its reputation on is skiing. It is a warmer country than northern France, Switzerland and Scandinavia, so it is feasible to take a skiing vacation in the mountains and finish the holiday off with a week at the seaside.

One of the best skiing regions to visit is Zagreb and in particular Bjelolasica, which is where the Croatian Olympic skiing team trains. The facilities in this area are excellent and the prices are a lot cheaper than you would pay in either in the French or in the Swiss Alps or in Scandinavia. In fact Croatia offers great skiing facilities at a very affordable cost.

The Croatian skiing community is of very high standard and they know that they have to compete with the history of the more famous French and Swiss ski resorts so they really pull all the stops out to make certain that the tourists and sports people that come to their country derive value for money and would like to come back again.

They realize that word of mouth advertising is the best and the cheapest form of advertising that you can get.

Another well-liked Croatian skiing destination is Platak. Platak is located nearer the Adriatic and is a little more expensive than Bjelolasica because it is a bit cut off, but it only depends where you would like to go and what you want to do.

Platak is a good all round skiing resort which has plans for improvements on a vast scale. During the coming years, Platak will have more ski slopes of different levels of difficulty and more hotels and chalets of all price ranges.

You would be forgiven for thinking that there might be a language barrier in Croatia and to be honest there can be, but the ski resorts are all staffed by people who have studied most of the common European languages. It shows how much can be done in twenty years if the government and the populace have the right and the same point of view.

Croatia has a very diverse cuisine, so tourists and skiers from all over the world ought to be able to find plenty of suitable food and drink. Croatia has a border with Hungary and their wine is very drinkable. All in all, Croatia offers decent skiing facilities at a knock down price, but just how long they will be able to offer these excellent facilities at these attractive prices remains to be seen.

If you are a serious skier, it could be worth going to Croatia and purchasing a time-share or some other sort of accommodation now before the inevitable price rise when the rest of Europe realizes how cheap skiing in Croatia really is.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a number of subjects, but is now involved with short ski breaks. If you would like to know more, please go over to our website at Ski Package Holidays.

May 7, 2011

Skiing In The French Alps – Some Basics

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 9:54 am

Most people dream of going away on vacation to somewhere warm or even hot, however there are some who seek out the cold and the snow so that they can go skiing. It is true, many if not most of those who go skiing in the winter can also afford a summer break somewhere warm too. Skiing in the French Alps is one of the favourite choices of novice and experienced skiers alike.

But what if you cannot ski at all and want to learn? Well, you could go the French Alps anyway and learn there or you could learn the fundamentals at home, perhaps on an all-weather slope, so that you receive full value for money when you arrive in France. There are quite a number of all-weather nylon slopes dotted around most Western countries, normally located at leisure centres.

If you learned how to get dressed, the basic moves and the safety aspects of skiing and being on snow, than you could get on with learning better techniques from the experts at the French Alps resort after you get there. This way you will not miss out on the fantastic skiing in the French Alps, which along with the Swiss Alps, which it adjoins, is one of the best regions for skiing in the world.

Learning how to come to a halt is a good idea, but before you can practice your stopping technique, you have to be moving, which can be fairly scary. This and health and safety codes are the first things that you will be taught when you take lessons either at home or in the Alps.

Knowing that you know how to come to a halt gives you the confidence to get you going and practicing other techniques like turning. You see, one of the difficulties with skiing is the novices, they tend to get in the way, so you have to look out for them and learn how to come to a halt before hitting them or how to go around them.

There are normally at least a number of types of slopes at these French alpine resorts ranging from gentle slopes for beginners to steeper, faster courses with obstacles like trees and rocks for practiced skiers. The weather can alter in an amazingly short time even within an hour, however at the best times of the year, the weather is normally pretty warm from about 10 AM until 2 PM.

This allows you time for a pre-breakfast walk, a relaxed breakfast and four hours on the slopes, before lunch and apres-ski activity. The evenings’ entertainment is legendary, which is another good reason for a late beginning. French food and drink is world renowned and the food and drink in the French Alps is no exception.

Skiing is fairly physical and necessitates the aspirant skier to be fit and strong. Therefore, if you have let yourself go a bit, you may think it prudent to visit a gym for a couple of weeks before your holiday to get back into shape.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with short ski breaks. If you would like to know more, please go over to our website at Ski Package Holidays.

April 24, 2011

Skiing In France: An Introduction

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 8:04 am

An aspiration of lots of the world’s skiers is to go on a skiing vacation in France. Some of the world’s most famous and best downhill ski slopes are in the French Alps. The French Alps are contiguous to the Swiss Alps, so if you have the time you could visit both on the one vacation. The French and the Swiss Alps are the most sophisticated in the world. English is spoken in both regions, but French is the local language in both the French and the Swiss Alps.

When you book your skiing holiday in the French Alps, it may be your first skiing vacation and you may be a bit worried about investing in all the expensive skiing apparatus that a skier needs.

However, it is a groundless worry because you can hire everything you require for your skiing vacation at most ski resorts. It is never difficult to hire skis, ski boots and ski poles, but you can frequently hire goggles and warm clothing as well.

It is vital to find out what you require to take yourself and what you can hire because the temperature drops rapidly and radically in the Alps as the sun goes down. In fact, the midday can be fairly warm, but by the mid afternoon it can be very cold and the nights can be deadly.

Prices for renting apparatus vary, but endeavor to get a fixed contract that you are comfortable with before you go. It is to be expected that going in off the street is the most expensive way of hiring the skiing apparatus that you require.

One tip is to make sure that your mobile telephone is always fully charged and that you have enabled ‘roaming’, which is the ability for a mobile phone to work abroad. If you get lost or injured in the snow, it could become serious very quickly.

One of the most famous skiing resorts in the French Alps is Val d’Isere. The slopes here are well-known all around the world and cater for all levels of skill and experience. Ski resorts such as Val d’Isere have all the contemporary facilities that a skier expects, such as ski lifts, clothing and equipment rentals, restaurants, bars, shops, travel agencies, and much more besides. The resort at Val d’Isere is the one to beat for ski resorts all over the world.

Language is not a problem for most tourists who would like to visit the French Alps as all the main European languages are spoken there. Food should not be a problem either as French cuisine and French wine is some of the best in Europe. If you choose to go on a skiing vacation in the French Alps, you will have a great time.

Make certain that you acquaint yourself with the safety rules of skiing and the specific resort you are going to and set aside part of your day for exploring the rich culture and fine restaurants of the French Alps.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on several topics, but is now concerned with short ski breaks. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Ski Package Holidays.

April 17, 2011

European Skiing Destinations

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 8:02 am

Europe is the home of skiing. The first drawings of a skier were found in a cave in Nordland, Norway. The drawing has been dated at 5000 BC. Norway was almost definitely the home of skiing or what is known as Nordic Skiing anyway.

Alpine or downhill skiing almost certainly comes from central Europe in the region of Switzerland. There are so many skiing resorts in Europe that there is a huge number of slopes for each level of experience.

You can ski in almost every country in Europe. The least famous skiing resorts are almost certainly in Scotland, but they do have them and the most well-known resorts are in the French and Swiss Alps, which are actually the same place, but they extend over two different countries.

The French and The Swiss alps are the most commercialized for luxury and are also the most expensive. Not far east from there is Austria which, although less famous is also an attraction for skiers from Eastern Europe.

If you want skiing at a more affordable rate try Italy up on the Swiss border. There you will see practically the same skiing conditions as in the French and Swiss Alps but with Italian food and language, which means less English is spoken though, if you see that as a downside.

Approximately the same cost is Andorra which is Catalan (Spanish to you and me, but not to them). Andorra sits in the Pyrenees Mountains with borders on France and Spain. The Spanish influence is the greater of the two. Skiing in Andorra is renowned for its teaching. It is a fantastic place to learn skiing or to take the family.

If you want to visit a rising star in the skiing firmament, try Croatia. Skiing in Croatia is also among the most affordable in Europe. The facilities are excellent, but local wages are low which keeps the costs down. The food is delicious and so is the wine, though not maybe a match for French, Italian or Spanish cuisine.

Bulgaria is another growing location on the skier’s map. Skiing is not well commercialized in Bulgaria but the locals have been skiing for centuries, it is only that they are only just beginning to learn how to commercialize it. The locals are friendly, but do not expect a lot of English to be spoken.

We must not forget the home of skiing, Norway and the rest of Scandinavia. Expect top class amenities in Scandinavia with top class prices to match. The locals are very friendly, but might not speak English. The food is more likely to be local too. You are more likely to get decent skiing conditions all year round in Scandinavia as well.

There are so many skiing resorts in so many European countries, that if you wanted to, you could organize a skiing tour of Europe. If you wanted to ski in Scandinavia and Andorra, you would have to fly, but you could do the Swiss, French and Italian Alps. Or Austria and Bulgaria or Bulgaria and Croatia.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on several topics, but is now involved with short ski breaks. If you would like to know more, please go over to our website at Ski Package Holidays.

April 22, 2010

The Ancient History of Barry, South Wales: Part Two

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 10:42 am

In the 18th. Century evidence of Neolithic man was discovered in the form of dishes, saws, knives, flints, a scraper, a prehistoric horn celt with obscure markings, a spokeshave and some arrowheads, amongst other things. Unfortunately, although these things reside safely in the Museum of Cardiff, no one thought it worth excavating at the time and now residences stand on the sites.

An ancient Roman kitchen replete with cooking utensils and food remains was also abandoned without investigation. In 1533, Leland, the King’s Antiquary, was ordered to visit ‘all places where records are held’. It took him nine years and he wrote of Barry Island:

“It is about a mile in circumference and has good corn, grass and some wood, and there is no dwelling on the Island, but in the midst of it is a fair little Chapel of St. Baruch which is visited by many pilgrims. It took the name Barri from this holy man who was buried there and whose remains are yet on the Island”. (The Welsh name for Barry is Y Barri).

Vikings raided the coastline of south Wales in the Tenth Century often taking hostages from the monasteries, but they did not seek to settle the area. The island was known as the ‘Saints’ Retreat’ or the ‘Island of Saints’ for a long time. Later, in the Sixteenth Century, the island was used by smugglers and pirates and was known locally as the ‘Smugglers’ Fortress’. This occurred at the same time as Bristol, Britain’s second largest port, was growing rapidly.

Barry Island soon became the centre of piracy and smuggling in the Bristol Channel. In 1784, the island became known as the “Fortress of Knight”. Knight was the most prolific pirate and smuggler in the channel and people were to terrified to speak out in court against him., although he was also considered a bit of a local hero. His armed ship was called ‘John O’ Combe’. He was eventually forced out to Lundy, which he also fortified. He and his successor, Arthur, returned to Barry so frequently that H.M. Customs asked the government to station a cutter in Penarth and 60 troops to Barry.

Rhoose was infamous for its wreckers and George II sent troops to break up the smugglers and wreckers. They landed at Aberthaw “the Rhoose men’s favourite landing zone, from where they could easily transport the contraband along Port Road to Cardiff, the main market for such things”. Several large caves were filled in while constructing the present day docks and it is likely that they were used by the pirates until they were moved on in about 1850.

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February 2, 2010

The Ancient Roots of Barry, South Wales: Part 1.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 2:31 pm

Much of what we know or have supposed about Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan, in which it is situated has been gleaned from the buildings found there, many of which have been badly neglected for too long. There are also legendary stories, such as that of Joseph of Arimathea, who traded tin in Glastonbury, just across the channel and who was one of the first missionaries to this part of the country.

It is a widely-held traditional belief that the father of Caractacus took him to Rome where they both converted to Christianity. They later returned to the Vale of Glamorgan with the missionary Bran The Blessed. It is also well-known that Christianity had gained much popular belief in the Vale by the early fourth century and that several bishops on the Council of Rome were from the area.

Saint Baruch’s Church on Barry Island is one of the oldest places of historic religious interest in the region, but unfortunately, it too has been allowed to become dilapidated. Barry Island was one of the most important places of monastic interest in south Wales and around. The ancient Viking strongholds of Steep and Flat Holms also housed monks and Saint Illtyd’s Seminary in nearby Llantwit Major, which taught 2,200 disciples, was closely linked to it too.

There was an ancient Roman fort and accompanying naval dockyard on Porthkerry Point, which had obviously jutted out further into the sea than it does now and later a castle was built on their ruins. There have been found many wolf and deer bones between Sully and Barry – enough to show that they had existed there in great numbers. There have also been a large number of findings of arrowheads, flints, needles and coins, proving that people were there to prey on them too.

‘The Island’, as it is known locally, was first named Baruch’s Island after St. Baruch, who was found washed up on one its beaches dead in 700 AD. He had been drowned on his return from Flat Holm, where it was common practice for religious students to spend Lent.

He and Gwelches were both students of St. Cadoc and when they had got back from Flat Holm, they realized that they had left their enchiridion (religious manual) behind. St. Cadoc made them go back for it. Neither monk returned from the trip alive.St. Illtyd, St. Baruch’s most famous disciple was educated there too.

Barry Island has had several names, including Island of the Saints and Insular of Peiros. St. Peiro was the leader of the seminary after St. Illtyd and the mentor of St. Samson. St. Doeninas was also a leader of another abbey near Friars Point on the island.

If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online Don’t reprint this exact article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

December 30, 2009

Thailand: My First Night in Pattaya

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 3:49 am

It was seven-ish and I was sitting in a nice-enough room overlooking the front entrance to the pub above which I had just moved in. The pub was the Pig and Whistle on Soi 7 in Pattaya. Across the way was a big hole, which they were hoping to construct a hotel in and next door to that, right opposite me, was a small bar with one lady sitting on a stool outside it. Not that there was a wall there, it was open on two sides. The Soi was nice and peaceful, I thought. I also thought that I might go and sit in that little bar and talk to that woman, if my friend was late, because I would definitely see him arrive from two metres away, the width of the Soi.

So, I went to the bar in the pub at 19:15 to await my friend who said he would come at 20:00. It was much busier than thirty minutes earlier but not noisy and I sat at the bar. The first thing a barmaid did was say hello, give me a menu and step back. I did not really want to eat, I only wanted a beer as I presumed we would be dining together later, but I wanted to read the menu anyway.

‘A pint of Boddington’s', I said. It arrived and the girl began laying a setting for me. I tried to explain that I was not hungry, but it was no good. Like in Spain, most people eat and drink at the same time. All the while the girl was smiling at me. Then she said: ‘You live upstairs? My name Charli. What you want to eat?’. So, I gave in and ordered something and rice.

‘You first time in Thailand? You no can eat. Too spicy’, she said with a grin. ‘Oh’, I replied, ‘but I want to try. ‘I put only 50-50 for you’, she declared and was gone.

I battled my way through that meal and it took a Boddingtons and a bottle of water. Charli had been accurate, it was too hot for first-time foreigners and she had reduced the chilis by 50%. I have always heeded a Thai’s guidance on food ever since.

I changed seat to by the window to see what was going on as it was dark by 19:30 and I was curious. Within thirty minutes Soi 7 had transformed itself completely. I could see hundreds of ladies and tourists walking about. I wanted to go out and join in or at least sit in the quiet bar across the lane, but I’m ashamed to say that I was too frightened, so I sat put, rivetted to the Pig like a rabbit in a hunter’s flashlight.

My friend arrived on time and after we had been chatting for an hour, he said: ‘Drink up, I have someone I want you to meet’. This was it, we were going into that mele. A waitress held the door for us and the noise and the heat were tremendous. Especially the noise. Every metre at least two or three girls would yell: ‘Hello, sexy man, you want a drink’. Trying to say no courteously to each call was impractical, so I just stuck close to my pal.

Luckily, we only had about fifty metres to stroll and we sat down in another bar. My friend said hello to several women and then said, this a girl I have been going out with for some time. I was flabbergasted as I had never heard him talk about her, ever. She was gorgeous, but could not speak English, so I sat in the pandemonium in silence. Not for long through, as my friend said, I have a blind date for you and he introduced another girl to me who was equally beautiful, but with whom I could speak a little. She was captivating and I was captivated. The pandemonium seemed to die away, but it was only because I was concentrating on my new friend. The four of us had the best time and the best food I had ever had in my forty-nine years of existence.

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December 14, 2009

How I First Came To Thailand

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 11:50 am

I first arrived in Thailand in 2004 and I came here more of less by accident. I had travelled a lot in Europe: Russia, Western Europe, Scandinavia, North Africa and north South America, but I had never got around to travelling to Asia.

One night, I was talking to a friend who had travelled extensively throughout the world and he was telling me about his favourite place, to where he had been returning year after year for fourteen years. Knowing the man’s experience as a traveller, I was very taken aback to hear that he had been choosing to go to the same location in Asia for fourteen years.

I had to ask him which part of huge Asia held such an attraction for him and he said Thailand. I knew practically nothing about Thailand, except that I had had a few meals at a near-by Thai restaurant over the years. I also knew from collecting stamps as a kid that it used to be called Siam. Anyway, my friend asked me if I’d like to go. I said that I would ‘one day’ and meant it.

He surprised me by saying that he was going to Thailand for a month soon and that I was welcome to go with him, if I wanted. I answered that I had a few jazz festivals to go to soon and maybe I would, if there was at least a month between them and if I could get a flight and if… I could hear myself putting him off, but I did not understand why I was delaying.

A few hours later, I went home and being a keen Internet user, I checked out a bit about Thailand on the travel brochure sites. It looked really fantastic. The prices were good too except for the flights. Hotels were cheap to reasonable and food and drinks prices were insignificant compared to where I lived. So, I checked the dates of the two Jazz festivals and they were thirty-three days apart. Now for the flight. I spent well into the next morning checking flights and found one for the day after the first festival leaving from our local airport. It was not the cheapest flight, but it gave me more time.

In an impulsive moment, I booked it there and then online. I then found a pub with rooms to let online that my friend had said he went to on quiz evenings and thought that they would be open by now serving breakfasts. I sent them an email and a response came back twenty minutes later. I had been lucky again. The boss was in the middle of checking yesterday’s figures, when he saw my email come through. However, not sure of his Internet ability, he wanted me to phone him right away. I checked my watch, it was still 4AM so I phoned.

He accepted my booking on trust and so I did not have to make a deposit. I had been told about Thailand, made up my mind to go and booked the flight and room all within five hours and I could not wait for nine o’clock to come to inform my friend that I would be going too.

If you want to know how to get a UK visa, please go over to our website now at How to Get a UK Visa. This article, How I First Came To Thailand is available for free reprint.

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November 10, 2009

The Ancient Roots of Barry, South Wales: Part 3.

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — Owen Jones @ 12:07 pm

Barry Castle was owned by William de Barri in the twelfth century, but it was raized to the ground by Llewellyn Bren in 1316. Many believe that the Cavaliers rebuilt and that the Roundheads destroyed it again. Whatever is true, it was never rebuilt again after that.

The Norman interlopers were thoroughly hated by the local people and they had to build large mansions to defend themselves from the not infrequent raids on them by the people of the valleys and the mountains. During the time of the reign of Henry III, there were 12 castles within six miles of Barry; in Glamorgan, there were 30 castles and in South Wales as a whole there were 150 of those symbols of oppression.

Porthkerry and its church which lies on the wooded hill to the west of it are said to have taken their name from Ceri, who, in turn, is said to have founded a port there, ie ‘Port Ceri’. People say that Ceri ap Caid, the King of Essyllwg, lived in Porthkerry before the Christian era and that his bard, Corvinor, was the first to build a ship with sails and a rudder for the ‘race of Cymru’. Some believe that Ceri was a nephew or grandson of Caractacus (Caradog) and that he took over the leadership of the government in South Wales when Caractacus had to journey to Rome.

John Wesley preached in the Porthkerry Church and sometimes outside in the churchyard too between 1741 and 1743. Today, there are two very old churches still in use in Barry: St. Cadocs Church in Cadoxton and Merthyr Dyfan Church in Merthyr Dyfan. One-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Cadoxton was the largest village in the Barry area: thus, in 1844 the Parliamentary register contained 25 names: 20 from Cadoxton and five from Barry. The one church was dedicated to St. Cadoc, who had been accustomed to spend Lent on Flat Holm and Barry Island. The village (Cadoc’s Town)took its name from the church, which was founded in 800 AD.

Merthyr Dyfan Church, situated in the north of Barry, was founded in 600 AD and the name means Dyfan The Martyr. There were two saints of this name: one journeyed to Barry to convert the inhabitants to Christianity; the second lived in the Sixth Century and was the son of a Welsh chieftain. His sister was also martyred and the town of Merthyr Tydfil is named after her.

The Christian faith grew exponentially in the Vale of Glamorgan and in the middle of the 2nd. Century, Llewrwg, Prince of Siluria, became the first king, anywhere in the world of all time, to be baptized into the Christian faith. He sent to Rome for more Chritian teachers and was sent Dyfan and Fagan. The former was martyred near the site of the church and the latter was canonized. St. Fagan’s just outside Cardiff was named after him.

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