Exploring the Arts in Puerto Vallarta

While most tourists visit Puerto Vallarta to experience the
beaches, resorts and unmatched natural beauty, there is a more
creative allure just beneath the surface. Though Puerto Vallarta
is far from a sprawling city, the community houses more
galleries than any Mexican destination outside the capital.
Throughout the years, artists and aficionados have flocked to
the majestic landscape of Puerto Vallarta. The results can be
seen throughout the galleries of the city - in everything from
painting, sculpture and ceramics to jewelry, literature and
fashion. Yet, even if you don't step inside any of Puerto
Vallarta's galleries, you will still find yourself surrounded by
art - courtesy of public sculptures throughout the city and the
paintings lining the walls of local restaurants. Regardless of
where you set foot in this gorgeous city, you are sure to be
overwhelmed by the powerful creative spirit.

Inside the galleries of Puerto Vallarta, you will find
everything from folk art to the most challenging contemporary
compositions of the region's vibrant art scene. One of the most
well-known galleries is the Galeria Arte Latinoamericano - a
two-story collection of Puerto Vallarta's finest painters and
sculptors. Another great destination for locally produced work
is Galeria Dante. Featuring more than 50 artists from the Puerto
Vallarta community, this gallery has been awarded top honors in
numerous publications.

While there is a strong focus on locally produced artwork in
Puerto Vallarta, don't be surprised to find some famous names on
the walls. For instance, Galeria Omar Alonso has displayed works
by documentary photographer Sebastiao Salgado and European
artists such as Wouter Deruytter and Michal Macku. Galeria
Corsica - a popular destination for collectors - features
artists championed by Mexico City's Museum of Modern Art. The
Galerie des Artistes - a space known for its many rooms of
unique pieces - has also been known to exhibit works by Diego
Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco.

One of the most celebrated art forms of Mexico is Mata Ortiz
pottery, an elegant craft on display in a pair of galleries.
Both Galeria Mata Ortiz and Galeria de Ollas feature some of the
best ceramic work you will find anywhere in the world. You can
also find traditional work produced by the Huichol - a tribe
residing in the mountains outside Puerto Vallarta - at Galeria
Piramide. Not only will you be able to see incredible examples
of traditional bead and woven art, you can witness these
indigenous artisans working at the gallery.

One of the most popular events in Puerto Vallarta is the Old
Town Art Walk that takes place each Wednesday during the tourism
season - generally October to April. On these special evenings,
you will find at least 17 galleries open late to display
everything from the newest work of local artists to treasured
paintings by Old Masters. You can enjoy this self-guided walking
tour at your own pace with the assistance of detailed maps
available at any of the galleries or your resort. The Old Town
is also a great place to dine, but make sure to save some room
for complimentary hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.

No visit to Puerto Vallarta is complete without a stroll down
the city's famed boardwalk - the Malecon. Besides offering a
beautiful view of Banderas Bay, the Malecon serves as an outdoor
sculpture museum. Beginning at the north end of the boardwalk,
you will encounter Mathis Lidice's "Los Milenios" - one of the
most photographed sites in Puerto Vallarta. Tourists are also
known to gather around the "Rotonda del Mar," a unique
assemblage of chairs by local artist Alejandro Colunga. If you
want to learn more about the sculptures of the Malecon or the
artists behind them, don't miss the Tuesday morning tour offered
by Gary Thompson - owner of the Galleria Pacifico. Ramiz Barquet
- one of the city's most celebrated artists - is often on hand
to discuss his famous work "La Nostalgia" and offer a unique
perspective on the region's artistic culture.

Most importantly, Puerto Vallarta has something for everyone's
taste and price range - making it easy to come home with a piece
of this beautiful city. Regardless of when you visit Puerto
Vallarta, the city will have plenty to inspire your creative
side. The Puerto Vallarta art scene is always expanding,
incorporating new styles and concepts to reflect the ideas of
artists and visitors alike.

About the author:
Justin Burch writes articles about travel in Puerto Vallarta
[http://marriott.com/hotels/travel/pvrmx-casamagna-marriott-puert
o-vallarta-resort-and-spa/] for the Marriott Resorts.

Sickness During Air Travel

There are a lot of things that you can get from traveling, like
seeing the wonderful sites, but you will find that the worst
part of traveling is the jet lag. You will find that there are
so many people who try to attempt jet lag and will do everything
they can. You will want to learn how to stop the jet lag before
it even happens. You will find that when you travel it can be
tiring and you may even become disorientated.

You will find that there are some jet lag that will come from
the extreme time zone differences such as travel from Florida in
US to Alicante in
Spain. You may even get to your destination and not even be able
to sleep or have broken sleep. You will become confused on what
is day and what is night. You will have to wait for your body to
take to the time adjust, however, that can take days. You may
find that there are some confusion and fuzziness when it comes
to the things that you are aware of. You may even find that you
may become disorientated about some of the facts of your trip.
You may become so disorientated from things other than just the
time difference, but also from dehydration. You will find that
jet lag can seriously ruin your trip, regardless if it is a
vacation or a business trip.

To deal with jet lag you will want to get plenty of sleep or
rest before you leave. You will also want to take care of
everything before you go so that the stress doesn't become a
factor that makes your jet lag worse. You also shouldn't drink.
Drinking will only increase your feeling of exhaustion. Also,
you may want to get some exercise because it will help you to
avoid the sickness and you're body will be more likely to
adjust. Also, don't travel when you are sick! It will only make
you feel worse, however, if you must travel, make sure that you
bring all of your medications.

You should consider the time of day that you are traveling as
well. You will find that if you work better in the morning,
travel in the morning. If you are more alert in the evening,
you'll be able to find a good traveling time that wont' put you
to sleep or feel any symptoms of jet lag.

To avoid getting jet lag you will also want to drink plenty of
water so that you can be aware of everything. You will also want
to drink the water so that you get enough oxygen and don't get
depressed. Depression will only make things worse.

There are so many factors that will effect rather or not you get
jet lag that you may get it anyway, however, you can avoid
feelings so bad that it overtakes the trip. You will want to
travel with all of this in mind so that you can feel as good as
possible and also avoid the harmful side effects of jet lag.

About the author:
Peter Wilson often publishes short articles on things
corresponding to Costa Blanca. His contributions on href="http://www.alicante-spain.com">Alicante are found on
his webpage in addition to other web pages.

Residential Cruise Ships

Residential cruise ships are becoming very popular. These
vessels can be your second or even a primary residence with all
luxury you need. You can cruise the globe, live in 150 countries
and still have only 1 address.

Cruising homes - that are a new era residences. Huge href="http://www.cruiseshipsall.com/residentialcruiseships.html">
residential cruise ships with luxurious residences.
These residences are really spacious. They can have from 1000 to
3500 square feet. You can have 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, lounge,
kitchen, terrase with yacuzzi, simply all you need. There are
restaurants, cinemas, clubs, game rooms, fitness clubs or even
art of state spa and wellness. You can go fishing, diving or
boat cruising from an onboard marina.

Some of these ships even use their own onboard helicopters to
get you comfortably from airport to your apartment. Ship´s
itinerary is planned to circumnavigate the planet every 2 or 3
years. There are about 300 ports of call. When ship reach a
port, it stays there for 2-5 days so you can enjoy the city or
surrounding nature, then it moves to another port.

Of course, to get this kind of residence is costy. It can cost
you couple of hundred thousands of dollars or even millions.
That depends if you choose to buy a full ownership or partial.

About the author:
Marian Hlinka - webmaster of href="http://www.cruiseshipsall.com">Cruise Ships

Planning Your Trip - Caravan, Motorcycle, Holiday of Any Sort

A tour or any trip does not just happen; you need to spend some
time planning your trip. When is the best time to travel; what
will the weather be like; are you going during school holidays
time; how are you going to find your way; do you need any
permits etc? By planning your trip before you leave you will be
able to answer these questions to make sure your holiday is as
stress free as possible. Do not necessarily get bogged down in
all the finite details though; some decisions, such as where to
go next and how long to stay in one place, are sometimes best
left for the road. After all you may find a wonderful location
that suits you and decide to stay there longer than planned.

When to Travel

Your first decision will be when to travel. This will be
different for all people. Maybe you only have a week's leave or
maybe you are taking 12 months to travel. The weather, the
timing of school and public holidays and any local events in the
area you intend to visit will all influence your decision. Some
travellers also think about how they can visit family and
friends or fit special occasions into their schedule.

Weather

Australia has extremes in climate and weather. At the same time:
in one area of Australia there may be monsoonal rains and
cyclones; while a different part of Australia will have balmy
perfect weather and another part may even experience snow.

Such extremes are not uncommon, but you can start planning your
trip according to reasonably predictable weather patterns,
making some allowances for occasional variations and anomalies.

The southern States of Australia have four clearly identifiable
seasons. Summers are warm to hot, winters cool to cold. Spring
and autumn have pleasant days with cold nights. Most rain falls
in the winter months but other seasons can have the occasional
shower or even heavy downfall. Snow falls on the Australian Alps
and the Tasmanian Highlands in winter, early spring and
sometimes in late autumn.

Northern Australia has a dry and a wet season. The dry season
runs from April to November, give or take a few weeks. Little or
no rain falls and countryside turns from lush green to a dusty
brown. The wet season, with high temperatures and oppressive
humidity, lasts from December to March. Tropical storms
regularly dump large volumes of rain, and cyclones are not
uncommon.

The centre of Australia is arid or semi-arid. Rain can fall
throughout the year or not at all. From May to September daytime
temperatures are mild but can drop dramatically at night. Summer
temperatures can be extremely high.

The best time to travel through Australia's northern and central
regions is between April and November. Year-round travel is
possible in the south, with spring and autumn offering mild and
pleasant conditions. Southerners begin drifting northward in
Early May and return south around September. (Just think, travel
North in any month without an R in the spelling of it - May to
August).

Detailed weather information can be found by contacting services
offered by the Bureau of Meteorology.

School and Public Holidays

If you do not have children, it may be best to avoid travelling
during school holiday - particularly Christmas/New Year and
Easter. Most accommodation is very heavily booked at these times
plus being the peak periods, the prices are also at their
highest.

Australia's mainland States schools each have a four-term year.
While the holiday periods from State to State do not necessarily
align exactly, they do tend to overlap. The holiday periods
generally are:

• Two weeks in April usually coinciding
  with Easter
• Two weeks in late June or early July
• Two
  weeks in late September or early October
• Six weeks from mid
  December until the end of January including Christmas and New
  Year.

Tasmania has a three-term year with holidays in June, September
and from December through to the middle of February.

Long weekends are also a popular time to get away. Different
states have different public holidays, check when public
holidays fall in the different States to avoid crowds in holiday
regions, particularly areas close to the capital cities and
beach locations.

Local Events

Quite a lot of regional towns now have local cultural and
sporting events during the year. Some are minor affairs that may
be fun to stumble across. Others are large, well organised, well
advertised, crowded but can be very enjoyable. Phone visitor
information centres for event guides, and check out the internet
for local information.

By planning your trip around holidays and events you can either
avoid them or ensure you are there when they are on.

Finding Your Way

Once you have a good idea of where you are going, by planning
your trip you can like all these places together. You will need
some practical tools to do this. This may be as simple as just
getting some maps and guides. If you are travelling long
distances or for a long period of time, you may look at
installing a Global Positioning System, or GPS, good for
travelling off main roads.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

GPS, a navigation system developed by the American military, is
now widely used by professionals and recreational travellers -
you will find most taxi drivers have them installed in their
cabs and use them all the time.

A GPS receiver determines the user's position, accurate to
within 10 metres, by collecting distance and time measurements
from satellites. GPS can also be used to determine speed of
travel, altitude, and distance (in a straight line) to a
proposed destination and estimated time of arrival. Most GPS
receivers have the capacity to remember at least several routes,
thus enabling return trips to be plotted. The preloaded data may
include information or road networks and major geographical
features. GPS receivers and antennae range in price from several
hundred dollars to a couple of thousand.

A laptop computer, loaded with interactive mapping software
downloaded from a CD_ROM and connected to a GPS receiver, offers
a hi-tech visual navigational aid.

Hand-help GPS receivers usually operate on replaceable
batteries; as the battery life is very short, however, it is
necessary to carry a supply of replacement batteries. An
alternative is to purchase a power pack, which will allow the
receiver to be plugged into your vehicle's power supply.

Maps and Guides

If you are travelling in remote areas, particularly off the
beaten track, you will need more detailed maps - a selection of
these will be available at better map shops, visitor information
centres or your local motoring organisation.

If you are just travelling on the main highways or major roads,
you will get by with a good road atlas. If you are travelling
with children, get them there own road map. Then when they say
"where are we"; "how long til we get there"? they will be able
to look it up for themselves. A good road map will have
not only the major roads, but broad coverage region by region
and details maps of cities and towns. Maps can last a long time,
but it may be best to replace them ever five years or so.

Visitor information centres are a good source of local maps,
generally reproduced in free brochures or leaflets. These maps
tend to be quite detailed and useful in exploring the local area.

Specialised books and guides covering localities and holiday
activities fill the shelves of bookshops including map shops,
national park shops and specialist environmental stores. Good
all-round publications include Explore Australia and, for the
outback adventurer, Explore Australia by Four-wheel Drive.

Visitor Information Centres

Many Australian towns have a visitor information centre. They
not only have maps and guides, but the staff offer information
on local accommodation, caravan parks, businesses and tourist
attractions. They will also often have a booking service for
your accommodation or local tours/attractions available in the
region

PERMITS, PARKS AND PRIVATE LAND

There are many areas of Australia where access is prohibited,
restricted or subject to particular requirements.

Aboriginal Land

Aboriginal communities own large tracts of land in areas such as
Central Australia, the Kimberley's and Cape York. Travellers
wishing to visit areas of Aboriginal-owned land must first apply
to the relevant authority for a permit. Always ring first, as
some areas of Aboriginal land may be completely out of bounds
for tourists and permits therefore are not an option. The
permit-processing period can be quite long and by planning your
trip you should apply well before you leave home.

Visitor information centres in the area that you are heading off
to will offer advice on which lands are covered by what traffic
- permits can be purchased or obtained on the spot, although
this tends to be the exception rather than the rule.

Permits are not usually required for travel along the public
roads in Australia that traverse Aboriginal land, though notable
exceptions include the Great Central Road that links Yulara in
the Northern Territory with Warburton in Western Australia.
Respect should be of utmost importance when travelling through
Aboriginal lands, whether a permit is required or not.

National Parks

Australia's 500 or so national parks protect the continent's
unique flora, fauna, famous landscapes and natural icons.

Each State and Territory administers its own parks. The federal
body, Parks Australia, oversees the management of a small number
of parks, including Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta, and Booderee at
Jervis Bay.

In some States, permits are required to visit national parks.
These can be purchased in advance by contacting the central
authority, or on the day within the park. If you intend to camp
in National Parks, it is best to obtain a permit and book a site
before hand. Most National Parks only have basic camping
facilities and you should contact the relevant authority to make
sure camping is permitted and, what facilities are available and
book a site. In some parks, sites are heavily booked well in
advance, particularly during peak periods.

To make sure you know what you are getting, phone ahead and ask
the following questions:

• Are the camping grounds
  likely to be open?
• Are the sites suitable for vans?
• 
  What are the facilities like?
• Are there fire restrictions?
  
• Is there a ranger station in the area?
• Is it necessary
  to pre-book a site?

NATIONAL PARK OFFICES

Most park organisations have a location in the relevant capital
city where travellers can purchase passes and collect brochures,
maps and other information. Many of the larger and more popular
parks have information centres on site.

Private Land

There are tracts of private land, particularly in the remote
northern half of Australia, where owners allow travellers to
camp and sometimes fish. Most of these places are rural stations
located off the beaten track and are generally known about by
word-of-mouth. Always get permission to camp on private land.
The nearest visitor information centre can, in some instances,
provide you with details of the land-holder, or try local
directories or businesses. Failing that, it may be a matter of
stopping in at the homestead once you are on the road. If you do
travel through Private Land make sure you leave it as you find
it and if you have to open a gate to go through it, after you.

This is the eigth page of 23 with related information about
making the most of your caravan holiday. Check our website at target="_new"
href="http://www.crikey-adventure-tours.com/caravan-holiday.html"
>www.crikey-adventure-tours.com/caravan-holiday.html for the
other articles.

About the author:
Ian Molloy is the owner of Crikey Adventure Tours. Visit his
website href="http://www.crikey-adventure-tours.com"target="blank">www.cr
ikey-adventure-tours.com for more information about this
article and other related topics. His site is full of very
helpful travel information including tips on motorcycle travel,
driving cross-country, travelling with a caravan and other
camping and travel information.