Tag Archives: zoo

Penguin’s Bucket List – Week 2

Do you have a bucket list? We don’t quite yet, but we’re working on it! A bucket list is a great way to collate all the places you want to see before you ‘kick the bucket’ as it were. Some things are better to do and see on your own, whereas others are great in a group of friends. If one or more of you want to go somewhere and see something or do something special before it is too late, only one thing is stopping you; You! Well you and finances, but everybody has those problems.

Inside_the_Coliseum_(8085639142)The Coliseum in Rome

Originally known as the Flavian Ampitheatre, visit this fantastic building, one of the last remaining relics of a brilliant and bloodthirsty race. Its 80 arches entrances make way to a staggering 55,000 spectators, who were seated higher or lower in the Coliseum according to their station. A number of historic events happened in the Coliseum, one of the most famous being the gladiator fights.

Presently, two thirds of the original Coliseum have been destroyed, but what remains is a stunning reminder of both the artistic beauty of the Romans, and their strange, cruel attitudes towards the ‘sport and entertainment’ of the times. The Coliseum is located in the heart of Piazza del Colosseo, and is open from 9am until varying closing times throughout the year. 

 

Look after an Elephant

elephant-244185_640

Like taking care of a bigger, louder horse! This experience is not to be missed as it is a chance to see these majestic beasts up close. Take care of an elephant for a whole day in the Elephant Nature Park located just near the city of Chiang May in Thailand.

The experience lasts a whole day, starting from 8am where you will be picked up from your hotel to go to the Elephant Park and then ending at around 5pm where you will return to Chiang Mai city.

You’ll need a spare pair of clothes and a towel, as you’ll get up close and personal when you get to bathe the elephants! You will also feed the elephants and get to spend some real quality time with them. The park provides a buffet lunch for its elephant carers, so you won’t go hungry!

Our bucket list is beginning to shape up nicely! For help on car hire to get to where you need to go, why not contact us? Stuck for ideas? Why not have a look at our Bucket List?

National Penguin Awareness Day

Penguins are one of the world’s most well known, popular and sociable little creatures, and today is one of their days (The other being 25th April which is World Penguin Day).

emperor-penguin-family

Famous for their strange colouring, adorable walk, and the ability to come in literally all shapes and sizes, both adults and children can see a variety of penguins in zoos across the world.

One of the most famous zoos in the UK for penguins is Edinburgh Zoo, and these little birds are some of the most spoilt in the world, with the biggest outdoor penguin pool in Europe; a pool that is over 65 metres long and containing 1.2 million litres of water. The outdoor penguin pool has a selection of sandy beaches and rocky areas which provide diversity for the penguins, which is great for their feet.


Fun Fact!
The largest species of penguin is the Emperor penguin, which can grow as heavy as 90 lbs, whereas the smallest species is the fairy penguin, weighing in at a tiny 2 lbs. There are a total of eighteen discovered species of penguin.

Edinburgh zoo is also home to the world famous Penguin Parade, a gorgeous little activity that occurs every day at or around 2:15pm. It is situated just outside the Penguins Rock pool and animal participation is completely voluntary. This means that you may get more or less penguins coming out to parade on certain days. Some days there may be no participants at all in the parade, which is a shame for visitors looking to see the parade, but acceptable all the same. These are wild animals after all.

Aside from the number of voluntary participants, the Penguin Parade is subject to local weather conditions and can be cancelled due to bad weather, storms etc. If you want to visit the zoo purely to see the parade, make sure to check your local weather forecast!

Fun Fact!
A penguin’s colouring is known as ‘countershading’, and it provides the perfect level of camouflage from both above and below when penguins are swimming in the water. Penguins can spend up to 75% of their lives at sea. 

As well as the fantastic Penguin Parade, Edinburgh zoo offers a number of interactive activities, including Giant Panda viewings. The zoo is a mere 9 minutes drive from Edinburgh Airport, and it is also a 15 minute drive from the city centre. Why not hire a car and take the family for a fantastic day out?

Happy Penguin Awareness Day!

Visiting Tunisia – Your Wife for 2 Camels

One year I was holidaying with my family in Tunisia, when a shady looking man standing by a sign that read ‘Camel Rides – 30 Dinar’ sidled up to my father, scratched his nose and muttered “2 Camels for your wife”. He simply laughed and we continued our way through crowded market stalls.  A little worrying but nothing out of the ordinary; the locals were always scaring us like that, using funny jokes and phrases in an attempt to coax us over to their stalls.

Tunisia is a very interesting country.  The vendors there are hilarious, using jokes and English phrases to sell their wares, which makes it a fun country. Hundreds and thousands of tiny markets spring up everywhere, and hotel complexes normally have one or two of their own as you walk down the hallway to just get your breakfast. They sell a huge range of things including fake ‘real’ Prada bags, sandals, pottery, glassware, children’s swimwear and naturally a plush animal or two.

Meester Camel

Visiting Tunisia is an experience in itself. You need to keep your wits about you as there are always people trying to sell you things. Try not to look too interested in anything if you don’t like talking to people, as they love tourists. However Tunisia has a vast range of fantastic activities for anyone looking for a culturally rich holiday.

From visiting carpet factories to camel rides to vast animal reservations, Tunisia is a great country to holiday in, as there is something for everyone. Camel rides are a highlight of Tunisian holidays as the camel is such a strange animal, it is almost impossible to sit on it comfortably without fear of falling off. Either you feel way too high for comfort, or your seat is actually placed to the side of the camel, like a strange human seesaw, and you sway precariously left and right with each step the camel takes. Still it is a fantastic, breathtaking experience.

The zoos and reservations of Tunisia are not to miss, the most iconic being Friguia Animal Park. The park is easy to get to, a mere 15 minute drive by hired car from Sousse city centre, Friguia has a huge collection of animals with a number of activities, including dolphin swimming, available to those daring holidaymakers. Plus Friguia offers an evening of entertainment with a traditional Zulu three course meal followed by dancing and singing.

For the more casual tourists, a simple walk along the beach is relaxing and beautiful. Many of the larger hotels in Tunisia are located along the coast, with the swimming pool and relaxation areas normally backing onto the beach itself, so it doesn’t take long at all to get to the sea.

The locals are generally very friendly, and the stunning desert vistas you will experience both through camel rides and through simply driving around are surprisingly beautiful in their bleakness. If you are looking for a different destination from Hawaii or Ibiza, but still want the fun and the sun, Tunisia is the place to go.