Archive for November, 2008
Birdwatching Caribbean Cruise The Ideal Vacation
Posted by: | CommentsWelcome back friend!
If you are a avid birdwatcher and make up one’s mind to take a Caribbean cruise, then you can enjoy two delights at the same time. This is because not only are there many types of bird species for you to see in the Caribbean , there are also numerous really rare types of bird species, that you will never have chance to see anywhere else in the world.
Here are some of the sites you may like to visit on your cruise.
First is the Trinidad Asa Wright Nature Center that is 10 miles north of the town of Arima on Blanchisseuse Road. This place is situated in 200 acres of rain forest so you can walk around here and see different bird species hiding amongst the trees. If you have the time, try to spend at least 2 to 3 days here so you can take your time doing your hobby.
The Bubali Pond in Aruba. Is on the north side of eagle beach and just south of De Olde Molen. You can expect to see brown pelicans here in large groups as well as the Black crowned Night Herons. It is better to do your birdwatching here at dusk or dawn.
In Aruba’s Spanish Lagoon, you can get to see brown pelicans, egrets, herons and frigates. Don’t be surprised to see large green and yellow parakeets that are double the size of those you see in the pet store that are often seen at sunset.
The Barbuda Frigate Bird Sanctuary is considered to be a secluded because the only way to get here is by boat. With the help of a guide, you can get to this place and see thousands of Fregata Magnificens or “man of war” birds that live here. The best time to visit is during the fall which happens to be the breeding season. Aside from them, you may also get to see 170 species of birds living together with them.
Your ship may make a port call to the island of Jamaica. If it does, you can visit the Rockland’s Bird Sanctuary. Here, you will get to see 289 bird species of which 28 are endemic and 6 have just been introduced. There are also 10 bird species on the endangered list which includes the Black billed and Yellow billed parrots.
Visitors can pay the entrance fee and wander on their own or pay extra for a guided tour. You will get to see hummingbirds, Red billed Streamertails, Jamaican Mango, Black and Yellow faced Grassquits as well as their relative the Orangequits. These can be hand fed so you do not have to play hide and seek just to see them hiding in the trees.
The places just mentioned are just a few you can visit while you are on a Caribbean cruise. Since your trip will last a week or even longer, plan already where you want to go so more time can be spent with the birds rather than thinking about where you can watch the birds.
The Caribbean cruise packages being provided do not come with birdwatching tours but you can sign up for one once you the ship docks to port. Make sure you have all your equipment with you which include a hat, small backpack, vest, sun tan lotion, binoculars and a camera so you will not lose out on anything during your visit.
Related articles by Zemanta
Related Articles You May Enjoy
Happiness the Ultimate Cure to Healthy Living
Posted by: | CommentsMy belief is that no matter what is going on in your life, the state of your mind or mindset as some would call it will dictate how you actually feel. One of the biggest problems I see today is that most people are not happy.
We look for external stimuli to make us happy. We expect our significant other to make us happy and divorce them when they don’t. We expect our children to fulfill our dreams for them and are disappointed in them when they don’t. We think a bunch of money will solve all our problems and make us happy, then, we can’t understand why it doesn’t once we have it.
How many times have you heard someone say, “I will be happy when…”?
I will be happy when… I get married.
I will be happy when… I get a promotion.
I will be happy when… my children are grown and I have more time for myself.
I can keep stating pages and pages of examples but I won’t because they’re all the same.
Another way to view this statement is, “I will do this, when that happens.” Have you ever made that type of statement? I hear people say it all the time. You are making your happiness contingent upon an external event.
A friend of mine thought this way years ago. He always said he would buy a house, when he remarried. He kept saying that for years; until one day, he realized that he did not need to wait to meet that special someone to own and enjoy a home of his own. Since then, he has owned two homes is still single… but he is happy!
Happiness is definitely not an external thing. Even once you have something external, the happiness it brings you is short-lived. For example:
You’ve waited for that special relationship. Your significant other is great, but you still have a negative attitude. You were happy during the initial stages, but now it seems to be routine.
You have always known that a job promotion would get that new home for which you and your spouse have been waiting. You get the promotion, the money is great, and you buy that home you always wanted. After the initial excitement wears off, things go back to the same routine, just in a different house. Your happiness falls back to your previous feeling before the promotion.
You and your spouse know that you will be happy, once the children are grown. You won’t have to work so hard to provide for the family and you’ll have more time to enjoy your relationship and your home. Well, the children have grown, but they can’t afford to live on their own. All three children are still living at home…for free!
Looking at all the time in the examples above do you see how much time that people wasted not being happy! Then, when they actually got what they were waiting for, the happiness was just fleeting. Again, it’s because happiness cannot be gained from anything external.
THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS
It’s incredible how many books have been written on the topic of being happy. Yet, so many people just don’t get it. Do they not read the books? And then there are people who read these books all the time and are still not happy.
With so many unhappy people in the world, being happy must be an extremely difficult thing to achieve. Have you ever known or met that person who always has a great smile on their face, a smile in their voice, and a skip in their step? You want that too…don’t you?
So what is the secret to finding happiness?
Believe it or not, the secret is known!
It is easy to do – no complicated actions.
It is quick to do – no long-term procedures.
You can do it anywhere – no special requirements or equipment are needed.
Anyone can do it!
The secret?
Determine yourself to be happy!
It’s an internal process.
True happiness that lasts is an internal process. Nothing from the outside can make you happy or unhappy. As in any situation, your reaction determines whether the event is stressful for you or not. It is the same with happiness.
If upon waking each morning, you state strongly to yourself, “I will be happy today”, then you will be. Whenever you encounter stress, just mentally reaffirm yourself, “I am happy today”, the stress will be there, but your reaction will be minimal.
That person you noticed who always wears a smile and has a skip in their step, seldom experiences stress the same way you do. They are happy, and being happy allows the stress to roll of their back much easier.
So, starting today make your determination every morning to be HAPPY.
Tape affirmations all over the house that say, “I am happy today”.
Say it aloud to yourself often throughout the day, especially on those days with extra stress. Continue to say it, until you believe it.
Now, all that’s left is to put a smile on your face and confront the world. When you are happy, you will have the world eating out of your hands!
Related Articles You May Enjoy
Developing a Money Mindset for Financial Success
Posted by: | CommentsWhen developing a money mindset discussion comes up there are always ramblings about old concepts vs. opening your mind up to different ways of thinking about money, so to speak, “thinking outside the box”. The old version goes back to what were you taught about money as you were growing up. Remember, “money doesn’t grow on trees”, or “money is the root of all evil”, or maybe “all rich people are greedy”?
Well, how do you expect to become a success financially if you believe any or all of these things?
First of all, believing the statement, “money doesn’t grow on trees” is an example of what’s called lack of or scarcity programming. Our parents taught us that there was never enough money to go around, and that it was not readily available or in abundance. The truth is, the world is very abundant, and there is more then enough money to go around for everyone.
The key is to start thinking that you deserve the money and that there is lots of it available for you. Then and only then can you start attracting it into your life. That’s called abundance thinking, which is the opposite of lack of or scarcity thinking.
What about the other statement that “money is the root of all evil”? Can you really expect to become a success if you believe that money is the root of all evil? Unless you have a desire to be an evil person, your subconscious will not let you have money if you truly believe deep down that it is the root of all evil.
By the way, that quote is taken out of context in the first place. It was originally stated as “the love of money is the root of all evil”. So it has nothing to do with the money itself.
Now with this new found way of thinking, you can start to think that money is in fact good. You can help people with money. You can stimulate the economy with money. Even the most kind-hearted spiritual person, who says they don’t need any money, can do more to make the world a better place with money than without money.
Lastly, what about thinking that “all rich people are greedy”? Well, that creates an “us versus them” mentality, whereby you’ve labeled all of “them” greedy in your mind. You, on the other hand, are very giving in your mind. That’s why you don’t have money, because you’re not greedy.
Sure, there must be a lt of rich people in the world who are greedy. But there are also lots of poor people who are greedy. There are both rich and poor people who are very generous as well. The amount of money you have has nothing to do with these character traits.
In fact, a lot of rich people got to where they are by not being greedy. Having a giving attitude opens up a flow of money that often brings them more. You will find the same thing… give away money joyfully to a friend, and notice that it comes back to you in some other form. The world needs to be a balance of give and take, and being joyful both as you give and receive will ensure that you always go with the flow.
Changing your mindset from what you were taught as a child to a healthier view of money is the beginning step that will allow you to become the financial success you deserve to be.
Related Articles You May Enjoy
Tips for Dining Out
Posted by: | Comments
- Image via Wikipedia
There is no question about it; Americans are eating in restaurants more oftentimes than always earlier. In 1970 Americans spent just 26% of their food dollars on eating place meals. Nowadays we spend 46% of food dollars on eating up out. This is likely the effect of a fast paced life style and more appliance of eating places. What have also produced are restaurant portion sizes. The average restaurant portion size is large plenty to feed three adults! Furthermore, studies have found a direct association between eating on out and advanced caloric intakes and higher body weights. This is remarkable to know since obesity rates have repeated in the past 20 years and presently 65% of grownups are fat.
This doesn’t mean you have to give up eating in restaurants. This may not be practical for many people’s life-style. Instead, become more aware of what you are ordering and how much is on your plate. Here are 10 hints for dining out.
1. At lunch, opt for a deli sandwich with veggie soup or side salad alternatively of a burger and chips. You can find these particulars in your local deli or supermarket.
2. Head Off specialization sugars on sandwiches such as foccacia, baguettes or rolls, and pick out whole food grain bread or else.
3. Keep Off anything unified with heavy sauces or mayonnaise. (a tuna or egg salad sandwich in a eating place may have more mayonnaise than you would add at home).
4. Make your salad dressings, sauces, and gravies on the side.
5. Eat half or even a one-quarter of the regular entre or separated the meal with a friend. Remember, most restaurant portions can feed 3 adults.
6. Share one dessert.
7. Cut the special cheese on anything you order.
8. Select trim meats such as chicken, turkey, or fish. A turkey sandwich in place of a baked beef sandwich can save you 100 calories and 10 grams of saturated fat.
9. Go ready on stuffed entrees- they’re often loaded in fat and calories.
10. Fend Off super-sizing combo repasts. They may be an efficient value but they can add up to 2000 calories for one meal!
The average American prime is gaining 2-3 pounds a year. That amounts to eating just 20 – 30 supplemental calories than your body needs each day. It really is the little things that put on unneeded weight. Where can you economize a few calories?
Related articles by Zemanta
- How to Eat Smart When Eating Out
- Staying Fit While Traveling
- Tips for Fast Food Eating
- 8 Ways To Eat Healthier
