It’s Cold, Let’s Warm It Up

When your toes turn purple and your eyelashes sprout icicles, you know it's time to head south for the wintertime. The birds do it, so why should not you? Stop, now, before you break your back from shoveling 1 more pile of snow, and contemplate some exotic locales for winter getaways where the only mounds of white you'll being seeing are of the hot, dry, and sandy selection.

Speaking of white, sandy beaches, a holiday to Antigua, or its neighboring island Barbuda could be just what you will need as a method to restore feeling to your toes. Each water sport lover's dream, the Caribbean nation boasts of at least 365 beaches circled by clear blue waters with a normal temperature of 80 degrees. Trade your snow boots for fins, and snorkel via spectacular coral reefs, perhaps even catching a glimpse of the wreck of the merchant ship Andes, that has rested on the bottom of Deep Bay since 1905. If you'd rather not get your feet wet, you can to take pleasure in all that the charming capital St. John's within the northern part of the island of Antigua has to give. Buy colorful local artwork although strolling dow
Marketplace Street or strengthen your self with sweet black pineapple (which isn't truly black) and some local rum. Watch a spectacular sunset over English Harbour on the summit of Shirley Heights while tapping your feet to the rhythms of a steel band. In the occasion you would prefer to watch birds as opposed to people, then head north to the tiny island of Barbuda, which has only a single village of 1100 folks but is famed for its frigate birds and large rookery.

If Antigua's cricket-playing and English-speaking systems bring up unpleasant memories of Britain's colonial imperialism, perhaps its time to head to Rio de Janeiro for a little taste of the party-loving legacy of Portuguese imperialism in Brazil, the biggest country in South the USA. Lying on the Bay of Guanabra, the city, that is most well-known for its pre-Lenten festival of wantonness, "Carnaval," also prides itself on 75 miles of coastline. Do words like Ipanema or Copacabana ring a bell? Yep, they're both in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilians in the city party hard and pray difficult. After dancing all night at a samba club, check out the sky and appreciate the slightly surreal sight a 128 foot, 1,000 ton statue of Christ the Redeemer hovering over the city proudly at the top of Corcovado Peak.

If Rio's religious version of the Statue of Liberty has you feeling faintly guilty for deserting your house country in the midst of winter, perhaps Perth, Australia will provide the English-speaking taste of house (with an exotic flair) that you require. Kick back and ride the waves within the Western Australia's isolated capital, nestled between a blue, blue ocean along with a dry, sandy desert. Getting there is half the adventure, consisting of a 4000 km automobile ride from Sydney or a lengthy and winding train ride on the Indian Pacific. Explore the Swan River and the 400-hectare King's Park in the south, magnificent nineteenth-century buildings constructed utilizing convict labor within the city center, or perhaps travel north to swim with the dolphins at Monkey Mia.

If Perth leaves you feeling a little isolated, perhaps a holiday to a modern island city of Singapore, with a population of about 4.5 million, will aid alleviate your winter doldrums. With not one but four official languages-Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English-the country offers a delightful blend of ethnic influences. Enjoy a bowl of hot noodles followed by your favorite curry. Acquire a sari in Little India on a Sunday evening or sip on herbal tea in Chinatown. Or maybe enjoy the sights on a cable-car ride to Sentosa Island, the view of a stimulating amusement park.

If Sentosa Island puts you in mind of childhood yearnings for the Magic Kingdom, perhaps a trip to the sub-tropical Sunshine State may be just the cold remedy you may well be looking for. The Magic Kingdom isn't the only amusement park in central Florida. Select from the kind of Universal Studies, Epcot, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios, Sea World, Busch Gardens, or Cypress Gardens, all within a short drive of every other. Florida is all about the tourist business, and travelers can come upon some special winter travel deals if they shop around. Wherever you decide to go this winter, do not forget to pack sunscreen, a bathing suit, and your favorite book. Warmth and relaxation wait just some 1000 miles away.