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The Hunza Valley

The Hunza Valley - The Original Shangri La?

Who are the Hunza People?

In the early 70s, National Geographic ran an extensive series of articles investigating claims of long-lived people around the world. The Hunza People, who live in the North of Pakistan were one of those peoples. The Hunza and the valley in which they live was famous in the region. The Hunza Valley is a high altitude, fertile valley that supports agriculture and provides isolation from the rest of the world. Some say that the Hunza Valley was the basis for Shangri La in the book Lost Horizons.

How Long Did They Live?

No one really knows. Physicians examined the Hunza and made their best guesses to how old they people were. Without focusing too much on documented maximum age, the truly extraordinary fact is that all reports from the Hunza mention that the elderly population is fit, full of vitality and virtually free from disease.

How Did They Keep Free from Illness?

In short, exercise. The mountains that the Hunza live in are extremely rough terrain and the Hunza people spend their lives moving among the rough passages and steep ridges. They are said to be more hardy than even the famous Sherpa people of the Himalayan region.

What About Their Diet?

Mostly plants, eaten raw. The Hunza do not have access to a large amount of fuel for cooking food, nor are there many animals available for eating, so they plant what they can and gather the rest. Apricots, cherries, grapes, plums and peaches are all cultivated by the Hunza. They also eat a lot of grains — wheat, barley, and millet.

But Were They Happy?

Absolutely. In fact, they have been called by some researchers “The Happiest People on Earth”. The Hunza have a certain relish and passion for life — perhaps brought on to some extent by their daily rigorous exercise and simply lifestyle.

What Can We Learn from the Hunza?:

Three things:eat raw fruits and vegetables exercise daily have a positive outlook

Who are the Hunza People?

In the early 70s, National Geographic ran an extensive series of articles investigating claims of long-lived people around the world. The Hunza People, who live in the North of Pakistan were one of those peoples. The Hunza and the valley in which they live was famous in the region. The Hunza Valley is a high altitude, fertile valley that supports agriculture and provides isolation from the rest of the world. Some say that the Hunza Valley was the basis for Shangri La in the book Lost Horizons.

More Information about Hunza & Hunza Valley

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/the-hunza-valley-970665.html

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Mohenjo Daro

Mohenjo-daro

Mohenjo-daro was a city of the Indus Valley Civilization, 20 km from Larkana and some 80 km southwest of modern Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and better preserved than Harappa. However, due to rain the upper part of tomb is now destroyed despite steps to further save this world historical place.

Ancient city on the bank of the Indus River, in present-day southern Pakistan


The site of Mohenjo-Daro (also Moenjo-daro, latitude 27 degrees, 25 minutes north, longitude 67 degrees 35 minutes east), in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan, is the largest and most extensively excavated Indus city in Pakistan.

This city would have dominated the major trade routes and agricultural potential of the southern Indus plain, from around 2600-1900 BCE.
Mohenjo-Daro is located in District Larkana at a distance of about 28 km from Larakana and 107 km from sukkur.
Mohenjo-Daro was a city located in the south of Modern Pakistan in the Sind Province, on the right bank of the Indus River. It was built between four and five thousand years ago, and lasted until 3,700 BP. It was part of the Harrapan Civilization, and the city had at least 35,000 residents. Mohenjo-Daro means “mound of the dead”.

The city was approximately one square mile in size. In 1922-1927 large scale excavations at Mohenjo-daro were carried out by R. D. Banarjee and continued by M. S. Vats and K. N. Dikshit under the direction of Sir John Marshall. E. J. H. MacKay carried out further excavations from 1927 to1931. Sir Mortimer Wheeler made small excavations in1950.

As a result of this extensive work almost one-third of the area of the old city was exposed, revealing for the first time the remains of one of the most ancient civilizations in the Indus Valley. Typical of most large and planned cities, Mohenjo-daro had planned city streets and buildings. The settlement was thought to house roughly 5,000 people, and had houses, a granary, baths, assembly halls and towers.

Mohenjo-Daro - largest city of the Indus Civilization

The site of Mohenjo-Daro (also Moenjo-daro, latitude 27 degrees, 25 minutes north, longitude 67 degrees 35 minutes east), in Larkana District, Sindh, Pakistan, is the largest and most extensively excavated Indus city in Pakistan.

Mohenjo-Daro - It was built around 2600 BC, and was abandoned around 1700 BC, probably due to a change of course of the river which supported the civilization.

Mohenjo-Daro - The high western mound is generally referred to as the “citadel” mound, but it is subdivided into several sectors.
The city was divided into two parts, the Citadel included an elaborate tank or bath created with fine quality brickwork and drains; this was surrounded by a verandah. Also located here was a giant granary, a large residential structure, and at least two aisled assembly halls. To the east of the citadel was the lower city, laid out in a grid pattern. The streets were straight, and were drained to keep the area sanitary. The people of the city used very little stone in their construction. They used two types of bricks- mud bricks, and wood bricks, which were created by burning wood.

They used timber to create the flat roofs of their buildings; there are brick stairways leading to the roofs of many houses. Some houses were small, and others were larger with interior courtyards. Most had small bathrooms. Potter’s kilns, dyer’s vats, as well as metalworking, bead making, and shell-working shops have all been discovered. The people were good at irrigation and flood control. However, when the Indus River changed its course around 3700 years ago, the civilization died.

All Indus valley sites including Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, were built according to a grid pattern plan. Each city had broad parallel streets which crossed each other to divide the city into compact rectangular blocks, and had an advanced and extensive drainage system. In addition to it’s numerous other achievements Mohenjo-daro and other Indus sites made extensive use of baked brick (unlike the sun-dried brick typical of Mesopotamian civilization), which gave greater durability to all of its buildings.

More Information about Mohenjo Daro

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/mohenjo-daro-970670.html

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Travel To China, H1N1 - Info for your China vacations

This article is about the H1N1 and China travel. You can find some useful information in it if you are planning your China vacations now.

The A(H1N1) quarantine policy (from several big Chinese web sites) in China:

1. If you don’t have a fever when getting off the plane in the airports of China, you don’t need to worry about quarantine policy of China at all. If you do have a fever, you will need to do a medical examination in the city where you enter China. This is to make sure that you don’t get the A(H1N1) flu.( more info about “Travel To China, H1N1,China vacations” at Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM )

2. If there is some people having a fever in your plane to China and your seat is very close to him/her (less than 3 meters away), you will need to do the medical examination in the hospital when this people is confirmed as a A(H1N1) flu patient. The Chinese Malaria Control Center will contact you when they find some confirmed A(H1N1) cases in the plane you take. If you sit far away from the A(H1N1) patient (more than 3 meters away) in the plane, you don’t need to worry about this issue at all. No one is going to ask you to do a medical examination even when there is some confirmed A(H1N1) cases in your plane to China.

3. Some people did the quarantine for a week in Beijing and Jiangshu when they got to China. They only did this voluntarily. One one is going to ask you to do this. But in my point of view, this can be good both for your family and your friends. You don’t wanna your close people to be threatened by the A(H1N1) flu too, right? ( more info about “Travel To China, H1N1,China vacations” at Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM )

Some personal experience when people arrived at the airports of Beijing,Shanghai or Hongkong:

1. My parents traveled to China last Monday. All they got in the Beijing Capital Airport is to go through a Temperature Monitoring Device. That’s it. When they stayed in the hotel, the Malaria Control Center didn’t contact them. Now there are more than 200 A(H1N1) cases in China and the Chinese people don’t pay so much attention to this flu as they used to be. (I think it is very natural for the Chinese people to be very nervous about this A(H1N1) flu. The SARS was such a disaster here in the year of 2003. )

2. I flied to China last week and I am in China now. I am not very familar with the A(H1N1) quarantine policy in China. I will only talk about my personal experience here. I entered China in the Shanghai Pudong Airport. In the plane, the airhostesses helped us to do the body temperature check once. When we arrived at Shanghai, some “astronauts” checked our body temperature again. When I left the U.S., my body temperature was about 37 Centigrade. (because I was sleeping poorly these days) But they didn’t find me out. Maybe I was not having a fever when they checked my body temperature in the airport. I then transfered to another plane. No one contacted me about the A(H1N1) flu issue any more. I can do whatever I like in China. By the way, I left my address in China and phone number in the Shanghai Pudong Airport of course.

3. I visited Hong Kong last week. All I did is to fill out some forms. No body temperature check at all. When I arrived at Shenzhen, some people asked me to go through the Temperature Monitoring Device and fill out some other forms. ( more info about “Travel To China, H1N1,China vacations” at Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM )

By 06/13/2009, there are 293 A(H1N1) flu cases in China. ( Beijing: 38, Guangdong: 37, Fujian: 25, Shanghai: 17, Sicuan: 15, Hubei: 9, Zhejiang: 6, Tianjin: 4, Shandong: 3, Hunan: 2, Henan: 1, Jiangsu: 1, Shanxi: 1, Liaoning: 1, Guizhou: 1, Jiangxi: 1, Hainan: 3, Hongkong: 84, Taiwan: 44 )

By Shane Lee. Date: 06/14/2009.

Copyright belongs to Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM .  You can find more information about China vacations, China airfare, Beijing airfare and Shanghai airfare  from our web site.
NOTE: Permission is granted by the copyright owner to disseminate this article in whole or in part provided credit is given to the author (with a link to the article’s source URL Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM ) and this NOTE is not removed.

About the author: Shane Lee. Copyright belongs to China vacations . Source of this article: Travel To China H1N1,China vacations. More China vacations info at: Influence of a h1n1.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/travel-to-china-h1n1-info-for-your-china-vacations-970763.html

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Blue Mountains Tours Sydney Australia

The Blue Mountains are synonymous with natural beauty, unique environmental wonders and breathtaking scenery that will amaze new and returning visitors. The Blue Mountains are located 66km West of Sydney City, an easy 2 hour drive, and offer a truly unique experience for everyone who visits.

Boutique Mountain Tours is a family owned business that offers a unique service to people wanted to experience the real Blue Mountains. They take the hassle out of visiting one of Australia’s most spectacular tourist attractions. The Blue Mountains covers approximately 143, 000 hectares of land, which is a lot of land to navigate on your own. Nearly 70% of this area is part of the World Heritage Blue Mountains National Park, and only 11% of the land is privately owned or available for ownership.

Boutique Mountain Tours will navigate you through the Blue Mountains with easy, relaxation and style ensuring you don’t miss a thing. From the moment they pick you up from your Sydney hotel to the time they drop you back you will be their main focus, so when you take your Blue Mountains tour ensure you sit back, relax and enjoy an experience of a lifetime.

Tours run by Boutique Mountain Tours are some of the most comprehensive and area focused tours in the Blue Mountains. You will get up close and personal with the unique wildlife in the area, learn about the local Aboriginal community and avoid the major tourist traps with a small personalised tour with a maximum of 14 other visitors. Boutique Mountain Tours offer you personalised, genuine experiences and locations including visiting secluded lookouts, short rainforest walks, lunch at an award winning location, kangaroos, native animals whilst traveling in a luxury Mercedes vehicle.

The Blue Mountains are waiting for you!

Book now as places run out fast. To book with Boutique Mountain Tours call Boutique Mountain Tours 1800 990 802 or 61(0)2 9499 5444 or book online at http://www.boutiquemountaintours.com.au/contactus.cfm . Alternatively you can email them at info@boutiquetoursaustralia.com.au

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/blue-mountains-tours-sydney-australia-970877.html

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Living in Pennington, ZwaZulu Natal, South Africa

The resort town of Pennington was named after Richard Pennington and is home to Botha House built by General Louis Botha for his wife, Annie, on land given to him by Sir Frank Reynolds, a sugar magnate and a member of the Colony’s Legislative Council. Umdoni Park, a sanctuary named after the Umdoni tree, was established by Sir Frank to preserve the indigenous fauna and flora. He presented it to the South African nation in 1920 and the Umdoni Trust was formed. Today, the Park offers wonderful walking trails and excellent birding.

Pennington lies on the South Coast, about 3km from the Mzinto River mouth. It is located about 80km south of the Durban city centre. This town, the centre of a large sugar cane and dairy farming district, offers many nature reserves, including Nkomba Bird Sanctuary, Nkumban Dam, Elysium Wetland, Ifafa Lagoon Estuary and Mkamati Dam. Visitors to the Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve can enjoy the fine coastal forest and grasslands, and the animals that wander through the reserve include impala, blue wildebeest, zebra and eland.

A bit of exploration in Pennington will reveal delights like golfing at the Umdoni Golf Course and Selborne Park course where a round of golf comes complete with game and bird watching, as well as spectacular views of the Indian ocean and indigenous forest, also, take a stroll through the local Indigenous Nursery to see the stunning plants and birds native to South Africa.

Pennington’s warm waters boast a rich blend of fish species and this has given rise to a large sport fishing community, this beautiful area offers a large number of trophy barracuda, garrick, sharks and salmon. The  ‘Couta Classic’ is held annually in Pennington over the Easter weekend and attracts hundreds of fisherman from all over the country to participate in one of the largest fishing competitions in KwaZulu Natal. Besides the excellent bass and deep sea fishing on offer, rock and surf fishing is very popular, with catches such as shad, sharks and rays, grunter, kingfish and pompano.

If fishing or golf is not of interest, Pennington offers an enticing array of other exciting activities like snorkelling, scuba diving, horse riding on the beach and bird watching. Pennington’s fauna and flora are captured through a number of activities that make the most of the beautiful sights and sounds of this enticing place.

Golfing enthusiasts can enjoy the numerous golf courses close by.

Umdoni Golf Course

One of the hidden treasures of the Golf coast. This 18-hole course situated on 200 hectares of indigenous coastal forest is renowned for its fauna and flora and magnificent vistas. A true pleasure to play.

Selborne Golf Course

This beautifully manicured and maintained golf course provides a challenge for the more proficient golfer whilst also offering the social player an enjoyable round. With its natural forests and trails, Selborne is rated as one of South Africa’s most scenic courses.

Shopping

Pennington has a very good Tearoom as you enter Pennington itself. Myles and his staff are very friendly and stock a wide variety of provisions.

The main shopping mall is close to the beach front. It has a wonderful Antique shop, a chemist, launderette, supermarket, bottle store, post office, estate agents, hairdresser, gift and lighting shop, nursery and of course a “local” pub.

Doctor

Dr. Vach is the local GP who with his wife and team run an efficient dedicated practice.

Schools

Pennington has is own pre-primary school. There are two choices of Primary schools, Sezela Primary or Scottburgh Primary and the High school is also located in Scottburgh which is about 15mins drive away.

Clubs

Tennis, bowls, badminton, squash, and a gym are all in easy reach. Yoga classes, line dancing, bridge, aerobics classes are all held at the village hall.

Lifestyle

The lifestyle in Pennington is very relaxed and friendly with it only being a small village everybody soon gets to know each other.

 

You can win 2 fantastic homes in Pennington go to http://www.2homes2win.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/living-in-pennington-zwazulu-natal-south-africa-970889.html

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The top beaches in Rhodes Island - Greece

The popular Greek Islands offer sightseers many activities, one of the key attractions of Greece is visiting the beaches or coastline. The appeal for sun and sand is the main reason for drawing people towards the sensational views of the shores. We would propose that the loveliest time to see Greece and enjoy its paradise like sandy beaches and crystal blue waters, is between June and October.

There are many diverse beaches, offered by Rhodes. The island of Rhodes offers an array of flawless sandy beaches with crystal blue waters, and varying facilities including taverns, bars, and watersports. The beautiful beaches on Rhodes have deep clear waters and are exceptional in every way. Their unique beauty makes them all worth a visit! Here are some of the most popular swimming places on the island.

The beach of Kalathos is located just under 50 kilometres south-east of Rhodes City. The beach itself is flawless and golden, and the waters are deep clear and clean. Wooden sun beds and bamboo umbrellas are there to use if you wish to hire. Kalithea is situated on the north eastern coast of Rhodes and is 10 kilometres from the capital of the island. The beach of Kallithea is famous for its hot medicinal springs It is a wonderful place with palm and pine trees and crystal blue turquoise waters.

Faliraki sits on the north-eastern part of Rhodes, and is 14 kilometres from the main city of the island. The shoreline of Faliraki is made of beautiful golden sands that run over 2 miles and guarantees people sun beds, umbrellas, many water sports, taverns, restaurants and beach bars. The beach of Traganou is situated is just over 15 kilometres south-east of the capital of Rhodes and just a few kilometres from Faliraki. The beach consists of small light coloured pebbles and is boarded by crystal deep waters. Only a small area of the seaside is organized the rest is left in a natural way. There is also a little fish tavern welcoming hungry travellers.

Greek Island Beaches Rhodes

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/the-top-beaches-in-rhodes-island-greece-970920.html

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One Tank Trips from Philadelphia

The current financial climate has changed the reality of family holidays, and some would argue that they have changed for the worse. Indeed, the fact that fuel is now really quite expensive, and money is getting tighter for a lot of families, has just about ruled out the idea of driving across vast expanses of America to get somewhere. Just filling up your tank once can get pretty pricey, getting up as far as (and over) $100 for the privilege, and making a trip with multiple refueling stops prohibitively expensive. Alternative planning therefore becomes a must, and this can mean holidaying somewhere a tank away from home. So, if you live in Philly, where is good that is also nearby? 

The good news is that there is a lot of differing scenery within a 200-mile or so radius of Philadelphia. It can take you into a few different states, not least New York, New Jersey and Virginia. One full tank of petrol, filled near your Philadelphia home, will get you to the nation’s capital too. Whether seashore or woodland is your preference for the purposes of habitat, you can find plenty to keep you and your family occupied. You can even, if you wish, take out an atlas and work out a 200 mile radius from your home, draw a circle around that and go on a literal round trip (your actual route may veer from the circle a little, unless you live near freakishly good roads or are dangerously insane). 

If you start out with enough gas to get you to Jersey, it is an ideal place to fill your tank to the top. Gas prices there are a whole lot cheaper than elsewhere in the country. Additionally, it is home to Atlantic City which has excellent beaches that will not cost you excessively – or at all, in most cases. Depending on where you stay, you may even find that a few nights there entitles you to a gas card, taking a large chunk out of what you need to spend on the traveling component of your holiday. Dropping south into Delaware you will find some more free beaches and some excellent state parks. 

Indeed, it is the state parks in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware that will really make the best stopping-off points on a one-tank holiday. There is plenty to see and do in all of these, and they can act as a simple anchor on a longer trip as well if you need one. A great place for the kids to stretch their legs and run off any excess energy – of which there will be plenty when you have been in the car for a while. The money that you save on traveling, if you wish, can be used for spending on souvenirs and entertainment, and you will potentially discover a lot about your home state that you had paid very little attention to before. Holidays do not have to take you half-way across the country, after all.

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/one-tank-trips-from-philadelphia-971462.html

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The Visitor’s Guide to Driving in Europe

Although there is often a very patronizing and unfair jest directed at Americans, implying that they do not like to travel outside America, there is a roaring trade in tourism to Europe from these shores. Particularly for retired people, couples without kids and solo travelers, the chance to see the endless variety on offer in countries as diverse as Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Austria and France among others is one that should never be passed up. Each of these nations has its own distinct character, and the different cuisine, landscape and lifestyle of each makes a single trip to Europe highly captivating – and individual trips to each very tempting. 

It is wise, however, to prepare yourself for just how different Europe is for the driver from America. There are different laws, for one thing. These laws can differ subtly from country to country. In the United Kingdom, for example, all signs are displayed in miles, miles per hour and other imperial measurements. In most other European countries, including the Republic of Ireland, signs are in metric – so as soon as you cross the border between the North and the South of Ireland you will find signs on what is ostensibly the same stretch of road have changed from one to the other. If you divide the number of miles by five and multiply the result by eight you will get the number of kilometers. On the European continent there are a lot more toll roads than in the UK or Ireland, too. 

Renting a car is something that it is up to you to decide on. A lot of people prefer to see Europe from a train – and there is no doubt that the railways allow you to see some frankly astonishing scenery without the concern of having to negotiate it in a car. However by definition trains are only ever going to be able to go where there is track for them to run on – so going by car opens up a lot more for you to see. If you are traveling in a party of four or larger, it tends to turn out cheaper than going by train, even if each of you has a rail card entitling you to discounts on your fares. Calling the rental company well in advance of getting to Europe in order to iron out any issues is very much advised. 

In general, car rental in Europe – wherever in Europe that may be – favors drivers who can drive a manual transmission. Automatics will cost more, and will often not be available on the smaller and cheaper cars anyway. Also be prepared for differences in price between two countries which are close together. Different governments mean different taxes, which mean different prices. The difference is most pronounced as you cross from Western into Eastern Europe – or vice versa – with countries like the Czech Republic being easier on the wallet than Germany. Russia, for its part, is the exception, with Moscow now ranked as the most expensive city in Europe.

Find the best deal on the auto insurance coverage you need. Visit us today for money-saving tips and compare auto insurance quotes for men, women and teenage drivers from respected insurance companies.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/the-visitors-guide-to-driving-in-europe-971463.html

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How To Get The Most From Your ‘Learn To Dive’ Holiday?

As part of my business, I get a lot of people looking to book up a diving holiday so they can learn to dive in the sunshine (usually Egypt). I’ve personally been diving in Egypt for years and consider it to be one of the best places in the world and as a PADI Divemaster, it’s a subject I’m always happy to talk about.

For the novice, Egypt is an excellent place to learn to dive. The weather is always great, the water is always warm, the visibility is always good and the sea is generally quite calm. However, the problem is that when you go off to nice warm destinations such as Egypt, your time there is limited. If you are learning to dive, you want as much time as possible in the water not spending time with your head stuck in a book.

So how do you get round this problem? The answer is actually quite simple. When learning to dive, the initial course is essentially split into 3 parts; theory, confined water dives and open water dives. The theory part of the course involves reading a manual and understanding some basic concepts of the sport. The confined water dives are performed in a swimming pool where you learn a number of skills such as clearing your mask underwater (don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds). These skills are completed over the course of a couple of dives and once they are to a sufficient standard, they are repeated in the open water (ie – the ocean).

Many people don’t realise that you don’t need to complete the whole course in a consecutive days and those wanting to learn to dive can use this to their advantage. I generally advise people that their best option is to complete the theory and confined water dives at a local dive centre. This means that once they arrive at their holiday destination, all that remains is to complete their open water dives and they are certified. In turn, this means they have an extra 3 days of their holiday left to enjoy their new found status as certified scuba divers which would otherwise be spent studying or in the swimming pool.

The way to do this is quite simple. The most popular entry level diving certification is the PADI Open Water Course so what you need to complete prior to travel is the Open Water Referral. This covers the 3 days of theory and confined water elements of the Open Water course. Once completed, all that remains is to complete the final 4 open water dives which is usually done over 2 days whilst you are in your holiday resort.

The way to do this is quite simple.

1. Find your local dive centre which will be listed in the Yellow Pages and give them a call to tell them your situation. Explain that you want them to take the Open Water Referral (theory and confined water dives). This shouldn’t be a problem for any dive centre and they will discuss when you can complete this.

2. Contact the dive centre in your holiday resort to book the final part of your Open Water course which may also be called Open Water Referral. They will advise you what you need to bring along and the final 4 dives normally have to be completed no later than 12 months after the theory and confined water modules.

3. Complete the theory and confined water dives before heading off to your holiday resort.

4. At your resort, spend just 2 days instead of 5 completing the final 4 open water dives and congratulations, you are now a certified scuba diver with most of your holiday ahead of you.

For more information about learning to dive in Egypt, contact Explorer Travel

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-learn-to-dive-holiday-971474.html

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