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12 Tips for visiting the Bamboo Forest, Kyoto, Japan

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The Bamboo Forest in Kyoto This week I wish to share with you our trip to the Bamboo Forest, Kyoto. This place was on my bucket list and I was so happy to visit here. We visited in April, on a Monday, in the middle of Cherry Blossom season. It was already very busy by 10am.  However, there were areas of the Bamboo Forest which were very tranquil and serene in spite of being one of the busiest places in Japan that we visited. The further you walked into the bamboo forest the less crowds there were. The sounds of the tops of the bamboo colliding was very relaxing and it was a very calming place to visit. The air smelt ‘fresh’. All you could hear were the birds, the rustling leaves and the crashing of the tops of the bamboo. We were so glad we visited. It was also close to some other attractions in Arashiyama so it was a great place to make a day of it. Here are my 5 tips to get the most out of your visit to the Bamboo Grove: 1. How to get t...
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8 Reasons why you should visit Minoo Park

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Minoo Park Waterfall We had a spare day to fill in Osaka, and we decided to spend it at Minoo Park after some recommendations from Facebook groups. Minoo Park is also known as Minooh and Minoh Park. I have no idea why this place has so many ‘other names’. It takes about 30 minutes to get to Minoo Park from central Osaka. The station you are looking for is Minoo Station on the Hyperdia.com website for navigating how to get there. We had a lovely day visiting this park. The weather was fine and there was a lot of greenery with lots of ‘tunnels of green’ to walk through. The 3 km hike to a waterfall is not onerous as it is very flat to walk (and so is also ideal for prams). The scenery was beautiful with lots of vermillion red bridges and old bridges. Combined with an insect museum, a free foot onsen (foot spa) and yummy maple leaf snack (unique to the area) – you really can’t go wrong visiting this wonderful gem of a place. Tunnels of Green Here are my re...
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10 Tips for Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

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Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan I find Aquariums quite relaxing and the fish displays are quite colourful and mesmerising. When I found out that Osaka had one of the biggest Aquariums in the world we had to visit it on our trip to Japan! We have seen other Aquariums in the world* so I can easily make a comparison in how great this aquarium actually is. We visited Osaka Aquarium in mid April 2019.  Osaka Aquarium was a great family day out with a large shopping mall conveniently found next door. The above ground eight storey building was indeed impressive (unlike any others I’ve seen) and the aquarium housed many marine animals I had never seen in any of the other world aquariums.  You start your journey with an escalator ride to the top of the 8 th floor and work your way in a downwards spiral through the building. Osaka Aquarium was not as ‘pretty’ as the SEA Aquarium Singapore but it certainly was impressive. Educationally, there was information about each o...
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15 Free or Cheap things to do with kids at Walt Disney World

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Disney Sea - There are free Disney cruises This week I thought I would discuss the free or cheap things to do with kids at Walt Disney World. These are extra activities, which you may or may not be aware of – that add to your holiday experience. 1 . Kidcot Funstops and EPCOT Passports Kids can get special Passports ($10 USD) at Kidcot Funstop at any of the 11 World Pavilions in EPCOT. The Passport comes with stickers and pictures of each country and makes a nice souvenir. The idea of the Passport is to get a stamp and a personal message from a Cast Member at each Kidcot Funstop . The cast members inside the World Pavilions are from their respective countries on the Disney cultural exchange program – usually h ired for a 12 month stint.    I would really recommend buying the Passport as it gives the kids something to look forward to at each pavilion, its educational (the Cast members at these Kidcot stations are only too happy to chat to you a...
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12 fun facts and tips on visiting Himeji Castle

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We travelled to Himeji Castle mid-April 2019. This was my personal favourite place to visit in Japan. Himeji Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and I found it to be extremely photogenic. The surrounding grounds are lovely also, especially as we also went in Spring, right in the middle of the Cherry Blossom season. Here are my fun facts and tips on visiting Himeji Castle below: 1. Himeji Castle is very easy to get to by JR train Like a lot of tourist attractions in Japan, Himeji Castle is very easy to get to by JR train. Once you get out the Train station exit – you can actually see the castle! It’s about a good 10 minute walk to get there and its flat too (no stairs!). 2. The Castle is also known as the ‘The White Heron Castle’ Another name for the castle is the ‘White Egret Castle’, supposedly because the castle is white and resembles a Heron ‘taking off’ in flight. The castle is very photogenic and as its located on a hilltop, seems to look down upon the ci...
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Australias Gold Coast Theme Parks - an Overview

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We travelled to the Gold coast, Queensland, Australia theme parks in 2013 and 2014 as a family. For those who live outside of Australia, the Gold Coast is Australia’s premier location for theme parks. It is located about 80km from Brisbane. We bought World Pass (Dreamworld, White Water World and Skypoint) 12 month tickets, and Gold Passes (also 12 months) for Movie  World, Sea World and Wet n Wild. All one year passes worked out cheaper then the one day pass so that is Tip no. 1 - get 12 month passes even if only visiting one day. We went there twice in a 12 month period. The second visit, we only needed to pay for accommodation and plane fares. We spent six days visiting five Gold Coast theme parks. As we went twice in a year, we also experienced the parks during Queensland School holidays and again during Queensland school terms (much quieter). The lines during school term were non-existant. We literally walked straight on to the Scooby Doo ride. During School ...
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