Great Reasons to Visit Coolangatta on Your Next Holiday

Australia’s Gold Coast seems to have been created just to provide you with the perfect holiday location. Just think, mile after mile of golden sands, hinterlands replete with gorgeous natural scenery, and vibrant towns and cities with all the amenities you could ask for. Coolangatta is among the most attractive of these vibrant towns and here are seven great reasons why you should head here for your next holiday.

The first great reason is the location. Situated on the Queensland and New South Wales border, Coolangatta is the gateway to the Gold Coast. It’s modest in size but you’ll quickly discover that Coolangatta is a small town with big city facilities

Getting there is easy too. Buses run up and down the coast, and the nearby Gold

Coast Airport handles domestic flights from around Australia, as well as international connections with New Zealand, Japan and Singapore.

Then there’s the weather. Coolangatta gets plenty of sunshine all year round, on average the sun shines for 300 days each year. This means temperatures from 20C – 28C in summer and from 11C – 21C in winter.

For many holiday makers the prime reason for a visit to Coolangatta are the beaches. They are delightful, with excellent surfing spots and are patrolled for your safety. You can choose from three beaches at “Cooly” as the locals call their home town – Coolangatta, Greenmount and Rainbow Bay. All are patrolled daily from 8.00am to 5.00pm unless the beach is closed.

Coolangatta is one of Australia’s premier surfing resorts with Greenmount and Kirra being the most popular beaches. The most challenging surf break is at Port Danger. Kirra Point also attracts more experienced surfers in search of a challenge.

Holiday makers in search of a more placid experience can take walks around the coast. One of the most popular is around the point to Snapper Rocks. If you’re lucky and visit in the cooler times of the year, you can witness whales on their annual migration. Wooded Greenmount headland is the place for sunrise viewing.

You’ll also be pleased to know that Coolangatta is a splendid shopping destination. Your first stop should be the Showcase Shopping Centre on Marine Parade which offers beachfront shopping. It houses a host of shops, restaurants and cafes.

For a more authentic shopping experience, you should head for the markets. There are many weekly markets in and around Coolangatta selling handmade local arts and crafts, along with fresh produce and delicious food. These include Carrara Markets on Saturdays and Sundays, Uki Markets on the 3rd Sunday of the month, and Burleigh Heads Markets on the 4th Sunday of the month.

Then there’s the daddy of them all, Coolangatta Art and Craft Market. For this grand event, vendors set up stalls along the beachfront on the second Sunday of the month. It’s a great place to browse for local handicrafts, gifts

The final great reason for taking your holiday in Coolangatta is the range of accommodation available. From campsites to hostels to a grand range of Coolangatta hotels, you’re sure to find the perfect place for you to stay. Among the best are the Oaks Calypso Plaza Suites Coolangatta and the Beach House Seaside Resort Gold Coast.

Ways to travel cheap or free

Traveling around the world on $25 a day may seem like the impossible dream but, with hard effort and determination, you just might have the time of your life.

the world has so much to offer, only at times, the world can seem so far away – not to mention expensive. Leaving home to travel is an amazing experience and you shouldn’t let a trivial thing like having little or no money get in your way (money, pfft, who needs it?).

Now, if you’re on a budget so low that an ant couldn’t limbo under it, you are somewhat restricted when it comes to picking a destination. Getting there can be the single, one-off, most expensive cost in your budget.

The simple answer, don’t go anywhere. Seriously, consider a vacation within your own country, your own state even. Do the touristy things and discover more about the place you live in. I often speak to people who want to travel halfway around the world to ‘escape’ and see something new, but they could just do that by going to a close-by major city, or into rural areas.

If you do have your heart set on a big trip, then use the net to find the cheapest fare. Be flexible about when you leave and which airport you fly into – London and Paris are often cheaper to fly to than Berlin or Madrid. If you want to travel further once you reach your destination, look for cheap budget airfare, bustrips or train rides. Also pick a destination with a good exchange rate, it will make your money stretch much further.

Once there your biggest costs will be food and accomodation. You can cut your accomodation costs to zero if you stay with friends or use the backpacker’s best kept secret….. drumroll please….. www.couchsurfing.com. Couchsurfing is a website set up a bit like myspace where people offer a couch for intrepid travellers to stay the night. It’s a fantastic idea and a great way to add depth to your travel. Couch surfers are everywhere, from New Zealand to Spain, Brazil to South Africa. You’ll meet new people who can show you the sites and take you off the beaten track. The idea is that when you return home (if you can ever bring youself to leave) you return the favour, not necesarrily to your host, but to any couchsurfer that has the good-fortune to find you as their host.

If you’re willing to carry a tent then you can save lots of money camping. Of course, reasonably cheap hostels are easy to find in every major city, just make sure you book ahead.

Money can be saved on food if you eat where the locals eat, which generally means getting away from the overpriced tourisy plaves. Soupermarkets can also provide a cheap feed or even dinner if you’re staying in a hostel with a kitchen (many have them).

Compete with yourself or any travel partners to see who can spend the least money – but remember, if you have the cash and you just know you’ll regret not going up the Eiffel Tower or taking a ride to the top of the Alps, then for your own sake just do it!

Good luck on your travels, and good luck pushing that dollar further.

Maybe Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, But Rolf Potts Did

As a self-proclaimed jet setter, you may be asking why I would want to interview Rolf Potts, since he is a vagabonder. The answer is simple. He is an extraordinary travel writer, accomplished author and yet he is just a simple guy that has a bona fide passion for travel. And if there is one thing that I am passionate about, it’s having a passion for travel. I love that Rolf doesn’t define himself by his luggage. Whether someone carries a backpack or the newest Louis Vuitton, personally, I don’t care. For me, jet setting isn’t about throwing money around so you can sit next to P. Diddy. It’s about experiencing the world with both eyes open. Rolf and I definitely travel differently. Yet, we are on the same earth, under the same stars and staring out at the same oceans. Maybe the thread count is different or the service is better, but at the end of the trip I would assume that we will both remember the same glowing sunsets, the cultures that we’ve experienced and the many locals that we’ve met. Rolf travels the world and truly engages himself; he’s not just a bystander. His new book, Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, is a collection of stories from his journeys over the last ten-years. His writing style is inspiring. I guess that’s why he’s graced the page of Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic and the New York Times Magazine, just to name a few. You will find yourself completely absorbed into his stories, almost as if you are traveling right along next to him. His brilliance and passion comes through in every word. It’s definitely a MUST read for ALL travelers. So without further ado. My interview with Rolf Potts.

1. People often envy my choice to travel often, as opposed to living the normal 9-5 work week with one-week vacation per year. For me, it was just a decision that I made to live my life on my own terms. You obviously made a similar decision. How did travel writing begin for you and how did you escape societies notions of what you *should* be doing with your life?

In some ways I stumbled into it. Back when I was in my late teens/early twenties I really felt like I had to travel when I was young, because I felt like it would never happen if I waited until I got older. This eventually led to my first vagabonding experience — 8 months around North America not long after I finished college. It was during that trip that I discovered how easy and enjoyable and inexpensive long-term travel could be. I was hooked. Instead of getting travel “out of my system,” as I thought I might do, I made it a part of my life. In some ways I’m still on that original journey — and writing is something that came along the way over the years, though a process and trial-and-failure, until it became something I could do as a living.

2. Of the places you have traveled to, which of them do you find yourself constantly wanting to revisit? Which would you never go back to? Why?

I love going back to Paris and New York. And I love road-tripping the American West. India and the Middle East are great, too. And Korea and Thailand can, at times, feel like home. But I also seek out new places too, so I don’t regularly go back to some of those places.

I don’t know if there’s a place I would never go back to, at least in principle. Even lousy places, places where I had bad experiences, might reveal something new if I go back.

3. One of my favorite parts of travel is participating in rituals, ceremonies or holiday celebrations in different countries. I especially love the Reveillon ritual in Rio de Janeiro. Which is the experience that you have participated in that made the largest imprint on you?

Probably the Kumbh Mela in India in 2001. Something like 70 million people visited the Ganges near the city of Allahabad over the course of six weeks — the largest gathering of humans in the history of the planet. It was amazing to be a part of it, and unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

4. When you come back to the States, do you experience culture shock? If so, how do you deal with it?

I don’t really experience Stateside culture shock anymore — I’ve been coming and going from the US so much in the past 12 years that I’ve kind of gotten used to the transition.

5. In your new book, Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, are there any stories that you really wanted to include, but were cut out of the final copy? If so, can you give me a brief version of the story?

I had almost total creative control over Marco Polo Didn’t Go There, so there was very little thematic wrangling or unkind edits. In fact my publishers specifically requested I add “Death of an Adventure Traveler,” which I hadn’t originally planned on including — and I’m glad I did, since that story and its themes are kind of at the heart of the book. So mostly what got left out are some old stories of mine that I liked, but either felt redundant or out of place in this book. And perhaps some of them I can come back to in a future collection of travel stories.

6. Globalization is my travel pet-peeve. There’s nothing worse than seeing Italians in line at Starbucks. What is your travel pet-peeve?

I get irritated by competition among travelers — who’s traveled the longest, who’s traveled to the most countries, who’s traveled for the least amount of money, which nationalities are better than others. Every hostel lounge in the world seems to have these kinds of social “pissing contests.” It seems like such a waste of energy, such a misappropriation of travel time. Better to just quietly make your own travels better than to constantly compare them to other people’s travels.

As for globalization, I’m all for local industry and local color — but I’m also of the opinion that Italians should be able to drink coffee wherever they want, even if it’s a Starbucks.

7. It seems that both you and Tim Ferriss are sticking your big toe into the world of television. Has this always been in your master plan or is this an opportunity that just came along?

I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of television, but it was never really a part of my master plan. Writing is my passion, and it’s what I’m best at, I think. But in early 2007 the Travel Channel began actively looking for “qualified insiders” — people with active travel expertise, not just “actors” — to host their shows. I think 12-15 different production companies approached me that year, wanting me to send them clips or make an audition tape. Because I wasn’t really pursuing television work, I didn’t have many clips to send. But one company, Pioneer Productions, flew me to Los Angeles to make an audition reel. I wasn’t cast for the show they had in mind in 2007, but a year later they cast me for “American Pilgrim,” which debuted last November and was my first TV hosting gig.

8. How was your experience working with The Travel Channel and are there any future shows in the pipeline?

Though my show appeared on the Travel Channel, I didn’t work directly with them; all the hands-on work was carried out by the production company. And it was a great debut hosting experience — the people I worked with were very supportive and encouraging. I don’t have any specific TV projects lined up for the near future, though I do have a TV agent now that helps me with that kind of thing. I’m just going to continue to concentrate on my travels and my writing, and if the right TV show comes along I’ll do it.

9. What is the one place that you haven’t traveled to yet and are dying to visit?

New Zealand comes to mind. Though I’d love to hit Madagascar. And South Africa. Most of sub-Saharan Africa, really. I’m under-traveled in that part of the world, and I’d love to just get out to Africa and wander.

10. Just a quick little questionnaire to get to know you a little better.

Where are you in this exact moment: Rural Saline County, Kansas, where I live and write in a little farmhouse when I’m not traveling.

What is your favorite lip balm: Blistex — though I use other kinds from time to time. My lips chap easily, so I’m constantly using lip balm.

What is the most luxurious item you travel with: I probably my laptop, though I don’t always take it with me. I don’t really do luxury; I tend to be all practicality when I’m on the road.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading most: Non-fiction. I can’t get much more specific than that. Travel, yes, but also history and science and sociology and memoirs and essays and all sorts of topics.

What is your favorite beach for relaxing: I’m not much of a beach person. If you pressed me I might say one of the wilderness beaches on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. But I haven’t been up to that part of the country in a long time.

Which do you think is the friendliest city: There are a lot of friendly places in the world. New Orleans comes to mind. Havana. Beirut. Damascus. Bangkok, even.

What is the most adventurous thing you’ve done: Many things might qualify in this category. Probably taking a little fishing boat 900 miles down the Laotian Mekong in 1999.

Travel experiences: Culture shock down under

CULTURE SHOCK DOWN UNDER

The very first trip Down Under was an optical and emotional perplexity. Though as our plane broke through the long white cloud hovering over Canterbury in New Zealand’s South Island, I believed it would be an easy transition from New Mexico to New Zealand.

The taxi driver who kept referring to me as “Yank” took me straight to Bonner’s Hotel on Railroad Street from the Harewood Aerodrome, Christchurch’s International Airport. The driver, who was on the wrong side of the cab, waved off my tip. “Not on yer life,” he said. He dumped my luggage on the “footpath.” A footpath should be in a garden. But, here it was in a big city, and a rather wide sidewalk at that!

An ample woman of indeterminate middle years, behind a cage, guarded the lobby’s expanse and eyed me carefully as I sauntered in. “Is there a bellman here?” I asked with a certain glee in my voice. She only glared from the cage, not unlike a female gorilla protecting her young. Stumbling, searching for a word to cover me, I said, “I’ve never been an a foreign country before.”

She said, with that lilt you from those other English speakers when you’ve done it, “You’re the foreigner here, Yank. Remember that!”

That’s culture shock. The phenomena can be described in four stages. The first thing that can be said for the condition is that most travelers experience it. Culture shock is that reaction to being in an environment very different from your own. And, the academics not the travelers divide it into four distinct stages. So, if the traveler can understand this potential panic, he or she will be in a better position to deal with it when it hits.

Kalervo Oberg examined these four stages of culture shock in his 1960 work, Practical Anthropology:

1. Honeymoon stage

2. Crisis stage

3. Recovery stage

4. Adjustment stage

The honeymoon is very real. Here I was in Bonner’s Hotel feeling like a new person in this cloudy land. My vision of the place was Mrs. Miniver’s England during World War II. Everything was “charming.” From my hotel window I studied a quaint little Singer Hunter car on a rain soaked street. It was a stark forest green, heightened by a wet rubine brick wall, on the glistening madam. I’ll shower to get the flight dust off, I thought. Searching for the shower, since none was in my room, the hallway seemed to the likely place for it. There it was, all shiny, quaint, and tucked away in a little closet. Doffing my towel and turning the

An Omniscience Center About Taranaki

 

Being an out standing knowledge center in the heart of New Plymouth from 2003, “Puke Ariki” is a combination of a library and a museum providing solid information covering all the aspects of Taranaki region. It happens to be the first purpose-built combination of museum, library and the visitor information center and won the Creative Places Award for 2003 and the Strategic Arts Initiative Category for its new concept and creative features.

 

The center consists of two department buildings neighboring the Tasman Sea offering superb beauty to the area which was used for land reclamation until 1905. Mentioning a major feature of the center, “The Maori Gallery” located on the second floor of the North wing is displaying a perfect merge of traditional and modern facets of the area. It illustrates the history of Taranaki Maori exhibiting the arrival of new people from Hawaiki and the European immigrants that happened in the beginning of the last century.

 

The Richmond Cottage also displays key aspects of the past history of area Taranaki while making a colonial home including a heritage garden which consists of herbs, vegetables and flowers. A main educational feature, “Discover it!” is to be found in the old library as the youth can participate in some educative activities and special programs on fossils, minerals. It also comprises of music videos, a virtual forest and a virtual dress up wardrobe that shows, with its screen, the picture of the guest who wears desired clothes.

 

In addition, the visitors could be served coffee and snacks at the Daily News Café while reading news papers or new magazines that are updated every day. One who drops into the Café gets exposed to many sources of world hot news such as BBC, CNN and The Daily News which are screened on the three televisions on the wall and its clocks gives the times of different capitals around the world.

 

Tourists can also make bookings for accommodation facilities by the information center and New Plymouth hotels are widely known in the region as a chief member of New Zealand hotels providing wonderful hospitality services.

Brand imaging & equity

42 Below SWOT Analysis

Identifying the strength

42 Below is renowned for its unique Kiwi flavours including feijoa (pineapple guava), manuka honey, passionfruit and kiwifruit. The innovation and new product activity surrounding the vodka category has been in the area of flavours so flavours have been a real source of growth.

42 Below able to be sold in duty free stores throughout Australia and Asia as well as an agreement with Pearl beverages for importation into the United States.

42 Below provides education and incentives to leading bartenders and managers to build partnerships with key influencers resulted in the creation of more than 4500 account customers worldwide including the world’s best bars, hotels and restaurants.

PR, events, online and word of mouth form the central part of the 42 Below’s push into foreign markets along with marketing concepts that inspire both comfort and repulsion in equal parts

42 Below has won several awards globally and it is now the number one super-premium vodka by volume in New Zealand and Australia.

Identifying the weakness

The higher alcohol component attracts higher taxes that why 42 Below needs to pay more taxes compared to the other brands.

Difficulties in developing relationships with bartenders and liquorstore owners who are harder to influence through traditional marketing communications.

42 Below is considered as a new brand in the high price competitive vodka market and consumers are price conscious that resulted in some of the consumers will not try a new brand with a premium price.

Identifying the opportunity

New Zealand has the physical ingredients for producing world class vodka which are clean water, fresh air and the good growing conditions.

New Zealand is globally known as a place of purity and a growing reputation for creativity. It brings a positive image and awareness to 42 Below.

Premium pricing in the niche market can be a major marketing opportunity as 42 Below has never compromised its premium pricing even it considered as a new brand in the market.

Vodka can be seen as a minor category in Asia but it is showing some signs of growth particularly among young adults. In Asia and China is 42 Below’s latest market to expand their market share.

The US remains the epicentre of global premium and super-premium vodka consumption as 42 Below has pushed itself forward as a super premium and high quality vodka option.

Bacardi Limited is the largest privately held spirits company in the world who recently bought 42 Below and plans to invest heavily in the brand portfolio and supporting infrastructure to really get them on top of the world spirits stage

Identifying the threat

There are lots of well-known premium vodka brands in the market such as Absolut, Grey Goose, Belvedere, Finlandia, Stolichnaya, Ciroc, Skyy and Nemiroff. It becomes a major threat to 42 Below to expand its market share.

The increasingly crowded vodka market with new brands entering the market on a weekly basis becomes a threat to 42 Below to build up their brand awareness in the market.

42 Below has embraced viral marketing and it may resulted in a wide range of boycotts of the brand by those who feel offended by the advertisement. For instance, those people who are gay or are very patriotic to their own country.

The changes of the ownership of 42 Below may influence customers’ loyalty as New Zealanders may no longer support to the brand.

Thalgo’s Indocéane Exclusive at Mongkok, Hong Kong

11 December 2006, Hong Kong is proud to be the first and only spa in Hong Kong to launch the ultimate spa journey by Thalgo – Indocéane, a sensorial voyage to experience and discover the secrets of wellbeing of four different cultures from the Orient.

In bustling Hong Kong, work, pollution and daily life take an increasing toll on the body. In response to your quest for better-being, Indocéane brings you across the oceans to harness the relaxing power of the Mediterranean, Egypt, India and China and experience a true Vital Relaxation initiation ritual.

Specialist in Marine Cosmetology for over 40 years, Thalgo has also discovered and incorporated in Indocéane’s product range, Qi-marineTM, a powerful and proven cellular stress-relieving marine active ingredient, which works in synergy with the soothing Sacred Lotus to optimize the ritual’s relaxing power.

Mediterranean Step (The land where the cult of purity and water rituals continues):
The Indocéane journey begins with a purifying body exfoliation with the Sweet and Savoury Body Scrub, containing Qi-marineTM, , Sacred Lotus, Brown Sugar, Salt and Mediterranean Essential Oils.

Egyptian Step (The land of Eternity, where the Goddess would soak her body in milk):
The second step basks you in a creamy and sensual milk bath with soothing musky scents.

Indian Step (The land of Ayurveda, where you are told to have your body unwind to release its spirit):
This is the massage step of the ritual. Oriental and Chinese massage methods are combined in this unique sculpting massage. To start, Qi-balm, a concentrate of Qi-marineTM, will be massaged to the energy centres to release tensions and prepare the body for the massage which follows.

Chinese Step (The land where beauty takes centre stage as if in the theatre, where faces are painted white and eternal youth is preserved):
Round off the ritual with the velvety and fragrant body wrap containing Qi-marineTM , rice bran oil and Scared Lotus.

The Indocéane treatment is now available at Chuan Spa:

Indocéane Full Ritual 2 hours HKD$1,650
*Week Day (Mon-Fri) Promotion Price in October: HKD$1,320
(This offer cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts)

Mediterranean – Sweet and Savoury Body Scrub 30 min HKD$450
Egyptian – Precious Milk Bath 15 min HKD$200
Indian – Indoceane Massage 1 hour HKD$600
Chinese – Sublime Body Wrap 15 min HKD$400

*Each step in the Indocéane Ritual can be booked individually

Chuan Spa
Address: Level 41, Langham Place Hotel, Mongkok, Hong Kong
555 Shanghai Street, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Reservation: 3552 3510
Email: hkg.lph.info@chuanspa.com

Background Notes:
Langham has a legendary hotel heritage dating back to 1865 when the Langham Hotel in London originally opened as Europe’s first Grand Hotel. For 140 years, this flagship hotel has been at the forefront of sophisticated and gracious hospitality. Today, all Langham Hotels worldwide inherit the same philosophy that reflects elegance in design, innovation in hospitality, genuine service and captivation of the senses creating a truly unique hotel experience.

Langham Hotels International (LHI) features six properties with over 2,700 rooms in five gateway cities across the four continents, namely, London, Boston, Hong Kong (2), Melbourne and Auckland. In each city Langham Hotels is associated with the prestigious “The Leading Hotels of the World” group which represents some of the world’s finest luxury hotels.

LHI is wholly owned by Great Eagle Holdings Limited, a publicly listed company (HKSE: 41) which was founded in 1963 and was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1972.

For enquiries, please contact:
Langham Place Hotel, Mongkok, Langham Place Hotel, Mongkok,
Hong Kong Hong Kong
Director of Public Relations Assistant Communications Manager
Cecilia Wong Shelley Tso
T: (852) 3552 3051 T: (852) 3552 3052
F: (852) 3552 3069 F: (852) 3552 3069
cecilia.ws.wong@langhamhotels.com shelley.tso@langhamhotels.com

For information on the The Langham Place Hotel, Hong Kong, please visit: hongkong.langhamplacehotels.com

About Langham
Langham has a legendary hotel heritage dating back to 1865 when the The Langham Hotel in London originally opened as Europe’s first Grand Hotel. For 140 years, this flagship hotel has been at the forefront of sophisticated and gracious hospitality. Today, all Langham Hotels worldwide inherit the same philosophy that reflects elegance, continuous innovation and genuine hospitality creating a truly unique hotel experience

About Langham Hotels International:Langham Hotels International (LHI) features six properties with over 2,700 rooms in five gateway cities across the four continents, namely, London, Boston, Hong Kong (2), Melbourne and Auckland. In each city Langham Hotels is associated with the prestigious “The Leading Hotels of the World” group which represents some of the world’s finest luxury hotels.

LHI is wholly owned by Great Eagle Holdings Limited a publicly listed company (HKSE: 41) which was founded in 1963 and was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1972.

Langham Place Hotel, Mongkok, Hong Kong introduces iHome to all suites and club rooms

Hong Kong, 20 October 2006 – As an industry leader providing innovative guest room technology, Langham Place Hotel, Mongkok, Hong Kong establishes yet another benchmark with the introduction of iHome iPod clock radios to all suites and Langham Hotel Club Rooms.

Guests can now enjoy the benefits of iHome with special packages which start from HK$1700 per day (single occupancy)* and HK$1850 per day (double occupancy)*.

With full function remote control and rich, natural high fidelity stereo, iHome allows you to wake and sleep to your own music selection on your iPod, radio or alarm tone. As well as automatically charging your iPod, iHome has an auxiliary line-in for portable CD players and MP3 players and it is compatible to all models of iPods. It can also gradually wake you up or lull you to sleep with steadily increasing or decreasing volume.

“We were seeing more and more of our guests traveling with iPods and realised the opportunity for them to play their music in their room just like at home. In the short time we have had iHomes in our Langham Hotel club rooms and suites the feedback from guests has been terrific,” commented Jeffrey Van Vorsselen, General Manager of the Langham Place Hotel.

The arrival of iHome at Langham Place Hotel follows other cutting-edge innovations including Cisco Color IP phones, the current installation of the high-tech NXTV movie system in all guest rooms, as well as the upgrading of the hotel’s broadband internet service to make it the fastest in Hong Kong.

* Offer valid from now until 31 December 2006.

About Langham
Langham has a legendary hotel heritage dating back to 1865 when the The Langham Hotel in London originally opened as Europe’s first Grand Hotel. For 140 years, this flagship hotel has been at the forefront of sophisticated and gracious hospitality. Today, all Langham Hotels worldwide inherit the same philosophy that reflects elegance, continuous innovation and genuine hospitality creating a truly unique hotel experience

About Langham Hotels International: Langham Hotels International (LHI) features six properties with over 2,700 rooms in five gateway cities across the four continents, namely, London, Boston, Hong Kong (2), Melbourne and Auckland. In each city Langham Hotels is associated with the prestigious “The Leading Hotels of the World” group which represents some of the world’s finest luxury hotels.

LHI is wholly owned by Great Eagle Holdings Limited a publicly listed company (HKSE: 41) which was founded in 1963 and was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1972.

Travel experiences: Italy

Milan Misadventures

Giorgio Armani and me, we don’t often cross paths. Tina Turner sends him a panther every Christmas; I watch Peterborough Panthers speedway team occasionally. He’s got an estimated fortune of 4 billion; until recently I spent Friday nights sitting on a Tesco till. As he sat in his mansion, I was hunting down my 13.50-per-night hostel.

After a day spent investigating the Duomo cathedral, I sought some less sophisticated entertainment; there’s only so much refinement you can stand on a Saturday afternoon. Even though Milan is a destination known for fashion, style and elegance, these were far from my mind when entering a pub imaginatively named The Football Bar’ to watch some British sport after a day of continental culture.

With Six Nations rugby on TV, I grabbed the last remaining table. A few lads wandered in, briefcases in tow, fresh from a conference. I offered seats, and was soon explaining the morals behind England fielding a Tonga-born former New Zealand international in a match against Wales, to a Scotsman, an Australian and an Italian. This seemed to go down well, the suits suitably impressed with my passable sporting knowledge.

They were interested enough to keep the drinks coming my way, and convinced me – through the persuasive power of Peroni – to join them for dinner. With only 15 Euros in my wallet, thankfully they were picking up the tab. I felt slightly out of place as champagne and lobster began to be served. Finally, I asked: “So what exactly is it you do?” Turns out I was in the midst of 16 international law firm partners, which came in handy when the bill reached two grand.

I thought it was time to depart, only to find I was on the guest list at “some club or other.” This was Armani Prive, Giorgio’s private nightclub, noted by theworldsfinestclubs.com for its “exclusive, luxurious atmosphere of personal expression.” My personal expression was crazed bewilderment, being the only non-millionaire/supermodel inside, dressed more H&M than D&G.

Realising the best way of fitting in with my newfound friends was a combination of polite nodding and gratuitous leering, I exited at 4am. But, unbeknown to me, the paparazzi were waiting. As they snapped away I considered a Bjork-esque attack on them for daring invade my privacy. Instead, I made my way to the hostel, reminiscing about my night of glamour before reality hit in the form of stale-bread for breakfast.

Nursing From the Beginning

Nursing from the beginning has existed in various forms in every culture, while the definition of nursing and its practice has changed significantly over time. The oldest form of the word is found in the English language from the 14th century and referred to a woman employed to suckle and generally care for a younger child. In the 15th century, nursing developed in the idea of looking after or advising another, and not necessarily meaning a woman looking after a child. The idea of nourishing in the broadest sense refers in modern nursing to promoting quality of life.

When this concept took its birth, nuns and the military often provided nursing-like services. The religious and military roots of modern nursing remain in evidence today in many countries.

During the World War, a significant development in nursing history arose when Florence Nightingale, working to improve conditions of soldiers in the Crimean War, laid the foundation stone of professional nursing with the principles.

New Zealand was the first country to regulate nurses nationally, with the implementation of the Nurses Registration Act on the 12th of September, 1901. Ellen Dougherty was the first Registered Nurse. North Carolina was the first state in the United States to pass a nursing licensure law in 1903.

Today Nurses are often in key management roles within health services and hold research posts at universities.

Nursing as a profession

The aim of the worldwide nursing community is to develop the profession guided by continuing education based on nursing research, and to regulate standards of competency and ethics. There are a number of educational paths to becoming a professional nurse, but all involve extensive study of nursing theory and practice and training in clinical skills.

The authority for the practice of nursing is based upon a social contract that outlines professional rights and responsibilities as well as mechanisms for public accountability. In almost all countries, nursing practice is defined and governed by law, and entrance to the profession is regulated at national or state level.

Nursing practice:

Nursing practice is mainly the caring relationship between the nurse and the patient in their care. In providing nursing care, nurses are implementing the nursing care plan, which is based on a nursing assessment.

Definition:

“Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles.”

International Council of Nurses

NCLEX Introduction:

The NCLEX tests are required to receive professional licensure in the field of nursing and are created by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). The NCLEX means National Council Licensure Examination.

The NCLEX tests are designed to be one of the final hurdles in nursing career. Consequently, the questions focus on the ability of the candidate to make decisions in various patient care scenarios under critical conditions. The NCLEX test requires that the candidate understand the basic principles of nursing and apply this to different elements of patient safety management.

The key NCLEX testing tips are stated as follows:

1. Assess, Assess, Assess: In almost all cases something can be done before contacting the MD.

2. Prioritize: Delegate to the appropriate support personal and prioritize your tasks.

3. Review Medical Terminology: Understand the definition of all medical abbreviations and terminology used in the NCLEX questions.

Schools of Nursing:

Aga Khan University School of Nursing:

Established in 1980, Aga Khan University School of Nursing (AKU-SON) was the first academic component of AKU and its Faculty of Health Sciences. The School offers several programs in nursing, including a three-year Diploma Program, Pakistan’s first four year BScN and a two-year Post RN BScN, as well as the first Master of Science in Nursing (MScN) which started in October 2001. Four-year BScN and MScN are the only program of its kind in Pakistan.

Since its commencement, AKU-SON has played a leading role in establishing an internationally acceptable model for nursing education and practice in Pakistan, and has trained 2,232 nurses

Pakistan became the first Muslim country to achieve chapter status in the Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) global network when, in 2000, Aga Khan University School of Nursing Honour Society received its Charter.

Pakistan Institute of medical Sciences:

History:

The School of Nursing is one of the components of the Pakistan Institute of medical Sciences Islamabad. The School of Nursing organized in September 14 1987. The School of Nursing is affiliated with Nursing Board, Lahore-Pakistan. The total covered area will be 19942Sq.f.t and that of hostel will be 43485sq.ft.

Course Offered:

Duration of basic nursing is for three years and that of midwifery is one year. During the course the courses related to the medical profession and nursing care has been taught.

Facilities:

School of Nursing granted remuneration to the students according to existing government rules. School of Nursing provides accommodation facilities to the students subject to its availability.

Ziauddin Medical University:

Background:

The School of Nursing was established in 1986 and received recognition by the Pakistan Nursing Council in the same year while the School of Midwifery was recognized in 1990.

Programme Objective:

The program is designed to produce competent nurses and midwives equipped with the necessary knowledge and skill to contribute to the improvement of health of individual(s) and family(s) in the hospital and community by applying the principles of nursing and primary health care. Students experienced clinical training in community and hospitals including Ziauddin Medical University hospitals.

Academic Programs Offered:

Diploma in General Nursing (3 years)

Diploma in Midwifery (One Year (Post Basic)

Diploma in General Nursing Program (18 months)

Diploma in Pupil Midwifery (18 months)

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