Surrounded by the sea and archipelago, Helsinki offers you an exciting city vacation or a relaxing retreat in beautiful natural surroundings. There is plenty to see and experience throughout the year. Helsinki offers a diverse cultural life, architectural gems an quality shopping opportunities. Daily guided tours, dozens of intersting museums and countless other sights guarantee that time will simply fly when you visit Helsinki! Helsinki is a city of contrasts in which the urban lifestyle is flavoured by the sea and surrounding nature. The summer heat and midnight sun inspire the city's inhabitants to occupy the many parks and terraces in the centre of town. During the winter season, the city's active cultural life offers something for everyone. Sunny days are perfect for walking on the frozen sea, while the fascinating darkness is ideal for exploring the nightlife. Helsinki is a modern capital that is both youthful and relaxed and where friendly people always feel themselves welcome.

The Polynesians arrived in the Hilo area about 1100 A.C. They eventually inhabited the shores of Hilo Bay, farmed their crops, fished and traded their goods along the Wailuku River.  In the late 1700’s, the days of King Kamehameha’s rule, Hilo was the center of political activity and social growth. It was the prime place for the King to build his army of ships designed for conquering the Hawaiian Islands. By 1791 native Hawaiians had traveled as far as the United States and China. The King befriended many of the foreigners who traveled to the islands. With such considerable traveling, the Hawaiian way of life soon became influenced by products ranging from iron to livestock to non-native seeds.    Hilo became a stopping place for explorers, whaling ships, traders and those curious about active volcanoes. By the 1900’s, Hilo had grown into a commercial center. The sugar industry was booming, a number of wharves had been constructed, the breakwater was begun and a new railroad connected Hilo with other parts of the island. Then in 1946 – and again in 1960 – two destructive tsunamis swept Hilo’s Bayfront causing the relocation of Hilo’s government and commercial life. When the town was rebuilt, a large park and roadway were situated between the buildings and the shoreline to absorb future tidal waves.   Besides being a rare surviving example of an Hawaiian plantation town, cultural diversity is one of Hilo’s special charms. The local term, “mixed plate”, describes well the impact made by Polynesians, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Koreans, other Pacific Islanders and Europeans on Hilo’s mixed-race culture of today. All these ethnic groups blend in the faces of the people who give Hilo its charm. Its diverse shopping opportunities, its small scale and its friendliness makes Hilo the perfect town in which to linger just a little longer. 

Energetic, stunning and exciting, Montego Bay summons the hedonist, gourmet, and golfer in all of us to come out and play. Today many explorations of Montego Bay are conducted from a reclining chair -- frothy drink in hand -- on Doctor's Cave Beach. As home of the north shore Airport, Montego Bay, or MoBay, is the first taste most visitors have of the island. It's the second-largest city in Jamaica and has the busiest cruise pier. Travelers from around the world come and go in this bustling community year-round. The name Montego is derived from manteca (lard in Spanish). The Spanish first named this Bahia de Manteca or Lard Bay. Why? The Spanish once shipped hogs from this port city. Jamaican tourism began here in 1924, when the first resort opened at Doctor's Cave Beach so that health-seekers could "take the waters." Montego Bay is also a paradise for golf lovers. With five world championship courses, Mobay is a cut above par. Hit a few with breathtaking mountain vistas or the turquoise Caribbean, creating the backdrop for an exciting round. If you can pull yourself away from the water's edge or the golf course, you can find some very interesting colonial sights in the surrounding area.

This is Patagonia's largest and most commercially important city. Located on the western side of the Strait of Magellan with a superb port and the only large airport in the area, it is the major hub for boat transport through the strait and research vessels on their way to or from Antarctica. For the visitor, Punta Arenas is better known as the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park, 400 kilometers to the northwest. This unique town grew up on wool and international shipping before the Panama Canal opened. In the late 19th century, huge fortunes made by sheep farming left the city with distinguished mansions, some of them now museums and other monuments. Summer cruise ships from Punta Arenas travel to Antarctica, where Chile claims a sector of the icebound continent. You can also begin a scenic ferry cruise through the Chilean fjords from Puerto Natales, sailing north to Puerto Montt, in the southern mainland lake region.

Road Town is the main town of the BVI and is the center of commerce and population. Still, the BVI only have about 15,000 people so it's not particularly large and getting around is easy and safe even late at night. The center of town is primarily 2 streets about 5 blocks long... well it's a little larger, but not much. You're likely to see goats, cows and donkeys, or local resident selling coconuts from a shopping cart. (Don't pass up the coconut.) Wander around and enjoy some interesting shops. Don't miss a roti at Roti Palace (worth the search) or dinner at CafeSito, or lunch or a drink at Pusser's. A good dancing spot is Paradise Club (there are at least 3 "Paradise" bars in the BVI. This one is close to Prospect Reef Resort.) Within the town, there is a delightful botanical garden. Wickham's Cay has a nice little shopping area around an old windmill. This is the "new" area, much more "touristy" than the old main street. Far more touristy than that is the "market" created for the cruise ship crowd which is most fun and has the best prices -- for "t" shirts and the like -- after the crowd has evaporated. While the cruise ships have "found" the BVI, they are a minor annoyance still -- nothing like what St. Thomas (USVI) withstands. Luckily the BVI can only support small ships. The major inconvenience caused by them is the cruise ship dock created for their use which complicates the entrance into the main anchorage. An already tight channel was squeezed in the process. But the channel markers are true. Just stay within the channel markers as you pass the breakwater.