Visiting Joshua Tree National Park, California

Joshua Tree National Park is nearly 800,000 acres large and surrounds parts of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in South-central California. Although barren at first glance, the park is full of wildlife and provides a variety of entertainment activities from hiking to climbing. Within a three-hour drive, Joshua Tree National Park takes at least a full day to visit.

Things to do

l Hiking opportunities within the park include several choices, from 12 self-guided nature routines to all-day back-country hikes.

l Joshua Tree NP has nine camping grounds, and back-country camping is also allowed.

l Rock climbing is a popular activity in the park, which has 10 mountains greater than5,000 feet in height.

   When to visit

Joshua Tree NP is open 365 days a year, although the best time to visit is October through April, when temperature is milder. The peak season is when the wild flowers bloom, and the summer months are the least crowded.

What to bring

In addition to your camera and telescope, be sure to carry lots of water. Park and guiding maps can be picked up at any of the three visitor centers.

Fees

l Parking fees: You can buy a seven-day vehicle permit (周票) for $ 15, a single entry permit for $ 5, or Joshua Tree National Park annual（每年的）pass for $ 60.

l Camping fees: They vary（变化）by camping ground

The value­packe d, all­inclusive sight­seeing package that combines the best of Sydneyˈs harbour, city, bay and beach highlights.

  A SydneyPass gives you unlimited and flexible travel on the Explorer Buses: the ‘red’ Sydney Explorer shows you around our exciting city sights while the ‘blue’ Bondi Explorer visits Sydney Harbour bays and famous beaches. Take to the water on one of three magnificent daily harbour cruises(游船). You can also travel free on regular Sydney Buses, Sydney Ferries or CityRail services (limited area), so you can go to every corner of this beautiful city.

  Imagine browsing at Darling Harbour, sampling the famous seafood at Watsons Bay or enjoying the city lights on an evening ferry cruise. The possibilities and plans are endless with a SydneyPass. Wherever you decide to go, remember that bookings are not required on any of our services so tickets are treated on a first in, first seated basis.

  SydneyPasses are available for 3, 5 or 7 days for use over a 7 calendar day period. With a 3 or 5 day pass you choose on which days out of the 7 you want to use it. All SydneyPasses include a free Airport Express inward trip before starting your 3, 5 or 7 days, and the return trip is valid (有效的) for 2 months from the first day your ticket was used.

SydneyPass Fares

*A child is defined as anyone from the ages of 4 years to under 16 years. Children under 4 years travel free.

**A famil y is defined as 2 adults and any number of children from 4 to under 16 years of age from the same family.

For teenagers, itˈs great fun to explore new places and it feels like an adventure, even when you know youˈre not the first to have been there. But to make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles, the following tips may be helpful.

 ◆Do the map reading if youˈre being driven somewhere. Itˈll be easier if you keep the map following the direction you are traveling in. Keep looking ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn, or youˈll have to move to the back seat.

 ◆Get a group of friends together and go exploring. Youˈll need a good map, a compass(指南针) , a raincoat, a cell phone to call for help in case you get lost, and a bit of spare cash for emergencies(紧急事件) .Tell someone where youˈre going before you set out and let them know what time you expect to be back. The purpose of the activity is in not getting lost, not in seeing how fast you can go, so always stick together, waiting for slower friends to catch up.

 ◆See if your school or a club organizes orienteering（越野识途比赛）activities, in which you need a map and a compass to find your way. This can be done as a sport, with teams trying to find the way from A to B(and B to C, etc. ) in the fastest time, or simply as a spare-time activity. It enables you to be familiar with the use of maps and compass and gain some special skills. In some way, it’s not only good fun, but also a great way to keep fit.

Traveling can be a very fun and exciting way to vacation with your family, but it does not always turn out as expected. I have traveled a lot with my family over the years, but some experiences are worth forgetting altogether. I remember a particular traveling experience which sticks out in my mind for the wrong reasons.

My dad and stepmom had decided to drive to California for our family vacation. This was supposed to provide educational value, since we would be able to stop along the way and look at various sites in each state. Everything was going as planned until we decided to take a break and stop at the Grand Canyon(大峡谷). I had always wanted to see this exciting place and had decided to write a report on it for my eight-grade English class. We got out of the car and were walking on one of the paths to get to a cliff(悬崖) so we could take a family photo when I slipped(滑倒) and fell down. I fell on a piece of rock, and felt great pain run up my leg at once. My dad took me to the nearest hospital and, after an eight-hour wait in the emergency room（急诊室）, found out that I broke two bones in my foot.

Needless to say, our vacation was no fun for me because I was in pain during the whole two-week trip. I ended up making an appointment the day we got home to see a doctor for a check-up. That was definitely not what I consider fun or a great vacation, and it really put a dent in our sightseeing plans.

                                                                                         Worlds of Fun    

Location:Worlds of Fun is located off Highway 435 in Kansas City, Missouri.

History:Worlds of Fun was opened on May 26, 1973, at a cost of 25 million dollars. Loosely themed around the Jules Verne book, Around the World in Eighty Days, the park was founded by Hunt Midwest Company. In 1982, Hunt Midwest bought a nearby waterpark, Oceans of Fun. In 2013, Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun were combined to a one ticket admission, providing all guests with access to 235 acres of amusement and water rides.

Hours:Worlds of Fun is open from April through Halloween.

Tickets: Buy and print online. Always try to buy your tickets in advance, to save time when you get to the park.

Reservations:Worlds of Fun sells “Fast Lane” cards that save riders’ time by allowing them to bypass the majority of wait for most of rides and attractions including Mamba, Prowler, and Patriot. Ride as many times as you want all day long.

Strategy:Most visitors tend to begin the day with Prowler, the hottest attraction in the park. Use that tendency to your advantage and head to the Patriot first. After that, try the Dragons. Then work your way back to the Prowler. After riding the Prowler, there is only one coaster left, Mamba. Hit it next. If the park is not very crowded, you can ride Boomerang on the way to Mamba. After riding Mamba, head back for a ride on the Wolf. By then you will have tried most of the popular rides and attractions in the shortest possible time.

News: In 2017, Worlds of Fun is adding Steel Hawk, a ride that will take guests up 301 feet in the air and spin them at a 45-degree angle for a 60-second flight. Wait to have a try!

Taking a swamp(沼泽地) tour in the U.S. is a different experience from a trip in any other country. We discovered alligators(鳄鱼) on a swamp tour in New Orleans. The swamp looked like it was from a film. It felt like we were in a jungle, an area that was covered with a thick growth of trees and all kinds of plants. I felt mystery there, but it was peaceful, wild and silent.

  The captain introduced everything around the swamp and pointed out where alligators were. We were luckier than others because we discovered ten alligators. They looked like old trees. Their skin color was deep green, and they were very still, like dead trees.

   The captain caught a smaller alligator. The baby alligator looked like a toy. When I touched it, its skin felt like piece of rough paper and cold ice. I could hear its voice while everyone touched it. Although the baby alligator was young, it was still sensitive. Every time people took a picture with it, it got very excited. When it opened its eyes, they were as bright as stars. It seemed smarter than old alligators.

    Taking a swamp tour was exciting and novel. It was the most interesting thing I've ever seen. I think this was a great tour for my first American adventure.

  Seeing a volcano erupt (喷发) is a wonderful experience, and you can really feel the heat by climbing to the summit of Pacaya for a close-up view. There are guided tours every day up this highly active volcano from Antigua, giving travelers a chance to see Mother Nature at her most powerful.

       Pacaya is an easy drive from Antigua, a beautiful city with many colorful houses along its old streets that are turned into art-works during its Holy Week festival. No matter when you come to Antigua, you won’t miss the Pacaya-tour companies.

       But climbing Pacaya is no easy job: it is 2560 metres high, and reaching the summit takes two to three hours of seemingly one-step-forward and two-step-back movements. As you climb, you hear the dull sounds of eruptions high above. Steaming, hot remains from recent eruptions begin to line the path as you near the active summit: the McKenney Cone(火山锥). Just as though you were going to walk over to the edge of the cone, the road turns to the left and up to the relative safety of the old, inactive summit.

       Many tours are timed so that you arrive at the cone of the volcano in plenty of time for sunset and the full contrast between the erupting red lava(熔岩) and the darkening sky. On a good day the view from the summit is extremely exciting. The active mouth boils, sending red lava over its sides, and once in a while shoots hot streams up to 100 metres into the air. There is a strong bad smell in the air even if you take care to be upwind of the cone. As evening turns deeper into the night, the burning lava quietly falls down the side of the volcano. For you, too, it is time to get down.

There have been a lot of castles built in Britain over the centuries. They range from the more famous and better preserved castles such as Windsor Castle and the Tower of London, to those less famous and a little less well looked after, such as a personal favourite of mine Peveril Castle, that can be found in the village of Castleton in Derbyshire.

Although the Romans brought stone working skills with them to Britain when they invaded(入侵)and built stone forts(堡垒)across the country, the Anglo-Saxon people, who settled in what is now England after the Romans left, largely dismissed their style of building in favour of wooden structures. It is not until the Norman conquest of 1066 that castles in the truest sense of the word began to appear in Britain, when they were built as places of refuge（避难所）for what was an invading force, a strategy used again in later centuries during England’s invasions of Wales and Scotland.

Some of the best castles to visit in Britain are built on the borderlands where England meets with Wales or Scotland, a memento(纪念品)of the English——Norman expansionist policy of the middle age. These are some of the most remarkable looking castles to be found in the country, dominating the landscapes they inhabit（栖息）.

Entry to most of the castles run by English Heritage, Historic Scotland and Cadw is reasonably priced, but if you are intending to visit lots of castles it might be worth your while joining one of the heritage groups, which one would depend on which area you will be in. It is worth bearing in mind that if you join any of these three groups you will be able to get half priced entry into any of the properties run by the other two. Needless to say not all castles are run by heritage(遗产)trusts, some of the better preserved are still in use and are either owned privately or by the State, many of these are still open to visitors, but they may be a bit more expensive.

Further information on the heritage trusts mentioned earlier, including the properties they run, you can click the following websites:

www. cadw. wales. gov. uk           www. historic-scotland. gov. uk

www engLish-heritage. org. uk        www. nationaltrust. org. uk

You know Australia is a big country, but you may not know how easy it is to get around. The untouched beaches that go for miles and deserts that touch the horizon are just there, waiting to be reached and explored. The following are the different ways you can explore our vast country.

Air

Flying is the best way to cover large distances in a short time. You can spend more time on the Australia’s can’t­miss landscapes and relaxing lifestyle. Moreover, competition among airlines makes great flying fees available for you.

Drive

“Australia has a vast network of well­maintained roads and some of the most beautiful touring routes in the world. You have no difficulty finding car rental companies at major airports, central city locations, suburbs and attractions.

Bus

Bus travel in Australia is comfortable, easy and economical. Buses generally have air conditioning, reading lights, adjustable seats and videos. Services are frequent, affordable and efficient.

Rail

Train travel is the cheapest and gives you an insight into Australia’s size and variety, all from the comfort of your carriage. Scheduled services are a great way to get quickly between our cities and regional centers.

Ferry(轮渡)

The Spirit of Tasmania runs a passenger and vehicle ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania nightly.Extra services are running during summer rush hours. Sea­link ferries connect South Australia and Kangaroo Island several times a day. Ferries connect suburbs in our capital cities.

Walk

With easy­on­the­feet pedestrian streets, walking is a great way to get around our cities. Besides all the above, you can also experience some of the longest tracks and trails in the world in central Australia—impressive journeys of a thousand kilometers or more that can take several weeks to complete.