WICKED
So Much Happened Before Dorothy Dropped In
WICKED opened on Broadway in 2003 and has been playing to sold-out audiences around the world ever since. Winner of 20 major awards including the Grammy and three Tony Awards, today WICKED is “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” The New York Times and is one of the most successful shows in theatre history with productions in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, a North American tour, London’s West End and Tokyo.
It is has finally hit the stage in the Land Down Under at the Regent Theatre, in Melbourne last year and continues to be the top rating show in Melbourne.
WICKED is the untold story of the Land of Oz long before Dorothy drops in. When you find out what really went on it tends to be more complicated. Why the Tim Man had no heart or the cowardly Lion is so cowardly! Where did the ruby slippers come from and why does the Wicked Witch of the West want them back so bad.
WICKED tells this tale of the two girls who meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald green skin, who is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Experience their remarkable journey down the yellow brick road and discover how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.
Book your tickets now for this spellbinding extravaganza! Prices start from $184 per night.
Tickets Includes:
· 1 night’s accommodation at the participating hotel of your choice
· ‘A’ Reserve ticket to Wicked
For availability, prices and bookings, phone ABC Travel today on 02 9222 7777
Canberra… more than just Parliament House and War Memorials
Canberra… more than just Parliament House and War Memorials
Canberra is full of fantastic experiences for visitors. From sport, to the arts, from fine dining to science and technology, you will find something for everyone when you visit Canberra.
Celebrate Australia’s proud sporting achievements at the Australian Institute of Sport. Watch the ACT Brumbies compete in a Super 14’s Rugby game at Canberra Stadium. See the green machine of the Canberra Raiders playing in the NRL.
Canberra is a great destination for food lovers. Did you know Canberra has a thriving wine district? There are over 140 wineries, specialising in cool climate wines, located within 30 mins drive from the centre of Canberra.
See our country and our people through the eyes of our artists at the National Gallery of Australia, in Canberra. Current exhibitions include Degas (till 22 March 2009). The gallery also has a permanent exhibition of indigenous art through to modern masterpieces.
Ever wanted to know what it felt like to experience an earthquake? A visit to Questacon – the National Science and Technology Centre will excite and entertain you.
After all this sightseeing you may be feeling a bit hungry. Canberra has an abundance of restaurants, bars, cafes, and clubs to dine in. From fine dining to a bar snacks, you will be sure to find something to your taste in Canberra. Looking for a place to have a drink. Fashionable inner city suburbs such as Manuka, Kingston and Dickson have some of Canberra’s best clubs and cocktail bars.
Why not come and see the Capital of Australia? There is more to Canberra than you might expect.
CHINA
China Destinations
2. Beijing
Beijing is definitely most traveler’s number one choice destination in China. I have been to Beijing a few times myself. As the capital city, Beijing certainly is the political, cultural and economic centre of China. The 2008 Beijing Olympic game have made it more attractive to tourists. Not only stadiums like Bird’s nest, water cube were build for the game, billions of dollars were invested in city’s infrastructure.
If you want to go to Beijing, there is no better time.
History
Beijing has been at the center of China’s cultural and political life for more than seven centuries. The archeological record was found, which shows human settlement in the Beijing area as early as the 11th century BC. By the 8th century AD, the Yan Kingdom established its capital of Yanjing in the area, giving way after the Warring States Period to the Qin Dynasty, which united China in 221 BC.
Bejing gained its prominence in the 13th century AD when it was established as capital of the Yuan Dynasty. Marco Polo was impressed by Beijing, and his tales inspired generations of foreign explorers to seek better trade routes to the East.
History definitely left Beijing with numerous treasures: the Forbidden City, grey brick hutong neighborhoods, Tian’anmen Square, the ancient imperial gardens, Summer Place. You got to stay there for months to be able to see all these attractions.
Nowadays, Bejing is the mix of modern glass concrete sky rise and traditional red
walls and Huntongs.
Attractions and where
Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, the Great Wall, Ming Tomb, Hutong, Lama Temple, Beihai Park, Beijing Capital Museum, Yashow Market and more
Great Wall of China at Badaling: Tourist Bus no. 919, departing from Desheng Men (near Jishuitan Metro Station) heads directly to Badaling. Many arrange transportation from their hotels or via agents. A private driver will give you more flexibility than signing up with a group, but you pay for it.
Bird’s Nest - Beijing National Stadium: Situated in Beijing’s new Olympic Green, the Bird’s Nest canbe accessed via subway Line 10. Get off at Beitucheng Station.
Beijing World Park :Located in Dabaotai, Huaxiang Town, Fengtai District of Beijing, 17 km from Tiananmen Square.
Fragrant Hills Park: 40 Maimai Jie, Haidian District.
Temple of Heaven: Tiantan Lu, Chongwen District. Located several kilometers away from the Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City: 4 Jingshan Qian Jie, Dongcheng District
The Summer Palace: 19 Xinjian Gongmen Lu, Haidian District
Recommended Hotels
There are various hotels in Bejing suit for different budgets. Most hotel chains have built their hotels in Beijing. Price range is from 200yuan to 3000yuan.
The below are the recommended hotels.
Beijing Hilton Hotel
Huandao Boya Hotel
Moonriver Courtyard Hotel
RGHCM Garden Resorts
JW Marriott Hotel Beijing
Beijing Guangming Hotel
Grand Hotel Beijing
Village View Resort
Food & Restaurants
A lot of travelers said, you are wasting your trip if you don’t try the local food. Bejing certainly has the most variety of food and restaurants. These are some traditional or modern Chinese restaurants for you to try
Yu Xiang Yuan
This hotpot chain offers a few twists on the old Chinese favorite. Diners have their own individual hotpots, rather than sharing one, and the emphasis is on beef.
Lu Bo Lang
Give this one a try if you’re interested in the sweeter side of Chinese cuisine, in this case, Shanghainese. The chain claims itself fit for a queen, thanks to Queen Elizabeth’s reputed sampling.
Jin Shan Cheng
This popular Beijing chain has rapidly gained a large following. With at least 24 locations around town, Jin Shan Cheng serves up well-prepared spicy down-home Sichuan fare.
Han Na Shan
Korean barbeque has become a hugely popular dining experience in China, and an experience it most certainly is.
Hangzhou Xin Kai Yuan Da Jiudian
For a taste of a lighter, less spicy Chinese food try this restaurant specializing in Hangzhou cuisine, where spices and sauces play second fiddle to the natural flavors.
Beijing Gong Zheng Wei Restaurant
Although this restaurant is a little bit hard to find (have someone write the address down for you in Chinese), it is well worth the adventure.
Baoyu Wangzi
Baoyu Wangzi, opened by reputable Chef Yang Guanyi and his two favorite apprentices, arguably serves the best Cantonese food in all of Beijing.
Bai Zhou Xiang
Bai Zhou Xiang is a chain restaurant famous for its congee (zhou), a pudding or porridge-like concoction based on rice or other grains—think of it as Chinese comfort food.
There are way too many to list here. You just have to go to those local restaurants to find out yourself.
LUNA PARK - LJ Hooker’s 80th Birthday celebrations
LUNA PARK
Make Luna Park the special Venue for your next party, wedding, meeting or function near the water, this exciting park offers so much to all ages.
With spectacular harbour views, this famous Sydney amusement park offers more than just clowns, rides and flashing lights. Luna Park offers ten stylish function room catering for small groups of 60 or large event of 2000 and provides a unique elegant look for all types of events.
Recently Australia Business and Conference Travel organised LJ Hooker’s 80th Birthday celebrations at the Crystal Palace, Luna Park. With over 500 guests, the park was hired exclusively for LJ Hooker to celebrate this grand evening, with all rides open and fully operational for all guests to enjoy.
The Crystal Ballroom can cater for 300 guest’s banquet style or 600 for a private cocktail party. This room has the latest audio visual technology and pillarless 180 degree views of Sydney Harbour including the Harbour Bridge, Opera House and City.
Luna Park has many functions rooms to offer. For more information contact Australia Business & Conference Travel on 9222 7777.
VERONA - ITALY
VERONA is the ideal place for your next holiday.
It is a city where you can get from place to place on foot and it
offers many opportunities to meet people. You can also
go on excursions in the surrounding areas and visit other splendid cities in
Veneto and bordering regions. Verona is more charming than ever in
summer and is also an ideal place to strike up conversations and
friendships. Info: http://www.tourism.verona.it
The Arena and the opera: it’s a great attraction in Verona. The best
preserved Roman amphitheatre in Italy has witnessed no less than 20
centuries of the city’s history. Its extraordinary fame derives from the opera,
a form of entertainment, which has made the Arena one of its immortal
temples. Since 1913 the Arena has been home to the world’s most famous
lyrical singers and the most visited Opera. Great operas, recitals and
ballets are on the summer programme every year, among which the famous
“Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi.
Information: http://www.arena.it
Romeo and Juliet: every day the courtyard of Juliet’s house fills with
visitors from all over the world drawn by Shakespeare’s eternal myth which
goes well beyond national borders. Every summer, in the Roman Theatre
an important festival of Shakespeare plays is held.
Museums: the cultural heritage of Verona can also be seen in its
museums. The Archaeological Museum is situated at the Roman Theatre,
while the collections of medieval and modern art are housed in
Castelvecchio, a medieval castle, once the seat of the Scala family. Among
the other cultural institutions there are: the Gallery of Modern Art in Palazzo
Forti, the eighteenth century Maffeian Lapidary Museum, the archaeological
excavations of the Palazzi Scaligeri and others.
Churches: the churches of Verona provide the basis for an unforgettable
itinerary, in particular the Basilica of San Zeno that is a wonderful example
of the Romanesque style as the Cathedral, and the church of S. Anastasia
good example of Gothic style.
Discovering Verona on foot: those who like walking will find in Verona the
main streets and the most beautiful squares of the old city closed to traffic.
By walking, the visitor will discover the real feel and atmosphere of daily life
in the city: from Piazza Erbe which is the heart of the ancient town to Piazza
Brà, where the Arena can be admired; from Piazza dei Signori to the
panoramic view of Castel San Pietro. By walking, visitors can discover the
private gardens among which the Giusti Garden is a truly enchanting
example of the classic Italian garden.
Lake, hills, plains and mountains: the splendid variety.Verona is
beautiful, but also its surrounding province is fascinating. Within just a few
kilometres of the city, whichever direction you set out in, you can enjoy the
most different sceneries: to the west there is Lake Garda with the
spectacular mountain chain of Monte Baldo dominating the lake, the hills
which separate Veneto from Lombardy, where the famous vineyards of
Valpolicella and Soave wines are cultivated, to the south the plains with
their agricultural traditions, to the north the pre-Alps hills and the Lessinia
mountains. In the varied nature of the landscape all kinds of sports are
available: golf, horse riding, mountain bike riding, trekking, skiing,
paragliding, fishing, canoeing, sailing, windsurfing.
Lake Garda: loved and praised by poets and writers, Lake Garda attracts
tourists from all over the world every year, for its mild climate, the
enchanting Mediterranean landscape and warm hospitality. There are small
harbours and villages like Peschiera, Lazise, Bardolino, Garda, Torri and
Malcesine, perfectly preserved.There are beaches and parks. Unforgettable
views can be seen from Monte Baldo, considered the “garden of Europe”,
home to the rarest of flora.
Info: http://www.gardanet.it - www.gardalake.it
Lessinia: this mountainous area, valuable for geology, fauna and
landscape, became a Regional Natural Park in 1990. You can go walking,
visit the small museums and taste the typical local food.
Churches, castles, villas and wine cellars: there are wonderful itineraries
that can be followed on foot or by car. In the province of Verona there are
Romanesque churches, medieval castles built by the Scala family and villas
of the Veronese aristocracy built from the sixteenth to the eighteenth
centuries. Besides let us not forget the wine cellars where you can taste
excellent wines which are famous throughtout the world: the red wines like
Valpolicella, Amarone, Recioto, Bardolino and the white wines like Soave,
and Custoza. Accompanying the wines there is a fine tradition in cooking:
the tortellini of Valeggio, rice from Isola della Scala, cheese from Lessinia,
fish from Lake Garda, Pandoro cake and many typical specialities to be
discovered.
SUMMER CRUISE SEASON
SIZZLING SUMMER CRUISE SEASON CONTINUES AS AUSTRALIA BECOMES A KEY GROWTH CRUISE MARKET.
This summer has been the busiest season for visiting overseas cruise lines to Australian ports.
This interest is due to the growth of the Australian cruise market which is considered by overseas cruise companies to have a real opportunity to become one of the top five source markets.
This month sees a visit of Cunard Line’s ‘Queen Mary 2’ making her own grand entrance to Sydney harbour as she continues on her circumnavigation of the world offering guests a full World Cruise or a variety of shorter options.
Carnival Australia has recognised Australia as one of its key growth areas and currently considers Australia in its top 10 markets worldwide.
Some of Carnival’s many ships that will be visiting our shores over the next few months include the Aurora, Dawn Princess, Sun Princess & Pacific Dawn.
One of our favourite cruise companies, Royal Caribbean has had their amazing ‘Rhapsody of the Seas’ and Celebrity’s ‘Millennium’ down under enjoying the very successful summer season.
The cruise industry has 38 new ships under construction globally, and with Australia reporting double digit figures in 2008, there is real cause for optimism.
Industry leaders believe that the all inclusive nature of cruising stands it in good stead with passengers being aware of the full cost their holiday before travelling.
With all the many exciting destinations available choosing to cruise still remains a great holiday option.