Wednesday, February 4, 2009

FINLAND: Land of forests and lakes Travel Guide

The nation lies between Sweden and Russia and is a neighbor of Norway. It is a clean and quiet nation.


Finland, which longs for the few sunny days it gets, has only a very brief summer. The winter days here seem as though they will never end. Conversely, during the summer months in Finland it sometimes seems like the sun never sets. This country is famous for the reindeer and sleigh-pulling huskies that live in its northern regions. With its beautiful blue lakes and rivers, Finland's forests, which cover a good 75 percent of its land, are a gorgeous shade of green. In fact, with 23 million hectares of forest, Finland has the most forestland in all of Europe.
The industrialization of Finland began during the 19th century with the processing of its forest products. In fact, forests are still the most important source of raw materials for Finland.

The resolute efforts and hard work of the Finnish people in past years mean that they now inhabit a nation which, despite having been at one point a country of swamps, is now one of the most developed nations on earth. Finland produces internationally recognized brands of electronics and metal goods and is also famous for its engineering capabilities. Its goods sell well in world markets. Finland is a leader not only in production, but in trade as well. One of the greatest factors in this nation's growth during the 1990s was the spread of cell phones and other telecommunications technology. Today, this nation is both modern and developed.
Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and converted its currency to euros in 2002. The country has a population of 5,250,000. Newspapers sell an average of 3 million copies per day. A majority of these sales are to regular subscribers.

Helsinki, the capital of Finland, is a port city founded in 1550. It is the northernmost EU capital, and it hosted the Olympics in 1952. Helsinki is an orderly city with large parks. One of the most famous city squares here is Senate Square. This square is home to Helsinki Cathedral, a large white church with green domes, as well as a statue of Russian Czar Alexander II. The Russians ruled Finland between 1809 and 1917, and before them, the Swedes controlled these lands for many years. In fact, you can see evidence of the years of Swedish rule in the language and culture of Finland today. The official languages of Finland are both Finnish and Swedish, and in fact, both are taught in school. Of course, the Swedish spoken in Finland is a bit different from the Swedish spoken in Sweden. Around 6 percent of all Finnish citizens speak Swedish as a native language. Street and boulevard names are in both Finnish and Swedish here, as are street signs and placards.
The population of Helsinki is around 600,000. Actually, Finland, with its relatively small population, is doing what it can to encourage an increase in birth rates. Financial assistance is offered to families when they have a child, and in fact, these family payments are one of the largest expenditures of the Finnish government's budget. It doesn't matter how rich or poor a Finnish family may be; they will receive a special package from the government for each child they have. These packages include things like blankets, diapers, children's clothing and even toys.
Every morning people living in Helsinki head for the large parks that dot this capital city. The city has dog parks where you can take your dog and let him run free with other dogs all day long if you wish. In fact, there are 15 dog parks in Helsinki alone. Interestingly, Finland also has cemeteries for dogs and cats. These cemeteries are well maintained; you can see dates of birth and death on the headstones at these cemeteries, and candles are lit by the gravesites.
There is an open market near the presidential palace in Helsinki that you must visit if you are in Finland. In fact, because it is near the presidential palace, even the Finnish president sometimes takes her visitors to tour the open market and drink some coffee there. One of the most unique aspects of this open market is that sellers here still use the old liter system rather than a scale to price and sell their goods. For example, when you buy foods like potatoes, peas or mushrooms here, they will measure how many liters of these foods you are buying and charge you accordingly. The price for one liter of peas here is 3 euros, for example. The EU doesn't look warmly on this traditional form of pricing, so it appears that this method will go by the wayside and become history not long from now. The Seurasaari Open-Air Museum in Helsinki is also a very important spot for Finns. One of the first signs that you are about to head off on a historical tour through years past is that when you arrive at the museum, you are greeted by people wearing costumes from the 19th century. Inside the museum, you see examples of old Finnish homes. Visitors can experience old ways of living when they come here; the most distinctive quality of these old Finnish homes is that they are made entirely of wood. The Seurasaari Open-Air Museum is definitely a place to see if you are interested in traditional Finnish life.
Another popular spot to visit in Helsinki is Temppeliaukio Church. Carved from stone, this churched opened for services in 1969.
There are around 188,000 lakes, some large and some small, throughout Finland. Of course, it is not surprising that a country that gets as much rain as Finland does would have so many lakes. The homes that stand beside these lakes are also quite famous in Finland. Many Finns especially relish the idea of being able to spend their vacations on a quiet lakeside, leaving the crowds and chaos of city life far behind.
Another aspect of life much loved by Finns is the sauna. In fact, Finnish society adores saunas, and almost every Finnish home contains its own sauna. Apartment buildings have shared saunas that their residents use together. It is reported that there are 1,700,000 saunas in Finland, which is a lot when you consider that the nation's population is only 5,300,000. The word "sauna" itself comes directly from Finnish. A favorite tradition of Finns vacationing at their lakeside homes is to rush from their saunas straight into a cold lake. It doesn't matter whether it is summer or winter when they do this!
Finns are also known for their love of coffee. They are one of the top coffee consuming countries in the world, with an estimated 20 million cups of coffee drunk per day.
Following Helsinki, the second largest city in Finland is Espoo, with 240,000 residents, and the third largest Finnish city is Tampere, with a population of 200,000. There are two large lakes that lie outside Tampere. One place you must be sure to see in Tampere is the espionage museum. All sorts of interesting tools and devices used by spies are displayed there. Schools in Finland all provide lunch to their students for free. This is a service that everyone receives from preschool all the way through high school. In fact, special lunches are even offered for students from various religious backgrounds. One last note is that alcoholism is a big problem in Finland, not only for men but for women as well. And the divorce rate here is high, as is the unemployment rate. Around 7 percent of country's population is unemployed.


DUBAI: Modern desert warrior Travel Guide


Arabs call Dubai the city of the 21st century. This is a city with skyscrapers in the midst of a vast desert. Petrodollars are reflected in its rapid urbanization. This is the modern face of the Middle East.

Some see it as a city created by combining Arab culture and European style; some view it as the Venice of the Middle East. Dubai is a modern and clean city. You would even think you were taking a stroll in a European or American city if there were no billboards in Arabic. The most luxurious SUVs in the world are on the streets of Dubai. Its residents drive different cars for day and night.
Seven emirates decided to merge in 1958 when a process of dramatic change started because of oil exploration. These emirates founded the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1971; Abu Dhabi was picked as the political capital of the country, while Dubai emerged as the commercial capital. Dubai, which was an endless desert 30 years ago, is now a symbol of money and wealth. The whole city is green despite the fact that it normally receives rain just two times in a year. The city has only one season: summer. However, it is divided into three phases: hot summer, regular summer and mild summer. The city hosts a number of parks, although you usually have to pay 5 dirhams for admission.
Only 20 percent of the city is Arab; there are a number of Filipino, Pakistani, Indian and Thai workers there. Most of these workers do not have their families with them. They want to make money and go back to their native lands. A foreign worker earns 800-2,000 dirhams per month. The workers are expected to speak English. Because rent in the city is generally quite expensive, workers usually have to share their rooms with others. A cab driver makes about $555 each month.
Because the city hosts people from diverse backgrounds, English has become the common language. Arab residents are fluent in this language because of the city's great emphasis on tourism and trade.
Dubai Creek has always occupied a central place in the city; it has played an important role in daily life; now it serves to host key commercial and tourism activities. Boats, called abra, are available for those who want to cross the creek. The abras can carry 30 persons each trip, and the fee is 50 fils (half a dirham).
It would be no exaggeration if we called Dubai a city of hotels. You will encounter a number of 5-star hotels in downtown Dubai. But Burj al-Arab, a 7-star hotel, is the symbol of Dubai and is the only 7-star hotel in the world. Burj al-Arab stands on a small island in the sea and is made of glass and steel; it looks like a sailboat. Before its construction was started, a manmade island was built in the middle of the sea. This took three years, while construction of the hotel lasted for two. The people of Dubai are so proud of this building that even the license plates here include a small picture of it.
Weekends in Dubai fall on Thursday and Friday. The week starts on Saturday. Working hours are also rather different: There is work between 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., then a two-and-a-half hour break followed by another working period between 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Local Arabs are encouraged to marry other local Arabs. When such a marriage happens, the couples are given a large villa and $20,000. If the groom does not have a job, the government arranges employment for him. If necessary, the couples may also be entitled to loans from a bank. However, these incentives do not apply to marriages involving a non-Arab. If a Dubai resident female marries a foreign man, she loses her citizenship. If a man living in Dubai marries a foreign woman, she can be naturalized five years later.
While no trace of the desert is left in downtown Dubai, it is possible to have fun on desert safaris in the rural parts of the emirate. Arranging safari tours is part of the local culture; the tours attract a great deal of attention from foreign tourists. The tours usually start before sunset.
People are excited about experiencing the sunset in the desert, and many hurry to catch a still image of this moment with their cameras, trying to maximize the pleasure of the moment.
Dubai is also famous for its regularly held camel races. These camels are bred in exclusive farms owned by the royal family. The camel races sponsored by the sheikhs are pretty prestigious for them. The camels are trained for two hours every day.
Dubai is an attractive center of shopping and commerce. It tries to appeal to shoppers from all over the world by holding festivals and special events throughout the entire year. Numerous malls have been built all around the city. Some shopping centers, such as Mercato, have a historical appearance. This is a deliberate choice to attract visitors, as they were actually erected just a few years ago.
The emirate of Dubai has made visible accomplishments and completed attractive projects. Manmade islands in the shape of a palm tree have been constructed in the middle of the sea to host tourist facilities. The houses and facilities on the islands have already been sold out. In another project, a group of small islands in the shape of a map of the world is being constructed in the sea. Each island represents one country in the world; the prices of the islands vary, but the rates start at $7.5 million. The most expensive one is $30 million. Foreigners can also invest in these projects. Dubai residents say the palm-tree islands and the world-map project are amongst the few man-made structures visible from outer space. Dubai hopes to host 15 million tourists a year by 2010. For this reason, they are always developing new projects.
Dubai has nice, calm beaches. It is possible to swim any time in the year because there is no winter there. People are always flowing into the city because of attractive events including exhibitions, meetings and conferences. But this is also a city where sandstorms are a part of daily life. You may hear the sounds of hawks used in hunting amidst the modern skyscrapers that cast their silhouettes on the desert. Vast areas of desert have been turned into golf courses. The whole area has become a place that appeals to the wealthy tourists of the world. Modernity and desert life exist side by side in the emirate. East and the West meet here as Dubai takes your breath away.

TRAVEL TIPS
Visa: The UAE requires a visa for Turkish citizens. Although visitors from the US, England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore and EU countries are also required to get visas, they can obtain them upon arrival at the airport. The visa fee is 100 dirhams. However, British citizens are exempted from this fee.
How to go: Both Turkish Airlines (THY) and Emirates have direct flights to Dubai.
Accommodation: There are many nice hotels, but prices are generally quite high.
What to eat: You should try the delicious Arab food in the city. There are plenty of nice restaurants.
Best times to travel: The best time to visit Dubai is the period between November and April. December, January and February are particularly suitable for a visit. The city is very hot at other times. There is also high humidity.
QUICK FACTS
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Official language: Arabic
Government: Federation, powers split between UAE federal government and emirates
President: Khalifa bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan (chief of state)
Prime Minister: Muhammad bin Rashid Al-Maktum (head of government)
Area: 83,600 square kilometers
Population: 4,621,399*
GDP (PPP): $164.4 billion**
Religions: Muslim 96% (Shiite 16%), Other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4%