Mio travel blog

A new travel section that will feature travel hints, tips, and real travel experiences from travelers and backpackers. To echo the brand tagline—“explore more”, the blogs purpose  is to share various travel stories that dig out more interesting historical, background and in-depth local knowledge of a country or a city.

The Panorama Trail at Yosemite

This is a beauty. You can start the day by taking the bus from the valley floor - Yosemite Lodge up to Glacier Point. The cost is $25 but it removes the trouble of dealing with two cars, driving for 1.5 hours, and burning the gas. The bus ride takes about 30 minutes unless the fire crews are out working managed burns (then plan on an hour). Check for details at the Lodge. There is a also the option of hiking the 4 mile trail up to Glacier Point from the valley floor and then hiking the Panorama back to the floor. This should be attempted by only the rugged.

Take some time to explore Glacier Point. The views are really great. The hike is about 8.5 miles and mostly downhill. The attached pics are a much better explanation of what you will see than any words I could chose. Make sure you stop to view Illilouette Falls before crossing the creek. It's about 2 miles from the beginning of the hike. After Illilouette the trails climbs (switchbacks) about 1000 ft in a mile. This is the only uphill. Start slow and tapper off for the best results.

 

Spend some time at Nevada Falls. Go over to the other side to the guard rails for a spectacular view down the falls and into the valley. I think the best route down is the John Muir trail, but cut off to Vernal Falls and the Mist Trail after about a mile. If the water is running hard and the day hot, the Mist Trail is a welcome relief although rocky, slippery, and slow going. When you get to the valley floor take the shuttle back to Yosemite Lodge or others spots throughout the park.

I took this hike in 1978 and the views have stayed fixed in my mind bringing great pleasure over the past 30 years. My memory unit has now been refreshed again this summer (2009).

Final word - keep your head up - you won't want to miss anything!

For the official info:
http://www.yosemitehikes.com/glacier-point-road/panorama-trail/panorama-trail.htm

Written by: Timothy Knapp

Overrated Travel Destinations

Here at Mio HQ we’ve travelled a bit, and quite frankly some of the places we’ve been too have left us underwhelmed. So, here for your money saving pleasure are a few places that you really don’t need to go to.  Feel free to write in and tell us we’re wrong or give us more places.

1. The Pyramids – I’m sure that 2000 years ago when they were first built they looked great, sitting in the middle of the desert covered in gleaming marble. Today however, they sit on the edge of a scruffy bit of Cairo surrounded by tourist touts and souvenir hawkers, selling you anything from a plastic model of the stone monoliths to uncomfortable camel rides. If you’re in Egypt, go and view Abu Simbel and the Valley of the Dead, they’re far more interesting and far less photographed.
2. Camels –Ok not a destination, but they are so bad they deserve a mention. It doesn’t matter where in the world you ride one these creatures they are all the same. Cantankerous beasts that walk with such an uncomfortable bouncing stride that if you’re a man, your voice may raise a few octaves!  If available use a horse or an elephant.
3. The Taj Mahal –If you’ve seen it once you’ve seen it a thousand times. If you hadn’t seen it before Diana honeymooned there with Prince Charles, you’ve now seen it countless times since. Sure it’s nice, but when you’re walking around you can’t help feeling you’ve been there before. It’s inconvenient to get to and expensive to get in. Save your money and visit some of the more interesting places in India.
4. Hong Kong Disneyland – It’s rubbish.  It may be ok if your kids are under 11, but if they’re after a bit more excitement than merry go rounds and a Winnie-the Pooh house, save your money and go to watch the horse racing instead.

If you disagree with any of these places or want to add your own, and then send your comments and we’ll compile the best.
 
Underrated / off the beaten track Travel Destinations

Whilst you’re travelling around ticking off must see places and writing postcards backs to friends telling them of all the famous places you’ve visited, why don’t you wow them with your sense of adventure and show them somewhere they didn’t know existed? Here are a few of our favorites.

1. Uzes   - A quaint medieval town near Nimes in France. Surrounded by vineyards and rolling countryside, this hidden part of France makes for an ideal getaway. http://www.uzes-tourisme.com/sitegb/index.html
2. Crac des Chevaliers– An  hour bus ride from Homs in Northern Syria, Crac is an amazing castle built by the invading Christian Crusaders, Described by T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia) as "perhaps the best preserved and most wholly admirable castle in the world". It looks every part the archetypal Crusader castle. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1229/
3. Hong Kong’s Outlying Islands – Central Hong Kong is a mecca for shopping, but  If you want to see a bit more of how the Chinese live and investigate their culture, head out to outlying island or further in to the Kowloon and the new territories. http://www.uzes-tourisme.com/sitegb/index.html
4. Norway – This cold bit of land in Northern Europe doesn’t get many visitors, but by heading off to watch the midnight sun in Bodø you can experience one of the true wonders of the world. Catch a train Oslo, change at Trondheim and watch the Norwegian scenery fly past through the massive observation windows. http://www.visitnorway.com/
5. Taiwan – Often over looked on trips to Asia, but Taiwan has amazing scenic views, varied wildlife and a fascinating aboriginal culture.  http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/

If you want to add your own must see places to the list then send us your place names with a brief description and we’ll compile another list.

FINLAND – the sightseeing trip

One of the northernmost countries in the world, Finland is called the country of a thousand of lakes and islands. With its calm and tranquility Finland is a good choice for people who do not like noisy overcrowded cities.

I visited Finland with a group of architects. So the purpose of our trip was to see and learn more about Scandinavian architecture.
We travelled to Finland  on a ferry. It was a very comfortable trip, especially when travelling with 300 excited people. In the morning we arrived in Turku.

Turku is the oldest city in Finland and its first metropolis. The city is the centre of culture, education and information technology. We visited many architectural gems in Turku and its outskirts.

St. Henry’s Chapel. Its interior is inspired by the biblical story about Jonah and the whale and it is made of wood. The exterior is made of copper. It is untypical of Christian architecture.
  
Forum Marinum is now a new marine centre in Turku. You can admire The Marine museum and Abo museum of marine history here. Don‘t forget to take a picture of yourself and the small models of ships in front of the museum.

  
If we‘d had time we‘d have visited other glamorous places here in Turku. Turku Castle is a popular stop for tourists. The Castle was built in 1280. But now it‘s time to move on. The next stop is the capital city Helsinki.

 

Helsinki is the largest city and the largest harbor of Finland and was established in 1550.

Helsinki really inspired me. It‘s nice to walk along the city’s streets, because high buildings and narrow streets do not press in on you. Helsinki is a very airy city with many historical landmarks and beautiful nooks.
Famous for its many interesting churches, the best-known is the white evangelic Cathedral on Senaatintori square. The square is eventful place in summer and represents the real heart of the city.
  
 
In my opinion the most admirable is the Temppeliaukio Church which was excavated and built into the rock. The roof is made of 22 km of copper wire. The church amazes audiences with its perfect acoustics. It is a real experience to sit inside and listen to sounds of the organ. Many concerts take place here.

 

Sports enthusiasts can visit the Olympic village or the Olympic stadium in the centre. I bought a ticket and used the elevator to get to the top of the observation deck of the Olympic tower. The highest building in the city makes it possible to see the whole of Helsinki.

The Olympic Games took place here in 1952.

 

Alvar Aalto is a famous architect and designer in Finland and abroad too. Alvar Aalto was commissioned to plan a concert and congress hall in the centre – Finlandia Hall. It contains a large foyer, assembly rooms of various sizes and two large congress halls which can be combined to form one room for nine hundred people. During our visit to Helsinki the Hall was closed so we spent a few minutes in the local coffee shop.

At this point it is necessary to say that inhabitants of Helsinki and Finland as a whole are really pleasant and willing people. We didn’t have any problems asking them for help.

The architecture of Alvar Aalto inspired us to visit his home and studio. Alvar Aalto is not just famous for his designs of buildings but also for his designs of furniture, especially The Savoy vase and armchairs that are possible to see in his residential building.

    

    We started to tire of the Finnish architecture and wished to see the wild northern scenery. We caught a variety of transport types to the border of the Nuuksio National park. The park was established in 1994 and contains a 29 km long footpath. The scenery in the Nuuksio National park consists of rocky hills covered with rich lichen carpets and sparse pinewoods, and broken up steep-sided rocky valleys reshaped during the Ice Age. 

We came in September, so it is not surprising that it was raining during our visit of the park. Some places were difficult for us to go to because of rock slides and mud.  

The park makes it possible to get to know more about the nature of southern Finland. The Park’s varied natural habitats are home to many animals and plants, including dozens of rare and endangered species – some of which are not found anywhere else in Finland. 
        
 
Finland is a unique country. One week is not enough to get to know this part of Europe.

Written by: Lucie Jirsakova (Travel blog reader)