Holiday Destination : Cameroon

The location of Cameroon is in West Africa. This is surrounded by Nigeria, Chad, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Congo Republic. Listed below are ten things you can do when you visit Cameron.

1.) Visit Dja Faunal Reserve
This is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Dja Faunal Reserve is a rainforest that is protected. What makes it a must-see is its diverse floras and faunas.

2.) Visit Cameroon’s Beaches
There are a lot of wonderful beaches in Cameroon, among them are Limbe and Kribi. Limbe is a town known for its wonderful beaches where you can relax and swim in, and this is also the location of the black sand beaches. There are also shops here that sell traditional items as well as bars along the beaches.

3.) Visit Bamenda
There are a lot that you can see here. You can take the Ring Road tour, which is a tour through the hilly terrain of Bamenda, or you can visit Mount Oku as well as the Menchum River Waterfalls. You can also drop by the Kimbi River Game Reserve here as well as the Makon Fon’s Palace and Bali Fon’s Palace.

4.) Visit Douala
For nature lovers and sun worshippers, head on to Douala. Here you will definitely enjoy the sights Mount Cameroon offers to its visitors as well as walking through its footpath. You will also find the Cameroon Artisan Market here where you can buy your souvenirs and trinkets that the locals made, or you can head on to the Museum of Douala where you can see superb authentic African arts.

5.) Visit Yaounde
In Yaounde, you can visit the Cameroon Art Museum which also houses African artifacts. You should not forget to visit the Cameroon National Museum as well. The Afhemi Museum is located here, too, and in these museums, you will learn a thing or two about the Cameroon way of life.

6.) Visit Benaoue National Park
This is a national park that is flanked by both Ngaoundere and Garoua. Benaoue is Cameroon’s second largest game reserve where you can see lions and buffalos in their natural habitats. You will also see here giraffes as well as elephants, and do not forget the rhinoceros, too.

7.) Visit Bouba Ndjida National Park
This park is near the Benaoue National Park, so they almost have the same wildlife. But still, you will also enjoy what Bouba Ndjida National Park has to offer its visitors. Rhinoceros and derby elks are more abundant in Bouba Ndjida National Park.

8.) Visit Waza National Park
Like any other national parks, Waza National Park also offers its visitor a view of nature and wildlife at its best. Here, you will see numerous kinds of both predator (lions) and prey (antelope and native elephants) in this national park, and they are usually found near waterholes. This is a good place where you can take wonderful pictures of these magnificent animals.

9.) Visit local handicraft stores
There are a lot of handicraft stores in the Douala and Bonapriso quarter. This is a great place for you to buy your trinkets and souvenirs to take home to your family. There are a lot of locally made bracelets and other trinkets here, and you can also negotiate with the prices to get a good bargain.

10.) Visit Cameroon’s restaurants
Of course, no vacation is complete unless you have tasted their local cuisine. So, while you are in Cameroon, do not forget to visit the Bonapriso and the Bonanjo Quarters where you can wine and dine yourself. There are also bars and restaurants here that offer international cuisine.

Daily Travel Photo : Algiers , Algeria

Algiers Harbor, Algiers, Algeria

05 July : Holidays and observances

Venezuela: Independence Day (1811)

Quebec City Celebrated It’s 400th Anniversary

On the eve of the city’s milestone anniversary the wind seems finally to be favourable for the celebrations, blowing away months of criticism and controversy.

The year-long festivities for the 400th anniversary come to a head July 3, the date Samuel de Champlain is believed to have landed in Quebec City to found the first permanent non-native settlement in North America.

His modest trading post on the banks of the St. Lawrence River grew into a bustling provincial capital of 600,000 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The plan was for major celebrations throughout the anniversary year to pay tribute to the city’s history but much criticism has been aimed at the chaotic organization of the 400th celebrations.

The activities got off to a rough start with a disappointing opening show. The media panned the event and about a dozen resignations followed.

The organizers suffered from internal divisions and were forced to cancel one of key events – an urban opera – because of technical difficulties. The decision by the Pope and the Queen not to attend the celebrations were further blows to organizers.

“We’ve had it tough, really tough,” Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume said in an interview.

“But now things are going well and I think it’s because people are starting to see for themselves what the 400th has to offer. It’s not abstract anymore, it’s there and things are happening everyday,” he added.

Over the past few weeks as the festivities have picked up, so too have the fortunes of the quadricentennial celebrations.

Shows such as Robert Lepage’s magical Image Mill are awing visitors and residents alike and a rare travelling exhibition from the Louvre in Quebec is also getting rave reviews.

A large crowd packed the city’s old port last week for the arrival of some 30 vessels crewed by French recreational boaters. The crews departed from La Rochelle in May to retrace the route taken by the original pioneers who sailed to Quebec City.

Projects aimed at giving residents renewed access to the St. Lawrence River, including recreational facilities and boardwalks, were unveiled in the past few weeks and they are quickly wining people over.

“We’ve seen the wind turn and you can tell that people are happy with what they are seeing,” said Luci Tremblay, head of communications for the 400th organization.

The city, considered the cradle of the French language in North America, has a really big birthday party planned for July 3.

The party is starting early in the morning with an outdoor breakfast hosted by the mayor and will finish with fireworks at midnight. In between, dozens of activities are planned, some more formal, others more festive.

“It’s going to be like a wedding. It starts with a more formal ceremony, after you have the dinner that is less formal and then the big party gets underway,” Tremblay explained.

The formal ceremony will take place by Champlain’s statue on the Dufferin Terrace, right next to the landmark Chateau Frontenac hotel. Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Quebec Premier Jean Charest will attend the salute to the founder of Quebec as well as deliver speeches.

At 11 a.m. sharp – the time Champlain is believed to have landed – bells will ring not only in Quebec but also in cities cross the country, inviting all Canadians to celebrate the founding of the first settlement in North America.

Tremblay said more than 600 bells will ring in churches, in legislative buildings and on boats.

The bell ringing will be followed by the annual parade of soldiers who will march from the military armoury to the Chateau Frontenac. The armoury was destroyed by a fire earlier this year.

Anti-war protesters who rallied while soldiers paraded last year have vowed to disrupt the march again for the city’s 400th anniversary. They want to protest against the war in Afghanistan and denounce 400 years of militarism.

“We are going to ask the demonstrators to show respect for the soldiers and their families, but that won’t prevent us form disrupting the show,” said Maxim Fortin, of the coalition Guerre a la guerre (War Against the War) who is organizing the demonstration.

The celebrations will continue on into the afternoon with a commemorative show bringing together some of Quebec’s biggest stars, including Robert Charlebois, Claude Dubois and Ginette Reno. The show featuring Champlain portrayed by Quebec actor Yves Jacques will be presented again on July 4 and 5.

In the evening, Van Halen – the opening act of the city’s summer festival – will get the party started. Those who are not fans of the hard rock band are invited to head to the old port where a new documentary on Quebec City will be projected, accompanied by a symphony orchestra.

The party will close with a 30-minute long firework display launched from barges on the St. Lawrence River.

“It’s going to be quite a day,” Labeaume said. “There is a lot of excitement and feverishness in the air.”

The birthday will extend over July 4 and 5 with many festivities, including streets performances by European troupes.

Beijing bans sexy barmaids

CHINA has banned staff at entertainment venues from wearing skimpy outfits ahead of the Olympics, as part of a government crack down.

Nightclubs, karaoke bars and other entertainment venues have also been told to install windows in private rooms, in a bid to stop prostitution and drugs.

According to rules released on China’s Ministry of Public Security’s website, entertainment venues must install transparent partitions between rooms that ensure “the whole environment of the consumer’s entertainment area in the room can be seen.”

“When open for business, the transparent part of rooms and windows to rooms at singing and dancing entertainment venues must not be obstructed,” the rules say.

Discos, karaoke nightclubs and other bars in China frequently have private rooms for hire, and are a favourite place for businessmen to entertain guests, sometimes with prostitutes, which is illegal in China.

Staff clothing is also covered in the new rules.

“Staff members should dress tastefully, and not be too exposing.”

Other rules demand closed circuit television cameras be installed and security guards placed at discos.

Tourist has maggots surgically removed

A BRITISH tourist, who was forced to have maggots surgically removed, has described the terrifying ordeal as like having “baby crabs growing inside me”.Petrified Alan Evans and his wife Karen went under the surgeon’s knife after a mosquito laid eggs beneath their skin during a recent trip to Gambia.The couple – from Bristol in England – returned home to find the little stings had grown into throbbing boils, and when Mr Evans inspected his invaders through a magnifying glass, he saw they were wriggling.

“At one point it looked like a crab’s claw, and I was petrified I had baby crabs growing inside me. It was terrifying,” Mr Evans told the Western Daily Press.When antibiotics failed to help the condition, a consultant diagnosed Mr Evans and his wife with the rare disease Myiasis, contracted by an infestation of parasitic larvae.

Four of his unwelcome guests were cut out surgically, and he squeezed the rest out himself.

“I was told there was a million-to-one chance of getting this,” said Mr Evans.

“This is more common than you might think in people returning from Africa and South America,” said Dr Ron Behrens, of the London Hospital of Tropical Diseases.

“It can occur in anyone. A mosquito drops the bot fly’s eggs on to the skin.

“The pupae then burrow under the skin – often the scalp, legs or groin area – and feed off it, but stay close to the surface so they can breathe.”

Dr Behrens said after a couple of weeks the maggots develop into flies, which is very unpleasant, but luckily it can be successfully treated.

World’s first robot barman

THE days of eyeing up the hunk behind the bar may be over after the world’s first robotic barman was launched in London.The robot, called Mr Asahi, began his international tour at Selfridges in London, serving up shots of ice-cold Asahi beer to intrigued customers – with a robotic smile.Made in Japan using a combination of robotics and animatronics, Mr Asahi can serve pints in less than two minutes, knocking off 13 minutes from the average 15 minute wait.

Eight engineers have taken 200 man-hours to assemble the quarter of a ton life-size robot.Mr Asahi’s movements involve some serious animatronics, developed with the use of compressed air, controlled and regulated through various valves and electrical switching mechanisms via a PC.He even has facial features in LED lights which move from green to red as he strains to removes bottle tops.

Whilst Mr Asahi was seen as a bit of fun by most, not everyone was a fan of the robot barman.”I still would like to have contact with a real person, said Londoner Helda Smith.”I prefer to have contact with human nature. Things are too automated as they are,” said James Rankin from Scotland.Another onlooker, Ernesto Lobera from Spain, expressed his own concerns over whether robots would take the jobs of bar staff.”I go to the bar to flirt with the bar man, so it would not be very fun for me,” he said.