Saturday, December 1, 2007
Visit Croatia - Plitvice Lakes
The Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia's most popular tourist attraction, was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979. Located roughly halfway between capital city Zagreb and Zadar on the coast, the lakes are definitely a must-see. (As confirmed by the many emails we've received!) The beauty of the National Park lies in its sixteen lakes, inter-connected by a series of waterfalls, and set in deep woodland populated by deer, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species. The National Park covers a total area of 300 square kilometres, whilst the lakes join together over a distance of eight kilometres. There's also quite an altitude difference - the highest point is at 1,280m, the lowest at 380m - although the total height difference between the lakes themselves is only 135m. (Veliki Slap, the largest waterfall, is 70m tall.) Plitvice Lakes - Veliki Slap - The Park is open daily all year round, with longer opening hours during summer (usually 8am to 7pm). There's an entrance fee, which acts as a contribution to the Park's upkeep and protection: for adults it's 55 Kunas in November - April; 85 Kunas in May & June and September & October; 100 Kunas in July & August. Children aged 7 to 18 have cheaper tickets, whilst children under the age of seven have free entrance. Groups of 15 or more people can get discounted tickets. 3-hour guided tours in English, German or Italian can also be pre-booked at 20 Euros per hour.
What is there to do?
There are numerous trails on which to walk and hike, and there are also boat and shuttle bus services in order to see the Park it all its glory.
Accommodation in Plitvice
It is possible to stay within the Park at one of its three hotels (which are all clustered quite closely together by Entrance 2) or at its campsite (which contains bungalows or space for 500 camping units) which is located about 7km outside of the northern entrance of the Park. There is another hotel, the Hotel Grabovac, that is also located 12km north of the Park. It's also possible to find private accommodation in a number of the towns and villages (such as Slunj) on the way to the Park.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Car Loan Tips Every Car Buyer Must Know
If you really want or need a new car, but you don’t have the capital up front you can consider taking out a loan especially for the purchase of your car. I've taked to many people who have always paid up front or have kept their car until it falls apart because they either didn't want to have to pay for something that would depreciate so fast or they thought they didn't qualify to get a loan. There's a good chance that paying the monthly rate might be cheaper than continually fixing up the old heap.
There are so many different financial companies that specialize in issuing loans specifically for the purchase of automobiles. Even more conveniently, they're all pretty well setup online for easy access. This is a blessing in disguise, fleeting are the days when you had to go to the nearest bank and get denied or take on a heavy payment due to the lack of options. With online loans you have the option to really shop around and be much more confident that you're not getting "taken to the cleaners" on the first stop.
Often, this type of loan for the purchase of a car is known as an "unsecured car loan" and you can search for specialist companies online that provide them. A good car loan company should be able to give you an instant free quote, and many of these companies will provide between 90% to 100% of the purchase value of the car.
Typically the car loan is repaid over a period of three to eight years - five being the most popular. What’s particularly interesting is that even people with poor credit, bankruptcy or CCJ (County Court Judgment) are eligible to take out an unsecured car loan. Now going into debt is never a good thing but if you need a car and have to go the loan route then always work within your means.
Understanding what your credit situation before starting your quest for a new car loan, is very important. You should seriously get your credit check done to ensure you know going in what issues you have if any. As stated earlier an Equifax Credit Report will cost about $15 but is well worth it. You can also try FreeCreditReport.com, but either way it's a small price to pay to ensure you know where you stand, especially if you're planning on going car and loan shopping in person.
As always, it’s good to visit as many car loan online websites as you can - many online websites will offer you a free quote for your car loan, and it’s a good idea to get as many of these as you can prior to making a final choice. Try to get at least 3 and even 4 quotes to compare and ensure you're getting the best deal out there. Getting quotes usually only takes a few minutes to fill out a form but doesn't cost a dime, so take advantage of them. The worst thing when buying anything on impulse is seeing it cheaper right after you've paid.
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Monday, November 26, 2007
Fruit juice
- Squeeze at least one fruit drink a day. In this way you eat about 3 to 4 fruits so you can fulfill your daily need;
- Put some ice cubes in the blender with your juice. This cools your fruit drink quickly in summer;
- Put a little bit of banana in your juice mix and blend it like a milk-shake. This gives your fruit drink a certain softness and reduces the bitterness (caused by grapefruits for example);
- Take sweet fruits to blend. Use citrus fruits (oranges, red-grapefruits) as a basis and mix it in the blender with the sweet fruits of your choice. You can squeeze a jar of orange juice that you keep in the fridge and blend it with the fruit of your choice when you want to.
Posted by Daniel at 5:10 PM Labels: fruit, home bar, life style