Hat Yai Activities
Aside from birdwatching, bullfighting, and visiting the Bottled Temple, there are still many activities that tourists can enjoy during their visit to Hat Yai, Thailand. One of the most popular is the foot massage which is offered at almost all hotels, resorts, and recreational centers in this place. Haircuts and facial treatments are also popular, but local business centers get bigger earnings from foot massages. This massage is quite popular among Chinese and Malaysian tourists. It is a very pleasant and relaxing experience especially after walking or trekking for several hours or days. One therapeutic massage is reflexology which involves massaging reflex points that connect to the different organs of the body. What’s nice about massages here is that the shop owners have agreed to have the same rates so expect to pay an amount of 250 Baht for one hour of massage.
If you want to purchase fresh goods, one Hat Yai activity that you will enjoy is visiting the Fresh Market. This place is not for people with sensitive noses though as sometimes the smell can get squeamish and hangs in the air. Here you can buy internal organs, pig’s heads, intestines, and fresh seafood like fish and shellfish as well as fresh meat, and fruits too.
Gim Yong Market is place to visit if you want to be in an authentic Thai street market. It is located within walking distance from Lee Gardens Plaza. Many of the street traders here are Muslims who sell clothes, ready to eat food, dried fruits, chestnuts, groceries, toiletries, cheap electronics, toys, watches, and household items.
A visit to Greenway Market is also a fun Hat Yai activity as they sell antiques and secondhand goods like shoes, clothes, bags, magazines, toys, office equipment, and many others. You can also buy new items here like handmade handicrafts such as picture frames and postcards.
For sports minded individuals, it pays to visit the Hat Yai Sports Club which houses some sporting facilities like an outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, a gym with weight training equipment, and snooker tables. You can either pay for each session or you can choose to be a member of the club for one, three, six, or twelve months.
Another place to drop-by is the Hat Yai Nai Sunday Market which is a typical Thai street market held every Sunday. It is quite similar to the Sunday Market in Songkhla although is it much smaller. Items that are sold here are clothes, handicrafts, food, fruits, and a selection of dangerous weapons.
Gateway to the US Laguardia Airport to Manhattan and Beyond
LaGuardia Airport is one of the three major airports servicing the metropolitan New York area, along with John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International Airports. Together, the trio handles approximately 106 million flights per year, making them the biggest airport system in the US and second only to London worldwide in terms of passengers.
It is also the closest airport to Manhattan, situated along the waterfront of Flushing and Bowery Bays near Astoria, East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights in Queens County. Like its sister facilities, Laguardia is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Although most flights from LaGuardia are domestic and to Canada, there are regular flights to the vacation destinations in Bermuda, The Bahamas and Aruba (which have border preclearance from the United States government. While, it is capable of processing immigration and customs coming in from international flights, it lacks the ability to handle the quantity of passengers most overseas flights service, and due to a perimeter rule which prohibits and incoming or outgoing flights that are more than 1,500 miles (not including flights to Denver as well as those on Saturdays), the majority of international and transcontinental flights depart and arrive at Kennedy or Newark.
Travel time by car to New York City usually takes and average of 20-40 minutes (at best). In addition, New York City has regular bus and subway service to the airport. In fact, those traveling from Laguardia Airport to Manhattan generally do best by taking the M60 bus which drops them off at in front of Columbia University at 116th Street and Broadway, where they can catch the subway, bus or take a taxi to another location in the City. Those travelling to the airport from Long Island or Westchester County, however, generally need to depend on car service. Gray Line Freestyle New York Tour
Belize: 12 Reasons
Belize is located on the eastern coast of Central America with Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the south. It is a beautiful country that packs in a great deal of diversity. Famous first as a tourist destination due to its world class diving, in recent years US and Canadian real estate investors and retirees are also starting to pay close attention to this tiny country. Here are 12 why the country is coming onto the radar:
- In Belize it is possible to own real estate as a foreigner with no restrictions.
- Real estate for sale in Belize is less expensive than more traditional parts of the Caribbean. Granted real estate in Nicaragua and Guatemala, its neighbors to the south may be cheaper but these countries are also on the whole less developed as second home destinations.
- Belize has an attractive retirement residency program with a whole host of tax benefits.
- The Belize dollar is pegged to the US dollar reducing currency exchange risk. The exchange rate is help permanently at $2 Belize Dollars to $1 US Dollar.
- Belize is the only country in Central America with English as the primary language. It’s a very easy country to settle into as an English speaking North American.
- Belize is located only a short flight away from major US airports. You can also get to Belize via overland routes from mainland USA.
- Belize has strict banking privacy rules.
- The country offers the classic Caribbean experience with gorgeous white sand beaches and azure waters, not to mention that laid back Caribbean vibe.
- Almost 40% of Belize is protected in a network of national parks and preserves. There’s a strong sense of environmental responsibility int he country.
- Belize boasts a wide range of remarkable Mayan ruins as well as an intricate network of caves.
- Ambergris Caye, the island made famous by Madonna in her song La isla Bonita is also famous for its world standard salt water flats fishing spots.
- Last but not least, Belize has the second largest barrier reef in the world (second only to Australia). The reef is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
