Traveling around the world  is my dream, as well as most of the people. Before global traveling, you must be sure that you have enough money and time. Then, you need prepare for your tirp as follows:

Book the tickets and hotel:
Airline ticket prices vary more or less as tickets are sold, thus it is highly unlikely that you will ever pay the same price for an airline ticket as the same person next to you (unless you booked your tickets at the same time). Indeed, you may even be paying twice as much for the same seat depending upon when you purchase your ticket.

Each airline works on a yield management system which is used to calculate an airfare based on the season, local events, competition, time of the year and so on. The demand for a particular flight route at one of these times is then calculated into a percentage of airfares available. Using figures from previous similar circumstances, i.e. the same time last year, the airfare is calculated based upon the natural demand that should arise.

In short the earlier you book the better the price you are likely to get, though sometimes it is possible to get cheaper flights after the earliest possible time to book, simply because the metrics used to calculate the original price have changed, for example if England did not make the World Cup Finals – so now there will be a lower demand for England fans booking tickets to fly to the World Cup Finals.

Budget
This tend to be the first question asked by all backpackers, as budget defines not only the destinations you visit but also how long you will be able to travel for.

The most important thing to ensure is that you have sufficient leverage in your budget to accommodate unexpected expenses and any expenses that you may incur while you are away such as storage, mortgage payments or rent and utility bills.

Find Out if You Need Visas. Call the embassy of the countries you are going to visit to see if you need a visa to enter or go to www.passportsandvisas.com. Visas expire, so you may need to get one at an embassy while you are on the road. Stay informed; it is not uncommon for a country to suddenly decide that U.S. citizens need a visa to enter when they didn’t need one a month ago. You may need a multiple-entry visa, especially in Africa, if you take a train from one country to visit another country but have to return to the first country to fly out. You will also need a visa for every country the train passes through even if you don’t get off the train.

Certainly , there are so many probelm you need to learn, you can surf the internet to ask  people who experience for advice. It is very  important and useful to make a detailed traveling plan.

While the long-waited coolness accompanies it, fall also brings unpleasant weather. The atmosphere is drier, cloudy days are more frequent, and there is a greater difference in temperature between morning and evening. Because the Lungs are most sensitive during autumn, this is a time to focus on preventing or responding to colds, coughs, sore throat, and the like.

As an old Chinese saying goes, “a bowl of porridge in the morning and a bowl of soup in the evening help people through autumn days.” It’s good advice to follow.

The summer heat weakens the body’s digestive functions, and when autumn comes, the intestines become more vulnerable to bacteria. Because the Lungs are especially sensitive during the autumn months, it’s a good idea to minimize the amount of spicy food you eat, to avoid irritating them. As a result, your Lungs will be less vulnerable to pathogens.

Eat daikon radish, lotus root, and miso soup. Eat fewer summer vegetables, and switch to autumn vegetables like squash, broccoli, and cauliflower. Eat more root vegetables like carrots, onions, potatoes, and beets. Avoid spicy foods, and as always, too many refined sweets. Autumn is also seafood season. Crabs, shrimp and lobsters are all irresistible. Containing an abundance in protein and low fat, seafood is good for people’s health. Just make sure the seafood is fresh.

Balance is Key
Strive to balance your diet so that it includes some vegetables, some fruit, some grain, and a handful of moderately spicy foods.

When the fall comes, more and more problems with skin come together. Because of the big difference of temperature between the day and night. So the resistance to decline, coupled with the fall of the air humidity was significantly lower than in the summer, experts advise should be noted that the scientific method of skin care.

For the health and beauty, you’d better follow the tips below to take care of your skin in Autumn.

Hydrate!  Just because it’s not hot, doesn’t mean your body doesn’t require the same amount of hydration.  You don’t breathe less oxygen at the change of seasons, do you?  Be sure to drink enough water to keep your skin hydrated.  Dehydrated skin looks dry, tired and may be prone to more wrinkling. 

Take more vitamins:The old saying ‘you are what you eat’ could not be more true. Whilst bad eating habits may not show overnight it has a cumulative effect on our body and skin. In summer months the skin tends to take on a more improved texture and glow. Sunshine provides us with a photogenic source of vitamin D – not found commonly in foods. The sun also helps relieve symptoms of SAD -Seasonal Affective Disorder -  which can cause lethargy and depression, so make sure you get out and about on sunny autumn days and enjoy and good vitamin D dose.

Moisturize! Topical moisture is just as important as hydrating the skin from the inside.    The best time to moisturize your skin is right after a bath or a shower – the skin has absorbed some of the water from the bath and is ready to have that moisture “sealed in”.  Try a natural oil such as virgin coconut oil, shea butter or avocado oil for all over moisture. 

Eat healthy! Autumn is the best time to visit your farmer’s market for fall fruits and vegetables such as pumpkin, yams, avocado, apples and pears.  You can mash the avocado up for a great facial mask too!Take care of your skin this fall – keep it hydrated, moisturized, and above all eat healthy foods.  The skin is the largest organ of the body and should be treated with care, naturally.

What should be eaten in Autumn? I will tell you in next article.

Sayram Lake (Sailimu Hu), north of Yining, is a beautiful, large lake area. It is a perfect place to go hiking or riding. The land around Sayram Lake stretches green and vast, overflowing with vigor.

Located in the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture between the Junggar Desert and the city of Ili, Sayram Lake is the largest and highest alpine lake in Xinjiang. On a high plateau ringed by formidable snow peaks is the Sayram Lake grassland, where graze the herds of differing Mongol and Kazak clans. Surrounded by verdant pastures and snow capped lofty peaks above the timberline, stepped on densely wooded forests, the lake area will definitely consume you rolls of films. The large lake area is also a great place for hiking or riding. There is also a ruin at the other side of the lake and it is a place where the Mongolian Emperor Chenkisikan called his army there.

There is a touching love story about Sayram Lake. It is said that the lake was composed of the tears of a couple of Kazak young lovers. A beautiful girl and a young man were deeply in love. One day, a cruel devil was captivated by the girl’s beauty. He captured the girl and confined her to his residence. The girl took a chance to escape, but the devil found out very soon and went after the girl. She was forced to jump into an abyss. Later, her boyfriend heard of this and he was so sad that he jumped into the abyss to be reunited with his lover. Their painful tears flooded into the abyss and formed Sayram Lake.

The scenery is quite varied in four seasons. In winter, the cold wind stirs a boundless wave which splashes the bank, and the mist can even hide the snow-capped mountains. In spring, the mountain slope is covered with a green blanket dotted with colored blooming flowers. Summer and autumn are the best seasons to travel to Sayram Lake. The water in the lake is very peaceful, and the lake surface is as smooth as a mirror. From late July to early August, the Mongolian people celebrate the ‘Nadam Fair’. Kazaks also join in the festival, during which horse-racing, wrestling and folk songs and dance are performed.

What is a calorie? A calorie is a unit of measurement for energy. A food calorie is the amount of heat required to raise 1 kilogram of water 1 degree centigrade. The more calories that the food contains the more energy it will be released when it is burned. In this respect, fats provide the highest amount of calories, followed by carbohydrates and sugars and finally proteins.

At present, people are puzzled by the fat problem because of the long time to stay without doing sports. So we need eat more low calorie food.As part of a sensible weight-control program – including diet, exercise and lifestyle changes – low-calorie foods and beverages do help dieters control calories and therefore lose weight. Dietitians and health professionals agree that calorie-control is the key to losing weight. The low calorie food list shows some great everyday foods which are low in calories and ideal for weight loss diets. The calorie content is shown in the foods average portion. The low calorie food list also gives calorie content in 100 grams so it can be compared with other foods you may normally eat.

Low Calorie Fruits. When eaten fresh, apricots, apples, melon, currants and grapefruits provide the least calories and plenty of vitamins and fiber.

Low Calorie Vegetables. While most vegetables are low in calories, it is useful to know that brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, broccoli, celery mushroom, tomatoes, watercress, swede, red peppers are some of the vegetables that contain the least calories.

Meat and animal products low in calorie. Lean ham,  Lower fat hot-dogs, Beef,  Canadian bacon,  Ground turkey,White eggs,Low fat cheese.

When it comes to drinks water is the only thing you need. Water doesn’t contain any calories at all. A few cups of coffee a day is ok too but don’t add sugar to it.

Longji Terraced Rice Fields (Dragon’s Backbone Terraced Rice Fields) are praised as the marvel of the agricultural art in China! These ancient farming legacies drench in the strong local colors, and have a history of 700 years. They boast their artistry, availability, and the fantastic surroundings. I think everyone who look at Longsheng Terrace Fields will be surprised by the great beautiful and spectacular scenery. Its agriculture value has nearly replaced by its visual value.

Located in Heping, southeast Longsheng County (78 km away from Guilin), all the terrace rice fields scatter on the mountains.The fields are mainly cultivated by Zhuang people in Pingan and the Red Yao people.Giving a bird’s eye view, the fields look like great chains or ribbons as they are built along the slopes winding from the feet (usually from the banks of brooks) to the tops of the hills.The sceneries of the terraced fields are changing all the year round. In spring, the water glittering in the sun, the hillsides are divided into tier upon tier; in summer, green rice seedlings grow in layers; in fall, the layered rice turn golden; in winter, layers of silvery frost or snow cover the fields. All these show a great momentum and imposing beauty.

Remember that come to this spot before July as there is water in the fields and you can have your photo taken with water reflection, otherwise, other tiem only give you an empty terrace fields and you will find no water reflection in the fields and your photo looks as as good as those taken with water reflection.

Besides the Guilin, Yangshuo, I very recommend you visit the Longsheng Together during your tour.

My favorite Sports is basketball. It looks so cool in TV that I was crazy about those basketball stars ever since I was little.

Women’s basketball began in 1892 at Smith College when Senda Berenson, a physical education teacher, modified Naismith’s rules for women. Shortly after she was hired at Smith, she went to Naismith to learn more about the game. Fascinated by the new sport and the values it could teach, she organized the first women’s collegiate basketball game on March 21, 1893, when her Smith freshmen and sophomores played against one another. Her rules were first published in 1899 and two years later Berenson became the editor of A.G. Spalding’s first Women’s Basketball Guide, which further spread her version of basketball for women.

Basketball requires speed, height and skills. I run, jump, switch, and try to hit! All parts of my body are exercised in this sport. I feel that I’m like wind flying in the playground for my goal, which makes me feel so great! Basketball needs quick reaction and decision. When chance comes, it may disappear in the next second. I should keep an eye watching as an eagle, decide and judge quickly as a leopard, and run for it as a wolf.

Further more, basketball is a sports more than just exercising, It needs team work. No one can play himself. A team should work together. So I learn to cooperate with others in this game. I should understand what my teammate doing and what he needs me to do for him. On the other side, I should learn to show my teammate what I need. At the same time, I need to keep an eye on the whole game, knowing how is the situation of our team and how is the other team. It involved more cooperation and strategy.

I played basketball more for about 5 years now. I make many good friends through this sports. It is proud to win honor for my team and my school. Also I enjoy all games with my friends. Basketball will be my best friends in the future and my best memory about school life.

Chinese Valentine's Day

A legend of the festival
Chinese Valentine’s Day is on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month in the Chinese calendar (August 26th in the year 2009). A love story for this day is about the 7th daughter of Emperor of Heaven and an orphaned cowherd. The seven daughters of the Goddess of Heaven caught the eye of a Cowherd during one of their visits to earth. The daughters were bathing in a river and the Cowherd, Niu Lang, decided to have a bit of fun by running off with their clothing. It fell upon the prettiest daughter (who happened to be the seventh born), to ask him to return their clothes.

Of course, since Niu Lang had seen the daughter, Zhi Nu, naked, they had to be married. The couple lived happily for several years. Eventually however, the Goddess of Heaven became fed up with her daughter’s absence, and ordered her to return to heaven. The 7th daughter was forced to move to the star Vega and the cowherd moved to the star Altair. However, the mother took pity on the couple and allowed them to be reunited once a year. Legend has it that on the seventh night of the seventh moon, magpies form a bridge with their wings for Zhi Nu to cross to meet her husband. If the night Chinese Valentine’s Day rains, the rain is the tears of the Weaving Maid and Cowherd.

Traditional customs of the festival
The Chinese Valentine’s Day is also called The Daughter’s Festival. Long ago, Chinese girls always wanted to train themselves having a good handcrafting skill like the Weaving Maid. The skill is essential for their future family. On that night, the unmarried girls may pray for the Weaving Maid star to let them become smarter. When the star Vega is high up in the sky, girls do a test, which is to put a needle on the water surface. If the needle doesn’t sink, then girl is already smart enough and ready to find a husband. Girls may ask for any wish, but only one per year.

In some Chinese provinces, people believe that decorating the flowers on the ox’s horn on the Chinese Valentine’s Day enables to prevent from the disaster. On the night of Valentine’s Day, women wash their hair to give it a fresh and shiny outlook. Children wash their face in the next morning of the Valentine’s Day using the overnight water in their backyards to have a much more naturally beautiful appearance. Girls throw the five-color ropes, made at Chinese Dragon Boat festival, on the roof for magpies. Magpies will carry ropes to build the bridge.

However, nowadays, young people are not familiar with this traditional Chinese festival. Instead, they celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th. I think it is a pity that the Western Culture is more popular than Chinese traditional culture among young people.