Disney Vacations Looking for

Cheap Disney Vacations - IgoUgo Earn rewards for every review and photo you submit Log in Register Home Destinations Activities Photos Travel Deals Community Web Search -- Search for search the web only IgoUgo.com Advanced Search Travel Deals Hotel Deals Bahamas , Boston , California , Chicago , Florida , International , Las Vegas , More , New York City , Orlando , Washington DC Vacation Rentals Orlando Vacation Deals California , Caribbean , Disney , Europe , Florida , Hawaii , Las Vegas , Latin America , Mexico , More , New York City , Student Cruise Deals Alaska , Bahamas , Caribbean , Europe , Mexico , More Cheap Airline Tickets Domestic , International Car Rentals Alabama , Arizona , Arkansas , Australia , British Columbia , California , Colorado , Connecticut , Domestic and International , Florida , Georgia , Hawaii , Illinois , Indiana , Louisiana , Maryland , Massachusetts , Mexico , Michigan , Minnesota , Missouri , Nevada , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New Mexico , New York , North Carolina , Ohio , Oklahoma , Ontario , Oregon , Pennsylvania , Puerto Rico , Rhode Island , South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas , United States , Utah , Virginia , Washington , Washington, DC , Wisconsin Cheap Disney Vacations Looking for cheap Disney vacations? Browse IgoUgo's listings of discounted Disney vacations to get the most bang for your buck. Disney Vacations Save Universal Orlando - kids get in FREE Travelocity Sponsored Links Disney Vacation Villas View 100's of vacation villas for rental next to Disney, Florida www.villadirect.com Orlando Vacation Homes Over 100 Disney area vacation homes with private pools! Book Online now www.floridaspirit.com orlando vacation home luxurious vacation home good rates closest to disney world in florida www.fanfareproperties.com About Us Advertise Contact Us Help/FAQ Partners Playground Press Lounge Sites We Like -- Sites We Like Terms and Conditions 2000-2005 IgoUgo, Inc.

South America Travel

Reviews of vacations, hotels, resorts, vacation and travel packages - TripAdvisor Unbiased reviews of hotels, resorts and vacations Sign in • Sign up Find Hotels Travelers Trust City: Check-in: Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Check-out: Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Price level: Adults: 1 2 3 4 More options Currency: U.S. Dollar Euro British Pound Canadian Dollar Australian Dollar Swiss Franc Real reviews from real travelers. Like you. The largest site for unbiased travel reviews gives you the real story about hotels, attractions and restaurants around the world. Stories, secrets and special places from people just like you. Search, travel, then share your own experiences. 3,000,000+ unbiased reviews and opinions you can trust Updated every minute, every day by real travelers "Been there, done that" inside information The best deals for your travel dates Search for: Featured Destinations Boston California Cancun Chicago Florida Las Vegas London Maui New York City Orlando Paris Rome Toronto select destination -United States ---- Africa -Botswana -Egypt -Kenya -Mauritius -Morocco -Namibia -Seychelles -South Africa -Tanzania -Tunisia -Zimbabwe ---- Asia -Bhutan -Cambodia -China -India -Indonesia -Japan -Laos -Malaysia -Myanmar -Nepal -Philippines -Singapore -Sri Lanka -Taiwan -Thailand -Vietnam ---- -Canada ---- Caribbean -Antigua -Aruba -Bahamas -Barbados -Bermuda -Bonaire -British Virgin Islands -Cayman Islands -Curacao -Dominica -Dominican Republic -Grenada -Jamaica -Martinique -Puerto Rico -St. Lucia -St. Maarten/St. Martin -Tobago -Trinidad -Turks and Caicos -U.S. Virgin Islands ---- Central America -Belize -Costa Rica -Guatemala -Panama ---- Europe -Andorra -Austria -Belgium -Czech Republic -Denmark -Finland -France -Germany -Greece -Iceland -Ireland -Italy -Luxembourg -Malta -Monaco -Norway -Portugal -Russia -Spain -Sweden -Switzerland -The Netherlands -Turkey -United Kingdom ---- -Mexico ---- Middle East -Israel -Jordan -Saudi Arabia -United Arab Emirates ---- South America -Argentina -Brazil -Chile -Ecuador -Peru -Uruguay -Venezuela ---- South Pacific -American Samoa -Australia -Cook Islands -Federated States of Micronesia -Fiji -French Polynesia -Guam -Kiribati -New Caledonia -New Zealand -Palau -Papua New Guinea -Samoa -Solomon Islands -Tonga -Tuvalu -Vanuatu ---- United States Top Beach Destinations Acapulco Aruba Australia Bahamas Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cancun Dominican Republic Hawaii Jamaica Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands Share Your Photos, Get Free Prints Receive $20 in free prints from Shutterfly® when you post 10 travel photos on TripAdvisor. See offer details . TripAdvisor Forums and Reviews Have a travel question? Ask fellow travelers in the TripAdvisor forums . Share your opinion — write a review . Plan a Trip to Europe Austria Belgium France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Portugal Spain Switzerland The Netherlands United Kingdom More Places: United States • Canada • Caribbean • Mexico • Africa • Asia • Central America • Europe • Middle East • South America • South Pacific Editors' Picks: Vacations and Great Escapes Family vacations Golf vacations Beach vacations Los Angeles London San Francisco Hotels in popular destinations Amsterdam hotels Atlanta hotels Atlantic City hotels Barcelona hotels Boston hotels California hotels Cancun hotels Chicago hotels Dallas hotels Daytona Beach hotels Disneyland - Anaheim hotels Disneyworld - Orlando hotels Dominican Republic hotels Dublin hotels Florence hotels Florida hotels Hawaii hotels Italy hotels Key West hotels Las Vegas hotels London hotels Los Angeles hotels Maui hotels Miami hotels Montreal hotels Myrtle Beach hotels New Orleans hotels New York City hotels Palm Springs hotels Paris hotels Philadelphia hotels Phoenix hotels Puerto Rico hotels Puerto Vallarta hotels Punta Cana hotels Reno hotels Rome hotels San Antonio hotels San Diego hotels San Francisco hotels Seattle hotels Sydney hotels Toronto hotels Vancouver hotels Venice hotels Virginia Beach hotels Washington DC hotels About TripAdvisor TripAdvisor provides recommendations for hotels, resorts, inns, vacations, travel packages, vacation packages, travel guides and lots more. Recommendations for hotels, resorts, inns, vacations, travel packages, travel guides and lots more! Visit TripAdvisor in another language: About Us | Membership | Site Map | Consumer Electronics Info | Become an Affiliate | Top Cities | Hotel Reservations | Hotel Deals | TripAdvisor Gear © 2005 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved. TripAdvisor Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . * TripAdvisor, Inc. is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site... ( more ) TripAdvisor, Inc. is not responsible for content on external web sites.

Russia Travel

IgoUgo: Russia Tourism, Things To Do In Russia, Russia Travel Earn rewards for every review and photo you submit Log in Register Home Destinations Activities Photos Travel Deals Community Web Search -- Search for Advanced Search S E A R C H O P T I O N S search the web only IgoUgo.com Russia -- Select a destination -- Archangel Ekaterinaburg Karelia Moscow Murmansk Nizhni Novgorod Novgorod Novosibirsk Petrozavodsk Saratov Siberia St. Petersburg Suzdal Ulyanovsk Vladimir Vladivostok Yoshkar Ola Russia (general) Browse Destinations: Top Destinations Ekaterinaburg Lodging , Activities , more Karelia Lodging , Activities , more Moscow Lodging , Activities , more Novgorod Lodging , Activities , more Petrozavodsk Lodging , Activities , more Russia (general) Lodging , Activities , more Siberia Lodging , Activities , more St. Petersburg Lodging , Activities , more Vladimir Lodging , Activities , more See all destinations Moscow Hotel Discounts Get hotel discounts for Moscow and local customer support! HotelsRussia.com Superb Hotels in Russia City Center Locations. UK Service Center. Amazing Discounts. Book Now www.SelectRussia.com Russia Hotel Best Price Guarantee on Cheaptickets Select Hotel Rates. www.CheapTickets.com Featured Destination: Moscow Overview Lodging Dining Photos Activities Culture Nightlife Meeting Place Featured Member Moscow Photo -- Member 80 Ways Tim writes: Travelling the world in seven weeks using eighty different methods of transport is my goal - www.80ways.co.uk. read more Write about Moscow and earn GO Points SM ! Save On Russia Hotels Shop and Compare Hotels. Save up to 40% more at Priceline. www.priceline.com Overstock Hotel Deals Great Deals on Hotels from around the world. Book online now and save travel.overstock.com St Petersburg Hotels Now Instant bookings, super savings, Free visa support, local office www.instantstpetersburg.com Destinations in Russia Destination Total Journals Destination Total Journals Archangel 1 Ekaterinaburg 1 Karelia 1 Moscow 46 Murmansk 1 Nizhni Novgorod 1 Novgorod 2 Novosibirsk 1 Petrozavodsk 1 Saratov 1 Siberia 3 St. Petersburg 40 Suzdal 1 Ulyanovsk 1 Vladimir 1 Vladivostok 1 Yoshkar Ola 1 Russia (general) 10 Russia Photos -- Russia Journal Spotlight Member KDKerr writes: "The bright future of Russia and its citizens is best exemplified through an anecdote related to…" read more About Us Advertise Contact Us Help/FAQ Partners Playground Press Lounge Sites We Like -- Sites We Like Terms and Conditions 2000-2005 IgoUgo, Inc.

Asia Travel

Asia Travel Pictures | Asia Travel Photos Asia Get travel inspiration and travel suggestions for visiting Asia. Fly your way! Book your flight to Asia online - saving 40% or more! Countries: Azerbaijan Bahrain Brunei Cambodia China Georgia Hong Kong India Indonesia Iran Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Laos Lebanon Macau Malaysia North Korea Oman Pakistan Philippines Saudi Arabia Singapore South Korea Sri Lanka Syria Thailand United Arab Emirates Vietnam Yemen For me, Asia is a continent of extremes. Extremely vast, extremely crowded, extremely empty in parts, and with an incredible variation of cultures, religions, history, languages.... It is colourful, proud, fascinating, fast and slow... In Asia, one often feels very small, confronted with all these sensations. One feels small because of the huge distances one has to travel. One feels small when admiring a huge statue. One feels small when trying to walk in huge masses of people. Asia is a continent of mysteries. Languages are often written in characters strange to foreigners. Cultures are so different from European ones, that it is a defiance to unravel them. But really understanding them for a European like me, is an illusion. People are sometimes nice, sometimes incredibly impertinent. To be honest, I must say that Asia is not my favourite continent. Mostly for the exact observations given before. It is almost impossible to really connect with the people. They always seem to be hidden behind a mask, a mask of their culture, language, religion. And the foreigner is always excluded. Nevertheless, there is a strong interaction between these sensations. And this interaction is precisely the attraction of the vast collection of countries that make up Asia. Feel welcome to share my experiences in The Mysterious Continent! Go directly to: Africa Europe North America Oceania South America Join our mailinglist: If you want to be updated about developments at Around the World in 80 Clicks, subscribe! Your E-mail address: Travel Forum Join others in discussions on Asia Also on this site: read and sign the guestbook send us your suggestions ! send this site to a friend read about the background of this site publications on this site meet new friends for travel, dating or just fun! Around the World in 80 Clicks All rights reserved - www.traveladventures.org - 1999-2005 Share your comments

Japan Travel International Travel

Metropolis - Tokyo Japan Travel: God speed JAPAN TODAY | METROPOLIS | CLASSIFIEDS | PERSONALS | JOBS Issue Index Original Features Features Mini Features Cultural Features Life in Japan Big in Japan Rant & Rave Cars & Bikes Health & Beauty Interiors Practical Jobfinder Money Talks Tokyo Tech Web Watch Food & Drink Food & Drink Restaurant Reviews Bar Reviews Word of Mouth Travel Travel Features Japan Travel International Travel Travelogue Style Art Artifacts Fashion Tokyo Talk In Store Buyline Music Japan Beat CD Reviews In Person Concerts Clubbing JAPAN TRAVEL Photos by Mary King The mother of all Shinto temples, Ise Grand Shrine is the spiritual home of the Japanese nation. Mary King takes a pilgrimage. D own the ages various rumors and tales have circulated about the sacred mirror of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. It was once said that whoever laid eyes on the mirror would immediately be struck blind, a possible deterrent for would-be thieves. Others have claimed to have seen the mirror and reported that it is inscribed with ancient Hebrew lettering, reading “eheyeh asher eheyeh,” the name of the Judaic-Christian God written in Exodus 3:14 and meaning “I AM THAT I AM.” Heavenly abode Japan’s sacred mirror, one of three items of the Imperial Regalia, is kept in the Inner Shrine (Naiku) at Ise Grand Shrine, a sanctuary that many visitors to the Mie Prefecture city of Ise are astonished to discover they are not allowed to enter or even see. Ise Jingu, popularly known as “O-Ise-san,” or officially “Jingu,” holds the most honored position among the more than 100,000 Shinto shrines that are scattered throughout the breadth of Japan. The site of the nation’s most Holy of Holies, and boasting some of the world’s greatest architectural monuments, Jingu is also home to some of the simplest and most mysterious structures. Described as the “starting point for all journeys in Japan,” Ise is regarded as the spiritual home of the Japanese, a place to which most wish to make at least one pilgrimage to in their lives. In fact, more than six million pilgrims and worshipers come to Jingu each year, crossing the Uji Bridge spanning the sacred Isuzu River to symbolically leave behind the temporal world and enter a “pure world” of kami (gods and spirits) and the ancient mythology of the land. Odyssey Passing through the second huge torii at the end of Uji Bridge, a long gravel approach leads you through a natural cathedral of towering cryptomeria. Pilgrim and tourist alike are taken on a divine journey toward the Naiku and Geku, where Amaterasu and Toyouke (God of Abundant Food) are respectively worshipped. It is an unforgettable odyssey, one that spirits you back to the country’s earliest recorded “history” that tells of the “Age of Kami,” the creation of Japan and the origins of its people right through to the Imperial line and succeeding generations of emperors and empresses. The auxiliary shrines resemble ancient granaries The Geku (Outer Shrine) was dedicated to the grain deity Toyouke, possibly in a bid to bolster the new imperial cult that started, according to the myth, when Amaterasu sent her grandson, Ninigi no Mikoto, down to earth to rule. The Sun Goddess handed her grandson the mirror that had lured her out of her cave, along with Susano’s sword, and a curved jewel. The mirror (yata no kagami), along with the jewel and sword, remain the Three Imperial Regalia, symbols of divine authority, and to this day the emperor conducts rites to ensure a bountiful harvest as well as secret rituals in which he symbolically mates with the Sun Goddess. The high priestess of Ise, meanwhile, has traditionally been an Imperial princess, reflecting the nation’s early history of shamanesses, priestesses and ruling empresses. Having passed through large open grounds and crossed over a small bridge (hiyokebashi), you gradually move towards the more sacred area of the Naiku. To the right of the main pilgrimage path is located a font for the ablutions made by pilgrims prior to proceeding toward the main sanctuary grounds. Beyond the daiichi torii (first sacred gateway) are steps that lead to the Isuzu River, where since ancient times pilgrims have purified their body and mind by washing their hands in, and rinsing their mouths with, the waters of this sacred river. According to Shinto thought, one’s pure mind and body given by the kami must be ritually cleansed so as to return to a state of purity. Amaterasu Omikami is enshrined in the main sanctuary building, the Goshoden, of the inner sanctum of Naiku, in which the august mirror, her symbol or goshintai, is kept and worshipped. As they are considered most sacred, pilgrims or other visitors may see neither the mirror nor the main sanctuary. In fact, the only people allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, according to my guide, are members of the Imperial Family, although on one occasion, it is rumored, Queen Elizabeth was invited in. Restoration Except for the exalted mirror, all of Jingu’s other sacred shrines and objects must be reconstructed in synch with each 20-year Shikinen Sengyo cycle. The elaborate transference procession and ceremony involves the remaking of some 491 holy treasures, 1600 accessories and 125 kinds of sacred apparel that are then put in their proscribed places by the priests. Formerly used objects are kept in the nearby Jingu History Museum, which is open to the public. It is possible to find two absolutely identical Naiku and Geku standing side by side-one old, one new. In time the older one will be deconstructed and its wooden parts, now forever consecrated, recycled as repair pieces for other shrines around Japan. The newer one-once the transference of holy objects has been consummated-hence replaces the old as a locus of veneration. The shrines themselves are thought to resemble ancient granaries or storehouses and are built from Japanese cypress (hinoki) from the Kiso forestry preserves extending between the Gifu and Nagano Prefectures. Befitting the reverence accorded to these sanctified building blocks, death, loss of a limb, or imprisonment have, over the centuries, been the penalties for felling these jewels. A visit to the majestic Ise shrine allows one to understand why. Where to stay: Oaken, tel: 059-622-2589; Hinodekan, Tel: 059-628-2954; Saekikan, tel: 059-628-2017; Okubun, tel: 059-628-2231. Ise City Tourist Information, tel: 059-623-9655. TRAVELOGUE WORLD TRAVEL TRAVEL FEATURES JAPAN TRAVEL: SEPTEMBER 389: God speed The mother of all Shinto temples, Ise Grand Shrine AUGUST 385: Hattoji Highland hamlet JULY 380: Nagasaki Remembrance of things past 378: Kawagoe From modern Tokyo to "Little Edo" 376: Tottori Tottori's stunning landscapes JUNE 375: Kyushu Bed and bath under the volcano 373: Ryogoku Land of the giants 372: Osaka Universal Studios Japan MAY 371: Osaka Amerika-mura: Osaka's funky town 369: Mie Mikimoto Pearl Island 368: Takarazuka Hyogo-ken's all women theater group APRIL 365: Kawasaki Kawasaki's annual fertility festival 364: Aomori A day on Fear Mountain MARCH 362: Nagano Chill out snowboarding 361: Asuka One foot in the grave FEBRUARY 356: Yamanashi Hakushu's hidden treasures 355: Waseda Tram Trip A streetcar named... 352/3: Aomori Jesus in Japan 351: Kumamoto Under the volcano in Kyushu 350: Sado Island Explore the forgotten charms of Shukunegi ISSUES 348- ISSUES 298- TOP