Horror nights at Orlando Florida’s Universal Studios theme parks are meant to be the ultimate place for ‘grown ups’ (?) to enjoy a spooky Halloween themed evening. They take place on quite a number of evenings every October. Actors in all manner of costumes mingle and interact with the ‘guests’ in addition to several special Halloween only shows. I will be going to this year’s event and will post up a review early November when I return.
As this an adults only thing (really not suitable for kids) there are no discounted kiddy tickets available. Many of the tickets available are multi-night tickets (called frequent fear passes) and cost around $70 / £40 – but these do not let you in on Halloween evening itself – for that evening you have to pay extra. I I have found a couple of good deals if you are willing to do on a night other than Halloween itself:
Tickets for two adults for one horror night entrance (Sunday through Thursday) and hotel accommodation for 2 nights for $79 through Orlando-Florida.net
Single adult ticket for one horror night (Sunday through Thursday) for $45 through Orlando Fun Tickets
Many people are aware of The Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, but did you know there is now one in Macau, South China? With China’s huge population, their national interest in gambling, belief in luck and the fact that Macau is the only place in China where gambling is legal it was a pretty obvious place for Las Vegas Sands to locate the largest casino in the world. It opened in August 2007 (on a Chinese ‘auspicious’ date), and the developers state that the building is the second largest building in the world; others say it’s the third largest. But whatever – you get the idea….its big! A helpful comparison might be that you should be able to fit 90 747 jets inside.
Like its sister hotel in Vegas – no expense has been spared in the $2.4 billion project. Walls and ceilings are adorned with golf leaf, fresco’s and murals, floors are marble, there are countless statues and the ceiling above the shopping mall and canals is painted with a realistic sky effect that even darkens towards the evening. You can catch a Cirque du Soleil show while there or a concert or two.
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Unless you have been a hermit for the past week it probably hasn’t escaped your notice that Atlantis (the hotel on the Palm in Dubai) opened last week on the 24th September. Newspapers, magazines and supplements have been awash with articles and reviews about the themed spa resort hotel.
Aimed strongly at the family market the hotel does stretch its theme’ing’ to the limit, even suggesting that it is an educational experience for children regarding the (fictional) Atlantis.
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And you thought that radishes are only added to salad, - think again!
I must admit that on occasions I have been known to cut through the small round radishes we get in the UK, paring them into small segments – but not quite to the bottom, then putting them in a bowl of iced water and wait for them to open into ‘flowers’. Cookery lesson over for today…..
My artistic efforts are absolutely nothing by comparison with what you will see on ‘La Noche de Rabanos’ – night of the radishes.
This event is held on 23rd December every year, its origins are unknown, but researchers do know that on Christmas Eve in the 19th century markets sold varieties of vegetables and dried fish. Vendors vied for trade by decorating their stalls with sculpted radish figures that were further adorned with onions, turnips and flowers. The most interesting ones were purchased to the festive tables of homes on Christmas Eve.
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