The Smarter Customer

Vango is one company in the tent manufacturing industry that is well known for its sturdy tents that are both stylish and durable. With over 40 years of experience in tent manufacturing, Vango believes in delivering the best in terms of quality to its customers. Not one to rest on and be satisfied with the existing loyal customer base, Vango believes in constantly researching and developing its array of tents that ensure customer satisfaction in the long run.

Whether you are planning a trekking trip to the mountains or just a family camping trip, you know you are well equipped if you have Vango tents.The sheer durability of the fabric used, along with its flexibility makes camping or trekking a memorable experience. Added to this is the fact that the tent is lightweight, so as not to burden trekkers and is made of water resistant and flame retardant material. However, the icing on the cake is that these tents come with a lifetime guarantee, given the confidence that Vango has on the flawlessness of its tents.

If you are planning to go on a trek, then the Expedition or Mountain range of Vango tents are your perfect choice as these are lightweight and survive all weather conditions. However, if you are planning a family camp trip, then you can choose from their range of family tents that are large and airy and can put up as many as 9 persons.

South Africa boasts mild weather during the entire year, and has the bonus of being situated - turning it into a superb holiday away from the miserable North American and European wintertimes.

During this brief piece, we’re going to discuss the less well known areas of the South African peninsula, places where you can get away from the hords of tourists and at the same time enjoy the cheaper prices that you can discover in the lesser known places.

Kruger National Park
Numerous people recognise Kruger Park from arguably the most renowned wildlife footage caught on camera. It’s the biggest wildlife reserve in South Africa and ranges 350 km from north to south and 60 km from east to west. Kruger Park features 8 main gates that provide entrance to the various camps there. There is plenty of accommodation near Krugar Park so it doesn’t need to be a huge return trip from Cape Town or wherever you’re staying.

Visit the Drakensberg Mountain Range
The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in the South African Peninsula, climbing to over 3400 metres in height. Caves are frequently found in the more easily weathered sandstone, and many have rock murals etched by the indigenous people. The Drakensberg Mountains have between 35000 and 40000 works of bushman art and is the greatest aggregation of such drawings in the world. There is evidence that the bushman civilization subsisted in the Drakensberg Mountains as long ago as 100,000 years ago. The Drakensberg Mountain Range is simple to get to from adjacent Durban and you can normally book hotels in Durban without any trouble.

KwaZulu
The KawZulu Natal area has become increasingly popular with holidaymakers - mainly sold as the Zulu Kingdom. It is unfortunate that many tourists don’t visit this area, as many who DO come here know that it provides holidaymakers a variety of experiences. For a long time it has been known as the Garden Province for good reason. And again, there should be little worry locating hotels in and around KwaZulu.

If you’re traveling in Australia then there’s one part of this fine country that you really should not miss. The Fraser Coast in Queensland features some of the finest sub-tropical coast that you will find anywhere in the world and the tourist attractions here are definitely worth seeing.

The Fraser Coast stretches from Rainbow Beach in the south right up to Burrum Heads in the north and takes in places like Tin Can Bay, Hervey Bay and Fraser Island. The climate is outstanding all year round and right now I’m writing this in the middle of winter in Hervey Bay where the sun is shining, there’s a gentle breeze blowing through the palms and it’s so warm that I’m dressed in a tshirt and a pair of shorts.

If you’re thinking of heading up this way then there is certainly plenty to see and do throughout the year. Fraser Island is a World Heritage listed sand island and thousands of people go there every day to enjoy the unique scenery and wildlife. Down at that oddly named but very picturesque Tin Can Bay you can feed the wild dolphins if you can get up early enough. Every morning two of them come right into the boat ramp at 7.30am in interact with the tourists.

In Hervey Bay you can just kick back on the beach, wander through the peaceful botanical gardens or even ride a camel. If you want something a little more daring you can skydive right over the beach, take a flight in a micro-light aircraft of go diving or snorkeling on our very own coral reef that’s just a few hundred metres off the beach.

If you want to go fishing then you can’t beat the fishing out in the Bay and there are plenty of fishing charter operators who can take you out there. And if beach fishing is your thing then head up to Burrum Heads where the river meets the sea … you won’t be disappointed.

In fact you won’t be disappointed wherever you go on the Fraser Coast. The people are friendly; the accommodation is outstanding and once you arrive you will never want to leave.

The Chinese were flying their airplanes over Mount Everest and had Chinese officials in Kathmandu. “Everest this year became a political pawn,” he said with some frustration.

Climber from Nepal, 77, oldest man to scale the top of Chomolungma or Mount Everest With the Chinese preparing for the impending summer Olympic Games, Andrew Brash noted that the government’s actions hardly reflected the Olympic spirit. This season climber Anthony Loeff is reporting the scales for Mt Everest after reaching the top of Mont Blanc in France earlier this season.

The 75-year-old man from Nepal is now the oldest person to have reached the top of Chomolungma. Min Bahadur Sherchan last attempt resulted in the rescue of Lincoln Hall, an Australian climber who was left by his team in the “death zone.”

Nevertheless, he was all too aware of the potential dangers the Mount Everest could bring. Certain parts of the climb are more dangerous than others and it is important for climbers to remain focused More than 3108 people have climbed to the summit since it was first conquered in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary, who died in January, and Nepal’s Tenzing Norgay.

“The Chinese weren’t allowing anybody on Mount Everest. They ended up commandeering it for themselves, even though Chomolungma is shared by two countries. Bahadur Sherchan and four climbing guides reached the 29,035-foot (8,850-meters) summit of the world’s highest mountain early Sunday, said Ramesh Chretri, an official with Nepal’s ministry of tourism.

They flexed their muscles this year all the in name of the Olympic spirit, but it was hardly spirited at all.”

They basically coerced the Nepali government to not allow any climbers past camp two on the Nepali side. Hall was frostbitten and severely disoriented due to altitude sickness. Bahadur Sherchan returned a hero to Calgarians. However, the decision to actualize a long-time personal goal left Bahadur Sherchan with some internal uncertainties, he cited the political actions of China and Nepal as providing the greatest adversity he faced on his journey. Min Bahadur Sherchan returned this week from Nepal after successfully climbing to the summit of Everest. Sherchan just 15 days away from his 77th birthday beat the age record set last year by 71-year-old Japanese teacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa.

As he planned for the climb, Sherchan told reporters he wanted to inspire fellow senior citizens. He also said many Nepalese have established records on Mt Everest, so it was only fitting that the record for the oldest climber to reach the summit should also belong to a Nepali. Now that Andrew Brash has successfully scaled the tallest mountain in the world, he is once again ready to focus on his family. His first found him within 173 metres of the peak when his team stopped to help a fellow mountaineer who was left for dead. Three years later, Andrew Brash, a University of Calgary alumni, returned to Chomolungma or Mount Everest to finish what he had started.