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Cabo San Lucas is situated at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula in the state of Baja California Sur, Mexico. Its the second largest community in Baja California Sur and the biggest community in the Los Cabos municipality. Cabo San Lucas is a Spanish name that means “Cape of Saint Luke” in English. The area in which the city is located is thought to have been inhabited by humans for the past fourteen thousand years. It is believed that the city was originally founded by a British citizen named Thomas Ritchie, though there is some debate over this theory. What is known, however, is that a fishing village was established in 1917 by an American company who built a tuna fishing platform in the area. It continued as a fishing village until the mid 1970s, when the Mexican government started extensive work on the infrastructure of Cabo San Lucas to ready it as reassignment as a tourist attraction.

Today, Cabo San Lucas is one of the most important Mexican vacation destinations. The area has a large variety of tourists oriented sites and has a large number of bars, hotels, spas and restaurants. It is also a premier attraction for fishing tournaments and has one of the biggest marlin fishing competitions in the world.

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Cabo San Lucas is also home to a number of ports that are serviced by many cruise ships and air traffic is handled by Los Cabos International Airport. Visitors often come to the city to see such amazing sites as observation of whale pods or to enjoy its lavish beaches. The city is surrounded by beaches on all sides. Popular beaches include the Tourist Corridor, Lover’s Beach, Twin Dolphin Beach, Chileno Beach, Playa Acapulquito, Santa Maria Beach, Playa El Medano, Los Frailes, Palmilla Beach, Costa Azul Beach, Playa Migrino and San Pedro Beach. There are even a number of topless beaches in the area which include Westin Beach, Twin Dolphin Beach and Playa San Pedro.

A popular attraction in Cabo San Lucas is the Pasado Marina de Museo. The Pasado Marina de Museo is a museum that is dedicated to traditional and contemporary Mexican art. It is located on Boulevard Marina and is adjacent to the shoreline. It also contains many exhibits that is related to the fishing industry. Inside visitors will see stuffed sharks and other fish lining the walls. Other museums in the city of Cabo San Lucas is the Huichol Museum and the Museo de las California.

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Other popular attractions in the city include Cabo Adventures, 4×4 Desert Safari, Cabo Magic Sportfishing, Los Cabos Deep Blue, Land’s End (Finisterra), Baja Wild, Cabo Dolphins, Wide Open Baja Cabo Test Track, Carisuva, Cabo Real Golf Course, Pez Gato, Glass Bottom Boat Tour, Oceanus, Pedregal de Cabo San Lucas, EcoCat Sailing Catamaran, Arte de Origen, La Candelaria, The Blue Agave, Eldorado Golf Club, Bahia de Cabo San Lucas, Cabo del Sol Golf Club, Vitrofusion Glass Blowing Factory, Fabrica de Vidrio, Marlin Alley, Lighthouse of the False Cape, Iglesia de San Lucas, Desert Park Natural Reserve, Sante Fe Art, Cardon Galler, Cabo San Lucas Country Club, Cactus Spa, Mercado Mexicano, Cabo Submarine and Los Arcos.

Cabo San Lucas is known for its extensive collection of bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels. Popular bars and restaurants in the area include the Shots Bar, Cabo Wabo, El Squid Roe Nightclub, Legends Live Music and Bar, Latitude 22+ Ocean View Roadhouse Bar, Two for the Road, Zoo Bar & Dance, Restaurante Mango Deck, Jungle Martini, Sancho Panza Wine Bar and Bistro, The Giggling Marlin, Hemingway’s, Pancho’s and Rips Bar. Hotels in the city include Hotel Cabo Inn, Seven Crown Hotel, Casa Dorada Los Cabos Resort & Spa, Hotel Quinta del Sol, Villa La Estancia Los Cabos, Riu Santa Fe All Inclusive Hotel, Villa La Estancia Los Cabos and Hotel Mar De Cortez.

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Beijing is the capital city of China and is located in the Northern part of the country. This city is the second largest metropolis in China after the city of Shanghai and over seventeen million people reside here. Beijing is generally considered the cultural focal point of China, while Hong Kong is considered the economic focal point.

Beijing is a city so rich in history and tradition that its hard to find a building or park that doesn’t have some sort of cultural significance. This can be really overwhelming to first time visitors trying to see all the important tourist attractions, especially if they are under time constraints. But, visitors shouldn’t despair because there are sites that have more importance than others and should be placed on a visitor’s hot spot list.

One of the most popular, and probably the most significant site to visit in Beijing is the Forbidden City or Palace Museum. This is definitely one of the top palaces in the entire world and covers an area of one hundred and eighteen acres.

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This palace was built during the Ming Dynasty and has a mind boggling eighty-seven hundred rooms. Around the entire perimeter is a large red hued wall that has a total length of over thirty-seven hundred yards. Each of the four sides of this palace has a gate and the main entrance gate is called the Wu Men or Meridian Gate. The entire interior of the Forbidden City is stocked to the brim with priceless works of art, antiquities and historically significant items. In fact, it s estimated that there are over one million artifacts located here and that it is one sixth of the entire collection of China. Visitors should plan on making several trips to this palace because it is almost impossible to see the entire place in just one visit.

The next attraction not to be missed is the Great Wall Of China. This massive fortification is considered to be the longest piece of architecture in the entire world. The wall stretches from Jiayuguan Pass to the
Shanhaiguan Pass.

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That makes this structure over forty-one hundred miles long! The Great Wall was started during the Qin Dynasty and took over two thousand years to complete.The Great Wall is considered to be one of the seven wonders of the world.

The Temple of Heaven is another fantastic location to visit. This immense temple covers an area of over eight million square feet and was built in 1420. This temple has two main components, the inner temple and the outer temple. The entire temple is encircled by a huge wall. This temple was the favorite of China’s emperors and they used it to pray for a fruitful harvest.

Beijing also has one of the greatest imperial gardens in all of China, and perhaps the world. Its called the Summer Palace and it was constructed in 1750. Some of the features of the Summer Palace is the East Palace Gate, The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, Hall of Jade Ripples and the Garden of Virtue and Harmony.

Another must see location in Beijing is Tiananmen Square. This is the largest square in the world and covers an area of over one hundred and eight acres.

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This square is so massive that it is capable of accommodating over ten million people at one time. Tiananmen Squarewas built in 1417 and is composed of several main features. The first one is the Monument to the People’s Heroes which is located in the center of the square. It reaches over one hundred and twenty feet and is made of solid granite. Reliefs around the monument tell the tale of Chinese history through several very crucial events. Other features of this square include Tiananmen Tower to the north, the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall to the south, the National Museum of China located to the east and the Great Hall of the People to the west.

A popular place in the city to visit is the Beijing Zoo. This is the largest zoo in all of China and covers an area of two hundred and twenty acres. This zoo has a diverse collection of animals with over five thousand animals represented from over six hundred species. Some of the animals included here are tigers, lions, monkeys, bears and reptiles. At the north end of the zoo is the Beijing Aquarium.

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This aquarium covers an area of thirty acres and has more than a thousand species of fish housed here. The two main features of the aquarium include the rainforest exhibit and the marine theater where guest can watch dolphins perform various tricks.

For those looking for hotel accommodations in the city there are many fine choices available. Beijing is a city that has five star rated hotels, budget hotels and youth hostels. And most of the tourist friendly ones have easy access to transportation. The type of lodging that you choose all depends on what part of the city your planning on visiting and how much you want to pay.

Though the city is generally crowded, especially during peak driving times, there are plenty of transportation options available. These include trains, buses and taxis. One of the more popular ways of traveling through the city is by Rickshaw. This can be a fun and leisurely way to view the city, though its usually more expensive than taking a taxi. Rickshaws can be found at any of the tourist centers in Beijing.

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Houston is the biggest city in the state of Texas and is the fourth biggest city in the United States. It covers an area of six hundred square miles and has a population that exceeds two and a quarter million people. Houston is known for its energy production, particularly in the areas of oil and natural gas. The city also is developing a booming green economy that is based on solar and wind energy production. Since Houston is the leading city in the field of energy, its home to some of the biggest and most powerful energy companies in the world. These include Exxon-Mobil, ConocoPhillips, BP, Shell Oil Company and Chevron. This city also has a thriving aerospace industry and is home to NASA’s largest research facility, Johnson Space Center. The United Space Alliance is also situated here and employs over ten thousand people.

Houston can trace its history to the period of time right before the Texas Revolution. This was when John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen started scouting a location to build a center of commerce and government. In 1836, these two purchased over six thousand acres of land for the sum of $9,428 USD. They named the city Houston after the hero of the Texas Revolution Sam Houston. The city went through an extensive period of growth and in 1837 was made the temporary capital of Texas. After the Texas Revolution the city experienced a large influx of German immigrants. The city also experienced a major influx of Mexican immigrants, who came into the city to work on the railroads.

The city of Houston has many tourist attractions to keep visitors occupied. One of the most popular attractions in the city is the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. This is considered one of the biggest rodeos in the world and features events and entertainers. The rodeo last for a period of three weeks and features bull riding, horse riding, steer wrestling and cattle roping. This rodeo also features many international performers and is also home to the World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest.

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This BBQ contest features four hundred cooks making spare ribs, chicken and briskets. The rodeo also features a petting zoo and a carnival.

Another popular attraction in the city is the Houston Zoo. This zoo covers an area of fifty-five acres and is situated in Hermann Park. The Houston Zoo has over forty-five hundred animals from nine hundred species. The main features of the zoo include the Reptile and Amphibian House, the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo, the Fischer Bird Gardens, the Janice Suber McNair Asian Elephant and the Giant Eland Exhibit. The Houston Zoo is the seventh most visited zoo in the United States and attracts over one and a half million visitors each and every year.

Also located in Hermann Park is the Houston Museum of Natural Science. This science museum was founded in 1909 to provide science rich exhibits to the residents of Houston. This museum features a central facility with four floors of exhibits. These floors contain the Wortham IMAX Theatre, Baker Planetarium and the Cockrell Butterfly Center. Other exhibits at this museum include Foucault pendulum, Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault, Cullen Hall of Gems & Minerals, Hall of the Americas, Weiss Energy Hall, Hall of Space Science, Hall of Texas Wildlife, Hall of African Wildlife, Strake Hall of Malacology, the Cockrell Sundial, the Earth Forum, Fondren Discovery Place, Hall of Paleontology and Welch Chemistry Hall. An unusual, yet interesting, exhibit in Houston is the Orange Show. The Orange Show is a monument dedicated to the orange and was the vision of a Houston mail carrier named Jeff McKissack. It took him over twenty years to build his exhibit and it features materials that he collected over the years to turn his entire house into a monument. Its composed out of bricks, tiles, fencing and other junk items.

Memorial Park is a popular park located in the city of Houston. This park is considered to be one of the biggest urban parks in the United States. It was founded in 1924 and covers an area of over fourteen hundred acres.

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The area where the park is located was once the site of Camp Logan during World War I. The main features of the park include an eighteen hole golf course, tennis facilities, softball fields, pools, croquet courts, volleyball courts and a three mile running track. Also located in the park are picnic facilities and a rugby court. The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center also calls Memorial Park home. The Houston Arboretum and Nature Center sits on fifty-five acres of the park and contains over five miles of trails, wetland and meadow habitats. It also features afternoon art classes, guided nature tours and special exhibits on conservation.

A prominent museum in the city is the Menil Collection. The Menil Collection is a museum that contains the private art collection of museum founders Jean and Dominique de Ménil. The museum contains over fifteen thousand paintings, prints, scultpures, photos and books. Paintings located in this museum include works by artist such as René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Yves Tanguy, Max Ernst, Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock and Henri Matisse. There are also ancient works that contain examples of Medieval and Byzantine art. Just a short walk from the main exhibit is the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum. It contains thirteenth century Byzantine frescos and a dome of the Virgin Panagia.

Other prominent attractions in Houston include Lynchburg Ferry, The Galleria, The Space Center, The Health Museum, Market Square, Brazos Bend State Park, Buffalo Bayou Park, Polar Ice Galleria, Sam Houston Race Park, Splashtown Water Park, Aurora Picture Show, Landmark Greenway 3, Aaron Brothers and BlackJack’s Grill. Houston is also home to a number of health clubs, spas, restaurants, cafes, shopping malls and hotels. Houston also contains a theater district that spans seventeen square blocks and contains movie theaters, plazas and parks. Contained in this district is Bayou Place which is a huge building that has restaurants, bars, art houses and pool halls located within it.

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Richmond is an American city that is the capital of Virginia. It covers an area of sixty two square miles and has a population of over two hundred thousand residents. Richmond is situated at the intersections of I-64 and I-95, and is surrounded by I-288 and I-295. The main economic activities of the city include government, finance and law with several noteworthy banking and legal firms located in the downtown section of the city. Richmond is home to the U.S Court of Appeals for the fourth circuit, one of the U.S Court of Appeals, and the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank. There are also thirteen Fortune 1000 companies and nine Fortune 500 companies who have headquarters in the city.

Up until the seventeenth century, the area on which Richmond is located was inhabited by the Powhatan tribe and they had their capital on a hill over the falls of the James. After the settlement of a colony of Jamestown Island, an English exploratory party led by Captain Christopher Newport learned of the location of the Powhatan capital. Captain Newport decided to assist the Powhatans with the defense of their capital against the Siouan Monocan tribe. The next day, the captain shared some of his ship’s goods, with Parahunt, and learned all that he could of the local geography and politics. The captain than planted a cross that read Jacobus Rex 1607, a sign declaring that the country now belonged to James I of England. He told the Powhatan however, that it was a symbol of his alliance with their people. By the eighteenth century, the population of Richmond was still below two hundred residents. In 1730, the Warehouse Act was passed by the Virginia House of Burgesses requiring inspectors to grade tobacco at several different location. This caused an increase in development at the Falls of the James. In 1737, the street plan of the city was laid out and it was named Richmond after Richmond, England. In 1780, the state capital of Virginia was moved to Richmond. A year later, Richmond was burned by British troops on order of Benedict Arnold. But, Richmond quickly rebounded and a year later was incorporated as a city.

Today, Richmond has a thriving tourist industry that is driven by the city’s art community and its many historical landmarks and attractions. A popular attraction in the city is Hollywood Cemetery. This cemetery is located on South Cherry Street in the city and is recognizable by its many hills and path that overlook the James River. It was founded in 1849 and was designed in a rural garden style with many holly trees lining the property. Twenty years later, a ninety foot high granite pyramid was built to honor the eighteen thousand soldiers of the Confederate Army that are buried there. This cemetery is a popular attraction among tourists and ghost hunters alike. Buried here are many notable people which include Benjamin Barrett, James Branch Cabell, Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry, Jefferson Davis, Richard B. Garnett, Ellen Glasgow, Edward Johnson, Fitzhugh Lee, Matthew Fontaine Maury, James Monroe, John Pegram, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William Alexander Smith, Reuben Lindsay Walker and Henry A. Wise.

Another popular attraction in Richmond is the Science Museum of Virginia. This museum was founded in 1910 as the ‘State Museum’ and over the course of many years, natural history specimens from a number of several State agencies were added to its collection. The General Assembly endorsed the creation of an official science museum in 1943, but the pressing events of World War II prevented them from taking further action on the issue. The measure wouldn’t be placed into action until 1970 when the Science Museum of Virginia was finally founded. The key features of the museum include an aquarium and various displays such as the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway steam locomotive, Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad business car and the Aluminaut submarine. The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is another key attraction in the city of Richmond. This garden is located on thirty acres of land on the North side of the city. Key features of the garden include the Healing Garden, Bloemendaal House, Children’s Garden, English Garden and the Sunken Garden.

Located at Shields Lake Drive is Maymont Park. Maymont Park is a Victorian estate that is situated on a hundred acres of land and consist of an arboretum, a nature center, petting zoo (Maymont Children’s Farm), Maymont Mansion, historic house museum, native wildlife exhibits and gardens. The gardens consist of Japanese gardens, an Italian garden, waterfalls and plenty of gazebos and pavilions. The arboretum is from the early twentieth century and contains over two hundred different species of trees including a Tilia europea, Cedrus atlantica, Parrotia persica and Cryptomeria japonica. The petting zoo contains many different types of farm animals, but the park also has a collection of animals that are native to Virginia. These include bald eagles, black bears, foxes and bobcats. Other animals here include deer, American Bison, elk and peacocks.

Other popular attractions in Richmond include the Children’s Museum of Richmond, Virginia Capitol Building, Museum and White House of the Confederacy, Agecroft Hall, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Virginia Historical Society, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Edgar Allan Poe Museum, Virginia Holocaust Museum, Monument Avenue, Dogwood Dell, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, Meadow Farm Museum, Tredegar Iron Works, James River, Tuckahoe Plantation, Visual Art Studio, Farmer’s Market, Shockhoe Slip Historic District, American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar, Virginia Union University, Wilton House, Third Street African Methodist Episcopal Church, Virginia Fire & Police Museum, Federal Reserve Bank Money Museum, Virginia War Memorial, Beth Ahabah Museum and Archive, City Hall Observation Deck, Main Street Beer Co. Brewery, Byrd Theater, Annabel Lee Riverboat, Old Dominion Railway Museum, The Westhampton Theater, Valentine Richmond History Center, Jefferson Hotel, Virginia Aviation Museum, Hippodrome Theater, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, Dinwiddie and Pamplin Historical Park, Greater Richmond Convention Centre and the Elk’s Lodge.

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Ho Chi Minh City is a city that was once known as Prey Nokor and is the biggest city in the country of Vietnam. This city is located on the Saigon River, about thirty-seven miles from the South China Sea and one thousand miles south of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The city covers an area of eight hundred and nine miles and has a population of over seven million people. Ho Chi Minh City is a major economic center of Vietnam and it accounts for twenty percent of the Gross Domestic Product, twenty-seven percent of the industrial output and thirty-five percent of the Foreign Direct Investment in the country. In 2009, the Gross Domestic Product Per Capita in the city exceeded two thousand United States dollars as compared with the country’s average of seven hundred dollars. Ho Chi Minh City’s economy covers areas such as mining, agriculture, finance, seafood processing and tourism.

Ho Chi Minh City began its life as a fishing village named Prey Nokor. The area upon which the city is now located was once a vast swampland that was inhabited by the Khmer people for centuries before the Vietnamese arrived in the area. According to the folklore of the Khmer people, South Vietnam was given to the Vietnamese government as a dowry gift for the marriage of a Khmer prince to a Vietnamese princess.

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By the end of the seventeenth century, a Vietnamese noble named Nguyen Huu Canh was sent to the area to establish a Vietnamese administration, an action which cutting the area from Cambodia. Shortly after the name of the city was changed to Saigon. In 1859, the French conquered the city, and it was significantly influenced by this colonial occupation. In 1949, Emperor Bao Dai made Saigon the capital of Vietnam. When North Vietnam fell under the control of the Viet Minh, Saigon became the capital of South Vietnam in 1954. After the Vietnam War, Saigon fell under the control of the Vietnamese People’s Army, an even known in the United States as the “Fall of Saigon”. The next year, Saigon was merged with the province of Gia Dinh and Ho Chi Minh City was created. Locals, however still often refer to the city as Saigon, especially in informal contexts.

Today, Ho Chi Minh City is a beautiful city with a highly developed system of higher education. In the city are over eighty colleges and universities which have an enrollment of over four hundred thousand students. Important colleges and universities in the city include Vietnam National University at Ho Chi Minh City, The University of Sciences, University of Architecture, The University of Technology, Nong Lam University, Open University, University of Fine Art, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology at Vietnam, Saigon Institute of Technology and University of Sports and Physical Education. Ho Chi Minh City also has a developed health care system with about one hundred government owned hospitals and dozens of private clinics.

Ho Chi Minh City has a large number of attractions to attract tourists.

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A popular attraction in the city is the War Remnants Museum. This museum is located at 28 Vo Van Tan and contains an extensive collection of artifacts pertaining to the American portion of the Vietnam War. It was founded in 1975 and was originally known as the Museum of American War Crimes. The name was then changed to the War Crimes Museum, a name which it retained until 1994. Its current name is a reflection of the normalization of political relations between Vietnam and the United States. The War Remnants Museum has eight themed rooms that are spread over several buildings. There are also a yard where various pieces of military equipment are kept such as helicopters, jet fighters, Patton tanks and bombers. Exhibits here include the effects of Agent Orange, the use of tiger cages, napalm and various exhibits on certain battles.

Another impressive attraction in Ho Chi Minh City is the Saigon Notre Dame Basilica. This cathedral is located in the downtown area of the city and was founded by French colonist in the late nineteenth century. It contains two bell towers which are about one hundred and ninety feet high. All the materials that were used in the construction of this church came from France. In 1877, Bishop Isidore Colombert cermoniously laid the first corner stone. Over the next three years, work on the cathedral was performed at a brisk pace and by Easter of 1880, the church was completed. Fifteen years later, the two bell towers were added to the church.

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Each tower has six bronze bells with a combined weight of almost twenty-nine metric tons. On top of each tower was mounted crosses which were ten feet high, six feet wide and weighed around three hundred pounds each. Another attraction to see while in Ho Chi Minh City is the Municipal Theater, or Saigon Opera House as its otherwise known as. This theater was constructed in 1897 by Ferret Eugene, a French architect. It contains eight hundred seats and it was used as the Lower House of the South Vietnam assembly between 1956 and 1975. It would once again be converted back to a theater after the Vietnam War and in 1995 was fully restored.

Other attractions in the city include Saigon Tax Trade Center, Cu Chi Tunnel, Foot Massage Yuan, Cho Ben Thanh Market, La Maison de L’Apothiquaire, Reunification Palace, Ipa-nima, Saigon Central Post Office, Emperor Jade Pagoda, Dam Sen Water Park, Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam History Museum, Chinatown Ho Chi Minh City, Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theater, Cao Dai Temple, Therapy Massage Ngoc Anh, Hotel de Ville, Hotel Continental, Binh Tay, Ben Nha Rong, Thien Hau Pagoda, La Cochinchine Luxury Spa, Temple of the Buddha’s Relic, Can Gio Island, Zen Plaza, Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Duc Minh Private Museum, Vinh Nghiem Temple, Dam Sen Park, Bach Dang River, Diamond Plaza, Phu Tho Racecourse, Tansonnhat International Airport, Southern Women’s Museum, Ton Duc Thang Museum, Quai Marina, Ho Chi Minh Square, Quoc Tu Pagoda and Cong Vien Van Hoa Park.