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	<title>Travel Blog-Travel,Hotels,Vacations,Cruises</title>
	<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com</link>
	<description>Travel Blog</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:48:57 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Accommodations In Saigon (Ho Chi Minh)</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon, as more people call it) is full of hotels. Everywhere you look, you will find accommodations. The problem – if you can call it that – is choosing one. You may opt to go the “normal” route and search hotel web sites such as Asiarooms. I tried this before a month before our trip, but ended up undecided. Lucky for me, my friend found two options that were not that expensive. You see, the countless hotels in Saigon offer good rates – anywhere from USD15 to USD40. The really big names, like Sheraton and Continental, are out of my league. I would have loved to stay at the Sheraton but it was just too much. Anyway, we ended up staying at Blue River Hotel for the first two nights, and then moved to Blue Diamond for the last three nights. We chose Blue River Hotel 2 (there IS a Blue River Hotel 1) because it was very cheap – USD30 for a family room (good for at least 4 people). They have WiFi (free), hot water, cable TV, a bathtub (for this particular room). The only problem I had with the hotel is its location – about 10 minutes of walking to the bars and Ben Thanh Market (more about this in another post). There’s nothing to complain about regarding the staff – they are amazing! Entrance to the alley going to the hotel. Entrance to the hotel. Blue Diamond Hotel is a bit more upscale, and it opened about two months ago. It is very very new and for $40 a night, it is very much worth it. It’s located just behind the Ben Thanh Market, making it ideal for tourists. Their breakfast buffet. With all the choices available to visitors, picking out a single hotel can be confusing. If you’re heading to Saigon anytime soon, I suggest checking these two hotels out. You really won’t regret doing so. ]]></description>
		<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com/accommodations-in-saigon-ho-chi-minh/</link>
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		<title>Boston Spring Animal Fun</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Lots of cute baby animals is a sure sign of spring!  Here are  a few Boston-area spots where you can get up close and personal to your favorite animal friends. The Franklin Park Zoo (1 Franklin Park Rd., Dorchester, 617-541-5466, weekdays 10 AM-5 PM, weekends and holidays 10 AM-6 PM, $14 adults, $8 ages 2-12)(Map) ]]></description>
		<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com/boston-spring-animal-fun/</link>
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		<title>Leidseplein: Popular Square Where Tourists Meet Locals</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Leidseplein buzzes with activity day and night. Sip chardonnay and savour bitterballen, bite-size deep-fried ragout filled balls. On chilly spring and autumn days wrap a fleece shawl around your shoulders and only the tip of your nose will get cold. In winter the square is almost abandoned. All activity shifted inside bars and cafes. Hop on ]]></description>
		<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com/leidseplein-popular-square-where-tourists-meet-locals/</link>
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		<title>The Boston Public Library: A Cultural Monument</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Bibliophiles will not want to miss a visit to the Boston Public Library. The Boston Public Library was the country&#8217;s first publicly funded library, founded in 1848.  The Copley Plaza building, a grand Italianate &#8220;palace of the people&#8221; dates from 1895 and was designed by Charles McKim. To fully appreciate the magnificent of the Boston Public ]]></description>
		<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com/the-boston-public-library-a-cultural-monument-2/</link>
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		<title>The Boston Public Library: A Cultural Monument</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Bibliophiles will not want to miss a visit to the Boston Public Library. The Boston Public Library was the country&#8217;s first publicly funded library, founded in 1848.  The Copley Plaza building, a grand Italianate &#8220;palace of the people&#8221; dates from 1895 and was designed by Charles McKim. To fully appreciate the magnificent of the Boston Public ]]></description>
		<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com/the-boston-public-library-a-cultural-monument/</link>
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		<title>Amsterdam Photo: What Tourists Do in Amsterdam</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Whenever I spot the IAMSTERDAM logo, I cannot ignore it. I always take photos of this Amsterdam icon. I am not the only one. Passing tourists nudge each other and clamber up, on and around the giant red and white letters. IAMSTERDAM is a two-metre tall (6.5 ft) and twenty-four-metre(26 yards)long wall of letters. Its permanent ]]></description>
		<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com/amsterdam-photo-what-tourists-do-in-amsterdam/</link>
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		<title>Buy a Dutch Book and Travel Free on Trains</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Spend €12,50 or more on a Dutch language books between 11 – 21 March and get a copy of  Duel, the title of this year&#8217;s Book Week Gift. Duel is written by Joost Zwagerman (1963). This tragicomic story tells how the director of a modern art museum gets into problems when a €30 million worth work of art ]]></description>
		<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com/buy-a-dutch-book-and-travel-free-on-trains/</link>
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		<title>Preservation and Progress: Boston’s Architecture</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Spired churches , gleaming towers, and lots of red brick. Boston is an architecturally rich city in the most traditional sense. The iconic image of the 1877 H.H. Richardson designed  Trinity Church (206 Clarendon St., Boston)(Map) reflected in  the 1976  I.M. Pei-designed John Hancock Tower (200 Clarendon St., Boston)(Map)  fittingly summarizes the city&#8217;s architectural styles. Whether ]]></description>
		<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com/preservation-and-progress-boston%e2%80%99s-architecture-2/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Preservation and Progress: Boston’s Architecture</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Spired churches , gleaming towers, and lots of red brick. Boston is an architecturally rich city in the most traditional sense. The iconic image of the 1877 H.H. Richardson designed  Trinity Church (206 Clarendon St., Boston)(Map) reflected in  the 1976  I.M. Pei-designed John Hancock Tower (200 Clarendon St., Boston)(Map)  fittingly summarizes the city&#8217;s architectural styles. Whether ]]></description>
		<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com/preservation-and-progress-boston%e2%80%99s-architecture/</link>
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		<title>Itching To Discover Saigon</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ In less than an hour, I shall be on my way to a country that I have never been to before. I have always wanted to visit Vietnam, if only for their food. Friends who have been there have said nothing but nice things as well. And, apparently, this is one place where I can be a millionaire &#8211; at least for a day or two. There aren&#8217;t many places where the Philippine Peso has a strong purchasing power, and Vietnam is one of them! For a mere PHP10,000, one call himself a Vietnamese millionaire! So why am I itching to see Saigon (now called Ho Chi Minh City &#8211; HCMC for short &#8211; by the way)? As I said, Vietnamese food is to die for. Fresh spring rolls, the famous pho (noodle soup), and banh mi (French baguette with all sorts of stuffing). I am fairly new to their cuisine, so we&#8217;ll see what else I will discover! Oh yeah, I shall let Anthony Bourdain&#8217;s Vietnam feature guide me for a week. I also read this article in the New York Times about &#8220;following the beer trail in Vietnam.&#8221; I didn&#8217;t know it, but Vietnam has quite a good selection of beers, many of them local! I wouldn&#8217;t call myself a beer connoisseur but I can appreciate a good brew anytime! Now I have printed out the article and will go around HCMC looking for some of the best beer in the city. Of course, there is shopping. From what I hear, I can find tons of shawls, bags, and other apparel for dirt cheap. I seriously am beside myself with excitement now. ]]></description>
		<link>http://mybesttravelrates.com/itching-to-discover-saigon/</link>
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