The richness and warmth of Venice from an interesting angle. This photo was taken by Pa Tricia.

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Travel BlogCamp is an informal networking event held in London during World Travel Market, a major global conference for the travel industry.

Just like last year, iwannagothere will sponsor the event.

Speakers for Travel BlogCamp 2010 are:

Andy – 501 Places
David – Grumpy Traveller
Ginny – The Times & Steven Sunday Times
Honor – I-to-I

The event will take place on 9 November 2010. We are looking forward to being there!

All about Travel BlogCamp

Fellow travelers, welcome to the wild and tacky world of souvenirs! We have been inspired by the silly, ugly, and often ridiculous mementos we’ve gotten (and given) in the past. From personalized “name” license plates, to inappropriate t-shirts, to inedible treats – we’ve been through a lot.

And yet we still think it would be pretty funny to see your tacky souvenirs!

So iwannnagothere is hosting the Tackiest Souvenir Photo Contest. Users will vote for the tackiest souvenir, and whoever gets the most votes wins an iPad!

Entering is easy!

1. Upload your tacky souvenir pic
2. Tell your friends to vote
3. Earn the most votes
4. Win an iPad!!!!

The contest runs from September 1st to October 10th. Be sure to take a look at the complete set of contest rules here.

Good luck!

picture: http://www.go-with-me.com/?p=2405

This is one of the most visited stores in the city.

The reason? Its incredible architecture, made of containers.

It’s an idea from Freitag…..

….a firm quite well-known by its messenger bags and works with recycled materials.

This beautiful image was taken by Hollis Bennett at the Lost Coast of Northern California near the remote Usal Beach camp ground.

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Lugu Lake, China is a guide by fang.

If you have one week to travel in China, the beautiful Lugu Lake area is a fantastic destination for traveling slowly and absorbing some culture.

The legend of Lugu Lake tells that a long time ago there lived a diligent child cowherd who pastured his cattle on the meadows of the mountain every day. One day he encountered a huge fish in a cave that spoke to him. The fish told him to eat its flesh because it had the power to heal itself. After several villagers heard of the story, they went to the cave and captured the fish. This brought about a disaster. A flood poured out from a hole under the fish and rapidly swallowed up the whole village. A Mosuo woman was working on her field when the flood started. She quickly put her two children in the safety of a wooden pig trough, while she herself disappeared in the rising water. When the disaster was over, people called the newly formed lake the “mother lake” and they began making all their boats in the shape of pig troughs (pig trough boat) to commemorate the great Mosuo mother that had died there.

Today the Mosuo form a matriarchal society in which women hold much respect and power.

Lugu Lake, the homeland of the Mosuo people, is located in a high-altitude valley at the intersection of Yunnan, Tibet and Sichuan. For more information on nature resorts, festivals, and Tibetan Buddhism temples of the Lugu Lake area, check out the Lugu Lake, China Guide.

Japan’s largest red light district with hundreds of restaurants, bars, pachinko parlors, love hotels and red light establishments.

Better to go at least after 20:00.

You can go from the tokyo tower. A nice 10-15 minutes walk.

Iwanna Go There.

The picture was taken by Daniel Klein in Vienna.

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Brussels in 24h is a customized guide by adriii.

Brussels is a city that you can easily visit in just one day. Obviously, you’ll enjoy it more if you take it easy and walk through the city nice and slow. But in 24 hours you can actually visit much more than the main tourist attractions.

9am. Breakfast.
Wake up early. You have an intense day ahead. I recommend you stay at the Les Ecrins. It’s nice, clean, affordable and the free breakfast is really good. The nearest subway station is Saint Catherine.

9:30am. Atomium & Mini-Europe.
Take the subway to get to these spots. It’s too far to walk there. I recommend you go here first because you’ll find shorter lines in the morning. This is especially important with Mini-Europe Park as it has no shade trees or any other places to avoid the sun. So the earlier you get there, the better.

12pm. Head back downtown.
Right outside Mini-Europe Park there are several bars where you can have something to drink. We had a few beers at La Casa, and it was nice. Afterwards, go back to the subway and go to Saint Catherine metro station. Head outside and you’ll find the place they call Fish Market right in front of Saint Catherine’s Cathedral.

12:45pm. Lunch.
Near Saint Catherine there are a few places you can go to eat. La Villete has a lunch menu with interesting choices, but I would especially recommend any of the beef dishes from the menu. The beef dish served with a mushroom sauce is really good. If you’re up for some Asian food, there is a noodle place nearby, too.

13:45pm. To the Cathedral.
It’s time for you to get to know the historic center. As you walk toward the Brussels Cathedral, you’ll see the Jeanneken Pis – not your typical statue of a little boy peeing. After you’ve visited the beautiful Cathedral, walk toward the Grand-Place.

On your way there, don’t miss the Saint-Hubbert Galleries.

14:30pm. The Grand-Place.
Stop a moment here. This plaza is probably the most beautiful place in the city. But don’t sit at an outdoor cafe there if you don’t want to spend a lot – they’re expensive. It’s better to go see the Menneken Pis, another one of those funny little peeing statues, and then stop nearby for a break. There are a few places there to enjoy something to drink and eat. I had the best waffles I’ve ever eaten in my life there!

15:45pm. The Royal Palace.
Go back to the Grand-Place and walk to the Mont des Arts. Right before you reach the park, you can buy some chocolates at Chocopolis.

On your way to the Royal Palace, you’ll find several plazas and museums.
Take a moment to walk through the Parc de Brussels too. You can even sit for a while at the edge of the big fountain to rest and have something to drink before you get to the Royal Palace.

17:15pm. Sablon neighborhood.
Now it’s time to go to the Sablon neighborhood. You’ll find the astonishing Sablon church there, as well as Petit Sablon park. You can also do some shopping around the Place du grand Sablon.

You have two options for reaching your next destination. You can take the subway or walk. I strongly recommend the subway.

18:15pm. Parc du Cinquantenaire.
If you choose to arrive by subway, go to Merode Station. That will leave you in front of the park. Walk through the main arc towards the end. Once you’ve reached the end, go Leopold Park, the beautiful park with a lake in front of European Parliament.

19:30pm. Beers!
At this point, you’ve seen everything you were supposed to. I recommend you take the subway near Parliament, at the Trone station, and go to Grand-Place again. It’s nice to visit it at night, too. Once there, you can go to Delirium Tremens Café to sample one of the 2000 beers on their menu.

On your way back to the hostel you can stop at De Markten, a nice pub-restaurant where you can have something for dinner or a few drinks before this intense and wonderful day comes to an end.

This was the most amazing adventure of my life!!

The guides explain a lot of information about the glow worms, and caves. It is very interesting.

One of the caverns is enormous and has extraordinary sound.

Looking up at the glow worms is very romantic, peaceful and intriguing. I hope to return someday!

Iwanna Go There.