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Y Ty is upland in Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province. It not only has the beauty of the land of fog and unique primeval forests but also is a charming tourist destination bearing identities of ethnic groups in West Northern Vietnam.Leaving the Lao Cai train station, visitors take a bus to Bat Xat town and from there go along the mountain road about 70km until you meet Y Ty. It is a valley situated at an altitude of over 2,000 meter leaning back Nhu Cu San Mountain range with its peak of 2.660m and almost year-round cloud. Go by car, you can see mountain trails that run in zigzags and disappear slowly among forest leaves and houses looming in the clouds. It can be said that Y Ty is beautiful by clouds and mountains and bright with terraced rice fields.

Y Ty commune has 15 villages with 4 ethnic groups consisting of Ha Nhi, Dao, Hmong and Kinh people in the town center in which Ha Nhi is the largest one.Coming to visit Y Ty, you will feel very interesting when going to a market on. This place is home to many ethnic minorities such as Ha Nhi, Dao, Han, Giay, and Mong with colorful dresses. Mong people wear tutu, Ha Nhi people appear with three-bladed hairpins and wool wigs braided around their heads. Dao people wind peacock scarves on their heads with innocent smiles. They buy and sell local products and crafts of their family.In Y Ty, there are special houses. They still remain original untouched traditional architectural styles of Ha Nhi people. The house is usually a rectangular structure with a main door and arch to allow the wind go through. There is no window but the house is very warm in winter but cool in summer.

The walls made from the soil are thick from 30 – 40cm. Its roofs are wood. Here, visitors will encounter Ha Nhi households living these houses in the mountain near streams and trails full of leaves falling year-round.According to local people, in spring Y Ty people often hold a festival of the forest to show their promise with the God of the forest. The offerings include a 60 kg pig, 6 chickens, 6 trays of stick rice and 6 liters of wine. Every family has to have a person at least who wears traditional consume to worship. In particular, everyone must remove shoes and go barefoot. According to the concept of Ha Nhi people, this action shows respect for the god.Ha Nhi people in Y Ty account for 60% of the population.

They reside near water sources to ensure water for living and irrigation. Ha Nhi women are very hard.It is no doubt that Y Ty is the place to preserve outstanding features of ethnic groups and owns its climate and scenery bearing mountainous characteristics. Besides, it hides much potential to develop economy. In jungles, there are cardamon trees bringing a special value for the land. Because it has the temperature of less 20 degree Celsius, there are streams with fresh water year-round. Therefore, Y Ty is a “promised land” in the development of cold-water fish species originating from Europe such as salmon and sturgeon.Currently, the road to Y Ty is much better than before. Cars can run straight into the place, so it is so convenient for tourists when coming to villages. If you are adventurous, certainly Y Ty will be an attractive tourist spot that you cannot ignore when visiting West Northern.Tags : Sapa Vietnam

The night before I went to Monaco, I began talking myself out of it because I was scared of going alone. Despite my fears, I woke up the next morning determined to get there. I had wanted to leave by nine, so I was astounded when I woke up at 9:30. I really wanted to see the changing of the guard at the palace, which happens every day at 11:55 a.m. I was in a rush because I wanted to figure out how to take the bus to the gare, I still had to buy a ticket, and I wasn’t sure when a train would leave.

After staring, confused, at a French bus schedule on the street outside my hotel in Nice, I managed to translate it and got to the station for only 1.30 Euro, a nice alternative to the 16E cab ride. The bus was crowded, but I didn’t mind—I successfully got onto a foreign bus all by myself. Truly, an accomplishment.

I arrived at the station and bought my ticket to Monaco, less than 5 Euro roundtrip. I was surprised to discover that it was an open ticket–there was no leave or return time, I could go and come back whenever I wanted, which was a relief because I never know how long I’ll want to stay somewhere. I boarded the ter train—it was really quite filthy—and soon arrived at the scrupulously clean Monaco-Monte Carlo train station.

When I left the train, I followed a sign to the tourist office inside the station. I happened to be walking behind a woman in a green skirt, and as she ended up heading to the same place I was, I’m sure she thought I was stalking her. We both went to the tourism office for maps, and I heard her ask directions to the changing of the guard–I listened because that was where I wanted to go. . .and then I followed Green Skirt Woman in that direction, so I guess I was stalking her after all, but when she stopped to check her map (or to shake me), I kept going.

Monaco’s palace is at the top of what must be the tallest rock ever. . .I had to walk up an insane amount of winding steps to get to the palace, but it was so worth it when I arrived, ten minutes before the changing of the guard. There were crowds of people so it was hard to see, but it was still really cool to see the guards moving in their crisp, white uniforms in a centuries-old ritual.

I was incredibly happy because I had made it in time to see it, and after that I saw where the line was to tour the palace but it was overflowing with people as every tourist in Monaco was at the palace for the guard change. I decided to walk around for a while, and then come back. The most hilarious part of the Monaco adventure was discovering that the guards arrived on a bus to the palace, piled out, performed for the crowd, then piled back in to go wherever it is that they go. It’s all a show now.

After the guard change, I wandered around and found the cathedral where I believe Princess Grace was married and where I know she is buried because I saw her tomb. In a semi-circle surrounding the dais, where the priests and other church officiates are during services, are the graves of Monaco royalty, which I thought was so very odd and yet so. . .right. Simple tombs for the royalty partially hidden in a church instead of gaudily displayed. Her grave is marked “Gratia Patria.”

After the cathedral, I headed back to the palace and went inside for a tour. I had a headset that guided me along the beautiful rooms with lots of information I don’t remember, but appreciated at the time. My favorite rooms were the Galerie de Hercule and the throne room. I loved the latter because of a gorgeous portrait of the royal family in the corner of the room–Rainier, Albert, Stephanie, Grace and Caroline. They looked so regal, so royal. I wish I could have found a print of it, but it was nowhere.

I ate lunch outside of the palace, all alone.

I went into gift shops, walked the tiny streets of old Monaco–the city was just so clean. As police were everywhere, I felt perfectly safe at all times.

A beautiful garden stood next to the Oceanography Museum, whose gift shop I visited. Around that time I was really worn out and thinking of leaving, but then I saw a little tourist train and decided to go for a ride. The train took me all around the city, and I got a glimpse of that oh-so-famous Casino.

After the train, I walked back toward the palace, down the long steps and to the train station.

And, when it comes to Baby Boomers, forget all of that do-it-yourself nonsense. Do-it-yourselfers went out with the poodle skirt and penny loafers over a quarter century ago. Todays and tomorrows generation of affluent Baby Boomers wants to be pampered. They are seeking leisure travel experiences that are customized, easy, exotic and exclusive, and which provide value and choice and that are seamless.

Moreover, they sure dont want to be considered or called seniors. Theyre looking for pleasure and for luxury and for personalized services, and theyre turned on by activities which are healthy and which are fun, as well as upscale and very special. They feel theyre entitled to it all.

In brief, Baby Boomers were born and raised, grew up and developed their business careers and lifestyle yearnings, during the affluent post-World War II boom economic era. As a result, theyve grown accustomed to being spoiled and catered to and doing whatever they like whenever they want to do it. They dont want to be told what to do or how to do it. They want others to do it for them. And, when it comes to leisure travel, they want competent travel agents to put it all together for them.

Because of their market size and potential, and their increasing dominance of the leisure travel scene, a whole new generation of cruise ships has been and is being built to their specifications. And, they like cruise ships with verandas, that are casual, on which the food is healthy, and in a variety of dining modes.

Also, they are looking for packaged travel vacations that are unregimented and which offer a broad range of experiences in a spectrum that includes adventure, ecology and the environment, as well as culture and value.

In brief, Baby Boomers, in large numbers, admit to wanting to be spoiled. And, that is precisely what the cruise lines and the packaged travel operators, as well as the hotel and resort developers, have been creating for them travel experiences that suit their lifestyle wishes and demands. Youd better believe that travel agents are an integral part of that formula.

Perhaps the only segment of the leisure travel experience which hasnt changed to accommodate the needs and desires of todays and tomorrows mighty army of Baby Boomers has been the airline industry. With the exception of First and Business Class trans-con, trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific travel, designed primarily for business travelers, air travel (with some significant exceptions) is strictly a matter of necessity getting from Point A to Point B, usually with a hub in between.

Most travel by air is none of the things that Baby Boomers are searching for in their quest for pleasurable leisure travel experiences. It is neither fun nor customized nor relaxed, nor is it easy nor personalized nor enjoyable. As a matter of fact, recent airline commission cutting moves have made it more difficult for Baby Boomers to book than ever before. This is because the airline industry has been attempting to direct them away from travel agents and turn them into a crowd of do-it-yourself direct bookers.

Sorry, airlines even though most Baby Boomers have computers and like to play on the Internet, they also want someone else to do the work for them. They want and need travel agents to make their air bookings for them. And, I am 100% convinced that the vast majority of this huge new group of leisure travelers will be willing to pay a travel agent a service fee to do the work for them.

What the travel agent industry should be pointing out to the traveling public, through its trade associations, is that every time the airlines reduce travel agency commissions and drive additional travel agencies out of business, they are, in effect, making it more difficult, as well as more costly, for leisure travelers to travel by air.

Thankfully, though, for the industrys surviving 25,000-plus travel agencies, there are extraordinary opportunities for them to expand their businesses, and to profit, far into the fast-approaching new millennium.

The vast host of new and expanded packaged travel opportunities, including the armada of new cruise ships coming on line, as well as other new forms of packaged travel, have the potential for turning on Baby Boomers like theyve never been turned on before. And, since there are so many new cruise berths and packaged travel opportunities, both the cruise lines and the tour operators need travel agents more than ever.

The cruise industry alone will grow its berths by some 45% during just the next five years. Carnivals new non-smoking cruise ship, the Paradise, which my wife, Lenore, and I and several thousand travel agents and related travel sellers were aboard last weekend, typifies everything that is new and exciting and which is awaiting tomorrows leisure travelers. Its 2,040 lower berths, representing 100,000 additional cruise passengers a year, are just the tip of the 58,000 plus new cruise berths scheduled to come on line between today and Spring 2002.

During just the past two weeks, I have met personally with the heads of the industrys six largest cruise lines and discussed the issue of air commission cuts and caps and their impact on travel agents. These meetings have convinced me that the cruise industry needs, wants and will do everything within reason to help maintain todays travel agency sales distribution system, a sales force capable of continuing to sell 95% plus of its berths far into the foreseeable future.

Even Renaissance Cruises, which spit in the eye of the travel agent industry a few brief months ago when it felt it no longer needed agent support, now finds that it cant go it alone and is asking for travel agent business. I know what Id give them if I were a travel agent, but Lenore edited out that portion of this sentence.

Discussions with leaders of both the National Tour Association and of the U.S. Tour Operators Association have convinced me that they, too, need a big, healthy and prosperous travel agent industry every bit as much as the Cruise Lines do.

There is just no doubt about it. The sellers of leisure travel products and services are just as anxious to preserve and to grow the travel agency industry as are travel agents themselves. And, without wanting to sound like a hopeless optimist, I have every reason to believe that some day even the airline industry will realize that it, too, needs a widespread network of travel agencies to sustain its future growth and profitability.

Thanks to the Baby Boomers, the Cruise Lines and the Packaged Travel Operators, I feel confident that the travel agent industry will share bountiful Thanksgiving Holidays far into the next century.