This weeks travel blog of the week is Travelling Stories Magazine, made up of those interesting travel stories we hear in between destinations or at rest stops from fellow travellers while on our way to our next destination.

Its a brilliant idea and makes a fascinating and at times hilarious read and for that I thank its editor Michael Warren and the many travellers who have contributed to Travelling Stories Magazine.

One of my favourite articles is Things My Father Told Me to Never Tell My Mother, it's a funny tail about all the escapades a young man and his father got up to while growing up. From fishing trips to drunken brawls in bars and the unspoken bond of silence never to tell his mother what they got up to.

If you are heading down to Cornwall this bank holiday weekend you might want to be a bit cautious. A Portuguese Man-o’-War has recently been washed up on the beach at St Ives. Whilst there is no need to panic, the creatures can cause fatalities and holiday makers are being asked to report any sightings of the creature.

As always when we have a Bank Holiday in the UK, travel chaos has been predicted. This weekend is meant to bring some sunshine, so is likely to prompt people to flock to the coast. The worst affected roads are likely to be the M1 and M4 out of London, the M5 from Bristol, the M6 Northbound and the M55 to Blackpool. It is also thought the M25 is likely to be gridlocked in both directions. Drivers have been advised to avoid travelling at peak times and to expect long delays.

The Vatican has announced that it is going to launch a low cost charter flight service for pilgrims. The service will transport pilgrims to holy sites worldwide with the first flight being going from Rome to Lourdes. Other destinations could include Fatima, Santiago di Compostela and the Holy Land. The planes will be decorated with sacred inscriptions and the cabin crew will specialise in voyages of a sacred nature. Currently around 8 million pilgrims travel to Lourdes every year so the service is likely to prove popular.

Royal Mail has announced it will introduce free postage for parcels sent to British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. A further announcement with details about when the free service will be introduced in expected shortly.

If you are visiting China you might want to go to Xian within the province of Shannxi. The city has a rich history, it was once thought to be among the greatest cities in the world and since the 11 century BC eleven dynasties have ruled from there. Today not much remains of its grand legacy except for the intact city wall.

The city is, however, renowned for the famous Terracotta Warriors that were discovered there, so it is certainly worth a visit. The Terracotta Warriors are the main attraction in the area. They are around 45 minutes drive from the city centre so it is probably best to go for an arranged tour from one of the many Xian hotels that offer them. It's worth combining visiting the Terracotta Warriors with a visit to Ban Po Village which is nearby. The village is one of the best examples of a Neolithic settlement in China and is over 6,000 years old. It has over 40 excavated houses, kilns and cellars and over 250 graves on display.

The city of Xian itself, whilst not renowned for shopping does have a variety of antique and curio shops within the Muslim quarter of the city. There is no distinct local cuisine but most dishes have are Muslim inspired so tend to be quite highly spiced. One thing to remember when eating out in Xian, is that most restaurants will open early in the evening and are likely to close early at around 9.30 in the evening. There are many good hotels in the area but its worth booking these before you go. You can find some  cheap asia hotels here at asia-hotels.com

This week's travel blog is travelhappy written by Chris Mitchell a British travel writer based in Bangkok. One of his more entertaining articles is about what he calls "Engrish", for those of you who are unfamiliar with the term; it's the way that the English language can get somewhat mangled in Bangkok.
He points out some humorous signs in "Engrish" as well as some really entertaining T-shirts, some of which are a little rude to mention so we decided to highlight the Arrogant and Bear pencil case instead, pictured below.

 Another really interesting article is a video showing swimming with sharks. The video was shot in South Australia with a Canon IXUS camera, and although the clips are short, it is fascinating to see shots of these amazing creatures so close. The videos feature Great White Sharks. For the safety of the diver the video is shot from within a shark cage. In the first video the shark passes within touching distance to the diver and in the second we see a shark approaching tuna fish bait and the amazing speed at which the shark can strike out of nowhere.

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