Travel | Sunstone Online

Love Rollercoasters? Have Even More Fun in the Rain

If you’re a glutton for speed and love roller coasters – you might just want to check out the amusement parks during the rainy season. That’s the finding this month in England, as they’ve been getting pummeled with rainy weather.

Thorpe Park, a theme park in Surrey, UK, recently had the research done for them. And they’ve found that the rides increase in speed dramatically in rainy weather. Thorpe Park has a new ride, The Swarm, which just opened this year and usually reaches speeds of 92 km per hour.

With the June rain, they were shocked to see the ride increase to 103 km per hour, 11 km faster than normal. The ride has a 127 ft head first drop and five inversions. As Mike Vallis, the Thorpe Park divisional director said, “All of our rides at Thorpe Park are fully equipped to endure extreme weather conditions, but we were really surprised by how much The Swarm increased in speed last month.”

He continued, “Rainy conditions are generally known to affect the speed of any steel rollercoaster, but the suddenness of June’s downpours went some way in intensifying the experience for riders – a terrifying thing for some, a thrill-seeker’s dream for others!”

Riders should get themselves ready for some intense riding after the rains!

Elephant Bedroom Camp

Summer is upon us and if you have yet to plan an overseas trip, consider exploring the African wilderness- but with hotel-quality accommodations.
Elephant Bedroom camp is located in Kenya, 300 kilometers from Nairobi. The unique accommodations allow visitors to relax in a luxurious environment while experiencing the exhilarating wilderness of the African Serengeti first hand.

Twelve furnished tents, equipped with hot and cold running water, electricity and numerous amenities, rest quietly amongst the roaming elephants, leopards, cheetahs, crocodiles, lions and hundreds of birds that are native to the region. With interiors designed to enhance the African atmosphere, the getaway provides the perfect combination of nature and luxury.

Nanyukinow.com provides some information on Elephant Bedroom camp. It explains:

“The tents at Elephants Bedroom camp in Samburu are large and breezy, and the service is terrific. The small size of the perfectly set camp with only 12 tents really affords the guest an opportunity to get to know the staff as well as other travelers. The tents are amazingly spacious and beautifully decorated, therefore small and intimate.

The camp offers a menu which usually comprises beef, chicken, or seafood as well as vegetarian dishes. Food is exquisite- breakfast is served as a buffet, lunch as a three-course meal with different choices and dinner four courses, also with different choices. Guests with any special or extra wishes or requirements are free to ask.”

Lincoln Harrision Photography Captures the World’s Beauty

This incredible picture, and many others like it, were taken by amateur photographer Lincoln Harrison. Harrision, 37, spent about 15 hours taking pictures in the Australian outback. He was able to capture these incredible spirals because of the earth’s rotation, which makes it look as if the stars are flying across the horizon.

The location is in Lake Eppalock, in the southern state of Victoria. As he explained his new passion, “I wasn’t planning on getting into it as a hobby, but a week later I had about eight lenses and all the other goodies. I couldn’t wait to get started. I’ve been shooting at least two or three times a week ever since, mainly landscapes, and star trails when the conditions are right, I’m lucky enough to live not too far from the outback. With no buildings for miles, the sky is so clear and it’s amazing to be able to capture the beauty of the night’s sky on camera.”

A Deserted Island Get-Away | Song Saa Island

If you ever have some time on your hands and a sense of adventure, there is a private island waiting for your arrival. And, it even boasts its own time zone! Song Saa in Cambodia is a hidden treasure for adventure-seekers. With its close position to the equator, the island has its own time zone, a creation from the island owners. This allows visitors to soak in an extra hour of daytime fun each day.

The island includes, of course, expansive beaches, palm trees, clear water and coral reef. The chefs at the only hotel accommodation on the island have cooked for the Beckhams and for William and Kate. And the accommodations are not to be believed with complete privacy.

The hotel stay comes with a visit from two Buddhist monks who come over from the mainland to bless guests and the island. Find out more about this adventure and enjoy your own get-away by booking a trip with Cazenove + Loyd or by looking for the Song Saa Private Island Resort.

30th Anniversary of Graceland Approaching

“Love me tender; love my true.” For thirty years now, people have been flocking to “love” Elvis Presley at Graceland, his home in Memphis, Tennessee. Now, Graceland is celebrating its 30^th anniversary of being a tourist attraction.

Memphis, with the help of Graceland, has managed to turn into quite a tourist attraction with almost 18 million visitors over the last three decades who come to see Graceland, enjoy music and have fun.

As Priscilla Presley, Elvis’ ex-wife, recounts,

“Every time I go in there, I feel like Elvis is going to come down the stairs any minute. I have no doubt that he’s there, somewhere, his spirit. I think people feel that.”

Graceland was actually seen as a burden after Elvis’ death in 1977, as it had high estate and inheritance taxes. Priscilla came up with the idea of opening the home to the public, while others had wanted to sell it. After visiting other famous houses like Hearst Castle, and securing a $500,000 loan, she opened it to tourists on June 7, 1982.

Helped by Jack Soden, CEO of Elvis Presley Enterprises, they sold 3,024 tickets just on the first day and have generated $32 million a year in revenues through their worldwide merchandising and licensing business. About 500,000 people come to Graceland annually and the attraction has revitalized the surrounding area of Beale Street in downtown Memphis.

As Priscilla said, “It’s been incredible to see that the legacy of Elvis is still going strong. We wouldn’t have imagined that when it was opened in 1982. Elvis is as popular now as he was then, if not even more.”
Today’s fans really do still “Love me Tender, Love me True” when it comes to Elvis Presley.

Sit Back with the Picnic Time Reflex Portable Travel Couch

Industrial design is a fascinating field – and it’s fun to marvel at the designs that they come up with. Take the Reflex Portable Travel Couch. This is a small bag that looks like a laptop-style case that instantly turns into…a sofa! The couch actually has armrests, a built-in steel frame, and the ability to support as many as two people.

Brilliant.

Online retailer Kohl is selling the suitcase-turned-sofa for £80. Amazon’s got it for $119.95. Created by Picnic Time ,it measures 39 inches in width and has three-inch thick cushions. Campers, music lovers and others can grab it in black, red or navy today. Happy sitting!