Incredible Funchal’s Airport Runaway in Portugal

Now this is what I call an expensive runway! In Portugal, A special airport has been made — the airport’s runway with a length of 2781 meters (9124 ft.), of which 1000 meters (3281 ft.) of the runway is supported by 180 pillars, each pillar 50 meters height (about 17 floors) , surprisingly, the runway is designed for B-747.

Why You Should Visit Singapore

Singapore is an island city-state located at the southern part of Malaysia. Occupying only 710.2 km square, Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast Asia. It is substantially larger than Monaco and Vatican City, the only other surviving sovereign city-states. The population of Singapore including non-residents is approximately 4.99 million. Singapore is highly cosmopolitan and diverse with Chinese people forming an ethnic majority with large populations of Malay, Indian and other people. Singapore is well known as among the best tourist spot in Asia Pacific region and is a world of experiences clamoring for your attention; each one enriching, enchanting and different. There are many great places to visit and below is the reason why you should visit Singapore.

1. They have a UFO-Like Architecture Called Esplanade!

Now even if you’re not into architecture or design, you have got to appreciate these amazing buildings! Almost every street in Singapore seems host to some brilliant piece of construction. From the beautiful to the historic, the cutting-edge to the slightly bizarre, these buildings are really mind-blowing. They are, by themselves, enough reason to book your cheap flights and plan a city trip to Singapore today. Just think about all the great food and shopping these places contain too! Enjoy this little photo gallery as an appetizer and get to Singapore as soon as you can!

Image source: Henry Loh

Deepavali 2009: Festival of Lights Images

Deepavali or the ‘Festival of Lights’ is celebrated by Hindus with prayers, family gatherings and festivities. Open houses are held where family and friends visit each other and enjoy delicious Indian traditional goodies. Expect to find plenty of “muruku”, a crispy Indian delicacy that is particularly popular during this festival. Below are some beautiful photos taken during the lights festival of Deewali.

1. Circle of Light

Image source: Flickr

How to Claim Tax Back When Leaving the UK

Do you know that besides claiming Value Added Tax (VAT) at the airport, you can also get your tax back? But this offer only limited to those who have stayed and resided in the United Kingdom (UK) for some time. While the residences of UK were not only white people, many permanent residences of UK coming from other races and country. Thus, it is not surprising that many of those people will leave the country for good after spending couple of years of their life in the UK. However, regardless whatever reason you left, you certainly need to do the tax back when leaving the country and I will do my best to assist you on how.

Who is eligible for tax refund when leaving the country?

Almost anyone that has worked in the UK paying income tax who then decides to leave for an extended period of time will be able to apply for a tax rebate when leaving the country.

Will I be able to claim all my tax when leaving the UK tax refund for good?

It will depend on your income for each previous tax year and how much tax you paid. However you will almost certainly be due a tax refund from the tax year when you leave the UK.

How can I calculate what my tax refund when leaving the UK will be?

When you finish working you should be given a P45 from your employer, on the P45 there will be the income and tax figures for the year. Take these numbers and input them in our tax rebate calculator and it will tell you instantly if you are due a tax refund.

What about tax rebates from previous years?

If you have P60s for previous years you can check to see if you have overpaid in these years too. The longest back you can claim for is 6 years.

When can I claim tax back when leaving the UK?

As soon as you stop working you are able to claim any tax rebate that you might be due.

Can I claim my National Insurance Tax Back when leaving the UK?

Many people are unaware that you can claim back National Insurance Contributions however this can only be done if you are still resident when you apply. An NI (National Insurance) Rebate can be claimed at anytime and only needs to be done once (from thereon it is automatically done for you each year). Press on the link to claim a national insurance rebate.

Where Can I get more info regarding the tax return?

House on a Rock at Rhode Island

Clingstone, an unusual and such a vintage, 103-year-old mansion in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay, survives through the love and hard work of family and friends. Henry Wood, the owner, runs the house like a camp where all skilled workers welcome. The Jamestown Boatyard hauls the family’s boats and floating dock and stores them each winter in return for a week’s use of the house in the summer.

Mr. Wood, a 79-year-old Boston architect, bought the house with his ex-wife Joan in 1961 for $3,600. It had been empty for two decades. Clingstone had been built by a distant cousin, J.S. Lovering Wharton. Mr. Wharton worked with an artist, William Trost Richards, to create a house of picture windows with 23 rooms on three stories radiating off a vast central hall. The total cost of the construction, which was completed in 1905, was $36,982.99. However, bear in mind that the currency in 1905 is not the same as for now. Possibly the price is estimated about $4 millions.An early sketch of the house shows the plan on how they develop the greatest architecture. Mr. Wood is as proud as any parent of his house, and keeps a fat scrapbook of photographs and newspaper clippings that document its best moments. Many of the historic photos he has were provided by the company that insured the house for its original owners. The Newport Bridge is visible from the windows of the Ping-Pong room, to the left of the fireplace. The house is maintained by an ingenious method: the Clingstone work weekend. Held every year around Memorial Day, it brings 70 or so friends and Clingstone lovers together to tackle jobs like washing all 65 of the windows. Anne Tait, who is married to Mr. Wood’s son Dan, refinished the kitchen floor on one of her first work weekends.

There are 10 bedrooms at Clingstone, all with indecently beautiful views. The dining room table seats 14. Refinishing the chairs is a task on the list for a future work weekend. Sign by the ladder that leads to the roof reads “No entry after three drinks or 86 years of age“.

“It used to say 80 but we had a guy on a work weekend who was 84, so I changed it,” said Mr. Wood, ever the realist. It would have been a shame to curtail the activities of a willing volunteer.

Why You Should Visit Siem Reap Cambodia

As far as Angkor Wat temple go, Siem Reap ranks right at the top of its historical and cultural significance as well as global recognition. Located 5.5 km north of the modern town of Siem Reap, Angkor Wat is the essence of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia country, where it appears on its national flag, and it is the country’s prime attraction for international visitors. In my opinion, the visit to Siem Reap will not be completed without going to Angkor Wat and vice versa.

Then there is Ta Prohm temple, a structure that’s no less magnificent and is often attributed to Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found, which is the picturesque and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor’s most popular temples with visitors. The architecture is as complex as any other Angkorian landmarks, if not more so; the stones are placed at such precision and complex interlocking shaped that it is impossible to fit even a single piece of paper between them!

Said to be built by more than 1000 men, the Angkor Thom remained the capital of a kingdom in decline until it was abandoned some time prior to 1609. An early western visitor wrote of an uninhabited city of Angkor Thom as fantastic as the Atlantis which some people thought to have been built by the Roman Emperor. During its time, the ancient city is believed to have sustained a population of about hundred twenty thousands of people.

Hope this info will inspire you to visit Siem Reap of Cambodia. Do enjoy every inches of beautiful temple and nature sceneries in Siem Reap. For more details on accommodation, food and tourist guide, please do visitSiem Reap Info Travel.

Krrunching My Way to Uniquely Singapore

I was in Kota Bharu Kelantan (visiting and shopping) when a representative from Nuffnang contacted me about my blog Akademi Fantasia being the top 5 finalists for the best travel award nomination in the First Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards Ceremony 2009. I’m totally lying if I said I was not surprised and excited about this nomination. Being the top 5 finalists for travel category is an honor to me and the news is already pumping my adrenaline to the highest during these recent days. I currently wonder the person who has nominated me because I hope he/she can contact me via my email so that I can thank him/her properly for the nomination. I’ll do my best to compete for the travel award even though I feel I have very low chance of winning, plus the opponents are very professional, experienced and great. I have been in many parts of the world (US, UK, Ireland, Europe, and China) but never in Singapore (oh wait, I have but only inside the airport!) and this implicitly has inspired me to attend the ceremony. Enough with the ramblings, I will tell how you can vote this blog.

Based on what I heard, the voting is merely contributing 50% of the final points. The other 50% portion is coming from professional judges, consisting expert (s) from Nuffnang, FrankVizeum, P&G, Ripplewerkz, Asia PR Werkz, Dow Jones Newswires and Singapore Tourism Board. Good job. You are done now! You can vote every 2 hours. Follow Step 1-4 to vote for Akademi Fantasia. I will appreciate all the votes and thanks for voting. The venue for the award is at Pan Pacific Singapore. Being one of 5-stars hotels in Singapore, do you wonder how it looks like? Check this out!