Overview
Located in the North West of England, Manchester has many claims to fame, it is widely acknowledged as being one of the first industrial power bases due to manufacturing in the city. More recently and over the 20 years in particular, it has been successfully transformed by regeneration into the shining metropolis it is today.

Highlights
Manchester Central Library
The Central Library is one of Manchester’s most famous and best loved landmarks. For generations of Manchester residents and students, it has been not only the place to study but also somewhere to meet friends. It is open to all.

The Lowry gallery
The Lowry houses two main theatres and studio space for performing arts (1,730, 466 and 180 seats respectively) presenting a full range of drama, opera, ballet, dance, musicals, children’s shows, popular music, jazz, folk and comedy and gallery spaces (1,610 metres of floor space); showing the works of LS Lowry alongside contemporary exhibitions.

University of Manchester
University of Manchester is a prestigious university that was involved in splitting the atom as well as creating the modern computer. It is the largest campus in the United Kingdom and is known as “Britain’s #1 Student City.” Whether you are going to tour the beautiful campus or you enroll in the esteemed classes, the University will not disappoint.

Exchange Square
The IRA bombing in 1996 ruined the City Center. Its redevelopment has created a large, impressive shopping area. Dozens of shops, such as the largest Marks & Spencer in Europe, combine with the comfortable open space of the Square, making it the perfect setting for the avid shopper. A new entrance to the Manchester Arndale Centre and the upscale Triangle are all found in or around Exchange Square.

Best Way To Get Around:
Manchester has an excellent integrated transport network, which includes the Metrolink tram system which services Manchester airport, the city centre and the local boroughs.

First of all, this could be interesting to you. If you’re in Hanoi, do pay attention that none Vietnamese are FAT. They are generally ‘fit’ if not skinny.

While many Asian cities have simply mown down their history over the last few decades, replacing it with an influx of ugly modern skyscrapers, Hanoi has simply… well… layered. French colonial influences still stand tall here, with the city having largely escaped the devastating affects of US bombing elsewhere, and left behind colossal mansions and tree-lined boulevards that haven’t changed too much in centuries.

A mass of motorbikes swarms through the tangled web of streets that is the Old Quarter, a cauldron of commerce for almost 1000 years and still the best place to check the pulse of this resurgent city. Hawkers in conical hats ply their wares, locals sip coffee and bia hoi (beer) watching life (and plenty of tourists) pass them by. Witness synchronised t’ai chi at dawn on the shores of Hoan Kiem Lake while goateed grandfathers tug at their wisps over the next chess move. See the bold and beautiful dine at designer restaurants and cut the latest moves on the dance floor. Hanoi has it all: the ancient history, a colonial legacy and a modern outlook. There is no better place to untangle the paradox that is modern Vietnam.

Highlights:
Halong Bay
Magnificient Halong Bay is undoubtedly the natural wonder of Vietnam. Picture 3,000 or more incredible islands rising from the sea and you have a vision of greatness. Isn’t that inspiring?? Your trip to Hanoi will not complete without a visit to Halong Bay. Located 170 km away from Hanoi, Halong Bay is the World Natural Heritage site. With its picturesque blend of land and sea, this one of the world’s most precious beauty spots.

Hoan Kiem Lake
Hoan Kiem Lake is a pleasant park in the center of town, within easy walking distance from anywhere in the Old Quarter. It’s the locals’ favorite leisure spot, and a great place to watch people practicing tai chi in the morning or to sit and read in the afternoon. Hoan Kiem means “returned sword”, and the name comes from a legend in which King Le Loi was given a magical sword by the gods, which he used to drive out the invading Chinese.

Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
A visit to the water puppet theater is a real highlight of a trip to Hanoi. Live musicians accompany folk legends from Vietnamese history, told with wooden men, women and dragons, dancing and splashing on the face of the water. The narratives are sung in Vietnamese, but a list of titles is available in several languages. Tickets are 40,000 and 60,000 dong. There are several performances throughout the day, but it’s virtually impossible to buy tickets for the same day, and most performances for the following day will be sold out as well.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
The city down south may have his name, but only Hanoi has the man himself, entombed in distinctly Lenin-esque fashion - against his wishes, but that’s how it goes. No talking, short pants, or other signs of disrespect allowed while viewing; photos are allowed only from outside, in the grand Ba Dinh Square.

Ho Chi Minh Museum
Right around the corner, this gleaming white museum and its gloriously ham-handed iconography are the perfect chaser to the solemnity of the mausoleum. One of the more informative museums in Vietnam, and perhaps one of the oddest in the world.

Pho Bo
Pho Bo is a Vietnamese beef and noodle soup. The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with basil, lime, bean sprouts and peppers that are added to the soup by the customer. Discover Pho Bo–the breakfast that built a nation.

Best Way to Get Around:
Taxi
Taxis are the best way to travel long distances, but the cyclos, or pedicabs, are a cheap way to make shorter trips. Taxi fares are not always consistent, and the rates for each taxi company have not been standardized. Some meter taxi owners in Hanoi will attempt to negotiate a flat fee in advance rather than use the meter. If you have a fair idea of how far you’re going or how much you’re willing to pay, this is probably a good idea. If the driver refuses, turning around and walking away will almost certainly change his mind. Don’t sweat it, it’s all part of the expected negotiation protocol. It has also become common for the drivers of some of the less reputable taxi companies to “fix” their meters to run faster hence giving differences in prices for the same distance by a factor of 30!

Motorbike
For lone travelers, rides on the back of motorbikes (actually low-powered scooters) are popular too (known as xe om, literally meaning motorbike-hug). Motorbike drivers can be found on virtually every corner, especially in the Old Quarter. Expect to be offered a ride every half-block (or more). Negotiate a fare in advance, and again, turn around and walk away if you don’t like their offer. There are far more drivers than tourists, and they know it - your fare could be the only one they get all day. You might want to write down the negotiated fare to avoid confusion. Even if you do speak Vietnamese, a driver might pretend that you said 50,000 dong instead of 15,000! In case of argument over fares after the ride, keep calm and repeat the original agreement (remember, you have the leverage). A typical 10 minute fare should cost no more than 15,000-20,000 dong.

STAY SAFE
Like everywhere else in Vietnam, traffic in Hanoi is dominated by an incredible amount of motorbikes, all of which seem to be making a mad, desperate dash for something just out of reach — all of the time. In other words, pedestrian traffic can be overwhelming for visitors, especially in the narrow streets around the Old Quarter. When you leave the curb, look both ways, and take each step slowly and patiently while trying to make eye contact with any oncoming drivers. The key word here is slowly — don’t rush. This way the drivers are aware of you, and can take you into account (along with all of the other motorbikes). It may look, and indeed is somewhat chaotic, but be patient and pay attention when you’re crossing any street, large or small, and you should be fine.

For more Hanoi and Vietnam photos, please Click Here…

I just discovered that i have never written anything on Shanghai before. I always thought i have. Thanks to my reader, Lu Lu, from New Zealand who pointed out this to me.

First of all, i need to warn you that the city of Shanghai needs no introduction. The largest city in China has grown as a result of its location on the banks of the Huangpu River. It is now leading the way for China to become a first world country. It has over 17 million people and every year the number of affluent people grows seeing a slight shift from communism to capitalism. I have been to Shanghai many many times and it’s so interesting to see the city changing every week. Arriving from the Pudong International Airport is very easy. The 430 km/h magnetic train (Â¥50 single, Â¥80 return) makes the 30 kilometres trip in 8 minutes, and arrives at a line 2 metro station (Â¥4 single) not far from the centre. The metro is modern and safe, but rather infrequent and no platform information is displayed. Good signage on the other hand seems sufficient for foreigners like me to find their way.

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Punapi Gatre (means how are you in Balinese). This page is a special tribute to all the friendly Balinese friends i met in Bali. Also a big shout out to my friends from UK whom i met in Bali; Benny Forte (Ireland), Gavin Taylor (England) and Paul Allaire (England). Yes i do fancy milkshake! Not forgetting the others; Andy & Marita Walther (Germany), Megumi-san (Japan), Tomoko-san (Japan), Chie-san (Japan), Nanako-san (Japan). Thank you for making my trip an emotional and sentimental one.

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One of the many questions Thais may ask a foreigner visiting Thailand is ‘Have you been to Chiang Mai yet?’, underscoring the feeling that Chiang Mai is a keystone of any journey to Thailand. Along with Sukhothai further south, it was the first Southeast Asian state to make the historic transition from domination by Mon and Khmer cultures to a new era ruled by Thais.

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By Jessica Ravitz, CNN
October 30, 2009 4:06 p.m.

(CNN) — He’s chipped his way through more than a foot of snow and ice to get to Ernest Hemingway. He’s walked right up to Al Capone and Karl Marx. He’s dragged his mom to visit the infamous cannibal Alferd Packer and just came back from seeing Farrah Fawcett.

He is Jim Tipton, founder of Find a Grave, a free online database of burial sites for the famous and otherwise around the globe.

“It does sound morbid and dark. But when you’re actually visiting someone’s grave, it’s like visiting a relative; there’s a closeness there,” said Tipton, 37, of Salt Lake City, Utah. “And I’ve always liked the aesthetics of cemeteries. I’ve always called them parks for introverts because you don’t have to worry about someone asking you to play a pick-up game.”

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In the Khmer language, Siem Reap translates to ‘Siamese Defeated’, despite that fact that Thailand was the victor and controlled the city from 1794 to 1907, upon which time control was passed to the French (the evidence of this abundant in the French architecture noted throughout the city). With the discovery of the ruins of Angkor Wat by the French in the 19th century, the then-small town of Siem Reap began an evolution that would see it become an Asian jewel to the rich and famous, only to fall into hibernation under the strain of war and brutal rule under the Khmer Rouge. By the mid-1990’s, Siem Reap resumed its climb to promenence as Cambodia’s top tourist destination, with the concern now being that the city might become too developed and over-crowded with tourists, thus losing its charm. As with other Southeast Asian tourist destinations, Siem Reap is not without its annoyances, with the top one being the myriad beggars encountered. A large number of people in Siem Reap live in poverty, with many being those who have lost limbs due to landmines and can no longer work to support themselves.

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