"Sure," I said, waving goodbye. I hadn't the heart to remind her that the film was shot on a Hollywood sound stage in the 1940s and that Rick's Cafe opened in Casablanca only three years ago. Nine short miles across the Straits of Gibraltar from the Southern Coast of Spain, Morocco, the world's westernmost Arab country, looks both ways'to its ancient roots in the Middle East and north to its European neighbors. Long an outpost of the Roman … [Read more...]
Relishing the Mountains and Forests of the Dominican Republic
Not that I was not enjoying the pleasures of Playa Dorado -Puerto Plata's chief resort area. In spite of all the tourist facilities a traveller could ask for, from casinos, fine restaurants to enticing sands, I developed the urge to explore the nearby region in the Dominican Republic. After studying what the numerous organized tours offered, I decided on the Santiago- Jarabacoa excursion - a trip which included the city of Santiago, … [Read more...]
Shh…Quiet. I’m in Norway
July 7 - Subject: Greetings from quiet Norway! Shh... the first words we heard on the train from the airport to the city center were "please respect the quiet zone." And its been incredibly quiet ever since! A well known Norwegian painter once wrote that the beauty of the mountains moves him into silence. If that's the case then perhaps people will stop talking altogether once we drive into the mountains. I always like to be keenly aware … [Read more...]
The Fire Temples of Darius
Just down the street from where the Ayatollah Khomeini's simple house stands in a leafy northern suburb of Tehran, someone had scrawled the following on a wall: 'America: there is not a damn thing you can do!' It was spray painted in English. Elsewhere, I spotted large murals depicting skulls on the American flag with the words "Down with the USA!" across it. Also in English. None of this came as a shock to me; in fact I expected to see such … [Read more...]
Trip to Cameron Highlands
We had an 'early' year end team building function this year as Nikki our supervisor was going to leave Agilent in the beginning of August. Due to budgetary constraints we only had one weekend to spend so we chose Cameron Highlands as our destination. Nikki assigned Yee Kee and Sherry to organize that trip and they were doing a pretty good job of getting everything prepared before we boarded the bus heading for Malaysia's premier highlands … [Read more...]
Kota Kinabalu Trip Malaysia
I remember this vividly; it all started on a lovely afternoon when I leisurely sat in front of my computer and browsed through my recent emails and happened upon an eye catching message which suddenly took my full attention. It was an email from Air Asia to announce that 100,000 free tickets would be given away starting today. I spread the news immediately and it soon reached Choo Pooi my colleague who was an avid outdoor adventurer. She had … [Read more...]
Two donkeys lost in South Africa’s Kruger National Park
Among those who come to Africa to join a safari, the holy grail of animal tracking is the so called 'Big Five'. Originally coined by the big game hunters of days long past, it comprises the lion, African elephant, rhinoceros, leopard, and the Cape buffalo. Supposedly these were not necessarily the biggest animals, but the most difficult to hunt. Now, my brother Abdul and I were definitely not out to hunt these animals. We just wanted to see them … [Read more...]
Learning Spanish in Xela, Guatemala
A large chunk of Guatemala's tourism revenue comes from teaching Spanish to travellers. It's not like it's the only Spanish-speaking country on the continent, but a number of factors make it a number one choice. To start with, the Gutemaltekas speak slowly and clearly. Anyone who has been to Cuba will appreciate the importance of this - you aren't going to learn Spanish if you don't understand a single word muttered through lazy lips at … [Read more...]
Valencia – The City That Has It All
Western Europe is such an ultimate travel destination that anything worth seeing has already been triple-packed. It is practically impossible to find a place that has major attractions yet has retained its innocence. And, out of all countries, Spain - the place where annual tourist head count overtakes that of its residents - is a very unlikely candidate for such location. Valencia leaves you perplexed. When you see the vastness of its … [Read more...]
Trip to the Rhine in Germany
We flew British Airways from San Francisco Int. Airport, to Heathrow Airport, and then into Frankfurt Airport. Heathrow has a special assistance lounge. Ask for assistance when leaving your plane, and they will take you to the lounge. You give them your boarding pass and let them know what sort of help you need, and when the time comes for you to board your departing flight, they either let you know that someone will meet you at the gate with an … [Read more...]
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