Traffic in Asia's Big Cities

I met this retired Swedish lady on the bus from the Stockholm airport to Stockholm Central. The bus ride was about one hour and twenty minutes. It was surprising that she knew Taiwan.

She asked carefully, “Is there some kind of problem between you Taiwan and China?” I wanted to avoid unpleasant topics and talk about something fun, so I changed the subject to her tourist trip to China.

"Oh, what scared me the most was the traffic there. When I was in Bejing, I didn't even know how to cross the road," she said.

How come that doesn't surprise me? The traffic in most of the Asian cities are chaotic like that. Traffic in Taipei, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur, it is all the same, classically frantic. You know how my foreigner friends in Taiwan put it? One of them put it this way, "Whenever I try to cross the road, people try to run me over."I told her the story and assured her that she was not alone. She burst into laugh, saying that it is so to the point. I have been telling this joke to people I met in Canada or travelers I met on the road, and so far haven't met anyone who doesn't like it.

The thurth is, I also drive. Here I have a confession to make. Every time when I am behind the steering wheel, I lose my patience just like others. This is embarrassing. But I have to say, there is some kind of chemical that makes drivers crazy. I remember that when I just started to drive, I was too polite. I always gave ways to others. But then I realized I would never go anywhere if I was not aggressive enough.

Now her complaints turned into an understanding to cultural differences after me joking around. Isn't that the reason why we need to travel around and talk to people from different cultures?

Villagers in Aus, Namibia

Aus, a small place in Namibia. There were less than 50 people in the village. But it had an unsmall location mark on Namibia's map, which deserved some place as big as Dan-shie on Taiwan's map.

Unable to get to our destination named Luderitz, so we might as well to stay in the little village for one night. There was still several hours of sunlight. After finding a lodge to stay, we went out to take a wander. Surprisingly I realized that there was a family living in the first house. Well, I didn't know if we could call it a house. There were just walls, no roof, which made me think it was deserted. The kids and the dog were running around happily. But seeing us approaching, the dog stopped playing and started to bark at us, just like any other dog which was very determined to protect his host family. The whole family members all walked out. Nick smiled and explained that we had no bad intention, we were from Taiwan, he is American and I am Taiwanese, and we wanted to take some pictures of them. We would send them the pictures after developing them.



As we could see they didn't speak English at all. But after using body languages to communicate, eventually they understood us. As soon as we raised our cameras, the vicious dog put away his mean attitude and started to posture. It seemed that he didn't want to look bad in the pictures. Funny, wasn't it? I looked at the family and it reminded me of a Chinese idiom “Jia-tu-si-bi”, which means the family is so poor that the only thing they have is four pieces of walls. As I looked over, there was only a bedquilt, not even a bed. Their smiles made me feel sad. This might be their only chance to take pictures in their lives.

Visiting Hawaii Again

The reason I went to Hawaii for the second time was mostly for visiting my friend Hannah. I had only ten days for vacation. It was not enough time for real travel, anyway. So I decided to go to Hawaii for five days and other five for Fit Resort Club in the Fuji Mountain to enjoy being rich.

Oh, annoying Hawaii. The weather was always so perfect. Hannah said that it was so ideal that it made her bored. “Oh, come on. What are you talking about? Do you know how many people are saving money for this paradise?” I laughed.

Yes. A paradise like this should fit all the criteria: white sandy beaches, blue clear skies, and forever bright sunshine, but with some breezes blowing and floating in the air. Cool and comfortable!

More important than that, there was a rainbow hanging up in the sky all the time. Or two, or three……

Although I was going there to visit my friend, I only stayed in her place for two nights. I booked three other nights in a hotel. And the view was quite nice. At the swimming pool of the hotel, I met an elder American lady and heard a touching story. And the narrative has been sitting in my computer for years and hasn't been published. I guess I just haven't figured out how I could put the words together to present the true love behind it.

Since being in such a special spot, of course I had to go to the Pearl Harbor again, and once more, mourned for the soldiers who were buried in the sea with their mother ship.

I also bought what most tourists would buy, the souvenir newspapers of the next day Pearl Harbor was attacked. (Please forgive my amateurism. I only have one inexpensive scanner that can only take the size not more than A 4. Here goes the whole headline: War! Oahu Bombed by Japanese Planes.)

Well, Hawaii was not famous for its sorrow. Let’s change the mood. Waikiki was really……

Alas, crowded and packed. Forget it!

Good thing Hannah rented snorkeling equipment for me. So this trip finally was pretty rewarding. The first time I went to Hawaii was with my roommates from university, so basically all the attractions I visited this time was nothing new but the snorkeling part. As for snorkeling, it was the highlight of the whole trip. Too bad I did not bring my camera because I had to get down to the ocean and had no idea about something called blog back then. So the wonderful memories were all in my mind. Besides, the undersea world was so breathtaking and spectacular that there was nothing my camera could have done, anyway.

The five days in Hawaii was relaxing and fun. I went there and here and waited for Hannah to finish her work so that I would tell her what I had done that day. Then, I flew to Tokyo, Japan to be one of the rich people. And of course, that was another story.

Affectionate Calls From Mexico

In Taiwan, from time to time you see tempting travel commercials: clear oceans, white beaches, hearty seafood, and bright sunshine (Here I have to say, though, this is the least selling point to Taiwanese. We in Taiwan have unbearable heat already. ), and then wow, Australia is beckoning.

In Canada, when it had been snowing for ages, you were watching TV, an entertainment that you didn't really have much choice, and suddenly wow, clear oceans, white beaches, hearty seafood, and bright sunshine(Now this is all too exciting.), and then here came the exotic happy music. You heard Spanish pronouncing Me-hi-go(Mexico). "Wow! I want to go! I want to go!" You heard your heart yelling.

And on top of that, you found going to this romantic country was going to cost much less than going to Vancouver, the other side of the same country. So why wait?

Mexico City, accommodating approximately 19.4 million people by the year 2005, is the third biggest city in the world, following Tokyo and Soul. As you can imagine, the population in mere Mexico City is close to the population in the whole Taiwan.

Zocalo is a massive constitution square with a lot going on here. A lot of the buildings were constructed by Spanish people. So while walking in the streets, you can't help keeping taking photos.

I was very lucky to meet Sylviane, who was actually from France but has lived in London for years. Her Spanish was fantastic. We were roommates for three days.

The day we went to take the metro, she asked me how much Spanish I could speak. I proudly said, “Gracias.” And she waited. I kept smiling. So she asked, “Then?” This time I diffidently answered, “That’s it.” She almost fainted, wondering why I dared to come to Mexico with only one Spanish word.

Therefore she decided to teach me some more Spanish words since we were waiting for the metro. She said “uno” is the Spanish word for one, and dos is two. I mimicked and repeated. Then the metro came. After we got on the train and found ourselves seats, she asked if I still remembered what she had taught. I said out very loudly, “uno, dos.” She seemed satisfied so she continued, “And the number three in Spanish is ….” I interrupted, “That's enough for today.” And it made her laugh. She considered me humorous. However, I really meant it. Just trying to learn those two words made me soaked. (Or it was because of the packed train? )

Thanked her so I got to know that there was an annual celebration at the Basilica de Guadalupe (Church or Our Lady) on December 12. And hence I saw the vital traditional Mexican dances and listened to the vigorous typical Mexican music.

Mexico. Affectionate and romantic country!!!

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_areas_by_population

In Love With Guanajuato

Among all the cities in Mexico, the beauty of colonial Guanajuato is disputable.

It would have been nice to have a cup of coffee at one of the outdoors cafes if it was sunny. However, the day I took the photo, it was quite overcast. After I walked around for a while, it started to get populated, and vendors also came out.

I wandered down the streets and alleys. The charms of the town kept showing and shining at every single turn of the next corner.

Without anticipation, I came to a splendid building and realized that around the corner was the most famous plaza in town.

It was Teatro Juarez. I looked at it, checked out this side and then went back to the other. Wow! Astonishing! I strolled back to the corner and found a bootblack booth under a tree, with local people gathering and chatting.

Enjoying the peace of the relaxing noon, I looked at them. Now the sun showed its face. I smelled the warmth and listened to their Spanish conversation, which I did not understand, not even a word. But I could sense their happiness. The tranquil exotic afternoon soothed me and gave me serenity. I would not mind staying in here for one year if I could. Actually, the guest house I was staying provided several language courses that seemed all nice and the tuitions were quite reasonable. It was just that I had only one month from my winter vacation and I wanted to see the country as much as I could.

The aroma of Guanajuato , the cheerfulness of its townspeople, the characteristics of the buildings, and the music in the air all made me unwilling to leave. I have always wanted to go back since the day I left.

Shopping Malls vs. Traditional Markets & Bazaars

The shopping malls in Singapore are as clean and bright as the ones I see in Canada. Nice environment. Polite attendants. Somehow something is missing.

I find that after the photos are developed, I have a hard time distinguishing which shopping mall is at which metro station. Just like I can never remember which shopping mall my friends and I went together last time. They have the same stores such as Fair Weather, Chapter, etc.. So after living in Ottawa for a while, I got really bored with them. I don't think there is any difference among those beautiful and orderly stores.
When visiting Europe, the outdoors shopping areas are also dazzling. Plus the architectures all over are so amazing. Somehow, I prefer traditional markets. Here you can see the local vitality and features, just like this one in Barcelona, Spain.

In the market, there is a cafe with Gaudi's touch. It is fascinating. Who wouldn't rememer this is in Spain?

And if you are longing for hustling and bustling, or yelling and haggling, this definitely is THE place. Guarantee exhilarating.

This is the Central Market of Budapest. They have gotten everything here.



Don't think markets are just markets. As you can see, they have made a great effort to make it a splandid one.
And some bazaars for some special holidays or events. If you are lucky enough, you'll fall into medieval Europe and see something like this. (Photographed in Toledo, Spain)

While traveling, those wonderful memories do not totally come from those tourist attractions of world class, such as the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty. My favorites are actually these markets and bazaars, for they are much closer to our daily life. On top of that, they keep me thinking back again and again. And I could still smell the joy in the air.

New York Adventure

The reason why I decided to visit my friend Hannah in New York was because the flight from Ottawa to New York was only one hour. And I was moving back to Taiwan in April. So if I hadn't gone there, it would have been even much more efforts for me to go from Asia. On top of that, Hannah offered me free accommodation, so I would have made a huge mistake if I had just passed it.

Being an experienced traveler, I didn't need too much of their attention. So every day the couple just went to work, and I had my own schedule for the city adventure. And the first stop? Times Square, of course.

Wow! The moment I came out of the underground, dazzling neons and TV walls jumped in front of me. How striking!!! Even though I had seen so much New York on TV in sitcoms or movies therefore I knew how it was supposed to be like, it was still astounding while I was standing there in person. Despite that I had been to about twenty different countries, at this point all I could say was “wow, wow, wow” to praise and congratulate the beauty of tech. I was just like an ordinary rube walking into a huge city. My mouth was so widely open so I didn't get any chance to meet attractive guys.

Anyway, I wanted to find brochures of any kind to see what I could do in this city. However, there were about one hundred policemen on duty in the street all over, giving a serious atmosphere here. (It was April of 2003.) I walked over, admiring their looks of being professional and skilled, which gave us an impression that they are capable of catching any bad buys. (Sorry about saying this. I mean, they now looked seriously skillful than some other time or their kinds in some other countries.) And I cleared my throat and asked, “Excuse me. I am a tourist here. Is there a tourism office near by?”

The police seemed to be carrying out some kind of red alarming work. Although the two policemen I asked looked serious, they were actually quite funny. They teased, “You are a terrorist? And you are looking for a terrorism office in thei neighbourhood?”

Haha. Very funny!! I laughed and answered, “Do I look like a terrorist? I don't think I am capable of doing anything close.”

So, basically I have had a great memory due to these New York police. Since I had a cheerful beginning, I bought the city pass and did what tourists should do:

Went through the scrupulous security and board the observatory of Empire State Building……..

and overlooked the New York City


















Visited Guggenheim Museum

Had a great time in Metropolitan Museum.

Oh, and see the splendid Grand Central Station. (Just as later on Marty the zebra in the movie Madagascar said, it's grand, and it's central. That made me laugh.)














And I paid a visit to the headquarter of the United Nations. Here's the outside.


Anyways. Even little corners of the city were so distinctive that I could smell the artistic spirit everywhere. Usually I don't like big cities. But I did enjoy New York a lot!

Then I realized that I was making myself too happy too early. As if I hadn't had enough in Ottawa, an alarm of a huge blizzard was broadcast. The weather report said that it was the biggest for the past seven years.


You must be kidding me! What blizzard? The car outside Hannah's house was just like this. Come on! It wasn't that bad!

So basically the last two days, I was watching outside the window and listening to the news telling us that the John F. Kennedy International Airport was closed due to the storm. I disagreed. It would be just a normal day in Ottawa. I couldn't see why they have to close the airport.

Luckily my flight was in the afternoon, and that morning the airport reopened again. I went back to Ottawa, full of wonderful memories. Thinking about experiencing the biggest blizzard in the past seven years, I thought it was cool. So I was showing off in front of my dear classmates. Somehow, I seemed to have chosen wrong people. My Canadian classmates and professors did not take it. They sniffed, “Oh, come on. It would have been just a normal snowy day in Ottawa. Don't be such a wuss!”

Me: ...............................
...............................

Alas!