Tagged With "East Asia"
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Re: Top 10 Most Beautiful Gardens In The World
Any such list would be contentious, of course. However, this one doesn't contain a single garden in Africa and this, in my opinion, is a serious omission. The Majorelle Garden in Marrakesh and the Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town would be obvious contenders. There are also many more fantastic gardens in Asia - e.g. the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
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Re: So, what’s it worth ?
No one spins a travel yarn quite like Robert Cranwell! Enjoyed this one. Podcast is worth listening to as well, everyone.
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Re: So, what’s it worth ?
A familiar story when travelling in those countries we know little of. But the eagerness of the Police to put it right was assuring to others that follow. Perhaps we're not that well advanced. An interesting story and educational too.
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Re: Thai Tourism Blossoming
I think of travel in Thailand as "Asia Lite". In a good way. It was the first place I ventured in Asia and have continued to go back, combined with more challenging destinations. So I'm not surprised. It's also my destination of choice for recuperation when the food elsewhere does me in. It's pretty much in the middle of the region with flights in from all over and that, combined with the fresh & delicious food, makes it a relaxing and beneficial spot to forget one's food woes. It's high...
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo #6
This is pretty tough. Looks like an old bridge with strong Chinese influence. I've never been there but would favor something in Southern China or maybe Southeast Asia. Anyone besides PortMoresby ever seen this before?
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo #6
Originally Posted by Travel Luver: This is pretty tough. Looks like an old bridge with strong Chinese influence. I've never been there but would favor something in Southern China or maybe Southeast Asia. I agree with Travel Luver. It reminds me of traditional architecture in Thailand. I wonder whether the wooden structure is the same age as the stone supports or a replacement.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo #6
Are we correct that it's in Southeast Asia? Not something that's been moved or reconstructed somewhere else, like in the Japanese Garden in San Antonio?
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Re: Where Gumbo Was, #6: The Japanese Covered Bridge, Hoi An, Vietnam
JohnT, over the years Asia has become more & more a favorite part of the planet for me to wander and hang out. I think the reason may be, in part, because it's much more in a state of flux than, say, Europe and as a result has more to offer someone who likes a bit of edge to their travels. I fear Europe has become somewhat more of the same wherever I go these days while Asia offers more of what I seem to need. Not to say there aren't parts of Europe to which I still enjoy returning. But...
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Re: The Worst Train in the World
Thanks FlashFlyer. The thing about adventures like this is you have no idea what an adventure it'll be until it happens and you can't get out of it even if you want to. So, no guts required. Yes, Burma will certainly change, has already. Currently not enough infrastructure for those wanting to visit but if you've traveled in Asia you know the entrepreneurial spirit is alive & well and it won't be long, I suspect, before it will come to resemble other parts of the region. So, good news as...
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Re: The Worst Train in the World
It isn't cool to travel on a train where you get thrown around in the carriage because the tracks are warped with age John ! Many journeys take 24 hours of hanging on like a Roller Coaster ! That's just in Asia. You'll be fine in Europe.
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Re: East Coast TGiving Travelers May Need a 'Plan B'
That is all part of Thanksgiving. Bad weather and lots of delays for Thanksgiving Eve are a long standing holiday tradition. Somehow, the flight delays always seem to happen on the way to grandma's house on Wednesday, not on the return trip on Sunday to go back to work.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Mar.4th 2014: Dubai Water Taxi
It's a great image, Islandman! I really enjoy photos of people going about their every day lives in different locations about the world, a reminder to me how much more alike we all are than different. This photo is made more interesting by their obviously ethnic diversity -- people who have come to Dubai for a good job and to improve their lot in life. The contrast of the old wooden taxi and modern skyscrapers in the background is great!
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Re: Good news, bad news on UNESCO's world heritage
I enjoy traveling to UNESCO sites because most of them are very interesting destinations. I even know of some travelers whose goal it is to see "every" UNESCO listing. Good luck to them! I really think UNESCO is doing it's job by identifying important places and encouraging their conservation. I shudder at the thought of a global UNESCO police swooping in to "defend" these sites. It's up to the countries that govern them to do so. Some do a great job; others don't. Some citizens care, others...
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Re: East Gill Falls, Swaledale, North Yorkshire
I am always impressed with your photography!!! Beautiful and creative!
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? (#71)
When I first saw this I thought China or SE Asia. But the kegs are a good spot. There's grafitti too. Eastern Europe?
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#67)
First thought - China or SE Asia. Not sure about the vegetation though. Doesn't seem it can be too rustic - as the railing on the bridge has some repetitive shapes. Most intriguing.
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#59)
A library... maybe in Asia? The top looks like it may be dragons
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Re: HOW YOU CAN SAVE THE ASIAN ELEPHANT
Thanks for sharing these thoughts. Elephants are highly intelligent animals, probably smarter than dogs for example. Wild elephants in Asia are having a hard time because of loss of habitat and conversion of their normal range to agricultural land. Most do not have ivory tusks so unlike their African cousins, they are not slaughtered for their teeth. In Sri Lanka I visited the elephant orphanage in Pinnawala a number of times, which I've previously written about on TravelGumbo at this link .
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Re: Where do the "permanent travelers" go?
I have one friend who's a permanent traveler. While he spends time in a variety of places, his preference is Asia, with Thailand at the top of his list. Chiang Mai is where we met and in nearby villages is where he spends the majority of his time. He has a private income so work has nothing to do with his choice. I'd be interested to see how the results of the survey would change if that element was removed from the equation. And how it would change if broken down by age group. Also, how...
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Re: Has Anyone Traveled With a Folding Bicycle?
I've never traveled with a bicycle myself, but on my last trip to Asia I met an Englishman who travels often on business to China. We met in Yangshuo, in Guangxi, and he was traveling with a folding bicycle. He seemed a very practical sort, a designer of medical instruments and when I saw him off as he left to go to the airport, he seemed quite comfortable with his bag and another with the bicycle, going into the back of the taxi. I know nothing about it except what I observed, a happy...
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Re: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
I'm glad that you liked the pics Paul. The floating villages there are the only ones quite like it that I recall seeing in Vietnam. Down on the Mekong it is quite usual to see extensions to homes built far out over the water that they pretty much classify as floating! There are a lot of house-boats on the Mekong too but the villages in Ha Long bay are much more substantial in that they are made up of floating platforms upon which several houses can be built together. In Cambodia a similar...
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Re: How loooong does it take to get to your airport?
Originally Posted by PHeymont You just have to conclude that all this planning is done by people who have chauffeurs or helicopters to get them to the plane on time... Or progress is blocked by some politician or lobbyist... ;-) I did just get a chance to read the blog you linked. While I agree that public transportation is much more available in Europe, and perhaps Asia, however with the few examples he sites, there really are few cities that have that 15-20 minute from "airport to...
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Re: A Price War over Trans-Atlantic? TravelGumbo interviews Norwegian Air
In one of Norwegians press releases they do raise an interesting question. "Why should a flight between New York and Europe cost three times as much as a flight between New York and Los Angeles? The flight to Europe is only about an hour longer, sometimes even less." I've noticed flights to Asia from Europe are sometimes two to three times as cheap versus flights from the US to Asia and they have roughly the same flight time.
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Re: Germans Reflect on Reunification
I was in Berlin on Saturday, the day of the 25th anniversary of reunification. There were tons of people in the city, as crowded as I've ever seen any major city. The main activities were in the Tiergarten, especially around the Brandenburg gate. By the time we made our way there, the police had closed down the area and were not allowing more people in because it was overcrowded. Still, everyone seemed well behaved and having a nice time. I think most Germans feel reunification was a good...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#112)
dead bamboo -> no, doesn't help. So are we in Asia then? But the Yucca does not belong to Asia. I give up.
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Re: East Beach Trail, Naikoon Provincial Park, Graham Island
Wow; what a wonderful post! So interesting and your photos are creative and beautiful!!
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Re: George Eastman Museum - Rochester NY
So interesting especially for anyone who loves history, beautiful houses and photography and that's me!! Well done!!
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Re: New Pilot Rules: Safer skies, but some delays likely
I always thought that was a major problem.Glad they are looking out for the pilots. Anyone who has ever flown a long flight to Asia or Australia knows how tired a passenger gets.I can't imagine having to make critical judgements as a Pilot under little rest.
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Re: Pesuta Shipwreck, Naikoon Provincial Park, Haida-Gwaii, British Columbia
These photos are evocative. Makes me very glad not to be a sailor back in the day. I have seen some of the many trees washed up on the beaches of the Pacific Northwest. Those are also very impressive. Did you find any glass floats ? I used to have a number of the ones used by Japanese fisherman to hold up their nets. You never know what will turn up.
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Re: Pesuta Shipwreck, Naikoon Provincial Park, Haida-Gwaii, British Columbia
The glass floats tend to wash up on the west (windward) side of the Pacific. This hike was on the leeward (eastern) side, where these floats tend not to come. But there were a gazillion trees, like these.
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Re: Pesuta Shipwreck, Naikoon Provincial Park, Haida-Gwaii, British Columbia
Like the tree pics. I picked up all of my glass floats a bit farther south - on the seaward side of Vancouver Island and on the western shore of the Olympic Peninsula. I think it was always in the summer. Maybe the tides and winds bring different material at different times of the year.
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Re: Help Celebrate Gumbo's New Year: Pick Your Favorite Pictures!
I'm going to agree with Rob and give the edge to DrY's above. But must add, I'm just a sucker for lotus. My favorite souvenirs are pods collected from the garden pond of a little house I rented in Bali in the paddies. For those of you likewise enamored with these beautiful plants, a place to see them in profusion without traveling to Asia is a remarkable garden just outside Santa Barbara, California, called, appropriately, Lotusland. The "official" site isn't loading for some reason so I...
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Re: A visit to Saudi Arabia: Part I
Wow! Thanks for this fascinating contribution, Lestertheinvestor. I was exhausted just from reading the directions for applying for the visa. It is quite obvious that Saudi Arabia doesn't want infidels visiting them. A few questions you might know the answer to: 1) Is the process stream-lined for a Muslim wanting to go to Mecca, and what kind of proof do they need to have that they're a Muslim? 2) Do you have any rough idea how many hours you spent on this process? Ball-park guess would do.
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Re: A visit to Saudi Arabia: Part I
1) The process is easier for a Muslim who is going on a hajj. However, unless you are native born, you must present a document from the Imam of your mosque documenting your status as a Muslim in good standing. For a Caucasian woman who is a converted Muslim, you must still get permission from your husband or a male relative, along with the letter from the mosque to allow you to make the hajj. 2) Between my wife and I (she actually presented our documents each time to the consulate in Los...
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Re: A visit to Saudi Arabia: Part I
What a bureaucratic nightmare! I wonder if there are countries that make it harder to visit than this one?
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Re: A visit to Saudi Arabia: Part I
Originally Posted by Travel Luver: What a bureaucratic nightmare! I wonder if there are countries that make it harder to visit than this one? My wife and I have visited 119 countries, with China, Bhutan and Saudi Arabia the most challenging to enter.
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Re: A visit to Saudi Arabia: Part I
My husband and I were invited to live there for two years while he did a medical fellowship in genetics. The challenge for me was that I am a very independent traveler, and I could not imagine how I would deal with the restrictions on women. In the end, those restrictions influenced our decision to go to Germany for two years instead. However, after having seen your photos, I am curious to see more. I regret that I do not know this part of the world.
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Re: NYC-The Lower East Side
Thanks for this piece, and especially the notes on the Lower 'Eat' Side. I used to live not far away from Katz and Yonah Schimmel, although in those days I couldn't afford them as often as I might have liked...but I remember enjoying the aromas even when I couldn't eat! By the way, Russ and Daughters has just opened a small sitdown cafe where their "appetizing" can be enjoyed. The Tenement Museum is a great place for families; I've taken small school groups there. Each apartment in the...
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Re: NYC-The Lower East Side
I am embarrassed to say I've never had a knisch. But now I know where to find the best and will have to look the place up when in NYC. A fascinating bit of Americana. Thanks, Jonathan.