Elephants are a very important part of Thailand’s culture and over the centuries have become one of the countries most important animals and a symbol of power and strength. Their admiration can be seen in Thai symbols, buildings, statues and the like. Still today elephants are used in many traditional roles including working in the forest and mountains, used for transportation and are an important tourist drawcard to the country. Today most of the 2600 or so elephants live and in many cases work in elephant camps. One of the more popular elephant parks for tourists at Mae Sa which is outside of Chaing Mai here visitors can see the elephant’s amazing skills and even visit the elephant nursery where the little elephants grow up. Several tour groups also offer elephant trek tours where you can ride elephants through the farmlands and forest of Thailand.
Many people would know Khe Sahn from the classic Australian song of the same name by Cold Chisel or for references in Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA. Khe Sahn was the site of a very bloody battle fought in the Vietnam War. In 1968, Khe Sahn was one of the most remote outposts of the war and ended in one of the biggest sieges of the war between the American Forces and the People’s Army of Vietnam. Today Khe Sanh’s horrid history has been mostly overgrown with wilderness except areas including the old airstrips which were poisoned during the war. The old combat base now houses a small museum of relics from the war and the area is extensively farmed for with coffee and banana plantations. There are several tourist operators from Dong Ha which offer tours to Khe Sahn and the DMZ and give you a good insight into this terrible time in Vietnam’s history. Just as a post note the term sappers refers to the people who extracted sap out of rubber trees.
You have got to hand it to Disney they sure know how to make a great themepark. Disneyland is known as the happiest place on earth so Disneysea in Tokyo must be teh happiest place on sea. It is one of Disney’s most spectacular and fun parks with fun for young and all. Situated right next door to Tokyo Disneyland this new park features seven themed worlds and some of the best rides and atttractions Disney has to offer including an Indiana Jones ride better than the one in California, an amazing Tower of Terror exerience and centrepiece of the park Mount Prometheus an ‘active’ Volcano which features an adventure ride to the centre of the earth. But the highlight of Disneysea would have to be the incredible nightly spectacular called BraviSEAmo! here dragons of fire rise from the waters, smoke, lights, fireworks and music come to gether in an amazing show which leaves everyone brethless.
Step back to a bygone era and ride the Star Ferry across Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour for an amazingly cheap and fun trip from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon. With trips starting at only $2.20 HK each way you can cross one of the world’s most amazing waterways where you will see the skyscrapers of this bustling city and the rugged backdrop of the island’s mountains. The ferry service has been operating for over 100 years with the most popular service being between Central on Hong Kong Island and Tsim Sha Tsui on Kowloon, boat was the only way of crossing the water until the Cross Harbour Tunnel was opened in 1972. There are 12 ferries in service operating on four different routes and over 70,000 people use the services every day.
The small island country of Singapore is one of the Jewels of Asia, with cutting edge technology, cleanliness like no where else, great food, friendly people and a balmy tropical climate- a perfect place for a holiday. The Singapore Tourist Board has just launched their latest campaign promoting their country titled Beyond Words, this week’s Tripandom YouTube video of the week… enjoy the Singapore experience.
The popular restaurant chain Hooters which is very popular throughout the US for its food, well lets face it- it’s hot waitresses wearing tight T Shirts and short orange shorts has sold franchises rights to a company in Dubai for a Dubai chain of restaurants. The plan was going pretty well and with so many American and western people working or visiting this booming city the owners of the chain could see huge success awaiting, with the first Hooters expecting to open later this year. Then along came the Dubai Department of Economic Development and they pointed out that hot waitresses wearing tight T shirts and shorts isn’t really the thing to do in Dubai as it is in violation of the Muslim Emirate’s “Religion, tradition and Culture”. So we now have a bit of a stand off and it looks like Dubai Hooters may not get to its opening day, which some say cast doubts on some other western concepts being tried in the region. Time will tell whether the mighty dollar or tradition and culture win. Read the rest of this entry »
Ho Chi Minh was a revolutionary who later became president of the Republic of Vietnam, he died in 1969 and his body is till on display to the public in a huge granite mausoleum Hanoi the capital of Vietnam which was modeled of Lenin’s Tomb in Moscow. He wouldn’t be too happy lying there like a wax model as he really wanted to be cremated and spread over the hilltops of Vietnam. Thousands of people pass through the mausoleum to honor the man or just to take a look. If planning a visit there are strict rules on clothing and what you can take with you. No cameras and no talking- you must keep walking and don’t stop, this is all part of respect. The mausoleum is open every morning but in November he is taken away for a bit of a makeover.
Melaka in on the central west coast of Malaysia is home to the oldest Protestant Church in South East Asia. The church dates back to 1753 when the colony was controlled by Dutch Rule. The Church is quite unique in this part of the world for it’s Dutch building skills, the inside beams have no joins and all the pews are hand made. There is also some beautiful artwork made of tiles depicting the Last Super. The church is situated in what is called Dutch Square which is also home to a really beautiful fountain and clock tower. Read the rest of this entry »
For a market of a difference when in Hong Kong visit the Goldfish Market which is in Tung Choi street in Mong Kok. This strip of shops sell some of the most beautiful goldfish you have ever seen and a wide range of other water life. There are hundreds of different species of tropical fish, marine fish and critters and also a wide collection of tortoises including some beautiful and exotic bright green Brazilian tortoises and not forgetting the amazing Koi Carp. The markets also carry a huge selection of aquarium supplies and are open daily between 10am and 9pm. The easiest way to get there is a short walk from the Price Edward Road West railway station on Kowloon. Read the rest of this entry »
It was nearly tragedy last night in Hong Kong, a tourist cable car which has been dogged with problems since opening had a carriage come loose and crash to the 50 metres to the ground. Fortunately the ride had closed an hour earlier and nobody was hurt but it nearly fell onto a busy road. The attraction is part of one of Hong Kong’s most popular attractions is the giant bronze Buddah ” Tian Tan Buddah” which sits on the Lantau island and attracts over a million visitors a year. The 5.7 km cable car opened just over year ago and cost $HK1 billion to build taking over two years to complete. They have had a series of breakdowns since opening one that left 500 visitors stuck in the air for 2 hours. The project also has had some problems with management. The cable car will remain closed until a full investigation is carried out and the Government officials are sure it is safe.
