A trip to Vietnam is not complete with out visiting one of the world’s most beautiful religious buildings, The Great holy See temple which is the headquarters of Caodaism which is a religion which is made up of a mix of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism. The temple was built in 1926, the 9 storey high structure is part pagoda and part cathedral. Inside the temple is the most magical the nearly florescent colours of pinks, blues and yellows are amazing. There are four prayer times a day so if you are lucky you will be able to witness this special religious event. The temple is just under 100km from the centre of Ho Chi Minn City or Saigon in the district of Tay Ninh and is usually packaged as a day tour with the close by Cu Chi Tunnels.
When it comes to interesting and odd inventions you can’t beat the Japanese. The Capsule Hotel was first developed in 1979 as cheap accommodation in space starved Osaka and the idea quickly caught on across all of Japan. Check out the video above to get an idea of what a capsule hotel is like, but essentially they are prefabricated fiberglass boxes that are large enough to lay down in. They are piled into a large room with each floor having shared bathroom facilities and possibly some lockers and a vending machine. If you have ever stayed at a backpacker hostel this type of hotel could be considered luxurious with its extra privacy of your own personal capsule. Capsule Hotels are generally located near train stations as their customers are normally drunk Japanese salarymen who have missed the last train home. Very few capsule hotels allow woman to stay and some don’t like foreigners at all, but if your up for a cheap and quirky night’s rest in Japan it would be worth hunting one down.
After a fun day at Tokyo DisneySea the night finishes with the most spectacular finale on the waters of the Mediterranean Harbor. The water comes alive with watercraft, lights, fountains, fireworks and a monstrous fire breathing mechanical dragon. Called Braviseamo! The 15 minute display is the most amazing of all the Disney shows around the world. Set under the backdrop of the erupting Mount Prometheus Volcano and the beautiful Venetian inspired Mediterranean port the show is stunning, exciting and a technological masterpiece.
The pachinko parlor is a type of gaming hall that is unique to Japan. A pachinko machine uses small steel balls that players load into the machine in order to win more balls, because gambling for cash is illegal in Japan you then can exchange these balls for prizes or tokens which can generally be exchanged for cash at a booth next door getting around the anti gambling laws. If you are in Japan its worth taking a quick wander around a pachinko parlor to experience the noise of thousands of steel balls clunking around the machines with j pop and beeping and buzzing noises turned up extra loud to drown out the sound of the balls. If that doesn’t annoy you enough the cloud of cigarette smoke surly will, as the pachinko parlor is one of the last indoor places where you can smoke in Japan. Read the rest of this entry »
The last World Expo was in Nagoya in central Japan and to help get the 20+ million visitors to the site the Linimo Maglev Train was built. This amazing piece of technology offers a fully computerised, safe and smooth ride and is the first Japanese train to use the maglev system. It is hoped the technology will be used in the Shinkasen bullet trains in years to come, a Tokyo to Osaka train is in final stages of development, infact testing is being currently undertaken with speeds in excess of 580kmh. Nagoya’s train however is a suburban train it stops at 9 stops and rides upon a elevated track and reaches speeds of up to 100kph and actually floats 8 mm above the track being held up by magnetic force. The Linimo Train is able to carry 4000 passengers in each direction every hour with each train designed to carry 244 passengers, but as with all Japanese trains many more will squeeze in.
Taipei the capital of Taiwan is home to one of the worlds most spectacular and tallest buildings the Taipei 101. Standing 101 storeys and 509 metres high it was the first building in the world to reach over half a kilometer high. While the top floor is a private club there is a amazing observation platform at the 89th and 91st floors, the upper one is infact outdoors, both offer 360 degree views of the city below. Several restaurants including Diamond Tony’s and XEX a Japanese restaurant occupy some of the upper levels. Ground breaking for the tower started in 1998 and the tower opened to the public on the 31st of December 2004 just in time for what has become a tradition the huge New Years Eve fireworks and display. The tower infact turns into a huge NYE clock. At night the structure is especially beautiful lighting up the surrounding sky with a different colour of the rainbow for each day.
Early last century the Singapore Boat Quay was one of the Orient’s biggest trading ports and an entrance for immigrants and a huge trading hub but today it is one of the island city’s hottest entertainment areas. The river banks are a eclectic mix of lively bars, clubs, pubs and some of Singapore’s best and most expensive dining. There are plenty of outdoor alfresco options where you can watch the world go by over a few satay sticks and an iced tea or go on a bit of a hunt for some interesting gifts and fashion. The area is a very popular hangout for the thousands of expatriates who work and live in Singapore and quiet popular with tourists. Some of the favorite dining places are the famous Sukhothai Restaurant, The Moomba, Pasta Fresca and the House of Sudanese Food which has is famous for its bakar or charcoal grilling from Western Java.
Toyota is a city in Nagoya Japan and as the name suggests it is home to the worlds biggest automotive manufacturer Toyota. Dubbed the Motown of the Far East the city was once called Koromo. Toyota have a quiet a few museums in the greater Nagoya and are all worth a visit but the Toyota Exhibition Hall combined with a factory tour is a great day out and a chance to get up close to some cutting edge technology. One of the center’s newest exhibits are Toyota’s musical robots which were a hit at Nagoya’s World Expo. The exhibition hall is geared towards innovation and technology with many interactive exhibits featuring Hybrid engines, safety systems and futuristic vehicles. Read the rest of this entry »
Everyone’s favorite mice Minne and Mickey celebrated 2 years in Hong Kong recently with all their cute and cuddly friends. Hong Kong Disneyland has been a huge hit with bumper crowds most days. The park joins the other Disneyland parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo and has all the favorite rides and attractions with a mix of Chinese culture and traditions. Due to its success expansion plans are underway a 15 year plan to expand the park to being able to take 10 million visitors annually. There is even talk of a second Disney park being built on site over the next few years.
At over 1 million square metres and able to handle 53 million people a year the new terminal at Beijing Airport promises to be the world’s biggest and most technologically advanced airport facility doubling the all ready huge airport. The brand new terminal three has been designed by British architectural firm Foster and Partners at a cost of over $3.5 billion US dollars. With the 2008 Olympic Games starting in August it is hoped the terminal will be ready for its first visitors around March next year. Nearly a quarter of a billion dollars has been spent on a roller coaster like luggage system which will be able to handle nearly 20000 items an hour from nearly 3oo counters. The system will allow departing passenger to pick up their bags in under 5 minutes of landing even from international flights.
