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This city is one of the most important cities in Korean culture. It is the birthplace of the Kim family. Several stories passed by me. One is the Silla king had a phoenix lay a golden egg in front of him and a baby popped out. Kim in Korean, Chinese and Japanese means GOLD! In my travels here, once 45 years ago, the streets had no golden eggs laying around but I am sure there were many Kims.
The visit to Mainz would never be considered as having “happened” if you did not visit Gutenberg’s museum and also had a photo taken with the “printer” himself, even if he is a pretty “hard” fellow to get to know. I think he is now Bronze. From here you can take a vineyard and wine tasting trip on the Rhine or visit Wiesbaden, another beautiful place with an iconic Old Town.
I found in Frankfurt it’s good to have a sense of humor. Our first day here was filled mostly with shopping for necessities Such as shoes which I did not have since I have been a beach bum for the last three years. My long trousers were completely worn out so I needed a new pair. Included in the shopping list was a SIM card and fixing my brothers ring which broke a few days ago. The city is very much a financial center so it has some drabness to it but today we are going to look for some interesting buildings and scenery. Some of the food takes me back to my childhood since my mother made a lot of German recipes. Now it’s time to go and walk around.
what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you first step off the plane in Seoul? For me, it’s food! But that’s because I’ve been eating Korean food since 1976 and very religiously. Kimchi was something I always kept in my refrigerator for at least three portions a week. But this city has really a lot to offer in terms of modernization and things of interest. Koreans have a tremendous sense of their own history and culture so going around the city you’ll find many parks and places where they are trying to restore some of the very old historical buildings. You also find many people including foreigners dressing in traditional Korean outfits (HanBok) to visit those traditional castles and temples. But my first impressions of Seoul were, The transportation is excellent and everything else in the city reminds me so much of Tokyo. This is a very clean, organized, and easy to get around city.
Singapore is a city with great transportation, food and very friendly atmospheres. As a city with various parks and entertainment venues it is a great place to visit. But it is very expensive so bring your wheelbarrows filled with cash.
Penang is an island in the northwest part of Malaysia which is actually very international and multicultural place to visit and eat and enjoy. The main town is on the east side just across the bridge and the beach areas are in the north west and south. All of them are interesting. You will see mosques, churches and temples very close to if not next to each other as a symbol of mutual respect and harmony throughout the Malaysian society. Even though there are many cultures in Penang the prevalent one is the Chinese population. I highly recommend putting this on your top three places in Malaysia to visit.
The Cameron highlands are very famous partly since this is the place Jim Thompson disappeared without a trace. He was the fellow who helped develop and promote the silk industry in Thailand after World War II, . The rumors are very fascinating since some of them tie him to US intelligence services and so he was kidnapped and killed by communist rebels in this area. This was a place where the British set up tea industries, probably Tea leaves imported from Burma (where I am told tea first became a drink) and developed an international trade in the product. The mountains are very beautiful and the air is very refreshing but it is very heavily populated by tourists and the services provided also have that tinge of taking advantage of the visitors. I found it interesting for a two day visit but I didn’t find much else very interesting. Those who want to go hiking extensively will find it pretty and challenging enough to be a really good vacation.
