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THE offender in question was Chinese, blotch-faced --- an employee of the airport taking an evening break. He seemed over-eager to get in a conversation with me, too friendly or something. I should have known I was heading for trouble. But poor old, trust everyone me. He obviously picked me for a sucker. Within a couple of minutes, I knew I had fallen in with a madman. Of the born again variety, no less.
"Are you ready to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal saviour and the master of your life? Are you ready to accept spiritual life?" He ground his finger into my breastbone, real aggressive-like. Other passengers in the terminal were turning to look at us.
"When I look at you I can see you are physically alive, but to me you are spiritually dead. What good is it, to be physically alive, but to be spiritually dead? Huh! I pity you! How I pity you! When are you going to wake up, & realise God's plan for you! Hallelulah! amen!" And he proceeded to talk in tongues, & muttering "You'll learn, one day -- my God you'll learn! Hallelulah!" & laughing diabolically, until he eventually wandered off back to work, probably loading bags or something. Or driving those cool little buggies that run from one end of Singapore Airport or the other, or (God help us!) frisking people for prohibited objects in the security check-in, or directing flights up in flight control. He was a geezer, and you should hunt him out if you find yourself with spare time in Singapore -- more likely he will find you.
ICELANDIC 4WDS
ONE of the first things which struck me when I arrived in Iceland was the high number and size of four-wheel-drive (4WD) jeeps being driven there. Maybe it is in keeping with the harsh, volcanic terrain, but it seems that every man & his dog in Icelssand drives a huge-wheeled, suped-up, boulder-crushing 4WD. Not only driving it, but rather tearing across the countryside & down the narrow streets of Reykjavic like maniacs, giving no quarter to the poor pedestrian trying to scuttle over the road. Some of the tyres on these monsters are so big they reminded me of steamroller wheels.
Inside, Icelandic 4WDs are crammed with all manner of luxury items --- GPS sattelite tracking & bar fridges & Internet access & MP3 stereo systems. It certainly makes cruising the hills & wastelands of this subArctic nation a more civilised experience. Maybe it is the only way to conquer the rugged terrain --- but I suspect a bit of the male ego in this phenomenon as well. This is one country in which size still matters!
EUROPEANS ARE OVERWEIGHT & GETTING OVERWEIGHTER BY THE MINUTE
SPEAKING of size, whenever I leave japan I am always amazed by how overweight & frankly grossly obese the rest of the world is becoming. It is a crisis I am glad not to be a part of, because I live in japan & have ready access to the healthy diet which prevails here. Pity the poor fools of Europe who have to subsist on a diet of chocolate bars & cheese & hot dogs & other fattening crap. I think it is the ultimate expression of the failure of the western imagination --- the ultimate symbol of the sellout to McCommercialism. And it seems like nothing can halt this Lemminglike march to ob(ese)livion --- nothing but a true revolution in the Western/European diet. When the revolution comes, it is going to come from Asia. The future of western cuisine lies not in hot dogs & beef steaks, but in sushi & rice. It might take a long time to become reality, but that is my prediction.
h climate. It is an ideal tourist destination and a lot of domestic and international tourist visit this place. From the top of Simarjarunjung we can see the very beautiful panoraman around Lake Tosba, especially when the sun rises in the morning.
ssssss5. Sibaganding
Hectares in size. We can find a hot water and suphur source there.
7. Karang Sari
Karang Sari, a place for bathing, is located 10 km from Pematang Siantar or 133 km from Medan. It can be reached by public transportation. The road condition is good and some of it is asphalt. Karang sari is an ideal place for recreation, fishing, and swimming in the rive. It is also well-known as an area which produces a variety of fruit such as: durian, rambutan, mangoes, salak (snake fruit), and mangosteens.
8. The Simpang Batu Gajash Recreational Park
Located in one complex 22 km from Pematang Siantar 151 km from Mean, the Park can be reached by public transportation. The condition of the road is good.
The Hanging Rock Legend
long time ago, there were a kingdom in Desa Sibaganding (Sibaganding Village) at the northern edge of Lake Toba. The kingdom was well-known because of its fertile soil, and most of the people were farmers, growing rice, and hard wood trees such as mango trees and palms (the palm leaves are used to make palm fibers).
So the Pariban's family invited all the relatives, including the king's family, to have a discussion about this matter, what would be conveyed to the king's family and how they would deliver it. They also agreed on the 'Ulos' (Batak traditional woven cloth). Then the result of the decision was told to the princess. She was shocked because he was not the person she wanted to merry, however, she hid her feelings.
Thus ends the story of the Batu Gunung, that, can still be seen today. The stones still look like a person's body, a dog, and a cat in the form of reliefs attached to the steep stone wall at the edge of Lake Toba.
The Legent of The Formation of Lake Toba
There are several legends about Toba but they are basically all the same except for a few details. This is story :
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