International Travels
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My first and only trip to the Southern Hemisphere took me to Buenos Aires, Argentina last January. Gotta tell ya. Being in southern South America in the middle of Northern Hemisphere winter does not suck. I had 80 degree days during my week's work in the Argentine capital. Buenos Aires is a very un-Latin American city from an architectural standpoint. The wide avenues and cityscapes are much more reminiscent of Paris than of San Jose, Costa Rica. The Argentines are also a friendly handsome people who are passionate about their tango and nightlife. These folks stay up way too late for me. B.A. is an expensive city, but it is nice to see the economy bounce back from the hyper-inflation and military regimes of 20 years ago. My only regret is not having enough time to visit Patagonia and the rugged South.
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I was lucky to be in Argentina in January. I was equally lucky to visit Moscow in June. My week in Moscow was the fourth week of a four week trip that took me to Costa Rica, France, and India with only a 3 day break in the U.S. between the Costa Rica and France legs of the trip! Russia was in great turmoil (so what else is new) while I was there. However, my favorite activity while I was there was drinking beer outside in Menasha Square adjacent to Red Square, the Kremlin and St. Basil's Cathedral until late in the evening. Being June, it was daylight until almost 2300 hrs. Again, I met some very nice people just sitting out. As I hear about the crashing economy and hardship of many people, I can't help but think about and worry about these kind and generous people that now have faces and personalities. Like many places I have visited, English is not real common. But if you try hard enough, you can usually figure a way to communicate. |
Honestly, I don't even remember the name of this place other than this was the equivalent of a mausoleum for an Indian "king" centuries ago. I think it does look like something out of an Indiana Jones movie though. I was very fortunate weather-wise in Russia and Argentina but was not nearly as lucky with India. The temperture hovered around 117 degrees this June day that this picture was taken in New Delhi. It was impossible to get a good pic with the haze that hung over the city. I was probably least comfortable here than any country that I have ever visited despite the prevalent English that was spoken. The poverty and mix of Muslim, Sikh, and Hindi cultures is very overwhelming even to an experienced traveller. White males are unilaterally considered "rich" (which I guess we are by their standards). That, however, led to incessant begging and trying to politely deflect their requests.
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Sure, you can sit in a Dublin tavern and suck down pints of Guinness and get a taste of Ireland. OK, so I did. But to really appreciate Ireland, you have to get out into the countryside. The Wicklow Mountains may not be Cork or some of the really highly-promoted Irish tourist sites, but for those with business in Dublin and little time to get out of the city, this destination is a fine introduction into rural, green Ireland. The area is located within an hour's drive of Dublin by way of the scenic eastern coast. As should be expected on any trip to Ireland, the weather is cool and damp (even in July 1999 when I was there). However, the frequent and occasionally heavy rain showers are usually short-lived. This picture was taken early afternoon between downpours.
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Of all of the countries that I have visited, Malaysia surprised me the most. Granted my experience was with Kuala Lampur, the capital. I am sure that that the countryside is quite different. However, based on my experience with the capital city, let me tell you what Malaysia is not. It is not a country of street and vendor signs in a cryptic Oriental alphabet. It is not a Hindi, Buddhist, or other predominantly Eastern religious state. It is not even a moderately backward country that we as Americans associated with non-European foreign soverignities. Rather, Malaysia (particularly Kuala Lampur) is clean and modern with street and storefront signs in English. The religion of choice is Muslim and, indeed, we were introduced to the Islamic custom of five-a-day calls to prayer from the loudspeakers atop the neighborhood mosque. The Twin Towers shown here are arguably (or were very recently) the tallest buildings in the world. A very nice park with a 3/4 mile running Tartan running trail sit at the foot of the towers. I ran here a couple of times in the Equatorial humidity of late August afternoons. Kuala Lampur (K.L.) is only about a 3 hour drive to Singapore down interstate quality highway. K.L. is however a much cheaper city to visit with lots to see and do in the area with side junkets available to the wilder side of Malaysia.
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A two-hour long visit to the Great Wall was the highpoint of my trip to China in May 2000. Seeing the Great Wall reminds me a bit of the Appalachian Trail. It covers spectacular terrain and goes on as far as the eye can see. You start hiking along the Wall and you always want to go just a little further... just a little more... and you could do that for weeks. The Wall runs east-west for thousands of miles protecting the Chinese from the Mongul hords to the North. The part of the Wall in the picture sits just outside of Beijing on the eastern end. Otherwise, we visited Tiananmen Square and had authenic Peking Duck (in Peking, no less). As a whole though, Beijing is an enormous city and surprisingly (to me) modern and commercial.
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