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Cuba was more than just Salsa
Well my experience in Cuba was more than just salsa, rhumba, son, mojitos and music. As expected after queing for an hour and a half at the smoke free immigration hall I realised that I was at the wrong counter so I moved to the visa free counter and stood right in front of the queue. Despite that I was still obliged to wait for another 30 minutes for my turn. Once I got my passport sorted out I went to inquire for a room in Havana at one of the information counters
The Wonders of Peru
I finally had a huge desire and gained the courage to travel to South America despite many circumstances that has been holding me back all these years. I have heard of Machu Picchu, exotic Indians, the Amazon and its macaws and anacondas, coca leaves, Columbian emeralds, carnivals and most excitingly their gold collection and the infamous conquistadores. Peru was my first destination because I was so curious of their past so I took the challenge to endure the long journey by comparing it with the hardship I experienced during my hike up Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South East Asia .The comparison I had with mount Kinabalu has helped me to understand why some people choose to do dangerous sports, like the saying goes no pain no gain and it has got so much to do with our body and soul.
Climbing Mt Kinabalu
I remember my sons, who were then only ten to twelve years old, climbed Mt. Kinabalu with their father. Andre who was the younger boy did not make it to the summit because of altitude sickness. He was throwing up and had severe headache. However, Luc who managed to get to the top proudly showed off his colourful certificate. Recently a man who was keen on me was promising me the world. I said that he must learn to climb trees if he loves cherries. He replied that he would even climb Mt. Kinabalu just for me. I was so flattered and impressed but only short-lived after he confessed that he would rather get there by helicopter.
Burma – “I do for you”
I made my first trip to Burma in 1986 after being told repeatedly of this exotic Buddhist haven and a "must visit "country which was unexploited by outsiders. I was told to bring 555 cigarettes and a bottle of Johnny Walker whisky of any label, the cheaper the better as these two items could be exchanged for cash or souvenirs that were worth three times more.
Dali and Li Jiang
I remember not that long ago a couple came to my Singapore shop for hill tribe silver ornaments from China. They were apparently very sought after in Europe especially in Belgium. Over the last 18 years I have bought and sold many similar pieces from the Golden Triangle. They range from bracelets, necklaces, torques, earrings, embroideries and clothing of the Hmongs, Akha, Lisu, Lahu along with the long neck Padaung tribe of Burma. These people were originally from the province of Yunnan in Southern China. Their customs and traditions are parallel to their contemporaries like the Bai, Miao, Moso and the Naxi tribes of Kunming in Yunnan, Southern China.
Belly Dancing in Palmyra
I was very pleased to be accompanied by my teenage sons in Lebanon for a week but the eve of New Year’s Day 2007 was their departure back to Singapore. So we celebrated the coming New Year over lunch in an up market Italian restaurant in Beirut. We were welcome by a French speaking manager whom we had met the other day in another part of town. He helped us out with road directions and passed me a business card for the best restaurant in town. We did not know that his name was written on it. Since I would be on my own that evening he invited me to their dinner and dance party which I gladly accepted.
Nepali Whiskey
At a tourist hub in Galle, Sri Lanka, I saw words like Room rats on a file at the reception desk of a Hotel which also served tomato milkshake. There were just so many similar spelling mistakes that someone actually has written a book about it.
Pursued by Rahmin, my Iranian cab driver
I hired the same English speaking cab driver who drove me from the airport to my hotel in Tehran for the rest of my four days trip in Iran. The whole deal sounded great and it cost me like 25 US dollars a day. Gasoline was only a couple of cents a litre. After downing a bottle of red wine on my own the night before, I slept very well and was wide awake early in the morning.
The Land of Khalil Gibran
Three years ago, I took my two teenage boys to Lebanon for our New Year holidays. Our interest was in the ruins of the Roman and The Phoenician period.
Headscarf and Corkscrew
My sheer curiosity and passion for ruins of the ancient world has given me enough courage to travel to Iran. Most of my friends were too worried for me since I knew no one. I was aware of the "head scarf", so I chucked one into my checked baggage. While disembarking the plane I was asked if I got a head scarf since I was not wearing one.
At the airport in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
My travel agent offered me a couple of hotels in Tashkent but I turned him down since I had no clue what it was all about. That evening I went to Borders in Singapore, to have a look in the guide book on central Asia. After flipping through for half an hour I noted down the phone number and the address of a hotel that was run by a reputable local travel agent.