Some people have just got it made. Whether it's money, beauty, brains, some people just have all of the luck. And, of course, luck is only a minor part. Connections is probably the most important skill to have, as it helps most of us punters to slowly work our way up the ladder.…
History
.... literally. It's not an homage to an old western film, or not even the sign for a trendy bistro that's just debuted with much fanfare where you live. Instead, this is the real thing, what you paid for. And, of course, it's in Europe, where so many things began, and so…
We don't need to spend too much time discussing how proud, clever and efficient (not to mention kind) the people of Japan are. Similar to the Koreans, the Japanese strike a balance between efficiency and personal pride, for the good of all. As a refresher, Japan is an archipelago, or string of islands, on the…
Like many modern, progressive countries, Japan has its eyes wide open when it comes to the environment and what we need to do to save it. In addition to Japan's willingness to live in smaller, more sensible dwellings, they are also world leaders when it comes to rail versus auto travel. And, this…
As of 2021, there were 7.888 billion human beings on the planet. Keeping with the recent statics, similarly, there are 195 countries in the world today. This total comprises 193 countries that are member states of the United Nations and 2 countries that are non-member observer states: the Holy See and the State of Palestine. In short, the numbers are…
Soon enough, this post will transform into a travelogue about a place in Texas, USA. But, for now, we simply want to say goodbye to a true gentleman and legend, Harry Belafonte, who passed away last week at the ripe old age of 96. Ninety-six. If you're of the same age as…
We love how gigantic the world is. We love its people (when they act like humans.) And we love it even more when a new place appears to us. When you travel a lot (we do) it's always a huge thrill to discover something completely from left field, with so many enticing opportunities…
Here is something that we never thought we would see, although I guess we're not surprised. Time moves on. When you think of UNESCO sites, it's usually Minarets or archaeological remains, often in far-flung locations, many of them ruins. We love UNESCO and feature lots of posts about them. (Click here for that.)…
The city does, for sure. And who hasn't heard of it? If that's you, here's a brief primer: Hong Kong SAR or (HKSAR) is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta in South China. With 7.5 million residents of various nationalities in a 1,104-square-kilometre…
Can you guess what "The KL" is? No, not some here-today gone-tomorrow hip-hop band. And not some hopeful moniker for a forlorn small town in Kansas. It's the playful (and much easier to pronounce) nickname that the residents of Kuala Lumpur use to refer to their lovely and largely unsung country. For…
Ah, China. A place of so much interest and of so much intrigue. So many of us lust to visit and have the best of intentions but, sometimes the Chinese government doesn't always make us feel welcome. And that is not to point fingers at its people: we're quite sure that…
Let's go forward in time to step backwards in time to learn how the internet came about, and why its origins, which are well known, may actually be more interesting than we might have thought. If you think you know the story, you might want to read on, anyway: you wouldn't be here…
Or did we mean go slow in Slovakia? Either way, you win, especially when you discover this known country, but then find out how much you have to learn - and enjoy - about it. It's another one of those "bubbling under" countries, just waiting for you to search and enjoy. According to…
Kosovo is a place that most of us have heard of, but may know little about. We might recall that there were troubles, many based around it unilaterally declaring its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. And or course, situations like that (with the associated violence that inevitably occurs) can often cast…
The ancient city of Great Zimbabwe was an engineering wonder. But archaeologists credited it to Phoenicians, Babylonians, Arabians – anyone but the Africans who actually built it. Great Zimbabwe is a medieval city in the south-eastern hills of the modern country of Zimbabwe, near Lake Mutirikwi and the town of Masvingo. It is thought to have been the capital…
Poor Cuba. Still battered by the USA (for reasons that we just can't understand) this beautiful and engaging country teeters on collapse, except for the strength of its people. We have a number of posts here on the site (click here) which should give any thinking person the desire to hop on a…
Bet you never thought you'd see that phrase. But, as always, history is a funny mistress and, let's face it, despite Google and our smart phones, we don't really know much, do we? Our children and their children will laugh at our conceit someday in the future. So, behold a new finding. …
We present another one of those "now you see it, now you don't" posts. Nothing lasts forever, it appears. And sometimes the powers-that-be appear to be deaf to what the people want. Here, we're talking about the Stairway to Heaven Trail on Oʻahu, Hawaii, the Haʻikū Stairs. Also known as the Stairway…
The world offers no shortage of fascinating, thrilling, silly, scary and sometimes confusing opportunities to behold what other members of your species are up to. We'll cut to the chase on this one, as it's quite a tale, one that could only really happen in the post-1960's movies, or for that matter, anything that…
History is a strange and unusual thing. For example, Turkeys were once worshipped like gods. Or, once , 100 Imposters Claimed to Be Marie Antoinette's Dead Son. Napoleon was once attacked by a horde of bunnies. Yes, supposedly these are all true, but you can never tell on the Internet. But, one…