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The Thinking Traveller

The Thinking Traveller

Hiking in India

When you start to read this article, you'll ultimately find out that it is about the best places to hike in India.  That's all well and good, as it is an immense country, full of wonderful and kind human beings as well as jaw-dropping sights. But, likely, even if you don't hike, you will be…

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Wham bam thank you tram

Some places just "get it." As we see mother earth in peril, some of us are just not rising to the occasion.  Climate change is not a joke.  It's real. But, some countries (mostly in Europe) are paying attention and doing something about it.  It could be banning automobile traffic in certain places.  It could…

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Madrid nuevo

Spain is building an $8.7 billion USD new urban development in northern Madrid, called Madrid Nuevo Norte. Madrid is the heart of Spain. However, in its north, train tracks and the urban void surrounding them cut the city right in half, creating traffic and connectivity issues. To solve this issue, Spain is building a new…

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Is this Trojan Horse a trojan horse?

You are probably already familiar with the Trojan Horse of Troy, the wooden horse used by the Greeks to enter the city of Troy and win the war.  If not, here is a good tutorial. The horse has been an elusive archeological find, but now, Turkish archaeologists claim they have found what they believe are pieces…

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Next phase – luxury apartments?

Human beings  just seem to love the idea of something being "the best."  Even if it's the best cheese sandwich, it inspires some awe and loyalty. Airports are no different, especially when we have to sit and fidget in them for hours and hours, waiting for a result with our flights So as to be…

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Don’t call me Junior!

If there is one movie franchise that EVERYONE loves (in addition to Star Wars, of course) it's Indiana Jones.  Chances are good that - if you're a certain age - you got your first glimpse of Morocco or Petra via those classics. But, did you know that the films were influenced by a living human being…

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Tollund Man’s missing right toe found

If you're a history fan, you've likely heard of Tollund Man. On May 8, 1950 the police in Silkeborg, Denmark received an alarming message. During a peat digging 2 days earlier a body had been discovered in a bog close to Bjældskovdal, an area located approximately 10 kilometers west of Silkeborg. The finders believed they…

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Blurry faces

We all know Google, love them or hate them. (We rather like them.) They're everywhere, constantly innovating, making money, but providing free services, as well. One of their shining stars is Google Maps.  We're sure that the service doesn't need introduction.  But, did you know how much they've played with Maps to make it even…

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Home of the buzzard

You might have heard of Cleveland, Ohio USA, a scrappy city that never gives up. It was formed in the late 1800's and was a manufacturing and financial powerhouse until things dried up in the 1970's. But, the die-hard residents there still plug away at reinventing the city, over and over.  Having major league basketball…

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Lagos’ lago

Even a dummy will know that the world is changing, but sometimes news comes out of relatively nowhere and completely takes you by surprise. In this case, we're taking about Lagos in Nigeria.  Already a rich and powerful nation, there are estimates that it will have the largest population of any country in the world (see…

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I’ll follow the sun

China doesn't fool around.  When they do things, they tend to go big. Here's an example.  The new Shanghai Astronomy Museum, which recently opened in China, is potentially the world’s most majestic museum devoted to the skies. This elliptical, silvery structure looks part spaceship, part planetary invasion, with angular shapes that “embody some of the…

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Aretha sang

Magic can happen anywhere, at any time, to almost anybody. Take Aretha Franklin, for example. In an innocuous two-story building with a barn-like roof on a side of a nondescript street in Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the home of FAME Recording Studios (short for Florence Alabama Music Enterprises.)  Music lovers will know it well.  They were small, but…

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Give me MOA

Those of us who live up here in the Pacific Northwest of North America are very lucky, in many ways.  The weather, the diversity (especially of our residents) and the history that is constantly being discovered and enjoyed. As with many other countries, Canada has a population that can be considered as First Nation.  In…

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Your Pakistan plan

We get that feeling that sometimes the country of Pakistan is misunderstood, and that the misunderstanding conjures up specific images and misconceptions.  And that's a shame, as the country is rich in so many ways. There is so much history in Pakistan, with its mix of religions and beliefs, and it's long relationship with India. …

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Capetown races sing their songs

Cape Town is South Africa's crown jewel and the most European city you'll find on the continent. Founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, it was South Africa's first attempt at a modern metropolis, earning it the nickname "The Mother City." Cape Town is worth visiting year-round. That said, it looks different each…

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Shattered.

Perched on the hills of the Achrafieh neighborhood hundreds of meters from the Beirut Port, the 60-year-old Sursock Museum was the beating heart of Beirut’s creative scene. The country’s only modern art museum, it boasts a collection of Lebanese art dating back to the late 1800s.  But, is still rebuilding a year after the Beirut…

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Malaysia fantasia

What do you know about Malaysia?  Probably not as much as you should. Malaysia is a mix of the modern world and a developing nation. With its investment in the high technology industries and moderate oil wealth, it has become one of the richest nations in Southeast Asia. Malaysia, for most visitors, presents a happy…

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How slow can you go?

How many of our readers recognise our main picture? If you're of a certain age, you may recall "dial-up" to get your Internet.  Modems, blistering 128k transfer speeds, mortgage your child monthly fees. This article talks about speed - but slowing down.  And not as in being lazy, but as in stopping to smell the…

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Moutarde plus tard

We would imagine that many of our readers like - perhaps even love - France, like we do.  What a place!  The variety!  The quality!  The countryside!  Paris! But here is a place that you will know of, but may not have visited - Dijon. Dijon is an unheralded French city that is worthy of…

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