Taipei 101 and the International Flora Exhibition 2010

 

Taipei 101, Taiwan

TAIPEI, Taiwan - How can I forget my trip to Taipei, Taiwan? As soon as the flight took off at Changi international airport (www.changiairport.com), I already felt the turbulence until it landed at Taipei international airport (www.taoyuan-airport.com) . That was the bumpiest 4 & 1/2 hour ride I ever had in my traveling life. Though I'm used to traveling, I still don't like the feeling of turbulence.

Going to Taipei in November is quite good because the weather is cold but not the coldest month in the year.

Taipei 101 is a must place to visit in the city. We came there with my colleagues on the first weekend. We took the subway train from our hotel. I like the token/plastic coins used to enter the station. Unlike in most Asian cities which use plastic cards, Taipei uses plastic tokens that can be read by the machine. Also, their train is longer than the trains in Singapore, Manila, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok.

From afar, I can see the once-tallest-building in the world. That's why the building serve as a guide. As long as the building is visible to me, I can say that I am not so far from the subway station.  

Taipei, Taiwan

On the second week, we went to the International Flora Exhibition. That was really an enjoyable experience. We were able to see flower arrangements from most parts of the world. They were transported and arranged to represent their countries. The queue to enter the exhibition center was very long but it was worth the wait.

Overall, the experience in Taipei was great. We finished the assignment one day earlier. But when I tried to rebook my flight to an earlier time there's no more available seat. I just found out at the airport that our flight had a lot of primary students from Singapore who had visited Taipei as part of the school activity and the flight was really full.

Keep on following my travel blogs. Also, for all your travel needs (airfare, hotel, cruise package, holiday packages, car rental and more), please visit wow amazing holiday website.

Tokyo, Japan - The most expensive city in the world

 

Tokyo Tower

TOKYO, Japan - Mushi mushi (hello)! Tokyo has been considered by several surveys as one of the most expensive cities in the world. In a recent survey about cost of living standards conducted by Time and published on February 6, 2013, Tokyo and another city Osaka, top the most expensive cities to live. Also, the city has been named the world’s most expensive for all but six years since 1992. I've been to Tokyo four times since 2005 and I can attest to that survey. 

However, I can say that Japanese people, generally, are very nice and helpful. On my last trip to Tokyo in 2010, I was having difficulty finding the direction of my hotel because most writings are in Japanese. So I asked a couple who were more than willing to help me. But because its difficult for them to explain to me the direction in English, they simply accompanied me to the hotel. It was about 30-minute walk and it was raining on that night. I don't have an umbrella but the lady lent me hers. It was a great act of helping. I thank them by saying domo arigatu gusaimasu (thank you very much) and they were happy that I can speak a little of their languange.


Tokyo Disneyland

The first weekend was long because Monday was also a public holiday. My colleague, his wife and I went to Tokyo Disneyland (www.disney.co.jp). According to wikipedia.org, Tokyo Disneyland is a 115-acre theme park (more than twice the area of Universal Studio Singapore at 49 acres) at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to be built outside of the United States and opened on April 15, 1983. The park was constructed by Walt Disney Imagineering in the same style as Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida. It is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which licenses the theme from The Walt Disney Company. Tokyo Disneyland and its companion park, Tokyo DisneySea, are the only Disney parks not owned by the Walt Disney Company.



Asakusa Temple

There are seven themed areas in the park: the World Bazaar; the four classic Disney lands: Adventureland, Westernland, Fantasyland and Tomorrowland; and two mini-lands: Critter Country and Mickey's Toontown. The park is noted for its extensive open spaces, to accommodate the large crowds that visit the park, In 2009, Tokyo Disneyland hosted approximately 13.65 million guests, ranking it as the third-most visited theme park in the world, behind its American sister parks, Magic Kingdom in Orlando and Disneyland Park in Anaheim. In 2011, the park hosted 14 million visitors, again ranking it as the world's third most visited theme park.

 

Sensoji Market

On the second weekend, I went to Asakusa, a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. The place is also good for shopping souvenirs.

My trip this time was more enjoyable and more informative than the previous trips I had because I was able to explore the city by myself. I took the train system which looks very complicated on the map but I realized that it was not so complex after all.

Keep on following my travel blogs. Also for all your travel needs (airfare, hotel, cruise package, holiday packages, car rental and more), please visit wow amazing holiday website.

Agra, India - Home of Taj Mahal



Taj Mahal - one of the Seven Wonders of the World

AGRA, India - On my first trip to New Delhi, India, I made sure that I can go to Taj, Mahal. Who is not excited to see one of the seven wonders of the world?

My company arranged a transportation for me going to Taj, on Saturday, 19th of June 2010. The temperature during that time was around 40-45 degrees celcius. But who really cares about the temperature? It was the only chance I had to visit this work of art so I still went by myself.

I left the hotel at 8:00 am. The travel time was about 4-5 hours depending on the skills of the driver.  My driver drove very fast and I was worried that we might hit other or other cars might hit us. We reached the area half past 12:00 pm, left the car at the car park and then took another local transportation service to Taj Mahal. If I am not mistaken, the transport fee from the car park to Taj Mahal entrance was INR 20 (USD 0.40). There was a huge gap for entrance fee between foreigners and local. I paid INR 2,000 (USD 40) while locals only pay INR 200 (USD 4). 



Entrance of Taj Mahal, India

Taj Mahal has a charm that I cannot explain. I've been to the smaller version of this structure in Aurangabad - Bibi Ka Maqbara - but there is really a big difference. Taj Mahal is really a star on its own. Stones used are the best in its class and every angles were planned.

Wikipedia provides more information about Taj Mahal. According to the article, it was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".



Entrance of Taj Mahal
One of the seven wonders of the world

Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles.

In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen. The construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision, including Abd ul-Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Lahauri is generally considered to be the principal designer.

Before I went to the mausoleum, the tourist guide required me to either leave my shoes or I wrap it with plastic. I wrapped it with plastic because its quite hot to walk barefoot. After taking pictures, the tourist guide brought me to some souvenir and factory shops. I bought a small display, a replica of Taj Mahal, to remind me of coming here. We left the factory shop at 3:00 pm and reached back the hotel at 7:30 pm. This was my second wonder of the world. The first one was the Great Wall of China I visited last November 2009.

Keep on following my travel blogs. Also, for all your travel needs (airfare, hotel, cruise package, holiday packages, car rental and more), please visit wow amazing holiday website.