Tickets for the Olympic Games in Beijing :

500 days to go until Beijing will host the world.

500 days of activisim englobing just about everything from finishing up all construction sites (including some mind blowing Olympic facilities and the CCTV tower) to the perceived need of educating the population on how to best host the international guests. Fascinating, funny and at times disturbing to observe.

thanks TobyBarnes

Beijing seems to be on track. Are you?

Tickets are now available for pre-registration. If interested go to http://www.tickets.beijing2008.cn/.

The Swiss and Europe..

SWISS, airline owned by Germans, just sent me a newsletter stating the following:

Ab CHF 149.- nach Europa

[...] Entdecken Sie z.B. Hamburg, London, Prag oder Madrid sowie viele andere aufregende Destinationen doch mal im Frühling. [...]

To Europe starting from as little as 149 Swiss Franks.

[...] Why not discover exciting destinations such as Hamburg, London, Prague or Madrid and many others in spring? [...]

.. well then dear Swiss fellows, why not discover Europe, since you are, apparently, not living in it yourself..? Switzerland indeed entertains a strange relationship with Europe.. Long live the self proclaimed island in Western Europe! ^^

switzerland, international relations, culture, fun

Thailand - a country that makes one smile

Every year Chinese New Year causes what is referred to as the "world’s largest human migration" of our times.
This year I was one of theses millions of migrants. Destination? The Kingdom of Thailand.

I left China during Chinese New Year, forgoing all of Spring Festival’s celebrations and traditions (more here or here)?! Well not quite, since one of the reasons I went to Thailand was to "meet the parents" of my girlfriend, who are Taiwanese, living in Thailand..

Well then, off I was, for two weeks, one week in Bangkok and surroundings, one week in Krabi, Southern Thailand.

Some of my impressions:

• PINK TAXIS - Thailand is about color. People wear bright colors, flowers decorate houses and temples and even the taxis are purple, blue and orange or bright red.
• UNINTENDED MONUMENTS - Bangkok was about to double in housing volume when the before hyped Westerners smelled the dead rat. A boom went bust and loads of half finished and in the meantime rusty buildings are testifying of what the result was - the 1997 Financial crisis.


• BOAT TO AVOID TRAFFIC - Yep, traffic jams are your daily bread. Yep, taxi drivers are trying to rip you off.. but hey, why don't you simply profit from what I enjoyed most about Bangkok's public transport - the wooden boats on the Chao Phraya River?!
• FOOD AND RETIRED CHEFS - Pad Thai, loads of curry, fresh and splendid sea food, divine fruits,.. Thai kitchen is rich and tasty. Interesting enough: I had some of my best Italian food in Bangkok. Reason: the considerable migration of "retired" European chefs..
• THE POWER OF TOURISTS - The "product" Thailand currently sells best, it's hospitality, implies a massive influx of tourists and with it hard currencies. This in turn can change social patterns and modify what is perceived and sold as part of a tradition and culture. Let me avoid elaborating more on why I am not too keen on ever experiencing - sitting in a plane from Bangkok, or even Phuket, to Switzerland or Germany - and mention another example instead: The Damnoen Saduak floating market: Locals switched from (also) buyers to sellers and products sold from vegetables to miniature Buddhas and "I've been to Damnoen Saduak" T-Shirts.
• STANDING FOR THE KING - Babel (IMHO a good idea but not really compelling realization) we saw, but this isn't really relevant since we would have been expected to get up for the anthem of the king before any other movie as well. The Thai love their King Bhumibol Adulyadej, or simply Rama IX, who has celebrated his 60th year in power last year and consequently is the world's longest serving monarch. To show their adoration for the king, Thai wear a yellow shirt every Monday and, new, also Friday.
  
• BEING BBQ-ED - Flying in from wintry Beijing 35 degrees can feel quite hot. I was melting away at the Grand Palace and while marveling at Ayutthaya, the former capital of the Thai Kingdom.
• MEET THE PARENTS - De Niro and Stiller have got nothing to do with it - it was a pleasure to get to know my girlfriends entrepreneurial and interesting parents. I especially remember the bike trip we undertook.. 35 degrees, though tropical plantations and the buffet dinner that included chocolate fondue.. *^^*

• MEET BIBI - Well, I prefer not to talk about this.. ;)
• EAT THE FISH AND PROFIT - After the fish was only on the table on the first night of Spring Festival to symbolize profit, we ate it on the second day to profit in the future. The year of the golden pig (only every 60 years) has started well. Echo and I won 300 Baht in dicing.. ;)
• MASSAGE, THAI STYLE - 'No, no she is not going to do it.. no! no? AAAAAHHH --- KRIIICKS --- Outch? AHHH ^^ Thai massage is about as sensitive as a bear caressing a mouse. But the experience and result were TOP.
  
• RUNNING FOR A SEAT ON THE PLANE - Air Asia is the "easyjet" of Asia. Interesting new feature: they do not allocate seat numbers anymore. The early bird catches the good seat...

• SOME GET TANNED OTHERS - YOU LIKE SHRIMP? - .. if so then I would have been happy.. ;)




• THE HIPPIE COMMUNITY AT 'THE BEACH' - "Tong Sai", a beach on Railey in Krabi province, is where we met our dear 'hobby' Singaporean mates Mel, Parkie, CK and Aditi (nomadlife's most lazy Blogger). Together we enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere of this somewhat isolated beach (one can reach it only via boat) that attracts quite a bunch of climbers due to its outer worldly carst cliffs. STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL and very easy-chill. Hot recommendation.
• HANG LOOSE - .. and finally this trip was a great opportunity to hanging loose, relaxing, reading books, enjoying the hammocks on the beach so as to get ready to getting into the fast track in Beijing again.
  

You're thinking of going to Thailand? Sam would say: "a very good choice"! ^^


travel, thailand, pictures, friends, culture

Rajiv came, saw and inspired again.. ;)

Rajiv - guess I don't have to introduce him to the nomad community.. - was one of those persons that inspired me the most during my time at and for AIESEC. His speeches were mesmerising and rich in content at the same time; his optimism and attitude seemingly contagious..

Well, he came to Beijing last weekend and inspired again. Result:

"thanks" for snapping the pictures Cliff! *^^*

Together with Jean we also hiked parts of the Great Wall and with other AIESEC dudes checked out Beijing's nightlife, brunched until the late afternoon, stood in front of the already closed door of the Forbidden City,.. A great weekend that should be repeated.

Rajiv and all you nomads out there: feel free to pass by in Beijing! ;)

aiesec, friends, beijing, chinese culture, pictures, fun

Switzerland, an expansionist (future) superpower? :

Friends sent me the link to an article that made my day today:

Swiss accidentally invade Liechtenstein

The Associated Press
Friday, March 2, 2007; 10:01 PM

ZURICH, Switzerland -- What began as a routine training exercise almost ended in an embarrassing diplomatic incident after a company of Swiss soldiers got lost at night and marched into neighboring Liechtenstein.

According to Swiss daily Blick, the 170 infantry soldiers wandered just over a mile across an unmarked border into the tiny principality early Thursday before realizing their mistake and turning back.

A spokesman for the Swiss army confirmed the story but said that there were unlikely to be any serious repercussions for the mistaken invasion.

"We've spoken to the authorities in Liechtenstein and it's not a problem," Daniel Reist told The Associated Press.

Officials in Liechtenstein also played down the incident.

Interior ministry spokesman Markus Amman said nobody in Liechtenstein had even noticed the soldiers, who were carrying assault rifles but no ammunition. "It's not like they stormed over here with attack helicopters or something," he said.

Liechtenstein, which has about 34,000 inhabitants and is slightly smaller than Washington DC, doesn't have an army.

.. found in Washington Post.

Ah, my dear peaceful home country... *^^*

Xinhua, Chinese news source, brought the exact same story however, with a slightly different title..:

Sweden sort of invades Liechtenstein

... all non Swiss out there, please don't make us feel even more insignificant. Mind:

There is Swiss people living in Switzerland
There is Swedish people living in Sweden
Swiss eat cheese and chocolate, Swedish eat liquorice and drink absolute vodka
Swiss ski on slopes, Swedish "ski" on planes/lowlands (no kidding.. ;)
Swiss speak French, Schwiiizerdütsch, Italian and Romantsch (well, at least some of them), Swedish speak Swedish
Swiss have Heidi and Peter, Swedish have Pippi Langstrumpf aka Pippi Långstrump
Switzerland is small, Sweden is bigger
Switzerland has UBS and Nestle, Sweden has IKEA
Switzerland is cold, Sweden is colder
.
.
.
... hence Switzerland NOT = Sweden

*^^*

switzerland, fun, international relations,anecdote