The Shark's Eye

It's for the tourist

2011-09-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

"Even in China things are outsourced"

In August 2011 I was in Lijiang in the Yunan Provence of China. Lijiang is up in the mountains of south west China, not too far away from Tibet and the famed but little known Shangrila. I noticed that tourism was starting to take off in what would otherwise be a beautiful but undeveloped area of China. Naturally the local people are making the most of the influx of tourist by selling stuff to us. I was tickled to see these little stores selling textiles such as locally made traditional shawls. It appears that they are hand woven by the local girls in traditional dress manning their little shops. But after walking past the one thousandth stall and looking at the sheer quantity of pieces, I came to realise that would be impossible for them to make so many items and that it probably came from a large factory. Even in China things can and are outsourced. Chat to the girls in the stalls and they say they make it themselves but our tour guide with a chuckle "the traditional stuff is rough, expensive and it's hard to find. Stick to the touristy stuff."

Pretty Vicky: A mere thirteen year slide to hit rock bottom and become Auntie Bee Lan

2010-04-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Saw this interest article

For Vicky Quek Bee Lan: last Sunday Straits Times (11 Apr 2010) to the new paper it is a story of a thief that for 13 years stole, cheated and lied. She would steel from the students she taught and also from men she would drug before steeling the watches and wallets. She has been sentenced to 6 years of corrective training with no hope of parole and gotten what she deserved.

I think the striking thing of this story is not Vicky's crimes per say, but how a pretty girls slide in such short period of time to the auntie that now serving "hard time" now. What intrigues me with this story is how far can one slide? (look at the photos of before and after). Surely the police and the newspaper would have you believe that this a classic advert for crime doesn't pay.

I would on the other hand like to see what's going on in this girls mind (there's much more going on than what you think). I think the thought processes in her head would have been fascinating. I just wonder if she has even the controls to tell her self not to steel. I certainly think the satisfaction, thrill and desire (dopamine hit) would tower over her perceiption of doing the wrong thing and the risk of getting caught.

Airports

2009-10-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

Airports (Best, most unique and worst)

I've been doing quite a bit of travelling in the past 3 months. As a result, I've been to a number of airports. I think the impression of a country for any traveller is often initially influenced by our experience at the airport (on arrival and departure).

The airports that I've been in recently include:

1. Male Airport, Mauldives

2. Phnom Penh Airport, Cambodia

3. Beijing International, China

4. Stockholm Airport, Sweden

5. Singapore Airport (terminal 1,2,and 3)

6. Sydney International Airport, Australia

7. Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia

Best overall airport

(based on facilities, shops, efficiency, services)

Without a doubt: Singapore Airport

Most unique

Mauldives

One of the most scenic airports, you arrive and depart the airport by boat.

Biggest disappointment

(based on facilities, shops, efficiency, services)

Sydney International Airport

"A real tin shed"

The airport is going through renovations but it doesn't make up for all of its short falls such as having to pay A$2 for luggage trolleys, no arrival pick up points (you must either use the airport carpark and pay $7 per half hour).

Conclusion

So what do you think? Best Airport, Most unique airport and most "CRAP" airport... and why?

2009-03-18T01:09:00.000-07:00

Old Cassette: Circus Animals

It's funny how when you are rummaging through your old stuff you find some things that real GEMS which you forgot you had. It was just the other day that I was clearing some boxes that I had in storage and I found a few things that made me scratch my head (not my balls ok, I know that's what Mono would have done though) and think WOW!!

OK here are a few of these items:

Item 1: Cold Chisel Cassette: Circus Animals

That's right a cassette. I wasn't even sure if my cassette player would even still work when I had a go at playing it last night. It is incredible what a "fuckin" good album this is. I played "when the war is over" at least half a dozen times. The songs on this album are without question
some of their best. I looked up the album on http://www.coldchisel.com.au/ which has all the information on the band and this album you need to know.

I didn't realise it, as I was probably way too young but the album made it to No 1 in Australia in 1982. You Got Nothin I Want, Bow River, Forever Now and Taipan are Chisel classics.

This cassette I've probably had for half a lifetime and although the sound quality is pretty is shit, it adds to the nostalgia of it all. Great albums like this one, well... it brings back memories... good memories!

For any Cold Chisel fan out there. Get that album out and play it! If you haven't got it, go get it!

Check out the words to When the War is Over... they are soooo good!!

Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away
Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away

When the war is over
Got to get away
Pack my bag to no place
In no time no day
You and I we used each other's shoulder
Still so young but somehow so much older
How can I go home and not get
Blown away

You and I had our sights set
On something
Hope this doesn't mean our days are numbered
I got plans for more than a wanted man
All around this chaos and madness
Can't help feeling nothing more than sadness
Only choice to face it the best I can

When the war is over
Got to start again
Try to hold a trace of what it was
Back then
You and I we sent each other stories
Just a page I'm lost in all its glory
How can I go home and not get blown away

Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away
Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away
Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away

Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away
Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away
Ain't nobody gonna steal this heart away

2009-02-26T08:19:00.000-08:00

Morocco

Morocco has become a popular place to visit in recent years. For Australians it has become popular due to travel programmes such as Get Away.

From my guide book DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Morocco

Morocco is like a tree whose roots lie in Africa but whose leaves breathe in European air. This is the metaphor that King Hassan II (1929-99) used to describe a country that is both profoundly traditional and strongly drawn to the modern world. It is this double sided seemingly contradictory disposition that gives Morocco its cultural richness.

Places we visited
We went to 2 cities in Morocco, Casablanca and Marrakesh. We also visited the High Atlas Mountain (Day trip from Marrakesh)

Casablanca
Casablanca is not a touristy city. It does have an international airport though and is a major port. After coming from Cairo, it was a relief to get away from people looking to harass tourist. It is a fairly developed city by North African standards.

There not many tourist sites to visit in Casablanca.
There's the Mosque of Hassan II (right: Photo of the mosque ) The Mosque can accommodate 25,000 making it the second largest religious building in the world after the mosque in Mecca. The complex covers 9 hectares and is located by the sea. It was opened in 1993, so its a pretty modern building. Unfortunately, being a non-Muslim, we were unable to enter the mosque. As I said, Casablanca is not a tourist town.

Marrakesh

above: photo of blue dyed wool drying in the Souk

Now Marrakesh is definitely a tourist town. It is very popular with Europeans and especially the French. Everyone speaks French. There are quite a few things to see in Marrakesh including the Souks (markets)with stores selling all manner of things.

Bargaining in Morocco is slightly different from bargaining in Egypt. In Morocco the starting price is probable half or 2/3 of what the final price agreed upon. As opposed to bargining in Egypt where the price is sometime 1/5 of the what it should be. (right: The stall we bought a rug from from our "friend" Kamal).

There's the Place Jemaa el Fna (right). this is the hub of all activity in the old town. Extracted from my guide book "For centuries, this unique and extraordinary square has been the nerve centre of Marrakesh and the symbol of the city. Although it is in fact no more than an irregular space devoid of a harmonious ensemble of buildings, it is of interest to visitors mainly because it is a showcase of traditional Morocco. UNESCO has declared it a World Heritage Site. It has a gruesome past: until the 19th Century, criminals on whom the death penalty had been pasted were beheaded here. Sometimes up to 45 people were executed on a single day, their heads being pickled and suspended from the city gates. (when someone says to a hooker "give me head" it takes on a whole different meaning back then (this wasn't in the guidebook, I just added it)).

The thing about the Place Jemaael Fna is that it has something going on all the time. In the evenings there are recitals and performances. There are snake charmers and stalls hawking food.

Ben Youssef Medersa, Musee de Marrakesh and Ben Youssef Mosque, are all located next to each other at the Northern end of the Souks. (right: courtyard in the Ben Youssef Medersa).

High Atlas Mountains

Mount Toubkal: highest mountain peak in Morocco

Food
Finding a good place to eat is important for any tourist. Moroccan food is a mixture of Berber, aribic and Andalusian tradition. Being a Former French colony, there is also a strong European influence on the food. The food in Morocco is often spicy and very tasty.

Popular dishes include Taijine (made with lamb, chicken, meat) and couscous. One thing about Morocco is that the service is pretty good and the price of eating out is pretty cheap.

We stayed away from eating in the hawker stalls out of fear of getting food poisoning. It seemed to me however, the hygiene level was not too bad and noticed a lot of Europeans happily eating from the stalls. In Marrakesh, the restaurants surrounding Place Jemaa el Fna, were pretty good and quite cheap.

Anyone looking for advice on Casablanca or Marrakesh, I'm happy to share what I know.

Tips for visiting Egypt and Morocco

2009-02-09T09:21:00.000-08:00

Visiting to Egypt and Morocco 20-10-08 to 2-11-08

A visit to North Africa is a MUST for any avid traveler. Two countries I recently visit are Egypt and Morocco. In Egypt we went to Cairo (Great Pyramids, Coptic Cairo, The Nile), Alexandra and Luxor (Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Karnak, Luxor Temple). In Morocco we visit (Casablanca, Marrakesh and the Atlas Mountains).

Travel Book
One of the best guide books you can get are the DK Eyewitness Travel books. We used both books for Egypt and Morocco extensively and wouldn't travel without them especially to these particular destinations.

These books give excellent practical information.

Although the above books are great, I have a few practical notes worth adding or highlighting.

Visa
Egypt
If you're from America, Australia or come to think of it just about anywhere outside the middle east come to think of it, you will need to get a visa in advance. Do it early is my advice. We got ours done in Singapore and it took about a week.
Morocco
Australians don't need a visa for touring.

Exchange rates

First thing about going to Egypt and Morocco is that you ought to know the exchange rates for these countries. These are both controlled currency and you can only change money at the banks. During the our recent trip we didn't find any money changes out side of the banks or major international hotel. At some local shops you can pay in USD and EURO which seem to be acceptable at some of the usual tourist traps in Morocco.

The rates we got were from the bank

In Egypt Nov 2008: USD1:5.59 to the Egyptian Pound

In Morocco Nov 2008: USD1:8.446 to the Dirhams

We couldn't find the rates anywhere before we travelled and had to change money at the airport.

When you leave the countries (Morocco & Egypt), change what ever you can because once you leave the country no one can change them back for you. You can change money back to USD at the airports.

EGYPT

Travelling round Cairo

Taxis
Taxis in Egypt are something else. The Black and White taxis are at least 30 years old fiats. They are largely maintained by the drivers or their mates. Some of the taxis I wouldn't be surprised if they were held together by a coat hanger.

When it comes to the fare, you have to either know how much you have to pay and bargain. They will try and bargain a better price from you because you're a tourist and they know that you'll pay. Yellow city cabs are air conditioned and have metres... after using one of them you'll realise how ripped off you get and can figure out how much you should be giving the black and whites cabs.

Trains (Metro)
Cairo has a limited train network that covers some parts of the city. There is effectively only 2 train lines. It is a cheap way of getting around but it's a bit on the grungy side. It's how a lot of the locals get around and is pretty safe. The unfortunate thing is that the stations are all pretty spread out. In addition, other than going to Coptic Cairo via Mari Girgis Station, there's not many tourist spots along the Metro lines.

Getting to/from the Airport
I think this is pretty important to know. After spending an hour getting through immigration and customs, the last thing you want is to be accosted by touts... which is exactly what happens. The limo service from the airport to the city (Semi-ramis) starts at 80 pounds (US$14) but after some haggling we got them down to about 50 pounds (US$9).

If you manage to get a Yellow Cab from the airport, it will cost you about 30 pounds. Unfortunately after passing through the airport on 3 separate occasions, we were unable to find where the hell these cabs were. We did manage to catch a Yellow Cab from Cairo to the airport and thus were able learn how cheap travel to and from the airport ought to have been.

The People
I think one thing about Egypt is that it is a relatively poor country. To be diplomatic, tourist have been coming to Egypt for literally thousands of years and the people of Egypt "know" how to take advantage of us like no others. To be blunt, be prepared to be ripped off by any local person you come into contact with.

This includes the tour guides, the police, store keepers, people you meet on the street, taxi drivers. Even in the airport duty free shop, we were given two different prices for the same item (no bargaining in duty free shops).

The majority of people in Egypt are of Arab decent and are Muslim. There is also a Christian minority.

Overall, Egypt is a relatively safe. It is almost inevitable that you will get ripped off, but the chances of being the victim of any really "serious" crime is rather remote.

Tourist Sites

The Sites in Egypt are without a shred of doubt, are amazing. The DK Eyewitness Travel book goes into great detail on the various tourist sites. To learn more on the various sites, it is best to use these books or other sources. It is recommended to use a guide but even the guides are human and sometimes make mistakes. The Travel Books probably makes less:-P

An example of a potential con

Without a doubt when touring you have to be conscious of people you come into contact with. Nowhere is this more evident than in Egypt. I have traveled all over the world and Egypt rates as number 1 as the place you have to be most on guard if you don't want to get conned. To give you an example:

On our first morning after arriving at Cairo Airport and fighting our way through customs & immigration only to be accosted by an army of touts offering transport to the city, we managed to get our transfer to our hotel in the city. Our hotel was only a 10 min walk from Egyptian Museum (a must see). Walking from our hotel to the museum, a number of gentlemen tried to make contact. One particular man, a well dressed elderly gent asked us where we are going. He said "Don't worry, I'm not a conman [yeah right!], I'm a doctor at the University", in perfect English, "where are you going?"
"To the museum" I replied. He said"Oh the museum is closed for lunch , afternoon prays you know [yeah right again! in actual fact Egyptian Museum doesn't close for afternoon prays]. Why don't you go for lunch yourself." He motioned back the way we came. "There's a good local restaurant around the corner just past my office. Just head down that way." He continued, "Where are you from?".
"Sydney", I replied
"Oh, I'm going to Sydney next week for a conference, I'm a how you say, a doctor in the study of plants." When we got to the corner he pointed down the street and said "You just head down that way, I have to head off now". We thanked him as we headed down the street and bid what I thought was farewell. As his turned to head the other way, he said "why don't you check out that shop". (refer to the picture on the right. This is the actual shop that we went into, I thought I'd take a photo so you would know what a shonky con shop looks like). With our guard down, we unconsciously stuck our heads in the shop. This is where it gets good. The gent, swiftly waltz past us and into the shop at which point he proclaims. "Welcome, come in, come in", much to our surprise. "Please sit, let me extend my hospitality for we are Bedouin and you are my guests, tea for my guests." A lady sitting down immediately starts making tea. "She is my daughter." Now this is kind of getting ridiculous because she was black African and he was Arab.
He then proceeds to show us various bottles of perfume. He further says, "since you are a guest in my country, this is a gift for you". Another man pops out of nowhere and proceeds to pack and wrap the bottle of perfume. I pretty much figured that something wasn't right and got up and started asking about some of the other things in his shop whilst slowly making my way to the door. The shop contain the usual Egyptian tourist souvenirs such as papyrus and textiles.
As he handed the wrapped bottle of perfume (I doubt if there even was a bottle of perfume under the wrapping) to my friend, he said, "that would be 100 pounds".
My friend said the obvious, "you said it was a gift?"
For which he smartly replied "yes, but the 'bottle' cost 100 pounds". We headed for the door at this point and he continued "how much do you want to pay 70 pounds?".
I said "we are too hungry to shop, maybe we'll come back later". We then quickly left the shop.

And do you know what? There wasn't a restaurant anywhere nearby.

Cities we visited in Egypt
The cities we visited whilst in Egypt were:
Cairo
This is the capital of Egypt and the place with the most things to see included: the Great Pyramids at Giza, Step Pyramid of Djoser, Egyptian Museum (Tutankhamen gold mask is just one in a collection), Khan al Khalili (market bazaar), the Citadel, Coptic Cairo and the Nile.

Alexandria
Stretching 20km along the coast, Alexandria is Egypt's second largest city. It was founded by Alexander the Great in 332BC. It is a relatively prosperous city on the Mediterranean.

Luxor and Thebes
Modern Luxor grew out of the ruins of Thebes, once the capital of ancient Egypt. It is on the Nile and has loads of historical sites to visit including: Luxor Temple, Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, Hutshepsut Temple and Colossi of Memnon.

For any advice visiting Egypt, I happy to share what I know.