Occurring normally in the Hindu month of Ashvin, that would be around September or October of the Gregorian calendar, this festival signifies the triumph of good over evil. It symbolizes the victory that Lord Rama had over the demon king of Lanka Ravana. It also shows how Goddess Durga triumphed over the buffalo demon Mahishasura. Thus Dussehra on the whole is a celebration of good over evil and has a lot of enthusiasm coupled with energy involved. Celebrations are the name of the festival and the entire country is a great festive mood during this time. Dussehra also brings the end of the hot summer month and welcomes the winter months with great gusto. The seemingly hot months seem to end and the Indians now look forward to getting cozy in the coming winter.

The Navrathri is the nine day festival which is held to propitiate the Goddess Durga who is believed to have fought the demon king during this period. The tenth day or Dussehra is the end of the Navrathri festival. During this time, people organize a lot of fairs to bring about a get together for all. Effigies of Ravana are burnt in North India.

Dussehra is also known as Vijaya Dashami. This is the day when Rama killed the demon king so there is more reason to celebrate . So people worship Rama and also the Goddess Durga , and pray for an auspicious start to life. It is said that worshipping the power Shakti the symbol of strength would bring a lot of prosperity in the house. Thus the Goddess Durga is worshipped.

In North India, there is an enactment of the whole scene between Rama and Ravana in the form of a play called the Ramlila. It is immensely popular amongst the public and the play ends with the huge effigy being burnt amidst a lot of cheer and celebration. Not only Ravana, but also his brother Meghnadh and his brother Kumbhakarna are set on fire.

The burning of the effigies signify the evil being burnt and people then pray to follow the path of good. Thus people pray that they live like Rama, a noble life of deed and conduct and not like Ravana who had to pay for all his bad ways.

In the southern part of India Vijaya Dashami is celebrated by praying to Goddess Saraswati , the God of Education.

Dussehra is a festival where grudges are forgotten and a new beginning awaits.

Beginning in 2007 with the Berlin in Lights festival, Carnegie Hall has featured the music and culture of global destinations through wide-ranging, multi-disciplinary programming in its three concerts halls and at institutions throughout New York City. But right now, perhaps no other festival may be as important as JapanNYC (March-April), which celebrates the diversity of Japanese culture in more than 40 performances and events and pays special tribute to Japan and its people in the aftermath of this month’s earthquake and tsunami. Some of Japan’s finest classical musicians and organizations, including the NHK Symphony Orchestra, with principal guest conductor André Previn and soprano Kiri Te Kanawa; the violinist Midori in solo recital; and Bach Collegium Japan, the country’s leading period-performance instrumental ensemble, appear alongside traditional Japanese music performers, such as Yutaka Oyama and Masahiro Nitta, masters of the evocative shamisen, a three-string lute-like instrument.

JapanNYC encompasses dance, film, and the visual arts, including “Bye Bye Kitty!!!”—a survey of contemporary Japanese art—at the Japan Society (through June 12) and the special installation of a Japanese Garden at this year’s Macy’s Herald Square Flower Show (through April 10). Both are free.

A related festival, JapanOC, takes place at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts (philharmonicsociety.org), and throughout Southern California, where performers range from the Tokyo String Quartet to ukelele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro.

Gobble. Gobble.

I say no more. Fellow Americans, you don’t need another Thanksgiving of watching the James Bond marathon on Spike TV, or waiting in line at the Gap. Just say no.

Instead, by all means, visit the family, have that extra slice of pumpkin pie, but don’t squander away your precious vacation days in store lines (you can buy it online, you know you can) or in front of the television. Break free of the Thanksgiving monotony and go do something fun. Actually have a vacation on your vacation days. This is radical thinking I know, but stick with me here, I have ideas. And I am practicing what I preach, I convinced my whole family to try my suggestion for Thanksgiving this year.

Here’s what I propose: If you live within reasonable drive or train ride to a major city (say around 2 hours or less), have an urban adventure. But, DO NOT SHOP. Instead, visit a museum, indulge in a helicopter ride, treat the kids, or take a day cruise. On Viator.com alone there are over 1,250 things to do in the USA just around the major cities, so no excuses, I am sure you can find something fun to do near you.

If you don’t live close enough to have a big city adventure, visit a National Park near you (or State park, I am not picky). They are blissfully crowd free around winter holidays, and everyone could stand to stroll or hike off a little gravy. Plus, when is the last time you went to your nearby national park? I bet it has been awhile. Stop by and say hi. Take the kids.

Fellow Americans, I urge you, nay, implore you, to GO OUT AND HAVE FUN! If you are home watching the Hallmark Channel’s Festival of Original Movies, or circling for parking at the mall, instead of out having a good time, you are so not going have the best Thanksgiving pictures or stories in the office on Monday. Make a Thanksgiving you’ll be thankful for, the only turkey should be the one you eat.

True, Portland is a beer-lover’s paradise but there are two thriving cities just south of Portland: Corvallis and Eugene, each with a growing beer scene definitely worth a day exploring as a side trip from Portland.

Eugene, home to the University of Oregon, is a mere two hour drive from Portland. While its athletics program has produced legends over the years [San Diego Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts immediately comes to mind], the locals are also stepping up and producing some of the state’s creative artisan beers.

Ninkasi Brewery, launched in 2006, has made huge inroads in Portland and across Oregon so much that the brewery recently remodeled and added more brewing capacity to meet the demand. In fact, when I visited, pre-addition, the current space was shockingly small considering how much beer they manage to crank out. The tasting room is small but cozy and they offer most of their beers on tap. The visit was on a rare warm, sunny spring day which made for an enjoyable walk around the funky neighborhood, then a walk back to the brewery from close-by downtown Eugene. Yummy seasonals from Ninkasi include the popular Spring Reign, Radiant Summer Ale and the popular Total Domination IPA – a personal favorite. 272 Van Buren Street, Eugene

Nestled in an industrial park on the outskirts of Eugene, Oakshire Brewing offers visitors a no-frills tasting room with a simple ambience: a bar, stools and current beers on tap. Then again, being surrounded by brewing equipment, the smell of wort and hops doesn’t sound too shabby. For sunny days, picnic benches are parked outside near the entrance. The Watershed IPA, an absolute favorite, and Overcast Espresso Stout, an [obviously] robust, rich, coffee-flavored beer is very drinkable. 1055 Madera Street, Eugene

Check out an interview with Oakshire’s Jeff Althouse below.

Hop Valley, officially located in Springfield, is a quick hop on the freeway from Eugene. Boasting a huge space, full menu and many beers on draft, Hop Valley is ready for success. They’ve got the branding down – t-shirts, mugs, beers for sale – as well as a decent location [though previous tenants didn’t fare so well]. It’s a bit corporate for some, though the beer is good and the vibe is friendly. It was packed when we stopped in, but we were seated quickly, orders were taken and beer and food were served swiftly. They had quite a handful of beers to choose from, making the sampler a favorite. Standouts included the 541 Lager, Impeller Pale Ale, and Natty Red. 980 Kruse Way, Springfield

About 90 minutes from Eugene is Corvallis, a quaint, historical small town that’s also home to Oregon State University (OSU). Residents and students take their beer seriously here. How much? The campus recently received funding for a new aroma hop breeding program that will be created in the College of Agricultural Sciences at OSU. No drunken frat boys making their own beer in dorm rooms here – at least not ALL of them.

Visit Oregon Trail Brewery, one of Oregon’s oldest breweries [at least from the modern 1980s brew scene]. Tucked – and very hidden – behind the Old World Deli, the brewery has zero retail presence and is easy to miss. That’s OK with owner Dave Wills, who sells to surrounding bars and pubs and not much further around. It really is a local institution and I knew I was in for an interesting visit when Dave flipped around the tap handles and tested me on my tasting knowledge. I guessed five styles out if six – I couldn’t quite put my taste buds on the unusual but tasty Ginseng Porter.

The brewery is on three floors, isn’t flashy, doesn’t have the most modern equipment but it still manages to produce some of the area’s most innovative beers. If you visit, you can order pints at the deli or most bars and pubs around town. 341 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis

Located in the building that once housed the Corvallis Gazette-Times newspaper, Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery is a newer brewery on the scene but has the beer chops and knowledge that has quickly made it a popular destination for both students and visitors. The building itself is interesting – the main floor houses the restaurant and where the beers are brewed, the cellar is where the magic happens with the fermentation, and cellaring is where the barrels of cask-conditioned ale are stored, while the basement has been renovated into a cold storage room where beers are aged. There’s still smeared black ink on the wall from its previous incarnation as a newspaper. The morning we visited, the restaurant was jammed with hungry diners. By the time we left, the morning crowd was replaced in the early afternoon with beer drinkers enjoying the lunch menu and freshly brewed beers. Popular beers include Ridgeback Red, Cask Ale as well as a hefty rotating list of seasonals.

And such is the celebration of Tuareg Festival which has been happening each spring, from last three years, in the hot desert of Sahara. It’s just two hours drive in north of Agadez, Niger, that’s actually in middle of desert- the Sahara.

The Niger’s national government along with the local Tuareg tribal people organizes this Festival Tuareg.

What’s that making it so exciting that you come from half way through world in middle of Sahara desert? Well its these tribal people, and experiencing with them, their own life and living. To have sumptuous, delicious delectable, to hear the music and dance underneath the sky littered with tiny little bulbs of stars. And well there is more to go…

This is a three-day event, in world’s largest desert, on sandy patch earth, here becomes center of the Tuareg world.

Once you arrive at this Tuareg world of Tuared festival, upon its first sighting all you will see is the traditional and customs of Tuareg Tribe.

Men will be seen in head-covering with cheches, with their traditional blue bubu robes that trails to ground. As men and women keep dropping in by Land Cruiser and Camel cruiser for the days of festival, the tribe of Tuareg gets together to meet up, greets, and even trades. The tribe’s women will be seen in plenty all socializing, and reuniting with their family and friends, sighted gossiping around the edges.

This is a semi-nomadic tribe of Tuaregs, which is also called as “the blue men” and tahts because they seem to have blue skin. Hey nope these are no different, but have normal skin like us. Rather this blue tinge on their skin is because of the blue color robes that they wear, uses ground lapis that’s used for coloring their robes, keeps rubbing off on their skin and that’s why these men are men in blue! Tuareg people are known to be initially standoffish when with strangers, but once acquainted, you will be their bosom pal and they are most genial and welcoming of hosts.

At Tuareg festival you can shop till you drop if you like to have the authentic goods, very intricately made handmade local handicrafts as well as Berber silver jewelry. These are damn beautiful and could become a superb piece of décor at home and souvenir to take home as well as some different gift to give.

Well you must have sexy legs of stunning and stupendous models walking on ramp, wearing exotic designer wear, at Tuareg Festival there is another beauty pageant which can match no other in world and that is beauty pageant of camels other then beauty contest that are held. But the most exciting is of camel! Because they have to be judged for their beauty, strength, by a race and how they have been decorated. And that’s fun and very hilarious event, but you ought to see the spirit of competition in Tuareg people, as how they cheer for their camel as if some lover is passionate.

Other then that there are singing competitions, beauty contests, and artistic prowess, while these Tuaregs take all these competitions very seriously as they shout and cheer for their representatives. And such is the enthusiasm which is very much commendable.

The festival craze draws Tuaregs from far away as Mali, Libya and Algeria.

The excitement doesn’t just keeps to day time but heightens with night at night, as day’s scheduled programs are out of way, festival’s central stage gets cleared, where the uniquely North African style of rock and roll shows breaks out, which takes place each night, people reveling till wee hours of dawn.

Feast: That’s the yummy part and all foodies, this will be three day paradise. There is tasty grilled mutton kebabs and aroma filled fresh breads to eat, and don’t miss to try traditionally sugary with mint Tuareg tea which is served as screaming hot to drink. Well the kebabs here are of many types and taste and you will love licking o your fingers.

Like amazing Sahara itself–as its long chains of the sand dunes that keeps shifting with each movement of the sun and its shade–the character and spirit of festival also changes by very hour. That’s the fun and excitement of being at Tuareg festival but it’s with grain of sand!

Next year’s Festival Tuareg has not been officially scheduled, though it occurs in mid-February. The festival will give you a chance to live a life of nomad and have the best time of desert camping but most of all will give you chance to mingle with men in blue and take in your system some grains of sand.

The Aboriginals in Canada has a number of festivals that they celebrate. Some of them still exist, while others have swept away with time.

The Morning Dance

The Morning Dance takes place every Spring by the Ojibwa, Southern Ontario. It can also be called as Wabeno. The Aboriginals fast and cleanse themselves before an elder male member plays the drum and the leads the dance in a clearing around a selected tree. They dance around the place from dawn to noon. As each dancer goes around the tree, the drummer signals the dancer to touch the trunk of the tree and give thanks for providing them with shelter and the means to cook food. A huge feast of fish and meat is served around midday.

The Sun Dance

This is a summer festival of the aborigines that take place in the Great Plains. This festival lasts over a period of eight to sixteen days. The circle is an important symbol for the aborigines and they acknowledge and respect the sun as the “giver of life”. They dance around a “central cottonwood pole” or the “tree of the universe”. The dancers embed sharp wooden hooks deep into their chest and connect the skewers to the leather thongs, that trail from the top to the bottom of the cottonwood pole. As they dance, they pull back on the thong and tear their flesh. They believe that if they sacrifice themselves to the Creator, they and their following generation will be blessed.

The Potlatch Ceremony

This festival takes place in the NorthWest Pacific Coast nations. The aborigines usually celebrate this festival to feast, distribute wealth, share songs, and dances. The host organizes this feast to celebrate an important event like a marriage, or naming of an heir etc. Songs and dances are performed in honour of the Creator or the “Great Spirit”.

The Shaking Tent

This ritual is performed by the aborigines from the subarctic to the Great Lake region. It represents the supernatural world of the aborigines and their belief to the close relationship with the living. The ceremony is always celebrated at night and poles are dug deep into the soil and made to form circles to allow the spirit in.

These are some of the interesting festivals celebrated by the aborigines across Canada. The movie Australia (though based upon aborigines in another continent) is a classic example of the beliefs and the traditions of the aborigines. One must visit these places to know about them and the fact that some of them still prevail in the developed world!

Dine on the Singapore Flyer

Given that rivals are being constructed across the world, it’s unlikely that the Singapore Flyer will hold onto its title as the “World’s Biggest Observation Wheel” for long. But for now, it is the king of big wheels – 30m taller than the London Eye – and a ride on it is a great way to look out over Singapore.
One revolution on the wheel takes approximately half an hour, and the glass capsules ensure great views of the city as it goes round. It’s possible to see highlights such as the starting grid of the Grand Prix circuit and the remarkable Marina Bay Sands resort, with its giant rooftop boat on top of three sleek towers.
It’s spectacular in itself, but for the hungry there’s another unique option available. The Singapore Flyer offers ‘sky dining’ where you eat as you go round.
Taking the sky dining option gives you two revolutions – one for starters, one for main – as a butler serves drinks. It feels somewhat absurd; tablecloths are a starched white, the butler is dressed at his smartest and the food comes in lovingly presented form. Yet at the same time you’re on an enormous wheel, watching the light show on the arms that hold the capsules.
Dessert is served in a special VIP lounge once the second rotation is completed, and the views from the terrace outside are equally good – Singapore looks pretty special once lit up at night.

Haw Par Villa

Set up by the founders of the Tiger Balm dynasty, Haw Par Villa is an exceptionally strange Chinese take on a theme park. The grounds are full of pagodas and odd statues of round-headed tigers, rats and smiley dragons. But the real highlight is the Ten Courts of Hell exhibit.
This is supposed to be a lesson in morality, but it ends up being a graphically gory romp through the punishments that naughty boys are believed to undergo in the afterlife.
A series of a dioramas feature heavily-painted demons instigating numerous grizzly tortures under the watchful gaze of kings, who also act as judges.
The figurines undergoing the marvelously unpleasant procedures – such as having their hearts cut out, being sawed in half or being impaled on a mountain full of knives – are punished according to the crimes they committed while they were alive.
Some would argue that the punishments are somewhat disproportionate to the crimes – especially given that some of them are meted out to people who disrespect their siblings or fail to adhere to a rulebook.
Haw Par Villa is the first stop on Viator’s Round Island tour.

Kranji War Cemetery

The second stop on the Round Island Tour is the Kranji War Cemetery, where thousands of Allied soldiers who died defending Singapore in the Second World War are buried. It’s a somber place, with the headstones lined up in neat rows. The sheer expanse of these rows brings a lump to the throat.
At the top of the hill is the Kranji War Memorial, and this is inscribed with 24,346 names. All of them belong to soldiers who died in the World War II, defending Singapore and Malaya.

Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery

The Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, also known by brevity fans as the Bright Hill Temple, is a remarkable complex of Buddhist temples, stupas and meditation halls.
It’s the biggest temple in Singapore, and the mishmash of architecture is fascinating. Only one of the buildings has been made in traditional Buddhist style – and that’s the pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas. The central stupa is golden from the outside, but inside it is decorated with thousands of Buddhas as the name would suggest.
The other buildings are constructed in a Taoist style – they’re colourful and covered with intricate carvings of dragons.
But the major highlight is the Venerable Hong Choon Memorial Hall. It is the size of a football pitch and has no interior pillars. That the giant Buddha in the middle manages to dominate the room is testament to how impressive it is.
The Buddha was specially made to order in Taiwan and then reassembled in Singapore. It weighs 55 tons and stands at 13.8m tall.
The hall itself is used as a meditation and prayer area – visitors are requested to remove their shoes and keep silent as they walk through to the Buddha.
Outside, the scent of joss sticks fills the air while the Bodhi tree – a scion off the sacred Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka – is worth a look too. It is surrounded by paper leaves on which hundreds of people have written down their hopes and wishes. It’s rather touching.

Changi Memorial and Chapel

For a truly moving experience, however, the Changi Memorial and Chapel is a must visit. Though no longer on the site of the Changi prison where thousands of Allied servicemen and civilians were held during World War II, it still packs a powerful punch.
The chapel itself is a rather simple outdoor affair, but the museum tells the tale of life under Japanese occupation beautifully. The brutality of the Japanese regime saddens, but the spirit of the people gladdens.
An air of stoic defiance permeates. Quilts made by the female inmates to send simple messages about how they were doing to the men they were kept apart from are on display, while accounts of the concerts put on by the POWs to keep morale up bring a smile to the face.
There are many moving stories on display, and none more so than that of the murals on St Luke’s Chapel. These were painted during the period of Japanese occupation, and were discovered again in 1958.
There was a worldwide search to find the artist, and it turned out to be Stanley Warren – an arts teacher at a London secondary school.
Warren was persuaded to come back and restore the paintings in 1963, but broke down when confronted by the memories of the horrors he and his fellow prisoners were subjected to. They were completed nonetheless, and now the walls of the chapel have been moved – murals and all – into the museum.

From somber to spectacular, there are a number of activities to do while in Singapore. So make a point to visit at least one of these attractions – even if you are in town just for a stopover.

Russia:

Russia famous for James Bond movie is much beyond that, an enigma with kind of history and turmoil’s this country has seen. From being s super power, with cold war and Warsaw pact inflicting in its history and gradual breaking up of this country, Russia always comes from long way. Russia is enigmatic charm to foreigners, from being monarch to communist and then to being socialist today, Russia has been playing a role of supporting actor in world history. But at the home turf, its natural resources and human resource is vast, one day Russia will rise to top of international circle again.

Moscow and St Petersburg cities are the testimonial of the Russia’s revolutions, St Petersburg, then Leningrad and then again ST Petersburg. Still there are glimpse of past that are to be seen, which tuned the tide of History today.

Places to see: Legendary Battle ground- that’s what is called taste of adventure and excitement, seeing the ground where the Germans clashed with never to die spirits of Russians during the World War two, see those grounds where men lost their lives that became tuning point of war in western front. Battle of Stalingrad and don’t miss out exploring the place where the ‘Bloody Sunday’ took place: St Petersburg where the Tsar’s soldiers did the flip and changed the Russia.

France:

Remember in your History book there must be a quote of Louis XIV where he said to his peasants that if they don’t have bread, why not eat cake. And that brought French Revolution. But in between who can forget that “Reign of terror” ruthless killings of people of monarch-kings, prince, queens which brought in fury of other monarchs European monarchies. Paris is ‘city of love’ yet it bears those scars of hatred ness, streets are still strained and who can forget their great invention of “Guillotine”.

And this is the land of Leadership of Napoleon, land of brilliant thinker that has changed the world’s attitude towards what a country, its government and its citizens should be from the great views of Jean Jacques Rousseau. Enlightenment and Renaissance had quick hold of ground here.

Places to see: France gets listed in all the lists for tourism, exploring the country in this respect will make you revere this country more. Go to Palais de Versailles to explore opulence of French Aristocracy and see the place where the decisive treaty of Versailles happened which as we all know sowed the seed for World War Two.

China:

China is known for its mythology, for Tibet and its upheavals and for Chinese calendar. China is land to explore to see the dragon king, to see the Terracotta army sculptures and nobody should miss out the most important and that is The Great Wall of China. China though remained closed economy for longer time, but now its open to all. China is all together a different world, a point to be noted is so many of the countries today have china town. China offers travelers a different experience.

Places to see: Hong Kong, Tibet, Shanghai, Macau, The Great Wall of China.

Portugal and Spain:

Well these two countries need a special mention and applause. Reason being from here originated all the voyagers and explorers who found the distance lands, regions which produced spices, fabrics and much more which led to the race of colonization and imperialism and to wars.

Places to see: Spain Salamanca’s massive monuments/Portugal: Sintra’s Historical castles

North America and Latin America:

This combination of places itself is such that there can be another top ten list on them only.

North America is great for American culture and history. United States of America’s birth itself has marked an important page on history, thirteen colonies becoming fifty states of US. But amazing thing is its utopian growth and creation of wealth.

Places to see: Oklahoma, Yukon, Quebec, Nevada Alaska.

Latin America is pride place with rich culture. Three leading civilizations which settled was Mayas, Aztecs and Incas which has impacted the art and culture and influencing the lifestyle. Latin America is testament of blends of cultures along with Spanish culture.

Places to See: Cuzco Machu Picchu in Peru

Egypt:

This place has taken human kind to life beyond death with its Tombs, and their mythologies and with books of death and book of Pharaoh. Seen movie ‘The Mummy’ which stared Brandon Fraser, for real experience go to Egypt for the ultimate tour and voyage through the river Nile. Egyptian Explore the tombs of famous leaders of ancient times from pharaoh Ramses and female pharaoh Hatesheput. Worship their Sun god Ra, see the engineering marvel of Great Pyramids and Egyptian art which reflects the grandeur.

Place to see: Cairo, Great Pyramids, Sphinx of Giza, Temple of Hatesheput

Iran:

Ancient Persia, like the story place of ‘Alladin’ when Cyrus the Great had defeat Medes and that led foundation of Acheamenid Empire. Persian Empire was from Greece to India, crossing Caspian Sea, Red Sea and Arabian Sea. Cyrus devoted Zoroastrian. And then came Arabs that took over Persians converting them into Islam and then influencing the art and culture.

Places to See: Ruins of Persepolis

India:

India explore it for seeing the civilization of Indus civilization and today it’s the melting pot of so many cultures, traditions and customs. So many languages and their dialects, a country that gave the world number “0”. Birth place of Mahatma Gandhi who led India to glorious freedom with principles like non violence, Taj Mahal epitome of love and one of the seven wonder of world.

Places to visit: Taj Mahal, Kashmir, Leh Ladakh

Greece:

This place doesn’t need any introduction, all any explanations for visiting it. With its Greek empire, civilization, Greek Gods and Goddesses, Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, amazing philosophers Aristotle and Plato and remember Alexander the Great which conquered most of the world, and took Greeks towards unprecedented heights.

Place to See: Athens and their temples dedicated to their gods and goddesses like Temple of Arthemis

Italy:

Roman Empire and city Rome takes the high position in this list for being the number one in places to visit for historical and cultural significance. Roman Empire began with Romulus and Remus, but climaxed with killing of Julius Caesar. See the remnants of Roman Empire, and also learn about Renaissance, about the middles ages and why dark ages were so dark. See the arena where five thousand animals were killed just for fun.

Place to see: Rome which has remains of Roman Colosseum etc, explore the ancient Rome.

But as I gaze out the window of the traditional Huxinting Teahouse, from where it sits in the middle of a lake in the Yuyuan gardens, I feel my body relax.

Tea Traditions and Fast Trains

There is a quartet of old men playing charming music in the room next door. When the tea is gone, I get in a taxi, head to the main train terminus and board the Maglev to head for the airport. Within a couple of minutes the world outside blurs past and with a big smile on my face I glance up at the speedometer above the door to the train – 431 km (267 mph) an hour.

At the Juyong Teahouse

Almost as soon as it reaches this speed it starts to slow down again, and after 7 minutes and 20 seconds we pull into our destination – Shanghai’s airport terminal. Now that is what I call an airport transfer! As Shanghai gears up for the 2010 World Expo and the tens of millions of expected visitors, this is a perfect parting example of the mix of old and new that I have so enjoyed in Shanghai.

A Walking tour of Old Shanghai

Old Shanghai city is a great area to explore on foot. I get off the subway at Laoximen station and walk a few blocks to the Confucius Temple on Wenmiao Lu. This temple and its predecessors have been here since 1294 with some reconstructions and renovations since, most recently in 1999 to repair the damage from the Cultural Revolution. It is a tranquil and calm spot to start the day amongst inspiring architecture.

From here I zig zag roughly north through the Shikumen laneways – the Shikumen houses developed in the last century as the city population explosion meant that groups of larger houses got subdivided again and again into many dwellings crammed around narrow laneways, with a style that almost seems to be a mix of Dutch and Chinese architecture. Later in the 20th century these became virtual slums in many places, now whole blocks have been demolished and are bare, while others are now renovated and trendy, and some are still worn and homely.

Shanghai’s Old City Market

The remaining inhabitants live as much in the communal alleyways as they do inside the buildings, and walking through these laneways it feels like I am in their laundry, their produce market, their bike repair shop, their corner café and their kids playground.

Towards the northern end I turn left onto Dajing Lu, the location of a famous outdoor market, a chaotic mix of people, vegetables and live chooks. At the end of the market I reach Henan Lu, do a quick dog-leg right and then left over this busy road, and pass under the big Chinese Gates into Old Street – an ironically named street lined with modern replicas of Ming buildings – a ‘theme mall’ if you like. But it is a pretty useful place for souvenir shopping, with all things Chinese old and new available to haggle over here.

A few blocks up this street and I arrive at Yuyuan Bazaar, a palatial Ming architecture mall for even more upmarket shopping. It is part of the Yuyuan Gardens, which also contain some real historic gardens and the Huxinting teahouse pagoda. Surrounded by a pond, it is only accessible via a feng shui designed zig zag bridge, and inspired the pagoda shape on traditional Chinese blue and white china.

Little mouthfuls of heaven

There is another good reason to come to Yuyuan gardens, it is also the location of reputedly the best xiaolongbao in Shanghai, at the Nan Xiang Steamed Bun Restaurant. I had been warned that I would have to queue, no matter what time of the day or day of the and so I do. I also discover that I can only order in minimums of six, but I want to try more than one flavor, so its looks like I am going to have to do some serious overeating.

I order the Spicy & Peppery Crab meat dumplings, the Fresh Pork meat dumplings, and the Prawn dumplings. With my chopsticks I raise a slippery transparent dumpling to my lips, and try to hold it still while I take a tiny bite out of the side, quickly suck out the hot broth and then bite into the perfect pork morsel in the middle. The first one worked perfectly but not all attempts went so well, sometimes spraying hot broth onto my face or shooting the slippery dumpling off the chopsticks and onto the floor before I got to it- lucky I had a good supply of paper towels.

The Bund, the Huangpu and Pudong

On one riverbank, the modern skyscrapers, all glass and metal shaped like bottle openers and balls on spikes, glowing a rainbow of neon and lights (Pudong). On the other riverbank, the impressive colonial architecture with its eclectic mix of roman arches, baroque pillars, Victorian gothic, and Ionic columns (Bund).

Fifteen years ago Pudong was still rice paddies, now it seems like 100 skyscrapers have been built since and it has taken over from the Bund as the Financial Centre. In the meantime the Bund has become mainly top notch bars, restaurants and luxury stores. To my mind, there are three ways to enjoy this area, and all are best done at night.

First I take a cruise on the Huangpu, where for a couple of hours I have a perfect view of both sides of the river as I float up and down – the Bund side artfully bathed in white light, the Pudong buildings a riot of color. I book a tour for the river cruise, which also picks me up from my hotel, and I am grateful for the organization. On a Saturday night the ferry terminal has about a thousand people queuing to board a range of ferries, and hundreds of booths to buy tickets from – but with no English spoken I am not sure how I would’ve picked a ferry or known which ferry I had purchased a ticket for. Or when it was boarding.

The skyskrapers of Pudong

This is a good time to not be too independent. The second method is to then visit one or more of the bars atop the Pudong skyscrapers, and with my cocktail of choice in hand, I sit back in luxury and enjoy the view. And then for a twist, for the third method I cross to the Bund and visit more bars (on this side they are just 3 or 4 floors off the ground, not 30 or 40,) and gaze back in the other direction.

This can take more than one evening of course. An alternative is try one of the world-class restaurants along the Bund, but remember that some of them are more focused on the food than the view. Continuing my resolve to sample all styles of local shanghai food, I dine at the Whampoa Club, which has a luxurious old boys club meets classy boudoir fit out. From an adventurous menu I have glutinous dates with fried foie gras, followed by Sichuan beef. But perhaps the most unusual (and delicious) choice is the dessert, two flavors of icecream – coriander and roasted sweet potato. And I swear roast sweet potato ice cream may well be the best ice cream flavor I will ever have.

The French Concession

This is where I really fall in love with Shanghai. The French concession feels different to every other part of Shanghai, and the name explains why – the impact of the colonial French expats remains today. Wide sweeping streets lined with canopies of trees and impressive old villas. And amongst all this old colonial charm beats a heart of the young, trendy and arty.

Another great walking area, and at every turn I find arts, crafts, shops, boutiques, cafes and bars, so hip that it hurts. A fun place to start is the Arts and Crafts Museum, the displays are interesting but the real charm is that it is housed in one of the few French Concession villas open to the public, and it is not busy, so I waltz around imagining what it would’ve been like living in this. After a few more hours of walking, shopping and sipping, I stopped in at one of the ubiquitous spas for a well-earned foot reflexology massage.

Hidden secrets of Taikang Lu

And then on the edge of the French Concession I find the epicenter of Shanghai cool – Taikang Lu. This is a series of narrow laneways and alleyways, old Shikumen, that have been converted into art studios, wine bars, musician’s hangouts and a whole range of unique shops and boutiques.

On a Sunday afternoon it is packed with locals, relaxing, catching up with friends and families, chilling out. The entrances to the laneways look like, and are, narrow alleyways between buildings, and you have to walk down them and around the corner before all the secrets of Taikang Lu are laid out in front of you.

Historic water towns

The countryside around Shanghai is dotted with water towns – historic old towns and villages that are located on canals, like tiny Chinese versions of Venice. I chose to visit Zhujiajiao as it is one of the closer ones, about an hour out of central shanghai as long as you are not travelling in the rush hour (although one local tells me the traffic rush hour is 24 hours a day and he may be right). Perhaps because it is so close to the city and therefore attracts many tourists, Zhujiajiao feels almost like a film set.

This is partly because the only employment in the village seems to be tourism, and every front room of every house seems to be selling souvenirs, and partly because the village buildings on the canals look like a Hollywood backdrop to a kung fu blockbuster set a couple of thousand years ago. Actually given how many movies have been filmed here, I shouldn’t be surprised.

In spite of those reservations, it is a delight to visit, a visual feast, particularly when I rent one of the little wooden canal boats and tour the village by water, ducking under stone bridges and peering in the windows of mahjong dens. I take a break from picturing myself as the victor of a spectacular sword fight, and buy a zhong from a street-side stall – glutenious rice stuffed with roast pork and wrapped in bamboo leaves, steamed for hours. Deliciously, messily, finger sticking good.

Sheep Shearing!

Sheep shearing at the Agrodome

It’s a pretty impressive line up on the Agrodome’s podium; the hair of the 19 in the spotlight ranges from lusciously woolly to comically straggly. Abraham the Lincoln sheep, in particular, looks like he has taken to Rastafarianism.

Apparently, his dreadlocks used to be highly prized for making judge’s wigs: an excellent piece of sheep stattery if ever there was one.

If you want to get to know sheep, there’s no better place for it than New Zealand. Australians have made that particular cheap joke for years, but there’s an element of truth to it. New Zealand lamb and wool products are famous the world over, and sheep farming has always been big business here.

And for a beautifully corny introduction to the world of merinos, Drysdales and Romneys, then the Agrodome in Rotorua is the perfect spot. Its sheep show is undeniably well done and extremely popular to boot. The handlers make learning about sheep fabulously entertaining. The rams are brought on one by one as Brian explains which are good for wool and which are good for meat, and from there onwards the show hurtles along in a non-stop action frenzy.

A sheep is sheared on stage, wool is thrown into the crowd, sheepdogs herd ducks up and down stairs before jumping on top of the rams in a bizarre animal version of a human pyramid… It’s all go.

Baaah. Enjoying the show.

Perhaps the most entertaining part is the mock auction, however – one unfortunate Korean chap loses his watch and his shoes after unwittingly making the top bid. They are, of course, given back to him, but not until Brian and the rest of the crowd has had a good laugh at his expense.

Rotorua Adrenalin Activities

The Agrodome also runs a farm tour, but those who fancy something a little more thrilling don’t have to go too far. Helicopter flights are available from a small pad next to the old woollen mill, while zorbing takes place just down the road. (For the uninitiated, the latter involves rolling down a hill in a giant inflatable ball – think of it as playing the role of an enormous hamster.)

The farm is also home to the Agroventures complex, which offers five separate ways to bring back your lunch. The tamest, and at the same time oddest, is the Shweeb. This is a cross between cycling and travelling by monorail. You’re enclosed in a pod hanging from the track, and pedal around for three laps as fast as you can. It’s silly, but gets deadly serious when you’re competing on time against everyone of your age, gender and nationality who has gone before.

The Agrojet claims to be New Zealand’s fastest jet boat, while The Bungy and The Swoop are practically guaranteed to leave you trembling as you’re dropped from a great height. And there’s the Freefall Xtreme, which bizarrely engineers the precise opposite of falling. You’re kitted out in a jumpsuit and let loose in a netted cage above a powerful wind turbine. The giant fan competes with gravity, blowing you upwards at speeds of 185km/h plus.

The result is supposedly that you end up floating in midair whilst feeling the sensation of freefall, but unless you get your positioning exactly right, it generally means that’s you’re blown all over the cage into the padded matting.

Thermal Rotorua

Thermal pool

What Rotorua is best known for, however, is its thermal activity. For those inclined to puns, it is a hotspot. The smell of sulphur is noticeable across many parts of the city, while some areas are roped off due to steam vents emerging from the ground. Local tales of new vents springing up in the middle of houses and gardens are relatively commonplace.

For an initial glimpse of what lies underneath, head to Kuirau Park in the city centre. Entrance is free, and a number of bubbling, murky pools emitting steam are fenced off for the safety of visitors. Trying to leap over the fences would be rather unwise, but the views of the dark, violent pools of muck are pretty cool.

There are bigger geothermal areas around the city which charge for entry. Many feature expansive mud pools and regularly gushing geysers. Whakerewarewa is the closest and most popular.

Maori cultural performances

Whakarewarewa also plays host to another of Rotorua’s most popular drawcards – Maori cultural performances. These can be found in various locations around Rotorua, and are usually slick, rather commercialised operations.

Proper introductions to Maori culture, they are not. But if you want to watch the dances, singing and hakas, then you’re in luck. A hugely popular option – and one that takes place in many surrounding villages – is to combine such cultural performances with a traditional Maori greeting ceremony and a meal cooked in an earth oven (or hangi).

A Maori cultural performance and ‘hangi’ in Rotorua

Hanging out in the spa

But historically, the main reason people have come to Rotorua is not to stare at geysers, watch hakas or scare themselves on bungy platforms. The geothermal activity, of course, makes Rotorua the natural place for a spa town – and that is what the visitors have always come for.

The Polynesian Spa, at the edge of Lake Rotorua, is regarded as one of the best in the world. It boasts a whole host of private thermal pools, but the ordinary pleb can have a great time in the shared adult pool complex.

A series of pools, varying slightly in temperature from one to the next, stretches out from the changing rooms to the lakefront. Some are small, some are multi-tiered and the largest would do any five star resort. This one is also undercover, which is handy if it’s raining.

The location seems a little more magical in the evening. Looking out over the lake in the dim lights, whilst up to your neck in the soothing warm water.