London, England
If there is one place that the Queen of England cannot enter, it’s the House of Commons. She’s neither a member nor a commoner — members of the public can enter. The monarch is forbidden by law, and has been represented by a huge sceptre called the Ceremonial Mace since 1642.
Venice, Italy
Only 3 to 4 Gondolier licenses are issued annually. To qualify, applicants must be able to finish an extensive training after passing a rigorous exam. There are only 400 licensed Gondolas operating in Venice today. Venice is made up 118 islands, 416 bridges, 177 canals, 250 gondolas, and over 100,000 poles.
Moscow, Russia
Annyushka is one of Moscow’s celebrated restaurants. During the reign of Tsar Peter in the 1650s, there was this tradition: each foreign ambassador at the courtyard should drink the so-called “Cup of the White Eagle,” a one-and-a-half litre of vodka. I’m Asian, so they gave me “light.” It was 55 per cent.
Dublin, Ireland
Arthur Guinness is a genius. Realising the potential beers will have in the next 100 years, he negotiated a 9,000-year lease at £45 per annum for an unused brewery we now know today as St. James’ Gate Brewery, the home of Guinness. The brewery will come up for lease again in year 10,759. Surprisingly, a pint of Guinness stout has as much calories as a big English breakfast.
Los Angeles, USA
I couldn’t sleep at all during the 8-hour bus ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The baby in front of me couldn’t stop crying. Upon arriving in LA’s bus terminal, I took a 2-hour nap on its metal chairs. I woke up later with 50 cents in my hand. Did people think I was homeless? Either way, my bus fare was cheaper.
Edinburgh, Scotland
The most expensive Scotch Whisky is The Glenfiddich, distilled before World War II, costing more than £25,000. And it’s a collectible, not for drinking. I had the honour of holding the bottle in Edinburgh — with special gloves to protect it from human heat.
Bratislava, Slovakia
With no hotel vacancies to be found in the the city, I instead found a place to sleep a 24-hour McDonald’s at Štefánikova, one of the city’s main shopping streets. The staff was friendly and gave me free coffee when I abruptly woke up at 6 am. It was quiet, and we all had a great chat about Slovakia and Canada.
Oslo, Norway
First, salmon is the best things here. I couldn’t stop eating Smørrebrød, a dish consisting of buttered rye bread with salmon. Second, like Ontario’s LCBO, you can only buy wine and liquor from outlets from Vinmonopolet.
Shanghai, China
I entered a cab, and with my poor Chinese, struggled to tell the driver that I wanted to head to the airport. I showed him my passport, and he said it looks pretty (I now know what he said after 6 months of Chinese). I acted like a plane, and he asked why I acted like a chicken. I ended up in Shanghai’s busiest shopping street, Nanjing Road, in front of KFC and missed my flight to Hainan Islands.
Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok has the world’s longest name. Bangkok is just a shorter version because the city’s ceremonial name is “Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.” Say what?
Hanoi, Vietnam
Where the medieval and modern co-exist, a city with Parisian grace and Asian pace, Hanoi is where imagination becomes reality. This city and its countryside are magnificent. Not only did Hanoi gave me one of the best travelling experience ever, I also met great people.
I met a couple who had been on the road for 3 months. They had driven from Birmingham, England. I met another couple, but they had taken a 2-month cruise from Japan to Vietnam and would be going to Philippines next. I met 2 siblings that would soon be going back to Amsterdam after travelling for 6 months. Lastly, I met 2 Spaniards who were in their gap year before returning to Barcelona. We all keep in touch and have been visiting each other for the last 2 years.
Bali, Indonesia
This is the richest part of Indonesia. Ask any travellers what Bali means to them and you’ll get as many answers as there are flowers on a frangipani tree. It’s Indonesia’s answer to Hawai’i and Venice. As you stumble upon the exquisite little offerings left all over the island that materialize as if by magic, you’ll see that the tiny tapestries of colours and textures is a metaphor for Bali itself. I loved this city!
Macau, China
Each year, millions of visitors, rich and poor, make the pilgrimage from Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland to Macau. As Asia’s Monte Carlo, Macau is nearly 5 times bigger than Las Vegas in gaming revenue. I enjoyed Hard Rock Café & Casino the most. It also happens to have a theme park inside, which is kid-friendly.
Hong Kong, China
“Steve, if you’re serious about being a true Hong Konger, join me.” And so I got up at 3:30 am to join my roommate for dim sum. It was somewhere in Kowloon amidst the dark alleys, and nobody but him (he’s local) knows how to get there, apparently. I got in, and the mini restaurant was crowded with customers, all whom are taxi drivers. We ate and laughed, and then walked back to Pok Fu Lam residence by 5 am.
Montreal, Canada
Whenever I want to visit Europe, I come here instead. Montreal is a million different things to a million different people. The old quarter fascinates me the most, and I love grabbing portable snacks from Marché Jean-Talon, the city’s largest market right in the heart of Little Italy. Don’t miss the Québécois specialty store Le Marché des Saveurs.
Brighton, England
The beaches here are shining gold, and not too far lies the Royal Pavilion — a magnificent Taj Mahal look-alike with distinctive characteristics of Indian, Chinese, and Arabic architecture. I am particularly fond of their fish and chips on Steine Street. Visit Harry Ramsden’s bar.
Montpellier, France
By doing anything, we become anyone. Have you heard of Remi Gaillard, the trollmaster? If you haven’t, I strongly recommend you to check him out. I tried finding him, but to no avail. He is famous for his outrageous style of humour for committing dangerous pranks on the public around this city!
Barcelona, Spain
Walk along the Portal de l’Àngel if you want to go down the most trodden-on street in Spain — you will be one of approximately 3,500 who throng to the street every hour!
Antananarivo, Madagascar
Madagascar is one of the most inexpensive vacations spots I’ve ever visited. Public transportation is a bit crowded and schedules are unpredictable, and you are unlikely to find wifi or other technology readily available, especially outside the cities. However, if you like roughing it a bit, you can easily get by on as little as $30 CAD per day.
Hainan Islands, China
It has taken more than 2,000 years for Hainan, a place where recalcitrant officials were banished to, to become China flourishing tourism destination today. I was addicted to wenchang chicken, a popular dish that is boiled and then cut into pieces. It is then eaten by dipping the pieces in a mixture of spices, including chopped ginger and salt.
