Visited Countries Getting Redder

Every now and then I like to check out the Visited Countries page to see how much of the world I have covered. Here are my current results.

Wow! Now I still have to hit Africa and most of southern South America....and China....oh, India, and most of SE Asia....oh and all those places in the MidEast where my head might not stay attached to the rest of my body....OK, there is a lot to see still.... Go to the site to make your own.

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Amazing Museums

Many people are lucky when they visit their local art museum once every few years. I was just thinking back on some of the museums I have seen just in the last couple of months. Its actually quite an amazing list. Yesterday I saw the massive sea-going vessels at the Viking Ship Museum and traditional Norwegian homes at the Norwegian Folk Museum, both in Oslo, Norway. Last week I saw aboriginal art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales near the Sydney Opera House and the Taronga Zoo overlooking Sydney Harbour. A couple of weeks before that it was the massive stained glass roof at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. A week before that it was the Asian Civilization Museum in Singapore, not only a wonderful place to learn of the cultures of the area, but also a lifesaving refuge from the heat outside. In the weeks before that it was the incredible Dubai Museum at Al Fahidi Fort in Dubai, and the Zagreb City Museum in the upper town of Zagreb. This is a fantastic list and one I hope to grow in the near future. In fact,

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How to pick the most memorable places to visit...

Last week when I met up with a friend and his wife in Singapore, I asked them where I should go next time I am back in Asia. The first word out of their mouths: Angkor. Everything I have ever read about this place sounds magical. In fact, the National Geographic that comes to mind when I think of that magazine is the one with Angkor on the cover. Unfortunately I just booked my tickets to Bangkok and Krabi and won’t have much time to get out to Cambodia. Next time. But even more valuable than the Angkor suggestion was the general tip to keep in mind for finding the best places to see. They reminded me about the UNESCO World Heritage list. Of course!!! This is a fantastic list of now 812 places around the world that the World Heritage Committee at the UN consider to have outstanding universal value.

I have already done quite a bit of traveling so I expected to find a few places on the list I have already been to. Unfortunately my number is quite low, 34 or about 4%. Here is where I have been so far. Have you done better?

1. Belize Barrier Reef System
2. Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks
3. Palace and Park of Versailles, Paris
4. Banks of the Seine, Paris
5. Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco, Mexico
6. Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan, Mexico
7. Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
8. Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Curacao Netherlands Antilles
9. Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments, Russia
10. Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow, Russia
11. Historic Monuments of Novgorod and Surroundings, Russia
12. Durham Castle and Cathedral, UK
13. Ironbridge Gorge, UK
14. Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites, UK
15. Blenheim Palace, UK
16. City of Bath, UK
17. Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church, UK
18. Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church, UK
19. Tower of London, UK
20. Old and News Towns of Edinburgh, UK
21. Maritime Greenwich, UK
22. Dorset and East Devon Coast, UK
23. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK
24. Everglades National Park, US
25. Grand Canyon National Park, US
26. Independence Hall, US
27. Glacier Bay, Alaska, US
28. Redwood National Park, California, US
29. Olympic National Park, Washington, US
30. Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, US
31. La Fortaleza and San Juan Historic Site in Puerto Rico
32. Statue of Liberty, US
33. Yosemite National Park, US
34. Monticello and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, US

Today I will make it 35 when I visit the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

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Impressions of Singapore

Last week I was in Singapore, teaching a Workflow class to 11 students. Wow, what a great place. Two years ago I was getting very close to taking a position in Singapore with Microsoft as an IT Pro Evangelist. It would have been a killer role, but I was a bit worried about the heat and humidity. I ended up not getting the role (nasty politics, etc) and leaving Microsoft over it. The result was that I got a far better position at Captaris traveling the world far more than any position at Microsoft. But I always wondered about Singapore and if it really was going to be way too hot.

Well, it is very hot in Singapore and very humid, but its not as bad as I expected. In fact, I think Singapore is far more livable in than Dubai. There are cool breezes in some parts and while it is not quite as cosmopolitan and accepting of different cultures, it isn’t that far off (not that I, your typical white tall American male, have to personally worry about that). One thing I did notice about Singapore though was the focus on clubs and buying your way to VIP status. In front of hotels there are special parking places marked for “VIP”s. All the bank and credit cards offer special priviledges for card members. Priviledges like free bus routes, sale prices, and special rooms in restaurants seem to be common.

I went to Singapore expecting great prices on a number of things, mostly electronics. I had a shopping list and I came away with some good bargains, but not everything is cheaper. It seems that different places in the world have good prices on different things. With this new world economy we all live in, prices on lots of things are standard around the world, but each location focuses on one thing and makes it dirt cheap. Dubai for instance is the place for watches. For instance a black Seiko Sportura world time watch in Dubai is about 35% less than the same watch in Amsterdam. But in Singapore the watch was a little more expensive than the Amsterdam rate. But computer electronics can be incredible. The new Creative Zen Vision:M is about 40% less in Singapore than

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Recommendations on Singapore, Melbourne, Canberra, or Sydney

At the end of next week I am traveling again. This time I head to Singapore for a week, then Melbourne for a week, Canberra for a week, and Sydney for a week. Not really sure what I want to do while I am there (apart from teach a few Captaris classes). Does anyone have any recommendations for me? Is there anything I have to do while I am there?

Looking out to July, I am also heading to Oslo, Bangkok, and a return trip to Singapore. Recommendations for Oslo and Bangkok would be great too.

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