100 Travel Stories
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The “Sleepless Town” (眠らない街)
“Tokyo’s hidden erotic wonderland is open for business.” – National Geographic
When I arrived first time at the Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, I was lost. 3.64 million passengers pass through the world’s busiest transport hub each day, more than the population of Toronto! Once you find your way out (from over 200 exits), you may head to the famous red light district of Tokyo, Kabukichō – the “Sleepless Town”.
Kabukichō (歌舞伎町)
Your first clue that you are in the area is when you are seeing well dressed young Japanese men with very long hair. You will find them at the main entrances to the Kabukichō red light district, every day and night.
The polar vortex is making its way into Canada from time to time, bringing Arctic-like temperatures. This year the polar air is expected to reach Eastern Canada at the beginning of February.
One of the harshest and coldest winters in Canada was the winter of 2013/14 – with a Christmas ice storm that downed trees and hydro lines, cutting power to half million people – and a series of polar vortexes. The polar vortex from the beginning of January froze the Niagara River and the two smaller waterfalls, creating an unusual winter landscape.
“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” – Norman Vincent Peale
It is the time for Christmas – a time for joy, celebration and reflection, a time to look back to the year that has passed and prepare for the year ahead.
Looking back many years, the Christmas caught me in some unusual places such as in a deserted lounge of the Lagos airport, near the bridge over the river Kwai in Thailand, on the top of Carpathian Mountains or at a cabaret show in Havana.
Aiguille du Midi (3,842 m), Mont Blanc
One day trip from Geneva, Switzerland, to Chamonix in France. Chamonix is one of the oldest ski resorts in France and the site where the first Winter Olympics took place in 1924.
One of the main attractions is the spectacular cable car trip from Chamonix to Aiguille du Midi 3,842 m (12,605 ft) – the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world. There is a change of cabin at 2,317 m. From here, the ascent is steep and directly, without any support pillar for a length of 2,867 m. (data from Wikipedia).
So peaceful and tranquil, being in Luang Prabang (Laos) is like going back in time! With lantern-lit streets, Indochinese architecture, French villas and the Mekong River – Luang Prabang is a place where you wish you can stay forever.
“Luang Prabang (ຫລວງພະບາງ) slows your pulse and awakens your imagination” – Lonely Planet
Found some old photos, taken more than 10 years ago that can make an interesting story. It is about an inventor, a peasant we call “Nea Ion” – who lived at that time alone, somehwere in Transylvania, “Plaiul Foii” area, next to Piatra Craiului National Park (Carpathian Mountains).
First Flying Lesson
Time to fly! It is that time in life when you want to do something exciting, such as celebrating a big round birthday.
“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller
August 6, 1945
“When you arrive in Hiroshima you can look around and for 25 and perhaps 30 square miles you can see hardly a building. It gives you an empty feeling in the stomach to see such man-made devastation.” – Wilfred Burchett
77 years ago, on this day, the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped by a US bomber over the city of Hiroshima.
8:15 AM
The time was 8:15 a.m., as recorded by this watch that remained still once the explosion reached the ground.