TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

While in Josefov, I went to see the Old Jewish Cemetery. The most important person they said buried in this cemetery is ‘Rabbi Loew’. I didn’t have enough time to read about him but legend says he once had a 9-foot tall golem (like a robot creation) made from clay. Golem was made to protect the Jews in the district but one day he went into a wild rampage and Rabbi Low had to destroy him by writing the name of God in a wafer and putting it inside his mouth. The golem’s remains were said to be in the attic of the Altneuschul (Old-New Synagogue). I spent a large time in the cemetery as I find the place really interesting. Not spooky at all. The 15th century cemetery has grave stones that look like a kaleidoscope of old world tombstone art. Because the Jews were forbidden to bury their dead outside the quarters, they had to make do with the burial ground available to them. It is estimated there are about 12 layers of tombs on top of each other in this cemetery. You can also find small fol...

My last day in Prague was spent revisiting Mala Strana and checking out Josefov, the Jewish Quarters of Prague. I walked from my hotel in Stare Mesto (Old Town) to Nove Mesto (New Town) crossing the bridge to Mala Strana and going back to Stare Mesto via Charles Bridge then taking a left turn towards Josefov. I like walking a lot when I am travelling. Entering Josefov district and I saw this little figure sitting on the wall. This is the Old-New Synagogue. I visited this as well but quickly. In this trip I’ve learned that the Jews have been discriminated in Bohemia and Moravia as early as the 10th century. They settled in Prague in the Josefov district and they were not allowed to engage in commercial activities outside the quarters. They were also not permitted to leave the place without wearing a yellow marker on their clothes so people would know they were Jewish. Later on in history, we all know that this yellow marker was improvised and became the Yellow Star of David ...

The Punta Cana International Airport is one of the most unique airports in the world. It is made of indigenous materials in traditional Dominican Republic style: palm wood and thatched roof. Cool airport. What else is there to see in Punta Cana International Airport? Well, I saw many moneyed Russians. It seems this is a new place to go for them. There were lots of girls clinging on to men who are twice their age. For real. Mostly American holidaymakers of course. And unbelievably overpriced shops. The open-air thatched roof baggage carrousel/retrieval area. The lobby, shops and restaurants. When you arrive in Punta Cana they take a picture of you (just like those cheesy places where you go on a tourist tour and they take photos and you pay for them after) so this lady is pointing visitors where they can collect their pictures. I could not find mine. We flew with Martin Air and while taxiing on the runway, I had a good view of the thatched roof airport. Reall...

One must enter Mala Strana through the gothic bridge Charles Bridge that dates back to the early 11th century. The stone bridge is guarded with 30 statues of saints, primarily Baroque from the 17th and 18th centuries. The oldest statue on the bridge is the martyr saint John of Nepomuk who was executed following the orders of Wenceslaus, King of the Romans and Bohemia. The saint was first tortured and then thrown off-drowned in the Vtalva River. St. John of Nepomuk was accused of being the confessor of the Queen, wife of Wenceslaus and refusing to divulge the secrets of the confessional. It’s very easy to spot this statue because there is always a group of people waiting in line to rub the base that portrays the life of St. John. The plaque has been polished to a shine by scores of people stroking it over the centuries with the belief that this will bring them good luck and ensuring their return to Prague. Honestly, I find it quite amusing and not being a believer of these things, I dec...

Just want to share this really, really cool digital travel and culture magazine from KLM. I am very impressed! This is their second issue. CLICK ON THE FOTO ABOVE of Industrial Dutch designer Marcel Wanders on the cover of the second iFly issue and this will launch the digital (and interactive) magazine. Apologies for the crap foto and undecipherable scribbles. Open it and be inspired and travel away digitally ;-) The cover on the first iFly issue was Carice van Houten from the WW2 Nazi film, Zwartboek in 2006. Language choices: Dutch and English and do not forget to turn on your sound - they have cool lounge music too. Enjoy! Genieten van!

To those who have been to Prague, I am sure you will quite agree with me that the most picturesque part of the city is the view of Hradcany, also known as the Castle District, Mala Strana, or Lesser Town. It is on the foothills of the Prague Castle with the mystical looking Karluv Most (Charles Bridge). The view in front of me was so breathtaking that I stalled setting foot on Mala Strana and just watched her from the distance. The view of Mala Strana (Lesser Town) and Hradcany (Castle District) across the Vtalva River from Stare Mesto (Old Town). Travel Period: December 2008

This is nothing really new but thought it’s good to remind those hordes of google searchers landing on this blog about what they are looking for today. The typical Dutch man in my opinion has an aversion to Valentines Day (I am not talking about the Dutch man I live with even!) because this typical unromantic, logical and cheap Dutch man finds the practice of celebrating what he deems to be of silly and emotional substance turned into commercialization madness, objectionable. Many other typical unromantic, logical and cheap Dutch men do not even know that Valentines Day exists! SIGH, so so sooo typically Dutch. Anywho, I told Dutchman, whether he likes it or not, we are going out for dinner on Saturday evening, on Valentines night. He-he, a bit cheesy but I’ve been meaning to go somewhere. My feet are itching to go to places other than my usual Amsterdam or Utrecht route, like Rotterdam for example, but got discouraged with the long drive. Forty minutes drive is a bit long when we have...

Staying inside the resort for a holiday is not really my thing. I would prefer to go out and discover the place but this is one holiday that I cannot complain because the company I work for is paying =) We get to stay in a 5 star resort: The Paradisus Palma Real Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic In the resort there is a delectable and excellent array of restaurants offering a variety of haute cuisine from contemporary Asian fusion to Mediterranean a la carte. They also offer great evening entertainments. Yeah, from salsa dancing to circus extravanganza. There is even a casino. One evening, I watched the circus and aerial acrobatics show which was quite cool. I also checked out the casino and placed my gratis $5 bet that I received during check-in on a poker game, and well, what do you expect, I lost. Because I am cheap, I am not going to bet another $ after that. What else did I do? I laid down on a bali beach bed on the beach bar and watched the stars while chatti...