Les Jardins d'Ourika Tnine Ourika

... my devotions. Not a bad way to start the day. Ever the city kid, I always manage to find solace among the hustle and bustle - sitting under a tree along side the Interstate brings me peace. Exit 201 gets me off the Interstate and onto Indiana state highways. Lots of corn fields and about every 20 miles I slow down to drive through another small town. There's got to be a faster way. I chuckled as I passed through ...

... However, since I need more than $1,000 cash to carry with me to pay for the "local payment" in the upcoming trip in Africa, I ended up taking El Train into town to try to find BoA and Chase bank branches. After running to both banks and taking the very slow Blue Line back to O'Hare, it was too late. The plane was still at gate when I reached it (it was 10 minutes before scheduled departture ...

... Emirates only flies to Johannesburg but not Cape Town (the starting point of my African Overland Trip), I have to make my own way from Jo'Burg to Cape Town. Should I travel by land (more than 18 hours!) or by air? I have flown this route (Jo'Burg to Cape Town) before when I first visited South Africa in 2000. However, I actually want to see the scenery by land this time. So let's see.... The weather is ...

... here...). Okay...anybody want to go to this year's "Love Parade" with me? My most recent BootsNAll.com article: "You Are Still The One" and An older article The Lost Past of Berlin (in Chinese) Photo Album Well...it is Chinese only sorry...

So that is it...Finally I finish this 8 parts countdown (including sidebars)! Now I can more focus on next big event: The citizenship examination.

... Canada's more open-door immigration policy, Vancouver becomes possibly the most culturally diverse city in the West Coast of the whole American continent. It definitely has the best Asian restaurants outside of Asia. Taking ferry west, in three hours, you can reach the English-flavor town of Victoria. Where the Royal British Columbian Museum is one of the best in Canada. Traveling north, passing through fjords and ...

... put up with in Egypt. No Egyptian city or town is in my Top 50. - Victoria (British Columbia) and Quebec City, Canada: Believe it or not, I actually cluster them with the much large cities they are close to (within three hours' drive) and put them into these two larger cities' "metropolitan areas." Since they are both 'daytrippable' from the two larger cities they are close to, it is fair to group them together. And yes, these two larger cities are both in my final Top ...

... since so many people still remember quite horrifying images about it. The formerly war-torn (and still somewhat volatile) city is now vibrant with street lives that people in Baltimore will never dream to have. It mountainous setting and smaller scale also make it quite characteristic. The converging of 4 religions and cultures makes its building styles especially intriguing. Its story of resiliency is inspiring. And ...

... if you have hay fever). Hopefully, after 2008, there won't be needs to have so many protests here... 23. Seattle, USA: Another beautiful city by the bay in the US west coast. It is just rainier (and thus more depressing). But, who can resist the charm of Puget Sound, Mt. Rainier, Olympia National Park, hilly streets, serene lakes, and Bill Gates? Okay, just ignore the last one... 22. Edinburgh, Scotland: A city I haven't visited since 1993, but it ...

... is especially stunning, so the best experience is take a stroll of its whole 2km fortress wall. It is also a great idea to visit nearby islands, or even travel into Bosnia to visit Mostar. 38. Phuket, Thailand One of the most beautiful islands in the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately many people were killed in the 2004 tsunami. Some Thai cultural sites make it stand out from other beautiful tropical islands. However, very ...

... Unfortunatley for the home fans the Chicago cubs lost 6-5 to the Atlanta Braves but it was a close game and a good time was had by all. I lost count of the number of time the venders came round selling hot-dogs, peanuts, beer, pizzas, pretzles and pretty much any food you could think of. I reckon most of the people there are more interested in the food than the game, but that the U S of A for ya! After the game we drank mucho ...