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 ...

... city in 20th century. It had morphed 5 times in the past 100 years alone. Even after entering 21st century, Berlin still hasn't stopped its process of metamorphoses. Now the avant-garde art and nightlife center of the new integrated Europe, Berlin still remains a bargain destination. Your Euro can still go further here than many other European cities. For architecture buffs, many ...

... from a picture taken in 1995) of me and Amsterdam on my website... 7. Vancouver, Canada (Including Whistler, Victoria and some other towns on Vancouver Island): Sort of like my "second hometown," I've lived there for sometime in late 20 century. Its topographical setting is stunning and mesmerizing. Though it rains a lot, its ever changing cloud and light patterns actually makes its ambience more interesting. Due ...

... 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 ...

This is the second part of my Top 50 "Favorite Cities in the World" Countdown. Yes, London is not in Top 40; and yes, Rome is not in Top 40 either. I just haven't been to these 2 cities for too long. Well, later, you may be surprised what cities are not even in Top 50!! And yes, you will find European cities are overrepresented in the whole list, which should not be a surprise. For a person born and raised in Far East but ...

... but the problem we have is lack of time and funds to do everything I'd like. So we went to a ball game! By the 7th of 9 innings I think I was understanding the rules of the strange sport, one of the batters slogged the ball so hard it plumetted into the crowd and all the exited fans dived on the ball, aparently they can sell for a fortune on ebay. Anyway that lead to the guy getting an automatic rounder, otherwise known as a home ...