Our planet, the Earth, is more than 4 billion years old. The Earth is something like a self-contained sophisticated package that comes with more than 190 countries, 5 Oceans, 7 Continents, and so on. Having seen a good number of countries, I think I am qualified to write some personal observations about the world. I will write my experience in a series of blogs. Although separately, I do intend to write the Asia and the Southeast Asia reviews as well in near future. I have already been writing country specific blogs elsewhere! Here is the Part 1 of the world travel review where I will be talking mostly about of the positive issues, but in order to keep the discussion balanced, I will also talk about negative aspects – but in different articles! Moreover, here I will talk more about the general observations.
Without any further due, let’s get going (the points are not in any particular order)-
Singapore Changi Airport is the best international airport that I have ever seen!
Trust me – Singapore Changi International Airport is much better than the international airports in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sydney, Auckland, Beijing, Manila, etc. Not to mention – much better than the Queenstown Airport -where my Queenstown-Melbourne flight was cancelled just some 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time (8.45 PM) and no housing was provided. The passengers were highly frustrated.
The immigration queues at Beijing Capital International Airport were too long, and it took more than one hour to get my turn at the immigration counter. In fact, Melbourne Tullamarine International Airport (MEL) Airport was extraordinarily chaotic (May 2017) that I can’t even imagine – the counter check-in time for my flight displayed on LCD screens were completely wrong, there was virtually no crowd control, and the airport staff looked clueless for the very basic questions that I asked them. Just because a country is big or developed, doesn’t mean they are good at managing airports. I will write a detailed blog, with more examples that why Singapore Changi airport is the best airport in the world, in my humble opinion.
The world is a paradise
I mean for a law abiding citizen the world is a paradise–this is one very important lesson that I have learnt during my previous trips!! Believe me – you don’t need to die in order to visit the heaven! As long as your actions are not violating the law of land, you can more or less do what you want, and have lots of fun. I understand that there can be issues despite you abiding by the law. Although in such cases, governments would usually deport you back to home; you are most likely not going to be imprisoned if the rule of law is being followed.
There are friendly people everywhere
I have read quite a lot about the racism (which is obviously condemnable), and related issues. But personally, I never saw or faced such isues (at least directly). Sure, there are people who don’t agree with me, or I don’t agree with them, but that’s in no way what is called “racism”. There are friendly people everywhere as long as you behave! Let me repeat – as long as you behave. You just can’t go on violating the law and expect the people to respect you – it’s not going to happen.
The world is crowded
The world is crowded, but not everywhere. There are lots of places where it’s difficult to find people. For example, in Canberra there are not many people, and the city often looks empty. I remember I was visiting the Lodge (the official residence of the Australian Prime Minister). I was trying to take a couple of selfies near the official placard. And a security guard just popped up out of nowhere. “How can I help you, Sir” – asked me the security guard. He smiled as I replied – “could you help me taking a photo here with the official sign of the Lodge”. He politely said “No” –owing to the protocols.
The issue was – there was just no one around the Lodge who could have clicked a photo for me. At least I couldn’t find anyone to click a photo for me. So I had to take selfies (even the security guard later advised me to take selfies). However, if you go to China, India, etc. – there will be lots of people, virtually everywhere who can help you to click photos.
It’s good to not be a poor fellow
I used to think that Singapore was expensive –until I visited countries like the USA, New Zealand. Singapore is expensive – but mostly from the Asian standard. If you compare with living expenses New Zealand, for example – lots of things in Singapore –including public transport, food, etc. are much cheaper. I will write a detailed blog –allow me some time. My main point is- at least earn a few thousands USD per month – if you want to explore the world in its entirety. Sure, if you are fine with dying, having visited just 5-10 countries in a whole life span, it would suffice to earn even less. I have already analysed about it – how much money we practically need.
The world travel amazing
The world is beautiful. There are way too many places to experience the beauty of our wonderful planet! If you want me to recommend one of my favourite places to experience the paradise– I would recommend you to go on a long drive in Glenorchy – around Queenstown, New Zealand (You can book a tour for around NZ $200 in an around the Queenstown city centre). Glenorchy drive is a must do – at least once in a lifetime. Check out the New Zealand scenery – Jetstar flight landing at Auckland airport.
People are curious about different ways of life
They are warm and welcoming. I remember when I was in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; I observed that there were too many Australians there. I finally asked one guy, “Hey man, what’s the reason?” “Australia is quite isolated from the rest of the world” – answered me the gentleman. He basically meant the geographic distance of Australia from the other populated continents. I had a chance to experience the reality in Australia. The locals were very curious about Asia and its cultural diversity. There were people who have never been to Asia, and some were about to start the first Asian trip. Some people even asked me for a selfie together. 🙂
Children and the World travel
The world is full of innocent and adorable children! They can be found everywhere. All they want is love and care. The world travel lets you see a very cute and innocent world.
The world is big
There are way too many countries! It will take a long time to visit even a half of them. There are big countries, and then there are smaller countries – you can’t pass judgement which one is good or bad merely based on its territorial span. It’s good to start early in life to explore the world. It may sooner be too late, who knows?
Traveling in the Islamic countries
Well, I have been to Islamic countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Maldives- and had a great time there as well. Given that I was not doing anything to disrespect the local culture, I never had any problem. In fact, Malaysia is the country where I have crossed the immigration counter maximum number of times (apart from the immigration in Singapore). People in Malaysia are awesome, chilled, and helpful. There is a relaxed vibe throughout the country. Not too much of money-money crying in Malaysia as I have seen elsewhere (guess where? 🙂 ). Even in the Maldives, people were very warm and welcoming. In fact, the best beaches that I have so far seen in my life are in the Maldives.
The world if full of cultural diversity
If we just look from religious (which is basically part of culture) point of view, there are countries where the majority is free thinkers (China?), there are Buddhist countries( Sri Lanka, Thailand, Lao PDR, etc.), Islamic nations, Christian countries, etc. There are different festivals, languages, food, songs. Keep exploring with an open mind as you navigate around the world.
The world is full of love and care
I have met lots of kind people during my journeys. For example, in Xiamen (Fujian, China) I didn’t know how to take the bus to reach the Yuanbo Garden (博苑). I was kind of lost for some time. But then there was a Chinese guy who helped me to take the bus, even paid my bus fare (didn’t allow me to pay, I very much wanted to), we got down from the bus, and then drove me in his car to the garden. We didn’t know anything about each other; I didn’t even know that he would drive me in his car. Well, this is just one example. I will write more in upcoming articles.
The world is full of biodiversity
For example, there are big parks. There are lots of cities with botanic gardens where one can explore the natural biodiversity. These parks are usually well maintained. Then there are zoos, limestone parks, waterfalls, dams, rivers – giving you an unprecedented opportunity to explore the world.
The world is full of art and architecture
If you don’t know where to start, just go to Thailand (Sukhothai Historical Park, for example)! You will see a lot of architectural styles. In Thailand, there is a superb blend of cultural values in the art and architecture. Moreover, the world is changing – very fast, in fact! There is a new construction going on. Sometimes the changes are induced by human, sometimes by the nature (earthquakes). For example, if you visit an Asian city after a gap of a few years, you will see lots of changes.
The world is full of delicious food
I am a food enthusiast, and always keep looking for new food. Chinese and Malaysian dishes I eat virtually every day.
The World Travel is expensive
But so is not travelling! What’s the point of hanging out with the same type of people most of the time, doing gossip about the same set of people? Get out of your comfort zone, and get out travelling. The world is waiting for you to come out and explore. If you think world travel is expensive, try not travelling – that might be super expensive as you are likely to miss the adventurous world.
The world is full of solo travellers
There are lots of solo travellers around the world (including girls, of course). These solo travellers are very open minded and ready to mingle with other fellow travellers, locals. In fact, travel is a great way of meeting new people – I remember a Singaporean girl telling me that she met her Australian boyfriend on a flight. Wow!
The world travel is full of surprises
As I mentioned before, I had to stay one more night in Queenstown as my flight was cancelled. But the snowfall started in the same night – next morning was the first day of snowfall. The morning looked very beautiful. The start of the snowfall in Queenstown has been just unexpected! The cancellation of my flight turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Basically, you shouldn’t be surprised to see a surprise during your world travel.
There is a growing awareness about the LGBT issues
I have to say that the situation has been changing- for a better future. I even participated in one such awareness event in Melbourne, Australia. In fact, I even recorded a few videos as well. Do check out my YouTube channel for an updated list of videos.
Travel documents
To clear an immigration and enter a new country, you need to have a passport with at least 6 months of validity. This might sound trivial to many, but I have seen a few people not being aware about the same. I remember talking to a lady in the Cameron highland. She was a Pakistani born UK citizen. She was with her daughter, but her husband was not with them. During the conversation, it turned out that she had booked a family trip to Malaysia without realising that her son’s passport was not valid for 6 additional months from the date of leaving the UK. So during the immigration they were questioned, and subsequently her husband had to stay in the UK with her son in order to renew the son’s passport. It’s plain and simple – you can go in world travel without a valid passport.
That’s it about the World Travel Review Part-1. It’s already more than 2100 words. I will continue to write more about the World Travel in my upcoming articles. You can find my general articles on international travelling. You may also want to refer to my articles about different countries. You can also find more about me!
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Comments and suggestions are always appreciated!
Happy exploring the world. 🙂
Last updated: Monday, October 30, 2017
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