Here are some of my essential do’s when packing up:

What’s the travel for? Whether for business or pleasure, you should pack appropriate clothes for the trip. And bring enough pieces to last you during your whole trip. Though hotels have laundry services, they’re not usually cheap.

Don’t forget your toiletries. For guys, always bring your shaving kit, not unless you want to look like Santa Claus. Make sure they’re carefully sealed to avoid spills.

Hand-carry your important and valuable stuff. Travel documents, watches, cameras, ipods, jewelries, etc. Strap them to your body! Bring cables, extra batteries or chargers for your electronic devices.

And for us eyeglasses wearer, don’t forget your contacts! Also bring an extra pair of eyeglasses in case the one you’re wearing gets misplaced or broken. A pair of sunglasses is also handy especially when you’re travelling to sunny countries. My eyeglasses comes with magnetic snap-on sunshade that’s very convenient for me. It’s like an all-in-one glasses.

And speaking about eyeglasses, you can get a pair (or pairs) at Zenni Optical. Their very affordable but high quality eyeglasses are awesome! You can get eyeglasses with snap-on lens like I do for only $27.95 or you can get a cheaper one for only $19! Incredibly cheap! There’s no reason why you can’t afford to buy an extra pair of eyeglasses with Zenni!  Even radio show host Clark Howard recommends it.

How about this pair?

Anyway, last on my list would be my notebook especially that my travels lately have been work-related. My trip wouldn’t be successful without it. It’s my virtual office. All my work files are stored there and I also use it to keep in touch with my colleagues and wife.

That’s it!

And then you see out in the street just above your head something like this:

(Bacolod City, Philippines)

Not only it looks awful, it is also dangerous because some wires are hanging down and are within reach even for kids. Another thing is how can anyone (electrician) find the problem in case something goes wrong? Do they even bother or they just add a new wire? Guess I should ask next time I see one…

And when the time comes to check the real consumption, if the meters are out in the public without any protection and seals, it is not a problem for a skilled person to tamper with it and roll the wheel a little backwards…

But since the people in Philippines are honest and sincere, maybe they don’t get these kinds of thoughts? Is it just me?

During the whole course of our stay in Uganda, a day before travelling and also 4 days after arriving, we were prescribed to take Malarone once a day. It’s a medicine to protect ourselves from the disease malaria which Africa is known for. Tomorrow will be a week since I arrived from my African trip, I’m still alive and kicking but very busy!

Anyway, I have few stuff which I brought home from Uganda. One of these is the magnet souvenirs for my wife’s collection which features their flag.

The country’s flag has the bird in the middle called the Grey Crowned Crane which you can find in Africa.

Belém Tower in Lisbon

Taking one destination, say Lisbon: All the 124 hotels in Lisbon are shown for the traveler to pick up his preference. The factors affecting one’s choice, which are given in their site, could be their location, the price range, the service, amenities, the décor, the general ambience; the view of the surroundings, the over-all impression the hotel can make on the person who is going to stay in there.

Or another dream destination is Madrid, with Hotels Madrid Norte also available online, offering the same convenience mentioned above. There are more choices here as 278 hotels vie for your attention. Again, one will see here the map for each, the guest reviews, and he can watch the videos, showing the probable guest around. Some hotels are right in the heart of Madrid, so it is very convenient for the traveler or the tourist. Best service, best price, best surroundings are also added attraction.

It’s really a challenge choosing online a hotel for accommodation. It is therefore to one’s advantage and peace of mind to book earlier to avoid the rush, which results in haphazard selection. One owes it to himself to make the right choice of a hotel for a happy vacation!

Photo credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisbon

Anyway - only two guesses were posted in the comments to my guessing game ‘Name the city part 3‘, so either I lost all my readers or they are all bored already.

The correct answer is Asgabad, the capital of Turkmenistan. Last time I was there was in December 2006, only few days before Christmas and also few days before their president Saparmurat ‘Turkmenbashi’ Niyazov suddenly and unexpectedly died.

Since then I lost contact with all my ‘friends’ there and don’t know if life there has improved.

As you can see, the copper domes are shining like new pennies. But after some time, once it has been exposed to air and water, oxidation reaction will happen which will change the color of copper into green just like the other domes of the old buildings around Prague.

What’s interesting about these domes was that according to the article I read, they were removed in 1828 and after 180 years they put it back. It didn’t have further explanation though why it took that long for them to place the domes back.

- about 80% of the country is covered by desert
- world’s number 10 producer of cotton
- world’s number 5 in natural gas reserves
- gained full independence only couple of years ago
- more than half of the population is unemployed and living in poverty

From the pictures it looks like a nice place to live in…

… though some streets could use little repairs…

All these pictures have been taken in the capital city, mostly in the center. For leaving the capital - and more importantly for entering it - you need a special permit, which looks like invitation letter for visa application. Well, this was 3 years ago, I wonder if it still required. Can this be another clue?

The exhibit poster.

August 21, 1968 is the day when Soviet and Warsaw pact armies saved communism in Czech Republic. There was an attempt to make reforms headed by Alexander Dubcek and the allied armies of Soviet Union and Warsaw invaded our country to halt the said reforms. Read the Prague Spring for more information.

If you want to see it, you can still catch the exhibition which runs from August 21 until September 30, 2008 in front of the National Museum and also in the foyer.

At the museum’s foyer.

Displays of postcards sent by Dubcek’s supporters when he was in custody.

The battle tank, displayed outside the museum.

Coincidentally, the Czech National Museum is also celebrating its 190th anniversary this year. There is also an exhibition and film showing on the ground floor at the special hall which showcases how the museum was built, how it survived the invasion and the bombings and the repairs being done.

The white patches on the columns are repairs on bullet holes that riddled the museum during the invasion.

The subject of my “Name the city - part 2” is Stephansdom or the St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. This church is dedicated to St. Stephen, also known as the patron of the bishop’s cathedral in Passau.

The facade of the church.

As soon as you come up from the Stephansplatz subway station, this grand Romanesque and Gothic cathedral will greet you. The area around it are all filled up with tourists. You can’t miss this imposing structure when you’re in Vienna as it is one of the most visited site by tourists.

Tourists! A building right across St. Stephen.

Note the beautiful roof mosaic of the building.

If you recognize this building, then you’ll have no problem guessing the city where it’s located.
Clue: It’s still somewhere in Europe, one of Czech Republic’s neighbors. I was there last month so maybe you can find more clue in my previous posts (or maybe not). Good luck!