In the spirit of the last post, I figured I'd post an updated travel map. I saw a good bit of world in 2007, but there's so much more to see. I've only visited 20% of the countries of the world. I look forward to going to South America and Africa soon.
create your own visited countries map
The Smithsonian has posted The Life List, a list of 28 places that must be seen and experienced. I have only managed to see 3 out of 28 so far: Grand Canyon, Parthenon, and the Great Barrier Reef. I guess it time to start traveling again.
To that end, the staff of Smithsonian—as diverse a group of travelers as you're likely to meet—put their heads together to come up with an exclusive list of 28 places the Smithsonian reader might wish to visit before ...it's too late. Some of the sites are portals into the past—ancient cities so well preserved that visiting them is like stepping into a previous century. Others feature feats of engineering or sublime works of art—or, in the cases of the Taj Mahal and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, both. Travelers can visit temples and churches so breathtaking they must have been built with divine inspiration. For the more adventurous, we offer rewards beyond mere sightseeing—from a three-day hike across the Grand Canyon to a ride along China's Yangtze River.
While all of these destinations beckon year-round, there are places where timing matters: many travelers are at a loss for words after witnessing the sun rise over Machu Picchu or seeing Iguazu Falls by the light of a full moon. And, appropriately, some of our sites now confront their own mortality—endangered by pollution or just worn down, like a few of us, by the passage of time.
Whether you visit only a couple of these destinations or all 28, your life will be enriched by the experience. And if along the way you want to gorge on caviar or get a tattoo, that's entirely up to you.
I just visited Malaysia last month and was amazed at the religious diversity. The only other Muslim country I have been to is Bahrain, and that was back in college. Malaysia was full of Hindu, Taoist, and Buddhist Temples along with many Mosques. I saw an occasional Christian Church, but is was a different world compared to my European travels.
The following article was found on The Wild Hunt, a great Pagan blog IHO. It was originally published by AsiaNews.it
The construction of the world’s tallest Taoist Goddess of the Sea statue has set off the latest row over religious freedom in Malaysia. The 36-metre (108-foot) statue of Mazu, known as Tin Hau in Hong Kong, should be erected in the fishing village of Kudat on Borneo Island. So far only the platform has been set; the statue itself is waiting some 200 km away in the port town of Kota Kinabalu. Local authorities had approved construction in December 2005 but Sabah state authorities stopped construction saying that the statue was “offensive to Muslim sensitivities.”
Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang, who heads the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party, warned that if the row was not resolved it could hurt multiracial and inter-faith harmony in the hitherto tolerant Malaysia.
“The insensitive controversy objecting to the building of the Mazu statue is created by a small group of Muslims with ulterior political objectives, which setS a dangerous precedent in undermining inter-religious goodwill in Malaysia,” he said.
“All we want is for Mazu Goddess to protect us when we are at sea and our Muslim countrymen have nothing against,” said a local fisherman.
After the state government halted construction Sabah’s mufti issued a fatwa saying the statue was “offensive to Islam” because it was too close to a mosque.
Sabah’s deputy chief minister Chong Kah Kiat, an ethnic Chinese, resigned in protest and in early December took legal action challenging the order to stop construction.
About 60 percent of Malaysia’s 27 million people are ethnic Malay Muslims; 25 per cent are Chinese and 10 per cent, Indians, mostly Hindu or Christian.
Malaysian commentators and minority leaders have sounded the alarm over the growing ‘Islamisation’ of the country and the increasing polarisation of the three main ethnic communities, which mix much less than in the past.
In recent weeks there have been other controversies, including a ban issued by the Ministry of Internal Security on the use of the word ‘Allah’ for God by the Herald, a Catholic weekly.
Catholics and Protestants have also had their right to build places of worship severely restricted.
My job is great. Most of the year I work from home, have challenging and stimulating assignments, and get to travel occasionally. But sometimes the occasional travel piles up in a row. This month I have been to New York, Kuala Lumpur, and Kentucky (the latter being a family trip). From December 1st until the 23rd, I only slept at home 3 nights transitioning from one trip to the other. I missed out on all the holiday social events, all the hectic shopping, and tons of fun UUCA events.
We did a fun Christmas tour. It started in Kentucky with my family there. Audrey and the boys got extremely spoiled and we all had a blast. Christmas Eve was spent with former family members and my Parents. Santa came and treated our new family well. After a few hours of playing, it was off to non-custodial parents. We finished the tour up with dessert and drinks at Leah's parents.
It was a crazy month for other reasons, too. In New York, I proposed to Leah. As some of you know, I am a single dad and she has two boys. So we are combining households. It is very exciting. I love having a full house again, and Audrey loves her new soon-to-be brothers and her new soon-to-be stepmother. In fact she has started referring to them as such. This all makes me very happy.
However, my two bedroom to a bit too small for the full circus. So we are looking for a bigger place. The only hard rules are being inside the Morningside school district, 3 bedrooms, and less than $2000 a month. We're not ready to buy yet, so we are looking for something to rent. It's a challenging task, being in the middle of the holidays, but the sooner we can make this happen, the easier life will be for everyone in the family.
So while it's nice to have the next week off of work, it will be spent getting things ready for my new family. Do not mistake this post for complaints... I am loving this new phase in my life. However, it is a bit tiring. Tonight I do get to sleep in my bed with my fiancée in my house. :)
I got some cool books from Leah... I'll post about that soon. Happy Holidays everyone.
