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BorderCrossed

BorderCrossed
A traveler trying to cross national, cultural, and ideological borders

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Articles: 1, 2, 3

Articles

City design in East Asia vs. the Middle East
2007-05-13 21:49:00
Having spent many years in East Asia , cities in the Gulf are amazing to me. Highways are everywhere, everybody drives, the poorer people take taxis. I still miss being able to walk across the street and buy groceries, travel to work by subway, and going to remote tours by trainDensity in Gulf cities are a lot lower than in Asia. You'll quickly notice this when looking at Google Earth, even without the help of official statistics. Zoom to the same scale, say, 5000 feet. East Asian cities like Tokyo, Singapore, and Taipei are full of buildings. In Doha, Kuwait City, and Abu Dhabi, it's a yellow background punctuated by houses and grey highwaysThis means- Gulf residents have to own cars to meet their daily needs- The poor, elderly and disabled are more disadvantaged because they're unable to drive or afford a car- More roads are needed to move the same number of peopleEven though oil is cheap for them, perhaps the heads of the Dubais should think about more compact city design, so t...
More About: Middle East , Design , The Middle East

Vietnam economic development
2007-05-13 17:47:00
From the Econ omist magazine, I learnt about an opportunity to do meaningful work in Vietnam , Laos and Cambodia. Some donor governments have set up an agency to develop economies in the so-called Indochina region. They need a team of people from overseas to kick start the projectTo me, it's an exciting opportunity. The Indonchina region has so far bypassed the economic miracle enjoyed by other Southeast Asian countries. They have lots of natural resources and a young labor force. Right now, they're a big exporter of drugs and prostitutesTheir people deserve better
More About: Development , Economic , Economic Development

Security in Iraq - opportunity for Kuwait?
2007-05-11 09:40:00
Recently, I’ve heard comments that Kuwait is well positioned to become a major logistics hub in the Middle East. This is because Kuwait can serve as a gateway connecting Iraq and the world for imports and exports. Sounds like the Singapore-Malaysia and Hong Kong-China relationships in the past. But is it realistic? Some logistics companies on ...
More About: Security , Opportunity , Wait

Security in Iraq - opportunity for Kuwait?
2007-05-11 09:40:00
Recently, I've heard comments that Kuwait is well positioned to become a major logistics hub in the Middle East. This is because Kuwait can serve as a gateway connecting Iraq and the world for imports and exports. Sounds like the Singapore-Malaysia and Hong Kong-China relationships in the past. But is it realistic?Some logistics companies on the ground say it's difficult, as it's still dangerous to transport goods in Iraq. Some of their drivers, who were brave enough to transport supplies into Iraq, got kidnapped on the way. Their bosses had to pay ransoms. Now who wants to be the drivers if he may be kidnapped?Sounds like until Iraq's security situation improves, Kuwait's role as a logistics hub remains limited
More About: Security , Opportunity , Unity

United Arab Emirates (UAE) / Dubai Internet censorship
2007-05-10 21:05:00
Despite all the fun we have in Dubai , there’s one thing in common that most people are annoyed by - Internet censorship If you travel to the United Arab Emirates, you’d probably find that some of the sites you like suddenly go down. In fact, the dominant ISP, Etisalat, use proxy server blocks certain websites that ...
More About: Censorship , United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates (UAE) / Dubai Internet censorship
2007-05-10 21:05:00
Despite all the fun we have in Dubai , there's one thing in common that most people are annoyed by - Internet censorshipIf you travel to the United Arab Emirates, you'd probably find that some of the sites you like suddenly go down. In fact, the dominant ISP, Etisalat, use proxy server blocks certain websites that they deem inappropriate to be viewed. An exact account of what sites they block is not publicly available, but hearsays suggest sites are blocked for the following reasons1. Political- Sites related to Israel or Jihadism- Terrist organizations- Sites on how to bypass censorship2. Social- Homosexual behavior, e.g. the Gay and Lesbian Arabic Society- Online casinos- Pornography- Certain online dating websites3. Economical- Internet phone services such as Skype. As Etisalat is also the incumbant telecom operator in the UAE, things that can put its revenues at risk are bannedA site called hrw.org contains more information on censorship in the UAEWhenever there's censorship,...
More About: Censorship , United Arab Emirates

Frequent Flyer Program - 2
2007-05-10 11:18:00
1. Enrol in EXACTLY 3 frequent flyer programs, no more, no lessRationale for doing itThere are 3 global airline alliances, Star Alliance, SkyTeam, and OneWorld. They cover most of the routes in the world. If you choose 3 airlines and each belong to one of the alliances, you can travel anywhere with mileage pocketedProblem if you don't do itSome people take flights that don't fit their schedule well just to earn miles in their preferred airlines. One of my friends, who's a Cathay Pacific member, picked a flight very early in the morning just for the Miles. Enroling in 3 programs avoids this unncessary compromise. If he is also a Singapore Airline member, he could have gotten a much better schedule between Singapore and Hong KongExmaple of how this is done - Hong Kong as base city, with lots of traveling (>50 sectors a year) within Asia and moderate traveling (10 - 20 sectors a year) outside AsiaPreferred options depending on your routing. They should be complimentary, so if you ha...
More About: Flyer , Program , Gram , Frequent Flyer

Frequent Flyer Program - 1
2007-05-09 20:13:00
Many people I know are heavy travelers who take 20 - 200 trips a year. Yet they haven’t found out how to utilize their frequent flyer programs to their maximum potential. Here’re some tips I’ve learnt 1. Enrol in EXACTLY 3 frequent flyer programs, no more, no less 2. Bank your miles in 1 program unless you ...
More About: Flyer , Program , Gram , Frequent Flyer

Frequent Flyer Program - 1
2007-05-09 20:13:00
Many people I know are heavy travelers who take 20 - 200 trips a year. Yet they haven't found out how to utilize their frequent flyer programs to their maximum potential. Here're some tips I've learnt1. Enrol in EXACTLY 3 frequent flyer programs, no more, no less2. Bank your miles in 1 program unless you have to split them3. Always check prices before redeeming your miles
More About: Flyer , Program , Gram , Frequent Flyer

Alcohol in Kuwait
2007-05-09 09:03:00
In some Muslim countries, it is illegal to drink Kuwait is one example. But as with many other restrictions, people can always find ways to circumvent them. Here's one scene that I've observedAt the Dubai airport, there are shops selling pocket-sized spirits. People would buy them, and slip them into their suit's inner pockets. The medal detector do not detect liquids, so they can pass through Dubai security safely. At Kuwait arrival, customs search people's luggage, not their jackets. Here you go - a small bottle of spirit has been transported into KuwaitHidden inside
More About: Alcohol , Wait

Google Analytics
2007-05-08 16:04:00
Testing Googl e Anal ytics . Sounds like a powerful tool that tracks a lot of information. It reports who visit your website at what time. Here’s a page that shows how you can set up the tool. It’s handy
More About: Google Analytics

Google Analytics
2007-05-08 16:04:00
Testing Googl e Anal ytics . Sounds like a powerful tool that tracks a lot of information. It reports who visit your website at what time. Here's a page that shows how you can set up the tool. It's handy
More About: Google Analytics

Silk Road revisited
2007-05-08 16:00:00
More than 1,000 years ago, merchants marched through nations in the Euope-Asia continent. Silk Road brief explanation Now, my journey has begun to experience a bit of this. It’s much more comfortable - travelling by planes instead of camels and staying in hotels instead of tents. Still, the excitment and bewilderness are immense No Tags

Silk Road revisited
2007-05-08 16:00:00
More than 1,000 years ago, merchants marched through nations in the Euope-Asia continent. Silk Road brief explanationNow, my journey has begun to experience a bit of this. It's much more comfortable - travelling by planes instead of camels and staying in hotels instead of tents. Still, the excitment and bewilderness are immense
More About: Visi , Visit

More articles from this author:
1, 2, 3