Beyond My Horizons

By Natalie Toubes

This book continues the story of my travel experiences, starting in Dont Hug the Tour Guide and going to the present, 2016. Each trip was unique and an exciting and fun learning experience. The book explores the history of each country as well as the cultural aspects. I also included my observations and anecdotes that occurred along the way. I believe that the armchair traveler, the future traveler, and the seasoned traveler will all enjoy traveling with me.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524536299

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Copyright © 2016 by Natalie Toubes.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 11/15/2016

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Southeast Asia

1.   Singapore

2.   Thailand

a.    Koh Samui

b.    Bangkok

3.   Cambodia

4.   Vietnam

a.    Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

French Polynesia

1.   Tahiti

2.   Huahine (who-ah-hee-nee)

3.   Bora Bora

4.   Raiatea

5.   Moorea (moh-oh-ray-uh)

6.   Rangiroa (ran-gee-roh-ah)

Eastern (Central) Europe

1.   Poland

2.   Hungary

3.   Austria

a.    Vienna

4.   Slovakia-Bratislava

5.   Czech Republic

a.    Prague

Greece

Down Under

1.   New Zealand

2.   Tasmania

3.   Australia

The British Isles

1.   Guernsey, England

2.   Ireland

a.    Cobh (Cove) – Cork, Ireland

b.    Dublin

3.   Northern Ireland

4.   Scotland

a.    Greenock (Glasgow)

b.    Orkney Islands

c.    Inverness, Invergordon, Queensferry, Edinburgh

5.   Normandy, France

6.   London, England

Southern India

Cover photo: Gateway to India - Mumbai

T o

my grandchildren—Sarah, Rachel, Ethan, Jake, Yael, Asher, and Sasha—may you always have good health, happiness, and a love for books and travel.

INTRODUCTION

S ince writing Don’t Hug the Tour Guide , I have been to many other places around the world. These trips continue my story. They were exhilarating and eye-opening. From Southeast Asia to Eastern Europe, from Greece to Southern India, what a world it is! And so the excitement continues …

Bon voyage!

SOUTHEAST ASIA

1.   Singapore

A fter three flights and twenty-two hours, Dan and I arrived in Singapore at 2:30 a.m. Bleary-eyed and weary, we met our tour director who took us to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Marina Bay and went to sleep immediately!

However, we were up by 9:00 a.m. and hurried to breakfast. We didn’t want to miss it! And what a breakfast it was! There were four huge buffets, each serving something different. The largest buffet had about ten different fruits, bread, and assorted pastries; it also had pancakes and waffles, made to order. Another buffet had rolls, Chinese noodles in broth, and omelets and eggs, made to order. The third buffet had yogurt, cereal, and sushi. The fourth buffet had three sections: American hash browns; Indian curry and rice; and Oriental beans, pancakes, and noodles. In addition to the buffets, there was a table with many different kinds of fish. What a feast it was, and after indulging, we were set for the day.

We took a taxi to Orchard Road, which is the main shopping area—designer stores, malls, and small specialty shops. Unfortunately, most of the stores were closed because it was the Chinese New Year. We walked and walked, looking in windows. At one closed store, a nice-looking man started talking to us. He said that he knew a jewelry store that was open. We followed him and were pleasantly surprised by the store. I bought a pretty pair of earrings. As it turned out, the owner of the store designed the bracelet that I had bought in Chicago for an American company.

Back at the hotel, the view from the room was unbelievable. You could see across the harbor, and along the harbor, people were celebrating the Chinese New Year—Year of the Dragon. We decided to celebrate also. There were crowds of people, food booths, games for children, and music. At night, there was entertainment from a large stage, and all this on the harbor. In the distance was a huge Ferris wheel. It moves slowly, an hour ride, and one can see the countries Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as all of Singapore. Also, one can see the Performing Arts Center, looking like a fly with two dome-shaped connected buildings (the wings).

Singapore is a multicultural society—Indians (from India), Malays, Indonesians, Chinese, and a few Russians. English is spoken, and signs are in both English and Chinese. The population is about five million. About 85 percent of the people live in subsidized government housing—all high-rise apartments. Their rent goes toward purchase of the apartment.

What is unusual is that Singapore is both a city and a country with different ethnic areas. Chinatown is quite large with beautiful temples and shops. We visited the Sacred Buddha Tooth Temple. It was founded in 2002 and built in the Tang Dynasty (AD 600–900) style. It is a Chinese cultural center as well as a Buddhist temple. Services are in the 100 Dragons Hall, and there are thousands of Buddhas throughout the temple—quite a sight!

Little India is another interesting area of Singapore. The population has decreased significantly over the years because the young people go back to India, but there is still a community and several mosques and temples.

The day before we left Singapore, we visited the unusual National Orchid Garden. It has the most orchids in the whole world—I never knew that there were so many different varieties of orchids. Many hybrids were developed in this garden and are named after famous people, such as Margaret Thatcher and Benazir Bhutto. A unique souvenir is an orchid dipped in gold and turned into a pin or necklace. Of course, I bought one!

It is difficult to remember that Singapore is a city-state with a total land area of only 268 square miles. There are older neighborhoods surrounding the city, many of which connect to the city by subway. Singapore is such a beautiful, interesting, and vibrant city it was very difficult for me to leave—maybe I’ll go back someday!

2.   Thailand

Koh Samui

Koh Samui is Thailand’s third largest island on the Gulf of Thailand. It was an