I survived Oktoberfest ( Wiesn)

If you like beer, then there is no place like Oktoberfest in Munich. It is hard to describe Oktoberfest to those who haven’t been there. Simply said, it’s an ultimate beer festival (actually one of the biggest public festivals in the world, according to Guiness World Record) held in the ultimate beer-drinking destination, Munich (..my friend from Milwaukee still thinks Milwaukee is the beer capital of the world). The celebration begins mid September and ends on first Sunday in October spanning almost 2 wks. The first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese. Although the festival used to be celebrated in October, they moved it up to September to allow for better weather conditions. Some 6 million people drink 6 million litres of beer each year inside 14 humongous tents that can hold 5000 – 6000 people, drinking, singing and dancing to folk/polka tunes. There are also other things like rides (Olympic circle ride, try that after couple of liters of beer in your body, interesting experience), games, sing-alongs etc., Men dressed in Lederhosen and women in their traditional Bavarian outfit are a common site. Since this festival is all about beer, as expected people tend to drink in excess and as always things get out of hand, fist fights and 1 liter beer glass breaking. I did not witness any of those, may be the police are so efficient in quickly suppressing such incidents or I was not in a position to observe such minor ruckus.

All in all, Oktoberfest is something that everyone should experience in his or her life, at least once. As far me, I would definitely go there, for a third time, given a chance.

“Bitte Ein Beer”

Betel nut booths: Taiwan an over populated little country has myriad of these betel nut glass booths. Betel nut booths in Taichung, Taiwan came as a surprise to me. Scantily clad girls attract truck drivers and other betel nut enthusiasts. Lights on top of the glass booth are meant to draw in customers. If the lights are flashier, chances are you will find better looking women. They say betel nuts have mild stimulating property, hence truck drivers make frequent stops at these booths. In India betel nut is usually chewed with betel leaf and lime. When all the three are mixed, Arecoline is released, which is a stimulant that can keep you awake for hours and increase your respiration. Not only does the consumption of betel nut stain your teeth, long term chewing weakens sexual potency.

Tallest building in the world: Taipei 101

Jan 2005: I took the world’s fastest elevator to go to the observatory of the world’s tallest building, Taipei 101 in Taiwan. The building opened to public on December 31^st 2004 with limited visitors. It rises 509 m above ground with most advanced 900 ton tuned mass dampening system located in the center of the building, which can sway up to 8 inches or so. Building swaying? Yes, these days tall buildings are designed to sway. The building can withstand once in a century super Typhoon and earth quake of magnitude 7 in the Richter scale. Impressive feat huh?

My fascination for tall buildings has allowed me see all the top 10 tallest buildings in the world? 6 of the 11 are located in China and Hong Kong. I have also been on the observatory deck of the tallest free standing structure in the world, CN Tower in Toronto.

Lets wait and see who will surpass Taipei 101, Burj Dubai or Shanghai World Financial Center?

Lobster, the king of shellfish is No.2 in "BBC's top 50 foods to eat before you die". Go figure. The lobster you see is from a Chinese restaurant in Suzhou. Live sushi, yes they first devour the slippery tail treat that is still fresh till the last minute, while the lobster is still alive. The eyeballs constantly roll while the antenna is clipped to prevent it from moving. After the tail treat, they steam the lobster and bring it back, so that they can eat the rest of it. This graphic act is a delicacy in China among other things.