Prague, the new Pai

On my RTW trip, I wondered where the hippies of Pai Thailand had decamped to and now I know.  Following the fall of communism, they went to Prague, rediscovered capitalism and went upscale- 

They now favor one stop shopping- 

Prague has a reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful cities and I think it is well deserved.  The medieval to 19th century architecture is as well preserved and as beautiful as anywhere I have been, including Paris. It might not have the grandeur of Paris, but the streets are   full of beautiful classic buildings, particularly from the Renaissance and early modern period (1500 - 1800).  A big reason is that It was mostly spared during WWII-

peace

It also has every boutique store you could want- 

It is a joy just to walk around the place as the millions of annual tourists attest. Most of them seem to spend most of their time walking back and forth across the famous Charles Bridge (which I only crossed maybe 7-8 times)- 

W

While impossible to capture in pictures, it has churches- Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque - that again can rival any city in Europe- 

It has perhaps the world’s largest castle (a bureaucrat’s dream)- 

A unique statue of Sigmumd Freud (who might not have enjoyed this portrayal)- 

A Dancing House amidst its splendid architecture- 

A car that can drive on water- 

The city has also determined that you can’t have enough red roofs-

Prague also has a new take on the 60s peace movement-

I find it so cliche and gauche when tourists have their photos taken in front of overdone sites- 

If only I could have done the Freud thing. 

Round The World Finis

 It has been quite a trip- round the world in 68 days (not sure it would make a good book title though). I think the most fascinating part has been the transitions from one culture and country to the next, even though my stay was too short in most cases.  Just so much variation even in simple things like how people drove or dressed or whether they used cash or cards or whether they drank alcohol or not. And how people viewed their own country’s politics or history, or geopolitics (I found people frequently willing to engage on these subjects- in many cases they introduced the topics themselves- but usually in a respectful way which I appreciated). 

In any case, it was a trip full of wonders from

Stunning Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, a cityscape rivaled only by Rio in my experience-

To Beautiful Phong Nha and colorful Bangkok in oh so friendly Thailand-

To unique Angor Wat eerie in the Cambodian dawn 

To a young Cambodian girl earnestly trying to learn English-

To gorgeous Ha Long Bay in Vietnam-

To the stunning and way fun Ha Giang Loop in Vietnam-probably the world’s most thrilling motorcycle ride and so pretty Hoi An-

To surprising central Vietnam-

To exotic India and the peerless Taj Mahal- 

To the trekking mecca of Nepal, the stupendous high Himalayas, Annapurna Base Camp and, of course, Mt Everest- 

To the starkly beautiful sands of Arabia and its truly grand canyon-

To the worlds most famous and beautiful mosque, the amazing Blue Mosque of Istanbul- 

And the historic Bosphorus-

To a beautiful lake and unique high rise building in quirky Albania 

And finally to one of the world’s prettiest and most fun cities - Budapest- and its grand and beautiful Parliament building- 

But of course meeting so many kind and curious people from all parts of the globe was a huge part of the experience, such as this kind couple from Vietnam, my dune bashing driver in Oman and these Aussie couples who must stand in for the rest- 

Well that’s all folks   Thanks for all who followed.