The vintage red ‘Hotel Indonesia – Kempinski‘ sign above Jakarta’s busiest traffic circle is nowadays nearly dwarfed by the gleaming skyscrapers all around it, but it’s a curious historical landmark. Known locally by its acronym ‘HI’ , the hotel is an eerie symbol of President Sukarno’s obsessive 1960s effort to create a ‘New Jakarta’ that would bring international respect to his nation and pride to his struggling people. Opened with great hoopla in 1962, Hotel Indonesia epitomized the era’s modernization drive, and as it declined over the years in a …

Indonesia is one of the most popular tourist destination countries in the world. The famous of its culture, tradition, and of course its hospitality. Although for the last few years, Indonesia condition is a little bit unstable, and there are some security issues regarding Indonesia, but the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia is steadily climbing. It must be confessed that there is so much that Indonesia still needs to do. Besides a much more aggressive promotional effort, it needs much more tourism support, namely accommodations, restaurants, transportation, and infrastructure. …

There is an excitement about just the name “New York.” This is the city called the “Big Apple.” It is one of the best-known cities in the world. New York is where the pace never slows and the day never ends. It is a pulsating, dynamic city. That is how the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau sees the city. The bureau also says it is a “city that changes its face almost daily.” There is a vitality in this city. The city’s life doesn’t halt with darkness, even though …

In the cold, dusky dawn outside the old British Consulate at Kashgar, in Western China, pony carts slowly gather, their bells lightly jingling. Street sweepers work in the moonlight, stirring up a whirlwind of dust as the first cry of the muezzin sounds from Id Kah Mosque. Suddenly there’s a burst of firecrackers, and a lorry packed with boxes lurches onto the street. The lorry is bound for Pakistan. It’s a 400 kilometer journey from this remote town in Xinjiang Province to the Khunjerab Pass, at 4,800 meters the highest …

Until the end of the XIX century, Barcelona comprised the are now known as Ciutat Vella, or the Old City. This district is mainly composed of the Gothic Quarter, La Ribera, La Rambla and El Raval, and is famous for its historic monuments, narrow streets and vaguely bohemian atmosphere. Nowadays, antique dealers, bookshops, restaurants and the most original of shops add to the interest of this historic quarter.
The Gothic Quarter is the core of the Medieval city which was bounded by walls until the middle of the XIX century. Through …