Dali, China 大理

We posed in front of the
entrance to the old city of
Dali with the local tourist guide

The first time i heard of the Kingdom of Dali was from the set of ancient warriors story books ' Tien Long Ba Poh '. The Kingdom of Dali was a small kingdom in South West of China in the present province of Yunnan during the period of Tang and Sung dynasty. Buddhism was the main religion of the small kingdom. Several emperors of the kingdom sacrificed their right to the throne and devoted their time in the Buddhist monastery.

Dali today is one of the popular tourist destinations in the province of Yunnan. It is a few hours bus journey from Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. The inhabitants of the city are mainly the minority tribes, Bai, Yi and Hui.

Dali ancient city

Lookout tower of the city

Stream of tourists in and out
of the ancient city

Tunnel like entrance

Entering the ancient city

Local gold smith

All sorts of tea leaves

Good riddance

On the Wednesday night when Manchester United thrashed AC Milan 4 - 0 and Real Madrid was knocked out of the Champions League by Lyon, those who predicted Man Utd would have been reduced to a mediocre side as a result of the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo from Old Traford to the Bernabeu would have to reassess their believes. In fact, the departure of Ronaldo has given more space for the development of the other youngsters in the team. Nani for one has benefited from the extra focus given to him and he flourishes this season though he is still not as consistent as the manager would wish. The arrival of Antonio Valencia at a meagre chip from the 80 million pounds derived from the offload of Ronaldo has enriched the club with a half polished raw gem and this gem has started to glitter more as the season moves on. Many have felt that Wayne Ronnie would have eventually evolved into an all-round footballer that he is today but there is no denying that the departure of Ronaldo has given him more room to execute his basic instinct of scoring. He was too often shifted from his centre role to accommodate Ronaldo. The 30 goals he scored to date this season is testimony that he has almost realised his full potential and no one would bet against it that he will reach the 42-goal record set by Ronaldo himself. At the end of the season we might just see Wayne Ronny and company hoisting the Champions League trophy at the Bernabeu.

Kuwait

A shopping mall

Last October we took on a trip to Kuwait, the most unlikely destination to visit a year before. never in my wildest dream i would have embarked on such a journey. But it was a trip i would not have traded for any other. We were there to visit my grand children, my elder daughter and son-in-law who are residing there due to work.

Kuwait was the country under siege and attack during the Gulf war. Once a war torn city state, Kuwait had nothing to offer except its richness in oil reserve. The country was rebuilt after the war and it can now boast of the adequate modern infrastructure linking all the short-distance-away cities. Multiple lanes motorways are a common feature of this modern desert city state. Modern shopping malls with most popular international brands available are common sights in each city.

its currency, the Kuwaiti dinar, is probably the highest valued denomination compared to equivalent basic currency denomination of any other country. At the time we visited the country, one Kuwaiti dinar was worth RM 12. As it is a rich oil state, cost of living is naturally high.

Kuwait has a small population of around 3.5 million people of which more than half are non-nationals.Foreign expatriates and foreign workers are essential for sustaining the various fields of work and activity. Most locals are rich enough not to be involved in any real form of work.

The interior of the shopping mall

Pool side restaurant at the shopping mall

Second hand treasure aplenty
at the fleece market

Inside a Kuwaiti restaurant

The Kuwait towers

Entrance to a shopping mall

Sea side