Tips from Christmas week in Rome

My youngest son and his girlfriend spent a week in Rome around Christmas, and here are their tips:

• Cinema Metropoline near Piazza del Popolo has shut down.
• Warner Brothers Village Cinema at Piazza della Repubblica has reopened under a different name and ownership. It no longer screens films in their original version, unless it's Italian.
• We highly recommend the 'Risotto con radice' (Risotto with root vegetables) at Nonna Betta Restaurant. It's perfect: Al dente, juicy and the precise consistency.
• The official guided tours of the Vatican Museums worth more than the 5 Euros they cost. Make sure you reserve them at the real Vatican website, and don't fall for any fake site, let alone the "guides" hanging around the entrance. Aim for the afternoon hours (14:30) as it's emptier then. At the end of the guided tour in the Museums, you can continue directly to San Peter's Basilica, thereby bypassing its security lines.
• Avoid the guided tours and audioguides sold at San Peter's Basilica. The first is long and expensive, while the other is annoying.
• Paba Hotel (Via Cavour 266) is well situated next to the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. Its owner, Alberta, is very friendly, helpful and considerate. The rooms are large and quiet (our window faced an internal yard but we were fine with that). If you don't like stiff pillows, the soft ones are in the closet.
• MAXXI museum is just splendid. They host several large exhibitions in their five galleries and three hours may not be time enough to cover all of them. Don't miss it despite its distance from the city center, just fetch the tram or take a cab. Entrance costs 11 Euros, or 9 EUR for students.
• MACRO costs 11 Euros and it didn't have as much to offer as MAXXI, but perhaps that was because they were setting up some new exhibitions.
• Don't miss the ice cream Giolloto, to the north of the Pantheon. Especially the pine nut flavour (pinoli).
• Some of the artifacts at the Roman Forum are difficult to find. You know they're there, but you're not sure exactly where. Consider taking a human guide, or at least photos of the things you're looking for. The Eyewitness Guide could do the job for this one.
• Porta Portese market is huge and you could basically find there cheaper prices for every piece of tourist crap sold elsewhere, as long as you're willing to bargain. Keep your cash deep in your inner pockets as pick pockets are numerous.

Netanya and Eilat most beautiful cities in Israel

Congratulations to Netanya and Eilat, big winners of the 2011 annual competition of the Council for a Beautiful Israel.

Netanya (Big cities competition winner) and Eilat (Medium-sized cities competition winner) were crowned as the most beautiful cities in Israel yesterday.

Netanya mayor welcomed the win and said that over the last decade Netanya invested tens of millions of dollars developing the world's most impressive Mediterranean Sea  side promenades sequence.

Top 10 most visited cities by international tourist arrivals in 2010

I want to share with you interesting statistics regarding tourist arrivals in 2010, that I found in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism#Most_visited_cities_by_international_tourist_arrivals

Top 10 most visited cities by estimated number of international visitors by selected year
City	Country	International visitors (millions)	Year/Notes
Paris	France	15.1	2010 (Excluding extra-muros visitors)
London	United Kingdom	14.6	2010
New York City	United States	9.7	2010
Antalya	Turkey	9.2	2010
Singapore	Singapore	9.2	2010
Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	8.9	2010
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	8.4	2010 (Excluding Mainland Chinese visitors)
Dubai	United Arab Emirates	8.3	2010
Bangkok	Thailand	7.2	2010
Istanbul	Turkey	6.9	2010

Due to the Thailand flood Japanese investors may shift to Vietnam and Indonesia

Following my previous post on Thailand floods impact on the Hi-Tech Industry World Wide,

Japanese investors may shift to Vietnam and Indonesia. 
Japanese firms are Thailand's biggest foreign investors and the recent trend of accelerating investment into Thailand will slow down even though the country is an ideal destination for investors, the report said. Japanese companies may shift their investments from Thailand to Vietnam and Indonesia due to the Thailand flood, according to a Bloomberg report. The recent flooding, the worst the country has experienced in 70 years, has disrupted global production and supply chains.

The report also said the tragedy has rippled through the supply chains of Japanese auto and electronics makers, as parts shortages affected operations across the globe.

Takahiro Sekido, Credit Agricole's chief economist for Japan, was quoted saying "Executives recognize the concentration risk after the floods."

Tokyo's Dai-ichi Life Research Institute economist Tohru Nishihama said that Thailand's neighboring countries, specifically Vietnam and Indonesia, are set to attract more Japanese investments. The two countries attracted more foreign direct investment than Thailand last year.

Thailand enjoyed steady growth from 2000 to 2008, averaging more than 4 percent CAGR per year, due to its well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, generally pro-investment policies and strong export industries. The country exports mostly machinery and electronic components, agricultural commodities and jewelry. These sectors continue to drive the economy, accounting for as much as three-quarters of Thailand's GDP.

Vietnam, on the other hand, is also a magnet for foreign direct investment, the report said. The success of doing business in Vietnam is greatly facilitated by the ability to put through effective corporate structure and financial management system to deal with foreign investment laws, taxation, accounting and foreign exchange issues in Vietnam.

The investment registration process and tax management in Vietnam is decentralized, with the municipal and provincial authorities having significant discretions on how businesses are established and managed from a tax and accounting angle. Having a good local partner, experienced staff and localized professional support would greatly assist in the initial startup stage.
http://stockpicks247.blogspot.com/2011/11/thailand-floods-impact-on-hi-tech.html

Xixuau Xiparina Reserve: Amazonas Frog camouflage

During his trip to Xixuau Xiparina Reserve my youngest son took a picture of very well camouflaged Amazonas Frog.
Start your timer and check how many minutes it will take you to find it.
Update me with the results.
Thanks and Good Luck!

Bangkok floods update- plan your trip carefully and follow the news for ongoing developments.

Bangkok floods update - November 5
see some pictures taken on November 1 in Bangkok:
http://smart-advicesforthetraveller.blogspot.com/2011/11/bangkok-flooding-pictures-so-far-so.html

WARNING: Bangkok has been hit by severe floods. All districts have been placed on high alert, however, the worst-hit areas are the northern and eastern districts, most notably Sai Mai, Khlong Sam Wa, Bang Khen, Nong Chok, Min Buri, Lat Krabang and Khan Na Yao. Travelling to those districts is highly discouraged. The authorities have advised the locals there to move their valuables to higher grounds and be ready for a swift evacuation. In other districts, including Central Bangkok, the water has risen to ankle or knee-level. While life continues relatively as normal, the situation is in a state of flux and could change overnight. Basic supplies like drinking water, tooth paste, toilet paper, batteries, and candles are scarce or unavailable as convenience stores and supermarkets have closed. Plan your trip carefully and follow the news for ongoing developments.

Bangkok flooding pictures -so far so good, but people are preparing for the worst

My son returned yesterday from Bangkok, I want to share with you some recent pictures,
he took yesterday in Bangkok.

Bangkok center (near MBK): so far so good but people are preparing for the worst

Apologize: on empty shelves store:

People in Bangkok are leaving there cars on the highways