Floating garden in the Atlantic. Madeira, Portugal

Madeira Island is famous throughout the world for its natural beauty and is often called the 'floating garden in the Atlantic'. For a traveler there's nothing like the ambience of a typical market! Originally, these regional markets were set up for selling flowers but with the time they expanded to all kinds of agricultural products and local food specialties (such as ‘bolo de caco’ bread, grilled chicken and wheat soup) to be consumed there or to take away. ‘Mercado dos Lavradores’ in Funchal, is still a bit the case, and is my favorite. Mainly frequented by the local population living in the area who do their weekly shopping there. Usually taking place during the weekends, you will find these typical markets a bit everywhere on the island, but the most established ones are those in Santa (Porto Moniz), Ponta Delgada and Santo da Serra. You want to experience something really local? Then look out for one of these traditional markets on your tour around the island! Unfortunately this February the island was affected by heavy rain, turning some streets in capital of Funchal into raging rivers of mud, water and debris. The storm — the worst to hit the island since 1993 — also kill displaced a lot people. Nobody can remain indifferent to the disaster and the reconstruction effort is enormous. Join us on a journey to Madeira Island’s this year given confidence to the tourism and help rebuilding the trust to this Atlantic paradise … this visit will surely delight you!

Empire State of Mind. NY, USA

In New York. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, Theres nothing you can’t do, Now you’re in New York, 
these streets will make you feel brand new, Big lights will inspire you,
 lets hear it for New York, New York, New York One hand in the air for the big city, Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty,
 no place in the World that can compare, Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeaaahh
 come on, come, yeah, hiphop.com cities is a pity half of y’all won’t make it, me i gotta plug Special Ed and i got it made,
 If Jeezy’s payin LeBron, I’m paying Dwayne Wade,
3 dice cee-lo
3 card Monte,
labor day parade, rest in peace Bob Marley,
 Statue of Liberty, long live the World trade,
 long live the king yo,
 I’m from the empire state thats…Welcome to the bright light...

From Alicia Keys song “Empire State of Mind Lyrics”

The Chinese New Year 2010 - 庚 (Tiger)

Unlike western calendars, the lunar Chinese new year calendar has names that are repeated every 60 years. Within the 'Stem-Branch' system is the shorter cycle of 12 years denoted by animals: 2010 is the Chinese year of the Tiger. In particular, this is the year of Gēng-yín 庚寅 (Metal Tiger). Gēng is the seventh of the ten celestial stems and Yín (Tiger) is the third of the twelve terrestrial branches, thus February 14th 2010 marks the year of the Tiger with its association to bravery. At the Chinese New Year red is important. People wear red clothes, they write poems on red paper, and give children 'luck money' in red envelopes. The symbolism behind the red color is fire, and fire burns off bad luck. As for fireworks one belief is that the cracker jacks and sparks frighten away evil spirits. After the fireworks at the beginning of the celebration of the Chinese New Year, comes the more tranquil Lantern Festival on the last day of the festivities. Most Lantern parades feature a dragon made of silk and bamboo. The dancers hold the monstrous dragon aloft on sticks. Their coordination skills make the dragon appear to dance. Amazing!

The red beach. Santorini, Grecce.

Santorini was for me a bit of a disappointment, just a postcard with too much tourism inside. The beaches are not abundant, and not easy to reach. I only found some curiosity at the Red beach. The red beach is one of the most famous and beautiful of the beaches ofthe island. It is located near the village and ancient site. Because it is smallish, the red beach gets quite busy. A number of people come onto the headland just to admire this beach and never make it down to the hot sand. The reason why it attracts so many people is because of the slabs of red and black volcanic rocks behind it. Indeed one walks from the car park over a rocky route before it comes into view. If you look along the rock you can see it gradually turn white and the next beach obtains its name from this. The sand itself is reddish black and painful to sit straight onto. There are thus a lot of sun loungers and shades. Just in front of the clear water is a corridor of large pebbles. You find on this beach that the sun seems to beat down particularly strong. The snorkeling is good here due to the interesting rocks. 
This place is only accessible by car and then by walking from the lot. It can also be reached by the sea, with caiques (small fishing boats which are used during the summer for transportation) that depart from the ports of Akrotiri and Fira. Just a funny place!

Azulejos Portuguese ceramic tiles. Tomar, Portugal

Tiles (called azulejos) are everywhere in Portugal. The azulejo (tile) is the most typical and widely used form of decoration in Portugal since the middle ages up to now. They decorate everything from walls of churches and monasteries, to palaces, ordinary houses, park seats, fountains, shops, and railway stations. The term azulejo comes from the Arabic word az-zulayj, meaning "polished stone." They often portray scenes from the history of the country, show its most ravishing sights, or simply serve as street signs, nameplates, or house numbers. Although they are not a Portuguese invention (the use of glazed tiles began in Egypt), they have been used more imaginatively and consistently in Portugal than in any other nation. They became an art form, and by the 18th century no other European country was producing as many tiles for such a variety of purposes and in so many different designs. Today, they still remain a very important part of the country's architecture. I took this photo in the first day of 2010 at Convent of Christ at Tomar. That is a good way to start the year. The famous window will come in another post.

Scenic River. Taman Negara, Malaysia

Taman Negara. Two words in Bahasa Melayu, the national language of Malaysia, which conjure images of giant green garden filled with exotic flowers and creatures. The word 'taman' means both 'park' and 'garden' in malay while 'negara' means 'nations'-together they translate simply as 'National Park'. Even though there are certainly many other national parks elsewhere in Malaysia, Taman Negara remains the patriarch of them all, with the pedigree to back it up. Taman Negara is indeed one the oldest rainforests in the entire world, estimated at 130 million years old. The abundance and diversity of nature is phenomenal in Taman Negara, one of the world's most complex and rich ecosystems. A veritable treasure of the planet! But, for me, the best part is to get there! The departure point to the park is the tinny village of Kuala Tembeling. Upon arrival at Kuala Tembeling Jetty, proceed to Wildlife Department counter for Park Entry Permit and Camera License registrations. Then you can buy a boat ticket to Taman Negara from authorized counter. I advice you to have a light lunch while waiting for your boat departure. There are some fruits shops. The boat journey will takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours and NO toilet break!! Make sure you go to the restroom before boarding the boat. After 2 1/2-3 hours scenic river view journey, you get to your last boat stop over. Make sure you left nothing because mostly the boat will return back to Kuala Tembeling. There's no bellman or porter service at the arrival point, so make sure you have proper backpack to carry your luggage. The river banks are made of big stones and we have to pass true difficult path ways from the jetty to land. Probably you have also to "climb-walk-climb-walk" start from the river bank until to the resort pick up point, or even walk direct to chosen resort. Some tips from who already experienced it.

Who like’s sushi? Tokyo, Japan.

I’m not writing in Tricky Traveler for a long time! Maybe because is winter and my traveling as been sleepy for the time. But the spring will arrive, and we will change it soon with some new projects. Today I remembered Tsukiji (pronounced tsu-kee-jee), the world's largest fish market in Tokyo Japan. Tsukiji is also the world's finest fish theater and a daily drama that you can witness for free. At 5 a.m., a few tourists were already ahead of us, squeezed into a roped-off aisle and surrounded by more than a hundred frozen tuna. The fish were laid out in neat rows on the floor of the chilly warehouse, giving off a faint frozen mist under the fluorescent lighting. We jostled for position and milled about excitedly, waiting for Tokyo's famous tuna auction to begin, and hoping for some good shots. Men in work shirts and rubber boots bent over the solid carcasses, inspecting them by lifting a three-inch flap of skin that had been neatly cut open on each one, or peering at the cut-off tail end with a flashlight. The weight of each fish was written in kilograms and at the same label we can read where it was fished, and how much it can cost. Even if you have only one day in Tokyo, you should spend part of the morning here. (It is closed on Sundays and some Wednesdays.) Seafood is at the heart of Japanese cuisine, and Tsukiji anchors a vast distribution system that delivers more than 2,200 tons of it every night. The immense bounty turns into daintily wrapped supermarket packages of two or three slices of perfect salmon or arrives at restaurant sushi counters by lunchtime. The market's operations are staggering. Throughout the night, the seafood arrives from all over the world, delivered by tankers and trucks from other ports and the airport. It is just fantastic! Can you now worth a bit more the sushi you have at the sushi bar at the corner!