iVienna

In a couple of weeks time my wife and I will be leaving on the trip of a lifetime: a six month tour of Asia.  We’ve dreamed of this for many years, and finally we have enough money and free time to enjoy it properly (if only we’d been able to say the same 20 years ago).

The holiday will begin in Beijing, a city I’ve visited several times.  I’m not a fan of Beijing, to be honest, but it’s a handy hub to fly into from our home.  We’ll spend three or four days in the city, perhaps visiting the Great Wall a couple of hours to the north, before getting a train down to Hong Kong and, from there, a flight to Bangkok.  

Now Bangkok I like.  I’ve always been a big fan of the Thai people, and as a much younger man I lived for a while in the city of Chiang Mai up in the north. Friendly folk, great food and even better prices.  What more could you possibly ask for?

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From Thailand we’ll go on to Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and possibly Vietnam (if we feel we have the time).  I just can’t wait.

I always dread these final days before you leave on a big trip, though.  It’s the time you realise that you’ve forgotten something vital, and the final few days before the flight is always spent in a mad dash around the shops to pick up those last minute bits and pieces.  On this trip there was just one thing I’d forgotten: a cheap nose trimmer.

Here at home I use something called a Groom Mate, and it’s quite simply the best nose hair trimmer I’ve ever used.  The Groom Mate is fully manual.  It doesn’t need batteries or mains power – you simply stick it up your nose and rotate the base, and the protected safety blades do the job in a matter of seconds.  It’s an astounding piece of kit, and so simple.

I don’t really want to take it with me, though.  The Groom Mate wasn’t expensive, so I’m not concerned about losing it, but this thing has been serving me well for almost ten years now and I’d hate to break the streak now by leaving it behind in some Thai hotel bathroom (I’m astoundingly forgetful).  

So, I’m on the hunt now.  I’ve spent the last couple of hours looking through a list of the 5 bestselling nose hair trimmers according to Amazon customers.  I know it’s not a big thing, but if I’m handing myself over to Asia for six months I want to be in control as much as possible.  If that means going crazy for a day searching for the best nose hair trimmer money can buy… well, so be it.

Usually when we think of carnivals we think of New Orleans and the well known Mardi Gras, however this is not the only place where there is a famous carnival. A lesser known carnival, but one that certainly is spread through out the country, occurs in Germany each year. It is a bigger event than Halloween, and people dress up similarly with carnival costumes ranging from pirates, Jack Sparrow being a particular favourite, to cowboys and Indians. Children and adults alike will dress up and there are many parades around the country.

if you are thinking of going on holiday to Europe then this might be one of the places that you choose to go. There is a great atmosphere, and you will be welcome to share in the quaint traditions that the German people have. So if you like the whole Halloween dressing up, and also like to be in a party atmosphere then why not consider it.

You will have to arrange your trip early, if there is a particular place that you would like to go and stay as people will travel to certain larger towns to celebrate. This will mean that there will not be so much accommodation free for tourists.