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Dallas Smith's Blog

India Blog #4 - Kerala

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This blog presents photos from one of India's most beautiful states, Kerala, home to tea plantations, houseboats, and Kathakali dance.

Singapore

A Unique City-State

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Singapore is a very small country located at the bottom of the Malaysian peninsula.  It has no natural resources.  Alli its food has to be imported.  As a financial center and trading center, Singapore is extremely successful.  Its citizens enjoy one of the highest median incomes in the world.  Singapore's citizens are 70% of Chinese ancestry.  Other ethnic groups include Malays, Indians, Thais, and more.  Enjoy the photo gallery of Singapore's rich urban landscape.

 

Kyoto Shinto Shrines

Visiting Shinto Shrines and Buddhist Temples

10/26/2023By Dallas Smith0: Seven Japanese Cities Visited on the Viking Cruise
 This gallery has a blog post attached
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Shinto is Japan's "native" religion, dating back at least two thousand years.  The Shinto temples in Kyoto date from the eighth century, when Kyoto was the most powerful city in Japan.

In Transit From Reno to Istanbul

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This is the first blog post of my current monthlong trip, comprised of a two-week Turkish tour, a few days in Jordan, and finally, ten days in Israel.

The Pyramids

World Cruise, April, 2022

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The Pyramids were constructed between 2600-2500 BC. That means that they are the oldest manmade structures in the world.

Celebrating My 50th High School Reunion

August, 2016

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I try not to think too much about the fact that I’ve reached that lofty milestone in age of having attended my fifty-year high school reunion. I graduated from Columbus High School in Columbus, Georgia, in 1966. My graduating class had around four hundred seventy. . .

Fifth Port of Call: Valparaiso, Chile

February 2022

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Chilean wines of world class quality tend to be less expensive than similar European wines due to Chile’s lower labor costs. 

Opera and Pandas

Shenzhen and Chengdu

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Chinese opera is a long-established unique Chinese cultural expression.  The stage and costumes are over-the-top.  The music is stunning...for non-Chinese an acquired taste.  

Pandas are China's cultural symbol of its diplomatic efforts to promote peace through cultural exchanges.  The US has hosted pandas on loan for many years, as well as pandas loaned to other countries.  They are so cute.  But we must remember that they are a species of bear.  They are not aggressive.  But they can be dangerous under certain circumstances.