Summertime, When The Living Is Easy

PR Log (Press Release) – Jul 29, 2008 – Bad news is everywhere - from rising fuel prices, violence, environmental woes and silly celebrity gossip - and if you are not careful, you could end up being subsumed by negative feelings.

So this issue, the second half of July, we want to celebrate good news. It's summer after all and as William Carlos Williams says, "In summer, the song sings itself."

James Dent had another way of looking at summer: "A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken."

So the first piece of good news is that Georgetown in Penang has just been listed as a Unesco Cultural World Heritage Site.

What does this mean? Well, instant association in travellers' minds with Penang and heritage, and pride in the local community of their heritage and thus, increased awareness of the importance of heritage conservation.

Travellers familiar with the island know there's more to Penang than beach, food and nature. There's the heart of it - Georgetown with all its colour, charm and character, which was founded in 1786 as a base for the East India Company.

The new world heritage site comprises the old 18th-century town grid along the waterfront, as well as the surrounding historic and multicultural neighbourhoods. Well-known attractions include the Kapitan Keling Mosque, Khoo Kongsi and Sri Mariamman Temple.

Along with Penang, Melaka too has been listed. The heart of 'Old Malacca' is in the town square, with other architectural gems to be found along the waterfront and on St Paul's Hill - the site of the original Portuguese fort of A'Famosa and St Paul's Church.

As stated on the Unesco website, "With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia."

Mount Sanqingshan National Park in China was also listed on this year's natural World Heritage list. There are now 878 Unesco world heritage sites across 145 countries - 679 cultural, 174 natural sites and 25 mixed.

Then I came across a survey by Visa International on the top five 'must visit' destinations in Asia Pacific among people living in the region. Australia was ranked the number one 'must visit' destination, followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Japan and India. The survey asked more than 4,500 people from nine Asia Pacific countries for their preferences.

If they had asked me, my list would be Bhutan, India, Nepal, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Other good news:

   * The first direct commercial flights between Taiwan and China have taken off. More than 700 Chinese tourists arrived in Taiwan on the first direct commercial flights and they received good reviews from the Taiwanese media. "Many of the female tourists carried the latest designer bags, and quite a few strolled around Taipei in high heels," observed by China Times.

   * I got my visa to China and a ticket to the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

   * I then received an email from Silversea Cruises offering a two-for-one deal on its cruises in Europe, Mediterranean and Alaska for the summer/autumn sailings.


Ah, the thought of a summer in the Med where the light almost makes you weep with its beauty...

"Be like the flower, turn your face to the sun," said Kahlil Gibran.

If I were a flower, I'd be a sunflower.

Note: And, of course, don't forget the Golden Circle Summer Promotion - it's the best time to enjoy the wonderful, warm hospitality of Shangri-La at great value.