Deceptively Blonde

“Police were last night making arrangements with a mainland businessman to check whether HK$270 million of gold bullion he bought in Africa was genuine after part of the consignment was swapped with metal bars.

On Wednesday, Zhao Jingjun, 43, opened part of his shipment in front of his buyer in Hong Kong and discovered the gold had been switched for worthless metal.

A senior officer said it would be the city’s biggest heist in a decade if it was confirmed that all the gold had been stolen.

An initial inquiry showed Zhao purchased 998kg of gold bars from a company in Ghana in mid-April, police said.

The consignment, in 14 cases, was escorted by his staff and delivered from Ghana on a chartered flight late last month.

“Officers were told that his employee confirmed the cases contained the gold before it was loaded onto the chartered flight in Ghana,” a police source said.

The source said the employee left Hong Kong after the consignment was handed to the staff of a logistics company at Chek Lap Kok airport. It was then couriered to a Tsuen Wan warehouse.

The businessman arrived from Hebei province on Monday and checked into the Kowloon Shangri-La hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. On Wednesday, he had five of the cases couriered to his buyer’s Hung Hom office. Continue reading →

Tags: China, Crime, Gold, hong kong, Police, Theft

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Categories Interesting

Traveling Dreams: Burano, Italy

7 Jun

Places I Want to See

Burano is a small Venetian island in Italy, famous for its colorful layout and its artists-in-residence.

“Traumlichtfabrik” via Getty Images

Tags: Art, Dreams, Italian, Italy, Travel

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Categories Europe, Italy

Art I Love ~ Local Dance

7 Jun

“Local Dance” by Brooke

Tags: abroad, Art I Love, Culture, dancing, Photography, Travel

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Categories Bhutan

Don’t Be a Stranger: 5 Reasons to Chat Up the Person Next to You While Traveling

5 Jun

“Don’t Be a Stranger:

5 Reasons to Chat Up the Person Next to You While Traveling”

by Erica Bray via “Yahoo!Travel“

“A simple “Hello” can lead to spectacular things — especially while traveling. It’s a travel currency as valuable as the money in your wallet.

“Hello” led me to perform headstands on park benches in Beijing’s Temple of Heaven park, alongside an elderly Chinese man doing the same.

“Hello” led me to hang with a BBC producer documenting a local festival in Cuzco, Peru, and receive expert context from him about what I was witnessing.

“Hello” is what prompted a doppelganger for the Dos Equis “Most Interesting Man in the World” to split a bottle of red wine with me in Buenos Aires, Argentina, regaling me with heroic stories that may or may not have been true.

In short, you never know what amazing, unscripted adventure can happen as a result of being friendly with those around you. “Hello” (paired with a smile) is a universally understood greeting for “I’m open to learning about you.”

So often while traveling, I see people stick to themselves — solo travelers reading in solitude, couples that only have eyes for each other, friends laughing together in closed circles. I can only hope that they don’t spend their entire vacation that way.

Next time you find yourself in one of these scenarios, consider the amazing memories you could be making by engaging the humanity around you. Of course, first follow your intuition on whether it’s the type of person or people with whom you wantto engage. Safety comes first. My advice: If curiosity and intuition suggest “Yes,” then invite the conversation.

Here’s how “Hello” helped me chart some amazing travel experiences and can also inspire the same for you. It’s as basic as this: Don’t be shy.

Unique cultural experiences

Some of the most authentic cultural experiences aren’t offered in pre-booked tours. It takes befriending locals and earning the invitation. While backpacking India, friends and I said “Hello” to a local sadhu, or holy man, who lived under a giant Shiva statue along the Ganges River. He smiled back at us and waved us into his humble home, where we learned how to make . . . .