World on my postcards

  Singapore is one of my favorite places in the world, even though I've never been there.It's full of interesting facts. Everything in Singapore is unique. Singapore is a city state meaning the city itself is the country and its capital. In Singapore, fines are very high. Fine for spitting on the ground – is $ 500. Fine for smoking in public places – is $ 500. Throwing litter, such as scraps of paper – is a fine of $ 500. Penalty for leaving water in the saucer under the pot while the watering of the flowers – is $ 500 (water is attracts the mosquitoes).  in Singapore, the number of the vehicles is restricted artificially. To buy a car, you need a special permit for car (this permission is given for 10 years). This permit will cost about ten thousands dollars on auction. Then, you need to buy yourself a car which has import duty (41% of the cost). And finally, you need to pay a fee for putting on record – 140% of the value of the car. Thus, buying, for example, a ...

 Penang  is an island off the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is also the name of the Malaysian state which is made up of Penang Island and the facing strip of territory on the mainland called Seberang Perai (formerly Province Wellesley). Penang is also well known for being the "food paradise" of Malaysia. A sprawling hillside structure that is reputed to be the largest Buddhist temple in South-East Asia, with the Khmer/Thai/Chinese style Ban Po Thar (Ten Thousand Buddhas Tower) and various Buddha images in the main temple complex. During the Chinese New Year period, the temple is decorated with hundreds of lanterns which turns it into a night-time wonderland .

  Legong is one of Balinese dances that characterized by the intricate finger movements, complicated steps, expressive gestures and facial expressions and always did by females dancers. Its delicacy is heightened by the fact that is performed by richly costumed young dancers.   Legong dancers are always girls who have not yet reached puberty. They begin rigorous training at about the age of five. These dancers are regarded highly in the society and usually become wives of royal personages or wealthy merchants.

 The flame tree, also known as royal poinciana or flamboyant, is a member of the bean family and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful tropical trees in the world.This aptly named tree produces striking flame-like scarlet and yellow flowers in spring before the leaves emerge. This tree produces brown, woody seed pods that reach lengths of up to 60 cm, they turn reddish-brown to almost black when ripe (

 The Ruins of St. Paul's stands adjacent to the famous Mount Fortress and Macau Museum. The front façade and the grand stone stairs are the only remains of the greatest church.   First constructed in 1580, St. Paul's Church caught fires in 1595 and 1601. However, reconstruction started in 1602 soon after the church was burnt down. Completed in 1637, the church became the biggest Catholic Church in East Asia at that time.   Unfortunately, a violent typhoon hit Macau in 1835 and the church caught fire for the third time leaving its glory a history. According to historical materials, St Paul's Church, built with white stones, had a grand vaulted roof. It had three magnificently decorated halls.

 Once home to fishermen and farmers, modern Hong Kong is a teeming, commercially-vibrant metropolis where Chinese and Western influences fuse.  Hong Kong is governed under the principle of "one country, two systems", under which China has agreed to give the region a high degree of autonomy and to preserve its economic and social systems for 50 years from the date of the handover. In the 19th and 20th centuries Hong Kong's population was boosted by the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants from China, many of whom were fleeing domestic upheavals. Industrialisation gathered pace, and by the 1970s Hong Kong had become an "Asian tiger"; one of the region's economic powerhouses.

The Tuareg people inhabit a large area—almost all of the middle and western Sahara, as well as the north-central Sahel. In Tuareg terms, the Sahara is not one desert but many, so they call it Tinariwen ("the Deserts").  

 One of Poland’s most beautiful cities, Gdansk, on the Baltic Sea, has played major roles in history, especially in the 20th-century. It was the 1939 flash point of World War II, and then in 1980, the birthplace of the Solidarnosc labor movement, ushering the end of Communist domination in Eastern Europe. Gdansk’s Old Town, painstakingly reconstructed to its Hanseatic League glory after being leveled in World War II, is a highlight. The 14th-century Town Hall houses the city’s historical museum.

 Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. Hampshire has a long maritime history and two of Europe's largest ports, Portsmouth and Southampton, lie on its coast. The county is famed as home of such writers as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, as well as the birthplace of engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The current château of Azay-le-Rideau occupies the site of a former feudal castle. During the 12th century, the local seigneur Ridel (or Rideau) d'Azay, a knight in the service of Philip II Augustus, built a fortress here to protect the Tours to Chinon road where it crossed the river Indre. However, this original medieval castle fell victim to the rivalry between Burgundian and Armagnac factions during the Hundred Years' War. In 1418, the future Charles VII passed through Azay-le-Rideau as he fled from Burgundian occupied Paris to the loyal Armagnac stronghold of Bourges. Angered by the insults of the Burgundian troops occupying the town, the dauphin ordered his own army to storm the castle. The 350 soldiers inside were all executed and the castle itself burnt to the ground. For centuries, this fate was commemorated in the town's name of Azay-le-Brûlé (literally Azay the Burnt), which remained in use until the 18th century.

 Girls and women embroidering personal garments with intricate motives has a long tradition in Kalocsa. In the 19th century, this became an industry. The better off and aspiring Hungarian middle classes,. similarly to others in Europe, wanted nicely decorated garments and linen for themselves and their homes. Embroidery, cutwork and appliqué were favourite ways of making every-day garments more appealing. In the towns and villages around Kalocsa, the local folk motives were favoured. And so, from the 19th century, embroidery became a traditional employment for women in the Kalocsa region.

Situated on the banks of the Vltava river, the town was built around a 13th-century castle with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements. It is an outstanding example of a small central European medieval town whose architectural heritage has remained intact thanks to its peaceful evolution over more than five centuries.

 Taza Pir Mosque is a mosque in Baku, Azerbaijan. Its construction began in 1905 and was finished by 1914. Only 3 years after opening the mosque was closed in connection with the October Revolution in 1917.Over the years the mosque functioned as a cinema and a barn, and since 1943 to present day - as a mosque.   Interior of the mosque has an area of 1400 square meters and decorated with ornaments of painting schools of Azerbaijan plus with samples from eastern ornaments.

 Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region.The city is the scientific, cultural and industrial center of Azerbaijan. The city is renowned for its harsh winds. This is reflected in the city's nickname, the "City of Winds"

 The château of Azay-le-Rideau was built from 1515 to 1527, one of the earliest French Renaissance châteaux. Built on an island in the Indre River, its foundations rise straight out of the water. It is well-known to be part of the châteaux of the Loire valley.

  Colmar   is the third-largest commune of the Alsace region in north-eastern France. The town is situated along the Alsatian Wine Route and considers itself to be the "capital of Alsatian wine".The city is renowned for its well preserved old town, its numerous architectural landmarks and its museums.

 The Akha are an indigenous hill tribe who live in small villages at higher elevations in the mountains of Thailand, Burma, Laos, and Yunnan Province in China.They made their way from China into Southeast Asia during the early 1900s. Civil war in Burma and Laos resulted in an increased flow of Akha immigrants and there are now some 80,000 living in Thailand where they constitute one of the largest of the hill tribes.Many of their villages can be visited by tourists on trekking tour.

 Sabah’s rich cultural heritage can be seen through its wide array of traditional costumes, representing the respective tribes and districts.From magnificent tribal head-feathers with bark body-covers to antique gold-woven royal songket fabric, the array traditional costumes and textiles are stunningly diverse and colourful.