Tahiti on a Budget?

Tahiti conjures up images of azure seas and large expanses of coral and sealife. In one word: paradise. It's also quite remote and very expensive to reach, even if you live in New Zealand. And even after you've shelled out hundreds of US dollars for the return flight, the costs on the islands can be exorbitant. But according to Lonely Planet, it's possible to do French Polynesia on a budget. It's worth noting that the French Polynesian franc (XPF) is pegged to the euro at 1000 XPF = 8.38 EUR.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20120820-island-hopping-french-polynesia-without-breaking-the-bank

The "Is This Your Ring?" Scam in Paris

The approximate location where she tried to scam me.

If any Gypsy looking women come up to you holding a ring or jewelry that they magically found on the gruond and ask if it's yours...ignore them and walk away! Chances are that while you inspect the supposed "lost" property they'll pick your pockets clean. I was walking alone towards Les Invalides around 09:30 when a Gypsy lady walking towards me suddenly bent down within a metre of me and pretended to pick up a ring. Mind you, there wasn't anyone else around. She then walked towards me and tried to pretend like she suddenly found it but I just ignored her and walked on. Just 10 min earlier I saw a different lady try the same thing on someone else. 

The Traditional Cheese Market in Gouda

In Gouda, they still do things the old-fashioned way. Not only do the participants wear traditional outfits, they also do business the old way too through a process of negotiating while slapping each other's hands. I'm not sure what the history is behind the hand slapping but what I found most interesting is that they are actually doing business even though it all seems like a tourist gimmick. 

A Hippie Oasis in the Middle of Copenhagen

Imagine a place where everyone is chilled out. People are smoking weed or drinking beer everywhere you look. On benches, on the street, in cafes, next to the lake. It's all good. But this place actually exists and it's right in the middle of Copenhagen. Welcome to Christania. Established in the 1960's as a "free" city there are tenuous links to Copenhagen proper but this haven is entirely self-governing. There's Green Square where the dealers set up lemonade-stand like stalls to sell their wares and lined by cafes where one can sit and enjoy a blunt and some food or drink. There's the beautiful lakeside where you can sit on the grass, have a doobie, listen to some music, and soak in the fresh THC-tinged air. The whole place has a relaxed atmosphere and acts as the perfect counter-balance to the bustling city. But don't take any pictures anywhere near Green Square or you might meet some very unpleasant people. For more info: wikitravel.org/en/Copenhagen/Christiania

One of the few things you are allowed to photograph in Christiania.

The View from Aiguille du Midi at 3842m

For EUR 45 you can ride the Aiguille du Midi cable car in Chamonix and experience an incredible view of Mont Blanc from up close. After queuing for a bit, you are zipped up to 3842m. At the top there are several viewing platforms, a small cafe, and a gift shop. The views at the top are well worth the price. And judging from the hordes of tourists that ride it, the word is out.

Dutch Toilet Design Ethos: Admire your work?

A standard "Western" toilet has a bowl that is shaped like a funnel with a small pool of water (let's call this the outflow pool) at the bottom which is positioned close to the centre of the bowl. Or better yet, it's positioned close to where your poop will land. When flushed, water flows from top to bottom, pushing anything on the sides of the bowl to the outflow pool.

The "resting pool" is in the centre. 
Just imagine a giant pile of poop there.

The older style Dutch toilets, however, have a very peculiar shape. The outflow pool is at the very front of the bowl and there is a small platform with a small catchment of water (let's call this the resting pool) which dominates the bowl. The platform is positioned in exactly where your poop lands so that when you have a #2, all your excrement lands in the resting pool and stays there till flushed. Because the resting pool is so small, it's as if your poop is sitting on a pedestal so that you can admire your work. When flushed, most of the water comes from the back of the toilet to push whatever is in the resting pool to the outflow pool. I will admit, it's interesting to see your poop in a small pile rather than floating in water. I admired it before I flushed. Having it sit on the pedestal makes it look a lot more extravagant than when it's floating in the outflow pool. But if the Dutch do admire their work, they certainly don't talk about it. I, on the other hand, would definitely boast about the size of my dump from the previous day and how it looked on the shit pedestal. It was grand.