What is this Bilderberg Group thing held on the third of June in Istanbul, Turkey? Luminaries attending included Henry Kissinger; Henry Kravis of KKR; Marie-Josée Kravis of Hudson Institute; Vernon Jordan; Etienne Davignon, Bilderberg Group President; Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, daughter of one of the founders, Prince Bernhard; and the King and Queen of Spain . The article I read raises question on whether there is going to be a One World Government where powers go to the hands of the chosen few. The idea seems scary enough, reminding me of this classic, Animal Farm.
Talking about Istanbul, I would rather travel back through time to December 2006 when I backpacked there with some friends, visiting among other places, Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, London among others.
Istanbul, once known as Constantinople, is dubbed as one of the great romantic cities in the world besides being Turkey's cultural heart. A sprawling city straddling the Bosphorus strait, this city boasts of the world famous Blue Mosque, sultan's harems and bargains in Kapah Carsi (Grand Bazaar).
Ah! Talk about being scared. During this trip, we stayed in a hostel where we met three young fellow Malaysians, engineering students in Germany who were there for their semester holidays. They were supposed to tour the whole of Turkey but unfortunately one of them lost his passport. Instead of visiting places of interests, like the archaeological site of Troy, a well known UNESCO World Heritage Site,
they had to instead take a bus to Ankara, the capital of Turkey to pay a visit to the Embassy of Malaysia.
Losing a passport is definitely a scary experience for any traveler especially one
who travels on his own!
Travel Tip: Take great care of your precious passport!