Interview with a globetrotter #14

Greetings globetrotters! Well it’s most definitely a jungle out there as things both heat up and freeze solid to new levels, and things seem no less dramatic in the realm of world-wide politics (welcome to the GTG all our friends at ‘5 eyes’)… Far from ranting and preaching, allow me first to alleviate your suspense over the answers to last week’s quiz.

Q1) Ibiza, Menorca and Majorca are known as the Balaeric islands

Q2) O’Hare is the airport serving Chicago

Q3) The official language of Cambodia is Khmer

Q4) The flag shown belongs to the republic of South Africa (RSA)

Q5) The population of London is currently around 8.1 million

Q6) The Whistler Ski resort and village are situated near Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), Canada

Q7) The two countries separated by Iguasu falls are Argentina and Brazil

Q8) The landmark pictured was Edinburgh castle

Q9) The capital city of Ethiopia is Addis Ababa

Q10) The running of the bulls or Los San Fermines is held in Pamplona, Spain

Q11) The River Liffey is found in Dublin, Ireland

Q12) The country known for such curious museums as those dedicated to noodles and Salmon is Japan

Q13) Any number of Parisian attractions would have counted as answers to this question

Q14) The fictional fibre glass object was option (c), the big lamington

Q15) The animal pictured was a Kiwi bird which is the animal symbol of New Zealand

Congratulations to Abbey Coan who will receive her hand-written post card as promised 🙂

Well that brings us to our main course of business. Put your feet up and please warmly welcome our first Asian-based superstar to the GTG A-list!

Name: Naoko Miyahara

Age: 29

Home area: Kanagawa, Japan

GTG: Who do you like to travel with?

NM: Close friend(s). I prefer to travel in a small group.

GTG: What do you feel is different for Japanese travellers?

NM:  As it is difficult to take a long holiday, we tend to travel in a rush.

GTG: Do you have any advice for Japanese travellers?

NM: Forget about your job and enjoy 100% during the trip.

GTG: What food do you miss the most when you travel?

NM: Rice, ramen… my mum’s cooking.

GTG: How do you feel about using English when you travel?

NM: It’s much easier to speak English abroad. As Japanese language doesn’t work in foreign countries, it’s less stressful to use English.

GTG: What kind of places do you like to travel to?

NM: I like to visit places where I’ve never been.

GTG: What is the most useful thing you’ve learned from travel?

NM: To know the word “Thank you” in the local language. Or maybe “cheers” in the language helps to get close to the people I meet during the trip.

GTG: What your dream trip be like?

NM: My dream trip would be like visiting my friends all over the world, one by one.

GTG: What do you remember the most about a trip?

NM: The longest trip I’ve ever done was my stay in Dublin, Ireland. I was there for 2 years. It was my first time away from my family for such a long time. Things I’ve experienced, friends I met and everything there is memorable for me.

GTG: What do you like to take pictures of on a trip?

NM: The local scenery. Some points beside the main attraction(s) of that place.

GTG:  How do you choose a place to visit?

NM: 1. Follow my instinct. 2. Ask friends for advise 3. Search on the internet.

And so we reach the end of this week’s frivolities, please thank Naoko and let’s all learn one of her mum’s fabulous recipes (and a few words in Japanese) so we can make her feel at home when she visits 🙂 Till next week.