Travel Guide - ThePointsOfLife

What’s Coooler than Bein’ Cool? Mongolia!

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August 29, 2014

What’s Coooler than Bein’ Cool? Mongolia!

What’s cooler than bein’ cool? The answer for our old joke used to be ‘Canada’. Today, that answer has changed to Mongolia. While the frigid winter is still a couple of months away, it’s official that moving here was the right decision. I’ve been here for a month now and let me tell you that Mongolia, yes Mongolia, is the next frontier, the Wild East, the Caliph of Clout…the Great Bambino. Scratch that, the great Chinggis Khan. Entrepreneurial opportunities, the chance to ride small horses, and Asia right at my doorstep confirm that I, to this point, made the right gamble to leave the desert of Arizona for the ice age of the Gobi. As much as I’d like ramble on, I have a date with a fresh brew and possibly an appointment at M1NT. Happy Friday, my cubicle dwellers!

a castle with a clock tower on the water — There is a castle on a cloud.

#5: Pho-sters, Australian for Beer

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August 28, 2014

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Sydney, Australia is one of those places everyone wants to visit. Sydney is famous for all sorts of things: The Sydney Opera House, Bondi Beach, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. But I went down under for a more noble cause; I was in search of great pho.

That isn’t entirely true. I wanted to get my picture in front of the Opera House too.

After arriving at the Park Hyatt Sydney, my friend and I went off to explore the city. After a night of being distracted by the revelry of the infamous area known as Kings Crossing, divine intervention stepped in, reminding me why I was in Australia in the first place.

moscow only one left — None of these places made the Top 10 Pho List

This sign was a sign that I needed to focus on the mission at hand. I was not in Australia to party, to surf, or to play tourist. I was there for broth, noodles, rare beef, little tiny onions, and fresh cilantro. Yet the next morning I woke up and immediately forgot about the pho mission, opting for yet another day at the beach.

20131217_232108 — Pho-get it dude, let’s catch some waves

That evening, my friend and I proceeded to go out again, only this time I was refused entry into the bar because I did not have my ID. Annoyed, I headed back down George Street towards my hotel questioning if tourists should really have to carry identification while on holiday (I thought only the US has such a draconian policy). Before I could contemplate an answer, destiny intervened in the form of three letters: P-H-O. Knowing my friend was waiting for me with no cell phone, I did the only thing any prudent pho master would do: I crossed the street, entered the restaurant, and said, “Table for one please.” The aroma of fresh broth overtook me as I fell back in love with pho for the very first time. My stomach was empty, my bowl was full, and my thoughts incoherent. The last thing I can remember before blacking out from flavor is adding the scientifically perfect amount of sriracha and hoisin.

When I came to, it was morning, I was back at the Park Hyatt, and my friend was unreasonably upset. Unrepenting, I stared out my balcony off into the horizon, congratulating myself: Good on ya, mate, job well done.

Put Some Hot Sauce on My Burrito Baby! The World’s Best Hot Sauce

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August 27, 2014

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“How’s it going in Mongolia?” everyone asks with some sarcasm. Here is what I have found out thus far: 1. I found an apartment after being featured on House Hunters International: Ulaanbaatar. 2. I found a way to watch the NFL and college football. 3. I found a sustainable diet. 4. I found out that I’m not an illegal. 5. I found the best places to get [Mongolian] BBQ. 6. I found out there’s no substitute for great hot sauce. And in honor of point #6, it is only fitting that I put together a list of the world’s best hot sauce, not only a staple of the diet found in point #3 but also the only thing you will consistently find in my fridge that is otherwise empty. Interestingly enough, the list could be limited to North America but I’ll use the word world because it’s got more spunk. The pairing of hot sauce much like pairing of wine requires a delicate palette, a sharp nose, and keen sensibilities. Far too often people confused hot for fire, playful for pungent, and price for perfection. I am the expert of all things hot sauce (as I am of all things pho) because I can appreciate the subtlety of the above while saving myself from problems later down below. Having said all that, here is the absolute top 7 hot sauces in all of the world.* *Los Betos green and red sauces are excluded because they’re only one component of a glorious dining experience. 7. Taco Bell Hot Sauce: Starting off the hot sauce list with Taco Bell at number 7 is controversial for many reasons. First, Taco Bell hot sauce is only good on Taco Bell. So if you are some sort of heretic and do not like Taco Bell you will be turned off from my list from the outset. Next, I specifically designated Taco Bell’s Hot Sauce, not Fire, or Mild as my go to hot sauce. Mild has no flavor and Fire, although I can tolerate all things spicy, gets to be too much when for my usual $15 Taco Bell order. 6. Valentina: Valentina comes in a number 6 not because it’s necessarily better as a hot sauce than Taco Bell’s on a Volcano Burrito (please bring those back) but because of its versatility as a substitute. Here in Mongolia, I have relied on Valentina to add zest to my chicken and broccoli while not breaking the budget on my preferred MacGyver hot sauce, better known as Tabasco. 5. Sriracha: Sriracha edges by Valentina because it has a distinct flavor and the spice that us hot sauce lovers can’t get enough of. Sriracha starts of mildly baiting us to squeeze a little more into our delicious bowl of pho then calls us out for questioning its machismo with that sudden burst of fire. My issue with Sriracha is that it has needless sugars and isn’t as ambidextrous as others on this list. Don’t get it twisted, the rooster is still a classic and has no substitute. Imagine, pho with Taco Bell Fire sauce. Gross! 4 Cholula: Oh, Cholula. I love you dearly. Your zip, your zap, your gusto make you unlike any sauce on this list. While you are not caliente like your rivals, you do stimulate my loins like no other women can. Perfect with eggs, imperative for BBQ, and the clear favorite for home made tacos, Cholula will bring you much pleasure throughout the night. Be careful, she tends to get quite expensive if you are keen on overindulging in her splendor.

Too much Cholula leads to fiesta at El Hefe

3. Louisiana “The Original” Hot Sauce: Wings, wings, wings. “This bar has the best wings!” How many times have you heard that line? I love chicken wings and can eat them until I pass out (as was the case at Brother Jimmy’s BBQ in Brickell, Miami). But, no matter where I go and no matter how many times I hear that same guarantee, there is no better foundation for great wings than Louisiana Hot Sauce. Add your peppers, add your seasoning, just don’t forget to add Louisiana.

The only drawback of great Louisiana is when it is paired with inferior ranch. 2. Tabasco: Enough said.

1. Frank’s Red Hot: Why isn’t there a Costco in Mongolia! I need that gigantic gallon of Frank’s now. Even stateside, I never understood why the local grocery store sold those dinky bottles of Frank’s. They would last for maybe breakfast before I was back at the store looking for more. Frank’s is the king because it goes well with everything: In need of a starvation diet before the beach? Dip celery stalks in Frank’s. Egg whites for breakfast not motivating you for a hard day’s work? Frank’s and some pepper will wake you right up. Cans of tuna making you nauseous? Frank’s and broccoli to the rescue. Seriously, try drowning it in a tub of Frank’s. Not enough money to season that prime cut of beef? Frank, Frank, Frank. Did I mention Frank’s with pizza?

Thirsty? Frank’s!

So there you have it. The best hot sauces in the world. For all of you living in North America, do me a favor, the next time you reach for water to put out that fire from combining sauces one through seven, put the bottle down and ride out the experience. Remember there are people in the world starving for that flavor. Put some hot sauce on my burrito baby! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGa-QTAVlVQ

Barely Legal: An American in Mongolia

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August 26, 2014

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Dictator, billionaire, NBA star seemed like plausible career possibilities when I was growing up. My dreams of being an Arab Isaiah Thomas were dashed when I was cut from the elementary basketball team, a detail you can read more about in my book which has received another glowing review. Left with 2 paths that could merge into one, I am still on my original quest to cement a name for myself beyond ‘points guru‘. Today, I took a small step towards realizing that goal in a most unexpected way; I received my residency card from my new host country, Mongolia. It’s one thing to backpack through SE Asia for a couple of months or live the expat lifestyle for a semester, it’s quite another to be a legal resident of another country. Looking at my new ID, what else can I say besides, “Yup, I live in Mongolia!” The travel adventures will continue, my plans for world domination have not subsided but really who would’ve thought it would route through here? 800 years ago another man also had these lofty ambitions. So maybe I’m not that crazy.

BBQ Without Borders

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August 25, 2014

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Dear Mel, In April of 2014 I received the bad news that you and the evil empire better known as the HOA had decided to ban all BBQs in my condo complex. With that unconstitutional notice, you took away joy and happiness of which you will never know. Obstinately, I tried to hold onto my BBQ by having roasts in the middle of the night. Your posse comitatus managed to raid these secret cook-outs and slapped a final injunction on my Weber with the caption: get rid of the grill or pay the fine. Even with that heartless notice, I tried to rally my neighbors against you and your obtuse ways. Alas, I had no choice but to put the BBQ up for sale, hoping that someone would take it away and restore it to the days of BBQ greatness. Now, thousands of miles away, I still think of what you did to me. My anger has subsided as I have entered a world where BBQ is not only welcomed but embraced. Here in Ulaanbaatar, I have had BBQ of all types: Korean to Uzbek, Mexican to Mongolian. All of it delicious and all available come street or saloon.

I’ve put the local authorities on notice in case you do try to impose your reign of terror on the Democratic BBQ of Mongolia. Know that this time around it’s going to take a lot more than a notice from the HOA to put this fire out. Yours truly, Alexander Master Griller and Attorney at Law

Are You Ready for Some Football? An Expat’s Survival Guide for American Deportes

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August 24, 2014

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It’s finally here! College football begins next weekend and the NFL a week after. But, when you live overseas certain sacrifices/adjustments have to be made to stay on top of your game. My apartment in Mongolia has satellite TV and it’s even in HD! I was surprised to find HBO and more excited to hear the ‘dum dum dum dum dah duhhh, dum dum dum dum dah duhhh” of Fox Sports as I flipped through the channels. Could it be, the NFL in HD in English without trying to find a choppy stream on the Internet? No, it could not be. Fox uses the same jingle to broadcast soccer games and one of the other sports channels has the audacity to use the slogan ‘Monday Night Football’ for a game of rugby. While the sports channels do show a lot of baseball, the chances of an NFL game let alone a college football game being broadcast are very slim. Furthermore, add in a twelve hour time difference, and it may be easier to become an Aussie rules football fan and forget American sports all together. Luckily for me, years ago, I purchased a Slingbox and have seen the evolution and devolution of this technology as time has passed. It used to be that the Slingbox was not in HD but I could still watch it on my Blackberry with my unlimited international data plan. Before, I could be out at midnight and not miss a Umich football game. Now, the quasi HD stream has improved but the availability on smartphones because of the high data usage has made it more difficult for it to be enjoyed on the go. Furthermore, I’ve noticed more choppiness if I seek higher picture quality. But instead of continuing to complain and give up completely, I’ve learned to adjust. To save you the headache of missing sports whether you are on the road for a few days or whether you are moving away for good, I am publishing this guide so you don’t have to watch the Atari-esque ESPN Gamecast. Step 1: Purchase a Sling box. For those of you who don’t know, a sling box is an adapter that plugs into your existing cable/satellite receiver and allows you to watch TV,and your DVR from anywhere you have broadband/fast mobile data. It’s just like watching for home and it’s a one time cost of buying the box. It’s quick to setup and by far the best solution for anyone who travels. If you have Dish you can get a box for $30 but the features are limited compared to purchasing one from Sling directly. Step 2: Sign up for a VPN. Sometimes the Sling box fails me. Either the picture is crap making the players look like popcorn from the original Tecmo Bowl or the dumb Dish receiver says, “Receiver not responding. Power it off from the source and try again.” Thanks, but I’m 7000 miles away. When Sling does not work, the natural inclination is to go on ESPN and watch the live stream. Great strategy until you receive another blue screen of death that says, “Content not available in your area.” The way around this is to sign up for a VPN (virtual private network) which allows you to change the location of your IP from your current location of Ulaanbaatar to, San Francisco, for example. After logging into your VPN, you can now watch ESPN and even HBO GO! A VPN was necessary when I lived in China to access sites like Facebook which is routinely blocked. Personally, I paid for a premium VPN called WiTopia which was fast, private, and reliable. Step 3: Shut Off Communication with the Outside World Now, you have access to your favorite sports but keep in mind the time difference may be extreme. Michigan games usually start at noon which is Saturday at midnight in Asia. Do you sacrifice your Saturday nights throughout college football season to stay in and watch sports? Obviously yes, if it is Umich versus the loathsome team from Ohio. Probably not, if we are playing Rutgers. At the same time, if you have to work on Monday, it will be difficult to watch the late NFL game and be in any shape to get stuff done in the office the following day. The only work around of living in the future is to cut off communications with everyone. The annoying people who give play-by-play updates on social media, the people who like to mock you when your favorite team loses will ruin all your efforts to enjoy sports abroad if you do not do so. Shut them off, come home, and watch football on your own terms. Perhaps the reason to cut off all social media should extend beyond sports buts that’s an entirely different post. Step 4: Pick a Football Team Do you love the agony of the Wolverines losing or the frustration of another Lions defeat? Isn’t it especially crushing when you watch it at a sports bar live with that token Ohio State hater somehow always there even though it’s Michigan vs. Iowa. That camaraderie won’t be the same if you are talking trash twelve hours after watching a recording of your football game. So to keep your reputation as a loud mouth at the sports bar, I recommend picking a new football team, a European one. Soccer is the universal sport and if you thought those USC fans were annoying, wait till you encounter some from Man U. Also, picking a soccer club allows you to watch the game at home without dealing with steps 1-3. Step 5: Watch It Live Take note of where you live and get out of the house! Sure the Big House isn’t moving to Mongolia but there are plenty of local sports here with fierce competition and tradition. Mongolia’s wrestling, horse-racing, and archery dates back thousands of years making the oldest football trophy in college sports, the Little Brown Jug, a modern marvel. Another advantage of watching an event live is that you don’t have to hear the annoying commentary of Joe Buck, Chris Collinsworth, or Doris Burke, by far the worst sportscasters in my opinion. So there you have it, whether you are on the road for the weekend or out of the country for awhile, fear not, the orchestra of ESPN’s Monday Night football is as audible as ever. Are you ready for some football! Go Blue!

C n B: An Expat’s Guide to Eating Healthy

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August 23, 2014

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C n B is famously known among my friends as the acronym for my staple diet, chicken and broccoli. Add in egg whites and you’ll be ready for the douche-baggery of a summer Las Vegas pool party. But what happens if you move to Mexico, Prague, Shanghai, or, perhaps, Mongolia? What do you when your C n B seems impossible to find. I’ve lived in all those places and have found myself hoping for a Costco or worst case, a Sam’s Club. Mexico did have a Sam’s Club but it proved cheaper and tastier to skip the C n B for Tacos Manolos and have carne asada beef, lime, and avocado. In Prague, I said forget the diet because there was too much great beer to drink. With all the pizza and sambuca that I could stomach and the occasional Big Mac eating contest it was imperative to work off the excess calories by running up and down one of the world’s longest escalators at my metro stop. Because I lived in Shanghai off and on for a year, I knew that eating chao fan and xiao long bao on a daily basis was not sustainable. I coughed up a few extra yuan for cans of tuna (a worthy, easy substitute for chicken) and went to City Shop (the expat grocery store) for fresh broccoli. Cuidado, Frosted Flakes cost $15 at City Shop so adapt to local breakfast or get robbed. And where to get egg whites before an impromptu trip to Boracay, Philippines? The local gym sold already peeled hard-boiled eggs for 15 cents an egg! That was heavenly. Which brings me to Mongolia, a country with no McDonald’s, no Starbucks, but it does have a KFC. While fast food is clearly the anti C n B, the absence of Western restaurants make the prospect of finding Western foods in the grocery store less probable. Indeed, the first couple of weeks here I thought I would have to become a Vegan. Then with some hard work, a bit of luck I discovered the Costco of Ulaanbaatar, the store called Mercury. Mercury is half farmers’ market, half swap meet. Rumors of price-fixing against foreigners run rampant and the selection from one stall to another is random. After walking around taking pictures and doing a price check with my Amazon bar code scanner, i.e., asking every vendor, how much is Tabasco, I managed to find everything I needed to get me back on C n B. Only time will tell how bad I was robbed today because my bargaining skills for food are not as refined as they were for bags’a’watches in Shanghai. But, at least I won’t have to eat that pig’s head.

The Flag of the Times

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August 22, 2014

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unnamed — Sükhbaatar Square: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 08/22/2014

President Xi JinPing visited Mongolia yesterday, the first visit by a Chinese President since 2003. Although the two countries share a common border, their relationship has been anything but communal. The tumultuous history between China and Mongolia dates back hundreds of years to the construction of the Great Wall erected to ward of Mongolian attacks. While this relationship is improving to some degree, there is still trepidation between these two nations. It is no secret that Mongolia is literally sitting on a gold mine, and a copper mine, and a coal mine. Development of the mines and extraction of the resources was at an all time high in 2012 until the Mongolian government passed legislative measures that scared off foreign investors. Since then the Mongolian currency, the Tugrik has depreciated 25%, the GDP, once growing at a faster pace than China’s, has cooled, and much of the economy has stalled. Facing financial instability a weak current account, a highly criticized monetary policy, and a depletion of foreign reserves, the near future of Mongolia is precarious, to say the least. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), once the bailout bank for struggling economies, is not receiving a red carpet welcome to assist Mongolia in putting its financial house in order. The IMF doesn’t have the greatest track record for taking a dire situation and turning it into positive so it is somewhat understandable that Mongolia would choose to explore other avenues to get back to its blistering economic expansion. IMF or not there is a need for austerity measures especially because the maturity date for the Mongolian Chinggis Bond is right around the corner in 2017. It’s anyone’s guess how or if these payments can or will be made. In 2005 Argentina had a similar problem trying to restructure their debts that were in default. Flash-forward to the present day and Argentina is still trying to maneuver their way through the mess. The short term prognosis for Mongolia is equally as bleak unless a sound, sustainable economic strategy is put into place. Otherwise the alternative “When there’s nothing left, when you can’t borrow another buck from the bank or buy another case of booze, you bust the joint out. You light a match.” Or you can look to your rivals from the North and from the South, let bygones be bygones, accept their help today for an incalculable cost tomorrow. It certainly is a flag of the times.

The Maldives Seaplane: Luxury for the Working Class

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August 21, 2014

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The Maldives Seaplane: Luxury for the Working Class

The Maldives Seaplane is part of the Trip Report: The $77,000 Trip Heard Round the World which covers 5 Continents, 13 Countries, and 17 Cities.

Find the nerdy planning here. Find the picture preview here.

Would you ever pay $500 for a flight that has no set time for departure, lasts only 45 minutes, and is piloted by a barefoot captain? What if I added that the plane only holds 16 people and takes off and lands in water?

If you are headed to an exotic resort in the Maldives then you have no choice but to come aboard the Maldives seaplane. While weather delays and other nonsense excuses given both by the airplane company and by the resorts make the journey of arriving in paradise frustrating, rest assured that a flight aboard a Maldives seaplanes comes equipped with an excellent safety record.

I arrived at the Conrad Rangali Maldives lounge at the seaport waiting to experience the dream of one of the most sought after destinations in the world, an oasis in the heart of the Indian Ocean. Across the water from the seaport was the populous capital island of Malé. Malé is only 2.239 sq. miles in size but has a population of over 100,000, making it one of the most densely populated places in the world.

Visitors to the Maldives should stay on Malé for one night to rest up from what’s more than likely an arduous journey to the Maldives and also to take the first seaplane in the morning to their resort island. Otherwise, as is the case many times, the seaplane will be delayed and instead of lounging in your private bungalow, you will find yourself at the airport lounge calculating how much money you are losing each minute on a trip that, with or without points, still costs a small fortune.

After one night at a hostel, I took the ferry back to the seaport and luckily my Maldives seaplane was departing on time. We received the safety instructions from our pilot and a set of earplugs which were unnecessary. Momentarily wondering if I had hopped on a Southwest Airlines 737, I was confused when the pilot announced that this would not be a direct flight. I wasn’t irritated by the news because I was on my way to paradise and I was able to participate twice in the takeoff and landing which was a nifty experience.

Maldives is comprised of 26 atolls and 1,192 islands, making the journey the most scenic flight I have or will ever take. All passengers have their heads pressed to the window trying to capture some postcard photos while wondering what they did to deserve this.

For most, staying at a private bungalow is the height of indulgence. Most bungalows walk right to the ocean and some even have Jacuzzis on the relaxing sun deck with only nature observing whatever you choose to do. However, for one individual that was not enough, so he chose to rent out three islands for himself for a month. Unfortunately, I was a few points short of a billion to do that. That distinction belonged to the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who spent $30,000,000 for a month long stay with his 100 bodyguards, floating hospital, and luxury yacht. Tourists who originally booked at the same resort were upset when their reservations were cancelled without notice. But they aren’t royalty! Your little goat herder makes your reservation look like a welfare case! And now back to my peasant flight.

Crown Prince or not, it was a memorable experience.

<==Back to Conrad Maldives Lounge – Onto Conrad Maldives Resort==>

Lord of the Bling: The 10 Tallest Towers

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August 20, 2014

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Skyscrapers serve a useful purpose as hotels, office space, and lookout observatories. But, let’s be honest, these buildings were constructed to serve a higher purpose- to show off. Traveling to big cities throughout the world, I have had the opportunity to see many of these architectural marvels from below, from above, and from the side. Apart from being awestruck as to how they were constructed, I have taken note of the tall tales that cement their legendary status. Here is the list for the ten tallest buildings in the world and some stories of intrigue and controversy that surround them. Number 10 & 9: The Petronas Towers The Petronas Towers, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is an excellent place to start my survey of the world’s tallest buildings because they are the tallest twin towers in the world. The towers gained their notoriety, at least for me, after that silly movie Entrapment starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones. The Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir (not the one from Zoolander) authorized construction of the towers on a former horse race track. The building was meant to symbolize the modernization of Malaysia and its emergence on the world stage as a significant economic player. Indeed, its chief occupants, Petronas, a Malaysian oil and gas company, is one of the largest corporations in the world. The shadow cast by these imposing towers on the city of KL hides the fact that 60 percent of the country still lives on less than $1,600 a month. While there is a stronger emerging middle class in Malaysia in comparison to other countries in SE Asia, the disparity of wealth between the rich and the poor is significant. Add in all the rats and cockroaches running around the city and it seems like the tactic of constructing these edifices is for visitors and onlookers alike to gaze up at the towers in lieu of the reality of what is happening at their feet. Number 8: The International Commerce Centre I arrived by bus from Shenzhen, China to Kowloon, Hong Kong to take the TurboJet to Macau. Exiting the taxi I looked up, strained my neck, and saw a fixture of the Hong Kong skyline, the International Commerce Centre. Hong Kong has a distinct and unmistakable aura. Maybe it comes from the cinema, maybe it’s because of Bruce Lee, or perhaps it’s because of the criminal underworld, but there’s something sexy about saying the words Hong Kong. This appeal is personified by the Ritz Carlton, especially in the Ozone bar, located on the 118^th floor of the world’s eighth tallest building. The view from above is just as striking as the view from below, making it worth shelling out the exorbitant cost/applying for the Chase Ritz card for a night on top of the town. Again, as was the case in Kuala Lumpur, the architecture of the city entrances visitors to focus on what man can do and ignore the limitations of what man has not done-provide affordable housing. While luxury high rise apartments provide the glitz and glamour lifestyle as portrayed on the silver screen, many Hong Kong inhabitants, both legal and illegal, live in squalor. Number 7: Shanghai World Financial Center My favorite building on this list is the Shanghai World Financial Center for many reasons:

It is located in my favorite city in the world.
It is beautifully designed and spectacularly lit up at night.
It is home to the one of a kind Park Hyatt perched on the 90^th floor (a resort I stayed at in June 2014).
It has a great story.

Fortunately, the story I will tell of this man-made wonder is not depressing and relates to the change of its original design from a circular top to its final look, a rectangular display. Legend has it that the one of the principal investors was Japanese and had cleverly advocated for the circular design so when the sun shined through the opening it would resemble the Japanese flag rising over the city of Shanghai. The clear connotation that Japan could cast its dominance over China by way of the tallest building in the country at the time was more than off putting, leading to a design change and the likeness of a bottle opener seen today.

Number 6: Taipei 101 Taipei 101 is my least favorite skyscraper. It is architecturally as appealing as the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai and the story behind its name is as nerd as it gets. Perhaps that was their intent as the name 101 was accordingly chosen to celebrate technology via binary coding 1-0-1. How academic. Furthermore, the building name is supposed to symbolize perfection and hope. What’s better than 100? 101. How uninspiring and forced. Finally, on a positive note, the name symbolizes a century gone by and new century on the horizon. That’s hopeful but it doesn’t excuse naming what was once the world’s tallest building after a freshman course in college.

Number 5: CTF Financial Centre All I know about this building is that it is located Guangzhou and is under construction. The only anecdote I can share about Guangzhou is that the first airport I went to while moving to China was Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. What a mess! Number 4: One World Trade Center

At this point I have to say that the original World Trade Center is my favorite group of buildings of all time. The beauty was in their simplicity and timelessness of their design. Following the tragic events of September 11^th, 2001, architects put in proposals from all over the world to reconstruct the site. The winner was Daniel Libeskind whose original design was both creative and captivating. Unfortunately, his original proposal was altered and we are left with the bland building we see today. Instead of letting Libeskind’s work speak for itself, his design was changed, the building was named the Freedom Tower by Governor Pataki, and the only remnant of his genius was the height of the building- 1776 feet. Alas, even the twisting design of this spire to attain this symbolic height was altered.

Number 3: Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel This list continues to have a cynical tone as we arrive at the Makkah Royal Clock Tower Hotel in Saudi Arabia. Scratch that, the overwhelming majority of us will not see the meek imitation of Big Ben because it is extremely difficult to visit Saudi Arabia. Unless you are there for work, managed to obtain a transit visa, Americans (not sure about the visa rules for other countries) are not allowed to go to Saudi Arabia without an invitation. Number 2: The Shanghai Tower Conspiracy is back again at number 2 with the Shanghai Tower. Is it a coincidence given the Japanese folklore of the World Financial Center that the Shanghai Tower built next door not only dwarfs its rival but also obstructs the view of the Huangpu River? I think not. But I do think it is a sight to behold on what is the most beautiful skyline in the world.

Number 1: Burj Khalifa

100_2165 — Under construction when I visited in 2009

And now for my favorite story, the story of a man named Khalifa and a tower originally named Dubai. Sheikh Khalifa is the President of the United Arab Emirates and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Dubai is an emirate within the UAE and a rival with Abu Dhabi. Dubai has Emirate Airlines one of the best in the world so Abu Dhabi built up Etihad Airways. Dubai has incongruent, futurama architecture, so Abu Dhabi responded with the same. Abu Dhabi has the Grand Prix, Dubai has pros playing tennis on a helipad. Dubai has manmade islands, Abu Dhabi has some too.

This is all in keeping with the theme of the Middle East: Anything you can build, I can build bigger.

Then came the financial crisis and the consequences of irrational exuberance- bankruptcy. Dubai was going broke and the only way out was to ask Abu Dhabi for some help. Abu Dhabi proposed that Dubai sell its signature Emirates Airlines, an offer that was rebuffed by Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Knowing Dubai was too big to fail (pun intended), Abu Dhabi finally agreed to provide a bailout. The cost? The name of the tallest building in the world, a building that has a spire of unknown length that can be extended if a rival dares to build higher, a building that was the crowning achievement for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, would have to be changed from bearing the namesake of Dubai to forever being called Khalifa. With that it was game, set, match on this rivalry.