The Taj Mahal, one of the seven world wonders, an UNESCO world heritage site attracts curious tourist like me to discover "what's it all about". Located in AGRA, India, It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his favorite wife who died while giving birth to their 14th child. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in approximately 1648 with the best skilled mason, sculptors and artists of all the Persian world. It reflects the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. The focus of the Taj Mahal is its white marble walls and tomb for his wife. Like most Mughal tombs, the basic elements are Persian in origin consisting of a symmetrical building with an iwan, an arch-shaped doorway, topped by a large dome. Each stone has artistic carvings in perfect geometric symmetry. It is a masterpiece of artistic craftsmanship, virtually without precedent or equal.

This plant, the agave, grows well in the sandy soils of the Tequila Valley, a few kilometres west of Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco. I visited the distillation plant in the small town of Amatitan where the first production of tequila alcoholic drink was ever made. Its production was started in 1870 as a family venture, The Hacienda San Jose del Refugio de casa de Tequila Herradura. Even though, it has been bought by Jack Daniels, the same family, the descendants of Sergio Pena, still administers the quality production of tequila, known as the best in the world. Tequila is produced by removing the heart of the plant in its twelfth year, normally weighing between 35-90 kg. This heart is stripped of ITS spiky blue-teal leaves and heated to remove the sap, which is fermented and distilled. (In this photo the heart have been cut in half before boiling). Over 200 million plants of blue agave plants are grown in this region; it's unique in the world, named appropriately a world heritage by UNESCO in 2006. Cheers!

The Potola was used as a meditation retreat by King Songtsen Gampo, who in 637 built the first palace there in order to greet his bride Princess Wen Cheng. Located in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, it was the primary residence of the Dalai Lamas until 1959, when the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala (India) when the Chinese Red Army invaded Tibet. Today, the renamed "The Potola Palace" is a Chinese state museum, a popular tourist attraction and an UNESCO World Heritage site. This ancient architectural complex is considered a model of Tibetan architecture. Over the past three centuries, the palace gradually became a place where the Dalai Lama lived, worked, meditated and lead Tibetans in government and in Buddhism inspiration. On the last floor, lucky 13th, hang the photos of the past 13 Dalai Lamas; but not the present one, the 14th Dalai Lama. To visit the Potola, you must apply for a permit issued by the China government. If granted, you must join an organized tour group leaving Beijing.

Renting a motobike at $5/day was an ideal way of traveling especially for countryside pictures. I enjoyed going around the islands (Pulau) Langkawi and (Pulau) Tuba, stopping at small intimate restaurants, resting on the beach at even driving through the rice fields. On the average, it cost me $0.80 per day for gasoline. On a motobike, it's that freedom feeling which gives me the taste of I'll rent-one-again. Try it!