全通翻譯/翻譯社

Baimiwong Fort

Compared to the other historic forts in the area, Baimiwong is relatively small. However, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in breathtaking views. Featuring long-standing gun emplacements and rolling green hills, the Qing Dynasty fort is also an ideal site to watch fishing boats heading to Keelung Islet or huge cargo ships departing from Keelung Harbor. On the left side of the fort you will see three enormous chimneys extending from a thermal power plant, a landmark in Keelung, while the back of the fort offers a perfect view of the harbor. The historical site and prosperous harbor form an interesting contrast, providing visitors with a fascinating perspective on the passing of time. On weekdays, few people tend to visit the fort, making it an excellent place to collect your thoughts and enjoy some splendid isolation.

Living in a big city like Taipei is often a stressful experience. There are times when we all wish we could escape to the countryside and live a simpler lifestyle. However, it is important to remember that Taiwan is an island blessed with incredible natural beauty and that, even during these cold winter months, there are plenty of places within an hour's drive of the capital that allow us to both soak up some natural scenery and enjoy the incredible culture of this remarkable country. In fact, the area around Keelung on Taiwan's north coast is a case in point. Here you will find a number of stunning places that will warm your heart and reinvigorate your senses.

Keelung Maritime Plaza

At Egypt's Pyramids, the desperation of vendors to sell can be a little frightening. Young men descend on any car with foreigners long before it reaches the more than 4,500 year-old Wonder of the World. They bang on car doors, some waving sticks, demanding that the tourists come to their shop, ride their camel or just give them money.

In the southern city of Aswan, tour operator Ashraf Ibrahim was recently taking a tour group to a historic mosque when a mob of vendors trapped them inside their tour bus. The vendors told Ibrahim to steer business their way in the future or else they'd burn his tourist buses, he said.

For years, Cuban dissidents say, the authorities' message to them has been the same: Sure, you can leave the country. Just don't expect us to let you come back. Now, prominent and outspoken government opponents say they've been told they can come and go freely under a new law that eliminated decades-old travel restrictions on nearly all islanders.

It's a calculated risk that potentially enables the dissidents to become high-profile ambassadors for change in the communist-run country, traveling abroad to accept awards and slamming the government back home in speeches to foreign parliaments. At the same time, it blunts one of their main criticisms of Cuba's human rights record, that it effectively held them and others hostage by restricting their movement.

Ten years after the US invasion of Iraq, Kurds look to Europe, eye independence

At an elite private school in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, children learn Turkish and English before Arabic. Kurdish university students dream of landing jobs in Europe, not Baghdad. And a local entrepreneur says he doesn't like doing business beyond the self-rule zone because the area outside Kurdish control is still too unstable.

Escape the hustle and bustle of city life in the stunning Thai countryside

I was in Bangkok and less than enamored. The city is chaotic, so overflowing with skyscrapers and malls that it seems ready to burst. I felt the need to escape, so I headed north toward a city called Chiang Mai. I'd heard there would be waterfalls and elephants in the nearby countryside, and a chance to get at least a little closer to another side of Thailand.

The secretary-general of North Korea's ski association views the alpine landscape before him with pride. Facing a strong, cold wind, he points to a dip in the rugged, tree-covered mountains and says the sunrise there is a sight of unmatched beauty, worthy of the nation's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un.

This is the Masik Pass ski resort, the product of 10 months of furious labor intended to show that this country, so often derided for its poverty and isolation, is as civilized and culturally advanced as any other. The complex of ski runs and resort chalets was originally scheduled to formally open on Oct. 10, the 68th anniversary of the Korean Workers Party, though late last month the main hotels appeared to be little more than shells and foundations were still being dug for secondary buildings.

Tours changing American perspectives of Cuba, US foreign policy

When U.S. President Barack Obama reinstated "people-to-people" travel to Cuba in 2011, the idea was that visiting Americans would act as cultural ambassadors for a U.S. constantly demonized in the island's official media. Two and a half years later, a survey suggests the trips are not only improving Cubans' views of Americans, but they are also changing U.S. travelers' opinions of the Caribbean nation for the better, and dimming their view of Washington policies that have long sought to pressure Cuba's Communist leaders.