Best international destinations for the US dollar – Part 1

Asia has always been an intriguing destination, for its culture, customs, cuisine and heritage. Even though the value of the U.S. dollar has declined over the last several years, it still commands top dollar in most of Asia. Following is a list of countries where you can get the most bang for your buck:

CHINA

China has gotten a bad rap lately with its food products. However, to see a country that has grown by leaps and bound in just a mere ten years, the experience cannot be beat. Like the United States, China is a vast country, diverse in terrain, people, customs and culture. The most popular places of interest are Shanghai for the shopping and history, Beijing for historical artifacts (Great Wall of China, The Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven), buildings and architecture (the most recent of which is the Olympic building, the Birds Nest), Canton for the famous Cantonese food, Guilin for the beautiful limestone cliffs, the backdrop of many Chinese paintings, Tibet for the people and their customs and religion. If you thought Chinese products in the U.S. is cheap, wait until you get to China. Not only there are bargains galore, the Array of goods offered is mind boggling. Shop at reputable stores to avoid getting scammed with faked products.

THAILAND

From the beautiful northern city of Chiang Mai to the bustling metropolis of Bangkok, Thailand is a fascinating country to visit. The smell and sight are intoxicating, the shopping is awesome and the bargains incredible. Venture south to explore the beautiful beaches of Phuket and the dramatic landscape of Phang Nga Bay.

MALAYSIA

Another fascinating Southeast Asian country to visit is Malaysia. The spice trade brought the Portugese and the Dutch, the gold brought the Chinese, and the rubber plantations the Indians. As a result, the country is diverse in terms of people, culture and religion. English is widely spoken. Visit Malacca for the history, Penang for the temples and cuisine, Tioman and Langkawi Islands for dramatic waterfalls and aquamarine beaches, Sabah and Sarawak for the rain forests. The Perhentian Islands on the northeast state of Trengganu play host to sea-turtles, which return year after year to lay their eggs. The white sand beaches, reefs and crystal-clear water is perfect for diving and snorkeling.

SINGAPORE

Rich in contrast and color, the small island nation of Singapore is a unique destination that has managed to blend old and new. Historic Raffles Hotel exudes colonial charm. Stop at the Long Bar for a Singapore Sling, the drink that was invented by a waiter here. Be warned that it is a pricey drink, but the experience is worth it. Waiters dressed in traditional Indian garb walked around to serve you. Burlap bags of peanuts sit at various corners for you to serve yourself. And the best part is: you can throw your peanut shells on the floor! Imagine that in fine city Singapore, where you are fined for spitting, littering, not parking your car properly, to name a few misdemeanors.

Getting to Asia is a twenty-four hour flight ordeal. It would be wise to take a longer vacation and take the opportunity to visit the various countries in the region. Other Asian destinations to consider include Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bali (Indonesia).

Commercial Property & Real Estate Investment in China

China is an incredible country with a number of attractions to boast of. This favorite destination offers investors, tourists, and prospective residents a wealth of opportunities. Before 1990s, there were only few office buildings, commercial properties and housing units in the country. But the country has now undergone tremendous changes and you can see high-rise condominiums, luxury apartments, and commercial buildings dominating the skyline of China.

All of the destinations in the country including Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin are hotspots for investing in all types of properties. Beijing, the capital and seat of administration, has a population of 13.5 million people. Shanghai (16.4 million) is considered as the financial capital of the country, and it is also home to the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Shanghai has been chosen as the venue for some parts of the 2008 Olympics. Investing in Chinese properties can certainly fetch you handsome returns.

There are several reasons why savvy investors are attracted to invest in the country’s real estate. China is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. With the formation of the World Trade Organization, the country has emerged as the leader of the global economy.

Property prices in many of the Chinese cities are one third of the prices of world’s leading cities such as New York, London and Tokyo, as a result of the huge number of direct foreign investments every year. The crime rates in China are very low, In contrast to other countries in Asia. This has made China a safe place to live in. To crown it all, China is welcoming foreigners wholeheartedly. Westerners are attracted to the country in large numbers thanks to the highly educated, amicable, and well mannered Chinese people.

Investors interested in entering the Chinese property markets can be classified into institutional investors, commercial property investors, and residential property investors. Institutional investors are interested in investing in multistoried office complexes and latest retail units, owing to their high demand and potential for shortage in future.

Commercial property investors invest mostly in properties such as office spaces, hotels, warehouses and commercial lands. Residential property investors largely invest in residential properties such as houses, single detached houses, townhouses, villas, condominiums, apartments, and serviced apartments. Many people invest in these properties with a view to sell them in future when their prices rise, and there are others who invest in these properties to rent them out and reap high profits.

The price of a property in China depends on many factors such as the nature of the property and the location. For example, a standard apartment in Shanghai costs about 20000 Renminbi (people’s money) per square meter. However, the price of a Chinese serviced apartment with high end amenities ranges between 25000 and 30000 RMB per square meter. Real estates around city centers or near transportation hubs are always likely become the most valuable. In China there is a growing demand for retail and industrial space, as more and more Chinese citizens move to urban areas seeking jobs.

If you are interested in real estate in China you can either directly invest in the property itself or through a Real Estate Investment Trust. An REIT is an investment firm specializing in real state business. It is a commercial organization that handles real estate portfolio in order to make profits. REITs engage in owning and operating income-generating real estate properties such as apartments, shopping centers, condos, hotels, offices, and warehouses. They offer investors financial instruments of the nature of mutual funds. While mutual funds focus on stocks, REITs concentrate on real estate.

One of greatest benefits of investing through a real estate investment trust is that it brings huge tax benefits, as investors are exempted from paying any tax over the dividends. Another great benefit in investing through REITs is that you can trade your assets just like stocks. Yet another advantage of investing through REIT is that no minimum amount has been fixed for the investment.

There are a number of real estate firms to help you find your dream property in China. They offer a range of real estate services such as market analysis, property search, advertising and negotiation with sellers. Most of these real estate firms provide services of professional attorneys to verify the authenticity of documents.

Cannot Imaging Plastic Bags Rarely Used Now in China

China is one of the latest places to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags from supermarkets, grocery stores and markets. The notice includes a ban on the production of ultra-thin plastic bags (thinner than 0.025 mm) that are not biodegradable. New criteria will be made on the production of plastic bags while more durable plastic bags still will be permitted for sale by markets and shops.

In order for people to comply with the ban the notice says that government at various levels must be responsible and those who fail to observe the ban will face disciplinary penalties. The ban takes effect shortly before the Beijing Summer Olympic Games which has already speeded up other measures to try and reduce pollution and smog in the capital.

Cloth grocery bags, which were barely seen in China before the ban was issued, becomes the must-have for every family. Prices range from free to several hundred yuan RMB, which indicates a new business and a huge market. At an import and export fair last month, a variety types of cloth bags were shown by some fabric companies who are eager to open up the marker originally belonged to the plastic bags, according to Xinhua news.

Wise Companies Take This Opportunity to Give Free Promotion Gift Bag

This “Green bag” business does not only benefit the fabric manufacturer. Epson launched its grocery bag design competition and Nokia gave out its fancy cloth bag for free to housewives in some communities in Beijing several weeks ago. Of course, those bags all have their companies’ logos on, which might be a kind of “soft ad”.

Some local real estate agents are more straightforward – just put their ads on the bags and everyone who carries this bag help to promote them. Greenbang could not imagine life without plastic bags a few months ago, and was worried about how the ban on plastic bags really carried out and whether people would accept this “radical” policy. But it seems going well at the moment, and with the help of so many pretty grocery bags, people will get rid of their relationship with plastic bags soon. In case the same embarrassing thing happens again in the supermarket, Greenbang now puts a grocery bag in her handbag.

The value of promotional gifts in today’s competitive marketplace can’t be underestimated. Many businesses nowadays turn to promotional gifts to help them enhance their brand awareness, improve customer loyalty and increase sales.

A very common promotion gift is bag, but at this time, many companies changed there previous plastic bag to the cotton or nylon one, trying to catch up this coming trend and the receiver are also happy to got this kind of bag, since it’s very practical . A lot of people are collecting this reusable bag for daily use so that they will not feel too nervous when the day really comes. As to I know, lots of people will not get used to this trend soon since we seem to can’t get around without plastic bags. I was worries sometimes when it comes to buying fish from the food center, you know, the fish is so smelly and dirty, what should I do then.

What Other Countries Have Done to Prevent Plastic Pollution

Elsewhere in the world, such as in South Africa, Ireland, Taiwan and Bangladesh, legislation has already been introduced to cut the use of plastic bags. Last year, San Francisco became the first US city to ban petroleum-based plastic bags in large grocery stores while in Germany retailers must pay a recycling fee if they wish to offer bags. Other supermarket chains, such as Delhaize of Belgium, and a number of competitive retailers in New Zealand have taken it upon themselves to stop distributing plastic bags at the check-out.

This demonstrates the way the government can simply declare an end to a technology for environmental reasons, even a 1950s technology like plastic bags. Whether enforcement will actually end plastic bags is not something I care to guess about.

Cannot Imaging Life Without It? Well, not that Horrible at all!

It’s a fact of life in China that just about anything comes in a little plastic bag. That’s all about to change: In what all reports are calling a surprise move, the central government has banned ultra-thin plastic bags and will require regular bags to be sold with a clearly marked price starting June 1.

The bags subject to the ban are even thinner than what I was used to–less than 0.025mm thick. I first encountered them when buying j?anb?ng, known as Chinese crepes or Chinese pancakes, at a university convenience store. Once the 25-cent treat was ready to eat, the cook slipped it in a tiny sack, and I walked off to savor my junk food. These bags started accumulating in my trash bin. Fried noodles came in them, as did roasted nuts, baked goods, and fruit, among other things. I can only imagine that these ultra-thin bags deteriorate faster than the stronger ones.

There’s even some hope that the pay-for-bags structure may make the sort of biodegradable bags used at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 appealing to more people. At the very least, one hopes the 2008 Olympics in Beijing will deal with waste gracefully.

In China, it is becoming a fashion in many places for people to carry cotton bags or bamboo baskets when purchasing goods. There are even cool-designed cotton bags for fashionable young people. In markets, many people are now accustomed to saying, “I don’t need plastic bags.”