DARPA has developed a small laser cannon, just like Star Wars to use as a weapon in a fighter plane for air to air combat, destroying enemy missiles or perhaps using a combination later on of Argon or CO2 (depending on altitude) for close air support. Recently it was announced that they would put this new airborne laser system onto fighter jets. The system, which will go onto a fighter jet would be called the; “HELLADS” or High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System, it is being tested now. It would be a system based on Israel’s THEL system, which is a mobile “Tactical High Energy Laser.”

I propose we have a set of tiny mirrors in front the leading edges of the wings of the aircraft redirecting the high-energy laser beam to areas above the wings and perhaps also onto other airfoils such as stabilizers and canards. This would blast the air and/or create vortex’s, which would enhance lift which would allow for mini-tornado sucking of air over the wing in critical high angle of attack situations. I propose to use this technique to enhance lift by creating miniature eddies or vortexes directly above the boundary layers above the surfaces of the airfoils.

It would makes sense to prove concept to use the A-6 Intruder or the S-3 Viking since they are high-wing aircraft to start. The F-15 might be another good candidate if it works as well as the math shows. I further propose that this system would synchronize with the amount of air needed to maintain airflow needed in the intakes for air, wing lift and the thrust vectoring jets for stability. When not in use for evasive maneuvering the pole would retract into the nose of the aircraft.

We need an off-shoot of this technology which is being tested by General Atomics and Lockheed to prove my concept will work. We can use redirected or reflected laser cannon beams to increase stability in transitional flight situations to prevent departure of the aircraft from flight, by changing the air around the airfoils and control surfaces, Think about it.

“Lance Winslow” - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

My first time overseas, I had to exchange cash in $200 of travelers checks to pay a mountaineering guide who hadn’t heard of American Express. The bank charged me $8. During the same trip, I used my debit card at an ATM to get $200 from my checking account. Once home, I saw that the charge for this was one dollar, and that was the last time I used traveler’s checks.

Debit And Credit Cards When Traveling

I usually carry a debit card and a credit card when I travel now. I keep them well-hidden in two separate places. If they are stolen, which has never happened yet, they have either zero liability, or a fifty dollar liability limit for any unauthorized charges. Ask your bank or credit card company about this.

When an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) won’t take one of the cards for some reason - and this will happen - I use the other card, which usually works fine. Credit cards may be less trouble than debit cards. Your liability could be zero on your stolen debit card, but you probably won’t have access to your account until the matter is sorted out.

Of course, on longer trips it’s a hassle to pay the credit card bill on time, which isn’t a problem with debit cards. Carry both, and on longer trips you can wait until you’re a few weeks from home to use the credit card. That way you’ll get there before the bill does.

An important advantage credit and debit cards have over travelers checks, is that when you need the local currency, you’ll almost always get a better exchange rate with your cards. Also, the cash you get from the local ATM will truly be accepted everywhere, something even American Express Travelers Checks can’t promise.

I have nothing against American Express. Once, when I was robbed in Mexico, they quickly and curtiously replaced my stolen traveler’s checks. Also, at times it is appropriate to carry money in several forms, including theirs. However, times change and ATMs are everywhere now, so my policy is : Travelers checks; don’t leave home with them. You can take an American Express credit card instead.

Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 40, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. To read their stories, tips and travel information, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com

Lake Pontchartrain is an eco-disaster after draining the Soup Bowl of chemicals, sewage and debris from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the storms, rain and precipitation, which followed. After New Orleans was drained we learned that although it could be considered a Toxic Waste dump by EPA standards it was not quite as bad as everyone thought. As the debate rages on about how to reduce the size of the city by allowing the water to retake part of New Orleans lower elevation areas, we now need to concentrate on what to do with Lake Ponchartrain.

Lake Ponchartrain was making a strong comeback in the years prior to Hurricane Katrina, as nature always does find a way to clean itself and renew. The environment is proving to be quite resilient indeed. One may wonder after the human race has been extinct how long it will take Mother Nature to bury all our cities, clean up our mess and grow over our civilizations? Judging from some of the past ancient civilizations we have discovered probably not as long as we think; nature is a lot tougher than we are and our present building materials are no match for her or the long time periods between geological periods.

Yet, we live in the present period and want to enjoy our Lakes, streams and oceans and Lake Pontchartrain was a place for boaters, fishing and fun. It is a shame to see it in such disrepair after we pumped out the sludge, sewage and chemicals. I would therefore like to propose that we coat the boats on lake with a special coating which will clean the lake as they cruise around on it. We have modern coatings and environmental dispensers, which can do this.

If we use Underwater Autonomous Vehicles (AUVs) to clean some of the underwater and bottom areas of the lake by delivering encapsulated timed release bio-remediation materials; we may find that we can clean the large volume of water very quickly. We would have to set up the AUVs in an underwater grid pattern and they could run on Solar Power and Electricity or Hydrogen Cell Hybrid Systems.

Then each boat on the Lake owned by individuals would get a “Use Tax” break from the County and a “Tax Holiday” on registration and fees from the State of Louisiana for putting small boxes near the rear of the boat which would release encapsulated timed pellets. These pellets would be made of spongy material, which would not hurt the boat hulls of vessels, which might bump into them as they float. The spongy material would also be made very distasteful to birds, fish, sea life and wildlife; yet would clean the Lake.

How do we put these pellets on the boats or get everyone to do this? Well, simple we give them a “Free Boat Wash” and install them at that time. Then we take the boat numbers and send them a coupon in the mail which they slip in with their tax invoices. Then each time they get another “free boat” wash every couple of months, we check to see if the boxes need to be refilled with spongy pellets. How do I know this will work? Well, you might say I know a little about “boater buying behavior” and “Free” is something a boat owner can really sink their teeth into; owning a boat is not an inexpensive endeavor and everyone likes to save a little money, especially to offset the fuel costs these days.

http://www.carwashguys.com/boatlaunch.shtml

Timed released biological and environmental remediation is nothing new, many environmental engineers use this to help reduce large algae blooms which threaten drinking water supplies, affect water quality or are a danger to sea life. Think on this idea, it is totally doable and we can start ASAP.

“Lance Winslow” - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

If you have only been a tourist in Mexico and have never lived here, you may have never noticed this. Mexico is a country of little butts and its entire infrastructure is designed for their small, and perky rear-ends. In know this for a fact because I am a professional writer trained to note and record such things.

Americans, of course, have all of the fat-butt genes God handed out at creation. There is no use in denying this, so don’t try. You will not win the argument. Americans have the fattest keisters on the planet and all the proof you need is to come to Mexico, stay for about a month, and try to get along “well” in normal daily affairs.

We have to be assisted into the back seat of Mexican cabs because our fannies are so large that we cannot get in and out of the backseats without the fire department coming with the Jaws of Life. When we try riding the buses all we can get into the seat is one butt-cheek with the other hanging over the side looking and flopping about like a swollen blob-monster. It also becomes plaintively apparent when we try to get in and out of some of the doors installed in these buildingshouses included. They were all built for hobbits, which, by the way, are real and all live here in Guanajuato. Mexico.

My wife and I notice this too when we try going out to eat. I swear to God that every restaurant in the town is designed for someone no more than 4.5 feet tall. This includes the entrances and the seating arrangements. I can get one side of my fundament onto the chair cushion and one kneecap under the table. The other leg has to stay extended out in to the aisle causing all manner of havoc with people trying to jump over this telephone-pole-sized leg. They act horrified since they have never seen something so huge.

In addition, the toilets: I think I have some permanent damage, or something, from trying to sit on these toilet seats designed for someone with a backside the size of a hand puppet. I have actually broken many of themI am deadly seriousall around town in the public facilities. I try never to frequent the same public facility twice so as not to be recognized. I am sure there is a warrant out for my buttock crimes.

It is nightmarish!

Not only does this town’s infrastructure cater to little-butted people but also to people who are the size of Santa’s Elves. I know I have sustained multiple concussions from forgetting that the doors in all these homes and buildings are built with the “little folks” in mind. I have rearranged my scalp, not purposely mind you, on many occasions from scraping it on the doors. We had an apartment here where the back door was less than two feet wide. I swear I am not making this up. I could not enter nor exit that back door without contorting myself into an inhuman and ungodly shape. I simple could not walk squarely through that door.

I cannot describe to you what it is like to be a giant in a land of little hobbits.

I had to travel eight hours to a resort town that had a Wal-Mart that catered to big-butted King Kongs just to buy a pair of underwear. I do not for one nanosecond believe that I would be able to find underwear in Central Mexico to fit me. There isn’t the demand to accommodate fat butts.

Doug Bower is a freelance writer, Syndicated Columnist, and book author. His most recent writing credits include The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Houston Chronicle, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Transitions Abroad. He is a columnist with Cricketsoda.com and more than 21 additional online magazines. He is also a writer with EzineArticles.com with a readership of almost 6,000. He lives with his wife in Guanajuato, Mexico. His newest books, Mexican Living: Blogging it from a Third World Country can be seen: CLICK HERE:
http://www.lulu.com/mexicanliving

The best place to buy cheap international plane tickets is online. We’ve tried travel agencies and they can’t compete with the discount ticket websites. You can search google (”cheap airfare South America”, for example), or go straight to one of the well-known sites, like Expedia, Travelocity, Cheap Tickets, Hotwire or Priceline.

I just did a quick search for the cheapest airfare from Tucson, Arizona, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, using the five sites mentioned. They ranged from $1221 down to $873, and there were fares as high as $3728. Hotwire happened to have the cheapest, but they were the worst of the five when I searched for a domestic flight earlier. You cannot say which service will find the cheapest international plane tickets from week to week. My number one money-saving tip is to always check several websites when shopping for inexpensive flights.

Before going to Ecuador, I searched several websites that deal in cheap international plane tickets. The cheapest airfare from Traverse City, Michigan to Quito, was $1720. Out of curiosity, I checked Miami to Quito, and it was only $400. Airfare from Traverse City to Miami was $300. Book two separate flights and save more than $1000! The discount sites aren’t set up to check in this way (yet), so you have to do this on your own.

If your first flight is late and you miss the second, you may not get a refund, but it is still cheaper (every time I checked) to just book a flight to Miami and catch a flight to Quito without a reservation, thus avoiding this problem. This strategy is best for those in towns without international airports. If you live in Miami, you already have cheap international airfare.

As an air courier, you can get really cheap international plane tickets. Courier companies ship material in the luggage space of an aircraft passenger because it can be quicker, cheaper, and more reliable than sending the shipment unaccompanied, since checked luggage bypasses many of the typical customs delays. The courier company begins by purchasing airfare, and then they resell the plane tickets to you. In exchange for your luggage space, they give you a discount on the airfare.

I saved over $150 on my plane tickets this way when I went to Ecuador the first time. I had to walk several suitcases of car parts through customs, but there was a representative of the courier company on either end, and I did get to look inside the luggage, so I knew what I was carrying. I had to carry a plane propeller on the return trip, but it wasn’t too much trouble, and made a good story.

You generally can only be an air courier if you travel alone. Once in a while, a courier company will have opportunities for flights on or near the same date. Otherwise, your travel partner can pay full fare on the same flight. You also can usually only bring carry-on luggage, since the point is for the shipping company to use your checked luggage allowance.

Sometimes air couriers fly internationally for free, and almost always very cheap. It is a matter of how badly the company needs you and how flexible you can be (can you fly to Paris on Friday?). In general air courier opportunities are becoming rarer, due to the recent heavier regulation of international flights. There still are opportunities for cheap tickets, though. You can find out more at The Air Courier Association Website (www.aircourier.org). The ACA can also help you get really cheap plane tickets by way of airline ticket wholesalers, discounters, last minute specials, and stand-by travel.

When searching for fares using the discount websites, try several different departure and return dates if you can. The difference of a day or two can save you a lot. There is little logic to airfare pricing, so don’t try too hard to figure it out. Just be aware that if you leave on Friday instead of Wednesday (or vice-versa), you may save $100.

Check the boxes that say “any time” for departure and “2 or more connecting flights”. Even if you aren’t sure that you want to leave at midnight, see what your options are-the savings might change your mind. Whenever the search criteria allow you choices, take the ones that are the least restrictive for the airlines. Again, if the savings aren’t enough, you can always book first class, direct flights, or whatever you prefer.

Buying your plane tickets at least a week in advance is usually cheaper. Also, there can be a dramatic difference (but not always) if your trip is over thirty days. You may want to cut it from 32 days to 30 to save hundreds of dollars on your fare. Play with the dates on one of the websites mentioned. You never know what you might discover.

You can take a bus to a major city, if you don’t live in one, and then take an international flight from there to save quite a bit of money. My wife and I recently went to Ecuador for six weeks. The cheapest discount website plane tickets we could find were $3400 for the two of us. By taking a bus to Miami ($352 round-trip for 2), then flying from there to Quito ($622 round-trip for 2), we saved over $2400 - even after the taxi fare from the bus station to the airport. That’s a lot of money to us, certainly worth an extra day-and-a-half on a bus. (The whole six weeks cost less than $2500.)

The bottom line is that if you spend a few minutes or an hour to do some research, you might save hundreds of dollars. Good luck and happy travels.

Steve Gillman first hit the road on his own when he was sixteen, and traveled alone across the United States and Mexico at 17. Now 40, he continues to travel with his wife Ana, who he met in Ecuador. His website, Everything About Travel has many of his travel stories, plus tips and information on travel in the U.S. and other countries. Going on a volcano tour and camping at Walmart are some of the more unique experiences documented.

I have a 17-year-old daughter who is finishing up a year in Vitoria, Brazil. She’s been having the time of her life in a gorgeous coastal city with the beaches of her dreams and the cute guys to match. What’s not to like?

Tara told us that we could buy a beautiful home (”All marble floors!”) on a spectacular beach (”White sand!”) in a number of lovely cities (”Amazing architecture!”) with friendly neighbors (”Dancing all night with people who don’t know you but love you anyway!”)

In fact, she helpfully suggested that we could snag one of these properties for a mere $100,000…less than half of the median price for a typical house in our area.

She went on to say that we could buy a house on the coast in Brazil and retire there, with a delightful lifestyle, plenty of great friends, outstanding and inexpensive medical care, and zero chance of boredom or loneliness.

We weren’t surprised that she suggested this. After all, she has an ulterior motive–why, SHE could be the one to manage the property until we decide to retire! She would, of course, have to live in beautiful, coastal, hunk-heavy, dance-crazed Brazil in order to do this, but she was willing to make this supreme sacrifice to support our perfect retirement.

How thoughtful. No, really. It sounds fantastic. I’m turning 45 in June, and that’s not too early to think about how I want to spend the next few phases of my life. I truly appreciate the suggestion.

The people I admire most are those who continue to reinvent themselves about every decade, and who laugh out loud at the notion of retirement. They’re on their fifth or sixth “career” and fully expect to have a couple more, just for fun.

What we really long for in retirement is time to play, and what we don’t recognize is that we should be playing on a daily basis. We need to live our lives in a way that connects us to our creativity and joy. Think of it as the Brazilian plan.

How do you picture yourself at age 65? 75? 85? You’ve got a decent shot at living to be 100.

Howard and Marika Stone have been inspiring people to reinvent themselves as they get older. On their website, 2Young2Retire.com, they share dozens of stories of folks who have done just that. Their intention is to help others “navigate the uncharted waters of longevity” and they do so with great passion and humor.

Whether we’re 20 or 70, we can use mindfulness to help us see who we want to be next. The first step? Pay attention to what we consider to be FUN. Focus on what we do that feels like we’re playing instead of working. Notice our “guilty pleasures”–those things we do when we think we should be working on something else.

Here’s the good news: You can get paid for having fun. You can help your community while you’re doing what you can only describe as goofing off. You can learn new skills and demonstrate overlooked talents in a way that helps others while making you laugh. And it’s not too early to start thinking about what that might look like.

Retire your idea of retirement and embrace the concept of reinvention. Look at what you’re dreaming about doing, and be mindful of how you can start “investing” in your opportunities for greater fun. That’s my personal prescription for the not-enough-Social-Security blues.

That, and perhaps finding a lovely house on the coast in Brazil, where I can become fluent in Portuguese and become a painter, or a novelist, or start a school, or build a playground, or design a community garden, or write songs, or dance til dawn, or be the happiest grandmother alive. Or all of the above.

I’ll tell my daughter to start looking.

Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse in Portland, Oregon. Through her company, Real-World Mindfulness Training, she teaches fun and effective eyes-wide-open alternatives to meditation. To subscribe, please visit http://www.MassageYourMind.com

Do you know how Orlando came to be named? Here’s how.

Orlando, Florida, the world’s biggest playground, was named in honour of Orlando Reeves, an army sentry killed during the first Seminole

What began in the 1830s as an army outpost grew into an agricultural supply line with the expansion of The South Florida Railroad. Orlando became a centre for cattle, cotton, and citrus plantations.

In the early 1960s, Walt Disney, very secretly and anonymously, bought thousands of acres of what was then farmland, orange groves, and swamp marshes. News of this activity reached the press, and he was forced to divulge his plan to build a one hundred million dollar resort and theme park.

He envisioned an oasis where travellers could take their families and live out the kind of fantasies he had as a child.

Walt Disney’s secret was out, and the hysteria surrounding the possibility of a tourism centre in Central Florida caused civic leaders to grant special zoning laws to help bring his dream to fruition.

In 1971 Disney World opened its doors, and Orlando has never been the same.

Today, at Disney World, Epcot, and rival theme parks such as Sea World and Universal Studios, it is possible to swim with sharks, battle pirates, be chased by a T-Rex, fight villains with Spiderman, journey to the moon, and even watch the filming of a major motion picture.

Walt Disney’s dreams now draw more than forty million visitors a year.

Terry Gale owns a beautiful vacation villa at Tuscan Ridge. For more Florida vacation tips, visit the Last Minute Villas blog.

In this continuing series, we cover my decision to move from San Diego to Chita, Siberia to be a professor at Chita State Technical University. We pick up the story aboard the flight from Anchorage to Khabarovsk, Russia.

Day 3 [Still]

As I lounged in my huge Aeroflot seat, the stewardess announced that we would be arriving in Khabarovsk in the next 30 minutes. Khabarovsk is located in the deep south of the far east of Russia on the border with China. It is the home of the Far East Military of Russia and is the largest city east of Lake Baikal. I was primarily interested in how hard it would be to find a hot shower.

Well, this was it, the first day of my year in Siberia. I had my phrase book, electric blanket, traveler’s checks and a solid rush of adrenaline. Of course, I had never actually taught a class before, but I would deal with that later.

We descended out of the clouds into a rainstorm. The view was still incredible. We were flying into a flat valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Everything was a deep green. A few cabins could be seen on the ground.

There was a very clear view of the airport as we banked through the valley to approach from the West. Umm, aren’t airports usually lit up? This one looked like a ghost town. The runways looked fine, but there were no lights in the buildings. There appeared to be a dearth of activity on the ground. I had never backpacked from a plane to the airport, but maybe this was the way it was done. When in Rome

Finishing off an incredible flight, our Russian pilot set us down with a light touch. As we taxied up to the airport, I could only think that if the rest of Russia was as good as the flight, it was going to be a great year.

Blink, blink, blinklights started coming on in the terminal! Despite being no more than 50 feet from it, we were herded onto a transport. We started, did a wide u-turn and stopped at the gate. All I could think of was “The Gods Must Be Crazy.”

“The Gods Must Be Crazy” was a hilarious movie released in the eighties [no jokes about my age]. The first scenes of the movie are biting satires of our modern way of life versus the indigenous tribes of Africa. In one scene, a woman gets into her car, backs down to the end of her driveway and puts a letter in the mailbox. Ah, progress! The journey from the plane to the airport couldn’t have been much longer.

The airport terminal was pretty industrial. That is to say, no effort was made to sell you fast food, booze, ice cream, “Khabarovsk Hard Rock Caf

Say “Greenland” and a traveler immediately thinks of a giant slab of ice. With attractions such as Disko Bay, Motzfeldt So Lake, and the hikes around Qaqortoq, Greenland is great for travelers looking for something off the beaten path.

Disko Bay

Disko Bay is the home to massive icebergs. By massive, I am talking icebergs the size of large buildings. The icebergs are simply everywhere. Watching one of these giants shrug off a few hundred thousand pounds of ice is a sight you will never forget. More than a few people have suggested a one day boat cruise around Disko Bay is the most impressive you could ever take.

Motzfeldt So Lake

If hiking is a mandatory part of your vacation plan, Lake Motzfeldt is for you. The lake is enclosed by glaciers, has it’s own icebergs and is a stunning color of green. The peeks surrounding the lake top out above 5,000 feet. There are hundreds of stunning hikes around the lake with nearly all winding between immense glaciers. Staring up at the beautiful monsters will make your mind swirl.

Qaqortoq

Qaqortoq is a harbor town in the South of Greenland. Meaning “the white”, Qaqortoq has a population of a little over 3,000 people. The town is the location of the stone and people project, which involves sculptors creating marble pieces and placing them throughout the town. It is an impressive site, particularly during summer when flowers sprout with a vengeance throughout the area.

Travel Adventure

With the onset of adventure travel, Greenland has sprouted a new industry. If you’re going to go extreme, you really can’t beat Greenland. If you fancy yourself a jogger, try the Artic Marathon around Nuuk or the Polar Circle Race that runs from Kangerlussuaq to the boundary of the ice cap. If artic running doesn’t cut it, how about a playing with sharks? Yep, you can try your hand at catching the Greenland Shark in a 7-day shark challenge. These monsters weigh as much as 1,500 pounds.

While you may blanch at a suggested vacation on Greenland, you shouldn’t. The country is truly one of the last undiscovered refuges for the modern traveler.

Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - preserve the experience with a written journal. Visit http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com to read more travelogues and articles.

Best of Pulau Tikus: More than just a market

HARDLY anybody who is familiar with Penang speaks disparagingly of Pulau Tikus. In the island’s diaspora of wet markets, the Pulau Tikus market rules the roost.

Pulau Tikus is within walking distance of Gurney Drive. Baby boomers on the island are always quick to add that this place is the market for “uptowners”.

Back in the 1920s, the island’s upper crust built their second homes in Pulau Tikus. It was, at that time, the best suburban location for the well-to-do and the perception has not changed for almost 80 years.

This place had a heavier than normal concentration of Eurasians, Burmese (now Myanmar) and Thais in its early years. This explains Burmah Road, the name of the main conduit running right through the heart of Pulau Tikus.

Not only that but this is also where you’d find roads named after places in old Burma, like Moulmein, Irrawaddi, Salween, Rangoon and Mandalay.

The market is where housewives, senior citizens and outstation visitors flock to in the mornings. At the heart of it all is the junction of Cantonment Road and Burmah Road where you can find coffeeshops with some of the best Penang hawker food.

The mamak stall at the corner coffeeshop in Bangkok Lane sells arguably the best Indian mee goreng on the island. It is only rivalled by two others in Ayer Itam and one that used to operate in Edgecombe Road.

Pulau Tikus was named after an island off Penang that resembled a rat. Two adjacent roads in Pulau Tikus are aptly named Lorong Pulau Tikus and Lorong Kuching.

Good Old Meeting Place

The thriving market is surrounded by roadside stalls every morning. Nonya food, trinkets, vegetable stalls and apom balik hawkers spring up like mushrooms at the break of dawn.

Those who put in that extra effort to wake up early usually have their breakfast, either at the food court inside the market or at one of the many coffeeshops in the vicinity.

For some inexplicable reason, some of the best hawkers seem to congregate in this area. Parking is not a problem if you know the locale. There’s ample parking space at a site near the market, near choice residential homes. There was a time when parking per entry cost only RM1. Recently, it had gone up to RM1.50.

An increase of 50 sen may be nothing to KL folks but Penangites do not take kindly to the 50 per cent increase. Fortunately, Pulau Tikus steadfastly retains its pristine reputation, so higher than normal market prices are tolerated with nary a complaint.

Inside the market proper, stalls are slightly haphazard in arrangement. It’s not a very big market, unlike those found in the bigger cities but housewives don’t mind as they know their regular vendors and the relationship with the stall owners is cemented by a prevailing spirit of give-and-take that is very much part of Penang’s Hokkien community.

Surrounding the wet market building are narrow lanes that are persistently crowded. From groceries to religious objects, and plants to cutlery, the mobile hawkers seem to take things in stride even when there are no customers.

What appeals to those who frequent the Pulau Tikus market is the camaraderie between market vendors and customers. This is obvious in the noise level generated by the pockets of gossip sessions that go on at the same time.

After a market walkabout that usually lasts between one and two hours, customers stop for coffee and to fill their bellies as well as a chance to rest their tired feet.

This really is the pull factor here. There’s nothing here you can’t get at other markets except for the “old boys reunion” feeling and the “housewives’ get-together” sessions.

Lighted by these rays of easy confidence and merriment, Pulau Tikus market has ensured its own future as one of the premier wet markets on the island, a reputation few choose to dispute.