East Eats West

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Fashionable handbags from Vietnam by Ipa-Nima

Picture: Tamadur Patchwork Shoulder handbag by Ipa-ima (picture courtesy of http://ipa-nima-boutique.com.

On my trip to Hanoi last year I met a designer from Ipa-Nima, a Vietnamese handbag outfit that produces incredible fashionable handbags for Western clients. Recently Ipa-nima started their own online boutique so that you can order the bags from around the world. Ladies, check it out at: http://ipa-nima-boutique.com/

Nocturnal swimming and drinking in Zurich

Picture: Seebad Enge in Zurich at night.

One outstanding feature of the Lake of Zurich is its purity: the lake is the water supply for the whole of Zurich. So it comes as no surprise that the lake is a major public attraction with public baths along its shore. A unique feature of those bathes is that they transform into an open-air chill-out lounge at night, serving drinks and food. And yes, you can also go for a swim at midnight! This is the way to spend the short summer in Zurich. http://www.seebadenge.ch/

Swinging at night in Zurich

Zurich might sometimes feel a bit too business-minded. Nevertheless there are pockets of bohemian lifestyle to be found, sometimes in unlikely places though. Every Thursday during summer-time the Zurich swing-scene meets in a little pavilion on Bürkliplatz, close to the Lake of Zurich, for some jiving to swinging live music until midnight.

http://www.swing.ch/home_swing.html?&L=1

Textile and globalisation – an example

Business-men from India recently visited our office and they gave me an insight into the global textile trade. The Indians buy top of the range textile machines from Rieter in Switzerland, take them to India and produce with their home-grown cotton low to high-quality yarn. The yarn is then sold to Italy where it is manufactured into clothes. Some of the clothes are then sold to Japan where skilled labourers produce stunningly beautiful cloaks and gowns for Saudi Arabian sheiks and oil-millionaires. Looking at top of the range Indian saris costing 10’000$ you might wonder why India does not produce the cloaks for Saudi Arabia themselves? The answer is simple: Saudis prefer Made in Japan to Made in India.

PS: One Indian manufacturer can now produce Super 230 cotton yarn for suits! I gotta have one!

This time Alinghi will not win

Alinghi, the Swiss America’s Cup sailing team, transformed Switzerland by surprise from a skiing-nation into a sailing nation. The new boat is currently touring Switzerland and pulling crowds. Nevertheless I have the feeling from looking at the boat that this time we might not win: the mast seems to be a bit short.

Help me make my holidays in Singapore and Hong Kong fun!

I will visit Singapore and Hong Kong in October for holidays and I am interested to hear if you, my reader, can show me attractions of those two cities I overlooked so far. Just leave a comment by clicking here. Thanks!

Museums after dark

Picture: The party-crowd meets the culturally inclined at night.

Zurich has an active and versatile night life and you do not have to look far for clubbing opportunities. But besides clubbing Zurich offers a wide array of cultural activities ranging from annual theatre festivals to the opera and ballet. By far the most enticing and unique combination of clubbing, art and culture can be had on the yearly the Long Night of Museums where all Zurich museums open till midnight or longer. Not that the museums are just open longer, they also offer special performances, guided tours, clubbing and all sorts of catering. In short it is the perfect symbiosis of culture with clubbing and night life.

Self-service flowers

Picture: A self-service flower-station right next to my parent's house.

I am sure you heard about the Swiss stereotypes: we are obsessed with cleanliness, we are punctual and trust-worthy. The cleanliness and the punctuality are easy to proof: just roam the streets of Zurich or take a train. Everything operates like a clock-work. But the trust-worthiness is harder to proof. Well, not really. A common Swiss concept of selling flower is putting up a trailer beside a road, stock it with flowers with price tags and put up a cash-box et voilà, the self-service flower-station is created. You can pick the flowers all by yourself. Theft seems not to be a problem as there is no alarm or CCTV. Yes, it stunned my Asian visitor.

The perfect couch: light, comfortable and good value

Picture: Courtesy of www.loungepillow.ch.

My sister is moving out of my parent’s house and is looking for furniture as she has virtually nothing. As she also turned 25 recently I found her the perfect gift for her new apartment: the Lounge Pillow. It consists of a big nylon shell in various colors and an inner bag filled with Styrofoam pellets that make for a comfy couch. It is big, perfect for cuddling and lightweight so you can even carry it in the garden. The Lounge Pillow is a Swiss invention and particularly popular among wakeboarders and freestylers.