Expo 2010 in Shanghai follows a long list of expositions dating back beyond to the first World's Fair in 1851. Heralded in by the newly found confidence that the industrial revolution gave the developed nations and a sense of empire building, the Crystal Palace exhibition demonstrated the latest technological advances of the modern age, mechanization and laborsaving devices.

Held in London at Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, the first exhibition featured demonstrations of the best products from around the world.  Some of the brand new and exciting inventions of the 19th century included: James Nasmyths steam hammer, used by Robert Stephenson to drive in the piles of his bridge at Newcastle, England; a travelling crane and a patented envelope folding machine that could cut, fold gum and stack thousand of envelopes an hour. But it was the use of glass and steel to create a giant 19 acre greenhouse, able to enclose whole trees, which was the most impressive.  Built in just 7 months, the structure used 4,500 tons of ironwork and 300,000 panes of glass. It had many detractors

Great Exhibition 1851 –picture courtesy of Wikipedia

and it was believed by some to fall over at the first sign of wind. But it lasted beyond the exhibition and on to a new location, where it was eventually felled by a fire.

The world's come a long way in the last 150 plus years, but expos carry the same message, of innovation and lifestyle from across the globe.

This year's Shanghai Expo takes "Better city, Better life" as its theme and the 60 or so pavilions from companies and countries around the world demonstrate the technologies and lifestyles of those participating.

For our part, Mio are helping to promote greener exploration and navigation throughout the show by encouraging people to throw away their crumpled paper maps and use dedicated, reusable and more versatile portable navigation devices instead.   The joining together of many nations in a single place also reflects our brand tagline of, Explore more, where users are encouraged to  go beyond their surroundings.

 
To discover more about what we're doing at the show, logon to http://www.mio.com/expo2010 and read about how we're helping promote Expo 201 in Shanghai. There's loads of stuff to read and find out about, from what we're doing to promote greener packaging, to where you can rent a Mio PND or cell phone at the show. And of course there's the online e-book as well.

The e-book (also available for cellphones on http://m.mio.com/expo2010) is an abridged version of the one that you'll be able to buy in shops around world, which will also give you full maps of China. 

So if you want to know what's going on at the Expo sign up to the RSS feeds and keep on watching this space.

Mio Expo 2010 site - http://www.mio.com/expo2010

eBook version http://m.mio.com/expo2010

Khao San Road
"Am I really in Bangkok?" This was my first impression during my second trip to Thailand. (The first time was when I was 10, so it doesn't really count) Bangkok, especially Khao San Road, is full of Western backpackers.  If you are thinking of backpacking with friends or by yourself in Bangkok, Khao San road is definitely your first choice. It has a variety of accommodation, food and bar choices, guest houses, hostels, hotels and all with low prices from 100 to 500 baht per night depending on how many people you are traveling with. Khao San road also provides a great variety of food: Western, Thai, Chinese, pubs, restaurants or street food; you can get it all in Khao San, my personal favorite is a traditional fried noodle, "Pai Thai".  

After few nights staying in Khao San Rd, my girlfriend and I decided to move to a more central location, where it's easier to get transport around the city and other parts of the country. There are many transport opinions available: taxi, bus, train, tuk-tuk, motorcycle taxi, MRT (underground), BTS Skytrain and boats depending on where you want to go. MRT (underground) and BTS will be your best friends if you are going to hang around in Bangkok city and because these two don't cover a wide area, it will be inconvenient if you stay in places such as Khao San road. For example, if you going further into the city from Khao San Rd a taxi is going to be your only choice and it takes approximately 15-20 minutes and cost around 100 baht. Here's a hint - always ask the driver to charge by the meter to avoid unnecessary arguments. The tuk-tuk is a very special transportation in Thailand, it doesn't come with a standard rate and some tourists consider the fun part is where to you bargain with the tuk-tuk driver, but again, always make sure you have the price confirmed before you go. Since we spent a lot of time shopping around the city (thanks to my girlfriend), the sky train was the most convenient tool for us. A taxi is not a bad choice too, but it really depends on the traffic, it's cheap and fast in the off-peak hours but beware that the driver may take you the long way round, which is almost unavoidable. One time we were going from the Chutukchu weekend market back to our guest house, we decided to take a cab since we were carrying a lot of stuff, the driver took us on a long detour as I was looking at the map and wondering at the same time that how come we were heading in the opposite direction?! I asked the driver and he was like "oh, no English!! I NO ENGLISH". Well… what can we do about it, I guess this is considered as part of the tourism package.

Since my girlfriend and I are both from Taiwan, which is renowned for its fantastic food, especially in its night markets, we couldn't we miss the local night markets and shopping markets in Bangkok.  So we went to visit the biggest local shopping market "Chatuchak weekend market" where you can get all kinds of stuff, clothing, accessories, antiques, handicraft, pets and more at prices beyond your imagination. But just a little info for you, Chatuchak is only open at weekends from 9 to 6, and you might want to be there as early as you can, because the place gets packed. And maybe you want to plan for a foot massage afterwards, because the place is HUGE!!! Be prepared!!

Since I am a techie, a trip to Pantip plaza was already on my must go list before this trip. Pantip plaza is one of the largest IT mall's with 6 floors in Bangkok; you can get all kinds of electronic stuff, computers, camera, GPS and more. Surprisingly in the mall I ran into a Mio GPS Shop which I have never seem in Taiwan, so I took a tour inside the shop and asked the store staff for some product information.

In further recognition of Mio's outstanding product performance, PC World Magazine in Poland has awarded the Mio C725 with integrated digital TV tuner, the Best Performance Award.

“(…) 7 inch screen impressive - first on the future owner of navigation, then the car drivers passing his car. Since the MIO can play videos (also music) and allows you to browse images, the screen in case of such applications is a huge advantage. High resolution - 800x480 points - makes the picture very clear (…)”

The C700 series of portable navigation devices all feature the latest MioMap navigation software and can also be used to watch movies and view photos from a MicroSD™ card, and listen to music.

To discover if the C series is available in your region, go to www.mio.com

Read More: Please refer to Mio Poland Official Website.