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Takamatsu

Takamatsu (高松) is the largest city in Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, Japan.

Understand
The city developed over many years as a port town at one of the primary entry points into Shikoku and is therefore known as the "Gateway to Shikoku". It has come to be known as the "Udon Kingdom".

Climate
July and August can get quite warm. The winter months of January and February are the coldest, with occasional nighttime freezing temperatures.

Tourist information site
Experience Takamatsu is the city's official multilingual guide site.

By plane
The closest major airport to Takamatsu is Kansai International Airport in Osaka. There is a curiously-named bus called the "Airport Limousine" which runs directly between Kansai Airport and Takamatsu that makes seven round trip runs per day (¥5150 one-way; 3½ hours). It is not, however, a limo.

By train
Train service between Okayama, on Japan's main island of Honshū, and Takamatsu began operation in 1988 after construction of the Great Seto Bridge, allowing the train line to cross the Seto Inland Sea. It is the only railway link between Honshū and Shikoku.

For getting to Takamatsu, the ideal train to ride is the Marine Liner (マリンライナー), which runs directly between Okayama Station and Takamatsu Station. Trains run twice per hour in both directions (¥1,470 one-way; 55 minutes). Because the Marine Liner is classified as a 'rapid' (快速 kaisoku) train, the Seishun 18 Ticket is valid. Reserved seating and First Class Green car seating are available in one bi-level car on the train (¥510 and ¥950 from Okayama respectively). Like all JR trains, the ride is free for those with a Japan Rail Pass, and you can make a free seat reservation for the reserved car if you wish. If you are traveling south to Takamatsu and you get lucky, you may be able to sit in one of the three Green car seats at the front of the train - right behind the driver - and watch the view from the front as the train makes its journey. A limited express train (特急 tokkyū) called the Uzushio (うずしお) runs hourly to Takamatsu from Tokushima (1 hour, ¥3,070). A few Uzushio trains run between Takamatsu and Okayama on the exact same route as the Marine Liner; you have the option of using those trains if you have a Japan Rail Pass, but generally you should use the cheaper and more frequent Marine Liner.

Okayama Station, being a primary station on the bullet train line (shinkansen), is a convenient place to connect to and from other parts of Japan: Hiroshima, 1 hr 40 min; Osaka, 2 hr; Tokyo, 4.5 hr.

An overnight sleeper train called the Sunrise Seto (サンライズ瀬戸) makes daily runs between Takamatsu and Tokyo Station. The train ride lasts about 9½ hours. One-way prices vary, but a regular seat will cost at least ¥15,000, and a sleeper car will cost at least ¥20,000. Tickets and exact pricing are available from a JR ticket office or Japanese travel agency.

By bus
There are several options to travel by bus to/from Honshu, particularly the Kansai region. Buses can be booked online.
 * JR Shikoku Bus operates the following routes:
 * From Namba Station in Osaka (3 hr 20 min, ¥3,900 one-way, 48 round-trips daily).
 * From Kyoto Station in Kyoto (3 hr 40 min, ¥4,950 one-way, 7 round-trips daily).
 * From Hiroshima (3 hr 45 min, ¥4,100 one-way, 7 round-trips daily).
 * In addition, they have bus routes from Nagoya, Okayama and Kansai International Airport.
 * Shinki Bus operates buses to/from Sannomiya Station in Kobe (2 hr 30 min, ¥3,600 one-way, 27 round-trips daily).
 * Willer Express operates overnight buses from Tokyo to Okayama starting from ¥6,000, from where you can take the Marine Liner train to Takamatsu for ¥1,470.
 * Nishitokyo Bus offers a daily regular service from Tokyo station, Shinjuku station and Yokohama.

On foot
While it's possible to visit certain groups of sites on foot, it is not recommended. Many sites are spread out, so walking will be impractical and time-consuming for most travelers.

By bike
Takamatsu is extremely bike-friendly. In fact, it was designed with bike travel in mind.

To match the city's bike-friendly design, Takamatsu has one of the best rental cycle systems in Japan; you can keep your rental bike overnight and it is extremely inexpensive overall. The system is so good and there are so many bikes available that many locals use the system as well, unlike most rental cycles in Japan which are designed exclusively for tourists. You can rent a bike for just ¥100 per day ... and by "day" they don't mean until the end of the day, they mean a full 24-hour period from the moment you rent the bike. You can rent the same bicycle for up to 72 hours by informing the staff when you rent the bike.

There are seven rental cycle stations around town, including one in the basement of the bicycle parking area in front of Takamatsu Station. If you walk out of the station, just look for some stairways leading underground with bike signs above. Before your first rental you'll be asked to fill out a short application and submit some kind of official photo ID. You'll be issued a renter ID card for future rentals. Filling out the application and renting a bike in general with no Japanese should not be a challenge.

By Train
The Kotoden (琴電), or Takamatsu-Kotohira Electric Railroad, is also a viable means of getting around parts of downtown Takamatsu. The Kotoden is convenient for going between Ritsurin Park, Kawaramachi, and the Takamatsu Station/Castle area.

JR lines, used more for inter-city travel, don't run terribly often and are not very well-suited for getting around town, particularly the city center.

Yashima
Ten minutes by train to the east is Yashima (屋島), a peninsula famous as the site of the Battle of Yashima in the Genpei War in 1185. There are many sites to see for those interested in the local history. To get to Yashima, take either the local train, from Takamatsu-Chikkō Station with one transfer, or the JR train, from Takamatsu Station. Either one takes about 15 minutes.

Buy
Takamatsu has many long arcade-style shopping streets, called shōtengai (商店街), giving the city's shopping a more traditional feel. You'll find shops of all sorts on these streets, and lots of udon shops. They are concentrated in the portion of the city between Takamatsu Station and Kawaramachi. They are:
 * Hyōgo-machi (兵庫町)
 * Katahara-machi (片原町)
 * Marugame-machi (丸亀町)
 * Lion Avenue (ライオン通 Raion-dōri)
 * South Shinmachi (南新町 Minami-shinmachi)
 * Tokiwa-gai (常磐街)
 * Tamachi (田町)

Udon
Takamatsu is extremely well-known throughout Japan for its udon noodles, one of the three major types of Japanese noodle dishes. Udon noodles are distinctive in that they are white, fairly thick, and chewy. Although udon is widespread in Japan, Takamatsu does it better and cheaper than anywhere else in the country. There are literally hundreds of udon shops within the city limits. Because local foods are often a driving force in Japanese tourism, many people flock to the city for the udon, often doing "chain-eating" tours around the city to famous shops.

Udon made in Takamatsu and the Kagawa prefecture is sometimes referred to as Sanuki udon. 'Sanuki' was the historical name of Kagawa. While this can be considered a regional specialty of Kagawa, the Sanuki variety is so widely-loved throughout Japan that it is often thought of as the 'normal' type, and is what most people imagine when they hear the word 'udon'.

The average Takamatsu udon shop has a variety of udon dishes available. Some of the standard types are listed below but there are many more types; different toppings (raw egg, for example) lead to different names. It's rare for a typical bowl of udon to cost more than ¥1,000; the simpler types usually cost around ¥400, with some places offering noodle bowls for as little as ¥100. Ask locals about good udon shops since they are sure to know some. Udon is cheap, and it's a simple but tasty item that is easy to eat even for those who don't especially take to Japanese food, so travelers should make an effort to at udon at least once while in Takamatsu.

 * Kake udon - (Hot) The most basic variety. The noodles come in a hot dashi and soy-flavored broth and will likely have sliced onions thrown in. Some places may also add a slice of kamaboko (fish sausage) as well. You're likely to have a pinch of ginger added to the broth.
 * Kitsune udon - (Hot) Like kake udon, but with a large slab of fried tofu in the bowl.
 * Tempura udon - (Hot) Also like kake udon, but with some tempura thrown in for good measure. Typically the tempura will be shrimp plus a vegetable or two, however at the cheapest places the tempura will be kaki-age, a vegetable-shrimp patty.
 * Kama'age udon - (Hot) Identical to zaru udon in manner of eating, however noodles come hot instead of cold. As far as taste is concerned, it's quite similar to kake udon.
 * Zaru udon - (Cold) Cold noodles come on a wooden tray. From there, you pick them up, dip them into a soy-based broth that comes with the dish, and then eat.

Sleep
There are cheap business hotels around JR Takamatsu Station and Ritsurin-koen.

Go next
Takamatsu is the main entry point for Shikoku and from here the entire island is your oyster.
 * Kotohira, site of the famed Kompira Shrine, is an hour away by Kotoden train.
 * Marugame, the site of Marugame Castle, one of Japan's few remaining original castles.
 * Mount Ishizuchi, the tallest peak in Shikoku, is about two hours away.
 * Tokushima, capital of Tokushima Prefecture, is most famous for its Awa Odori Festival.
 * Iya Valley, about 2 hours south, cross one of the daring vine bridges to get back to the roots of Japan, with its many thatched roof houses, dramatic mountain scenery, relaxing hotsprings, and some of Shikoku's finest hiking.
 * Kochi, is famous for the beautiful Kochi Castle, which is one of Japan's few remaining original castles.
 * Mima, is a small city in Tokushima prefecture on the other side of the mountains to the south of Takamatsu. Mostly known for several historic locations, as well as campsites and outdoor activities (kayaking, hiking, fishing, motorcross, paragliding, etc.).

Nearby islands in the Seto Inland Sea:
 * Naoshima, a small island on Seto Inland Sea with superb contemporary art museums, is one hour away by boat.
 * Shodoshima, the second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, known for its soy sauce factories and olive production, is accessible by ferry; the island boasts enough sights to occupy a day or two

Easy day trips to the mainland:
 * Okayama, home to the beautiful Korakuen Garden, one of Japan's top three gardens, as well as the beginning of the Kibiji District Trail
 * Kurashiki, famous for the Bikan Historic District, one of Japan's largest and best preserved historic neighborhoods.
 * Tsuyama A wonderful little town famous for Kakuzan Park, which contains the ruins of Tsuyama Castle and thousands of cherry blossoms within its precincts, the historic Joto Street, and the beautiful Shurakuen Garden.

title: Takamatsu


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Takamori

Takamori (高森) is a town in the Kumamoto Prefecture on the Japanese island Kyushu. It is near the city of Kumamoto.

Tourist information site
The local Tourism Promostion Association has a multilingual guide site.

See

 * Yuusui Tunnel is south of Takamori Station. It should have become a railroad but its construction failed so it uses as the source of Takamori. The Water Pearl is in this tunnel. The Water Pearl is a piece of artwork that makes water beautiful.

Go next

 * Minamiaso
 * Aso
 * Nishihara
 * Ozu
 * Kikuyo
 * Kumamoto
 * Taketa
 * Bungoono
 * Takachiho

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Takamori


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Takaoka

Takaoka (高岡) is a port city in Toyama, Japan. While the prefecture's second-largest city, the main reason for travellers to visit is the ferry to and from Vladivostok, Russia.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a multilingual guide site.

By train
Takaoka has two main train stations. , in the center of town, is operated by the private Ainokaze Toyama Railway, with IR Ishikawa Railway trains offering one-seat service from Kanazawa. to the south serves the Hokuriku Shinkansen. The two stations are connected with a 3-minute trip on the JR Jōhana Line (¥140).

Hourly Hakutaka Shinkansen services from Tokyo stop at Shin-Takaoka, taking 2 hours 45 minutes (¥13,380; free with the Japan Rail Pass). With a good connection, you could also take the faster mornings-and-evenings Kagayaki to Toyama, and then transfer to the Hakutaka or Tsurugi, potentially saving 15 minutes.

From the Kansai cities of Kyoto and Osaka, take the Thunderbird limited express to Kanazawa (¥7,450), then:
 * For Takaoka Station, transfer to the IR Ishikawa Railway (40 minutes, ¥820) for a total time of about 3½ hours from Osaka. This part of the trip is not covered by the Japan Rail Pass.
 * For Shin-Takaoka Station, transfer to the Shinkansen Hakutaka or Tsurugi service for a 15-minute trip (total fare ¥8,910 from Osaka), taking 3 hours from Osaka. This is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass, but if you wish to continue to Takaoka Station the wait times for the train can vary — a bus, a taxi or a walk may be faster depending on the time of day.

By ferry
(伏木富山港 Fushiki-Toyama-kō) is located a fair distance from central Takaoka. Depending on where you dock, it's a 10- to 20-minute walk to JR Fushiki Station, three stops away from Takaoka on the JR Himi Line (氷見線), or a 5- to 10-minute walk to any of several stops on the tram line. If you're entering Japan this way, you cannot exchange your Japan Rail Pass in Takaoka; the nearest station that accepts them is Kanazawa, over 100 km away (¥1,030 by IR Ishikawa Railway, ¥3,000 by JR).

Get around
The Man'yōsen tram line (万葉線) trundles through town, starting at JR Takaoka Station. (Note that maps and route searches consider the Manyosen station as a separate one labeled Takaokaeki, which is as awkward in Japanese as it is in English: "'Takaoka Station' station".) Fares are ¥200-400 depending on the distance. It runs every 15 minutes from 05:30-23:30.

The JR Jōhana Line runs south into the suburbs of Tonami and Nanto, and the JR Himi Line runs north and then east along the coast to Himi.

See

There are a few sights of mild interest in Takaoka.

Go next

 * Gokayama — World Heritage village famous for its gassho-zukuri houses
 * Tonami
 * Himi
 * Imizu
 * Oyabe
 * Nanto
 * Toyama
 * Tsubata
 * Kanazawa — perhaps the best-preserved major Edo-period city in the country

title: Takaoka


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Takapuna

Takapuna is a beachside suburb on the North Shore of Auckland in New Zealand. It is the business, shopping and entertainment centre of North Shore.

Get in
From central Auckland drive north on the motorway across the harbour bridge. Take the Northcote off-ramp. Turn right, cross the motorway and follow the signs.

See

Go next

 * Browns Bay – to the north
 * Devonport – to the south

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Takarazuka

Takarazuka (宝塚) is a city in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

Understand
Takarazuka is a bedroom community city, in which residents typically work in nearby Osaka.

The city is known for its hot springs and for its all-female Takarazuka Revue, both of which are now the main draw for visitors.

Most people who visit Takarazuka are domestic travellers, with the largest group being middle-aged people and the older crowd.

For manga fans, the Tezuka Osamu Manga Museum located here is a must-visit. The manga artist, most well known for creating the character Astro Boy, grew up in the city, watching the Takarazuka Revue as a boy.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a multilingual guide site.

By plane
The nearest airport is Osaka-Itami, which is 20 minutes away by car. There is a limited direct Hankyū Bus service to Takarazuka, taking 25 minutes and costing ¥240, but a better option is usually to take the Monorail one stop to Hotarugaike and change there to the Hankyū Takarazuka Line (30 minutes, ¥420).

Another nearby domestic airport is Kobe Airport, which is an hour away by car. From there, take the Port Liner to Sannomiya, then take the train (see below).

The nearest international airport is Osaka-Kansai, which is 1 hour 20 minutes away by car. From there, take the JR Kansai Airport Rapid train to Osaka and change there to the JR Takarazuka Line; allow 1 hour 50 minutes and ¥1710.

By train
Most passengers come in through Osaka, from where there are two competing lines:

 * The JR Takarazuka Line (also known as the Fukuchiyama Line) offers four Rapid and Tambaji Rapid trains per hour from Osaka Station, taking 25 minutes and ¥330.
 * JR also offers the Kōnotori Limited Express service, which generally runs every hour between Shin-Osaka and Fukuchiyama, with some trains continuing to Toyooka or Kinosaki Onsen. From Osaka this costs ¥1700 and is barely faster than the Rapid trains, so these are only worth using if you have a suitable rail pass or are coming from the north.
 * The Hankyū Takarazuka Line offers six Express trains per hour from Umeda Station, taking 35 minutes and costing ¥280.
 * You can also take the Hankyū Kobe Line to Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi, then change to the Imazu Line; this takes 35 minutes and ¥280 as well. If you are going to or from Takarazuka-Minamiguchi Station, you should take this route.

From Shin-Osaka, the nearest Shinkansen station, there are four direct Local trains per hour to Takarazuka, taking 45 minutes and costing ¥500. You can save up to 15 minutes by taking any Rapid or Special Rapid train two stops to Amagasaki and changing there to any Rapid or Tambaji Rapid train. From Tokyo, allow 3 hours 20 minutes and ¥14,990 (3 hours 45 minutes and ¥14,680 if avoiding Nozomi trains; this is assuming that you take JR services from Shin-Osaka.)

From areas of Osaka south of Umeda, another option is to make your way to the JR Tōzai Line, which offers good connections to most of Osaka's subway lines (but especially the Sennichimae and Sakaisuji Lines, which do not serve Umeda). During the mornings and evenings this offers frequent direct Local and Rapid trains to Takarazuka, but during the daytime you will have to change at Amagasaki. Taking this route from Kyōbashi takes 40 minutes and ¥500.

From Kobe, there are two options:

 * Take the JR Rapid or Special Rapid to Amagasaki, then change there to a Takarazuka Line Rapid train (40 minutes from Sannomiya, ¥760).
 * Take the Hankyū Line to Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi, then change there to an Imazu Line train to Takarazuka (30 minutes from Kobe-Sannomiya, ¥280).

From Kyoto, there are also two options:

 * Take the JR Special Rapid to Amagasaki, then change there to a Takarazuka Line Rapid train (1 hour 5 minutes from Kyoto, ¥1140).
 * Take the Hankyū Limited Express to Jūsō, then change there to a Takarazuka Line Express train (1 hour 15 minutes from Kawaramachi, ¥530).

JR services to Takarazuka are covered by the Japan Rail Pass, the Hokuriku Arch Pass, and JR West's Kansai Area Pass, Kansai WIDE Area Pass, Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass, Sanyō-San'in Area Pass, and Kansai-Hokuriku Area Pass.

By bus
JR Bus Kantō and West JR Bus run two overnight buses from Tokyo Station (Yaesu South Exit) and Shinjuku, taking 9 hours 15 minutes. Prices vary widely, from ¥4000 to ¥11,000.

Takarazuka Interchange (3 km east of Takarazuka Station) is served by several long-distance bus routes between Osaka and Western Japan. None of these buses may be used for travel between Takarazuka and Osaka.

Get around
Many of Takarazuka's main attractions, hotels and shops are located in the vicinity of the Hankyu Takarazuka Station and the Takarazuka Minamiguchi Station. Most of them are within walking distance.

If you are not staying at a local hotel, take note of the last train times at both stations (usually at or around 01:00), or you might find yourself with no transportation out of the city.

Do

 * Hike along the old abandoned railway. Catch the train to JR Takedao Station from JR Osaka. (roughly 40 minutes). There is no ticket machine at this station, so a sneaky person might save money and travel there on the minimum ¥120 fare. The walk is about 6 km long and is flat. Difficulty level = 2/5. It takes about 2 hours. Key features: spectacular river views, rapids, gorge, cherry blossoms, red and yellow leaves in Autumn, train tunnels. Great for photography. When you exit the train station turn left and follow the river along and around to some steps up onto a small bridge (not across the main river, but a sidearm when the street turns left). Cross the bridge and you will come to the old train track sleepers.  Follow them along the river.  You will have to walk through 6 old train tunnels and that is what makes this hike so interesting.  Make sure you bring good hiking shoes and a flashlight.  You cannot walk through the tunnels without a flashlight.  There are also nice places next to the river for a picnic. When you get to the end, walk towards the massive overpass and keep walking about 1km.  Eventually you will come upon some T-intersections, turn right up the hill at the second traffic light towards Namaze station.  You'll also find Hankyu Bus stops along the main street. Have fun.
 * Stroll along the Hana no Michi street when cherry blossoms are in season (usually late March or early April). Just across the road from the Hankyu Takarazuka Station, the popular scenic spot is also near the Hana no Michi Seruka buildings which feature plenty of shops. The entire street is lined on both sides with cherry blossom trees and the low hanging branches envelop visitors in a gentle curtain of pink along the entire 100m walk. Visit on a Wednesday or just after lunch hour, as most visitors who have come to watch performances at the Takarazuka theater just beside would have gone in.

Eat
There are numerous restaurants and cafes in Takarazuka, serving Japanese or Western fare, or a mixture of both. Shops and eateries located in the vicinity of the Takarazuka Revue theater often plan their closing hours and days around the operating hours of the theater. Many close early on Wednesdays, or take a break altogether, as there are no performances at the theater.

Sleep
The larger hotels in Takarazuka typically cater to either hot spring visitors or the theater-going crowd. As such, rooms may be booked well in advance and vacancies might be few, so do book early.

Go next

 * Sasayama
 * Nishinomiya
 * Kobe
 * Amagasaki
 * Osaka
 * Suita
 * Minō
 * Akashi
 * Fukuchiyama

title: Takarazuka


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Takasaki

Takasaki (高崎) is a city in Gunma prefecture in Honshu, Japan.

Understand
Takasaki, about 100km north of Tokyo, is famous as the hometown of the Daruma doll. It is also the hometown of former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a bilingual guide site.

By plane
From Narita Airport, Takasaki is served by Azalea Limousine Buses operated by Chiba Kotsu; buses leave once every 1 1/2-2 hours (3 hours to/from Takasaki Station, ¥4500). By train, the easiest (and most expensive) way to reach Maebashi is to take the Narita Express to Tokyo Station, then the Joetsu Shinkansen to Takasaki (Approx. 2 1/4 hours, ¥7800, no charge with the Japan Rail Pass or JR East Pass). Reservations for the Narita Express and Shinkansen can all be made from Narita Airport.

From Haneda Airport, Limousine buses operate to/from Takasaki Station (3 hours, ¥3500). Going by train is much faster, but more expensive and requires more transfers: The Keikyu Line to Shinagawa, the Yamanote Line to Tokyo, and the Shinkansen to Takasaki (Approx. 1 3/4 hours, ¥5200; cheaper with unreserved shinkansen seat). You can purchase tickets for the JR portion of the journey upon reaching Shinagawa.

By bus
Nippon Chuo Bus operates several daytime bus services from the Tokyo area to Takasaki. All buses stop at the Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, with some buses also stopping in Ikebukuro and Akihabara (2 1/4 hours to/from Shinjuku, ¥1500).

Other long distance buses include the Tokai Liner daytime runs from Shizuoka and Nagoya, Sendai Liner overnight runs from Sendai, and Silk Liner overnight runs from Nara, Kyoto and Osaka. All of these buses are operated by Nippon Chuo Bus.

Get around
The city centre is easily walkable, but to get to most of the sites, bus, bicycle, or car are needed. Buses are usually infrequent and there is no English information. Ask the tourist information board at the train station for information on bus times.

Buy
Daruma dolls are the local specialty. The souvenirs shop at the train station sells them in small sizes and in all colours. Or you can go to the daruma temple and buy them in all sizes (and they can get quite big), although only in red.

Eat

 * Yaki-manju is a Japanese sweet famous in Gumma. It's broiled manju, Japanese-style bun with sweet soybean sauce. You can buy one at any shop with a long line of customers.

Go next

 * Tomioka Silk Mill (富岡製糸場) - 20 kilometers away, it is a factory established in 1872, preserved as a UNESCO Cultural Site and worth a visit.
 * Ashikaga - historical home of the Ashikaga shoguns
 * Karuizawa - a popular winter and summer getaway with skiing and shopping - a traditional shopping street as well as a huge outlet mall with a number of Western brand stores. One stop westbound from Takasaki on the Shinkansen.
 * For a slightly less expensive route take the Shin-etsu Line west to Yokogawa Station in Annaka and take a 30-minute bus ride through the hills to Karuizawa Station. Savings aside, the bus is worth the extra time during autumn for the colorful scenery.
 * Kusatsu
 * Higashiagatsuma
 * Maebashi
 * Numata
 * Shibukawa

title: Takasaki


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Tak Bai

Tak Bai (ตากใบ) is a small town on the Southern Gulf Coast, 3 km north of the border with Malaysia. The local border crossing is at the village of Ban Taba (also known as Ban Ta Ba), and the nearest major town on the Malaysian side of the border is Kota Bharu, Kelantan's state capital.

Get in
Coming directly from Narathiwat airport, take a grey minibus to Taba (Tak Bai) checkpoint and get out in Tak Bai town. If coming from Narathiwat town, take a songthaew or a public bus. The ride takes less than one hour and goes through a beautiful landscape with military checkpoints every few kilometres. If you have your own transportation, stop over at Ao Manao beach and Phra Tamnak Thaksin Tarchaniwet palace outside Narathiwat.

Get around
Tak Bai is a tiny town, so can walk almost everywhere, but motorcycle taxis should be available too.

Go next
Heading to Narathiwat, take a songthaew or a public bus from the market intersection or anywhere along the main road.

title: Tak Bai


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Takengon

Takengon is a town in Aceh, Indonesia. The town serves as the capital of the Central Aceh regency in the middle of the highlands.

Understand
Takengon is a remote city in the middle of the highlands of the north of Sumatra island. It is famous for its fish and coffee, and for being on the shores of the beautiful Laut Tawar Lake, which is well worth a visit.

Get in
By bus: By arriving from south you have to get a minibus in Kutancane with a stopover in Blang Kejeren. The buses depart in the early day until about 11:00. Ask at the bus station in Kutacane. By arriving from the north you either can go directly from Banda Aceh or from Bireun. There is a shared taxi service departing in the early morning or late evenings from Banda Aceh.

Get around
By taxi: There is a taxi service in the city. Most of the taxis are based on motorcycle, they take you basically all over the city very cheap.

By foot: As the city is fairly small it is very walkable.

See

 * Laut Tawar Lake, walk to the lakefront to see the fishing villages. Starting in the morning you can walk all the 25 kilometres to the other end. If you go on a Sundays, you will have company, as the whole region goes to the lake to party and to relax.

Do

 * Takengon market, a famous place for gathering. It is big and charming, with a wide selection of items available.
 * Coffee places, sit down at a coffee place to watch all the people.

Buy

 * Coffee, the area is famous for the Takengon Sumatra Coffee. You can buy the coffee at the market and in small stores.

Eat

 * Fish from Laut Tawar, you can find small street food restaurants at the bus station. They cook fairly good Indonesian food. Make Msure you eat the fish which is delicious.

Drink

 * Takengon Sumatra Coffee

Go next

 * Laut Tawar Lake, ask a driver to bring you to the lake.

title: Takengon


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Takeo

Takeo (武雄市) is a city of 49,000 people (2016) in Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Understand
Takeo and its hot springs have existed for over a thousand years.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site with integrated Google Translate.

Get in
Takeo is approximately 28 km (17 mi) west of Saga City and approximately 30 km (19 mi) east of Sasebo.

Takeo Onsen Station is the eastern terminus for the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen. From Nagasaki, the Shinkansen is the fastest way to reach Takeo Onsen Station. The eventual plan is to connect it to Hakata Station however, until then, Limited Express Trains are the fastest way to get here from Hakata Station. There are also Limited Express Trains from Sasebo.

Get around
Takeo is not completely walkable; buses run from Takeoonsen Station.

See

Do
Do some reading, enjoy a coffee, or update your blog at the Takeo Epochal Library, the first library in the world to have a public-private partnership with a large music store chain. Check out the Starbucks inside!

Don't forget Takeo Onsen, the ancient hot springs. It is within walking distance of the station and the nightclubs, and you can sleep here if you like. There are three hot springs to choose from.

Eat
Eat with the locals at Gyoza Kaikan, 5 minutes from Takeo Station. The gyoza and ramen here are cheap "B-class gourmet," but they're well-known in the area and the atmosphere is always lively.

Drink
Directly to the west of the station is a street of bars and nightclubs. The American hamburger restaurant there closes at midnight.

Go next

 * Ureshino
 * Arita
 * Imari
 * Kashima
 * Karatsu
 * Saga
 * Hasami
 * Sasebo
 * Nagasaki

title: Takeo


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Taketomi

Taketomi (竹富) is one of the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa, Japan. This small island just north of the tropics with its picturesque beaches and architecture is a popular getaway especially for domestic visitors. Far out in the Philippine Sea and part of the Ryukyu Kingdom until the late 19th century, Taketomi offers attractions that you won’t encounter on the Japanese mainland.

Understand

Tiny even by Yaeyaman standards, Taketomi (population around 300, area 5.4 km²) gets a disproportionate number of visitors because of its convenient location just off Ishigaki, and above all, its carefully preserved Ryūkyū village (集落 shūraku). Many houses in the village have red clay roofs with guardian shisa lions, a low surrounding wall of coral and extensive flower beds, which are particularly pretty in spring. Most roads are unpaved lanes of white sand and ambling water buffalo pull tourist-packed carts through town. While hardly off the tourist trail even before, Taketomi's popularity skyrocketed in 2012 when NHK aired the drama Tsurukame Josan'in (つるかめ助産院), and accommodation prices have soared to match.

Beware that the administrative area of Taketomi Town (竹富町 Taketomi-chō) covers not just Taketomi Island, but also the neighboring far larger island of Iriomote and in fact all of the Yaeyamas except Ishigaki and Yonaguni. An address with "Taketomi" in it may thus be located elsewhere in the archipelago.

History
This idyllic island has been inhabited for over a thousand years, but it wasn't the easiest place to scrape out a living. Being too dry for rice farming, villagers had to row for several hours across to Iriomote to tend their rice fields, spending nights on nearby Yubu to avoid Iriomote's malarial mosquitoes. Today, malaria has been eradicated, rice is imported, and the island cultivates tourists instead: the entire island is a part of Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park, and the village is carefully preserved as a historical architectural landmark. The few concrete structures you'll see on the island are actually some of the oldest buildings on the island, since all new construction down to electricity substations has to conform to traditional norms.

Get in
The only way to get to the island is by boat. An-ei Kankō (安栄観光), Yaeyama Kankō Ferry and Ishigaki Dream Tours operate a cozy triopoly with largely indistinguishable high-speed ferries (高速船 kōsokusen) running from Ishigaki every 30 min or so from 07:30 to 17:30 daily. Ferries take 15 min and cost ¥690/1330 one-way/return. Each operator also runs a car ferry (カーフェリー) twice a week, and these are slower but slightly cheaper at ¥530 one-way. These are not listed on the main schedules, so ask locally or check the websites.

In addition, each company runs one ferry per day from Kohama to Taketomi and back (¥1,180/2,260), and a one-way service from Iriomote's Uehara or Ōhara ports (¥1,670). These are primarily meant for repositioning ferries, and reservations are mandatory.

Packages including water buffalo rides are heavily flogged at the ticket counters, but read up below before you go for this. Returns are only valid on the same company, so you might want to pay the extra ¥50 for the flexibility of two one-ways. Try not to miss the last boat, since if you do, you're stuck for the night: there aren't even any charter services available.

Get around
Getting around Taketomi is easy enough. At the north-east corner of the circular island, about 1 km away from the central village, is the ferry terminal. From here, you can rent a bicycle, hop on a shuttle bus or simply walk. Wisely enough, the village does its best to minimize motorized traffic, so rental cars and motorcycles are not available.

A loop of paved road (環状線 kanjōsen) runs at a respectful distance around the village, with small Japanese-only markers at most intersections pointing the way to landmarks. Within the village, though, orienting yourself can be a bit of a challenge, since the streets of white sand and the walled-in buildings all look quite similar, and the little signage there is, is mostly in handwritten Japanese. The Nagomi-no-tō viewing tower makes a useful center point.

By bus
Taketomijima Kōtsū runs shuttle bus services from the port to the village to the beaches and back at least once an hour. Fares ¥200/310 by distance, or ¥1030 for a one-day pass. Stops are by demand, so if you want get picked up, arrange this in advance or call 0980-85-2154 at least half an hour before.

By taxi
Taketomi has one taxi, which can be booked at. Starting fare ¥550, and it's a minivan so wheelchairs can be accommodated.

By bicycle
Probably the best way to get around is on bicycle. Prices are standardized at a rather steep ¥300/1500 for one hour/full day, the bike rental companies hang out at the dock and will transfer you for free. The money conscious traveller may want to rent the bicycle in Ishigaki and take it on the ferry, though the gain is not much since the ferry fee is at least an additional ¥400 each way. You can bring your own bicycle for free on the ferry if wrapped in a bicycle bag with the front wheel detached.

Motorcycles are no longer available, but if you want a bit of an extra kick, you can rent electric bicycles instead.

On foot
If you're on the island for more than just a day-trip, walking is a great way to see the island. The walks between the village and the beaches/port are beautiful and not too long (~1 km from port to village, ~1.5 km from village to Kondoi Beach). Indeed, the walk between 'attractions' adds a decent buffer which will space out the experience over the time you're staying here.

If you want to tour the island on foot, ask for a map at the information stand in the ferry terminal. They lend English maps with a 6km/2hr "nature educational" route that covers all the highlights. Don't forget to return the map before boarding the ferry at the end of your tour.

See
Start your tour by dropping into the visitor center right next to the dock, which can give you a free rough map or sell you a better one (¥200). Most sights in the village are of fairly minor interest and it's generally more rewarding to amble around randomly, popping into little village shops and cafes.

Do
Taketomi is the kind of island where, by design, you can't really "do" much of anything — for example, there are no watersport facilities beyond paddling around snorkeling.

Water buffalo rides
The touristy way to see Taketomi is from cart pulled by a water buffalo (水牛車 suigyūsha), complete with guide telling folk stories (in Japanese) and twanging on a sanshin while at it. This is purely for sightseeing, not a practical means of transport, as the only option is a 30-minute round-trip tour for ¥1200/600 adult/child, including port transfers. While the scene is picturesque enough, animal lovers may have second thoughts, as the water buffaloes themselves aren't terribly pleased about having to lug around heavy carts in the midday heat and small whips are used rather liberally as encouragement.

Buy
Upmarket handicraft shops discreetly litter the streets of Taketomi. Popular buys include the local minsā cloth, which is very expensive if hand-weaved and hand-dyed with indigo, and star sand, more affordable at around ¥30 per teaspoonful.

There are no supermarkets or convenience stores on the island, so stock up before you head over. Souvenir shops do sell beach essentials like sunscreen.

Eat

The island has half a dozen cafes and restaurants, which do a roaring trade at lunchtime and are quiet the rest of the day. Overnight guests typically eat dinner and breakfast at their accommodation. Much of the southern part of the island is taken up by a farm that cultivates kuruma-ebi (車えび), a type of shrimp, so no prizes for guessing what you will find for dinner.

Drink
Taketomi has only one dedicated drinking spot.

Sleep
Accommodation on the island is limited and expensive, so most visitors choose to day-trip from Ishigaki instead. However, a night on the island is the only way to experience the beauty of the village in peace (after the day-trippers leave) and since the last boat leaves around 5:30PM you also get some deserted beaches to enjoy before sunset.

Mid-range
The island has a surprisingly large selection of guesthouses, most all of which charge a uniform ¥5500 for a bed and two meals.

Respect
Taketomi has no less than 30 on (御嶽), or holy places for venerating the gods, usually marked off with low stone walls and Japanese signage. Don't venture inside.

Go next

 * Ishigaki - You take this ferry in and take this ferry out

title: Taketomi


text:
Takikawa

Takikawa (滝川) is a city in Sorachi, Hokkaido.

Tourist information sites

 * The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.

 * The city government's official site has a Japanese-only tourism section.

See

 * Maruka Highlands

Go next

 * Moseushi
 * Fukagawa
 * Akabira
 * Sunagawa
 * Shintotsukawa
 * Uryu
 * Kamisunagawa
 * Naie
 * Bibai

title: Takikawa


text:
Takoma Park

Takoma Park is a city of 18,000 people (2020) in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a suburb of Washington D.C. Takoma Park is known for its Bohemian atmosphere and progressiveness, and has been called the "Berkeley of the East" and "The People's Republic of Takoma Park."

Understand
Takoma Park is bordered by, and often confused with the adjacent Takoma neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The Takoma Metrorail Station is in D.C., near the border of the 2 cities.

The area is populated with many Hispanic, African and Asian immigrants. Together with nearby Hyattsville, they form an area that is one of the most politically liberal districts in the U.S. and home to a sizable percentage of Maryland's immigrant population.

The Old Town area of Takoma Park is composed of three historic districts which run along Carroll Avenue from 4th Street NW (in Washington, D.C.) to Takoma Junction in Maryland. This is an artsy, counter-cultural area anchored by the Metro station, Takoma Theater, the Washington Opera warehouse and the House of Musical Traditions.

More densely forested than the surrounding city, with huge oak trees, Takoma Park is known as a "tree city" and is bisected by numerous steep hills, narrow streets at odd angles, and the gorge-like Sligo Creek Park.

With its small-town ambiance and residents determined to preserve its charm, it is one of few areas to successfully discourage chain stores and national franchises in its Old Town commercial district and instead encourages privately owned, unique commercial establishments.

History
A train station was located here on the B&O railroad in the 1880s, around which the Victorian community of Takoma Park and neighboring Takoma, D.C. developed, at a time when much of D.C. was still farmland. Takoma Park quickly became the central commercial area for farmers, commuters and gentry commuting into Washington, D.C. by train and streetcar. Now it is a vibrant satellite city with a "small town" ambiance and a reputation for post-1960s era counterculture political activism.

Founded by B.F. Gilbert in 1887, the hilly town became a haven for Seventh-Day Adventists, who moved their World Headquarters here from Battle Creek, Michigan (home of the Matthew Broderick cereal drama Road to Wellville). At the turn of the century, they built several downtown churches, a small Christian liberal arts college, a printing press, a vegetarian health food co-op, elementary schools, and a sanitarium. Since then, gentrification has brought in academics and political consultants who restored many of the area's group houses into Victorian mansions.

Takoma Park's legendary socialist mayor, Sammy Abdul Abbott, was widely known in the 1960s for fighting successfully (alongside future DC Mayor Marion Barry and other members of SNCC) to prevent Takoma Park and central D.C. from being torn apart by a 10-lane freeway, which was projected to bisect Dupont Circle and at one point, the Lincoln Memorial. His slogan was "No white men's roads through black men's homes." As a result, there are no continuous freeways running through D.C. today. Ironically, Sam Abbott was white, and the son of a banker who had disowned him when he became a card-carrying Communist in the 1930s; most of the residents of Takoma Park at the time were elderly white civil servants and Seventh-Day Adventists, and as a result of the numerous decaying Victorian buildings, the area was flippantly known as "Tacky Park" or "Glaucoma Park". Hippies fleeing Adams Morgan were attracted to Takoma Park in the 1970s by its reputation as a health-conscious, Victorian Village populated by eccentric artists such as John Fahey, the founder of Takoma Records.

In 1997, after a referendum, the portion of Takoma Park that was in Prince George's County was annexed to Montgomery County.

Because of its proximity to the Silver Spring estate of noted abolitionist Montgomery Blair (after whom the local high school is named, and whose family continues to own part of downtown Silver Spring), Takoma Park is also home to two former Freedmen's Villages from the Civil War era. One of these is now a high-rise apartment district along Maple Avenue, while the other was built on the site of an old Civil War fort and amusement park located on Sligo Creek. It is now populated by art houses in addition to the historically black community near Sligo Creek. A similar Freedmen's Village, much more preserved, is on Hawkins Lane in the affluent town of Bethesda.

Today, Takoma Park has a strong bohemian artistic culture, to complement its radical activist history. It is an eclectic blend of alternative and often offbeat culture with a surprisingly robust dining scene ranging from farm-to-table restaurants and cafes to independent bookstores and vintage stores on Carroll Avenue. Takoma Park melds seamlessly into the Takoma section of D.C., which shares its left leaning roots. You'll find a lively mix of old hippies, bikers, retirees, students, immigrants, skaters, yuppies and families in all living in harmonious co-existence.

By Metrorail
Takoma Park is served by the Red Line of the Washington D.C. Metrorail. For more information on riding the Metrorail, see Washington DC.

Most of the "Old Town" is within a 6-block walk of the Metrorail Station.

By bus
Metrobus and Ride-on-Bus operate service to Takoma Park from either D.C. or Silver Spring.

By car
Route 410 (East-West Highway) tuns through Takoma Park. It connects Takoma Park with I-495 (Capital Beltway), the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, and Bethesda.

From Silver Spring or D.C., take Blair Road, (another 2-lane cow path and the former driveway for the Blair estate). From the East End, follow North Capitol Street which becomes Blair Road. After passing the Takoma Metrorail Station, Blair Road runs into Georgia Avenue at the D.C. line, just south of the railroad underpass in downtown Silver Spring. From Blair Road, turn under the Takoma Metro station on Cedar St. NW, which becomes Carroll Avenue.

Alternatively, take 13th St. NW all the way to Fort Stevens where it turns into Piney Branch Rd. Turn right on Cedar St. and go under the Metrorail Station. This is also the bike route.

By foot or bike
Sligo Creek Trail is a 10.6-mile asphalt trail that runs between Hyattsville and Wheaton, through Takoma Park.

If biking from Washington D.C., follow the 13th Street (Takoma) signed bike lane north of Downtown D.C. to Piney Branch Road and turn left on Cedar.

For information on bike sharing programs in the Washington D.C. area, see Washington D.C..

By foot
The old town is best explored by walking. In general, Takoma Park is extremely hilly. Some side streets go up a 50-ft incline in the space of a block.

By car
Langley Park / International Corridor and its ethnic restaurants are best explored by car. Parking is available both off-street and on-street.

By bus
Metrobus and Ride-on-Bus operate service around Takoma Park.

See
The Takoma Park Historic District, near the Metrorail Station is full of houses from the early 1900s and is nice to walk around.

Buy
There are many small shops in Takoma Old Town, centered around the clock tower.

Eat
Takoma Park and Takoma are both an excellent, if highly underrated part of the D.C. area to dine in and if you search around enough, you'll find no need to go to nearby Silver Spring or Dupont Circle to cater to your tastes. As expected farm to table, organic and vegan options standout, however, it's easy to find unique flavors all in these two unique suburbs.

Drink
Takoma Park does not have many bars. For more nightlife options, go to Silver Spring.

Sleep

Across the border, in Washington D.C., are:

Connect
Most restaurants and cafes offer free WiFi.

Public libraries
Computer terminals are available for free use at the public libraries:

Go next

 * Rock Creek Park, one of America's largest urban parks
 * Hyattsville - accessible via the Sligo Creek Trail
 * Wheaton - accessible via the Sligo Creek Trail
 * Mount Rainer
 * Silver Spring
 * Rockville
 * Bethesda
 * Petworth

title: Takoma Park


text:
Taku

Taku (多久市) is a city of 18,000 people (2021) in Saga Prefecture, Japan.

Tourist information site
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.

By car

 * Nagasaki Expressway: Taku Interchange - Taku Nishi Parking Area
 * Take Route 203 starting from either Karatsu or Kubota.

By train

 * Take the Karatsu Line (JR Kyushu) either from Karatsu Station or Kubota Station. There are three stations you can get off at (coming from Kubota direction), Higashi-Taku Station, Naka-Taku Station or Taku Station.

By bus

 * Showa Motor: Saga City - Ogi City - Taku City - Karatsu City - Taku City - Takeo City

Get around

 * Fureai Bus (Community Bus)

Go next

 * Omachi
 * Kohoku
 * Ogi
 * Karatsu
 * Genkai
 * Takeo
 * Kubota
 * Saga
 * Imari

title: Taku


text:
Takua Pa

Takua Pa is a town on the Northern Andaman Coast of Phang Nga Province. It is the administrative headquarters of the province's Takua Pa District.

The town is featured in Aditya Assarat's 2007 film Wonderful Town.

Get in
Regular buses from the provincial capital, Phang Nga, throughout the day. ~1 hour, 70 baht. Also, buses en route Bangkok-Phuket pass through Takua Pa hourly during the day.

Go next

 * Khao Sok National Park — less than an hour, 45 km north via Rte 4
 * Krabi Province — 2 hours away, costs 120 baht on air-con bus

title: Takua Pa


text:
Tal Afar

Tal Afar is a city in Northwestern Iraq.

See

In the center of the city are found the remnants of an Ottoman Empire fortress or castle.

title: Tal Afar


text:
Talairan

Talairan is a small village of only a few hundred people in Aude, a Department of Languedoc-Rousillon in France. Talairan is set in the heartland of the wine-growing Corbieres district.

Understand
The area has been inhabited since ancient times, originally by the Gallic tribe, with the closest large town Narbonne having been settled in the first century BC by the Romans. The Corbieres region has, since then, been famous for its olive plantations and vineyards, and Talairan is a typical village in the area in that respect. Sheep farming and iron mining have also produced work over the years in Talairan and the immediate surroundings.

The natives call the scrubland on the hills surrounding the town La Garrigue and it is famous for its honey, lavender and rosemary. Truffles can also be dug out from the soil in the oak plantations just out of town. This environment makes for a good ramble and there are a number of signposted walks for day hikers.

Summer is the peak time of year for Talairan and all the villages in the area. One by one, each village takes its turn to host a "fete", which is a kind of street party with live bands, entertainment, food and drink. Talairan also holds an annual "feria" in July, which is a town festival featuring horse-riding, cattle-herding and plenty of wine, food and song.

In autumn and winter "chasseurs" (hunters) hunt for small game, deer and boar on the hillsides of the La Garrigue. The meat is often used to make a local specialty, a type of fermented sausage.

By plane
Ryanair flies into Carcassonne (Salvaza Airport) several times a day. From there travel on the autoroute by car towards Lezignan-Corbieres. Hire cars can be arranged at Salvaza Airport.

By car
Exit the A61 Autoroute (Peage) at Lezignan-Corbieres and follow the signs for Fabrezan and Saint Laurent de la Cabrerisse. Talairan is approximately 20 km from the exit.

Get around
Hire a car or a bicycle to explore Talairan and the villages in the area.

Do

 * Visit nearby Saint Pierres des Champs, or Saint Laurent de la Cabrerisse to go swimming in the river.
 * Take a day hike to the Gourg-Gouttonier.
 * Take a day trip to the beautiful walled city of Carcassonne.
 * Get involved in the weekly petanque competition at La Talariane.
 * Take a tour of one of the working wineries.
 * Visit La Cave Cooperatif for local specialty products.
 * Take a day trip to the Mediterranean to soak up some sun.

Buy
Wine! Of course. Visit the cellar doors at the following wineries: Or, perhaps visit the local Mielerie to buy some local honey. For more local products try the Cave Cooperative behind the bar.

Sleep

 * Château Ventenac, 6-bedroom, 5-bathroom 19th-century holiday house accommodates 16 people (ideally 12 adults + 4 children), new cooking facilities, WiFi.
 * Domaine Louis Degrave, 7, avenue du Grand Bassin

title: Talairan


text:
Talamone

Talamone is a city in Tuscany.

Understand
The village lies on a rocky promontory, which lies on the southern border of the Maremma nature reserve, in a dominant position along the whole stretch of coast arriving at Mount Argentario. The surrounding area is characterized by the presence of vegetation typical of Mediterranean scrub and long sandy beaches, lined by pine trees

History
An ancient and flourishing city already during the Etruscan period, which saw a decisive battle in 225 BC between Roman and the Celtic hordes who were heading for Rome. But the city's name is linked to Giuseppe Garibaldi and his thousand soldiers in 1860. when Talamone was annexed to the Reign of Italy, he made a stop there to stock up on water and weapons

See

There are also the coastal towers and fortifications (the Walls of Talamone, the Tower of capo d’Uomo, the Torre of the Cannelle and Talamonaccio).

Other places to visit include the permanent exhibition of Frontone in Talamone which hosts museum space in Piazza della Repubblica and Orbetello that exhibits a rare example of terracotta, examples of the Etruscan-Hellenistic era around Talamone that was part of the top front of an ancient Etruscan temple. The Aquarium of the Lagoon of Orbetello, which is located in the hamlet of Talamone hosts various species present in the waters of Laguna.

title: Talamone


text:
Talampaya National Park

Talampaya National Park is a geological treasure in La Rioja Province of Argentina, in the Cuyo region. The park covers an area of 215,000 hectares but only 5% is accessible to visitors. The rest is a research area.

Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000, it is an environmental, economic and social promoter of nearby populations that have a chance to develop thanks to sustainable tourism.

History
It became a National Park in 1997.

Landscape
The Talampaya gorge has walls of up to 143 m high, that rose 250 million years ago, and its rock formations attract 60,000 visitors a year.

Get in
Tours to the national park run from La Rioja city and Villa Unión.

Get around
The views can be enjoyed on vehicle tours, by bike, or even on foot.

See
Talampaya's attraction are the intensely red canyons, which are truly impressive.

Do
There are different tours of different lengths offered in town and when you arrive at the national park.

Buy
There are some souvenirs for sale at the welcome centre.

Eat
There's a restaurant in the main building.

Sleep
Beds are available in Pagancillo, Villa Unión and La Rioja.

Lodging
There is a hotel in the area.

Stay safe
Roads can flood very quickly and very suddenly in the rainy season in January and February. Be careful of the extreme heat. Cover your head, apply sunscreen and drink plenty of water.

title: Talampaya National Park


text:
Tala

Tala (Greek: Τάλα) is a village outside Paphos.

Understand
Tala is a small village high up in the hills behind Peyia on the slopes of what is locally called Tala Mountain. It is a very popular area with British expatriates but still retains much of its Cypriot charm.

By car
Tala is easily accessed by roads from the north of Paphos on the way to Emba and Chlorakas or through the village of Kissonerga. It's a steep climb up to the village through citrus groves.

Get around
Tala is best explored on foot whilst the monastery at Agios Neophytos will require a short car journey although the mile and a half climb is possible on foot.

See

 * The old houses around the village square

Do
Wander along the near deserted lanes around the village or sit in the gardens of one of the tavernas and enjoy the cool mountain air. Look out too for shows that are staged at Tala's small amphitheatre.

Buy
Tala is known for its patronage of the arts and as well as welcoming theatre, music and shows to the amphitheatre, The Gallery restaurant doubles as an art gallery showcasing local artists and regularly hosts 'artists in residence' who talk about their work and give demonstrations. The Gallery is open for viewings every day except Sunday and you can buy many of the works of art on display.

Eat
There are a number of restaurants and tavernas around Tala square. The best are:

Drink
Many of the restaurants and tavernas allow you to just sit and while away the time over a beer or a bottle of wine.

Sleep
Much of the accommodation in Tala is apartment and villa rental

Go next
Paphos is within easy reach as are the golf courses of Tsada and Secret Valley

title: Tala


text:
Talca

Talca is a city of 220,000 people (2017) in Central Chile. It is the capital of Talca Province and of Maule Region. Talca personifies the Chilean characteristics of being isolated, insular and very local. Most travellers from Santiago to the south pass right through and have no experience of Talca, a busy medium-sized city with cars, taxis, buses, bicycles and horse-drawn carts in the streets.

Understand
The city is an important economic center, with agricultural (wheat) and manufacturing activities, as well as wine production. Common crops are vegetables, fruit trees and cereals, in the rural sectors of the commune. However, it is the vineyards that acquire special importance, being the Maule Valley, whose head is Talca, the area with the highest wine production in the country with about 45% of the total.

Livestock activity (mainly pigs and poultry) is important since important industries are based on it. Mining, represented by the El Chivato (gold) deposit, is almost inactive today. It is also the location of the Universidad de Talca and the Catholic University of Maule, among others.

Talca is the main industrial center of the region and the Central Valley. It houses industries that deal with the processing of agricultural resources in the adjacent area. Outstanding items are the paper, wood, plastics and metallurgy industry; canning, milling, food and beverage industry, andcmeat and sausage processing.

It was partially destroyed by the 1928 Talca earthquake, and was rebuilt. The earthquake of February 2010 destroyed most of the old buildings in the region, including many of historical-heritage value, affecting residential areas and infrastructure.

Climate
Winters are cold with frequent rains and fogs, frosts are also frequent from mid-autumn to early spring, reaching below 0 °C in most winters. Summers are generally hot and dry, with highs that frequently exceed 30 °C, but with cool lows, slightly exceeding 10 °C.

By car
Talca is accessible by the main highway of Chile, the Ruta 5, a modern and well-maintained toll road with a 120 km/h speed limit which is part of the Panamerican Highway system. Getting in to the city from the highway involves many unmarked turns that leave you feeling that the city is not interested in visitors.

Regional paved roads lead westward to Talca from the Pacific Ocean. To the west, the San Clemente road is paved to within 80 km of the Argentine border at the rugged Paso Pehuenche which is open for about 2 months of the year, otherwise closed and impassible because of snow.

By bus
Bus service to Talca is frequent from in all four directions.

By train
There is train service north and south with a special.

By colectivo
Small black cars that run routes through the city, their cost are 450-600 pesos for a ride. They are quicker and more comfortable.

There are 36 lines of colectivos:
 * 1,2,3,13,14,19,20,23,24,25,34,2A: Southwest - downtown - Northwest
 * 18,22,15,16,28,30,31: Southwest - downtown - Northeast
 * 4,6,9,10,21,27,27A,29,32,33: Northwest - downtown - Northeast (or Northwest)
 * 15,16: Southwest - downtown - Northeast
 * 15A: Colín, Maule - downtown - Northeast
 * 5,7,8,12: Southeast - downtown - Northeast

By bus
Buses (called micros) go to all parts of town for 400 pesos (130 pesos students).

There are 12 lines of micros:
 * 1,2,4,6: Ex-Matadero, Sotratal S.A.
 * 3,3B,5,7: Abate Molina
 * A,B,C,D: Taxutal

By train
A special and rustic train (ramal) that makes the trip to the coast at Constitución.

Talca:
 * Colin–Pichamán: 1,200 pesos
 * Forel–Maquehua: 1,800 pesos
 * Constitución: 2,100 pesos

Constitución:
 * Maquehua–Curtiduría: 1,200 pesos
 * Corinto–Colín: 1,800 pesos
 * Talca: 2,100 pesos

See
Talca has many historical buildings:

Other important buildings are:
 * Railway Station (11 Oriente S. Allende, in front of La Loba square and 2 Sur Ms. Larraín)
 * Regional Center of Provision (4 Norte w/ 11 Oriente)

In general, the Central Square Park and 1 Sur street concentrates many old buildings of great value.

Do

 * Wine Route – Circuit through the vineyards of the Maule Valley, which is centered in the city of Talca. It is a highly demanded tourist walk, especially by visitors from abroad.
 * Chancho Costumbrista Festival – Also known as the "We are Dead Pig Festival", it is a gastronomic exhibition promoted by the Municipality during two days in August. It is held in the Plaza de Armas, where stands are exhibited with pork products, prepared by many chefs in different positions. This festival evokes one of the customs of the Chilean countryside, which is the slaughter of the pig, and the family and social rite that summons around it for the manufacture of by-products that will feed the people of the countryside during the winter.

Hiking
To the east an area of vast hiking opportunities exist. Get more information from CONAF website and the local office in Talca center. Some highlights:

Buy

Go next

 * Constitución – Take the rustic train west to the coast and then down the tranquil sea side with laid back surfer towns like Pelluhue and Cobquecura, and everything in between.

title: Talca


text:
Talensac

Talensac (Breton: Talenseg, Gallo: Talanczac) is a commune in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany. The Meu river is all of the commune's eastern border. Located at 20 km west of Rennes in the perimeter of the second suburb of Rennes, Talensac is crossed from the West to the East by the brooks of Guillermoux and of Bignons which form the Barillais, the Serein and the Rohuel and then the Chèze which are confluents of the Meu river. It is next to the forest of Montfort-sur-Meu. The town stretches over 2.161 hectares and has a population of 2.100 inhabitants. Talensac has hamlets: Crabassou and Trénube. It is surrounded by Montfort-sur-Meu, Bédée, La Nouaye, Breteil, Pleumeleuc, Iffendic, Saint-Gonlay.

Understand
As early as 1803, Talensac was an independent parish which also included the village of Le Verger. The first church was replaced and rebuilt around 1703. But this church, dedicated to Saint-Anne, was devastated by a fire in June 1872. Another church was then built (actual church). It has been consecrated in 1882 by the archbishop of that time.

Judicaël and Erispoë, kings of Brittany, had a residence from the 7th to the 9th century in Talensac. Erispoë lived in the village of the "Châtellier" next to the road of Breteil. This fortification was protected as it had moats. On 2 November 857, Erispoë was assassinated in the church of Talensac by Salomon, his first cousin, who didn't want Erispoë's daughter to marry the son of Charles le Chauve. This would have brought into play the lands of Salomon and the independence of Brittany faced to West Francia, but also all the chances of Salomon to access to the throne.

In 1152, Guillaume I spouse gave Saint-Jacques de Montfort abbey, the taxes of Talensac and the mill of the town to monks. The son of Guillaume I and of Amice de Porhoët, Godefroy de Montfort, left "Le pré au Comte" in 1171. Around 1372, the castle of the "Châtellier", property of the Bintin family, was devastated.

In 1697, Jeanne-Françoise De Massuel, Lady of the Bois-de-Bintin, married the Lord of Belin, Mathurin Lesné, in Talensac. He and his spouse lived in the castle of "Bédoyère", an imposing residence from the 17th century. The castle, badly preserved during the different periods it went through, was demolished around 1920.

By car
Take RN24 (Rennes / Vannes-Lorient) and exit Talensac-Montfort.

By plane
The closest airport is in Rennes.

By train
Railway station of Montfort-sur-Meu, direct lines from Rennes.

By bus
Illenoo Bus, line 2: Breteil, Iffendic, La Nouaye, Montfort-sur-Meu, departing from the railway station of Rennes.

Buy
The district of Montfort en Brocéliande offers many local products including honey, chouchen, gingerbread, royal jelly, pollen, sweets.

title: Talensac


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Talent

Talent is a city in Southern Oregon.

title: Talent


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Talihina

Talihina is in a small town in the Choctaw Country of Oklahoma.

Do
While you are in Talihina, be sure and visit the Historical Downtown. Visit Cranford's Boots for a true old fashioned boot store with some of the best prices around. Nothing fancy, just good boots at great prices! Another old time treat is "Treats and Treasures Old Fashioned Soda Fountain". This 1940s Soda Fountain is like stepping back into time. They have the best Milkshakes and Malts in town and still make ice cream soda's. Some say their hamburgers are the best in town!!!

Eat
There are several great places to eat in Talihina. Larger groups may want to call ahead for reservations.

title: Talihina


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Talin

Talin is in Central Armenia.

Sleep
There seems to be no hotels available.

Go next

 * Gyumri

title: Talin


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Taliparamba

Taliparamba or Thaliparamba is a town in Kannur District, in the Malabar region of Kerala, India.

Understand
Taliparamba is an important trading station of spices and hill produce. The undulating hills that surround this little town make it exceptionally beautiful. The surrounding villages of Pattuvam, Kuttikkol and Karimbam are filled with lush green fields and little rolling hills. The rivers of Kuppam and Valapattanam surround the towns from all sides and the Arabian sea is only 14km to the western side. Taliparamba is not known as a tourist destination even though it is a very scenic place. So you can expect a lot of attention without any touristy prices.

Get in
Taliparamba is 10 km from the nearest railway station of Kannapuram. There is an airport at Kozhikode some 120 km to the south. Buses are available from Kannur and Payyanur.

Get around

 * Autorickshaws charge ₹15.00 per km
 * Buses charge only ₹7.00 for three km.
 * Walking is impossible as numerous motorcycles pester you even in village roads.

See

Eat
There are many good restaurants in the national highway.

Go next

 * Bekal Fort and Beach, 61 km.
 * Iritty, hill town with nice rivers, 48 km.
 * Kannur, major beach city, 21 km
 * Parassinikkadavu, riverside temple, 10 km
 * Payyanur, beach town, 21 km.

title: Taliparamba


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Talk

The world has over 5,000 different languages, of which more than twenty have 50 million or more speakers. Travel can bring you into contact with any of these.

This article tries to give an overview of how to cope with language difficulties, an important problem for many travellers. See our List of phrasebooks for information on specific languages.

Coping without knowing the local language
When one or both players has limited skills in whatever language you are using, keep it simple! Keep sentences short. Use the present tense. Avoid idioms. Use single words and hand gestures to convey meaning.
 * Join a tour in your language. This can mean anything from picking up a spoken word tour in the foyer of the museum, to taking an escorted bus tour of an entire country or region. See also guided tours and travel agencies.
 * Find venues frequented by English-speakers. Venues such as stand-up comedy clubs are likely to have an English-speaking crowd.
 * Hire a guide or translator. This is usually possible, though not always cheap or convenient. If getting things done is more important than saving money — for example, on a business trip — this is often the best solution. Especially if large amounts are involved, it may be safer to use your own translator — for example, one recruited from among immigrants in your country or recommended by your embassy at the destination — than to trust a translator provided by the people you will be negotiating with.
 * An electronic translator, like many apps that can be downloaded on a mobile phone, can be extremely useful when making simple requests at hotels, transportation, or even making special requests at restaurants. Count on it being one way communication, but it can often get the message across when hand signs fail.
 * A phrasebook or suitable dictionary.  Learning the basics of pronunciation, greetings, how to ask directions, and numbers (for transactions) can be enough to fulfil nearly all the essentials of travel on your own, and can be a fun activity on long flights or bus delays.
 * Write down numbers or key them into a calculator or phone for display to the other party. Written words are often easier to understand than spoken words, also. This is especially true of addresses, which are often difficult to pronounce intelligibly.
 * Try any other languages you speak. Many people in post-Soviet countries speak Russian, some Turks and Arabs speak good French or German, and so on.

If none of those work for your situation, you can just smile a lot and use gestures. It is amazing how far this can take you; many people are extremely tolerant. Yet, before switching to body language, it's always a good idea to check the "Respect" sections of the articles for the areas you are going to visit; a well-understood and perfectly innocent gesture in your culture might be a grave insult in another.

Using English
"If you can speak three languages, you're trilingual;

If you can speak two languages, you're bilingual;

If you can only speak one language, you're anglophone."

If you can't get your message across in the local language, then as an English speaker you are fortunate that many people around the world learn English as a second language. There are many places where quite a few people speak some English and many in the educated classes speak it well.

There are two groups of countries where good English is common enough that a traveller can generally get by speaking only English:
 * In former colonies of English-speaking powers — all of the Indian Subcontinent, Malaysia, Brunei, Hong Kong, the Philippines, the small Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Israel, most of the Caribbean, most of Oceania, much of eastern and southern Africa and a few other places — English is still widely used, particularly among more affluent sectors of the population.
 * Some European countries — especially the Netherlands and the Nordic countries — have widespread exposure to English-language media, strong traditions of learning foreign languages, and good education systems, so many people learn English well.

The latter also applies to a certain extent to many European countries that were east of the Iron Curtain. In these countries, most people who grew up after the fall of communism (around 1990) know English well, while those who were already adults by then usually don't (they might have learnt and been exposed to other languages, such as Russian and German).

English has also emerged as the international language in science, with over 90% of modern scientific journal articles being published in English, so academics working in scientific fields in reputable universities around the world generally have a functional command of English. English is widely used also in some other fields involving international cooperation.

However, how much effort locals will expend in trying to understand and communicate with you is another matter, and varies between individuals and cultures. To some it comes as a complete surprise that a foreigner would attempt to learn any of their language. To others, it is offensive to start a conversation without at first a courtesy in the local language and a local language request to speak English. There is often no correspondence between ability and willingness to speak a language, many people are lacking in confidence, or don't have the time.

As always, be aware of local norms. You'll get a stern look in Frankfurt if you waste a shopkeeper's time trying out your elementary school German, and the interaction will quickly switch to English. However, in Paris, an initial fumbled attempt in French may make your conversational companion much more comfortable. In a Tokyo restaurant, you may get all of their student waiters gathered around your table to try out their English, while they giggle at any attempt you make in Japanese. Obviously, in general, you shouldn't have the expectation that everyone you meet in your travels will speak English.

Nearly anywhere, if you stay in heavily touristed areas and pay for a good hotel, enough of the staff will speak English to make your trip painless.

The map below shows the percentage of English-speakers overall by nation. Keep in mind, however, that this can be quite misleading as English speaking ability can vary dramatically within countries. In nations where English is not the primary language, English-speakers are more likely to be found in major cities and near major tourist attractions. In Japan, for example, there is a higher concentration of English speakers in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, but the percentage drops significantly when you travel to rural parts of Shikoku or Kyushu.

South Africa, India and Malaysia can be considered English-speaking countries in terms of areas a tourist would normally visit, and for business meetings, but the national percentage reflects the lower education levels in rural towns and communities. Conversely, in Canada, despite being a majority English-speaking country, there are parts of the country where French is the main language and it might be hard to find people with a functional command of English.

Speaking English with non-native speakers
Imagine, if you will, a Mancunian, Bostonian, Jamaican and Sydneysider sitting around a table having dinner at a restaurant in Toronto. They're regaling each other with stories from their hometowns, told in their distinct accents and local argot. But nevertheless, their server can understand all of them, despite being an immigrant from Johannesburg, and so can any other staff at the restaurant if they need to help them. It is a testament to the English language that despite the many differences in these speakers' native varieties, none of these five need to do more than occasionally ask for something said to be repeated.

It may be easy for native English speakers travelling outside the "Anglosphere" today to think they will be understood in everything they say, everywhere. By day you go to tourist sites, perhaps led around by an English-speaking guide, as local merchants hawk souvenirs at you in the same language as the pop songs booming from the nearby radio; pop songs that were a hit at home last year. By evening, back in the hotel, you watch the BBC or CNN news in your room and then perhaps go out to a nearby bar where, along with equally rapt locals, you take in the night's hottest Premier League match on a big-screen TV.

But the ubiquity of English should not blind — or rather, deafen — us to the reality that many of the English speakers we encounter in foreign countries are only as proficient as they need to be to do their jobs. The gentlemanly guide who artfully and knowledgeably discourses on the history and culture of, say, Angkor Wat to you during your walking tour, and shares further insights about life and work over drinks, might well be completely lost if he had to get through one of your days back home. If you want to get an idea of how your conversations with your travelling companions probably sound to him, watch this video (assuming the experience of having the five years of top grades you got in French leave you no closer to understanding that urgent-sounding announcement that just came over the Paris Metro's public-address system wasn't enough, that is). So we have to meet them halfway with our own use of English.

If our foursome were to be eating at a restaurant in Berlin or Dubai, we should first counsel them not on what to do, but what not to do: repeat what they just said more loudly and slowly, or "translate by volume" as it is jokingly called. It helps only if you're normally fairly soft-spoken or in other situations where it's possible your listener genuinely might not have been able to hear you adequately. But it's ridiculous to assume that your English will suddenly become comprehensible if you just raise your voice. And, since it's often the way we speak to children if they don't seem to understand, your listener may well feel as insulted as you would being spoken to loudly and slowly in Hindi, Tagalog or Hungarian.

What the men around the table need to do, like all native English speakers trying to make themselves understood by a non-native speaker with possibly limited English, is, first and foremost, keep in mind that there are aspects of speaking and understanding English which most native speakers have so mastered as children that they forget even exist, but which often present problems for non-native speakers, even those who may have studied English as a foreign language extensively.

Specifically:

 * Speak slowly, as you might with even a native speaker who can't understand you. Unlike raising your voice, this isn't such a bad idea. But when you do, remember to preserve your stresses, accenting the same syllables and words you do when speaking at your normal rate. Many non-native speakers rely on these stresses to help them distinguish words and meanings from each other, and when you speak without them, like ... a ... ro ... bot, they may be even more confused than they were before.
 * Standardize your English. This means firstly that you avoid idiomatic phrases and just use the plainest, least ambiguous possible words for what you are trying to say. A possibly apocryphal story has it that a veteran Russian translator at the United Nations, stumped by an American diplomat's use of "out of sight, out of mind" in a speech, rendered it into his own native tongue as "blind and therefore insane." Keep that in mind if, for instance, you catch yourself about to tell a sales clerk that you want "the whole nine yards".
 * Be mindful of the non-standard aspects of your own pronunciation and vocabulary. You may use impenetrable slang without even realizing it, leaving your listener lost. And consider also what it must have been like to be the server at the five-star Parisian hotel who heard a guest from the Southeastern U.S. give his breakfast order as "Ah'm'om' git me some'm eggs", as if he were in a Georgia diner. While you might be defensive, or even proud, of your thick Glasgow accent, it may be your worst enemy when giving a Bangalore taxi driver the address of the restaurant where you made dinner reservations.
 * The English you know may not be the English your listener knows. Bill Bryson, an American writer who lives in England, once said that it sometimes must seem to the rest of the world as if the two nations are being purposely difficult with their divergent vocabularies: for example, in Britain the Royal Mail delivers the post, while in the U.S. the Postal Service delivers the mail. This can also cause problems for native English speakers when abroad, depending on where you are. A valet parking your car at a hotel in Continental Europe may not understand what you mean when you tell him to put a piece of luggage in the trunk, but if you use the British "boot" he will. Similarly, the manager of a Brazilian supermarket might respond to a request for torch batteries with a bemused smile – why would wooden sticks need them?? – but if you tell her it's for a flashlight she'll be able to help you. As a general rule, British English is the main variety taught in the Commonwealth and much of Europe (though increasingly infrequently), while American English is the main variety of English taught in most other countries, though everywhere the omnipresence of American cultural products may mean Americanisms stick rather than any formal English class your conversation partner might have had. See English language varieties for more detailed discussion.
 * Avoid phrasal verbs, those in which a common verb is combined with a preposition or two in order to create another verb which may not always be similar in meaning to the original verb, i.e., "to let in" or "to put up with". Because they use such otherwise common words, they seem universally understandable and most native English speakers use them in conversation without thinking twice. But they are the bane of most non-native speakers' existence, since there is often no equivalent in their own native languages and they often have idiomatic meanings that don't relate to any of the words used. Think about it—if you ask someone to put out their cigarette, it would be an entirely understandable response if they took the two words literally and just went to continue smoking outside, or thought you wanted them to do so. You might be better off asking them to extinguish it, especially if they speak a Romance language, since that word has a Latin root they may more easily recognize.
 * Avoid negative questions. In English, it's common to answer a question like "They're not going to shoot those horses, are they?" with "No" to confirm that the horses are not going to be shot. However, a listener trying to interpret that question by taking every word literally may say "Yes" to indicate that the person asking was correct in assuming that the horses were not going to be shot... but then the questioner would take that answer as indicating that the horses were going to be shot. Since even native speakers are occasionally confounded by this, and English lacks equivalents to the words some other languages have to indicate this distinction, just ask directly: "Are they going to shoot those horses?" – and give enough context in your own answers.
 * Listen actively by keeping your attention on the speaker and verbally affirming, by saying things like "Yes", "OK" and "I am listening" while they are talking to you. When you are talking, continue keeping your eyes on them—if it looks like they're not understanding you, they aren't. Ask them regularly if they are understanding, and echo back what they've told you, or you think they've told you, in some way — "So the next train to Barcelona is at 15:30?" — so they understand what you understand, and have the opportunity to correct you if you don't.
 * Suggest continuing the conversation over a drink, if it's culturally appropriate (e.g., not when speaking with a devout Muslim or Mormon). Some studies have shown that people are more relaxed about speaking a second language when they're drinking. It's worth a try if nothing else seems to be working. However, don't overdo it. One beer or two loosen the tongue. Getting totally wasted may well slur your speech so much that you aren't even coherent or comprehensible in your own language, to say nothing of the other dangers of being hammered in an unknown place where nobody speaks your language.

English dialects
There are variations that a traveller may need to take account of. An American puts things in the trunk of the car and may need to be cautious about speed bumps while a Briton puts them in the boot and drives slowly over sleeping policemen. A job ad in India may want to hire a fresher (new university graduate) at a salary of 8 lakh (800,000 rupees). A Filipino restaurant has a comfort room or CR for each gender. And so on; almost any dialect has a few things that will sound odd to other English speakers. Native speakers of English will usually be able to figure out what most of these mean from context, though it may be more difficult for foreign language learners of English. The others are generally covered in country articles and we have an overview of the major ones at English language varieties.

Even a native English speaker can sometimes have difficulties with the local accent in other English-speaking countries. For example, a Manhattan bartender tells the story of the day a British couple walked in and said what he thought were the words "To Mount Sinai?" He obligingly told them how to get to the nearby hospital of that name, and was surprised and confused when they repeated the request more firmly. Eventually he figured out that they were asking for "two martinis" and mixed them.

And, of course, as noted above, difficulties are more likely for someone who speaks English as a second language. There are some well-known differences between American and British English, but you will find many more local differences in spelling, and even similar words used for completely different concepts as you travel through countries.

Regional languages
In many areas, it is very useful to learn some of a regional language. This is much easier than trying to learn several local languages, and is generally more useful than any one local language.

Regional languages that are widely used across large areas encompassing many countries are:
 * Spanish for Spain, most of Latin America and Equatorial Guinea.
 * Arabic for the Middle East, North Africa, Mauritania, Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Somalia, Djibouti and the Comoros.
 * Russian for Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the Baltic States, Central Asia, Mongolia, and the Caucasus.
 * French for France, Belgium, Monaco, Luxembourg, Switzerland, the Aosta Valley (Italy), and former colonies: Quebec, French Guiana, most of West Africa, western North Africa, Haiti, and a fair number of island nations in Africa, the Lesser Antilles, and Oceania.

Other useful regional languages include:
 * Chinese, also referred to as Mandarin or Putong hua (common speech), as the lingua franca for multilingual China, as well as Taiwan, Singapore and the ethnic Chinese community of Malaysia. It has more native speakers than any other language, more than double the numbers for 2nd-place Spanish or 3rd-place English.
 * German for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein (also useful throughout Central Europe and in Turkey). There is a German-speaking minority in Namibia, but more people there speak English.
 * So-called Hindustani, a language comprised of mutually intelligible Hindi and Urdu (or one of these separate languages), for India and Pakistan, as well as the ethnic Indian community in Fiji.
 * Italian naturally for Italy, but also San Marino, the Vatican City and Switzerland, as well as significant minorities in Malta, Slovenia and the French island of Corsica.
 * Malay/Indonesian is useful, naturally, for Malaysia and Indonesia, but also for neighbouring Brunei, Singapore, and East Timor, and some parts of Southern Thailand and the southern Philippines.
 * Persian for Iran, Afghanistan, and to a lesser degree Tajikistan.
 * Portuguese for a motley assortment of Portugal, Brazil, East Timor, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe.
 * Swahili for Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and to a lesser degree the other countries of East Africa.

Even in really out-of-the-way places, you should at least be able to find hotel staff and guides who speak the regional language well. English is unlikely to be much use in a small town in Uzbekistan, for example, but Russian is quite widely spoken and there are likely to be some Persian speakers.

Regional languages are often useful somewhat beyond the borders of their region. Some Russian is spoken in Northern China and in Israel, some German in Turkey and Russia, and so on. In Uzbekistan, Persian could be worth a try. Portuguese and Spanish are not exactly mutually intelligible per se (especially if you speak Spanish and try to decipher spoken Portuguese), but if you and your conversation partner speak slowly and adapt the speech patterns to the other language, you will probably be able to get the most important points across the language barrier. People in the border regions between Uruguay and Brazil do this quite often. Written Romance languages are often possible to decipher if you know some Latin or any given Romance language and have at least heard of some linguistic shifts (e.g. Latin t and p becoming Spanish b and d, Latin ct becoming Spanish ch and Italian tt), so you may be able to get that estación is probably the same as stazione and other similar stuff. Of course "false friends" are common, so don't overly rely on this method.

Widely used expressions
A few English words may be understood anywhere, though which ones will vary from place to place. For example, simple expressions like "OK", "bye-bye", "hello" and "thank you" are widely used and understood by many Chinese. Unless you are dealing with academics or people working in the tourism industry, however, that may well be the extent of their English. Due to the dominance of the United States in the post-World War II era, the words for many modern concepts in languages around the world were derived from American English.

French words also turn up in other languages. "Merci" is one way to say "thank you" in languages as disparate as Persian, Bulgarian, Turkish and Catalan.

As an English speaker, you will likely notice familiar words in other European languages. This is largely due to the influence that Greek and Latin have had on languages across the continent.

English idioms may also be borrowed. "Ta-ta" is common in India, for example.

Abbreviations like CD and DVD are often the same in other languages. "WC" (water closet) for toilet seems to be widely used, both in speech and on signs, in various countries, though not in most English-speaking ones.

Words from the tourist trade, such as "hotel", "taxi", and "menu", may be understood by people in that line of work, even if they speak no other English. These words have also been borrowed into numerous other languages around the world.

Some words have related forms across the Muslim world. Even if you use the form from another language, you might still be understood.
 * "Thank you" is shukran in Arabic, teshekkür in Turkish, tashekor in Dari (Afghan Persian), shukria in Urdu.
 * Insh'allah has almost exactly the same meaning as English "God willing". Originally Arabic, it is widely used in most Islamic cultures, by non-Muslim minorities in the Arab countries, and among Israeli Jews. A variant even found its way into Spanish and Portuguese – ojalá/oxalá (meaning hopefully)
 * The word for peace, used as a greeting, is shalom in Hebrew and salaam in Arabic. The related Malay/Indonesian word selamat, which means "safe," is also used in greetings. (However, salamat is closer to "thank you" in many Philippine languages).

Some loanwords may be very similar in a number of languages. For example, "sauna" (originally from Finnish) sounds similar in Chinese and English among other languages. Naan is Persian for bread; it is used in several Indian languages and in the Uyghur language, and has also been borrowed into Mandarin (as 馕 náng) to refer to Uyghur flatbreads. Baksheesh might translate as gift, tip or bribe depending on context; it is a common expression in various languages anywhere from Bulgaria to Sri Lanka.

Sanskrit has also strongly influenced many South Asian and Southeast Asian languages, and many words of Sanskrit origin can be found in those languages. As an example "bhā́ṣā", the Sanskrit word for "language" becomes "bhāṣā" in Hindi, "pācai" in Tamil, "bahasa" in Malay and Indonesian, "paa-sǎa" in Thai, "phiəsaa" in Khmer and so on. "Roti", originally from Sanskrit roṭikā, is used in many languages to refer to flatbreads, or in some languages even bread in general.

Chinese has strongly influenced Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese, and some cognates may still be recognizable, particularly if you speak a more conservative southern dialect like Cantonese or Minnan. To a lesser extent, loan words from the dialects spoken in Fujian, Guangdong and Hainan can also be found in the other languages of Southeast Asia like Malay, Thai and Burmese, particularly when it comes to culinary terms, due to influences from Chinese immigrants during the Age of Colonialism.

The warning for false friends applies also here. Often a loan word is used as a hyponym of the original word, or has its meaning significantly modified from the original. Thus English "mail" is used for email in Finland, never for physically delivered mail. An English speaker may think of coffee with milk when saying "latte", but in Italian it just means milk. Likewise, an English speaker may think of "prosciutto" as Italian dry-cured hams, but in Italian it is a generic word for any type of ham. Never assume a loan word for a speciality from a specific country to be restricted to that specific meaning in the local language.

Language learning
There are many ways to learn a language. Universities or private schools in many places teach most major world languages, and regionally and locally relevant languages. If the language is important for business, then there will usually be courses available at the destination; for example in major Chinese cities both some of the universities and many private schools offer Mandarin courses for foreigners.

For travellers who spend a long time in a region, it is common to learn a language from a "sleeping dictionary" (a local lover) or to just pick it up as you go along. This is much more effective if you put in an effort: go to places where not everybody speaks English to you, listen carefully to the locals, ask about words and phrases, and repeat for yourself (and use!) that which you have picked up. Often more formal instruction is available as well. In countries where many languages are spoken but there is an official national language – such as Mandarin, Filipino or Hindi – most school teachers have experience teaching the official language to non-native speakers, and often some of them would welcome some extra income.

There are also many online resources. Wikivoyage has phrasebooks for many languages. An Open Culture site has free lessons for 48 languages. Some universities, such as American MIT, have course material online for anybody to use.

Variants, dialects, colloquialisms and accents
Variants, dialects and accents add diversity and colour to travel. Similar to English, other languages can also have dialectal differences between different parts of the world. For instance, there are some differences in standard Mandarin between mainland China and Taiwan, and while they are largely mutually intelligible, misunderstandings can arise from these differences (e.g. 小姐 xiǎojiě (literally "little sister") is the equivalent of the title "Miss" in Taiwan, but in some contexts it means "prostitute" in mainland China). Similarly, there are differences between Brazilian and European Portuguese (e.g. bicha is a line of people waiting in Portugal, but a very derogatory way of referring to a gay man in Brazil), as well as between Latin American and European Spanish (e.g. coger is the verb "to take (a bus, train, etc.) in Spain, but means "to fornicate" in Latin America).

For related languages, you can also see it the other way round: regard the language you don't know as a hard-to-understand dialect. E.g. Swedish doesn't really differ from Norwegian more than some Norwegian dialects one from the other. There is no grammatical definition of a dialect or a separate language. As a general principle, dialects are mostly oral, while languages are mostly written, but the distinction has political connotations; "A language is a dialect with an army and navy", as a member of the audience at one of Yiddish scholar Max Weinreich's lectures quipped. Many speakers of Catalan regard it as a language separate from Spanish, and an identifier of the Catalonian nation. The Serbian and Croatian languages were in the 20th century seen as dialects of a Serbo-Croatian language, the official language of Yugoslavia. With Yugoslavia dissolved, Serbo-Croatian is seen more as a political construct than a living language. Even languages further apart can be intelligible to some degree, if you listen in the right way: if you know English and German, Dutch may not be incomprehensible. As soon as you start picking up a word here, a phrase there, learning to understand becomes much easier.

Language as a reason for travel
It is fairly common for language to be part of the reason for various travel choices. Language is almost never the only reason for these choices, but it is sometimes a major factor.
 * Some travellers choose destinations based partly on the language. For example, an English speaker might choose to visit Malaysia rather than Thailand, or Jamaica rather than Mexico because it is easier to cope with a country where English is widely spoken. Similarly, one of Costa Rica's main draws compared to its northern neighbors is the much higher English proficiency among second language speakers, even if few native speakers live in either country.
 * Others may choose a destination where a language they want to learn or improve is spoken; see Language tourism.
 * Still others may use language teaching as a method of funding their travel; see Teaching English.

Cultural aspects
When you start achieving conversational proficiency in a language, cultural aspects often start coming into play. It is often hard to tell when some less formal phrase is appropriate; keeping to formal language with strangers is usually the safe way. Also, phrases that correspond to the ones in your language may not suit the same situations in the other culture. For instance, while in the English-speaking world it is customary to respond to a compliment with a simple "Thank you", that would be considered odd or even arrogant in some East Asian societies like China and Japan, and it is instead customary to politely decline the compliment. Such issues are usually learnt in parallel with the language itself, but you may have to be keen-eared for them.

Respect
In some areas, your choice of language can have political connotations. In some former Soviet republics and other former Eastern Bloc countries, Russian may be a symbol of Soviet oppression, and many locals may well feel offended if you speak Russian to them as if that were their language. Several other languages may similarly be associated with occupation, oppression or hostile relations (e.g. Mandarin in Hong Kong). Often there are still large minorities with those languages as their mother tongue, and individuals may have other ties to them, so don't mock those languages either.

Often the offensive language is one most locals have studied, and one that you studied because it is widespread in a region you are interested in. In such cases it may help to start the conversation with the few words you know in the local language, hint on your knowing that other one and hope the local will switch.

title: Talk