text: Travelling has changed so much over the years that people can just hop on a plane and go just about anywhere they like.
  With easy access that allows both luxury and budget travel, more people are venturing to destinations that have once been considered expensive.
  Trends too have changed with this, and many travel companies have put effort in monitoring today’s travel trends.
  One of the companies that has been paying attention to travel trends is no other than Wego, who has been closely accessing what Malaysian consumers what nowadays.
  The list of top 10 cities to visit for 2018 also saw some changes compared to the previous year. With this data compiled, the company has also made it easier for travelers to highlight which cities they want to visit, and with easy access to booking the flights from Wego.
  As 2018 is already in the second month, all you need to do is simply plan ahead and just explore these amazing cities listed below, and with their current standings compared to 2017;
  No doubt it is one of the most prominent city in all China, Shanghai comes with a mix of both modern and nostalgic old Shanghai.
  Visitors love to explore both sides of this fascinating city where food, lifestyle, shopping, culture and art are easily sourced.
  Over in the Pudong district, a barrage of modern skyscrapers will easily capture anyone’s attention. The Bund, which separates the old and new areas is probably the most visited place in all Shanghai.
  The Puxi area is well known as the core of culture and entertainment in Shanghai and should not be missed.
  For the explorer, the Shanghai Old Quarter or Old Town Shanghai is probably the best area to get lost in.
  Notable places include Danfeng and Sipai Road for its authentic architecture and also Yuyuan Gardens for the amazing architecture, food and shopping.
  One of the up and coming destinations for Malaysians is no other that this city that is nested among the mighty Himalayas of Nepal. In 2015, a massive earthquake robbed the city of much of its’ ancient luster, and two years after that, Kathmandu continues to endure as a curiously intoxicating mix of exotic scents and heartwarming hospitality.
  Whether you find yourself lost in the backpacker crowd in Thamel or marvelling at ancient monuments in Durbar Square, Kathmandu continues to awe travellers around the world – so much in fact, the city leapfrogged from 67th place to 35th in 2017.
  One of the most popular places that travelers love is Durbar Square and Swayambunath Stupa. Kathmandu is a city steeped in faith and mysticism, and one need look no further than the many coins nailed to the Toothache Tree to affirm this.
  While not in Kathmandu proper, the village of Khokana is famed for the brightly coloured fields of yellow mustard flowers.
  Coming in at 33rd place, Thailand’s world-renowned island getaway continues to captivate travellers all around the world.
  Phuket’s abundance of outlying islands provide the ideal respite from toil and routine as well as opportunities for an awesome snorkeling or diving experience, while Patong offers quite the contrary experience.
  While Patong or one of the many elephant sanctuaries in Phuket are crowd favourites, tourists wanting a glimpse into the island’s confluence of many cultures can stop by the Shrine of the Serene Light.
  Once a tourists’ best kept secret, Samet Nangshe Viewpoint is now one of Phuket’s most popular spots to capture panoramic views.
  Most Australian cities have a readily identifiable niche or two, but Sydney wears so many facades it’s close to impossible to pin it down to anything at all.
  Vibrant and charming, the Harbour City commands not only a respectable amount of international fame, but also panoramic seafront views, beautiful beaches and a strong confluence of the old and new.
  Sydney’s most prominent attractions are quite impossible to miss – the pearl-hued sails of the world-renowned Opera House invite huge crowds all year round and the Sydney Harbour Bridge is an imposing sight to behold as you traipse down The Rocks.
  Manly Wharf in Sidney. Photo Credit: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/manly-daily/first-look-at-proposed-upgrades-adding-a-secondstorey-to-manly-wharf/news-story/e9b98c5bf751139dbb897e38e2a4ce75
  If you’re looking to do Sydney like a Sydneysider, head over to Manly Wharf for great surf and great food, or take a tour of Barangaroo and marvel at the district’s many architectural masterpieces.
  Most Malaysians love visiting Japan and it is always Tokyo or Osaka that pops up as the favourite destination.
  Osaka is all about hanging out with great company over awesome food with a livelier and more playful city compared to busy Tokyo or culturally reserved Kyoto. Japan’s third-largest city truly knows how to have a good time.
  Visitors can find the perfect balance of shopping and eating in Osaka. While the the abundance of good food and dazzling lights at Dotonbori and the magnificence of Osaka Castle are inarguably Osaka’s main draws, Hozenji Yokocho (which happens to be just adjacent to Dotonbori) and Chihaya – Akasaka Mura are off-the-beaten trail spots ideal for travellers looking to experience a more traditional side of the city.
  Turkey had an amazing year for tourism where they emerged from 28th to 17th place in 2017. Situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a colourful potpourri of cultures richly blended together by antique grandeur and contemporary gleam.
  While no trip to Istanbul is complete without a visit to Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sofia, intrepid travelers should give less conventional locations such as the Basilica Cistern and Sakirin Mosque a look.
  The sheer scale and astounding symmetry of the underground Basilica Cistern not only offers myriad opportunities for enterprising photographers, but also a convenient respite from the summer heat.
  While mosques are an ubiquitous sight across the city, Sakirin Mosque is an architectural masterpiece of unparallelled beauty.
  Melbourne is well known as a global microcosm of cultures where the city’s many districts teem with rich art-deco architecture and offers a myriad of gastronomical experiences for Malaysians.
  Narrow lane ways and secret alleys conceal some of the world’s best bars and epicurean experiences, as well as a wealth of street art well-deserving of greater mention. Jumping to 13th place, Melbourne’s reputation continues to hold strong in 2018.
  Most visitors to Melbourne will want to traipse down one of the city’s many street-art lane ways or shopping arcades, with mandatory stopovers at the Royal Botanic Gardens and the ever popular Southbank promenade.
  If you are looking for a more eclectic experience, Coop’s Shot Tower provides a glimpse into Melbourne’s past, while The Limelight Department, an attic studio located in the Salvation Army, pays homage to one of the world’s first movie studios.
  View of Taipei 101. Photo Credit: https://nomadisbeautiful.com/travel-blogs/amazing-things-to-do-in-taipei-taiwan/
  Known for the plethora of mouthwatering street food to the eclectic mix of architectural styles both traditional and modern, Taiwan’s capital feels like a cultural hotchpotch unlike any other.
  And this is one of the top reasons why Malaysians love to visit Taipei, namely for food tourism and also the unique culture that spreads all over the island.
  While the Taipei 101 and Ximending are obvious tourist mainstays, Taipei has many hidden secrets and lesser-known attractions that are well-worth a visit.
  If the summer heat in Taipei is getting you, stop by Ice Monster for their signature Taiwanese-style shaved ice.
  Want some hints on where your life is headed? Take a trip down to Longshan Temple and have your fortunes read by a White Javanese Sparrow.
  Kota Kinabalu makes it to number three on the list, up from 4th place in 2016. Well-known for its’ many treks around and up Mount Kinabalu, Kota Kinabalu or KK is also a place of breathtaking seaside sunsets and a sanctuary where native cultures flourish alongside the perpetual progression of modernity. The city is huge on seafood, but that’s no excuse to miss out on the excellent street food scene.
  While KK’s biggest draws are inarguably Mount Kinabalu and Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, the city has its’ fair share of obscure spots deserving of mention too.
  There is no doubt that Bangkok is that one place everybody probably knows at the back of their hands. Coming in at 1st place, the Thai Capital is hands down Malaysia’s favourite destination, and it is very easy enough to see why.
  Choices include great food for highly affordable prices cater to even the most curious palate, a wealth of casual and street-shopping options for even the traveller on a shoestring budget and the reputable standard of Thai hospitality and general warmth that invites casual banter even at the most unfamiliar occasion.
  Most will agree Chatuchak and Jatujak Green Market (otherwise known as JJGreen) are definite must-sees, and the more culturally inclined ought to include Wat Pho in the list too.
  For a more interesting take, try the Bangkok Forensic Museum – a collection of the gory and grotesque, this is one place absolutely off-limits to the faint-hearted; exploring the city’s many Khlongs in a river boat offers a unique alternative to the standard Chao Phraya river cruise.
  Alternatively, many tourist love to book the cheapest hotels from Wego and the best ones are usually along the Chao Phraya River, where they can easily access all parts of Bangkok.
  For anyone planning to explore and travel for this year, I hope that this list of top 10 cities to visit in 2018 will come in handy for you. Any questions, please do ask below.
  The City Council is on the verge of striking a serious blow to democracy. Over 1 million New Yorkers have voted in two seperate referenda to limit City office holders to two consecutive four-year terms. Now that the mayor and most of the City Council are near the end of their maximum eight years, they want to change the rules of the game by extending term limits another four years. And they don't want to let the people decide on the wisdom of such a change---they want to vote themselves another term through legislative fiat.
  Whatever you think about the merits of term limits, whether you aprove or not of Mayor Bloomberg's performance, it's imperative that all New Yorks stand up to this unprecedented power grab. I urge you to sign an online petition to express your opinion at http://itsourdecision.org/.
  Below is the testimony I submitted to the New York City Council at the hearings on the topic last week:
  Thank you Mr. Chairman. My name is Mark Levine. I am a Democratic District Leader and a likely 2009 City Council candidate. I wish to speak in the strongest possible terms against the proposal to extend term limits through legislative action.
  Those who advocate overturning the 8-year term limit rule for city office holders routinely claim that all they want to do is to give the voters a fair chance to make a choice. Some even claim that any election is a form of term limits--since voters, they would have us believe, can easily vote an incumbent out of office. But such statements fly in the face of the reality of elections in New York.
  The reelection rate for incumbents in New York is 98%. That's higher than the reelection rate was for officials in the former Soviet Union. In Albany, where there are no term limits, tenures in the state legislature routinely run past two and even three decades. The same was true for the City Council before term limits were instituted here in 2001. For all practical purposes, absent term limits, incumbency in New York is a lifetime privilege.
  Now there are many things that those who oppose term limits could do if they were sincere in their desire to provide free and fair choices to voters:
  We can, and should, reform the state's election laws, almost universally acknowledged to be the most Byzantine in the nation, to make it harder to knock grassroots candidates off the ballot by invoking obscure technicalities.
  We can, and should, bring the City's Board of Elections into the 21st century, by ending the practice of staffing entirely with patronage hires.
  But those now calling for a weakening of the term limits law have not acted to implement ANY of these reforms over the past 7 1/2 years, which makes it
  obvious for all the world to see that their interest is in anything but "giving voters a fair chance to make a choice." Their interest is in giving themselves the chance to run for reelection under a system that they--and we--know is designed to virtually guarantee they will stay in office. That is neither fair, nor democratic, and it's a path that I urge the Council not to follow.