• Kyoto Drift

    Kyoto Drift

    You know how I’m always seeking out new and interesting experiences? Well last weekend I went drift racing. One of my coworkers, Miki, is extremely into cars. He has a Limited Edition Impreza (one of […]

  • Mostar

    Mostar

    Although I’d suspect that most people have never even heard the name “Mostar,” a relatively small town in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia-Herzegovina, it turned to be one of the most intriguing places I’ve ever […]

  • Thaipusam: Masochistic Mayhem

    Thaipusam: Masochistic Mayhem

    Warning This post contains some graphic images. If blood makes you queasy, you may want to skip it. I’ve mentioned a few times how, although I do travel mostly without plans, I also do so […]

  • Long Walk Down a Longer Road

    Long Walk Down a Longer Road

    Peder and I left our pousada in Trancoso and started out for our day’s 30 km walk at around 11am. The plan was to follow the coast all the way to Arraial d’Ajuda, a neighboring […]

  • Dare to Dream

    Dare to Dream

    Somewhere around six months ago, I was sitting in my apartment talking on the phone with my mom. From just outside my window I could hear Buddhist monks chanting at Ninnaji, an enormous wooden temple […]

  • Huashan: The Danger Trail

    Huashan: The Danger Trail

    On December 20th of 2006, I received an e-mail from my dad. It contained this Powerpoint file. The forwarding messages all included such phrases as: “I CANT EVEN LOOK AT THE PICTURES WITHOUT GETTING DIZZY!!” […]

I was last seen 5 months ago in Los Angeles, .

The Night Safari

 Public, Singapore  10 Responses »
Sep 162011
 
A giant bat feeding on a piece of fruit. Photography was pretty limited due to the darkness (and my lack of a low-light lens)…A giant bat feeding on a piece of fruit. Photography was pretty limited due to the darkness (and my lack of a low-light lens)…

In general, I’m not that into tourist attractions like museums and zoos. There’s just something about looking through a glass case or a cage that’s not particularly appealing, regardless of how spectacular the subject may be. It’s probably the same reason why I tend to shy away from tours; I like to see things for myself, to discover, to experience, not to be led around and presented like a child at Disneyland. That kind of tourism usually just feels so…contrived.

Still, every once in awhile there are the exceptions. The Singapore Night Safari is definitely one of them.
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The Travel Repeater

 Public, Singapore  10 Responses »
Sep 152011
 
My good old travel router: the gift that keeps on giving.My good old travel router: the gift that keeps on giving.

I mentioned a few posts ago that the X-Mini II is one of my favorite pieces of travel gear. Well, while the X-Mini may indeed be the most fun, I should probably supplement that statement by saying that my travel router is without a doubt the most functional.

As someone who depends on the Internet to work, having a connection wherever I go is absolutely essential. Yet what I’ve found is that while most lodgings do have a connection, they often lack a way to get it to you. Sometimes they’ll provide just one ancient computer for all of their guests to share, others they’ll have an encrypted network to which they’ve somehow forgotten the password. Time and time again it’s caused me grief – until I started carrying my own little WiFi router. Suddenly all my problems were solved; I just plug it in and am immediately ready to go. I’ve even stayed at guesthouses that let me tap into the front desk’s connection, and others where their own router failed and I saved the day for everyone else there.
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A Backpacker’s Lounge

 Public, Singapore  7 Responses »
Sep 132011
 
Right on the corner of my street, this jolly fellow always makes it easy to find my way home.Right on the corner of my street, this jolly fellow always makes it easy to find my way home.

After wrapping up my two walking tours of the day, I popped into Mc D’s to use the WiFi and book a one-way flight to Bangkok. Then I headed home to the hostel.

There were about a million people hanging out in the lounge, so despite my intentions to get a little work done before bed I ended up socializing until well after 2. Man hostels are fun! Even if they do make it utterly impossible to be productive 😛

Just a few quick thoughts from the evening:
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The Elephant

 Public, Singapore  18 Responses »
Sep 122011
 
Far East Square, an interesting little enclave in the CBD. Each of its four main gates – earth, wind, water and fire – is decorated according to its theme.Far East Square, an interesting little enclave in the CBD. Each of its four main gates – earth, wind, water and fire – is decorated according to its theme.

There’s an old Indian parable some of you may’ve heard, about a group of blind men who, after touching different parts of an elephant, offer completely different opinions of what an elephant really is.

That spiky-looking dome is part of “Esplanade: Theatres On The Bay,” a $600 million arts complex that’s more or less become the poster child for contemporary Singapore.That spiky-looking dome is part of “Esplanade: Theatres On The Bay,” a $600 million arts complex that’s more or less become the poster child for contemporary Singapore.

One touches the leg and describes it “like a pillar”; Another touches the tail and says it’s “like a rope”; Another touches the tusk, another the ear, and so on and forth.

Fernando Botero’s Bird, the most famous sculpture on Sculpture Walk.Fernando Botero’s Bird, the most famous sculpture on Sculpture Walk.

Lonely Planet cleverly likens Singapore to this elephant – a city capable of leaving vastly different images depending on the part one chooses to touch.
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