• 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!!” […]

  • 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 […]

  • Bushido and Jump-Rope (VIDEO)

    Bushido and Jump-Rope (VIDEO)

    “They are an intriguing people. From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seen such discipline.” -The Last Samurai. Seeing that fantastic archery demonstration the […]

  • Golden Week 2: Archery

    Golden Week 2: Archery

    Picture yourself looking up at a blue sky peeking through a huge canopy of leaves on a perfectly clear day in Kyoto. As the faint sound of Japanese flutes recedes softly into the background, it’s […]

  • 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 […]

  • An Average Night Out

    An Average Night Out

    The following is not actually a single narrative of one continuous evening, but a composite of many. It’s written as a representative summary of my average night out in Kyoto. Nothing is exaggerated. It’s Saturday […]

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

The New Territories

 Hong Kong, Public  9 Responses »
Dec 282008
 

I recently mentioned how, upon arriving in Hong Kong, I realized that my expectations of what it would be like were surprisingly off. Hong Kong is far from the Chinese version of Tokyo I’d envisioned – but a completely Westernized, internationalized, English-speaking, posh, New York-like city.

Yet, it seems that I’ve I’ve been proven wrong once again. The above description actually only applies to Hong Kong Island itself – and really, only to the Northern half. In reality, over 80% of Hong Kong’s territory is composed of rolling green hills and unspoiled beaches – only sparsely populated. Hong Kong is not at all the isolated megacity tacked onto the side of China that I once envisioned. Instead, it occupies a nice corner of the mainland, countless rural islands, and just one big commercial center.

For my second day of sightseeing I decided to escape the urban jungle and take a little excursion into the New Territories – the region north of the aptly-named Boundary Street. Continue reading »

Hong Kong Tourism

 Hong Kong, Public  6 Responses »
Dec 272008
 

Although it may not seem like it from the near constant stream of blog posts since my arrival, for the first nearly two weeks in Hong Kong I barely even left the building. Instead, I was working hard to catch up on life after Halloween in Japan, three weeks in Korea with Eli, and three weeks in China with Andy.

But now, finally, I’m almost there. At least, I’m close enough that I think I can grant myself a few days of going out and seeing the city 🙂

So here goes: My first day of real Hong Kong tourism… Continue reading »

Christmas Spirit

 Hong Kong, Public  7 Responses »
Dec 262008
 
Looking out across Victoria Harbor. That’s one big Merry Christmas! Looking out across Victoria Harbor. That’s one big Merry Christmas!

I feel so fortunate to’ve ended up in Hong Kong during the holidays.

Usually, I don’t put too much emphasis on Christmas or New Year’s – so unless happen to be close enough to home to spend them with family and friends (respectively), they don’t really enter into my itinerary-making process. In Kyoto, for instance, Christmas typically passes just like any other day.

But after spending the last week in Hong Kong, I have to tell you: I’ve never seen Christmas spirit like this!

A snowy village display in Times Square (yep, Hong Kong’s got one too). A snowy village display in Times Square (yep, Hong Kong’s got one too).

Everywhere you go, you see store employees wearing Santa hats; 50-story Seasons Greetings messages scrolling across the fronts of skyscrapers; convertible buses filled to the brim with carolers singing to the masses; coffee shops playing Jinglebells; even dogs on leashes are wearing Santa hats and strap-on white beards. Groups of schoolchildren run up with huge smiles to wish you “happy holidays,” and babies in strollers are sucking candy-cane pacifiers.
Continue reading »

Jackie’s Town

 Hong Kong, Public  7 Responses »
Dec 242008
 
Mr. Hong Kong. Mr. Hong Kong.

Jackie Chan is EVERYWHERE out here. He’s like Mr. Hong Kong. His face is plastered on what seems like two billboards per block, and I’ve even seen numerous statues and mannequins that look just like him.

It must be nice. Or weird. Who knows 😕

Eating in some parts of the world can be a gamble – you never know exactly what you’re gonna get! (Xi’an, China) Eating in some parts of the world can be a gamble – you never know exactly what you’re gonna get! (Xi’an, China)

To me, just about the biggest difficulty involved with traveling is food.

In first world countries, if you don’t have a kitchen available it’s often a total budget-breaker or extremely slow and inconvenient. In third world countries, you often can’t read the menus or communicate and therefore have little or no idea what you’re gonna get. As a result, I frequently find myself going hungry….or relying on crappy little snacks here and there.

It’s probably not the best form of nutrition when I’m expending so much energy day in and day out.
Continue reading »

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