• 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • Magnificent Petra

    Magnificent Petra

    At long last, I made it to Petra. Petra is a place that’s intrigued me since before I even knew its name – since I first saw Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade as a […]

  • The Mega Trip Part 9 (The Great Wall)

    The Mega Trip Part 9 (The Great Wall)

    With the land-based portion of my adventure through China nearly over, I realized that I was still missing a significant piece of what I wanted to see before returning to Japan. Kung Fu. So, after […]

  • A Different World

    A Different World

    Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to announce that this post officially marks the first time in almost two years that I’m actually writing about the country I’m in! Welcome, at long last, to Cambodia 😀

  • 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 […]

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

The Conrad Hotel

 Hong Kong, Public  6 Responses »
Dec 242008
 

Throughout this entire trip, I’ve yet to really feel like I’m “backpacking.”

In Japan I lived in my own private apartment. I rode my bicycle around town, met up with friends, and spent weekdays at Starbuck’s working. For me, being in Kyoto no longer feels like a trip. It feels like home.

Then in Korea, after a short layover in Busan I holed up with Eli – an old buddy – and spent most of the time hanging out with him. Although I was eating new things and seeing new places, again, I wasn’t really backpacking – I was visiting a friend.

Likewise in China, when I spent my visit with Andy in his fabulous apartment. We drove around town with his private driver, met up with his friends, and ate our meals in his livingroom in front $1 Seinfeld DVDs.

And even here in Hong Kong, although I’m out on my own and staying in one of the most well-known backpacker havens out there… Continue reading »

Hong Kong Observations

 Hong Kong, Public  No Responses »
Dec 232008
 

And there you have it. I’m now in Hong Kong, my 31st foreign country.

…That is, if you consider Hong Kong to be a country. Technically it’s a SEZ (Special Economic Zone) of China…but I’d still pretty much call it a country. It’s got its own currency, its own passport, its own visa agreements, its own laws, and its own language. Culturally, it couldn’t be more different from the mainland.

So, what are my initial impressions?

I’d always sort of imagined Hong Kong to be like any other Asian metropolis I’d seen so far – perhaps like a sort of Chinese Tokyo. To my surprise, this was far from the reality. Continue reading »

Beijing to ChungKing

 Hong Kong, Public  5 Responses »
Dec 232008
 
The <strike>famous</strike> infamous Chungking Mansions. The famous infamous Chungking Mansions.

After disembarking from my rolling metal home for the past day-and-a-half, I plopped down my stuff and waited in the Shenzhen train station for the China-Hong Kong border crossing to open. Then I walked across.

My first order of business was, as always, to find a place to stay. There’d be no messing around with this unmanageably massive pile of luggage I had on my back.

…Straight to the infamous Chungking Mansions I went!

As any Google search will tell you, Chungking Mansions is a bit of a landmark here in Hong Kong. From the outside, the 50-year-old building looks like a standard rotting dump of an apartment complex. But on the inside, it’s one of the most diverse, bustling, and notorious spots in the city.
Continue reading »

Spitz

 China, Public  11 Responses »
Dec 232008
 
Qingdao train station. What does this have to do with my trip from Beijing to Hong Kong? I dunno&#8230;but I felt like I needed a train photo here : ) Qingdao train station. What does this have to do with my trip from Beijing to Hong Kong? I dunno…but I felt like I needed a train photo here : )

The train ride to Hong Kong was grueling. Not because it was particularly uncomfortable – but because it was just so excruciatingly long. I thought for sure they’d have a power outlet somewhere, enabling me to utilize the extra hours catching up on blogs and programming. Hell, even the Egyptian trains had outlets. But nope. Not one on the entire train.

In the station&#8217;s waiting room, piles of luggage and passed-out humans were scattered <i>everywhere</i> &#8211; so densely that it in many spots, it was nearly impossible to walk! In the station’s waiting room, piles of luggage and passed-out humans were scattered everywhere – so densely that it in many spots, it was nearly impossible to walk!

I ended up passing most of the time reading my Lonely Planet…during which I realized that I’d just been within two hours of the world-famous Shaolin Temple (while at the Longmen Grottos near Luoyang).

Damnit!! This is why I like researching in advance 😥
Continue reading »

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