Andy and I will be catching an overnight train to Xian tonight Continue reading »
Nov 292008
Nov 282008
When I was staying at Sky Hostel in Tel Aviv, I met a full-time traveler from Australia who goes by the name “Temu.” He was quite an interesting guy, and I’ve been peeking in on his blog periodically ever since.
I’d like to share with you here an article he wrote a couple of weeks ago that rang particularly true with me – it’s called “Life Fades.” Continue reading »
Nov 262008
I love Dell.
The main reason I keep buying from them is they just have the most fantastic warranty I’ve ever experienced. Continue reading »
Nov 252008
After discussing it for nearly two years, I finally made it to Andy’s place in Shijiazhuang, China.
Welcome to a life of luxury.
When I got off the train from Jinan at 4:20am, I exited the station to find not a tall American, but a short Chinese man holding a sign that said “JUSTIN.” It was Andy’s personal driver. We walked out to the parking lot and – ah – there was my friend, half-asleep in the back seat of his shiny black SUV. The driver tossed my bags in the trunk, and soon, we were on our way.
For years Andy has been telling me how it’s possible to live the good life in China for barely a percentage of what it would cost in the US. And while it’s not like I didn’t believe him, it’s hard to imagine quite what that means until you witness it firsthand. Continue reading »
Nov 252008
My port of arrival to the People’s Republic of China was a little town called Qingdao (pop. 1.8 million).
I stepped off the boat from Korea with my overly massive backpack and not a yuan in my pocket, snapping a photo of the LP map for reference before starting off towards the nearest bank.
About half an hour later – after filling my little blue notebook with many of the observations listed in the previous post – I was standing in the midst of a very pretty coastal city with a clearly European influence. Although the walk from the port into town yielded the typical dilapidated buildings, smashed windows, and bricks strewn about, the area surrounding the station – as well as the coastline – were beautifully clean and well-maintained. Continue reading »