Traveling around China, I noticed something: in a country filled with spectacular natural scenery, domestic tourists have found numerous methods to limit their exposure to the abundance of nature. They had to, really. Can you imagine if they simply accepted nature as it is? Neither can I—the prospect is simply too horrible to fathom.It is not surprising that nature … [Read more...]
Marijuana in Madrid
Sorry for the misleading (yet totally accurate) headline and sorry for the disappointment—it's simply a clothing store, located just outside the Plaza Major in downtown Madrid, Spain. Not a bad name for a store though. I'm guessing they get a lot of disappointed pop-ins, but many of them might feel too embarrassed to leave immediately and try to cover for the fact they were … [Read more...]
Yangon’s Black Market Money Changers
When I went to Myanmar in 2011, the official government exchange rate was around 7 kyats per US dollar. A bottle of water went for 200 to 300 kyats and a cheap restaurant meal was around 1000 to 2000. That would make this the most expensive country on earth.Luckily, I read up on Myanmar before going and knew not to exchange my money at banks or at the airport (avoiding … [Read more...]
World’s Smallest Wal Mart in Kathmandu
Yes, my "world's smallest" statistic is about as official as this Wal Mart branch itself, located in the Thamel district of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. I never saw anyone shopping here, so it seems even a fake Wal Mart sign can't get you customers when you're selling the exact same products as several thousand other stores in Thamel. And in case you're wondering, the website … [Read more...]
How to Waste a Good Typhoon
I'm sure we've all been there: you go out for a few drinks after work and end up having a few more, followed by a few more, followed by a bottle of tequila. Next thing you know, the alarm goes off and you drag yourself from under the covers like a zombie clawing its way out of a grave, except the zombie smells better and has better motor skills. You know you have to be at work … [Read more...]