Every visitor to Beijing makes a trip the Great Wall of China and all but a few choose between two sections: Badaling and Mutianyu. The first is the most popular and naturally, the most crowded; the second gets all those visitors who want to avoid the crowds of the first. Since more and more travelers seem to be trying to get off the standard tourist trail a bit, I imagine … [Read more...]
How a Billiard Hall in Seoul Almost Made the Game Enjoyable
At this pool hall we went to in Changdong in northern Seoul, they provided customers with these three-fingered gloves. That changed my game forever. I didn't get any better, mind you, and a practice round playing against myself would still last several days (assuming I don't sink the eight ball), but it did give me a better grip on my beer glass, especially when it was covered … [Read more...]
Japanese Gothic Lolita Dungeon Dining With a Christian Twist
I could do a whole series of posts on unusual restaurants and food traditions in Japan (many already have and there are even a few books on the subject), but for now, I'm just going to look at one: The Christon Café. Featuring a ridiculous amount of Christian imagery in a Gothic dungeon setting, this same restaurant in the US would attract a horde of nut-job protesters faster … [Read more...]
This Bad English Sign Has Saved Many Lives
...and all of those lives were able to read Chinese. This sign was found at Karakul Lake in China's Xinjiang Province and if you're curious what the blind four-year old who was hired to translate it into bad English was actually trying to say, here's the gist of it: "Beware of altitude sickness. Please take it easy." Karakul Lake is beautiful and well worth a visit. This guide … [Read more...]
Waiting on the ‘El’ in Chicago
The 'El' of course refers to Chicago's elevated train lines and the Chicago rapid-transit system as a whole. I was going to title this post "Riding on the 'El' in Chicago", but after thinking back to my ten months in the city, I realized there wasn't much actual riding going on. I spent at least 30 minutes waiting for every 10 minutes of riding; and when I say 'waiting on the … [Read more...]