A few years ago, I found myself in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the end of December and got to enjoy my first New Year's Eve in a Muslim country. My night began like so many, on the rooftop of my hostel, where a bunch of people, including eight or nine Finns, were having a few overpriced beers. The Finns had arrived in four separate groups and had found each other purely by … [Read more...]
Spanish Football Dominates Even Retiro Park in Madrid
My apartment in Madrid was a few minutes from Retiro Park. On sunny days, which is just about every day in Madird, much of the city heads to Retiro to jog, lift weights or play football, tennis or basketball and afterwards, the men hit the little pond to take their shirts off and row each around in tiny boats. Admittedly, some of them do keep their shirts on, but who's going to … [Read more...]
Darlie (formerly Darkie): The Racist Toothpaste
The original Darkie toothpaste packaging on the left was changed to the current Darlie toothpaste on the right in 1985. I can't imagine why they would change it, but I'm guessing the green just looks nicer. The Chinese name remains the same: "Black Person Toothpaste."The Wikipedia page has a little more information on the Darlie brand, for those who are interested. … [Read more...]
Singapore Jungle—Exploring the Heart of Darkness
Don't worry, I'm not evolving as a writer—the Singapore jungle is not a metaphorical one of the concrete variety, but an actual jungle. Apparently Singapore is one of only two cities in the world, Rio de Janeiro being the other one, to have an old growth rainforest within its city limits. I read that somewhere. Determining whether it's actually true would require research, so I … [Read more...]
Dodging Monkeys, Snakes and Tattoos in Marrakech
In the mornings, Djemaa El-Fna in Marrakech, Morocco is just a large, mostly empty square, but that soon changes. As the day progresses, the square starts to fill up with storytellers, acrobats, snake charmers, dancers, musicians and food and tea stalls. Djemaa El-Fna has been the center of life in Marrakech for much of its almost 1000 year history, but in modern times it has … [Read more...]