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The World’s Saddest Zoo (If Not, I’d Hate To See What Tops It)

Jul 9, 2015 by Daniel McBane 16 Comments

Sad dog in tiny cage in Shenzhen, China

When you went to the zoo as a kid, which animals were you most excited to see? Monkeys? Lions? How about dogs? Or a pig? If you visit the small zoo attached to the Guanlan Mountain & Lake Garden Farm in Shenzhen, China, you won’t find the first two, but you’ll find plenty of dogs, […]

Filed Under: China Tagged With: China, animals, Shenzhen, culture

Snacking on Scorpions in Beijing

Oct 29, 2014 by Daniel McBane 12 Comments

The Chinese are famous for eating everything. Name an animal and I guarantee there’s a restaurant that serves it; name any part of that animal and they’ll have a dish featuring it. To be fair, mostly this stereotype applies to the south. There’s even a saying among the Chinese that people in Guangdong province “eat […]

Filed Under: China Tagged With: food, strange food, Beijing, China, culture

I Love Chinese Repairmen!

Sep 30, 2014 by Daniel McBane 11 Comments

When you live in a Chinese apartment, something will stop working. Actually, most things will stop working. The majority can be fixed using duct tape, paper clips, newspapers, rubber bands, chewing gum and/or various other items laying around the house. Occasionally none of those will work and you have to call a repairman. That’s when […]

Filed Under: China Tagged With: China, Shenzhen, culture, language difficulty, annoying people, locals

How Long Does It Really Take To Pick Ten Lychees?

Aug 20, 2014 by Daniel McBane 13 Comments

Lychees on a tree at Shenzhen, China farm

I’ve been on a number of sightseeing tours in China and they all had one thing in common: they were bad. Often very, very bad (like this one in Xi’an). Despite that, I enjoyed most of them. Having the right people on the tour helps, but the most important factor is attitude. If you go […]

Filed Under: China Tagged With: China, Shenzhen, culture, group tour, tourism, food

Village Life on Inle Lake…Yes, it Includes Souvenir Shops

Jun 11, 2014 by Daniel McBane 2 Comments

Inle Lake locals loading a boat in Myanmar
This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series A Boat Tour of Inle Lake in Myanmar

After puttering down the lake for a while, we eventually arrived at the village of Ywama to visit a local market. Our driver parked our boat and dropped us off at a long, covered walkway lined with makeshift stalls manned by local vendors. The vendors might have been local, but [read more…]

Filed Under: Myanmar Tagged With: Myanmar, transportation, culture, locals, Inle Lake

Real and Fake Leg Rowing Fishermen on Inle Lake

May 28, 2014 by Daniel McBane 10 Comments

A leg rower on Inle Lake in Myanmar
This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series A Boat Tour of Inle Lake in Myanmar

“Skip it. It’s too touristy.” If you’ve done any traveling, you’ve probably heard this phrase. Some travelers shun any destination or activity seen as popular and will even go so far as to berate others for not doing the same. They don’t seem to understand that places become touristy for one simple reason: [read more…]

Filed Under: Myanmar Tagged With: Myanmar, transportation, culture, Inle Lake

Even Indiana Jones Would Get Lost in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station

Jan 25, 2014 by Daniel McBane 25 Comments

Shinjuku Station West in Tokyo

I recently learned that Japan boasts 45 of the world’s 50 busiest train stations, including the first 23 (source: rocketnews24.com) . The top three are all located in western Tokyo, a few stops apart on the Yamanote circle line. The busiest sits in the middle and sees almost 4 million visitors per day. Welcome to […]

Filed Under: Japan Tagged With: transportation, culture, Tokyo, Japan

Seoul Convenience Stores Beat Most of its Bars

Jan 18, 2014 by Daniel McBane 6 Comments

Hongik Unversity district in Seoul, South Korea

Seoul has no shortage of bars and clubs, but we did most of our drinking at convenience stores. In a city with three major nightlife districts—Itaewon for military personnel and those who like sleazy bars, Gangnam for those who enjoy overpaying for everything and Hongdae for those who prefer to have fun on a night […]

Filed Under: South Korea Tagged With: Seoul, South Korea, culture, drinking

If You Can’t Take The Heat, Get Out Of The Onsen

Dec 21, 2013 by Daniel McBane 4 Comments

Monkey in Jigokudani hot spring in Nagano, Japan
This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Visiting Mount Aso in Japan

Once we got to the hot spring, it was time to split up. You may have noticed I was the only guy in the picture from the first part of this series, so I had to head off to the male room to sit in some water on my own. The whole experience was uncomfortable in [read more…]

Filed Under: Japan Tagged With: culture, mountains, accommodation, Japan

Braving Japanese-Style Accommodation on Mount Aso

Dec 14, 2013 by Daniel McBane 9 Comments

kusasenri meadow on Mt Aso on Kyushu, Japan
This entry is part 1 of 3 in the series Visiting Mount Aso in Japan

Accommodation is easily the biggest expense when traveling in Japan, but you can cut down on your costs quite a bit, if you are willing to move away from the standard western hotel or hostel experience. In most cities and towns, the best value is found at a minshuku. This stripped-down version of a ryokan (traditional [read more…]

Filed Under: Japan Tagged With: Japan, culture, mountains, budget travel, accommodation

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Welcome!

As the more astute among you may have guessed, my name is Daniel McBane. I've been traveling and working overseas for almost ten years now and have finally decided to document some of the strange, crazy or just plain funny encounters and observations from my travels. I've also added a travel guide section, figuring I should reward my four readers by providing at least something of use. Read more on my about page.

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Recent Posts

The World's Saddest Zoo (If Not, I'd Hate To See What Tops It)

The World's Saddest Zoo (If Not, I'd Hate To See What Tops It)

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The Flooded Streets of Shenzhen

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Annoying Trekker Abuses Friendly Guesthouse Owner

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Transportation Problems in India: Why Can't I Leave Goa?

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Trekking On Our Day Off From Trekking in Manang

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