I kid you not, there are big, giant, freaky, metal trees in Singapore. They look like something out of a 1980s Tetris video game going hundreds of feet in the air. And, if you pay some money, you can walk along a skyway up to touch them. I opted to[…]
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I was told about betel nuts before I every actually saw one or noticed anyone eating them. However, it in now way prepared me for my first encounter. I was walking down the street when a man walked toward me. With a thick Taiwanese accent, he said, “Welcome, please come[…]
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While sitting at dinner in a small street cafe, I heard mechanical music off in the distance. At first I thought it was the ice cream truck coming and had a pavlovian reaction. My mouth started watering and I started craving ice cream. I was curious to see what kind[…]
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One of the great challenges for me in Taiwan was adjusting to their bathrooms. Picture this, you just ate some new funky food like chicken feet to impress your Taiwanese friends. An hour later after leaving the night market you really, really need to use the bathroom. The situation becomes[…]
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Buddhist monks and nuns don’t eat like the rest of us and don’t allow photos or videos to document it. However, I was invited to experience a dinner with them first hand. Prior to the dinner Master Jiru, who was our guide while were stayed at the monastery, gave us[…]
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While traveling in Taiwan I came upon a unique opportunity to stay at Fo Guang Shan Monatery near Kaoshsiung (which many believe is one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in the world). Before this trip, I had no idea you could stay in one. Apparently most of them offer limited[…]
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While staying at the Fo Guang Shan Temple, I had the opportunity to learn some Chinese calligraphy from a Monk. He started me off with a commercial felt tip pen used specifically for Chinese calligraphy. I was also given a laminated 1-2-3 guide of how to draw characters and the[…]
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After a pleasant afternoon of tea tasting with Tea Master Tony Chan, we were invited by Tony and his wife to have a dinner of Chinese Hot Pot at a French restaurant Masion de Su. Chinese Hot Pot meals are a lot like American fondue but differ in many ways.[…]
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I’m not sure what I expected when I was invited to go to the night market. I think I pictured something exotic with dancing girls, fire breathers and snakes. While I didn’t see dancing girls or fire breathers, I’m told there are snakes at some night markets, just not the[…]
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I will admit I’ve never really been a fan of tea. Every time I’ve tried it, I felt it tasted like grass in hot water which caused my face to shrivel into an embarrassing “yucky” look which is best not seen in public. However, since I’ve been dating Cocoa Ho[…]
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I’ve been on many trains and trams over the years, but have never had the chance to ride a high speed bullet train. I was excited when I found out the best way to get from the airport to where we were staying was by taking a bus and then[…]
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While I was living in Guatemala for the last five months I met over 20 adventure motorcyclists who were all traveling south (does anyone go north?). Most of them were making a several month trek from either Canada or the USA and heading to various destinations in South America (most[…]
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