i'm in bratislava right now and yesterday i did laundry here in the hostel. like when in hamburg, the use of the laundry machine is free but they don't have laundry soap. so when i did laundry there, the sink was close by and so was some liquid dish soap. I naively thought: soap is soap. i added a little liquid dish soap to my load of laundry and gave it whirl. it turned out fine but then i wondered if i had put enough soap in to really clean the clothes.
in bratislava, i wanted to make sure i put in plenty of liquid dish soap as for they also had a bottle of it at the sink next to the laundry machine. this time i filled up a dirty soap about 1/4 of the way with liquid dish soap and happily started the wash. after a few seconds i can see through the laundry machine window that it was starting to create soap bubbles. cool. i came back in about 45 mins to see if it was done and the window was covered with soap bubbles. that's when i knew i royally messed up and went into damage control mode. the machine stopped. i opened the door and flood of liquid soap bubbles came pouring (overflowing) out of the laundry machine all over the floor. it was so embarrassing despite no one there to witness it.
i quickly tried to clean it up but it was an elaborate job. those friggin bubbles were endless. and when i took out the clothes to put in the dryer, they were dripping soapy bubbles. i had to wring bit by bit out under running water in the sink. no matter how much water i ran under it, twisting the clothes to wring it out, those damn bubbles kept flowing out!
now, to add another layer of drama on top, i had to meet a friend in the center of the city in about 45 minutes from then and there was no guaranteed way to contact her that close to meeting. i was frantic. i tried my best to get the majority of the bubbles out, throw it all in the dryer, and clean the room up. it all actually did seem quite comical at the moment because of the utter helplessness of the situation. there was no way i was going to finish drying those soaked clothes in time and it contained nearly all my clothes i brought with me on the trip. it was like 1 degree celsius or about 35 degrees fahrenheit outside and the only thing dry was what i was wearing, a long sleeve shirt and a thin pair of pants.
when it came time to meet, i couldn't leave her waiting and stood up, so i decided to just run there and hopefully have enough body heat to keep me warm. luckily bratislava is a small city and i was able to run there in about 10 minutes (and about 4 mins of that was getting lost). when i showed up, lenka and her fiance chrisopher must have thought i was quite odd running to them and totally under-dressed and out of breath. but they are an amazing couple and just went with the flow and showed me a great time. we grabbed dinner then stopped at their place so i can wear chrisopher's jacket when we went back out.
when i finally got back to the hostel to check on the clothes, most of it was still damp at best. but it all dried overnight on the clothes hanger. funny though how all my clothes now smells so soapy clean! ha ha
lesson learned.
Nov 2, 2009
Oct 21, 2009
Dubai's middle ground in the middle east
Dubai is like an Arab Disneyland or maybe more like the Vegas of the Arab World. The world's tallest building, the biggest shopping malls, man-made palm-tree-shaped islands, air-conditioned bus stops...it's all very progressive in terms of technology and infrastructure. Yet they still are quite rigid and antiquated in terms of class structure, shunning the gay community and with equality of gender.
You can get fined for spitting on the street. You can get thrown in jail for hosting a party at your place with alcohol without possessing an alcohol license. They can deport you for eating in public during Ramadan.
Sometimes harsh rules aren't all bad though as long as they reinforce the right thing, like respect for others rather than blind reverence for the "grand master lord ruler" thing. Respect for your fellow brother & sister should be the over-riding rule of behaviour and the one undeniable law of all lands. If this means spitting is banned, or public intoxication is outlawed, or women or kids ought to be more protected or whatever, then let's debate and discuss this and agree for the purpose of encouraging mutual respect.
I'll take Dubai's legal inflexibilities over Vegas' liberties of freedom to do whatever. Fact is, people do need guidelines. We all can't just get along without some predetermined agreements. Be it through religious laws or civil ones, societies have flourished and populations have prospered when mutual respect was honoured.
You can get fined for spitting on the street. You can get thrown in jail for hosting a party at your place with alcohol without possessing an alcohol license. They can deport you for eating in public during Ramadan.
Sometimes harsh rules aren't all bad though as long as they reinforce the right thing, like respect for others rather than blind reverence for the "grand master lord ruler" thing. Respect for your fellow brother & sister should be the over-riding rule of behaviour and the one undeniable law of all lands. If this means spitting is banned, or public intoxication is outlawed, or women or kids ought to be more protected or whatever, then let's debate and discuss this and agree for the purpose of encouraging mutual respect.
I'll take Dubai's legal inflexibilities over Vegas' liberties of freedom to do whatever. Fact is, people do need guidelines. We all can't just get along without some predetermined agreements. Be it through religious laws or civil ones, societies have flourished and populations have prospered when mutual respect was honoured.
Oct 11, 2009
Asian Wrap (-up)
As for the World Tour 09, I'm done with the Asian part: Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. I'd have to say Hong Kong was my favorite with Taipei being the second. What I liked about Hong Kong was the international feel and also the architecture and water-laden layout of the city. Taipei was more laid back and that's what I liked about it. It's not really a major tourist attraction but that's also its appeal. I felt anonymous and detached in Tokyo. Maybe if I were to stay there for an extended period or to visit some other areas of Japan, my opinion may have changed but it just felt too industrial, financial, and business-like for my liking. Also, for some strange reason, I didn't really see ANY attractive girls in Japan, whereas I did everywhere else. Maybe just a fluke.
Bangkok was my least favorite because of the hassle factor. Like New Dehli, it seems everyone is on the take. You gotta constantly swat them away like an annoying fly. Strange guys try to act like your friend to sell you something, anything. Strange girls...and I mean girls, not women...try to sell you themselves. One girl just walked up to me out of the blue (well actually out of the black of the night) and said "one thousand half". 1,500 Baht (the Thai currency) equals about $45 or $50 USD. When I inquired about how much it would be for two ladies merely out of curiousity of course, she said (after much calculation in her head), 3,000. Then she dropped that to 2500 and/or herself for 1000. I paid the equivilent of about $9 USD for my hostel bed a night there and about $5 USD for a really good meal, so I'm actually thinking that hooker was overpriced! ha ha ...anyway, I'm too good of a boy to get involved in that stuff. Never once paid for it and I'd like to keep it like that. That's a door to the underground I'd rather not open. I guess I'm worldy in some ways, but sheltered in others.
I liked the Hong Kong octopus card better than the Tokyo one. You can use the Hong Kong one in more places and with more modes of transportation. Chicago and NYC needs to get on the ball with this concept. A Chinese guy in Thailand told me that Hong Kong was the first to adapt this kind of technology, been doing it for like 10 years now, and so it's much more developed than everywhere else.
When I was in Thailand, it rained midday both days I was there. And it didn't just rain, it came down like a severe storm. About 20 or 30 mins before and after it may be sunny and cloudless, but when that storm hits...boy, it's like the end of the world. The first time I got stuck in a museum exhibit of the Grand Palace, which was good at first but quickly because boring as the rain kept me hostage. I brought a little umbrella on this trip but gave it to a girl who needed it more than I back in Taipei. The second time the storm hit, I ducked into a movie theater to keep dry and pass the time. All the movies were basically either sci-fi or horror flicks. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Two of the shows were in English though, so I saw Pandorum, which was good in some ways but mostly as bad as horror films usually are. Not my cup of poisonous tea. Anyway, the interesting thing here was right at the end of the previews and right before the movie began, an announcement said, "Please pay your respects to our King and Great Leader" (or something like that). Everyone in the theatre stood up as cheesy music played and snapshots of the king was shown on the screen (mostly at a younger age and holding a baby -- I guess that was the primetime of his life). It was an odd ritual before seeing a movie.
One of the most enjoyable things about traveling is getting to see scenes from around the world. What's the scene at the fish markets, anime shops, and karaoke bars of Tokyo? What's it like on the outdoor observatory on the 91st floor of Asia's tallest building? And what are these famous night markets there all about? What's the scene of Hong Kong's nightlife or street resturants? When you're there in person, can you feel the devoation of the monks at Thailand's Temple of the Emerald Buddha or can you feel the energy of a Thai boxing match in the center of Bangkok? I now know these scenes, but just like a day after a satisfying meal, I'm hungry for more.
i went to japan
just because i can
and then to taiwan
just because i caann! he heee
i like how the time difference in Taiwan and Hong Kong is exactly 12 hours ahead of NYC. When it's noon in Manhattan, it's midnight in Taiwan. When it's 7pm in the Big Apple, it's 7am the next day in Hong Kong. It's literally on the other side of the world...thank God for gravity or I'd fall! :p
So far, I've mostly been sticking to my budget, which is $50 a day. If I'm staying 3 nights in some city, I'd hit up the ATM for the equivelent of $150 USD. This includes everything: food, entertainment, transportation (local trains, etc), and accommodations. I'm trying not to shop for gifts because I can't carry anything more. My backpack is already busting at the seams. $50/day X 2 months = $3000. Besides this, I spent about $1500 on airfare tickets and $300 on Euro train tickets. Add in another $200 for a few hotel bookings, and it looks like I might be able to pull this round-the-world trip off for about 5 grand total. Considering I used to pay $1100/month for rent while living in Chicago, I'm doing mighty fine with this budget.
I loved the affordability of Taipei without the trashiness of Bangkok. An iced coffee in Taipei would run you about $1 whereas in Toyko it was about $4. And Taipei actually has trashcans on the street courners so you can throw it away when you're done! And another thing about Taiwan. Their local beer is called Taiwan Beer. Nice.
After sampling four contries of that continent, I'm ready for something else. In some ways (like technology) they're much more developed. In other ways (like with amenities) they're lacking. Now I'm in Dubai--the mecca of amenities. Dubia is in the middle east and is like the Disneyland of this continent. If you're looking for the biggest, the fastest, the tallest, ...it's here. I arrived a few hours ago and am thrilled to be out of the hostel scene for a bit. I'm staying at the lush, plush place of a friend of a friend. The highrise condo in Dubai Marina is a 3-hour time difference and a world apart from my accommodations in Thailand.
I almost didn't make it here though. One more story for ya... I submitted a request for tickets at my company's pass bureau about 3 weeks ago. It supposed to take UP TO 2 weeks to process. Well, after 2 weeks I still hadn't heard anything. I first had a friend get me an email address I can send a message to so I could handle this without incurring phone charges. I was happy to find out that my message immediately got passed on to the manager of the pass bureau. But a few days later, still no response. I then had a different friend call the pass bureau on my behalf but after various attempts got stonewalled. Nothing. I finally figure out how to get a phone card in Hong Kong (not an easy task!) and to use it (an even harder task) to actually talk directly to the pass bureau. They said they knew I was waiting for a response from them but that they didn't have one for me yet. Well, couldn't they have at least told me that?! So, with about 3 days left until I needed the tickets, I was starting to worry. This was the only missing link as far as transportation goes in my global trek. I had my tickets already for everything else besides using Emirates to get in and then out of Dubai. After a couple more emails and a few phone calls from Bangkok at like 3am (my time so it was 3pm their time), and finally on a Friday (whereas if they didn't complete it then I'd be screwed for the weekend), with LESS than 24 hours before I needed them, it got processed. The pass bureau claims it was mostly waiting for Emirates to OK it. In anycase, it worked and so far I've been able to catch every flight I've planned for. From the far east to the middle east, I'm slowly but surely working my way westward back home.
Bangkok was my least favorite because of the hassle factor. Like New Dehli, it seems everyone is on the take. You gotta constantly swat them away like an annoying fly. Strange guys try to act like your friend to sell you something, anything. Strange girls...and I mean girls, not women...try to sell you themselves. One girl just walked up to me out of the blue (well actually out of the black of the night) and said "one thousand half". 1,500 Baht (the Thai currency) equals about $45 or $50 USD. When I inquired about how much it would be for two ladies merely out of curiousity of course, she said (after much calculation in her head), 3,000. Then she dropped that to 2500 and/or herself for 1000. I paid the equivilent of about $9 USD for my hostel bed a night there and about $5 USD for a really good meal, so I'm actually thinking that hooker was overpriced! ha ha ...anyway, I'm too good of a boy to get involved in that stuff. Never once paid for it and I'd like to keep it like that. That's a door to the underground I'd rather not open. I guess I'm worldy in some ways, but sheltered in others.
I liked the Hong Kong octopus card better than the Tokyo one. You can use the Hong Kong one in more places and with more modes of transportation. Chicago and NYC needs to get on the ball with this concept. A Chinese guy in Thailand told me that Hong Kong was the first to adapt this kind of technology, been doing it for like 10 years now, and so it's much more developed than everywhere else.
When I was in Thailand, it rained midday both days I was there. And it didn't just rain, it came down like a severe storm. About 20 or 30 mins before and after it may be sunny and cloudless, but when that storm hits...boy, it's like the end of the world. The first time I got stuck in a museum exhibit of the Grand Palace, which was good at first but quickly because boring as the rain kept me hostage. I brought a little umbrella on this trip but gave it to a girl who needed it more than I back in Taipei. The second time the storm hit, I ducked into a movie theater to keep dry and pass the time. All the movies were basically either sci-fi or horror flicks. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Two of the shows were in English though, so I saw Pandorum, which was good in some ways but mostly as bad as horror films usually are. Not my cup of poisonous tea. Anyway, the interesting thing here was right at the end of the previews and right before the movie began, an announcement said, "Please pay your respects to our King and Great Leader" (or something like that). Everyone in the theatre stood up as cheesy music played and snapshots of the king was shown on the screen (mostly at a younger age and holding a baby -- I guess that was the primetime of his life). It was an odd ritual before seeing a movie.
One of the most enjoyable things about traveling is getting to see scenes from around the world. What's the scene at the fish markets, anime shops, and karaoke bars of Tokyo? What's it like on the outdoor observatory on the 91st floor of Asia's tallest building? And what are these famous night markets there all about? What's the scene of Hong Kong's nightlife or street resturants? When you're there in person, can you feel the devoation of the monks at Thailand's Temple of the Emerald Buddha or can you feel the energy of a Thai boxing match in the center of Bangkok? I now know these scenes, but just like a day after a satisfying meal, I'm hungry for more.
i went to japan
just because i can
and then to taiwan
just because i caann! he heee
i like how the time difference in Taiwan and Hong Kong is exactly 12 hours ahead of NYC. When it's noon in Manhattan, it's midnight in Taiwan. When it's 7pm in the Big Apple, it's 7am the next day in Hong Kong. It's literally on the other side of the world...thank God for gravity or I'd fall! :p
So far, I've mostly been sticking to my budget, which is $50 a day. If I'm staying 3 nights in some city, I'd hit up the ATM for the equivelent of $150 USD. This includes everything: food, entertainment, transportation (local trains, etc), and accommodations. I'm trying not to shop for gifts because I can't carry anything more. My backpack is already busting at the seams. $50/day X 2 months = $3000. Besides this, I spent about $1500 on airfare tickets and $300 on Euro train tickets. Add in another $200 for a few hotel bookings, and it looks like I might be able to pull this round-the-world trip off for about 5 grand total. Considering I used to pay $1100/month for rent while living in Chicago, I'm doing mighty fine with this budget.
I loved the affordability of Taipei without the trashiness of Bangkok. An iced coffee in Taipei would run you about $1 whereas in Toyko it was about $4. And Taipei actually has trashcans on the street courners so you can throw it away when you're done! And another thing about Taiwan. Their local beer is called Taiwan Beer. Nice.
After sampling four contries of that continent, I'm ready for something else. In some ways (like technology) they're much more developed. In other ways (like with amenities) they're lacking. Now I'm in Dubai--the mecca of amenities. Dubia is in the middle east and is like the Disneyland of this continent. If you're looking for the biggest, the fastest, the tallest, ...it's here. I arrived a few hours ago and am thrilled to be out of the hostel scene for a bit. I'm staying at the lush, plush place of a friend of a friend. The highrise condo in Dubai Marina is a 3-hour time difference and a world apart from my accommodations in Thailand.
I almost didn't make it here though. One more story for ya... I submitted a request for tickets at my company's pass bureau about 3 weeks ago. It supposed to take UP TO 2 weeks to process. Well, after 2 weeks I still hadn't heard anything. I first had a friend get me an email address I can send a message to so I could handle this without incurring phone charges. I was happy to find out that my message immediately got passed on to the manager of the pass bureau. But a few days later, still no response. I then had a different friend call the pass bureau on my behalf but after various attempts got stonewalled. Nothing. I finally figure out how to get a phone card in Hong Kong (not an easy task!) and to use it (an even harder task) to actually talk directly to the pass bureau. They said they knew I was waiting for a response from them but that they didn't have one for me yet. Well, couldn't they have at least told me that?! So, with about 3 days left until I needed the tickets, I was starting to worry. This was the only missing link as far as transportation goes in my global trek. I had my tickets already for everything else besides using Emirates to get in and then out of Dubai. After a couple more emails and a few phone calls from Bangkok at like 3am (my time so it was 3pm their time), and finally on a Friday (whereas if they didn't complete it then I'd be screwed for the weekend), with LESS than 24 hours before I needed them, it got processed. The pass bureau claims it was mostly waiting for Emirates to OK it. In anycase, it worked and so far I've been able to catch every flight I've planned for. From the far east to the middle east, I'm slowly but surely working my way westward back home.
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