Tag: southeast Asia
-
Snirt, books and the Silk Route
I neglected to mentioned what Beijing winters are like. Dry and windy is probably the best way to describe them. I once asked my students if Beijing got snow or rain. They replied “No”. Instead? Pollution! Anyway, it’s not true that Beijing doesn’t get snow but it doesn’t happen very often. However, as one expat put it, given…
-
Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma): Going Betel Nuts
One of the first things I noticed entering into the country was how clean and new the international airport was, much different than the domestic airport right next door. I think I came across one ticket booth in the international airport. Luck would have it that I met another Canadian who was interested in flying…
-
Myanmar (Burma): Getting Going
What follows is a rough break down of what I did during my two week trip to Myanmar (Burma). It was a quick trip and left me wanting to stay longer. My budget dictated my trip this time. I took out $500 dollars and I told myself I’d travel until I had $20 left, which…
-
3 More Places in Southeast Asia for Coffee
So you’re backpacking through SEA and rebelling against corporations by avoiding the big chain stores but you still need your regular caffeine fix. And like a grumpy graduate student you need to find a good cafe that serves up real coffee not that instant stuff. Well, fear not, there are lots of places to…
-
The Scent of a Country
They say you don’t really know a place until you smell it. I had completely forgotten about this idea until I met a German woman. Blonde, similar in age, well-travelled and a good conversationalist, we got talking about her travels and we shared stories. One caught my attention. She mentioned she was to meet an…