That Is Some Good Java

I’m alive in Yogyakarta in central Java. I did the most dangerous thing on my trip today. I flew an Indonesian discount airline. The flight from Jakarta to Yogyakarta was $29 with taxes. The plane was packed, and they fly pretty much on the hour. Pramabanan and Borobudur are the two big ruins nearby. Either …

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Last Day in Hong Kong

Tomorrow I’m off to Macau. I’m sure I’ll be back to Hong Kong just to get a flight out, but that’s about it. Last night I had the best Mongolian BBQ I’ve ever had and got to see a street performer escape from a straight jacket. Can’t beat that. If nothing else, Hong Kong has …

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Traveling With Eyeglasses

Recently, for the fourth time in the last five years since I started traveling, I had to get new glasses. My most recent glasses disaster was last January when I broke my glasses the very first morning onboard the ship to Antarctica. The ship was tossing so much that they flew off the nightstand on …

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Travelers Love Lists

The question I’ve been surprised I haven’t gotten more often is “why do you list Hawaii as a country on your list of places?” Hawaii clearly is as much a country as Kansas, so it would seem odd to list it separately as a “country”. Moreover, I have Okinawa listed separately, which is also not …

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Tattoo

The Big Mac(Donald’s) Update

Since I last did a McDonald’s update, I’ve gained a lot of readers. For those who are new, I try to eat at a McDonald’s restaurant in every country I visit. McDonald’s in every country are just a little bit different as they adjust the menu to fit local tastes. Eating at McDonald’s is an …

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Japan: Mecca for Sushi Lovers

Sushi is far and away my favorite food. I’m not alone in that assessment. All around the world sushi restaurants have been springing up like weeds as sushi has gained in popularity. It is easily the biggest Japanese contribution to global culture (yes, bigger than Anime). So I couldn’t really go to Japan and not …

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The Temples and Shrines of Japan: Part 1, Kyoto

Read part 2 and part 3 Travelers to Europe often complain of church fatigue. Everywhere you go, you see old churches and castles and after a while they all sort of just blur into each other. In Asia, the equivalent would be Shrine and Temple fatigue. No place I’ve visited so far suffers more from …

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