We were so bored after hanging around Vientiane, Laos for a few days while we waited to secure our 60-day Thailand visas. If entering Thailand by land, they only issue a 15-day visa compared to a 30-day visa if you arrive by plane. After getting our visas at the Thai Embassy in Vientiane, we grabbed our bags at the hotel and made a run for the border. The overnight trip to Chiang Mai required taking a tuk-tuk, taxi, another tuk-tuk, a local bus, a sleeper bus, and a sawngthaew. It was  uneventful, with the exception of meeting this creepy German guy who builds bamboo houses and thought he was leading the way for innovative architecture (no, he’s not even an architect). Once we arrived and found a room, we made plans to meet up with all of the fun residents from Team Chiang Mai later in the day. A quick walk around our neighborhood within the Old City took us through a local food market, and we also found a cheaper place to stay the remaining nights.

Chiang Mai is one of my favorite cities in Southeast Asia. It is the largest city in northern Thailand and has over 300 Buddhist temples and magnificent markets throughout the city. Chiang Mai was once a walled city surrounded by a moat; pieces of the wall and the moat still remain today. It is typical to pass monks robed in orange cloth and  get lost in the exotic charms of the city.

Our first day in Chiang Mai we met up with @GotPassport, @OurOwnPath, @eloren, and @linzslack at the Saturday Walking Market. We walked down the street and ogled the souvenir stalls before hitting up food vendors. Between the 10 of us, we sampled spring rolls, samosas, fried bananas, spicy tofu, salad, ice cream, tea served in a bamboo pole cup, and waffles on a stick, among other things. It started to rain but we persevered and completed our walk. Afterwards, we went back to an apartment lobby where Bessie & Kyle introduced us to a game called The Settlers of Catan. Lauren and I loved it! I had never heard of it, but since then I’ve seen it on display in a Barcelona game store window and found out that one of my friends back home owns it.

After a late night with friends we headed back into the Old City to our guesthouse. We needed to get our rest to gear up for the Sunday Walking Market the following day!

Related posts:

1. Monk Blessings at Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai
2. Meditation Retreat in Chiang Mai
3. Sukhothai: Thailand’s Ancient Capital

Not too long ago, I wrote about how my life is in chaos, I’m broke, and I need a new life plan.

One of my “plans” is to become a self-sustaining entrepreneur. I’ve been working on some ideas for awhile, but my motivation ran a little stagnant as I waited to hear back from two major job opportunities.

Last week, I was rejected from those two opportunities, the only remaining ones I had left (for the moment). The whole thing might be a blessing in disguise, because I’m back on the “location independent lifestyle” dream bandwagon. I probably just needed a swift kick in the ass.

I’ve been following Man vs Debt for awhile, and yesterday Adam Baker introduced a ridiculously awesome deal: 23 businesses courses written by some BIG names for a price of $97, reduced from $1,052. I’m skeptical about a lot of “self help” e-books (ever read Will Ferguson’s Happiness?), and I generally feel e-books are a load of shit because nobody can replicate somebody’s lifestyle… but I have a lot to learn as a freelancer. I could use the practical guidance where it counts.

Seems counter-productive, right? I’m broke and spending money on items telling me how not to be broke. I signed up as an affiliate, however, so if you’re interested in this deal, please Click here to visit Only72.com. I earn a portion of the profits, if you do choose to buy.

I can’t say whether or not this will change my life or offer me anything useful, and I never, ever support something I haven’t tried myself yet. Here’s the exception, however: this offer remains for less than two days.

Hey, if you end up buying and not liking the product, you can personally hold me responsible. Leave bags of flaming dog poo on my front step, if you like.

While working as a waitress in Nice, we once had a huge lunch rush, resulting in a longer wait time for main courses than normal. (The Snug only has one chef in a teeny-tiny kitchen!) One of the tables was a group of young French professionals, who were a bit frustrated at the wait—they had to get back to work. Remembering my days of limited lunch hours, I rushed into the kitchen to see if there was any way to get their food out first. Luckily there was—I got their meals out quickly, and as I cleared their plates, I expected them to demand the check immediately (you know, to get back to work on time). Instead, they ordered a round of espressos and a dessert.

To me, it illustrated a fundamental difference between the French and Americans. To the French, dining is an experience. It’s a time to socialize with family and friends, but also to fully enjoy the sensory aspects of a meal. The aroma of a good wine, the slurp of a fresh oyster, the silky smoothness of chocolate mousse. It’s not about cramming down some nutrients so that you can get back to work.

French gastronomy was recently named a UNESCO-protected cultural experience that emphasizes “togetherness, the pleasure of taste, and the balance between human beings and the products of nature.” It starts with an apertif and ends with a digestif and generally has four courses in between: an entrée, a main dish of meat or fish with vegetables, a cheese plate and a dessert.

While I prefer dining in France to going out to eat in America, it’s certainly an experience that takes some getting used to. While it’s certainly best to eat at the home of a French person, visitors will most likely experience French gastronomy through its restaurants–and here are some tips to make the most of it:

• Make reservations. If you’re dead-set on trying a restaurant, make reservations. Some restaurants only have two sittings a night; others will stop serving after a certain time if they’re full.
• Order wine. It’s usually cheaper than water—and much better. You can order by the glass, a small or large carafe, or the bottle.
• Want a glass of water too? Order une carafe d’eau (ka-raf d-oh)—a pitcher of tap water. While tap water is free, a glorious glass of ice water won’t stay continuously full as it will in the States. Remember that freezers are small in France and the French think that very cold water is bad for you—ice is limited.

• Bread is another utensil, not food. It should be placed on the table, not on your plate. It won’t show up with butter or olive oil: it’s not a course in itself. Instead, bread is usually used as a tool: to wipe up extra sauce or perhaps nudge that last piece of meat onto your fork.
• Don’t be rushed. Servers aren’t trying to turn tables. Take the time to sip your wine, enjoy your meal, laugh with friends.

• Don’t be offended. A server isn’t going to show up to your table with a brilliantly-white smile, introduce herself and rattle off the specials without missing a beat. French servers are a lovely balance of straightforward and discreet—but not necessarily overly friendly. Don’t take it personally—but do be polite and practice your French. It will go a long way.
• Ask for the check. Since they’re not turning tables, they won’t “nudge” you along by giving you the check. Don’t be afraid to ask for l’addition (la di-sohn)—the server usually won’t bring it until you ask.
• Don’t be obligated to tip—but don’t be afraid to either. True, tipping is technically included in the bill. However, as a former server in France, I can tell you that tips are absolutely appreciated—particularly in places without a professional waitstaff, like student bars or expat pubs. For average (15%-worthy) service, tipping isn’t necessary. But if a server went above and beyond, they’ll certainly appreciate the gratitude.

What’s your favorite (or least favorite) part about dining in France?

Type: Ale – Winter Warmer
Name: Flying Dog – K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale
Price: $1.49
Made: Frederick, MD
Alc/Vol: 7.4%

“If only we could take our dogs skiing they could chase off snowplowing tourists, stick their heads out the gondola window, and use the snow as their own artistic canvas. But on those days when your pooch can’t be there, enjoy one of these dark, sweet, malty ales in his honor.”

This beer has a nice amber color, and is my second time going up against these winter warmer ales. Last week’s Hoppin Frog had too much of a spiced kick to it, and oddly enough this one didn’t have much.

“Good people drink good beer”

I love reading the little tidbits and descriptions on beer bottles, it kind of puts you into the head of those brewing it.  What I can’t wrap my head around is why you couldn’t bring your dog with you to the slopes, next you will be telling me they don’t let monkeys on there either. Anyways that’s all just crazy talk….back to the beer.

The scent had a nice hops aroma to it, which is odd because winter warmers tend to be more malt than hops. The flavor was light and that was about it, there really wasn’t much going on but it had a good flavor. It’s a little bit malty with some cinnamon spice and nice hops finish that comes through in the scent. It was a good blend, nothing that I would continue to pick out unless it was on sale.

Overall I give this beer 3 bananas. I’m starting to question if winter warmers are my style of beer, I’m no arctic monkey and I’m already sweet enough. @(^_*)@  Who knows but I’ll persevere with beer till I find a winter warmer that I hold dear. (hehe poetry skills)

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Don’t forget to fling this post to others if you like what you see!

New Brew Tuesday: Flying Dog – K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale is a post from: Monkey Brewster

Check out one of these related posts

• New Brew Tuesday: Hoppin Frog Christmas Ale
• New Brew Tuesday: Flying Dog – Old Scratch Amber Ale
• New Brew Tuesday: Great Divide’s Hades Ale

“An Idiot Abroad” could have been the name of my blog, but instead it’s a television program on the UK’s Sky1 that I absolutely loved. It’s a travel show unlike any other.

Ricky Gervais: “You are the strangest man on the planet.”

Karl Pilkington: “You haven’t been to China.”

Overview

In the Sky1 series “An Idiot Abroad,” Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (best known for creation of television shows The Office and Extras) send their friend, Karl Pilkington, on trips around the world to see the “Seven Wonders.” The difference from other travel shows, however, is that Karl is an unsophisticated everyman who hates anything that takes him out of his comfort zone. Added to that, Karl’s unique perspective on the world provides amazing humor that shines through the naiveté and discomfort he has with the places he visits.

A telling moment at the start of the series is when they ask Karl if he’s done much traveling and he says “I’ve been to Wales.”

A little bit more about Karl

Several years ago, Pilkington was the producer on a radio show Ricky and Stephen hosted. Then, they started to bring Karl into the conversation on-air and a legend was born.

Karl isn’t stupid, but he’s a utilitarian who condenses the world around him into the simplest components that he can easily relate to. That makes his observations hilarious, though often painful.

True, he says a lot of stupid things. Sometimes he’s working off of poor information, sometimes he draws unwarranted conclusions, but that’s always blended with an unfiltered, uncommon thought process and an odd sort of bizarre logic.

For a way to fill some hours with great comedy, you can check out the Ricky Gervais audiobooks on iTunes. There are some lengthy collections of their past podcasts and radio shows available, but more recently they’ve started doing one hour audio programs exploring Karl’s thoughts on specific topics – Medicine, Philosophy, Law, The Future and several others.

The Destinations

In each episode of the television series, Karl heads toward one of the Seven Wonders of the World (depending on what list you’re working off of):  The Great Wall, the Taj Mahal, Petra, Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, The Great Pyramids and Machu Picchu.

Before he gets to those locations, however, he’s put through a series of cultural experiences and challenges that would make a lot of Survivor contestants quit and head home. Often, the struggle is where he stays – a crowded hostel in Rio during Carnaval, a cramped room in India, with a tribe on the Amazon. Other times, it’s physical torture like camel rides or eating sheep testicles.

For a man who whines a lot and hates being away from home, I give him credit for putting up with things that would exhaust even a lot of experienced world travelers.

A few of my favorite bits

In the Amazon: referring to the candiru that live in the Amazon and can swim inside a man’s penis with painful result: “What’s so good about The Amazon? Can’t be that good; there are things in it that would rather live in me knob.”

About jellyfish: “Jellyfish are 97% water or something, so how much are they doing? Just give them another 3% and make them water. It’s more useful.”

On the Great Wall: “You can see it for miles. Like, it goes over the hills and stuff for miles….but so does the M6 and that’s useful.”

On Cairo: “That song Walk Like an Egyptian – no one’s walking, everyone seems to be in a car at all hours. Just beeping.”

On the Taj Mahal: “Anyone who builds something like that for his dead wife, something was going on. ‘Three other wives, I shouldnta done that. I’ll put her in something nice.’”

My take on the show

As with other “reality” shows, it’s obviously been edited heavily. But in this case, it’s for comic effect, which it delivers marvelously. More than once, I’ve been caught laughing uncontrollably while watching.

Some of it’s a bit uneven, with stunts that are clearly staged to evoke a reaction from Karl, like booking him into a horrendous hotel room or the mock abduction by terrorists. Ricky and Stephen’s set-ups are often painful to watch and can come across as mean-spirited, even as practical jokes.

The show is at its best when it’s organic and Karl shares his thoughts about the locations he’s seeing. Those thoughts aren’t always limited to travel. For anyone following the podcasts, you know that Karl has a fascination with two things – insects and human oddities (like the Elephant Man).

He puts an amazing amount of effort into anthropomorphizing everything around him. One of my favorite segments from Peru is when he’s just talking to the camera about “stick insects” and how difficult life is for them because from a distance they can’t tell if it’s a friend of theirs or just a stick so they have to walk all the way over to find out.

He has a uniquely logical, if misinformed, perspective that comes across in a deadpan, matter of fact delivery. His thoughts and opinions are not always politically correct, but it’s apparent that those thoughts come from a lack of understanding and not any form of malice.

How to get it

The show recently concluded its 8 episode run. For the most part, viewing is limited to people in the UK at the moment, though the show was just released on DVD (again, only in the UK). It’s viewable online at http://sky1.sky.com/an-idiot-abroad (ALSO open only to viewers with a UK IP address).

If you’re not in the UK, you can check out fairly lengthy clips on Sky1’s YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/skyonezone or download free podcasts of highlights and cut scenes from iTunes. Otherwise, I’m sure the series will be making its way to other outlets around the world soon.

We coughed up some cash to do probably one of the most touristy things in Aswan, Egypt- to see the Philae Temple at night.  Although the laser show was cheesy, the temple was breathtaking.  And to think it should be underwater. The building of the high dam flooded a good portion of lower Egypt to create Lake Nasser.  Several ruins and archaeological sites in Lower Egypt were moved literally piece by piece by UNESCO teams to save them from the fate of Atlantis.  The Island of Philae and Temple of Isis are just one of the nearly forty sites relocated throughout Egypt.  Although it had partially been underwater during high water since the first Aswan dam was built in the early 20th Century, the ... Related posts:

1. Aswan: Welcome to Egypt When we arrived in Aswan we had spent the prior...
2. Country Guide: Egypt Egypt may be a touristy place but it is also...
3. Luxor: Valley of the Tourist Not yet templed out, we ventured further down the Nile...

I am well aware that this post is covering very sensitive ground for some so I’ll tread very carefully. There is a loud clamour among the vast majority of the online community for wi-fi to be available free of charge … Continue reading →

Why hotel wi-fi shouldn’t always be free is a post from: 501 Places

You think your job is tough?

Try working the salt factory of Fiji like the three women that we stopped to visit.

Anna, Terafina and Lucia greeted us with smiles when we pulled up to their three huts to see their place of work.  Located in a remote corner of the main island of Fiji, this salt factory gathers salt from the sea by traditional means.

It is not easy.

The women have to walk out to wells located in a field that catch salt water during low tide.  They must carry buckets and buckets of fresh salt water back to their hut where they boil it until it evaporates and turns to salt.

It takes 16 buckets of water to make one half of a pot.

It is rainy season in Fiji and they must time their water gathering to right after high tide while moving quickly to get their quota before the rains come to dilute the salty waters.

The work doesn’t end yet.

They must sit in the huts and feed the fire.  It is hot and sweaty work.  Even though it is rainy season, it is still very humid outside and inside the house it is uncomfortable and steaming.  You would think that the work would be easy once the water is gathered, but they have to gather wood and keep the fire stoked.

Luckily their village is close to their work and they can take turns on different shifts to make the salt.

We ask them if the salt is made for export or for use just on the island.  They say it is for export, but we wonder how 3 women can possibly make enough salt to export to other countries?

Whatever the case, the salt is tasty in its raw form.  They bring us a bowl full of it to touch and taste and for some reason that salt more delicious than the refined salt we eat at home.

Technology, it can even mess us something as simple as collecting salt from the sea. It is perfect the way it is, but we have to refine it to make it all wrong.

Traditional Salt Factory Visit in Fiji is a post from: The Planet D: Canada's Adventure Couple

A few people have commented and asked as to why I have skipped over China this time. Here is my answer…

When I took the boat from Thailand to China, I was full of expectations and plans. I had very specific goals and I was excited! I spent the first 5 or 6 days in Kunming, a place I had wanted to visit during my last trip in 2008, but was not able to get to. Kunming was cold, but fantastic. Hanging out with Joel was a lot of fun and I loved watching parents at Green Lake try and marry off their children.

After Kunming, I took a 36hr train ride to Beijing. The plan was to stay in Beijing for about 3-4 days, then head to Mongolia for 2 weeks. After Mongolia, I would come back and travel to Kashgar in Northwestern China. As with each country change, I called to talk to my family. Usually I can hear my Dad in the background saying he can’t sleep and I need to come home or how much they’d like me home for Christmas. Normally, I would just chuckle. But this time it struck me. Dad is not getting any younger -sorry Dad! Don’t take that the wrong way!!. In fact, on Dec 18th, he’ll be 75 and I was going to miss it!

I was struck with the sudden need to be home with my family this Christmas. I should be around for his big birthday! After speaking with my parents, I spent almost $60 in phone cards, calling Cathay Pacific and changing my ticket home. Within a few hours everything was changed and I was set to fly back to Canada on December 20th. At the time, I figured I could still get myself to Kashgar before I needed to be back in Bangkok for my flight home. But things changed.

On my way to Ulaanbaatar, I came down with the flu. It wasn’t fun and Mongolia was -20c. Plus, I was a month late getting there, which meant my clothing was not appropriate for the weather. But, I stuck it out. I stayed inside for about 5 days to get over my flu and then took a tour into the countryside. I loved it. While I was there -freezing my you know what off- I wondered if staying in China would be a smart choice. After all, it’s cold there too. In the end, I decided that being healthy was more important, so I booked a flights to Bangkok and Chiang Mai and decided to spend my last 2.5 weeks there.

As it turns out, this decision was an excellent one. Mongolia was so cold and the Trans-Mongolian train was so hot, that I came down with a really bad cold when I got back to Beijing. Within a day of arriving I had chills, body aches, a deep dry cough that made me want to cry and zero energy. It was awful. I spent a lot of time in bed or running down the hall to the squat toilet. The only thing that made me feel a little better was that I knew I was flying to Thailand soon.

My flight to Bangkok was rough. I was in pain, cold and exhausted. However, not long after arriving in Bangkok, my aches and chills went away. Oh, happy day! Currently, I’m in Chiang Mai, eating fresh fruit, munching peanuts and drinking lots of water. I have better drugs for my cold and a private room with it’s own bathroom and fan. I can’t think of a better place to be right now -other than home- to recover from being ill.

Am I sad about skipping through China? Yes, but I know that if I had continued, I would probably be writing this from a hospital room. It just wasn’t a good idea. Besides, I can come back!

NEW: Our RTW Gear List – The 2011 Version – There comes a time when you need to take a look at your current travel gear, throw away the stuff you don’t need or use anymore, and swap it for something new and fresh.

Now that we are on our way to travel around South East Asia again (we will be in THAILAND early next week!) we feel it’s a good time to remix our gear list and upgrade everything.

We have spent the last year traveling around Europe – so now it’s time to ditch the warm jackets, jeans and thick shirts.

Also from now on we’re traveling a little different: we will be taking with us more high-tech gear like the Canon 550D DSLR Camera, a Tripod, Wireless Microphones and a Macbook Pro laptop – all to be used for our up-coming online weekly Travel (TV) Show, as we travel around exploring Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia for the next 4 months.

We will still be using 40 Liter backpacks, although we threw out the old ones and got ourselves two matching new backpacks.

So today we wanted to share with you our NEW ’2011′ gear list:

Shared Tech:

- 13.3″ Macbook Pro with case
- Mono Tripod
- 11.6″ Asus Eee Pc laptop
- Zoom H2 Microphone
- 2 Audio-Technica Omnidirectional Lavalier Mics
- iPod Shuffle
- iPod Touch
- 2000GB External Memory
- Canon D-SLR 550D
- Kodak Zi8 Video Camera
- Travel Power Adaptor

Personally I think it seems like a lot of stuff once you add it all up, but believe it or not, it all fits into our 40 liter carry-on backpacks, and that’s all we ask for.

Hope this gear list is helpful for you guys as well, remember you don’t need all that extra stuff – keep it simple, keep it light and it will make life so much easier!

So, what do you think? Anything you would take which we didn’t include?

Related posts:

1. Weekly Travel Question – What Items Are A Must For Traveling & What Is Not?
2. My List Of Best Roadtrip Music!
3. How To Travel The World With No Check-In Luggage