If I had started my Philippines trip in Cagayan de Oro, I wouldn’t have left. I’d have spent my whole month there playing ping pong. Even without ping pong—do I have to call it table tennis?—I still might have felt … Continue reading
The Dromomaniac
I had irrationally high hopes for Camiguin, but I knew it would deliver because of my experience on a similar island due west of it, Siquijor, one of my favorite places. It’s just the right size: big enough that you … Continue reading
I flew from “The Last Frontier”, the island of Palawan, to the real last frontier, the island of Mindanao in the far south. Some people freak out that this is Terrorism Central and the Kidnapping Capital of Philippines due to … Continue reading
Business first. Hey, my Filipina friends who can use a little extra pocket money to travel: there’s a gold mine on your head! You need to sell your hair. Someone got US$160 for “100% raw virgin Filipino hair” on eBay. … Continue reading
…this would be my story: “Man hacked to death by angry mob after singing off-key at karaoke party” Metro Manila police are investigating a gruesome homicide when an unidentified local man sang the Whitney Houston standard, “I Will Always Love … Continue reading
Hey, what are you doing for the rest of your life? No plans? Nothing? Then why not settle down in a 10-room mountain lodge in the Japanese Alps? It’s called Hoshi Boshi Lodge, or HBL. You can of course change … Continue reading
This is my 12th time in Japan. 12th time! Who visits Japan twelve times?! By now I should be Japan Travel Ambassador. 11 times I was here as a tourist, and once I worked for a couple of months in … Continue reading
First things first. This is the greatest music video ever, which just happens to be Japanese. Note the three seconds from 1:19-1:22. So good. If you can’t see it below, the link is here. The first and last thirty seconds … Continue reading
After a long stay in Kashgar, I went to the desert. Hotan was an eight hour, 33 yuan ($5) “hard seat” ride, it’s called, but the seats weren’t so hard. The train was, however, filthy as all hell by the … Continue reading
This is my Uyghur cold noodle restaurant. The “chef” let me video him in his hyper splendor. I love this guy. If you can’t see the video below, the link is here. It’s not blurry like this image suggests! A … Continue reading
