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The Selfish Years

~ Over 200 cities, 42 countries, 6 continents and counting.

The Selfish Years

Monthly Archives: September 2013

A Selfish Year in Pictures

30 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Africa, Asia, Best Of, Europe, Living Abroad, Oceania

≈ 3 Comments

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Living Abroad, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years

Mr. Selfish and I are starting to settle down in San Francisco and are happy to be here for the next few months. It’s odd being in one place and being able to fully unpack our suitcases. We are definitely enjoying SF life thus far, especially our new view:

Biggie SF 002

We can’t believe how fast this past selfish year went by and are truly grateful for all of the wonderful experiences we had.

Here are our top 60 photos of the past year.  Enjoy!

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The Selfish Guide to Photography – Part 2

29 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in General

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How to Pose for Photos, How to Take Photos, Photography, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years

As I went over yesterday, Mr. Selfish and I took over 50,000 photos during this past year. Although we weren’t in each of these photos, we were in plenty of them and definitely learned a thing or two about posing for photos.

Although the photographer is very important, a model should also know what he/she is doing. Here are our posing tips.

1.  Know your angles.

Some people look good face on. Others look good from one side. Whatever it is, know your angles and pose that way.

Your Angle_thumb

2.  Wear bright colors.

I never realized how important it was to wear bright color clothes in photos until this selfish year. Just look at the difference between the two photos below. In the first, I’m wearing a tan jacket and completely blend in with the background. In the latter, I’m wearing my bright orange coat, and you can easily spot me.

Colorful Clothes1_thumb[1]Colorful Clothes2_thumb

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The Selfish Guide to Photography – Part 1

28 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in General

≈ 2 Comments

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How to Pose for Photos, How to Take Photos, Photography, Selfish Years, The Selfish Years

Mr. Selfish and I took over 50,000 photos during our selfish trip, which is approximately 135 photos per day.  Although we are nowhere close to being professionals, we have figured out a thing or two about photography. After all, practice makes perfect, and we’ve had a lot of practice!

Taking Photos1Taking Photos2

Other than our iPhones and iPad, which we never used for photos, Mr. Selfish and I had two cameras on our trip. Mr. Selfish has a Canon EOS REBEL T3i, which is a starter DSLR. For the majority of the trip, he was using the starter kit lens. It wasn’t until we reached Tasmania, Australia that Mr. Selfish upgraded his lens.

I, on the other hand, used a point and click the entire time – the Canon PowerShot S95. Apparently, my point and click now has much newer models but I found that mine worked fine for the vast majority of our photos. While I carried my camera with me at all times, Mr. Selfish only brought his DSLR out on what we thought would be scenic days.

Today, we’ll go over our amateur tips on how to take photos.

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I Need a Vacation!

27 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Asia, China, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Japan, Marriott

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Conrad Maldives, Doubletree Naha, Fukuoka, Intercontinental Hong Kong, Maldives, Okinawa, Ritz Carlton Okinawa, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

When we first started traveling abroad, I figured our year long wanderings would end one of two ways:

1) After traveling for a year we’d be so sick of it, that we’d immediately settle somewhere and never leave.

2) Our travel obsession would get worse and we’d have problems staying anywhere for longer than a month.

Unfortunately, it looks like it’s #2.

Mrs. Selfish and I have been settling into San Francisco for two weeks now, and I’m already starting to get antsy. While it’s nice to have a slightly more permanent home (at least for the next few months), I miss the call of the open road.

Fortunately, I anticipated this outcome and booked a new trip back in July. Come late November, we’re heading to the Maldives and Okinawa for scuba diving, by way of Hong Kong and Fukuoka, Japan!

The Maldives

Let’s see if the Maldives is everything it’s cracked up to be!

Okinawa

Okinawa, Japan’s Winter Paradise.

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33 Things We Learned While Traveling Abroad for a Year (Part 3)

26 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Best Of, Living Abroad, Rant

≈ 6 Comments

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Abroad, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Things We Learned, Tips for Traveling Abroad, Traveling Abroad

This is third and final part of our 3 part series on Things We Learned While Traveling Abroad for a Year. If you missed them, here’s Part 1 and Part 2.

23. Your appearance immediately sets expectations. Run with it.

Posin’ in Xi’an, China.

A buddy of mine and I were recently comparing our experiences in Seoul, South Korea. In my experience, almost no one spoke English in Seoul. In his, pretty much everyone did. The difference? He’s 6’2” and white as the day is long. I’m 5’10” and half Chinese – a look that makes me indefinably ethnic at home, but probably Chinese in Korea. People were expecting him to speak English, so they did so preemptively. With me, they weren’t quite sure where to start.

Conversely, I’d be willing to bet that I received better treatment in Paris because I looked like a fumbling young Japanese tourist to most French people.

24. Asians are everywhere.

A Chinese tour group in Yellowstone.

Thanks in large part to Chinese and Japanese tour groups, Asians are everywhere. Other ethnic groups, not so much.

25. And Sexpats are all over Asia.

Sexpats, ugh

Yay, sexpats, bleh.

It’s especially bad in Thailand, but you see them all over Southeast Asia. Pretty revolting, stuff, actually.

26. Sometimes it’s worth it to pay for a room with a view.

Bora Bora was totally worth the cost.

In Paris, we rented an apartment with a view of Sucre Coeur. In Tokyo, we got a room facing Mt. Fuji. In Bora Bora, we had a room facing the volcano. I never used to be a stop-and-admire-the-view kind of guy, but there’s something to be said for waking up and immediately feeling like you’re in an exotic, amazing place.

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33 Things We Learned While Traveling Abroad for a Year (Part 2)

25 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Best Of, Living Abroad, Rant

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Abroad, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Things We Learned, Tips for Traveling Abroad, Traveling Abroad

This is Part 2 of our post on the 33 Things We Learned While Traveling Abroad for a Year. You can view Part 1 here.

12. If you can’t research a meal ahead of time, going with the most popular place almost always works.

If it smells good, and it’s crowded, chances are it’s safe AND delicious!

Most of the time, Mrs. Selfish painstakingly researched restaurants days, or weeks before we arrived. Sometimes, however, the best meals were restaurants we spotted while wandering. If it smells good AND there’s a crowd, chances are it’s worth eating!

13. Goods cost pretty much the same everywhere…

Electronics in Akihabara, Tokyo are just as expensive as home.

Sometimes you can find a better deal on goods in their native country. For the most part, however, we found that goods cost just as much as in the States… except those countries never had any sales! Where’s a good Black Friday when you need one?

14. …but services are cheapest in Southeast Asia.

If it’s cheap manual labor ye be wantin’, head to Southeast Asia.

Without a doubt the cheapest services I’ve ever seen were in Southeast Asia. We paid $7 for an hour long massage in Bali, $10 in the Philippines, $5 in Cambodia, and $14 an hour in Thailand (the best one!). For haircuts, I found the cheapest (and best) was in Beijing, where I paid a whopping 10 yuan ($1.60). Unless it requires a huge amount of finesse, chances are it’s cheaper in Asia.

15. Shipping is cheaper than you think.

post-office

Especially if you don’t care if it takes months to get there!

While Mrs. Selfish and I loved haggling for goods, we had one major problem – we didn’t have enough room to bring them back! Fortunately, mailing stuff by by boat (which usually took 2 months), was pretty affordable.

In England, we paid roughly $100 for 10 kg (22 lbs). In China, we ended up paying closer to $40 for the same amount. In total, we shipped off 6 boxes with roughly 120 lbs worth of stuff, and almost everything arrived intact, with the exception of a mask we bought in Xi’an.

16. Deodorant is more prevalent in Asia & Australia than Europe.

Vive, la Stench! Sadly, a cliché for a reason.

Especially on the metro. Come on, Europe, you smell weird, and no one wants to be around you!

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33 Things We Learned While Traveling Abroad for a Year (Part 1)

24 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Best Of, Living Abroad, Rant

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Abroad, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Things We Learned, Tips for Traveling Abroad, Traveling Abroad

One of my secret (hopeful) goals of traveling for a year was to improve myself in a Julia-Roberts-Eat-Pray-Love kind of way. I’m not entirely sure what I was thinking at the time, but I figured there was a good chance I’d have an epiphany while viewing the Great Wall of China, or a greater insight into myself while practicing yoga on the beach somewhere in Thailand.

Utter crap, of course.

If anything, I think I’ve come out of the experience a little more sure of who I am, and what I’m about: a sarcastic bastard in his early 30’s filled with a strong desire to maximize everything.

Nevertheless, while I didn’t learn anything new about myself, I did learn a lot about who I am when I travel and a little bit more about the world.

1. It is possible to get travel fatigue.

Walking 5 miles at 10,000 ft. in Machu Picchu was no joke.

Planning a 10 day trip for 2 cities is all fun and games, especially when you’re doing it from the office. Planning a trip for 370 days for 95 cities is exhausting, as it turns out. Especially when you factor in the fact that you’ll be changing rooms (and beds) on average less than once every 4 days. We probably spent a good 2-3 days of the trip just packing and unpacking our bags!

2. You will lose weight.

Waterfall Repelling in Da Lat, Vietnam. I fell. A lot.

Most of our friends and family (secretly) thought we’d gain weight while traveling for a year. And while we did cook whenever we had a kitchen, we probably ate more than 2/3 of our meals out. So how did we lose weight? As it turns out, simply being on your feet 4-8 hours a day goes a long way.

Back in Orlando, I’d probably sit down for all but 2 hours a day, and hardly any of that was spent walking. Traveling there were days where we’d be on our feet ALL day, and I’d go to sleep strangely exhausted, though I hadn’t done anything strenuous.

Oddly, the country where we gained the most weight was America – even with all the gym time.

3. You can get by without seeing friends and families for several months at a time.

Mrs. Selfish and her cousin barely survived a monkey attack in Bali.

We were fortunate to be able to meet up with friends and family several times throughout our journey, but there were months at a time where I’d only see Mrs. Selfish. Fortunately, thanks to the wonders of the internet, we managed to stay in touch with loved ones.

4. After a few days, you no longer miss TV.

Mrs. Selfish never misses a photo-op. Taken in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Mrs. Selfish and I used to turn on the Food Network or TBS almost immediately after coming home from work. As soon as we hit the road, we stopped watching TV immediately, and I didn’t miss it. There was just too much to do. Now that we’re home, we still don’t watch TV.

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18 Observations about the United States (Part 2)

23 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in North America, Rant, United States

≈ 1 Comment

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Observations about the United States, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Editor’s Note: This is a continuation of yesterday’s post on our American observations. These observations are my opinion on the good ol’ US-of-A after traveling abroad for a year. You can view Part 1 here.

10. The most aggressive (Western) drivers.

Aggressive-Drivers_thumb

I drove around Ireland, England, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand, and for the most, part people were diligently following the speed limit. Not so in the States, where people are constantly speeding 10-15 mph over the speed limit. When we returned from Spain I was surprised to find I had received two speeding tickets!

11. America is all about making that dollar…

Buy-it_thumb

Billboard advertisements line the highway. Websites are covered in ads. You can buy stuff in the air! Yes, America is all about making money. People regularly opt for a higher salary over vacation time, often forgetting to use the 2 weeks they get per year. Contrast that with Europe and Australia, where it’s quite common to get 5 to 6 weeks of paid vacation.

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18 Observations about the United States (Part 1)

22 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in North America, Rant, United States

≈ 4 Comments

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Observations about the United States, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Mrs. Selfish and I first started taking Thanksgiving trips abroad every year starting in 2006. There seemed to be something poetic about leaving the country during Black Friday – when people are often trampled to death during sales.

We really looked forward to leaving the States and diving into a country where we didn’t understand the language, culture, or customs. There was something exciting (and perhaps a little dangerous) about the whole traveling abroad experience and the States always seemed boring by comparison.

After a year abroad, however, there were many things I missed about the good ol’ USA. There are definitely some crappy parts about the States, no doubt about it, but after having visited 33 countries (25 on this trip), I can definitively say there is no place else like America.

Here are a few things we noticed.

1. Convenience is king.

Convenience

Trying to get groceries in Germany on a Sunday? Not happening. What about a meal in Australia after 2pm, but before dinner? Good luck. How about a haircut in France after 5pm? Don’t even bother.

America is the home of 24/7 restaurants and next-day delivery. If you have the money you can pretty much get whatever you want, whenever you want. Businesses are open, and they want your money.

2. Food is not as fresh.

Bad Produce

Disappointingly the price you pay for convenience is quality. In order to get produce year round America does horrible things to its food. Tomatoes are grown in the swamps of Florida, harvested green, and then shipped cross country. Chicken and beef are stuffed with growth hormones. Base ingredients are just not as good.

Fortunately it is possible to find a good meal in the States. It just requires a lot more research and planning than many other countries.

3. But beer and coffee are the best.

We’ve had beer across Europe, Asia, and Oceania, but without a doubt the best beer is in America – and I’m not talking about the Bud/Coors/PBR crowd. America is home to an amazing microbrew scene that is constantly reinventing itself and is all about variety. Try to get a stout in Germany, or a good IPA in Ireland, and you’ll see what I mean.

And don’t get me started about coffee.

France? A joke – they’re rumored to sometimes reuse their grinds over multiple cups of coffee for different customers. Asia? Mostly instant – Nescafe rules the day over there. Australia & England? It’s amazing they can taste the coffee itself when each cup is more milk than coffee.

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Heading West: Last Stop at Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe

21 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Cross Country, North America, United States

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Cross Country, Emerald Bay, Emerald Bay State Park, Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe, North America, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, United States

Our last stop before our destination in San Francisco was Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe. After spending a little time at Yellowstone, I figured that Lake Tahoe would also be a bit rustic and out of the way. To my surprise, it was quite developed. Nevertheless, it was still quite beautiful.

We only had a couple of hours in Lake Tahoe, so based on my minimal research, we decided to do a short hike in Emerald Bay State Park.

Lake Tahoe 001Lake Tahoe 002Lake Tahoe 003

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Heading West: Jenny Lake at Grand Teton National Park

20 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Cross Country, North America, United States

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Cascade Canyon, Cross Country, Grand Teton National Park, Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, Jenny Lake, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Mr. Selfish and I enjoyed our 1.5 days in Yellowstone immensely. As we were plotting our way to our next destination, which was Salt Lake City, we decided to take a detour and drive through the Grand Teton National Park, which is only 10 miles south of Yellowstone. It tacked on an extra four hours or so, but it was worth it.

Grand Teton 01Grand Teton 05Grand Teton 06

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Heading West: The Expensive Hotels around Yellowstone

19 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Accommodations, Cross Country, IHG, North America, United States

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Cody, Cross Country, Holiday Inn West Yellowstone, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, The Cody, West Yellowstone

Yellowstone is a tourist trap.

This is something I knew going in, but I was still shocked at how crowded and expensive it was. Mrs. Selfish is more of a glamping gal, then a car-camper, so I set out to find decent accommodations within range of Yellowstone.

While there are many hotels in Yellowstone itself, very few of them are actually bookable online.

Yellowstone is split up into 4 main entrances: North, East, South, and West. Having consulted a guide to Yellowstone’s main attractions, Mrs. Selfish and I decided to head through Yellowstone’s east entrance on Day 1, ending in the west entrance. For Day 2 we decided to head south to the Grand Teton National Park.

As a result I decided to book accommodations at two of the larger cities around Yellowstone: Cody, Wyoming and West Yellowstone, Montana.

Yellowstone Map

A) Cody, WY. B) West Yellowstone, MT. C) Grand Teton National Park.

 

Rustic, but nice: The Cody

For our first night, I booked us at The Cody, in Cody, Wyoming. Unlike most places we passed through, Cody seemed to be a decent sized town with all the usual American stores. It’s a great place to stock up on supplies and sandwiches before hitting Yellowstone.

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Heading West: Geysers and Hot Springs at Yellowstone

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Cross Country, North America, United States

≈ 3 Comments

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Cross Country, Fairy Falls Trail, Firehole Canyon Drive, Firehole River, Geysers, Grand Prismatic Spring, Great Fountain Geyser, Midway Geyser Basin, North America, Old Faithful, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, United States, White Dome Geyser, Yellowstone

Mr. Selfish and I didn’t have any real expectations for the hot springs and geysers in Yellowstone. We had visited some areas with volcanic activity recently in New Zealand and weren’t too sure how they would be different. We were happy to discover that Yellowstone is quite different since it has the most geysers on earth.

Old Faithful: Awesomeness Every 90 Minutes

Mr. Selfish and I had heard about Old Faithful on numerous occasions and assumed that it would just be a lot of hype and a huge tourist trap. We were wrong. Old Faithful is worth all of the hype.

Geysers 01

Erupting almost every 91 minutes, Old Faithful is known as the most predictable geyser on earth. It erupts between 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of water at a height of 106 to 185 feet for approximately one to five minutes. It was quite impressive to watch. Mr. Selfish and I showed up just in time to catch an eruption.

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Heading West: Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Cross Country, North America, United States

≈ 1 Comment

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Cross Country, Selfish, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Yellowstone, Yellowstone Grand Canyon

After a slow six days (36 hours) of driving, we finally reached Yellowstone. Yellowstone is a massive national park, in northwest Wyoming and parts of Idaho and Montana. It’s widely known as the first national park in the world. It’s massive and beautiful.

Around 2 million tourists visit Yellowstone every year, so be prepared for a fair share of lines and congestion. Knowing this going in, I was still a bit surprised as to how bad the roads can get. With only 1 lane in each direction, there’s a high amount of traffic if you travel during peak times. That being said, Yellowstone is worth it.

Especially Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon.

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Heading West: There’s No Rushing Mt. Rushmore

16 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Cross Country, North America, United States

≈ 1 Comment

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Cross Country, Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Rushmore, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, South Dakota, Wyoming

I’ve always had a small fascination with giant statues carved into rock. Having seen our fair share of giant Buddhas in China and Japan, it seemed fitting to see the US equivalents at Mt. Rushmore. Mammoth presidents carved into the side of a mountain in the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore is equal parts cool, kitschy, and patriotic.

I was pretty excited to see them, and utterly crushed when we showed up that morning to see the mountain completely covered with fog.

Cue sad trumpet noises…

Fortunately that was about to change.

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Mr. and Mrs. Selfish are an obsessively organized couple who sold all their junk to travel abroad for a year. Now settled in San Francisco, they have since visited over 200 cities in 44 countries over 6 continents. This site chronicles their travels.

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