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The Selfish Years

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The Selfish Years

Category Archives: Rant

The Trashy Side of the Greek Islands

28 Sunday Dec 2014

Posted by misterselfish in Europe, Greece, Mykonos, Rant, Santorini

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Mykonos, Santorini, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

This is post fifteen of sixteen of our summer trip to Greece. Check out our other posts in the series here:

  • Greece Lightning: Heading to Greece
  • Acropolis for Breakfast: Staying at the Hilton Athens
  • Starting at the Top: The Acropolis
  • Oompa! Eating Athens
  • Taking it Indoors: Athen’s Museums
  • Athen’s Other Sites
  • Room with a View: Staying in Santorini
  • Santorini’s Spectacular Sights: Part 1
  • Santorini’s Spectacular Sights: Part 2
  • Looking for Santorini’s Best Eats
  • It’s All Greek to Me: Heading to Naxos
  • There’s a Meat Town in Naxos!
  • Shots! Shots! ShotsShotsShots! Heading to Mykonos
  • A Delightful Day Trip to Delos
  • The Trashy Side of the Greek Islands
  • Bling Bling y’all! Upgraded at the Hyatt Regency Montreal

Visiting the Greek Islands was a dream for Mrs. Selfish and I, and they certainly are beautiful. This is not to say that the trip was perfect, however. Our trips frequently aren’t, and we tend to gloss over some of the crappier parts of traveling: food poisoning, scams, mediocre foods, gross hotels, etc.

I have often found, however, that our experiences are tinged by our expectations and for better or worse my expectations usually match the pictures I see online: a solitary monk visiting Angkor Wat in the morning omitting the tourist hordes just off camera, the perfectly framed cafe in Paris minus the next door McDonald’s, the Great Wall of China at sunset with the silhouetted screaming hawkers pushing their wares.

Stunning… so what’s the catch?

So here, in no particular order, are the many downsides of visiting Santorini and Mykonos. Hopefully they help you make your own informed decisions when traveling to these high profile hot spots.

The crappier side of Donkeys

Donkeys are everywhere in Santorini. Thanks to Oia’s narrow streets, it’s nearly impossible for a car to maneuver, so donkeys are used to haul trash and tourists around.

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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

Tags

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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Tags

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

Tags

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

Tags

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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The DOs of Traveling

08 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Best Of, Living Abroad, Rant

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

American Airlines, Award Wallet, Dos of traveling, Lufthansa, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, TripIt, United

Over the year of our Selfish travels, Mrs. Selfish and I developed a few travel habits that helped us successfully navigate new countries regardless of language and technology. For today’s post I’ll go over some of the DO’s of traveling.

1. Do research how to get to your hotel ahead of time.

Hotel Transportation

The moment you arrive at a new country is when you’re most vulnerable to scams or are most likely to get ripped off. Not only are you unshowered, jetlagged, and exhausted, but you are also carrying your valuables, cash, and important travel documents. Getting to your hotel/hostel safely should be a top priority in order to make sure your stay goes smoothly.

Mrs. Selfish and I always research transportation options on sites like flyertalk or tripadvisor prior to landing to compare costs and times – especially when the best option is a cab.

2. Do run the math on low cost carriers.

Low cost carriers like Ryanair, easyJet, Jetstar, and Air Asia, almost always undercut their competition by dozens of dollars per direction, but are they worth it? Sometimes.

Since Mrs. Selfish and I were often checking 2-3 bags, one of which was ALWAYS oversized, adding in the extras to cost often meant a legacy carrier was a better way to go. Especially since we could often earn miles on those flights.

3. Do negotiate taxi fares ahead of time.

This was less of an issue in Northern Asia, Australia, and New Zealand where the cabs just ran the meter. In South East Asia and parts of Europe, however, cabbies often hid their meters or refused to use them.

If you ever find yourself in one of those countries either make sure they use the meter (ideally ahead of time), or negotiate a price before you close the door.

4. Do know basic words or phrases to smooth over transactions.

Learning basic phrases like “hello,” “thank you,” “goodbye,” “excuse me,” and “do you speak English?” can really smooth over most transactions and sets expectations. Parisians are notoriously unfriendly to visitors, yet they bent over backwards to help us after we uttered a few French words.

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The Selfish’s Top 10 Biggest Letdowns

07 Saturday Sep 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Africa, Asia, Best Of, Europe, Oceania, Rant

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Angkor Wat, China, Downton Abbey, Great Barrier Reef, Highclere Castle, New Zealand, Nha Trang, Russian Tourists, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Terracotta Warriors, Yellow Eyed Penguins

Mrs. Selfish and I were very fortunate to be able to travel the world (safely!) for a year, seeing and doing things we would otherwise never do. While the majority of the trip was amazing, we had more than our fair shares of letdowns.

Whether we went in with inflated expectations, or the experience really wasn’t that worth doing, there were things that just didn’t live up to their reputations.

For your consideration, I present you our 10 biggest letdowns (in no particular order). The first image is what I imagined the experience would be (thanks to the magic of the internet) and the second is reality.

Enjoy!

The not-so Sanguine Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat Sunrise

Imagination: Sunrise over mystical Angkor Wat. Peaceful. Tranquil.

Angkor Wat 02

Reality: Shoving your way through throngs of tourists to catch a shot of overcast ruins at 5:00am in the morning.

Siem Reap, and Angkor Wat are awe-inspiringly awesome and totally worth doing. That being said, catching the sunrise was one of the most touristy experiences of our entire trip. We woke up at 4:30am to hit Angkor Wat along with what seemed like 1000 other people. Totally packed, and not that sanguine – definitely not what I was picturing.

 

Definitely not Downton: Highclere Castle

Highclere Imagination

Imagination: Strolling the grounds of Downton Abbey with Maggie Smith on a perfect day.

Reality: Rainy weather most of the time. Plus they rent it out for weddings. Wha-wha.

While we still had a blast at “Downton Abbey,” Highclere Castle is actually quite different from what you’d hope. The Castle is used to shoot the show mostly during the summer, and is open to the public for a few (hotly visited) months. The inside is peppered with familiar rooms, but it’s full of family skiing photos from the 80’s. Plus the duchess of Highclere will try and sell you her book on the REAL Downton Abbey in the gift shop. Classy.

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8 Observations about Gorgeous New Zealand

21 Wednesday Aug 2013

Posted by misterselfish in New Zealand, Oceania, Rant

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

JAFAS, New Zealand, Oceania, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Mrs. Selfish and I spent 2 weeks driving through friendly, jaw-dropping New Zealand. From bustling Auckland, to devastated Christchurch, to awe-inspiring Queenstown, New Zealand is a beautiful country with a very small population.

Here are some of the differences we noticed.

*Disclaimer * These observations are purely things I noticed after driving through New Zealand for 2 weeks and may not be entirely accurate. If you have any explanations or stories, please share away.

1. Everyone hates JAFAS.

JAFFAS are a very popular candy in New Zealand, and are a type of orange chocolate ball. JAFAs are “Just Another F***ing Aucklander.”

Where Sydney-dwellers hate Melbourners, and Northern Californians hate Southern Californians, EVERYONE in New Zealand hates people from Auckland.

While Auckland isn’t a big city per se, it does have 1.5 million people, which means it is THE BIG New Zealand city with slightly over 1/3 of the population.

2. Native New Zealanders are still part of New Zealand culture.

New Zealand Maori rowing ceremonial coreography

While Americans and Australians settlers crushed their native populations and forced them into reserves, the New Zealand natives (Maoris) are still a very large part of New Zealand culture. Maori art is prolific, many street names and sites have Maori names, and the Maori people seem very well integrated in New Zealand society.

3. Pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way.

New Zealand Observations 003

As a pedestrian, I have never felt more in danger than I did in New Zealand. Not crossing motorcycle infested streets in Vietnam. Not running across rural towns in China. Drivers in New Zealand just don’t seem to care about pedestrians, and it feels like they have the right of way at nearly all times.

We asked some New Zealanders why that was the case and were told that New Zealand doesn’t have any civil lawsuits, so pedestrians don’t have much recourse if they get struck by a vehicle. Apparently several North Americans are killed every year while crossing the street.

If you are from the States and you’re visiting New Zealand BE CAREFUL. New Zealanders will kill you.

4. You can still hitch hike across the country.

  New Zealand Observations 004

That being said, I have never seen more hitchhikers than I have in New Zealand. They are EVERYWHERE. Especially in the Queenstown area. It felt like America in the 70’s.

5. New Zealand (feels like it) has more sheep than anywhere else in the world.

And it probably does. There are sheep everywhere: fields, vineyards, hills, mountains, roads, etc. You can even see them in the city, like we did on the outskirts of Dunedin.

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24 Observations About the Land Down Under (Part 2 of 2)

06 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Australia, Oceania, Rant

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Australia, Observations, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

 

*Disclaimer * These observations are purely things I noticed after wandering Australia for 5 weeks and may not be entirely accurate. If you have any explanations or stories, please share away.

Also, to prove we’re not (too) biased I’ll be doing a list of US observations after our cross-country drive in September!

13. Crickey! Strange grammatical differences.

On top of the abbreviations, there are also some strange grammatical differences between Australian English and other forms of English, and while “G’day Mate” appears to be fading in popularity, I found “How ya going?” to be equally charming.

14. Australian-ifications of foreign words.

To make things even more complicated for the ambling North American visitor, many of the ways in which Australian English speakers pronounce foreign words is confusingly different. The Spanish dish “paella?” Pie-el-ah. The French meat cut “fillet?” Fill-it. The Korean car “Hyundai?” He-un-day.

15. There are tons of candy stores.

There seems to be even more of a penchant for sweets than back in the States. I was particularly surprised to see row upon rows of Willy Wonka sweets lining the shelves of every convenience store.

16. There are very few options for food customization.

Maybe they size up customers as they enter the door, or maybe because they make such damned good food. Either way, I was surprised at how little food customization there was. Whenever we ate at a Thai or Indian restaurant we were never asked how spicy we wanted our food. Similarly, no one asked us how we wanted our meat cooked.  

17. There are animals everywhere.

Animals Crossing

Australian animals have almost no natural predators, except for the dingo, and foxes which were brought over by the British. As such, there are TONS of animals once you get outside of the city, and tons of road kill – especially in less populated places like Tasmania.

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24 Observations About the Land Down Under (Part 1 of 2)

05 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Australia, Oceania, Rant

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Australia, Observations, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Mrs. Selfish and I left Japan on a plane bound for Australia – the Land Down Under! For the next 35 days we visited the country’s east and south coasts, seeing Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, Tasmania, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island, and Melbourne.

So what was it like?

Outside of America, Australia is probably the most American country we’ve ever been to. Not only are a lot of the companies the same as at home (hello Blockbuster!), but many of the customs and culture are very similar. That being said, we spotted many differences in the good ol’ Land Down Under.

*Disclaimer * These observations are purely things I noticed after wandering Australia for 5 weeks and may not be entirely accurate. If you have any explanations or stories, please share away.

Also, to prove we’re not (too) biased I’ll be doing a list of US observations after our cross-country drive in September!

1. Australia is like America in the 90’s.

90's

Visiting Australia is like taking a visit to pre-911 America. The average internet speed is ~50% that of the States, so Netflix hasn’t really taken off, so video rentals (or “hires”) are still popular. Phone booths dot the countryside. Amazon hasn’t destroyed retail businesses, since it doesn’t exist locally. Travel agents still have a job.

That being said, people do carry around iPhones and Androids, and credit cards are basically accepted everywhere, so it’s very much like the States in that respect.

2. Australia has amazing domestic airport security laws.

Airport Laws

Not taking off your shoes is pretty standard anywhere outside of the States, so that wasn’t a big surprise. What WAS a surprise was the outstanding liquid laws – there are almost no limits on liquids! You can bring up to 6 bottles of wine on a domestic flight and no one bats an eye. And remember meeting people at the airport as they depart the plane? Yep, you can still do that in Australia.

3. EVERYTHING is more expensive in Australia.

Everything. Especially in Sydney, where buying a cup of coffee is like a punch in the gut. Donut prices start at $3. Cabs count up by 5 cent increments immediately after you board them. A McDonald’s chicken sandwich costs $5. A movie ticket costs $21. Your average lunch? Closer to $15-$22.

I suspect the higher cost of things is due to the minimum wage, which is an amazing $18 an hour. Australian residents are largely unaffected, but as a tourist, Australia was easily the most expensive place we’ve ever visited – including England and Japan.

4. …But the Food is really, really good.

It’s almost impossible to eat a bad meal in Australia. Finding a great meal requires minimal research, while finding a good meal simply requires you to walk into the closest restaurant. Produce is fresh, meat is delicious, and baked goods are as good they are in Europe.

And while there aren’t many native Australian specialties (vegemite! anzac biscuits! kangaroo meat! Aussie pies!), the spin they put on standard fares like hamburgers and breakfast make me sad that I’m back in the States.

5. Australia is the Manliest Country in the World.

Men and women are on average 1 inch taller than in the US, and who knows how much beefier. Stumbling around Sydney, it felt like everyone was surfing, lifting, and jogging – all at once!

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50 Observations About Oddball Japan (part 2)

03 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan, Rant

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Japan, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

This is a continuation of yesterday’s post, which was so massive we decided to break it up into two parts.

26.  Paying for company is a pretty common thing.

Japan - Observations 033

There must be a serious level of loneliness in Japan. In a cat café you can pay to hang out with dozens of cats, while you sip coffee. In maid cafes, a young woman dressed in a maid outfit dotes on you for the paid time. In a hostess bar, a more sophisticated woman hangs out and talks with you, while you pay for her drinks and time. They even have a boyfriend service, so ladies don’t feel left out of the action.

27. Jazz is the go-to music for every department store and bar.

Pretty much every restaurant, department store, or elevator will be playing jazz music. Not the smooth type either – the good stuff.

28. Pets are allowed on temple grounds – if you carry them.

I guess the bigger dogs get left at home.

29. Space efficiency is remarkable.

Many restaurants have baskets for your clothes or belongings that go under your chair. Toilets with a sink combo are pretty common. After flushing the toilet water pours out of the sink and refills the toilet bowl.

30. Food packaging is meticulously handled.

Grape tomatoes and strawberries are packaged in rows, with an OCD level of insanity.

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50 Observations About Oddball Japan (part 1)

02 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Japan, Rant

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Japan, Selfish Year, Selfish Years

Japan is a wonderful, advanced, backwards, strange, clean country with a history as rich as a ramen broth. It’s a country built on respect for each other, yet their history shows very little respect for other Asian countries. It’s a country full of contrasts – Buddhism, Shintoism, and Christianity all live together a strangely harmonious blend.

After spending 43 days in strange ol’ Japan, I’m still scratching my head. And while we only scratched the surface of this crazy country, Japan is a place I plan on coming back to over and over to dig a little deeper.

1. Toilets and sinks are super advanced.

Actually, pretty much anything to do with cleaning is. Toilets come with heated seats, sprays, sounds – pretty much everything you could ever want and more. The sink in the above picture comes equipped with soap and a dryer!

2. Water is so pure, you don’t need soap.

When entering temples or shrines there’s usually a fountain for people to clean their hands and drink water. Most public bathrooms (and even restaurants) have all the latest in washing technology – but no soap! We couldn’t get anyone to explain it, but it seemed as if the Japanese view water differently than the west… or basically everywhere else.

3. Shrines are everywhere – even in Buddhist temples!

Shinto shrines are located everywhere, with small statues and offerings. Even inside Buddhist temple complexes!  Strangely Shintoism, an ancient Japanese belief that everything has a spirit, co-exists with Buddhism and Christianity. Apparently it’s not uncommon for the Japanese to borrow from all 3 belief systems: a Christian wedding, a Buddhist burial, and Shintoism for everything in between.

4. …which might explain why mascots are everywhere.

Everything has a mascot. Everything. Public transportation. TV Stations. Even prefects. I imagine this has something to do with Japan’s Shinto belief system, but who knows?

5. They have charms for pretty much everything.

Pretty much any temple you enter is hocking charms for anything. Love. Happiness. Prosperity. Good grades. Safe driving. Who knew such good fortune was available for the low, low price of 300 yen?

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5 Observations on Crazy South Korea

17 Friday May 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, Rant, South Korea

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Korean liposuction, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, South Korea observations

Mrs. Selfish wasn’t particularly keen on South Korea when I booked our Asian flights.  I wasn’t sure what to expect myself – would it be like a knock off version of Japan?  Just how popular is Gangnam Style anyway?  Is eyelid surgery really that prevalent? And what’s going on with those crazy k-pop idol groups?

Although we only had 5 days in South Korea (in the midst of nuclear tensions, no less), we definitely saw some strange things in Korea.

1. South Korea is totally bad ass.

From what we saw, South Korea seems prepared for any craziness the North might inflict upon them.  Most subway stops seem to have gas masks, and many of the underground malls double as shelters.

Gas masks in the subway for fires… and presumably more!

When the s*** goes down, it’s time to hit the ‘bucks!

During our time in China we received tons of worried emails from relatives (thanks mah!), so I was a little nervous when we hit South Korea.  South Koreans, on the other hand, didn’t seem to bat an eye at the antics of those crazy ‘ol North Koreans. Ice. Cold.

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The 1.34 Billion Oddities of China

14 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, China, Rant

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

China, Selfish Years

Prior to our Selfish Year of travels, I had never been to China, so wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I guess I was thinking traveling in China would be similar to wandering around Chinatown in San Francisco – dirty, pungent, and delicious.  Everything in a mixture of Chinese and English (well, maybe less English), and everything at dirt cheap prices.

The reality, of course, is that things are much, much different from what I was expecting.  If you’re thinking of planning a trip to China, here’s what you can expect.

1. Air pollution is everywhere.

Although Beijing is the most dramatic example, every city in China is much more polluted than Western cities.  The air quality index in Shanghai as I write is 165 (Beijing can get as high as 750).  For reference, the air quality index back in Orlando is an average of 38, and in San Francisco is a whopping 30.  What this means is that even on clear days, the sky is more of a white-blue, than a blue-blue.  It also means that we’ve breathed in the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes a day – if we’re lucky.

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Who’s Selfish?

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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