Monday, October 29, 2007

E-Dog's Blog - Teach in Taiwan

If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to teach full time in Asia, the Cali Thais aren't teachers so we can't help. But our buddy E-Dog is in Taiwan and it turns out he has a blog about all his wacky adventures in Taiwan. Check it:

http://wherethehellisethan.blogspot.com/

Bear and E-Dog, along with Jdub to a lesser extent because he was in Cambodia more often than not, got hypy (sp?) in BKK and now all the girls are sad because none of us are there full time. Sorry ladies (see 'What I Deserve' by Bear)

~Jdub

It's the small signs that should worry you the most when you go to pee by the side of the road in Cambodia




Samboon is a brave Cambodian.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

CNN's AC360 is Ridiculous

CNN's Anderson Cooper (aka AC360) is a goof ball. The pretty boy is promoted to be a hard-knocking, untold-story teller, but he couldn't be further from it.

The first clue came a couple months ago when he reported from a slum in Phnom Penh. He was doing a special on the sex trade, and the story focused on how terrible the expats are in Cambodia, and how they all exploit underage girls. While there is no denying that the sex trade is a problem in many parts of South East Asia, AC360 focused exclusively on foreigners' dirty deeds without even mentioning that the majority of exploitation is hard to capture because the majority is the local people participate and support it. Funny how he didn't go to the places where the Cambodian business men go..... With all sorts of hidden cameras and secret informants, AC360 focused on the white people and made the story seem like all expats are shady, sex crazed animals.

Why can't he be fair and balanced like Fox News? (and why doesn't Fox News have an international channel?)

Then, a couple days ago, he was in Thailand doing a special on "Planet in Peril." Again, he brought the secret cameras and local experts, but this time the story was on the endangered animals that can be purchased at the weekend market. It was ridiculous. The local Thai people came across as shady and evil.

AC360, Bro, what happened to your tolerance of different cultures and ideas? Is it wrong that I want to have a neon turtle from Madagascar? What if I take care of it? What if I help support a poor family by buying it?

"This is Thai culture. You don't understand Thai culture.....", the Thai's often remind me with a smile.

~ Jdub

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Japan Photos

If anyone reads this blog anymore, here are links to my Japan photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87831193@N00/

I'm not moving there lest I'd become an alcoholic living in a closet surrounded by people who never make eye contact.

Any suggestions on where to live?

~ J-Dub

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Ninja Status






In Japan .... Wow. I really want to be a Ninja right now and sneak around like the BIG KAT on too much PBR because it's like everyone in Japan is a Ninja. Making eye contact is the first obstacle. If you can do that, then you have an 'in' and you can talk to the Japanese, but making eye contact is not easy..... This is the Ninja way.

Started in Kyoto, the cultural center of Japan, and I quickly realized why I love traveling. It's a challenge. I had booked a 'business hotel' (the basic equivalent of a closet with a bed and shower) four nights. It was on my flight from SFO to KIX that I realized I was traveling into the future, and I was arriving a day later than I thought. i.e. I left on a Tuesday afternoon and booked Tues night's accommodation in Japan, but it was really Thursday when I arrived. So I basically booked an extra night - amateur night, J-dub..... But luck was on my side, despite my flight in SFO being delayed 1.5hrs. which left approximately 40 in Soeul to catch my connecting flight. Oh, I made it, Ninja style, with 10 min to spare, and I was the last one on the flight.

Arriving in KIX the efficiency of Japan was clear: Immigration - passport, visa on arrival card, boom, finished. Baggage claim, boom, got my bag. Customs - give them the form, boom, go ahead. Sign marked Information - give them the address of my hotel in English, they give me the address and directions in Japanese for the taxi, boom, done. Walk across a corridor to the train station and exchange a train voucher for my train pass, boom, now I can travel anywhere on the trains for 7 days. At the same office, I booked a ticket for the last night train leaving for Kyoto, boom with 4 minutes to spare. Made it to Kyoto and checked into my hotel. I explained my adventure to the hotel reception at close to midnight, and woman was nice enough not to charge me for the extra night.... that's Ninja status.

More pics to come, - Jdub

P.S. Click on Pics to enlarge...........................