My last name isn’t very long, and it’s not super unusual. But it’s not exactly “Smith” or “Brown:” it’s an “ethnic” family name. So, when asked for my name, I always spell it with phonetic references – as in, “McAdams, that’s M like mom, C like cat, A like apple…” (Last name changed to protect the not-so-innocent.) Given the…
There are bright-colored flowers all over the country, even though much of it is in the desert. Hot pink ones seem particularly common, and they often appear along the roadside. Many (non-Muslim) Israelis seem to have dogs – especially small ones. There are also many stray cats. They are neither aggressive nor timid: they mainly…
If you say “Japanese food,” most Westerners think of sushi. But it turns out that sushi is only one of a broad range of Japanese cuisines. They include: Izakaya: This is like the Japanese version of BBQ. These restaurants are known for their meat grills: common offerings include kushiage (skewers of deep fried meat and vegetables) and…
There is a restaurant in the Nakano neighborhood of Tokyo that you need to visit if you go to Tokyo. We didn’t see it in any guide book or site; we just happened into it one day. And then we came back twice more, despite the fact that Nakano wasn’t near much that we wanted to…
We only ate at one place in Krabi Town, and that was the outdoor food market at the Chao Fah Park Pier. It is at the intersection of Chao Fah Alley/Road and Khongkha Road: If you see this pea pod-looking sculpture, you’ll know you’re in the right place: There are a few dozens stalls and stands…
We didn’t love this island or its food, unfortunately. Because its raison d’etre is tourism, the food is all overpriced and not too authentic – even more so than on Koh Phangan. The food quality was better than on Railay, I thought, but the prices were worse. Here’s where we ate: Paradise Pearl Restaurant [Long…
We spent two weeks in Bangkok, though we didn’t love it, unfortunately. Here is what we visited: 1) Yaowarat: This is Bangkok’s Chinatown. Like Chinatowns in many countries, that means lots of little houses close together with small alleys and many stalls selling some things Americans don’t necessarily consider food. (A soup made out of…
Here are some things we found surprising about Japan as a whole – added to the surprises in Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo specifically: Attire All of the locals are well-kempt. You don’t see people with loose threads or worn spots or pills on their sweaters or worn-out shoes. It’s not that they don’t have hand-me-downs, but that they seem…
Out of all of the Thai islands/beaches we visited, Koh Phangan seemed to have the most authentic and affordable food. Phatchara Boutique Hotel [Thong Sala/Town]: The people at our hotel were very nice, offering us fresh juice at arrival and even upgrading our room without us asking. So, we overlooked the fact that their prices were…
Here are 14 things that surprised us about Tokyo specifically. There were a lot more about Japan overall and about Osaka and Kyoto. There are a lot of brightly-colored flowers planted all over town, along sidewalks or on road medians. These are not flowers planted by individual households, but by public workers using city funds. This…