And by buddy system, I mean extortion, bribery, and preferential treatment. This is a common way of doing things in Cambodia – though this is also the case in many other countries. (Russians even have a specific word for getting something by knowing someone: по блату. Google Translate translates it as ‘to pull,’ and Wikipedia under-estimates it…
A few of you were horrified by the state of sanitation in Cambodia. Though I’m too habituated to share your disgust, I can see how it might put you off the country. But you’d be missing some good things, like how Cambodians help each other. I have no idea what kind of taxes they have,…
While we were visiting my parents before starting this trip, I picked up a new habit. I would eat fruit and vegetables without washing them first, claiming that the gunk on the outside would help prepare my immune system for foreign lands. I knew this was laughable, since US pesticides are much scarier than the rest of…
A few days ago marked six months of international travel for me and B! Travelers often write about all of the things they’ve learned about the world in that time. We might eventually do that – though the best such post has already been written. Instead, I’m writing about all the things we’ve learned about ourselves. Directions: If we’re…
Today, B and I were comparing South Korea and Italy, two countries rarely placed in the same sentence. And the comparison isn’t fair, since we spent three months in many cities in Italy, and we have only seen Seoul, and over the course of a week. However, here is what we came up with. Caveat: very…
So, who’s been hosting us at their apartments? What kind of people rent out rooms on AirBnB? So far, we’ve stayed with: 4 graphic designers/directors 3 shop-owners 3 landlords/owners 1 (group of) psychiatrist(s) 1 (group of) vineyard owner(s) 1 banker 1 chef 1 Embassy worker 1 farmer 1 handyman 1 language teacher 1 medical professional…
It’s a common misconception that people must be rich to travel around the world. We’re not. How we do it We work as we travel, between 15 and 30 hours every week. Yes, that means that there are days that we don’t see any sights or experience anything cooler than looking out the window. That can mean…
It’s interesting to see the comparative prices of goods in different countries. Overall, Poland is cheap, and Sweden is expensive, but you might be surprised by which things deviate from that rule of thumb. Italy Poland Sweden Denmark Ireland Groceries Produce is quite cheap. I bought almost two pounds of heirloom tomatoes for $3; they’re usually…
Mail Boxes: Phone Booths: Marshmallows:
We’ve been in Italy for 3-1/2 weeks now, so we’re starting to get a handle on (at least northern) Italian culture. You might think of pasta and pizza or art and churches, and you wouldn’t exactly be wrong, but that would be like boiling down American culture to grilled hamburgers and 4th of July fireworks.…