There's a hotel just down the street from our apartment that has what looks to be a pretty popular restaurant with a terrace. I walk past it every day, and each time I think to myself "I should really try that place out sometime".
Well sometime ended up being 5 months later. It was our usual Tuesday night dinner with Matt, and we invited Rebecca, Sylvain, Sarah and Tyrie as well. We all met at Jin Gua after work and I hopped on the back of Matt's bike (which was the first time I've been on a bicycle in almost 10 years). We tore off down the street giggling like girls and arrived at the restaurant well ahead of everyone else. While we waited, we help our waitress move more chairs around our table to accommodate everyone.
We ordered a round of drinks as well as a course of standard dishes - we decided to play it safe this week!

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Not quite ready to drop everything and take off to destinations unknown? Inspired/amused by my adventures and eager to give it a try? Well here's your chance to get a taste of what it's like to live outside the cubicle.
This is the third installment of Almost As Good As The Real Thing - a series that details how you can have your very own "travel experiences" without making any life-changing decisions. These will be posted on Fridays, so you can have some fun trying them out on the weekend.

Almost As Good #3 - The Staring Game

Most travelers will admit that the B-List celebrity treatment you get when you travel to smaller places can be pretty appealing. It gives you a feeling of "being somebody" that you just don't get at home. But that novelty wears off...

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Can't get the hang of squatting? Or just can't be bothered? Then pull out your handy-dandy portable toilet seat! To be introduced in North America in Spring 2011.

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I don't want you to get the wrong idea from my last post about China, so here's 5 things about China that puts a smile on my face...

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Well I am still adamant that street meat doesn't give me diarrhea. But something sure as hell did. Last Friday, Sam and I went out for our usual Friday Night bouzi and wonton soup after class. And when we got back to the school to wait for the van, I suddenly got that curdling, gut rot feeling in the pit of my stomach. Clenching my buttocks and focusing intently on my breathing, I climbed into the "couldn't come soon enough" van. With sweat on my brow, every swerve and slam of the brakes cause my heart to start racing. A sudden pothole led to a whimper, tightly shut eyes and biting my lower lip in a silent prayer.

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Well, the inevitable has finally arrived.. The series finale of LOST. Besides being equal parts confusing and intriguing, it also holds a special place in my heart because it began at the same time as I started my travels. I remember my Mom emailing me ABC's website about a new show with "that guy from Lord of the Rings". Only the first episode aired before I left for South Korea, and when I arrived there was all this chatter and pride about a Korean actress being in a major US television show. I thought that was a bit coincidental...

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Don't let the title fool you, China is awesome, but there's a few things that really grate my nerves.
Let's take a look...

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We went to dinner with Justin and Kristen today, to a restaurant that was new to all of us. While it wasn't much to look at from the outside, once we walked inside we were greeted by a spacious establishment full of big tables with large removable panels in their centers. The selling feature of the restaurant was that you got to select your own entire leg of lamb which they'd then season and cook for you. We all gathered around the cooler and since none of us knew the difference between a good and bad piece of lamb, we stared blankly for a minute before unanimously deciding on "that one".

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Not quite ready to drop everything and take off to destinations unknown? Inspired/amused by my adventures and eager to give it a try? Well here's your chance to get a taste of what it's like to live outside the cubicle.
This is the second installment of Almost As Good As The Real Thing - a series that details how you can have your very own "travel experiences" without making any life-changing decisions. These will be posted on Fridays, so you can have some fun trying them out on the weekend.

Almost As Good #2 - Ordering From a Non-English Menu

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Last night we went to Guilin Liu to go shopping with Matt. His girlfriend's birthday is coming up and he needed some help figuring out what to buy.
Guilin Liu is great for a few reasons - there's a big indoor market with hundreds of stalls. The streets are full of street vendors and food. There's a ton of "regular" stores as well, so it's nice if you like to window shop. And best thing is City Supermarket, which is a small store that carries a huge assortment of western foods - from cheeses (sadly, no Cheez Wiz), sliced meats, herbs, chips, chocolates, pasta and sauces.
On the other hand, Guilin Liu is a royal pain in the ass, because though the area is only 6 blocks or so, it's hard as hell to find your way around...

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