by Calvin Sun | Jul 10, 2011 | Fit for Foodies, India, Introspection, Let me tell you a Story..., Serendipitous!, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea
Last year I ate a sumptuous dinner at Indique Restaurant, while treated to gorgeous views of Meherangar Fort in Jodhpur. The problem was, I was alone: Last year’s dinner So I promised the next time I would be back, I wouldn’t be alone. And...
by Stephanie Quan | Jul 5, 2011 | India, Introspection, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea
Leh is geographically 300 km northeast of Srinagar, but it feels like much farther in terms of its environment. As I sit in this cafe typing, we are behind the mountains. Away from the monsoon, the air has the arid, light, unforgiving smell of the high desert....
by Calvin Sun | Jul 3, 2011 | India, Introspection, Lessons Learned, Mythbusters, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Travel Warnings
“In the last 3 days it seems like we’ve been the only international tourists in Srinagar.” “That’s because your media always paints the wrong picture of Kashmir.” He was right. Although Srinagar boasts more security...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 27, 2011 | Fail, Introspection, Mythbusters, Nepal, Public Transportation, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, The Nightlife
Went paragliding this morning…and didn’t die. Our place where we were staying, Karma Guesthouse (highly recommended! 250 rupees per person, which is around $3-4 USD), arranged it for us: It’s about $78 USD to get on a 9:30am pickup van that took me...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 25, 2011 | Epiphanies on the Road, Introspection, Let me tell you a Story..., Nepal, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, What Dreams May Come
Doubt is useful for awhile. . . . But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation. – Life of Pi, Chapter 7 In the course of 6 hours on the bus from Kathmandu to Pokahara I have finished...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 21, 2011 | Introspection, Jordan, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea
When I first heard Cheb Khaled’s “Aisha,” I had promised myself I would listen to it again whenver I reached the deserts of the Middle East. I always keep my promises. Comme si j’n’existais pas Elle est passee a cote de moi Sans un...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 19, 2011 | Epiphanies on the Road, Introspection, Jordan, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, What Dreams May Come
We are the only two foreigners. Scratch that — the only two Asians in a sea of local Jordanians and other Arabians. In a balcony cafe awash with the perfumed smoke of nargile, we overlook the quiet chaos of downtown Amman. For a moment, everything seems...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 19, 2011 | Introspection, Lebanon, Mythbusters, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea
It’s semantics. In India, poorer neighborhoods where Indians live are called “slums.” In Lebanon, poorer neighborhoods where Palestinians live are called “refugee camps.” Yet I saw no evidence of what the media conjures up for us:...
by Calvin Sun | Jun 16, 2011 | Fit for Foodies, Introspection, Mo' Money Mo' Problems, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey, Walking Tours
We finish off Istanbul with a relaxing day of sightseeing. After beginning our day at the Turkish Baths with a thorough scrubdown and massage, we hopped on a metro: …where we ended up near the Spice Market and the New Mosque. Right by the Galata Bridge on...
by Stephanie Quan | Jun 16, 2011 | Introspection, Summer 2011: From the Middle East to North Korea, Turkey
preface. I thought I’d be able to charge my camera with a mini usb. wrong. so I’m stealing Calvin’s photos until we can get back to Istanbul and find a camera store with the proper charger for my camera battery. While riding atv’s, here are a...
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