In a matter of days I went from the faded glory of the E&O in Penang to the downright depressed Kim Do Hotel in Saigon.I hadn't looked at my journal entry from Vietnam in years, but those feelings of isolation and hopelessness quickly returned as I read those pages … [Read more...]
Down and out at the E&O
I'm sad few places are "off the beaten path" and most countries are now well-equipped for travelers. It kind of takes the adventure out of travel.But that hasn't always been the case.Take the old grandes dames. I blogged about these hotels several months ago. At one time … [Read more...]
Book of the week–Dreaming in Chinese
Yesterday I posted something about my early days of learning Mandarin. I often think back to those days. And that was certainly the case when I read Deborah Fallows' new narrative, Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language (Walker & Company, 2010) … [Read more...]
One man’s junk
Back when I was studying Mandarin in Hong Kong, it was difficult, if not almost impossible, to practice speaking the language outside the classroom.People in Hong Kong speak Cantonese; in those days few spoke China's official language, Putonghua or Mandarin.After my … [Read more...]
Cafe society
As much as I longed for a trace of familiarity in China, in Hong Kong I felt at home in simple coffee shops and cafes like this one (the Mido in Kowloon). I didn't hang out in the traditional expat spots like Lan Kwai Fong very much. And when I went clubbing in Wanchai, it was … [Read more...]
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