Category Archives: Other
Rikaichan: Perfect Tool for Japanese Learners
The Rikaichan Project is a Firefox plugin which pops up translations information for Japanese characters. Usage: Install the Rikaichan plugin. Restart your browser. Navigate to a page with Japanese characters. Right-click on the page and select Rikaichan (see image below). … Continue reading
Posted in 日本語
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Cheap Bear Canisters
Harbor Freight, of all places, sells a bear canister for a mere $29.87. It looks an awful lot like the Garcia Bear-Resistant Container at REI, which sells for $69.95. I’ve heard this bear canister isn’t approved for use in the … Continue reading
Posted in Backpacking
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Cambodia: Sexy Time!
So, if you tell people in the US that you’re going to Thailand, they’ll often start wiggling their eyebrows, jab you in the ribs with an elbow, and mutter something about ladyboys. This morning, I was at the Ekkamai bus … Continue reading
Welcome to Cambodia
So, here’s my brief summary of how I got to Angkor Wat from Bangkok, Thailand, by land: Take a government bus from the Eastern or Northern Bangkok bus stations. Leave by 7:30am. You can probably buy your ticket the same … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Aranyaprathet, Bangkok, border crossing, Cambodia, Cambodian visa, Poipet, Thailand
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Where the Hell is the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok?
I blew nearly two days just trying to get my Cambodian visa in order to visit Angkor Wat. All this to save, what, a few minutes at the border? So, it turns out that the Cambodian embassy is not in … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged Angkor Wat, border crossing, Cambodia, Cambodian embassy, Cambodian visa
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Thailand: Similan Islands
Having completed my SSI Open Water certification with Princess Divers on Koh Phi Phi, I decided that I couldn’t leave Thailand without diving the Similan Islands. Unfortunately, I couldn’t justify the cost of a live-aboard trip, which could easily be … Continue reading
Thailand: One Thing I Cannot Abide About Thai Culture
Sure, Thailand is full things that seem weird to Westerners. After all, T.I.T. “This is Thailand” is the mantra of expats, uttered to sooth their frayed nerves. But all in all, it’s a fun adventure, and a very old, complex … Continue reading
Thailand: Things to Bring #1 – Sunglasses
Not just any sunglasses, but very dark, or reflective sunglasses. Possibly wrap-around. Maybe even a welding helmet… Yes, the sun can get pretty bright here. But that’s not the reason you NEED sunglasses. No, the real reason is to hide … Continue reading
Mullets
The other evening, I saw what sounded like a young German man sporting a mullet which can only be described as magnificent. This is in addition to several other mullets I’ve spotted on this trip, always on the heads of … Continue reading
Open Water Dives 3 & 4, and Certification
Today, I finished dives three and four in my open water certification. Highlight of dive 1: chasing an octopus. They’re really impressively fast. But then, apparently, they get lazy, and decide to smoosh themselves into gaps in the coral. They’re … Continue reading