Quarantine Day III The Triumphant Return, continued from yesterday Pudong Airport Pandemic Protocols 8.Pre-checkpoint for “Health Quarantine” zone (right where we used to all shoot down escalator to show passports) >> lab results checked 9.Checkpoint for Quarantine —15+ thermograph temperature check cameras in front of us. Every single airport employee from customs and immigration to…
Tag: traveling
How is New Zealand Different?
Running down the trail, sulphur fumes permeate my nostrils. Steaming gases rise in the distance. Blackened craters spew acidic steam. Just down the road, a traditional Maori village welcomes foreigners to watch–and learn, for men–the Haka war ritual. Sacred Maori lands are home to Middle Earth, where I ran as close to Mount Doom as…
New Zealand Adventure!
I have to use the ! when writing about this place. There’s a reason it’s become the place to be. Here are annotated photos from my first full day in Auckland and running on Waiheke Island. 😭😭😭Her visa application was rejected. So, my beautiful girlfriend is in the Philippines right now. 我是一个人。 This tree is…
Are 11% of Americans Drug Addicts? And Assorted Other Chinese Questions, Part I
What are some questions Chinese people who’ve spent their entire lives–in most cases–in mainland China have for an American? I’ve asked a number of folks in Shanghai, men and women–although most responses below are from women. A sampling, in no certain order [translated from Mandarin by me if not using ” “, sent to me…
Better Than a Snow Day
November 3rd: What’s better for a teacher than a snow day?! When the Chinese government decrees all schools in Shanghai closed for TWO (2) days due to the annual International Import Expo. Yes, that’s right. At the noontime hour, I’m back at my second home–东外滩。The East Bund. Its a second Saturday repeating after the first….
Philippines Adventure
Can’t forget that ladder is behind me, dark open water below. Bamboo scaffolding on each side of this boat, speeding out to Osbol. We’re searching for dolphins, will later swim with sea turtles…and, before that, the almighty whale shark. Guilin and I arrived in the Philippines five days ago. It’s been a grand adventure ever…
Where to Find Great Vegan Food…
Hoping to help travelers searching for great vegan eats in the following locales: Seoul-Tokyo-Koyasan-Kyoto. By no means exhaustive, it’s up to date at present time. Yes, these places indeed do still exist (although hours may be a bit crazy at times). Please get HappyCow app to find addresses, phone numbers and mostly accurate operating hours….
7 Things About Seoul
7 Noticings about Seoul… 1. Korean women are gorgeous 2. Subway stations are tightly knit, with narrow corridors, low ceilings, brick archways and have a special endearing character. News stands sell a unique assortment of goods including infant outfits & house slippers. The trumpeting announcement of incoming trains is a wholly unique element of the…
My 5 Worst Running Injuries
5. May-June ’99: Kwai, Botswana Injury & Cause: Some kind of unknown strain in foot occurring one day while racing kids on a dirt road in the middle of the Okavango Delta. Don’t remember how long without running at all, but this thing lingered into the beginning of cross country season and I had to…
Heat Exhaustion (I think)
It ain’t comfortable these days, with distended abdomen. Frequent bathroom trips. It’s pretty disgusting. I don’t care if I’m slathered in poop tomorrow, I’m running. Dammit. 3 forced days off the roads. But were those 67 kilometers in 67 hours worth it? Even in around 90-100 heat index, with high humidity? Without a doubt…
Back In Time in Burma
Dead flat, white beaches Sun soaked goldenrods Hillside Buddhist temples Temples everywhere; all shapes, sizes, colors… Red, white, real gold plating many Women with waist length hair, traditional yellowish-white face paint make up adorning Sound of small waves rippling out from beneath countless boats traversing the 1,350 mile long Irrawaddy River–the Aye Yarwaddy here A…
What’s the Dead Sea Really Like?
How salty is it, really? Ever drunk vodka straight? The saltiness is so extreme, it’s like that in your mouth. I felt like, one accidental gulp of water would OD me with salt. Know how in most oceans-seas-lakes, you run your hand along the bottom and come up with sand, or plants, or mud? Here’s…
Don't Let My Parents Read This 