The Peninsula Hotel, Manila
As strange as this may sound, when I travel, I rarely stay at fancy hotels. If I am paying for the trip myself, I stay at cheap local hotels, place where the nationals of that country would stay when traveling.
Clean, cheap and basic, they suit me just fine, for they offer a clean, dry place to sleep but not much more. When I travel for fun, I want to be out with the people, not sequestered in a fancy hotel.
Read MoreSwimming in Sweat
See that sheen on my face? How it looks like I just jumped out of a pool?
While I may be soaked as if I went swimming, that’s all sweat. Hot, man-sweat from a 10km run in downtown Manila. Downtown Manila after a thunderstorm, which means its only around 110% humidity, enough that I soak through my shirt before I even get around the block.
Read MoreMy Machismo in Manila
The Peninsula Hotel, Manila pool is breathtaking, a clear blue oasis that calls to me irresistibly after a week in Typhoon Taipei. The sun is warm on my skin, and I yearn for a day of pool-side bliss. Into this perfect vision, I find a deck chair positioned just right, and start to recline it for maximum sunage, when…
AAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!
Read MoreTyphoon Taipei
It’s my last day in Taipei and I can’t wait to leave. It’s not that I dislike the Japan with Chinese characteristics culture or the constant rejections by the Computex Sales Girl Soft Porn, it’s the constant, never-ending, tropical-storm strength torrential rains that are getting to me. I am tired of Typhoon Taipei
Read MoreSpace is Tight in Taipei
Taiwan may be a big island, but in Taipei, as in most Asian capitols, space is tight. Tight because of a constantly growing population, increasing through emigration as well as births, and land policy restrictions that keep sprawl in check.
How tight is space in Taipei, you ask? Well check out this vertical church to the left.
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