World’s Worst Toilet: #8 Andong Bus station, Korea

andong station toilet
Andong Bus Station toilet, Korea

 I’m not a toilet connoisseur or nitpicker, but I do have varying degrees of tolerance. Smell, appearance, technology, leftovers, size, etc… whenever it pushes my standard into a level of discomfort, it makes my list.

I spent a great day in Andong for the annual Andong Maskdance Festival (read here). But Andong, why is your bus station toilet making my World’s Worst Toilet list?…

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Why Thai Buddhist temples never bore me

sukhnothai
sukhothai buddha

How many times can I look at Buddhas and temples?

Ordinarily, my tolerance isn’t high for seeing the same things over and over.

Variation is key.

For instance, living in Korea if you’ve seen one buddhist temple, you’ve pretty near seen them all. The architecture doesn’t change much and the buddhas wear the look of staunch, Fu Man Chu looking Confucianist.  Thailand is different. Whether it’s a hundred Buddhas lined up in a row, (more…)

World’s Worst Toilet: #7 Mysteries in a Korean public school restrooms

korean school toilet

My Korean Public School restroom

This post comes a bit belated, but in lieu of my recent visit to Korea, I have to do it for laughs. When I was teaching in Korea, there was something in my Korean public school johns. Take a look at the photos below and guess what it was…

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Solo Fear and Diving: How to Cope with Age and Birthdays on a Lonely Road.

The water was flooding panic into my goggles and stinging my eyes. I blew out sharply to clear my mask.

We were pulling ourselves down by the anchor rope,  descending to the ocean floor. I was at the head of the group and the second in line. Going back up was not an option.

Was there a leak in my mask? 

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Learning to Scuba Dive in Thailand with PADI

Word on the street is that you’ll get the best scuba diving deals in Southeast Asia.

I spent two hours on Khao San Road in Bangkok, bouncing from agent to agent, searching for a diving package to ring in my first solo birthday on the road .  Finally, my four-day PADI open water diving certification program was booked at a jaw-dropping low price . Travel gossip didn’t lie.

I’m not lucky enough to be one of those travel bloggers to score sponsored press trips nor am an ingenue haggler, but I don’t scold myself. I make up for it by being a queen hunter of basement bargains and cheap day tours of reasonably good quality!

What did my package include? Round trip transportation to the island of Ko Tao, a 4-night resort stay and 4 days of licensed training, confined water (more…)

fes cafe
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9 Reasons Why You’ll Love Moroccan Culture

Thought I’d share some of the things I learned about Moroccan culture. They’re really some random facts I picked up from my guide at the time and it’s helped shape my appreciation for the culture and lifestyle.

January 4, 2012 8
Fez Markets
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10 Reasons You’d be Stupid not to Visit Fez

There’s a secret to Morocco and I’m convinced it speaks through its spices! From scented oils, city-wide prayer calls and intricate Arabic/Berber craft work designs to maze-like streets bustling with the traffic of crowded souks and taxi-ing donkeys,..

December 31, 2011 14
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World’s Worst Toilet: #6 Trekker’s Homestay Bathroom, Thailand

A village home stay with an outhouse isn’t horrible in the light of day. But at night with no light? That’s a different story.

December 28, 2011 7
Train from Hat Yai to Bangkok
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World’s Worst Toilet: #5 Thai Train

I have to admit, I love the Thai train! Compared to India, the bathrooms aren’t nearly as scary. However, I don’t like train bathrooms in general, for obvious purposes. It’s not about horrific appearances as it is horrific smells. As clean as the Thai try to be there’s almost always a tinge of smell or drips of urine lingering from the after effects of sudden jerks, shakes and rattling stops.

December 25, 2011 17

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