I spent 4 days in Jakarta before proceeding onwards in my journey through Indonesia towards Yogyakarta to climb Mt. Merapi and check out the Borobudur temple complex.  Jakarta is a massive bustling metropolis that can be somewhat overwhelming.
If you don’t just want to spend time getting lost in Jakarta’s labyrinth (which is usually a great thing to do), and have a few days, here are some worthwhile things to do.Â
Monas: National Monument
One of the central and noticeable landmarks in Jakarta is the Monas National Monument, known in slang terms as “Sokareno’s last …

No shower, check, no house cleaning, check, no bad thoughts or words, check, no hair cut, (haven’t in 15 months) check, engorge on delicious foods, check … WOW, Chinese New Years in Thailand is starting to sound a lot like my daily routine… in fact, I barely have to change anything.
With the Chinese influence in Thailand, being in Bangkok, and my half Chinese American-ism, there was tremendous reason to celebrate 2010 as the year of the Tiger on Feb 14th  and 15th, 2010.
I took the initiative to ask a few of my English students and Thai friends some …

I forced the cab driver to stop on the side of Sheikh Zayed highway and strained my neck to a 90 degree angle with my back. I had just landed in Dubai and I was trying to fathom the earth’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa Dubai. The immensity of cranes dominating the skyline looked like flamingos on Lake Nakuru in Kenya.

With the barest essential of all plans, I jetted to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to take a one month Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) course with TEFL International Buenos Aires.  Apparently, TESOL and TEFL are practically the same thing.
Still dazzled and overwhelmed with kilos of beef due to my recent landing in Argentina, the course started off on schedule.  The course was held in the ritzy district of Recoleta in a beautiful historical mansion known as the Recoleta Institute.   The prestigious and very European area of Buenos Aires is home to  numerous fancy restaurants, …

At times, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, can feel a bit hectic and maybe a little intimidating.  I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and while there learned various survival tactics in order to make visiting Phnom Penh slightly easier and more manageable.    Some of these survival tactics might even teach you a few lessons on how to be native in Cambodia.  In any way, have an awesome time in Phnom Penh; a city that I consider to have a great mixture of entertainment, delicacies, humor, and great folks.
1.  Tune Out a Little
It is utterly unavoidable that all operators of all forms of motorized transportation will pursue you for a ride.  Motorcycles will pass, notice …