Heading to the land of the rising sun any time soon? Well, you might find this site called Japanese Guesthouses very useful. The site offers a way to investigate the hundreds of possible guest houses around the country and to book. It is, thankfully, in English and has 500 ryokans (AKA: inns) all over the country. The site is fairly easy to use and nicely put together.
Asia
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Travel through Asia with our writers:
Infiltrating North Korea, Keyhole Into Burma, Band on the Run ... in China, Chinese Buffet, A Canadian in Beijing, Volunteer Vacation: Tajikistan
Let’s Go! with Jiang Zemin
Move over Bill Bryson, here comes Jiang Zemin. Yes, the near-octogenarian former leader of China is publishing his memoirs, which will include a hefty dose of travel writing, says this piece over at Yahoo news. Sure, it was tough running the most populous nation in the world, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a downright hoot at times. And when you’re number one, you get to do a fair amount of globe-trotting.
Now, chances are he’s not going to be writing about the condition of various hotels he stayed at and his recommendations for places to eat will more likely to include Buckingham Palace, but you have to admit a dose of curiosity at what the old Communist leader has to say about seeing the world. His travel book, “For a Better World: Jiang Zemin’s Overseas Visits,” will include 167 pictures of Jiang with leaders ranging from Bill Clinton to Nelson Mandela. No word, however, if there will be video of him dancing at various popular tourist locales around the globe.
Word for the Travel Wise (08/19/06)
Figured this word would come in handy (no pun intended) for the visitor looking for a souvenir while in Japan. Happy shopping trails!
Today’s word is a Japanese word used in Japan:
uchiwa – fan (hand-held nonfolding)
Spoken Japanese comes smoothly for those who either practice or submit themselves to hours of Japanese pop music, but either way one can learn this language in through several avenues. Japanese Online is a VERY good FREE site to start learning. They have audio and a great conversation lessons. The lessons get more in-depth as you become a registered user which is still free of charge. Takese.com has a list of over 2000 words worth checking out. Those on the road already may want to pick up the LP Japanese phrasebook or check into a school for a few weeks of learning. Study Abroad has a list of school located all over the country. If you’re seeking help with written Japanese best of luck to you!
Past Japanese words: hajimemashite, dewa mata, tomodachi, omocha
Silk Road Slideshow
Y’all might remember the series of audio slide shows I did for my recent trip to Newfoundland. They were fun to do. it’s great to have a digital camera these days and to be able to take a gazillion photos and then select the two or three that really popped. Well, as happy as I am with these slide show, I could have done better, and how much better is a question that is answered in part here, over at the AP (the specialize in photos, after all) where a wonderful audio slide show on following the Silk Route puts my measly effort to shame. But seriously, the photos are luscious and the music and VO all come together very nicely. The VO (voiceover) could have been better produced, but that’s nit picking. Anyway, really nicely done.
Boba
Boba World, Westwood – that’s where it all went down for me. A life long disdain for tapioca, gone in several small slurps. One boba, two boba, three – Slurrrrp! Slurrrp! As a child, tapioca was the magic word to make me scrunch up my face, turn the other direction and run like a mad coyote in the wind. These days I can’t get enough it. Just the other day I cruised over to a local Vietnamese owned spot to grab a cool Green Tea Boba smoothie. As I was slurping up the tapioca balls I started to wonder what caused the change of heart after so many years. It took only a few minutes for brain freeze to kick in and knock me from my train of thought. Who cares? As far as I’m concerned boba’s good and unsurprisingly there are several Americans who are so out of touch with this delightful treat On my quest to find some gentle facts for the timid tourist exploring boba for the first time this is what I uncovered:
- Wikipedia notes that Boba (pronounced Buo Ba in Mandarin) is the tapioca found at the bottom of bubble tea or boba milk tea. The literal meaning for the word is slang for “big breast/nipple” as the tapioca balls resemble a mother’s nipple. Hmm – I never thought so, but that’s certainly something to chew on. Can someone confirm?
- Boba balls are made from Cassava.
- There is a village in Vas county Hungary named Boba. Wonder if boba drinks are popular there?
- A now obsolete Italian word – boba, means “stupid.”
- Bobafind.com provides several recipes to making your perfect drink in the comfort of your own home.
It might do first-timers some good to swing by the recipes page first to see what the heck is going on in these deliciously wild beverages before going in and making their own funny face when offered the tapioca balls.