I'm doing 40 things
A few tips:
- In Beijing, stay at the Park Plaza Wangfujing. It’s a good location, nice as hell, and if you book online relatively cheap ($70-$80 USD per night). If you want to spend $30 per night you could consider the Jia Shan Hotel which is across the street from the Park Plaza.
- Don’t let the taxi driver pick you. You pick them. You’ll be a little less likely to be ripped over (but only a little).
- If you’re new to asia and your American stomach is fragile or not adventurous, I recommend avoiding street food and find a safety dish that you can get a most restaurants (i.e. mushroom soups are fantastic and always light).
- Push or be pushed.
- In Shanghai, go to the lobby of the hotel in the Jin Mao tower for free and fantastic view of the Bund. It’s on the 50th floor or so.
- People selling items on the street are follow foreigners trying to make a sale. The phrase “bu yao” and not making eye contact go a long way. And if you are interested even for a second they will follow you for the rest of the day or until you buy.
- Taxis are cheap, fast, and easier than public transit. I never take them in NYC, but in China it’s worth the $2.
- If your airline lets you, reserve/choose your seating arrangement before leaving for China. We were told we weren’t going to sit together for the 14 hour flight home, but threw a tantrum until they moved somethings around for us.
- Don’t expect customer service from the worker in China.
- If you’re smart and lucky you can avoid squat toilets (girls might not be able to as easily).
- It’s a good idea to keep a roll of toilet paper in you purse or bag during the day, although I noticed that we did have much trouble this year.
- Watch Chinese TV at night in your room.
adobtan's Life List
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1. learn to fly a plane
1 cheer1,070 people -
2. backpack in Eastern Europe
4 people -
3. touch a pyramid
78 people -
4. be less self-centered
47 people -
5. write a memoir
1 cheer315 people -
6. get a masters degree
2,976 people -
7. Go Kayaking
552 people -
8. Travel in space
494 people -
9. accept the things I cannot change, have courage to change the things I can and have the wisdom to know the difference
295 people -
10. learn to sail
1,973 people -
11. travel solo
34 people -
12. Go skydiving
6,576 people -
13. become a notary public
72 people -
14. visit the 7 wonders of the world
407 people -
15. Take vitamins daily
784 people -
16. go to the top of the eiffel tower
163 people -
17. ride in a hot air baloon
1 cheer182 people -
18. see Conan O'Brien in New York
103 people -
19. Visit the Grand Canyon
491 people -
20. eat healthier
10,138 people -
21. visit New Zealand
1,410 people -
22. Improve my posture
2,664 people -
23. learn chinese
2,372 people -
24. Discover myself
1 cheer174 people -
25. Visit Japan
5,521 people -
26. Go to graduate school
1 cheer1,189 people -
27. Read more books
1 cheer11,018 people -
28. send in a postcard to PostSecret
124 people -
29. stop global warming
1 cheer259 people -
30. call my friends more
78 people -
31. Start my own business
8,605 people -
32. Go to Dubai
86 people -
33. eat more leafy greens
11 people -
34. lay in a field at night and look at the stars
57 people -
35. learn to SCUBA dive
2,566 people -
36. learn how to drive stick-shift
4,457 people -
37. see the northern lights
16,919 people -
38. spend an entire day watching the extended version of all three Lord of the Rings movies back-to-back-to-back
1,107 people -
39. Live in another country for at least one year
80 people -
40. Trace my family tree
2,251 people
Recent entries
Untitled
22 months ago
Untitled
3 years ago
You eat at enough good places you’ll have no choice but to learn. I tried for like a year or more, an unbelievable amount of time. Then one day, I noticed that I could do it. I still have room for improvement and I definate have my own style. But it works.
Untitled
3 years ago
The emphasis is on drive. We took only a week to do it. It was part-vacation and part-driving. Very fun though. The first day we drove New Jersey to Chicago. Long days in the car. 14 hours of driving in 5 hour shifts. Highest temperate was 104 degrees Fahrenheit, no A/C, no iPod. I’m glad I did it though.
