The Chinese real estate bubble has affected nearly everyone. One little known consequence has been people living underground. Many of the people that one has to interact with on a daily basis such as waiters, hairdressers, cooks, cleaners, and supermarket employees live underground. With salaries of $150-$300 per month, they cannot afford to rent a …
Category Archives: Travel
The state of the Internet and PCs in China
Given that China has the greatest number of Internet users in the world; it is interesting to see how things differ here. In most countries, people use similar software and websites, but in China it is like going to an alien planet. There are a few reasons for this: Due to the great firewall of …
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Shanghai, China
After my trip to Japan, my plane landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and this finally gave me a chance to try the only commercial high speed Maglev train in the world. Unlike a normal train, they don’t allow anyone to get on the platform before it arrives. I’m not sure exactly why. I did …
Japan 2012 (Tokyo)
I did get some sleep on my night bus to Tokyo, luckily. I arrived outside Shinjuku station, the busiest train station in the world according to Wikipedia. So it was appropriate to take most used metro system in the world from here to find a hotel. For $9, I got a day pass for the …
Japan 2012 (Nara and Kyoto)
Leaving Osaka, I took the Kintetsu Nara Line eastwards to Yamatosaidaiji station. This station had a lot of choices for Japanese food inside. I chose the cheapest plate of curry rice for $5. I put $3.75 in a coin operated locker to keep my heavy bag while I looked around the ancient capital of Nara. …
Japan 2012 (Kyoto and Osaka)
After two nights in Kyoto, I had to leave my hostel and find somewhere else to stay. I decided to head for the slums of Osaka to find one of the cheapest rooms in the country. But first I did a bit more sightseeing in Kyoto. I walked to the nearby Chion-in Temple. I noticed …
Japan 2012 (Mt. Hiei)
I woke up from my $27 per night 10 person dormitory room and started heading for Mt. Hiei on the northeast side of Kyoto. Since I had no JR Pass this time in Japan, I was free to take any public, private, or subway line I wished. My plan was to take some trains to …
Japan 2012 (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Kyoto, Japan)
I decided to go back to Japan since I found some cheap tickets from Air Asia (Kuala Lumpur -> Osaka) and Spring Airlines (Tokyo -> Shanghai). The only problem is due to deflation in Japan and inflation in the US, everything costs 50% more than when I was here in 2007. Five years ago, I …
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Thailand and Malaysia Notes
Malaysia Notes The bus stations have made some great improvements in the years since I got my wallet stolen at one in Kuala Lumpur a few years ago. The new station called Terminal Bersepadu Selatan is the best bus station I’ve seen. It is designed like an airport. Separate areas for departures and arrivals, clean …
From Downtown to Countryside in Five Minutes
On my way from China to Malaysia, I took the high speed rail to from Beijing to Tianjin. This train has a top speed of 291kmh (180.8mph). The top speed of all the high speed rail in China was reduced by 10% in 2011 due to concerns of the concrete foundation lifetimes. The train passes …
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