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Overseas Cooking Classes – Your Best Travel Souvenir

May 23, 2012 at 7:24 am in China, Culinary, Cultural Experiences, Cultural Exploration by Jennifer Choban · Leave a Comment »

Thank you, James Michener! I’ve learned a lot from your books over the years and the thousand pages of Iberia I just finished was no exception, an enlightening tour of Spanish history and culture. However, I can say without a doubt, that the most important part of the book (and for me, probably the most [...]

by Jennifer Choban

Open Letter to Lonely Planet

May 14, 2012 at 9:09 am in Cultural Experiences, Personal Growth and Travel by Jennifer Choban · 2 Comments »

Folks can debate about who puts out the best guidebooks. A lot of people brag about not using guidebooks at all, but the fact is it can be really helpful to have information in a format you’re familiar with. These days, I feel fairly confident traveling. But I wish I had a Lonely Planet for [...]

by loredana valles

Experiencing the Tribal Life in the Banaue Rice Terraces

Apr 30, 2012 at 6:13 pm in Cultural Experiences, Hiking, Trekking, Walking, Philippines, Travel Tips by loredana valles · 7 Comments »

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_le9rle2CF51qetpd8o1_500.jpg

Our family’s ancestors were from Banaue, Ifugao in the northern part of the Philippines. It is a wonderful province where the Banaue Rice Terraces can be found. The Banaue Rice Terraces is a 2000-year old terraces carved into the mountains with the use of only the hands of the Ifugao tribe. It was engineered by [...]

by Jennifer Choban

My Travel Soundtrack – Music on the Road

Apr 27, 2012 at 9:57 am in China, Cultural Experiences, Cultural Exploration, Israel by Jennifer Choban · 8 Comments »

DanDan, the twenty-year-old daughter of my Chinese host family, had decided that we would go to KFC for lunch. I wasn’t thrilled, but when in Rome do as the Romans do, and in China, American fast food was immensely popular.
I had been in Asia for less than a week and couldn’t order for myself, so [...]

by Jennifer Choban

Cockfight – Timeless Gambling in Cambodia

Apr 20, 2012 at 3:00 pm in Adventure Travel, Cambodia, Cultural Experiences, Cultural Exploration by Jennifer Choban · 6 Comments »

Bas relief of a cockfight. Photo by Joaquin Uy.

Living in Mexico and studying Spanish/Latino culture has sparked a secret desire in me that I dare not reveal to any of my gringo friends. I want to see a bullfight. I can’t deny that it’s cruel to animals. But it’s also human culture, and I’m curious to see it.
I did see a cockfight once. I had [...]

by Jennifer Choban

The Pope, The Virgin and the Flowers – Holy Days in Guanajuato

Apr 6, 2012 at 2:48 pm in Cultural Experiences, Mexico by Jennifer Choban · 4 Comments »

Sitting on my balcony at three in the afternoon on Holy Friday, I am enjoying something which can be hard to come by in Mexico – silence. This respite from the sounds of city life is due to the fact that almost everyone is in church, watching or participating in a reenactment of the crucifixion. [...]

by Jennifer Choban

What to do in New Orleans – City Getaways

Mar 30, 2012 at 3:00 pm in Cultural Experiences, Cultural Exploration, Sightseeing, USA by Jennifer Choban · Leave a Comment »

Street in the French Quarter by Chris Metcalf

Several co-workers and I were scheduled to attend a conference in New Orleans during the first week of September 2005. Little effort was made to hide the fact that we all felt more excited about seeing the city than attending the conference:
“We’ll have to skip out one night and go hear a New Orleans music [...]

by WYNNA

What to do in Cebu City, Philippines — City Getaways

at 8:58 am in Adventure Travel, Cultural Experiences, Philippines, Sightseeing by WYNNA · 2 Comments »

It’s been a year and I’m still living in the busy streets of Cebu City. And what better way to celebrate this occasion than to relive the things that I love in this big city.

So, first stop would be McDonald’s in Jones Avenue. I know this restaurant is already the most overrated fast food chain in the [...]

by Elmer Cruz

What to do in Hong Kong – City Getaways

Mar 26, 2012 at 3:00 pm in Cultural Experiences, Hong Kong, Sightseeing by Elmer Cruz · 3 Comments »

What to do in Hong Kong?! Are you crazy?! You can never run out of things to do in Hong Kong! It’s like going to China town with the experience multiplied 10 times! You can tell how exciting this trip was for me with all the exclamations at the end of the first 4 sentences.
I [...]

by Jennifer Choban

What to do in Portland, Oregon – City Getaways

Mar 23, 2012 at 3:00 pm in Cultural Experiences, Cultural Exploration, Hiking, Trekking, Walking, USA by Jennifer Choban · 2 Comments »

Welcome to the City of Roses. Portland is so quirky, progressive and politically correct it has earned the distinction of being satirized in a sketch comedy series (Portlandia – Independent Film Channel). Bring your sense of fun and your all weather shoes.
Where to Eat?
At a brew pub, of course! You’re in the Pacific Northwest so [...]