Chris Backe's Blog, page 100
February 19, 2015
February book review – expat families, money saving tips, choose-your-path adventures, and learning how to teach English
Once a month, I put together the books I’ve readinto a single review post. Alternatively, see plenty of previous book reviews over here, or see how I rate books.
Want to get your travel book reviewed?Send it for review over at oneweirdglobe.com/review-book.
Presentingsix books withpretty specific niches – as someone that prefers books written by bloggers over mainstream guidebooks, there’s plenty of places covered here.Shorter, more specific books are the trend here – what would be a couple cha...
February 17, 2015
It’s the Year of the Sheep – Happy Lunar New Year!
Whether you call it the Lunar New Year or the Chinese New Year, the moon’s cycle starts anew on February 19, 2015. It’s officially the year of the sheep (or goat) – so why not go pet some sheep?
Beyond my own stories involving sheep, I asked some fellow travel bloggers to share their sheep stories – check them out below!
The Sheep Cafe – Seoul, South Korea
Seoul has no shortage of places to get your caffeine buzz, including cat café’s and dog café’s. Located near Hongik University, the sheep caf...
February 15, 2015
Destination: Heaven and Hell Tapan Cave – Wat Tham Ta Pan (NSFW)
Yet another hell temple? Sure, why not?!
On our way to Phuket we stopped in Phang Nga at Wat Tham Ta Pan, the hell temple sometimes called the Heaven and Hell Tapan Cave. Like many other hell temples seen across Thailand, the goal here is to show the devout or the laity what happens to you in the afterlife if you’ve accrued bad karma in this life.
They’re situated in the center of a circular pond – go on, throw your coins into their alms bowls. A good chance to make merit.
There’s little to see...
February 12, 2015
Where To Go Instead: 5 Awesome Places in Thailand That Aren’t Dual-Priced
In case you’re wondering about the focus of this post, Thailand has recently made it clear it’s interested in collecting as much money as it can from tourists. The dual-pricing scheme – charging tourists anywhere from 2 to 10 times more – has only become more emboldened over the years.
My own personal solution? Avoid the touristy places altogether, and see a side of Thailand not yet corrupted by tourism not yet seen by many tourists. Why be treated like a walking ATM?
Ao Nam Mao > Shell Cemeter...
February 10, 2015
Destination: Museum of Sex and Health (Seogwipo city, Jeju-do) (NSFW)
Put the kids away and head somewhere else if you’re at work – this is sex and sexual health at its most… er, interesting.
Lest you think Korea is full of prudes, this museum is here to say otherwise. Founded by Kim Whan Bae (김완배), the museum opened in March of 2006 after an extensive five-year legal battle with the Korean government. The government, apparently, did not take a liking to the sexual nature of the imported pieces, and had them returned to sender. In the end Kim prevailed, carving...
February 8, 2015
Planning for Europe: saving money on European hotels
So our time in Asia is coming to an end – this is One WeirdGlobe, after all, not merely One Weird Continent.After seven years of exploring Asia, it’s getting time to move on.
To all the Asian lovers, don’t fret – there are dozens more posts about Asia to come, and two books being written – if you haven’t heard about them yet, check out Thailand: a One Weird Globe guide and Hell Temples – both coming out in March.
We’ll be traveling around Europe for three months, hitting up at least eight count...
February 5, 2015
21 WordPress plugins and tools that will make your travel blog rock – the early 2015 edition
Behind the scenesat One Weird Globe, I’ve tried it all. These are the pluginsI come back to.
If you’re just getting started with WordPress, it can seem like a never-ending amount of things to learn. Where do I get a fair price on a domain name? Who’s the best host? Which plug-ins and themes do I need? What do I blog about? How do I make money from it?
Be sure to check out the other Resources page, which tells more about the themes I like, the web hosting that works awesomely, and more. This pos...
21 WordPress plugins and tools that will make your travel blog rock – the February 2015 edition
Behind the scenesat One Weird Globe, I’ve tried it all. These are the pluginsI come back to.If you’re just getting started with WordPress, it can seem like a never-ending amount of things to learn. Where do I get a fair price on a domain name? Who’s the best host? Which plug-ins and themes do I need? What do I blog about? How do I make money from it?
Be sure to check out the other Resources page, which tells more about the themes I like, the web hosting that works awesomely, and more. This pos...
February 3, 2015
Destination: Ao Nang – the beach with massages, monkeys and another secret beach
Ao Nang was the very first beach in the 24 Beaches series, but I didn’t know the rest of the weird story. Therefore, this post will focus on what’saroundAo Nang beach, notjust on the beach. A little meta, perhaps, butit’s a great reminder to keep your eyes open for weirdness even in places you think are mainstream.
On its own, Ao Nang is the most developed beach in the Krabi area of southern Thailand. It’s easy to reach, has plenty of restaurants and accommodation around, and for that reason g...
February 1, 2015
Destination: Wat Tha Meru – a creepier-than-usual hell temple (NSFW)
Hell temples are almost always by definition creepy. Some are creepier than others, of course, and this took the cake in my wife’s mind. Presenting Wat Tha Meru (also spelled Wat Thamen, Wat Thamain, and Wat Thamen).
If this is the first hell temple post you’ve come across on One Weird Globe, bear in mind it’s NSFW and shows graphic representations of what happens in Buddhist afterlife. For more places like this, see the hell temple category or my book on hell temples.
Clearly he’s been waiting...
