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30 of the world’s best ruins

While modern structures can be more than impressive in their own right with respect to architecture, technological advancement, and beauty, there’s something to be said about structures from the past.

Ruins around the world have withstood the test of time and remain standing for travelers to marvel at. (Well, they haven’t completely withstood the test of time, or else they wouldn’t be called ruins.) Many of the methods used to create these ancient cities, temples, and monuments remain rather mysterious, as building them in this day and age would still be considered an impressive feat.

Check out these 30 awesome ancient ruins around the globe and see for yourself.




1

Machu Picchu (Cusco Region, Peru)

Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca site believed to be an estate for emperor Pachacuti, was “discovered” by Hiram Bingham in 1911. A well-trod tourist attraction, Machu Picchu sits 7,970 feet above sea level.
Photo: Boris G

2

Chichén Itzá (Tinum, Mexico)

The pre-Columbian Mayan city of Chichén Itzá is visited by over 1.2 million people annually (making it one of Mexico’s most-visited archaeological sites).
Photo: Ted Van Pelt

3

Stonehenge (Wiltshire, England)

Surrounded by hundreds of nearby burial mounds, Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England. Archeologists postulate that the site was built between 3000 and 2000 BC.
Photo: Jiang Jiang

6

Borobudur (Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia)

The world’s largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur is composed of six square platforms with three circular platforms resting on top of them. 2,672 reliefs and 504 Buddha statues adorn the temple.
Photo: Dennis Stauffer

7

Luxor Temple (Luxor, Egypt)

Founded in 1400 BC, the Luxor Temple is a sandstone temple complex located in current-day Luxor (known as Thebes in ancient times). Five other large temples can be found in the area.
Photo: Scott D. Haddow

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8

Hadrian’s Wall (Cumbria, England)

Hadrian’s Wall was a fortification in Roman Britain. A large portion of the wall still remains, and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The majority of the wall was built over six years and marked the de facto border of the Roman Empire in the British Isles.
Photo: Heiko S

23

Petra (Ma'an Governorate, Jordan)

Jordan’s most-visited tourist attraction, Petra is famous for its rock-cut architecture. The city is also known as the Rose City due to the color of the rock from which it has been hewn.
Photo: Ignacio García

25

Pompeii (Pompei, Italy)

Pompeii, an ancient Roman city near current-day Naples, was destroyed and buried in ash and pumice after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Approximately 2.5 million people visit Pompeii yearly.
Photo: Steven Reynolds

28

Ephesus (Izmir Province, Turkey)

An ancient Greek city on Ionia’s coast, Ephesus was best known for its Temple of Artemis. The temple, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was largely destroyed in 268 AD by the Goths.
Photo: Kunal Mukherjee

29

Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra, India)

Similar to the caves at Ellora, the Ajanta Caves consist of about 30 rock-cut Buddhist monuments. The area was covered in dense foliage until it was rediscovered by chance in 1819.
Photo: Kunal Mukherjee

30

Cobá (Quintana Roo, Mexico)

Not far from Tulum’s ruins, Cobá was a pre-Columbian Mayan city. At its peak, it is said to have housed over 50,000 people. The site’s tallest pyramid is 138 feet in height.
Photo: Alejandro C

NYC subway survival guide

Photo: Matt Biddulph

Never make eye contact…

Do not, under most any circumstances, lock eyes with someone else on the train. If you accidentally make eye contact with a “normal” New Yorker, they will instantly shift their gaze away. But if it’s a “crazy” New Yorker, eye contact is like an invitation to their crazy. You could be attracting the attention of a Bible-verse spouter, panhandler, romancer, creepster, or just someone having a bad day who wants to take it out on you.

…unless you’re attracted to someone.

In which case you should only continue staring at them if they stare back. If you get the green light, continue making eyes for the duration of the subway ride and enjoy the innocent flirtation, then immediately post a Missed Connection on Craigslist once you’re above ground.

Beware, though: My roommate once reconnected with a boy she’d made eyes with on the L Train, only to find out after Date #2 that he had a girlfriend. So if you’re going to play this game, it’s probably best to keep your expectations low.

Don’t touch anyone. Ever.

You should be doing everything you possibly can to avoid touching other passengers. Scoot a little closer to the edge of the seat. Move your hand so it’s at least a few inches from the next one grabbing the pole. Put your bags on the floor or in front of you. Tuck your limbs in so you take up as little space as possible.

And if you DO happen to touch someone, immediately un-touch them — because no one should have to start their day with a sweaty armpit in their face and a bag digging into their back.

If you approach someone on the train, don’t be creepy or too weird.

I was rushing to Grand Central Terminal to go home on Christmas Eve one year when a guy walked all the way across the subway car and struck up a conversation with me as if we already knew each other. Only at the end of our awkward 10-minute ride to Union Square, when he finally asked for my number, did I realize he’d been hitting on me.

New Yorkers are naturally skeptical when strangers approach them so directly. So if you’re going to attempt it on the subway, be cool, and be normal about it.

Keep the tunes on low.

I once listened to half of The Chronic on my commute — and not by choice. A fellow passenger had his jams cranked up to a volume so obscene that everyone within a 10-foot radius could hear every word. I like a little Dr. Dre every now and then, but not at 8:30am on a crowded train. If you’re going to listen to music on the subway, be respectful of other riders and keep the volume down.

Close your damn legs.

Gentlemen, I’m looking at you. Is there a particular reason why you must take up 1.5 seats on the train so you can spread your knees? Because a) no one wants to see that, and b) that old lady standing nearby could really use that seat next to you, but it’s half-occupied by your spread leg. Unless you’re saving room for cats, keep your legs together.

If you’re standing, hold on tight…

Unless you have freakishly good balance and ample space to brace yourself for the inevitable jolt of the subway train, make sure you have something to grab or lean on while standing on the subway. I’ve made this mistake several times when I chose to take a surfer’s stance rather than touch a germ-ridden pole, and can attest that a surefire way to piss off your neighboring commuters is to go flying into them when the train randomly jerks or stops short. Don’t be that guy.

…but try not to touch anything with your bare hands.

The New York City subway runs 24/7. Just think about how many people have touched that same pole you’re holding onto over the course of a day. Just assume it’s covered in germs, and grab onto it with your sleeve or glove if possible. Even better, hook your arm around the pole if there’s room, or lean against a door or seat instead.

9 signs you're a tourist in France

Photo: Liana Skewes

1. You consider the wine aisle at the supermarket daunting.

There are so many bottles to choose from! The aisle must be at least a mile long. First there are the reds, which blend ever so delicately into the rosés and finally bleach out into the whites. There are sweet wines, dry wines, and bubbly wines. Some are bottled in the vineyard itself, others aren’t. There are even South American wines now…as if it weren’t hard enough already.

At dinner parties you pretend to know what people mean when they say a Beaujolais tastes of bananas, but the truth is your only criterion to distinguish a good wine from a bad one is the price. You’ve narrowed it down now: Anything over 4 euros a bottle and you won’t be bringing vinegar to tonight’s get together.

2. You’re still shocked by bare breasts at the beach.

You’ve never understood the contradictory tension between Catholicism and the human body in Romance countries. If, like me, you come from a Protestant country with Calvinist leanings, your first time on a French beach must have had you doing double takes.

3. You think blue cheese stinks.

Just the thought of putting those greenish chunks of mold in your mouth makes you gag. How anyone could eat such a putrid cheese — especially when paired with bitter endive — is beyond you.

4. You can’t say your phone number properly.

If only the French had decided to say their phone numbers one digit at a time. Instead, they group digits into pairs, and it gets you every time. Whenever you need to give your cell number to someone, you end up standing there with a blank expression on your face as you try desperately to remember how to say 97. Quatre-vingt-dix-sept? Seriously? “Four twenties and seventeen?” Why on earth did they make the numbers between soixante-neuf (69) and cent (100) so damn hard?

5. You own the Amélie soundtrack.

It’s rare to be able to travel without any preconceived ideas about your destination. It’s almost impossible to avoid the hype and stereotypes about Paris. We’ve all seen the pictures, we’ve all heard the songs. Besides, as if that weren’t enough, you decided to do a movie marathon of the French classics before your trip to the most romantic city in the world: Paris Je T’aime, Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, À Bout de Souffle…

While all the Parisians around you are moaning, squeezing themselves into the sweaty metro, or avoiding dog turds on the sidewalks, you’re listening to your favourite soundtrack, totally oblivious to the daily grind, a glazed look of nostalgia on your face.

6. You keep forgetting there are four rush hours a day.

Everybody knows about the morning and evening rush hours, but in France, you have to deal with the noon and 2pm traffic, too. It’s all thanks to the famous French pause-déjeuner. The lunch break in France lasts just long enough for most people to be able to go home and eat a proper meal, instead of simply grabbing a sandwich at the nearest bakery. Needless to say, that leaves you with only a few windows of opportunity to beat the traffic, and you fall headfirst into it every single time.

7. Your ethics prevent you from eating foie gras.

Shoving food down the gullet of a goose to make its liver fatty sounds like force-feeding a prisoner on hunger strike. It’s just plain wrong! Every Christmas, people roll their eyes when you refuse to even touch the foie-gras-covered blinis that get passed around the dinner table.

8. You still believe Parisians don’t have an accent.

In school, you were told that real French comes from Paris. When your teachers corrected your pronunciation, it was with a Parisian accent, a neutral accent.

A sure sign of advanced Frenchness is the ability to recognize not only the strong twang of southern French accents, but also to hear that Parisians don’t just say “ouais,” they say “oué-euh.” Listen to the French singer Renaud and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

9. You still believe that one day you’ll be French.

So maybe you can get your hands on French citizenship, but unless you were born in France, you’ll never truly be French. One way or another, you’ll end up giving yourself away.

A different side of the UK [vid]

Oceans and Castles from Benjamin Dowie on Vimeo.

EVEN BEING THE ANGLOPHILE that I am, I still often forget how big of a country the United Kingdom is. There are so many cities and villages beyond London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff, and sometimes I wonder how I didn’t get to see them all when I lived in there. But then again, with a land mass size that is slightly smaller than the state of Oregon, I guess I wouldn’t really have had time.

This video is great because it shows a side of the United Kingdom most people don’t get to see — unpopulated seashores, bright green highland mountains, less famous castles, and some pretty scary roads. Cheers to filmmaker and editor Benjamin Dowie, for helping me substitute that trip to Brighton with some less crowded beach fronts.

America’s nostalgia for aristocracy

Photo: Carnival Films and Masterpiece

It used to be you couldn’t throw a stick in an Oxford quadrangle without hitting a posh, white, Eton-prepped young man. These days, though, you’re just as likely to hit a middle-class girl from Nottingham, sleep-deprived and lugging a backpack, on her way to economics class.

It’s clear that modern Americans love the idea of British royalty. From a national obsession with Downton Abbey to a desire for those “oh-so lovely accents,” the aristocratic days sure seem dandy to us; and yet, this kind of aristocracy has all but disappeared in the Old Country.

Oxford, Cambridge, and Eton each have “Diversity” webpages, and their once-impossible-to-penetrate wrought-iron gates have been flung open to anyone from any social class from any country. Prestigious, $100,000-per-year boarding schools like Le Rosey have finally begun to dole out hefty scholarships. Hunting outings are now team-building corporate events. A ski trip in the Alps isn’t all that unusual for the upper-middle-class student studying abroad in Europe. (In fact, she probably also goes sailing in the West Indies with her consultant/corporate lawyer/oil maven father during Spring Break.)

The password for entry into the elite class is no longer “monarchy,” it’s “meritocracy.” Put another way, success is based on your A-levels, not your surname.

But is it really a bad thing that the nouveau riche have co-opted the activities, schools, and places once reserved only for aristocratic elites? As good Americans, we’re inclined to say, “Of course not! Opportunity and equality for all!” Aristocrats are handed their privilege — the new elites have been savvy enough to find a way to earn their advantages.

And yet we still perversely adore the social stratification of elites, the fancy table settings (so much so that, as Chrystia Freeland points out, the show’s Facebook page teaches you how to make a Downton-style table runner), and the haute couture fashion shows; and many of us still hold fast to the values of the Edwardian aristocrat: of leisure over work, of charity and noblesse oblige.

The reason for this disenchantment with the newly rich is simple: There’s been a sea change in what it means to be an elite, and nearly everyone — especially the middle and lower classes — laments the loss of dignity and inherited money of the old elites. Why? Because it has been replaced by the modern, money-above-all plutocrat who creates offshore tax havens and thinks not of his fellow human but of his fellow shareholder. In a story of aristocrat versus modern plutocrat, the aristocrat invariably comes out as the good guy.

Why we most enjoy reading about or watching TV shows on these aristocrats, though, is because, as Waugh described, they eventually suffered.

In Brideshead Revisited — a tale of a middle-class Londoner who befriends an aristocrat and sees his family’s privilege diminish between the two World Wars — Evelyn Waugh rather angrily writes, in reference to the aristocrats, “These men must die to make a world for Hooper…so that things might be safe for the travelling salesman, with his polygonal pince-nez, his fat, wet handshake, his grinning dentures.”

“Travelling salesman” seems to be how many people now perceive the super rich, jet-setting elite. They’re always off to new locales and new meetings to determine how to extract yet more wealth; and, even when they do head off to do something that would seem to be a form of noblesse oblige, it is often bloated and laughably extravagant.

Take, for instance, the World Economic Forum, which happened between January 22nd and 25th this year in the resort area of Davos, Switzerland. One of the main goals of the conference was to bring together the world’s business leaders to find a way to make a positive impact on the world’s poorest countries. In theory, it was a conference about fixing income inequality. What ended up happening — and what often happens at these sorts of events — was that the conference functioned only as a place where executives got to make business deals with the globe’s top players. That, and getting in a few good ski runs.

An article in The Daily Beast noted, “Once the conference was in full swing, few people talked and even fewer seemed to care, about inequality. Indeed, they appeared to be living it, loving it, and laughing about it.”

The destruction of aristocrats doesn’t do away with unjustly privileged elites; it only puts new, more obnoxious and self-centered elites into power. We miss the days of British aristocracy for its beautiful furniture and cutlery and gorgeous castles — all the usual, rather vain, reasons.

Yet, we’re also nostalgic for it because it was, at least as we perceive it today, a time and place where good elites flourished. These aristocrats had money, but it was neither obtained through nefarious means nor did it overtly hurt the lower classes. Why we most enjoy reading about or watching TV shows on these aristocrats, though, is because, as Waugh described, they eventually suffered. The middle class took the reins of power when industrialization was in full swing. And while rising capitalists never gained a comparable social status to aristocrats, the cleverest gained comparable wealth.

Meritocracy is certainly an improvement from inherited wealth and status, and everyone agrees that equality and opportunity should be hallmarks of any self-respecting society. All that today’s super rich have done is simply take advantage of these opportunities. It’s just that, in taking advantage of these opportunities, summits like the World Economic Forum show that the global elite have also taken advantage of people. So while you can’t fault today’s super capitalists, it’s still a shame that along with the Ladies and Lords, a sense of understanding, of charity, of noblesse oblige for the lower classes, had to also disappear with the last aristocrats.

This article originally appeared at Thought Catalog and is republished here with permission.

10 cool spots in western Brazil

WHENEVER I LOOKED at a map of Brazil, my eyes were drawn west. Why? My guidebook devoted only a handful of pages to Brazil’s second largest state, Mato Grosso, concentrating on Cuiabá (the capital), the Pantanal wetlands, and Guimarães National Park. I wasn’t convinced. Such a large region, I thought, there must be something more to explore. Besides, if we didn’t like it we could simply turn around and return east, couldn’t we?

My partner Coen and I ended up traveling in Mato Grosso for five months. Few people spoke English; our Portuguese was limited. Apart from the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, there was no tourist infrastructure of note. Yet we were overwhelmed by all there was to discover. Along with extraordinary natural scenery and wildlife, outdoor adventures, and historic culture, this visit gave us some insight into the lives of the region’s indigenous people, as well as the cattle breeding and soya and corn production that’s helping fuel Brazil’s behemoth of an economy.

All photos by MatadorU graduate Coen Wubbels.

1

Campo Novo do Parecis: Rappelling down waterfalls

A two-hour drive from Cuiabá, two of Mato Grosso's largest waterfalls lie in the Indigenous Reserve of Utiariti: the Utiariti Waterfall and the Salto Belo Waterfall, both of which draw rappellers. You need a guide and permission to enter the reserve, which you can organize in Campo Novo do Parecis at the Prefeitura. Also, the nearby Rio Sacre and Rio Verde are two of Mato Grosso's rivers suitable for rafting.

2

Quatro Cachoeiras: Visiting an indigenous community

From Campo Novo do Parecis, you can also organize a tour to Quatro Cachoeiras ("Four Waterfalls"). Visiting this indigenous village taught us much about the struggle of indigenous groups who are transitioning from their ancient way of life into the modern world. The chief Narciso Kazoizax explained to us how he wanted to hold on to his culture, whereas his kids and grandkids are no longer interested in doing so; in his traditional oca (a hut made of palm leaves) the television blared and the fridge hummed while cassava was cooked on an open wood fire outside.

3

Sapezal: Agrotourism + technotourism

In Mato Grosso, there's a constant conflict between indigenous groups trying to hold on to their land and Brazilian farmers running major agricultural operations looking for more to grow their soya, corn, and cotton. Sapezal has a Rota Agricultura, mostly for farmers but also for other travelers. What's available on this Agricultural Route depends on the season and your interest, but possible options are: visiting a cotton factory or a sunflower plantation, and watching the processing of rice, beans, and/or popcorn. Sapezal's technotourism is related to the hydroelectric dams on the Juruena River. Check with the Prefeitura for more information.

Intermission




2
Meet the 12 host cities of World Cup 2014, Brazil
by Karin-Marijke Vis



4
25 natural wonders that will inspire you to explore
by Hal Amen



69
12 places where you will feel absolutely dwarfed by nature
by Hal Amen












4

Cristalino Jungle Lodge (Alta Floresta): Wildlife

In 2013, the Cristalino Jungle Lodge was selected as one of National Geographic Traveler's 25 Best Ecolodges. The lodge is located in Cristalino’s Private National Heritage Reserve on the southern edge of the Brazilian Amazon, north of Alta Floresta. The reserve is home to 600 bird species, 2,000 butterfly species, and other diverse wildlife, which can be seen from some 20km of hiking trails, on boat rides on the Cristalino River, and at sunrise from a 60-meter observation tower. Bonus: The acidity of the Cristalino River keeps mosquitoes away.

5

Campo Verde: Visiting an MST community

MST stands for Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra. The Landless Workers’ Movement occupies pieces of land and subsequently claims them. Some believe this is the only way to force rich people to give up land and share it with the poor, whereas others, not surprisingly, see it as theft. Unfortunately, violence has too often become part of the struggle. In Campo Verde, there are a couple of MST communities from the early days that are considered to practice the 'right' way of how MST should work. They have grown into successful assentamentos, such as a tropical flower plantation and a farm cultivating and processing cassava. As you will need a guide to visit the assentamentos, check with a travel agency in Campo Verde or the Prefeitura.

6

Bom Jardim: Outdoor adventures

The region northeast of Mato Grosso's capital Cuiabá is home to limestone caves (Cerquinha and Duto do Quebó), the waterfall of Porta das Pedras, streams great for snorkeling among thousands of fish (Reino Encantado and Aquário Encantado), nests with blue-and-yellow macaws that you can watch from up close, and, when open to the public, Lagoa Salobão, which is a unique diving spot. To get to these places you need a permit, which you can obtain in Bom Jardim; they cap the number of people per day to minimize disruption of the natural areas.

7

Barra do Garças: UFO spotting

Barra do Garças has the world's first official UFO airport (called a Porto Disco Voadores). According to the mystic visions of Dom Bosco, the nearby beautiful Serra Roncador Mountains will be the home of a new civilization, which will rise up in the third millennium. Until that happens, just enjoy the hiking trails. In 1925, the mountains were also witness to the mysterious disappearance of the legendary British explorer Col. Percy H. Fawcett, which will be the theme of The Lost City of Z, a movie that filmmaker James Gray has been planning to make for years.

8

Rondon Telegraph Route: Digging into history

Around 1900, Mato Grosso was finally connected with Brazil's commercial center in the southeast of the country (Rio de Janeiro) through the construction of telegraph stations. It was the military officer Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, also known as Marechal Rondon, who was in charge of this groundbreaking work, which made him a hero among Brazilians. The telegraph station near Barra do Garças has been beautifully preserved, while the Campo Verde telegraph station was reconstructed in 2009 (situated in Assentamento Taperinha Capim Branco). Other museums dedicated to Rondon's work are in Cáceres (Palácio da Instruçao, or the Museum of History) and in Cuiabá (the Rondon Museum, or Museo do Indio).

9

Vila Bela de Trindade: Hiking

In the Ricardo Franco Mountain Range, you can hike the easy trail to the Cascata dos Namorados (Valentine's Waterfall) and take a refreshing dip in its pool. A much more difficult waterfall to reach is Cascata do Jatobá, which can only be found with a guide. The arduous but extraordinary hike leads through cerrado and jungle and over often hardly discernible trails. The Jatobá Waterfall tumbles down from a vertical canyon wall that is home to many birds that roost in the rock. It's also a good spot from which to watch red-and-green macaws. Wear hiking boots and long pants. Other outdoor activities in the area include canyoning the tributaries of the Guaporé River, and spotting pink dolphins.

10

Jaciara: Rock paintings

There are quite a number of ancient rock paintings in west Brazil, but most lie on private property and can't be visited. Jaciara is a pleasant exception. Vale de Perdida is private property but can be accessed if you find a guide (ask around for Nerida, recommended). The Prefeitura is a good place to start. If you're interested, go now, as there is no money to conserve most of these rock paintings and climate change and pollution are contributing to a rapid deterioration and subsequent disappearance of this ancient art.

Signs you've been in China too long

Photo: Héctor García

1. You greet people by saying, “Have you eaten yet?”

A typical Chinese way to say hi is “Chi le mei?” which means, “Have you eaten yet?” Like “How are you?” in English, this is a question not really requiring a literal answer. So often you’ll tell someone you’ve already eaten over the roar of your growling, empty stomach.

2. You consider it a compliment when a Chinese person remarks that you’ve gained weight, and you catch yourself saying the same thing to others.

In traditional Chinese culture, the chubbier a person is, the more prosperous and healthy he or she is deemed to be. So a comment about your weight, especially coming from elderly Chinese, is not meant to tell you to lay off the fatty pork belly.

But in general, people in China can be pretty frank with comments about other people’s physical appearance. You know you’ve been in China too long when the first thing out of your mouth on seeing an old friend is an exclamation about his or her weight.

3. You break out your umbrella on sunny days to avoid getting tan.

People in China consider darker skin a sign of a peasant background, while lighter skin means high status in that you haven’t had to labor outside. As unfair as it is, women with darker skin are considered less attractive. Skin whitening products are a multi-billion-dollar industry in China. The latest trend to hit beachwear is the facekini, which is essentially a big sock you wear over your head with a few slits for your eyes, nose, and mouth.

4. You know how to gracefully drink tea with the leaves floating around in your cup.

For people in China, drinking tea made in teabag form is akin to drinking instant coffee in the US. It just doesn’t cut it once you’ve had the real thing. You’ve learned how to drink tea with loose leaves floating around without choking on them or being forced to chew them down. You know it’s all in the way you use your teeth as a strainer. And you know that yellowed teeth are an unfortunate byproduct of your tea snobbery.

5. You’re no longer color blind.

Red denotes good luck, fortune, and happiness in China. Traditional Chinese wedding outfits are red. Red envelopes are used to give out money during Chinese New Year. You know that people in China don’t shy away from wearing red during holidays or celebrations.

You also know white is the color of mourning and death, and you avoid wearing white in your hair as it means a relative has passed away. You know there are all kinds of exceptions (brides in China now wear Western-style white gowns), but you do your best to be color sensitive, especially when there are elderly Chinese in the mix.

6. You wince when your non-Chinese friends pour soy sauce over their rice.

That’s a lao wai (foreigner) rookie move, for sure. You know soy sauce is only used for cooking or as a dip, never as a condiment to pour over anything…especially anything in an expensive restaurant.

7. You find yourself serving others at meals, especially anyone older than you.

The most important rule in Chinese eating culture is to serve others before serving yourself. You know that if you want a piece of shrimp, you’ve got to serve the shrimp to the folks around you before you serve yourself. And if there is only one shrimp left, you’re out of luck unless somebody serves it to you. The elderly get first dibs on anything — that’s a sign of your respect. So naturally, you can’t wait to be the oldie at the table.

8. You would never think of visiting anyone without bringing a gift. And when someone brings you a gift, you would never think of opening it in front of them.

You know that when visiting someone’s home for the first time, you should bring a token of appreciation. You also know the receiver will make a big deal about the gift, thanking you profusely and fussing over it, but that it will be put away and not be opened in front of you. You know that to open a gift in front of the giver puts you both at risk of an embarrassing moment in the event the gift is lame or is a blatant re-gift.

9. You avoid unlucky numbers like 4, and will pay extra for addresses, phone numbers, and license plates with lucky numbers like 8.

The Chinese are crazy about lucky and unlucky numbers. They plan weddings, important meetings, and vacations around lucky dates. The word for “eight” sounds like the word “prosperous,” so people will pay extra for phone numbers and license plates with that number in it. The word for “four” sounds like “death,” so people will refuse to live on the fourth floor or have an address with that number included.

10. You always take your shoes off when entering someone’s house.

In China (as in many parts of Asia), people never wear their shoes inside their homes. Instead, you’ll notice a shoe rack just by the door. You know you’ve been in China too long if you think more about the look of your socks or stockings than your shoes. Or, if you can’t bear to take off your Manolo Blahniks, you bring your own shoe covers.

11. You find yourself speaking in cryptic, four-character Chinese phrases.

The Chinese language is filled with lots of clever plays on words that serve to frustrate the beginning language learner. Four-word phrases, or chengyu, are idioms that reference ancient literature but may not always be understandable in a literal sense.

For example, “jiǔ niú yì máo” literally means “nine cows and one strand of cow hair.” But what it really means is “an insignificant number.” These phrases roll off your tongue effortlessly now, and you begin to think English is just so…blah in comparison.

12. You’ve had a serious conversation with your doctor about the color, density, and shape of your poop.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the stool is analyzed as a way to holistically understand a person’s health. You may find your TCM doctor asking you how dry or moist your poop is, and whether or not it smells fishy. Your doctor may prescribe herbal treatments if you’re deemed to have too much “heat” or “dampness” in your body. So now you habitually take a good look before your flush.

25 artful images of Oakland, CA

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1

Art+Soul

Just this past weekend, thousands came out for the annual Art+Soul Festival in downtown Oakland. Between the live music, BBQ throwdown, dance troupes, local art exhibits, and other high-flying performances, there was a hell of a lot going on in this vibrant area of the city.

Photo: Greg Linhares, Omni Source Images

2

The Bay Bridge, reimagined

The largest public works project in California history wrapped up last year, in which an attractive self-anchored suspension bridge (lit above) was constructed to serve as the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, connecting Oakland to Yerba Buena Island. Among the span's many impressive attributes (including being considered the widest bridge in the world) is that, for the first time, it provides access to pedestrians and cyclists to traverse the Bay.

Photo: Darrell Sano

3

Oakland Rotunda

Built in 1914 to house Kahn's Department Store (architect: Charles William Dickey), the Rotunda Building is now an upscale event space and sought-after wedding venue in downtown Oakland. The centerpiece of the structure, the dome, is 120 feet high and measures 5,000 square feet.

Photo: Brooke Anderson

Read more: 18 reasons everyone cool and creative is moving to Oakland




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Fox Theater

Oakland is home to several vintage theaters that have been going strong since the Golden Age of film. After undergoing extensive renovation work beginning in 1996, the Fox Theater on Telegraph Ave reopened to much fanfare in 2009. In addition to serving as a venue for national music acts, the Fox is also home to the Oakland School for the Arts, a charter school for students grades 6-12.

Photo: @VisitOakland

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Oakland Museum of California

Located just south of Lake Merritt, OMCA houses exhibits of all kinds within a striking modern structure that combines indoor and outdoors spaces. The cool thing about this site is that it doesn't stick to one discipline—you can check out top-notch art as well as displays on the history, nature, and science of California all in one visit. Stop by on Friday evenings to enjoy half-price admission as well as a range of local food trailers and music acts.

Photo by Jason Lew, courtesy of OMCA

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"Going Away, Coming Home"

This 160ft glass mural depicting swans in flight was created by local artist Hung Liu. Installed in 2006, it still graces Terminal 2 of the Oakland International Airport, between gates 26 and 32.

Photo: Sonny Abesamis

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Tribune Tower

One of the defining features of the Oakland skyline, the Tribune Tower was built in 1923 with heavy influences from St. Mark's Campanile in Venice. At 300 feet high, it's easily spotted from many areas of the city.

Photos: Hitchster, Victor R. Ruiz

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Art + car

This shot was captured during Oakland Art Murmur, the local First Friday art happening, when galleries throw open their doors to the public and performances spill out into the street. The event started on Telegraph Ave back in 2006 and now encompasses multiple areas in and around downtown. If you're in Oakland on the first Friday of the month, you won't get a better chance to infiltrate the city's art scene.

Photo: Ganesha Balunsat

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Oakland Mormon Temple

The Oakland California Temple was one of the earliest operating temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's somewhat unique, in that its five-spired design features Oriental influences. It was designed by Harold W. Burton, built in 1964, and is located in the Oakland Hills with great views of the city and bay.

Photo: Jake Spurlock

Read more: 20 things you didn't know about Oakland




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Water Writes mural

Water Writes is a series of 10 murals created by the Estria Foundation in cities all over the world to highlight issues around water conservation. Oakland is home to the first mural in the series—find it at Broadway and 21st. You can also watch a sweet video about the project and the community effort that went into the mural.

Photo: Sonny Abesamis

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Paramount Theatre, exterior

Another of Oakland's historic theaters, the Paramount is located on Broadway between 20th and 21st. It dates to around the same era as the Fox, but today is used for events ranging from performances of the Oakland East Bay Symphony to lecture series to screenings of classic films.
Photo: BWChicago

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Paramount Theatre, interior

While the exterior's tile mosaic is certainly special, it's inside where the Paramount really shines. No expense was spared on the construction of this "movie palace," and today you can still see the gold walls, Italian marble, and hand-sculpted teak and oak details that, somehow, were once considered synonymous with the cinema.

Photo: BWChicago

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American Steel Studios

American Steel Studios is an artists' collective that's set up shop in once-abandoned warehouses in West Oakland. They run internships, put on events and performances, and are involved with many of the monumental creations that are found at Burning Man each year.

Photo: @VisitOakland

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Oakland City Hall, exterior

The architecture firm Palmer & Hornbostel designed Oakland's City Hall in 1910, and it was built four years later. At the time, this 320ft-high, three-tier, Beaux-Arts-style tower was the tallest building west of the Mississippi. Find it at 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland.

Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin

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Oakland City Hall, interior

The black and white marble of City Hall's interior make for a grand entrance to the city's seat of government. The building was put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Photo: Greg Linhares, Omni Source Images

Read more: A 7-day guide to Oakland nightlife




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Mausoleum door, Mountain View Cemetery

Situated in the East Bay Hills above town, Mountain View Cemetery is actually a really cool place to visit on account of its views. During the day, you'll find locals spread out on the grass, picnicking or just hanging out. The cemetery has been in operation since the mid-1800s, and many notable (and wealthy) Californians have been laid to rest in stately mausoleums like this one.

Photo: Sonny Abesamis

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Oakland Art Murmur

Art Murmur isn't restricted to gallery spaces. Downtown streets come alive on the first Friday of the month, with vendor booths, performance artists, live music, and food trucks.

Photo: Sonny Abesamis

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Grand Lake Theater, exterior

The Grand Lake Theater opened in 1926. Its exterior is dominated by a huge illuminated sign on the roof. The Grand Lake remains in business today and is considered one of the premier vintage theaters in the nation.

Photo: Gail Edwin-Fielding

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Grand Lake Theater, interior

The interior of the Grand Lake is Art Deco in style, carefully restored by the theater's current owners. It might be the only theater in the US to feature both a 3D projection system and a vintage Wurlitzer organ (which is used for short concerts prior to showings on weekend evenings).

Photo: BWChicago

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Cathedral of Christ the Light

This Roman Catholic Cathedral was built 2005-2008 to replace Saint Francis de Sales, which was damaged beyond repair in the earthquake of 1989. Taking advantage of modern design sensibilities, the building (architect: Craig W. Hartman) features bright open spaces surrounded by wood and glass. Tours are available Mon-Fri.

Photo: joevare

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Dunsmuir House and Gardens

Dating to 1899, this Neoclassical-Revival 37-room mansion is located just south of the Oakland Zoo and can be rented for weddings, parties, and other events.

Photo: @VisitOakland

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Cheemah Monument, Jack London Square

Since 2002, Oakland's Jack London Square has been the site of the third installation of the International Cheemah Monument Project. According to its website, the project "is working towards the placement of these meaningful and inspiring public monuments that turn people's thoughts to hope, self-responsibility and a more sustained and widespread honoring of all the people of the world."

Photo: Kai Schreiber

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Legendary Palace

Today, Oakland's Chinatown is an important part of the city's pan-Asian heritage—Korean, Japanese, Thai, Cambodian, Filipino, etc., in addition to Chinese. At over 40 square blocks, there's plenty to see, though the iconic Legendary Palace restaurant might score as one of the top landmarks.

Photo: Greg Linhares, Omni Source Images

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Montclair Village mural

Located in the Oakland Hills, between Highway 24 and Joaquin Miller Rd., Montclair is a neighborhood of green spaces and upscale real estate...and understated street art.

Photo: Sonny Abesamis

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Love Oakland

The one thing that unites all neighborhoods and all peoples of Oakland is pride in the city they call home.

Photo: Celine Nadeau

This post is proudly produced in partnership with our friends at Visit Oakland. Find us on social and use the hashtag #oaklandloveit to share your Oakland story.

8 travel lessons from the classroom

Photo: Montgomery County Planning Commission

1. Nobody cares that you knew the place when it was            [more 'authentic,' undiscovered, etc].

High-school students don’t care that the riff in Rihanna’s “SOS” originally came from Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love.” Mentioning that I grew up during the 1980s and listened to the original on a Walkman doesn’t impress teenagers. Not at all. It’s also not a big deal to them that I composed my papers on a typewriter and used whiteout to ‘delete’ my mistakes. What they take in? “Blah, blah, blah, I’m old.”

Nostalgia’s great, but sharing details in a tone that makes everything sound better, more authentic, or harder in your days of yore doesn’t fly. Basically, teenagers can’t relate, and you end up sounding somewhat bitter. You lose them at, “When I…”

Teens and travelers aren’t so different. Most people don’t want to hear that you experienced the cooler or more ‘real’ version of            before tourists came and ruined it. Also, mentioning that you traveled before the internet and travel apps were around always seems to elicit glazed expressions.

2. It’s okay to crack; just remember to say you’re sorry.

It happens. It’s a hot day; I’m tired; I’m an American exchange teacher, and my Australian ninth graders aren’t listening to directions. Then, one kid relentlessly tells me how “bloody unfair” I am for taking points off his assignment because he didn’t have his name on it. I react by saying: “Just put your f**king name on the paper, Zack!”

At the end of class, after I apologized for my outburst to Zack and the rest of my ninth graders, they responded like this: “No dramas, Miss, we say f**k all the time.” And Zack’s response was: “Actually, Miss, I was being a bit of a wanker.”

The same goes for traveling. Experiencing heinous humidity, jet lag, miscommunications, missed trains, and culture shock can build up and prompt us to lose it on someone, whether it be a travel companion, a train ticketing clerk, or a street vendor. It happens — we’re human. But we shouldn’t forget to apologize for a travel-weary tirade.

3. Your attitude sets the tone in your classroom.

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made with a class was starting off the year with lots of sarcasm. Teenagers can dish it out, but they can’t always take it. It was challenging to establish trust with my students or get a convivial vibe going, since they thought I was always making fun of them.

A trip is what you make of it. Travel is an adventure, and you’ll encounter the unexpected regularly. Mishaps and misadventures are bound to happen, and it’s our attitude with these experiences that can make or break the journey. For example, if you end up in the wrong car on the TGV from Paris to the south of France, and the only seating option is a cramped, metal slatted luggage rack, laugh and take a selfie.

4. Just because you know how to flush a toilet in your own country doesn’t mean you’ll know how to do it in another.

As an exchange teacher, I thought I’d have no problem teaching English in Australia. I’d taught in the US for nine years. Americans and Aussies speak the same language and share the same semantics and grammar rules, right? Not always.

Australians, I discovered, have one main connotation for “period,” and that would be menstruation — not a punctuation mark that ends a sentence. A “full stop” does that in Oz. That’s problematic for an American English teacher who’s trying to teach kids to avoid run-on sentences by using proper punctuation. You can imagine what kind of reaction you get after telling Aussie eighth graders they need to work on their commas and periods.

5. Laughing at yourself is key.

A teacher will rarely survive without a sense of humor. Making mistakes and having embarrassing moments are inevitable (see lesson 4 above). Whether it’s accidentally spitting on an overhead projector and having my saliva magnified on screen, or beginning my syllabus with the typo (“Pubic Speaking” in bold letters), I’ve made some mistakes that deserve to be made fun of. The kids are definitely going to make fun of me; I’ve learned it’s better to bring the ridicule on myself.

Humor is an international icebreaker. You inquire about rooms at a Rotterdam hotel and find out the rates are charged by the hour. Instead of saying you’re very “tired” (cansada) in Spanish, you inform total strangers you’re very “married” (casada). Find the humor, and laugh with the locals.

6. It usually doesn’t matter how well you’ve planned.

I can spend hours trying to perfect a lesson plan only to discover that it crashes and burns in the classroom. Or circumstances beyond my control put the kibosh on it. For example, I’ve organized an online scavenger hunt only to have the internet go down indefinitely.

According to a study by Thomas L. Good and Jere E. Brophy, authors of Looking into Classrooms, teachers are confronted with 1,000 decision points per day. Consequently, sometimes I have to jettison my original agenda and wing it.

Being flexible is essential for successful travel. If I miss getting off the ferry at Mykonos because I’m taking zillions of photos of the island’s stunning whitewashed buildings, I know it’s time to check out what my Greece guidebook says about Tinos, the next stop.

7. Sometimes you have to prove yourself.

Teenagers are a tough crowd. As inherent eye rollers and loud sighers, they’re not afraid to let it be known when I’m not reaching them. It’s important to pay attention to what they already know, to find out what they need to know, to listen to feedback, and to take into account their learning styles.

Teenagers, naturally, will size you up. So will travelers and locals. It may take a while to win over a new group of people. You may be up against negative stereotypes of your nationality. But being receptive to people, trying to communicate, and learning the local customs will go a long way.

8. You need to care.

Teaching teenagers would be miserable if I didn’t like them. They can be insufferable, dramatic, feral, and all-around nightmares, but, of course, those pulsating hormones have something to do with it. Also, some students have horrific lives at home. School can be a safe haven, and I know I might be the only person who acknowledges them. Getting to know students, along with valuing their thoughts, opinions, and contributions, is part of the deal.

Finally, it’s critical to have passion for what I teach. If I’m not enthusiastic about Gothic literature from the 1800s or free-verse poetry, chances are my students aren’t going to be psyched on those topics either.

With regard to travel, why spend time in a location if you don’t care about the land, language, culture, or people? Yes, some places can be challenging and, initially, may leave an unfavorable impression, but it’s still important to be open-minded and give the area a chance. Do some research, learn some facts, and practice useful phrases that’ll help you appreciate a place.

And about the passion for travel — if you don’t have it, it’s probably time to book a return ticket home.

How to ruin your trip to Florence

Photo: Artur Staszewski

Only shop on Via Tornabuoni.

Florence has some great shopping, but head to Via Tornabuoni or any of the shops that line the Piazza del Duomo and you’re sure to pay extra for the location.

Locals don’t like paying for designer labels, so take a cue from them and do your shopping at the markets. The best one is the Ciompi Market in Piazza dei Ciompi. Unlike most of the markets that are only open on certain days, Ciompi is open Monday through Saturday, 9am to 7pm, as well as the last Sunday of the month.

Come in the summer.

It’s not worth it. With scorching hot days, swarms of mosquitoes, and even bigger swarms of tourists, sightseeing in summer is almost a surefire way to ruin your day. The locals who know better escape to the hills or seaside instead.

Springtime is perfect because you can enjoy the city’s gardens and a more moderate temperature, or come for the winter holidays to see the Christmas lights and the famous Santa Croce Christmas Market. In any season besides summer, you’re sure to have less crowds and more peace.

Order the wrong food.

Each region in Italy has its own unique cuisine. Florence is home to Tuscan food, which is definitely different from what you’d eat in Rome. Don’t screw up your trip by ordering basic tourist dishes like pasta al pomodoro, or worse, a salad.

Most classic Florentine meals are simple dishes with a rustic flavor. Try an antipasto of crostini di fegato, thin slices of lightly toasted bread spread with a chicken liver pate. For a primo, try the ragù al cinghiale (pasta with wild boar sauce) or tagliatelle al tartufo (pasta covered in a truffle sauce), a specialty found nearly exclusively in Tuscany.

Afterward, split a bistecca fiorentina with a friend. This mammoth T-bone steak is so thick it’s cooked on its front, back, and side and usually weighs three to four pounds. For the best fiorentina, head to the Trattoria Bordino in Oltrarno.

Use the Ponte Vecchio to actually cross the river.

The Ponte Vecchio is beautiful, a historic landmark, and filled with interesting people, but that doesn’t make it a particularly useful bridge. Connecting the city center with Oltrarno, the bridge also houses the Vasari Corridor, connecting the ancient Pitti Palace with the Uffizi Gallery and Palazzo Vecchio so that the nobles wouldn’t have to walk among the common folk. But even today, you won’t find an Italian on the overcrowded bridge.

Go at least once around sunset to check out the jewelry shops and the beautiful view of the Arno, then stick around to listen to the live music that starts after nightfall. After that, use one of the nearby parallel bridges if you actually need to get somewhere.

Wait in line to climb the Duomo.

If you don’t have a lot of time in the city, climbing the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo’s cupola is definitely not worth it. The Duomo is magnificent, and the view from the top is mesmerizing, but it’s not the only place to catch an awesome view of the city. Skip hours of waiting in the sun, and use the time to hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo for a more relaxed, definitely more satisfying, and free view of Florence. Or, if you have a longer day, take the #7 bus from the train station to Fiesole, a city that sits in the hills above Florence, for a more romantic view.

If you’re still dead set on climbing the Duomo, you’ll likely be able to skip the line if it’s November and you get there at least half an hour before it opens at 8:30am.

Neglect Oltrarno.

Oltrarno, or “the other side of the Arno,” is the neighborhood located across the Arno River, away from the city center. Home to the Boboli Gardens, Palazzo Pitti, and Piazzale Michelangelo, it’s also a vibrant neighborhood with some great shopping. Once the artisan quarter of Florence, it’s still home to dozens of workshops and studios.

You can spend hours talking with the artisans, or shopping for real products from Florence (instead of the mass-produced ones at San Lorenzo Market). The Sarubbi Brothers on Sdrucciolo dei Pitti create handmade prints and hand-drawn maps, or visit Monaco Metropolitana on Via Ramaglianti to learn what it takes to make leather shoes and purses.