Posts tagged as:

comfort

Land Yachts vs. Pup Tents

by Keith on October 28, 2010 · 3 comments

Granite countertops, plasma TVs and plush leather seats were just a couple of the amenities we caught glimpses of through open doors and windows on the massive RVs parked in the campgrounds where Amy and I pitched our tent.  And while we were out west with cool, relatively bug-free nights, I did not miss all those creature comforts.   The freedom and flexibility of a tent was great.  And you can’t pull an RV up to a site with this view.

However, once we crossed back over the Great Mississippi and pulled up to the KOA outside Lexington, I have to admit the heat and humidity, not to mention the noise of crowded campground, had me curious as to what these massive land yachts cost.

As luck would have it, the campground was just down the road from the Tom Stinnett RV Freedom Center, home to the region’s largest indoor RV showroom.  After our amazing experience with KEA Campers in Australia, I was curious to find out more about the RV lifestyle here in the States.   The sign at the front door seemed promising.

We asked the salesman to direct us to the most expensive model they had.  My approach was to see the top of the line, and then work my way back to reality.   The top of the line was a 2007 Mountain Aire (the extra “e” on Air added at least $20,000 to the price).   This 45-foot (13.7 meter) behemoth lists for a mere $446,301.

But look at that interior: marble floors, hardwood cabinets, leather sofa.  It is quite nice and very comfortable.  When I asked the salesman about gas mileage he laughed and said “low.”

This was the opposite of the highly functional and efficient KEA camper we fell in love with in Australia.  But this is not exactly a fair comparison.  The consumer that is considering the Mountain Aire is not the same consumer that would have been happy with our KEA.  So we went in search of something fairly equivalent.    Despite our best efforts, however, we were not able to find anything that was more modestly priced and still had the quality finishes and ingeniously efficient design we came to appreciate in the KEA.

The pull behind pop-ups seemed the closest option but they were a serious step below that of the KEA.

Overall, I think that our REI Quarter Dome T3 tent is a great value and while it does not have a plasma TV, if I want to watch TV, I think I will just stay home.

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The Truth About Travel in China – Part Three: People

by Amy on May 18, 2010 · 5 comments

This post is part of a series on our experiences while traveling independently in China. Click here to read Part One: Language and here to read Part Two: Food

The people are pushy and rude.  And you can forget about personal space.Sorry, folks, but after nearly a month in China I can tell you that there is no way around this one.  You will be pushed.  You will be cut off.  And that cute old grandma over there?  She’ll throw you an elbow in a heartbeat if you come between her and that bus.

You will also have your Western sense of personal space violated in any and every crowded public space.  We experienced this for hours on end during our two days standing in line at the World Expo in Shanghai. If there is an inch of space between you and person behind you, the line is too drawn out. Instead of withdrawing from contact, it seems to be sought after.

And it wasn’t just us. While eating lunch outside the Terra Cotta Warriors museum in Xi’an, we witnessed what to us was the most bizarre scene.  A young Chinese woman is sitting on bench eating her lunch.  Other empty, equally shaded, equally scenic benches surround her.  Along come three elderly Chinese women, who all decide that it is time for a rest.  The three of them squeeze onto the bench where the young woman is eating her lunch.  The young woman packs up her lunch and moves the 3 meters to the next bench to eat her lunch in peace.  Thirty seconds later, the elderly women leave.

So how do you deal with the constant chaos and touchy strangers? We decided that rather than get upset about what is really nothing more than different cultural norms, to take the approach of cultural anthropologists and make stuff up about why the Chinese do what they do.  Rubbing up against us?  Must be that touching a Westerner is good luck.  Cars that plow into crowded crosswalks?  Perhaps they are just doing their part for population control.   Rushing the gate at the airport as soon as it looks like they might begin boarding?  Everyone is so excited to be flying for the first time they cannot wait another minute.

Adjusting you perspective is the key to enjoying your time in China.  You are not going to instill Western norms of personal space in the 1.3 billion Chinese.  So instead of having them wonder why that white person (you) is so upset standing on the crowded subway, stand back (in the arms of a stranger) and enjoy the ride.

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Friends in Great Places

by Keith on April 30, 2010 · 3 comments

Gratuitous use of a baby picture

Friends are great, and I think that ours are some of the best.   But friends with spare bedrooms in Hong Kong are amazing!   Since we are traveling and living off savings for a year, it is nothing short of a miracle that I have a friend with a spare bedroom in one of the most expensive cities in the world.  The hospitality of my friend Mike, his wonderful wife Danae and their 9 month old, super smiley daughter Isla was amazing.  After 7 months of sleeping in hostels, hotels, buses, trains and even boats, the break of staying with friends in their home was a welcome one.  I can barely put into words the joy that unrestricted and free access to a nice washer and dryer brought to Amy and me.  Beyond top rate lodging, the Niederbergers, who have been expats in Hong Kong for the last 7 years, showed us a side of Hong Kong that I am not sure we would have seen on our own.  The first taste Mike had waiting for me however was not a local one.

As my previous post on beer indicated, I have generally been less than impressed with the local brews.  So my mouth watered as Mike brought out of his fridge ice cold Yuengling Lagers, smuggled back from his last trip home to Pittsburgh.   This was just the start of a very fun weekend in one of Hong Kong’s great nightlife areas, Lan Kwai Fong.  The great hospitality did not stop with the nightlife.

On a misty Sunday morning the 5 of us hiked the Dragon’s Back,  a 6k trail that runs along the lush green hills on the south part of the island.  It was hard to believe that this vast green natural space was only a 10 minute taxi ride from the dense urban center of Hong Kong.   At the end of the hike we stopped for lunch and a beer or two in Shek O, a small coastal town at the very Southern tip of Hong Kong island.  The beach bar there even had a special on Brooklyn Lager for only 20HKD (~$2.60), which in Hong Kong is practically free.  By this point I was getting spoiled on good American beers and the expat lifestyle.

At 7 months into our trip this was a great thing.   With our arrival in China, Amy and I have started to feel the pull East from across the Pacific.  From here on we begin heading towards home, jobs and all that comes with our normal lives (take note here future employers), and that feels pretty good.   Much to the relief of my mother-in-law, we never intended this trip to be a transition to lives as digital nomads.  For us the trip so far has been what we wanted it to be, an amazing experience.  But like any experience it too will end.  It is one I would repeat it in a second, and will recommend to anyone.  It is something we will treasure everyday for the rest of our lives, but the small taste of a “normal” life in Hong Kong was great.   I find myself looking forward to our return to Philly in about 4 months, but not before I have a chance to eat sushi in Japan, dive the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and snowboard in New Zealand.  I still have some important goals yet to achieve this year.

Also be sure to check out of selected pictures from Hong Kong here.

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