Travel

It actually wasn't norovirus. That was Dr initial impression, but we actually caught a camplyobacter infection. Probably from bad handwashing in a restaurant

Anyone going to ny denim days?

It was awesome! There's so much amazing history, architecture, food and drink there. I rode the subway all over, walked all around the National Mall many times (It's where Forrest ran to Jenny, never forget ) and saw most of the monuments at night and day - the Library of Congress may have been my favorite location as I am a book lover but it could be enjoyed by anyone as it is breathtakingly beautiful. I went to several of the Smithsonian museums and spent a good amount of time at Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House (a very nice and historical place with excellent and interactive bartenders), as well as a few different coffee shops (Northside Social Coffee and Wine usually, or Republik coffee). I wanted to go to ChurchKey but I didn't have time (supposed to have a TON of beers there). Highline RxR was a rooftopish indoor/outdoor bar recommended by a guy I rode with in an UberPool and was near one of my hotels in Crystal City and it was a fun place. I also went to Capital City Brewing and had a less than stellar waiting experience but it was still pretty good and came highly recommended from a new local acquaintance.

I talked to strangers, activists, charities and homeless people and met some other really great people that I think I will be meeting again the future. I actually feel like I left a little piece of my heart there. I've never lived in the city, always in the countryside, but if I ever do move to a city it's now number 2 on my list of favorites. There is SO much going on there. Anyone should make a trip to Washington D.C. area if they can - it's lively, very clean and well kept and one of the most influential places the world has ever known. I will be making more trips there for sure as there is so much I didn't see (and I don't think you could ever see it all there.) It's one of those places you can just spend time standing on the sidewalk or sitting on a bench taking in the whole thing and the history of it all (and I did this too!) If you can you should go lay on the grass outside the Washington Monument and stare up at it - it's a great place to think.

I didn't do much shopping other than stepping into a very large Nordstrom Rack downtown to use the bathroom - but I'm sure there's lots of great stuff. I believe Alexandria may have lots of boutiques from what I was hearing but they may not be what you are looking for - Alexandria is still beautiful I hear though - old original cobblestone streets and everything. It's one of the places I'm going for sure when I go back.

Be sure to post how your visit goes!!

I can provide you with as many recommendations as you need on the beer front. As for Roman...that's funny. You may be better served to swing by Mesa and visit Manny. I haven't been to many of the spots he used to frequent, but Phoenix is an oddly small town (for the largest land mass city) - he still hasn't slithered out from under his rock yet. To our benefit. The AZAG is still probably waiting around for the first repayment check. 

I know some of the brahs on here think that beach fades are not sick...but I really want to do that one day.  Nobody I know cares about jeans or any of this stuff.  So I would have to go in alone.
Did you do it?  How did it turn out?

Edit addition:  I should grab some sort of dark heavy cone denim if I can find some and do this. 

One of these days.  Hey, if you ever find yourself near Okinawa, holler at your boy.  We go down to the beach, rub some sand on our jeans, drink a little wine, see what happens.
Ok, none of that.  We will maintain a minimum of 15 feet manspace and make no eye contact while we frolic in our seasoaked denims.  The mainland japanese girls will go crazy for those silly gaijins wearing their guy jeans in the ocean.  The local girls won't care and they will be at the beach wearing hooded sweatshirts to avoid the sun.  Good times will be had by all.

There is a Japanese holiday, Obon...it is three days where the dead come back to visit.  You are not allowed to swim in the ocean on those days or the spirits that drowned in the ocean will pull you under.  hence, therefore, I go swimming every obon to see what happens.  I will try to accomplish this mission by next obon or will accomplish it during obon.  Essayons!

Hello, fiends, Korea was weird. Most BBQ places won't let you eat alone, but I found one. I also went to every poop museum/small theme park I could find...and a sauna. It was way too crowded and not up to my definition of "sanitary"...but whatever. You ever sit down on a sauna bench covered in a grayish towel that started out white? How many dudes sat on that towel before me? At one point, I was in a crowded sauna with a bunch of naked korean dudes and we had rubbed handfulls of salt all over ourselves. We were like a bunch of sweaty salt crusted sweaty jerks. Adventure! Right?



This place was not crowded, so they let the monster eat by itself. I can understand that they make more money if the table is fuller than one person, but whatever. I dropped $40 for some mediocre meat.



and here is the giant toilet park...the giant toilet museum part was closed for renovations. It took two subway trains, a bus and a 15 minute walk to get there...and it was closed. How rude. There was still a lot of pooping people statues all through the park. It included a statue of a lady holding a baby and the baby was pooping onto her glove. There was a dog statue intently staring at the poop in the gloved hand. Legend has it, in Korea, women are to get a dog before they are married. So when they are married and have a kid, the dog can eat the kid's poop. They had a statue and an informational plaque letting me know this.



and this was at poopoo land near the poop cafe. This particular part of the exteremley small theme park, you pull the black string at the butt hard enough to cause the incredible hulk to poop...which turns that poop pile rainbow.

I had my oni277xx jeans to keep me warm, but it was a strange trip, dudes...but that could be my fault. I prefer Japan and I am glad that job I accepted in Korea back in 2011 got weird and I never went. Ended up in Afghanistan for the first half of 2012 instead...that was weird, too.

I am just lucky to work in a country with so many travel destinations that are vastly different than my home and culture...and in a time where I can usually fly for $100 to $200 round trip...and this airbnb really helped make it more comfortable.  The jeans I was wearing cost more than my flight to and from Korea.  it is a big world and so much to see, but it doesn't have to be a different country.  One of the harder things to do is to be a tourist in your own town or country.  Or don't go anywhere.  Sometimes I wish I grew up and lived in one location and knew everyone. 

I used to watch a lot of travel shows and it filled my head with all of these places.  I didn't have many english channels the two years I lived in Constanta, Romania and one channel was Discovery Living and that got me hooked on No Reservations, Bizarre Foods, and caused me to want to marry Samantha Brown (spoiler alert:  she married some other jerk).  I actually don't travel as much as I should given my location and mobility...but that is ok.  My only real goal left is to go to the Yunnan area of China and see where where they grow my tea. 

Back in the day yo as we learned
A man was not considered to be
Considered to be fully grown
Has he not gonna beyond the hills
Has he not crossed the 7 seas
Yeah, 7 seas at least

Keep your eye out for Roman:

Sounds like a pretty cool road trip. Make sure you visit a few cool denim shops along the way. Never been to Japan, so plz make a ton of pics and share them with us!!!

Since travel is just a side-gig for this board, I will try to keep my trip discussions short.  This last trip had me go through Kyoto for the plum blossoms and then to Tokyo area for work. 

While in Kyoto, I went to Mr. Kanso.  It is a bar where everything is in cans.  You grab a can off the shelf, and if it requires cooking, they cook it for you.  A can of spam was 650 yen and my oolong tea was about 400 yen...but totally worth it.  The bartender was a happy older japanese guy who smoked too many cigarettes.  I think the job of talking to people in such a setting was a perfect job for him.  In the photo, you can see an old business man taking his can selection seriously.  I really liked this small and dimly lit bar. 







I don't know if you have just even cooked up a whole can of cheese spam by itself...it is way too much for two people to eat by without bread or rice.  The bartender boxed up the leftovers and it was awesome in sandwiches on the bullet train to Shin Yokohama.

In Tokyo, I got out of my work related stuff, took a train 1.5 hours to Ueno to buy a zippo lighter.  FOr those of you who don't collect such things, they are made in USA, but there are some only sold in Japan.  It is a big deal for me because this shop in Ueno has a huge selection and the prices are good (for japan).  Then I beat feet over to one of my favorite ramen shops.  Kikanbo.  The kanji for the shop is more like "kinabo" which is the spiked metal rod that the japanese devil (oni) carries.  If something is unstoppable (like a juggernaut), you say it is "oni ni kinabo" or something like that which means "the devil with his spiked smashing stick"...which is unstoppable.  The shop is dark and plays taiko drums non-stop (my favorite kind of drums...you ever see Japanese ladies beat the hell out of taiko drums and yell?  It is intense, braaaah).  There are two different kinds of peppers they can add.  I get low and low for both.  I went medium and medium once and it was difficult to finish.






Look at that.  I wish I was eating it now.  kikanbo.co.jp/





and there is the plum blossoms at the Kitano Tenmangu shrine in Kyoto.  I need to travel home sometime soon before my mom disowns me, but after that...I am hoping for something wild this summer.  Myanmar?  Nepal?  Mongolia?  I think Nepal is the top choice.  I want to see mongolia after watching that movie about the blind american blues guy who traveled to mongolia to compete in their throat singing competition...but I also want to sleep comfortable and poop in normal toilets.  I am weak like that.  (It took me 8 years to learn how to do the whistling throat singing...I am no Ondar Kongarol, but whatever.  Good enough for me)



UPDATE!  Forgot to add the picture from the izakaya I went to with a work group I was a part of.  HORSE SASHIMI!  Chicken Sashimi!
I ate them before, but not this time.  Oh, it says the chicken is cooked, but it is just lightly cooked on the outside.  Gross, man.  Neither really tasted like much, but it was a horrible experience...and that is why I did it.  Traveling should be full of suffering.  by the end of all of my travels, it is my goal to hate it so much that I can't wait to get back to work.  That is how I know I hit it hard.