PebHmong Discussion Forum
Life & Living => Travel & Vacation Forum => Topic started by: bulbasaur on June 27, 2015, 10:50:08 PM
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Everyone's got a story to tell, and these days everyone's got even more stories since traveling has become more accessible. Here is my list of random things during my travels. Some crazy. Some fun. Some weird.
1. Sitting on Lincoln's lap.
You can't apparently can't do this anymore.
During my younger years, my friends and I took a road trip to DC. Being young and stupid, we didn't bring enough money. We needed to sacrifice food, gas, or hotel. Since food and gas are required to get back home, we sacrificed the hotel. As a result, we spent the night roaming the streets of DC. We saw the Lincoln Memorial in the daytime, but we decided to go there again and "ask honest Abe for advice." About 2am in the morning, no one was there anymore. We decided to climb on Lincoln's lap. We all took a bunch of pictures.
I went back years later to try to do it again, but there was a cop there all night. Kids today will never know the joy of climbing onto Lincoln. Which brings me to...
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2. Sliding on the Lincoln Memorial
You can't do this anymore either. You can't even walk to the ledge anymore. It's roped off and there is a sign, No Sliding! However, during the same trip to DC, I was so tired from all the walking we've done, I just told my friends I was just going to slide down. After I did it, there was a line of people behind me wanting to slide. In the picture that my friend took, there is a little girl on the side clapping.
One more thing kids today will never enjoy. I can't help but think I am slightly responsible for all the signs and restrictions that are there now.
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3. Manhattan Night Court
The only reason why I went here was to pull out my recorder and play the theme song from the TV show, Night Court. A few people walking turned to look. I should have put my cap on the ground. I might have gotten some money. Here is the theme song if you don't know it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUltrX-ICew (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUltrX-ICew)
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4. Onbashira
This festival is held in Japan once every 6 years. Although most people may not know the name of this festival, they might know it as the festival where people ride on logs down a hill. I heard it was dangerous, but I wanted to check it out. It was fun. Here is a video of the festival. It's not my personal video, but you can get the gist of it. The next Onbashira is next year. I think I want to go again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdDLIdfAMOw (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdDLIdfAMOw)
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5. Video Games Live
Not all things are outdoor activities. I always wanted to see this concert, but I never had the time. I eventually got lucky and they were playing abroad while I happen to be in the same city. Sometimes you're lucky.
Even if you are not a video game fan, check them out anyways. It's fun. You could YouTube, but the experience is not the same.
(http://www.eventim.co.uk/obj/media/UK-eventim/galery/222x222/v/video-games-live-tickets.jpg)
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6. The Summer Palace
In Beijing, there is the Summer Palace. Like many imperial places, it has been converted into a tourist attraction. The Summer Palace is nice, but it is much cooler in the winter. The lake at the palace actually freezes over, and you can skate or walk on it. There are signs forbidding people not to walk on the ice, but no one paid attention. I wasn't going to walk on the ice, but after the long hike around the lake to the palace, I didn't want to walk the long way back. People were cutting across the lake, so I decided to as well. As I was walking, I could hear the ice cracking. In fact, I could still see the water underneath the ice. It probably wasn't safe, but I did it. It was fun, and it saved me a lot of time, too.
The only downside is about this trip is that I lost all my pictures of the Summer Palace. All I have are my memories.
(http://www.kinabaloo.com/poster628b.png)
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The Summer Palace is beauuuuuuuuuuu tiful! Hmmmm let's see... when I was kid, I used to climb up a crap apple trees near a well known university. Now, I think that crap apple tree is gone so kids today will lose that chance hehehhe.... ;D ;D ;D
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It is. I actually want to visit again when it is actually summer.
The Summer Palace is beauuuuuuuuuuu tiful! Hmmmm let's see... when I was kid, I used to climb up a crap apple trees near a well known university. Now, I think that crap apple tree is gone so kids today will lose that chance hehehhe.... ;D ;D ;D
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7. Kopi Luwak
While in the Philippines, I just had to try it. It's still kinda expensive, but no where near as expensive as it would be if I got it outside of the Philippines. Unfortunately, I am not a coffee person, so I wouldn't even know if it was good or not. Heck, it might have been fake Kopi Luwak for all I knew. Apparently, fake Kopi Luwak runs rampant. Personally, it just tasted like coffee. Some of the people I was with said it was pretty good. I'll take their word for it.
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8. Singapore Megazip
I saw this on The Amazing Race, and I just had to do it. It was a lot fun, but the ride itself felt short. The guy beside had a selfie stick; I shoulda thought of that. I still got pictures because the company had cameras as well. The only scary part was my harness. Before I took off, there was this discussion on whether or not to change my harness. The workers eventually said it was fine and let me go. Afterwards when I was taking off my harness, they took my harness away so it wouldn't be used again. WTH? I coulda died if it snapped!
(http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/07/81/4a/97/megazip-adventure-park.jpg)
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9. The Big Buddha in Hong Kong
I've done quite a few trips to Hong Kong, and this was the first thing I did. I think it is actually called the Tian Tan Buddha. I've actually been there 3 times. Each time with a different group of people. I wonder if I can still do the climb without getting exhausted?
(http://www.hong-kong-traveller.com/image-files/hong-kong-big-buddha-staircase.jpg)
(https://qph.is.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d4bef9234b3d038583e284ca02ab9172?convert_to_webp=true)
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10. Stone Mountain
Okay, let's list something domestic...
The last time I did this was back when I was a teenager. I was visiting some friends and cousins in GA. We did a bunch of little activities around the park, and we "climbed" the "mountain." I remember thinking it was pretty easy. That being said, I wonder if I would still think it is easy today? I was more fit back then.
(http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Stone-Mountain-atlanta-107537_500_375.jpg)
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11. Universal Studios Osaka
I've been to quite a few theme parks. They'll all make the list eventually. Why list Universal at Osaka first? Well, this was the first time I rode the Back to the Future ride, and today is the day Marty arrives in the future!
(http://www.boxofficemojo.com/images/bttf_rideclosecolumn1.jpg)
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12. Singapore Night Safari
I didn't think it would be fun, but it nice. It was even a little mini-hike through the "woods."
Most people are against booking tours, but I booked this trip with a tour. It was worth it because we were pushed automatically to the front when we arrived....muc h better than having to wait in line.
(https://c4.staticflickr.com/4/3229/2881683513_9e8bb43e17.jpg)
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13. Best Thai Food Outside of Thailand
The best Thai food outside of Thailand is this hole in the wall restaurant in Hong Kong. The first time I went there was at night, and I thought we were lost because it was some back alley. Dinky tables and chairs. Virtually no table service. But, the food was awesome. I go there every time I am in Hong Kong now.
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Looks like I have a day in New York because of a layover. I guess I should make the most of it...
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Hong Kong Soho
I just find the outdoor escalator to be really cool. Apparently it is the longest in the world. Soho is a great place for restaurants. And for a long time, it was the only place in Asia to get Krispy Kreme. That's not longer true, but that is one of my first memories of the place. I thought about going back to Hong Kong this February, but I need to renew my passport first. Oh well. You know what they say when one door closes....
(https://photos.travelblog.org/Photos/7167/359686/f/3327509-Riding-the-outdoor-covered-escalator-up-to-Soho--These-escalators-climb-up-the-mountain-side-of-Hong-Kong-island-0.jpg)