15 Sunday Sep 2013
Posted in Cross Country, North America, United States
When planning our trip out West, we polled our friends and family to see if there was anywhere worth stopping on our way to Mt. Rushmore. A friend tipped us off to the Badlands, which we discovered was only a mere 20 minutes away from the highway.
Naturally we decided to tack them on to the drive, since 56 hours of driving is surely not enough.
Also, they look spectacular.
14 Saturday Sep 2013
Posted in Cross Country, Food & Drinks, North America, United States
Tags
1880 Town, America, Corn Palace, Cross Country, Food & Drinks, Mitchell Corn Palace, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, South Dakota, United States, Wall Drug, Wall Drug Store
Mr. Selfish ended his post yesterday with the delightful eats we had in Chicago. Once we left Chicago, we were bored out of minds driving through Wisconsin and Minnesota. Luckily, when we hit South Dakota, it was fun spotting the kitschy billboards. I didn’t realize that South Dakota had so many hokey attractions. Here are the three attractions that lured us in with their billboards: Corn Palace, 1880 Town, and Wall Drug.
13 Friday Sep 2013
Posted in Cross Country, Food & Drinks, North America, United States
Tags
Chicago, Cleveland, Cross Country, Gaetanos, Goose Island, Hot Sauce Williams, Nellies, New Jersey, North America, Pequods Pizza, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, USA
After leaving Virginia, Mrs. Selfish and I headed north through New Jersey, Pittsburgh, and Chicago, heading west for South Dakota. While admittedly not the most direct route to San Francisco, it did take us through the Badlands and the Big Sky Country in the north.
Along the way we ate plenty of Subway and granola bar breakfasts, but we also met up with friends and family. Here’s some of the better meals we enjoyed on our way west.
The less popular cousin of the Philadelphia cheese steak, the Jersey-style cheese steak doesn’t get much love. This is unfortunate, since it is the objectively superior cheese steak – and doesn’t get much better than it does at Gaetano’s (224 Penny Packer Drive) in Willingboro, New Jersey.
The bread is fresh. The steak is tender, and best of all they use real cheese. It’s also quite a bargain at $14 for an 18” large – which is enough food for dinner for two!
While I normally order the plain cheese steak, this time Mrs. Selfish and I decided to splurge with the “Mr. Gee’s Cheese Steak”, which is a cheese steak with mushrooms, peppers, and pepperoni. Amazing.
None of that cheese whiz crap here!
12 Thursday Sep 2013
Posted in Cross Country, Food & Drinks, North America, United States, Virginia
Tags
Aroma's, Buzz and Neds, Food & Drinks, Hampton Roads, Newport News, North America, Pho 79, Richmond, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Surf Rider, The Green Leafe, Virginia, Williamsburg
Before heading west on our cross-country tour of the States, Mr. Selfish and I stayed in Virginia for a couple of weeks primarily to see my family and friends in the area. Since we are both originally from Virginia, we didn’t do much there other than hang out. So, here are some of the food highlights from our long stop in Virginia.
Mr. Selfish and I met during undergrad at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg. Since the campus is only about half an hour away from my parents’ place, we visited a few times during our stay in Virginia. We stopped by the Green Leafe (765 Scotland St., Williamsburg, VA), which is a pub very close to campus.
We discovered that the Green Leafe still has an outstanding selection of draught beer. We were also happy to learn that the Green Leafe currently has an amazing happy hour from 5-9pm, during which all draught beer are 50% off! You can’t beat a pint of good beer for $2.
Since we were already in Williamsburg, we decided to stop by Aroma Café (431 Prince George St., Williamsburg, VA) to make and eat some s’mores. They’re not the best in the world but it’s one of the few places in the area that you can roast marshmallows and make a s’more sandwich.
11 Wednesday Sep 2013
Posted in Best Of, Living Abroad
Tags
Pack, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Things to Pack, Things to pack for long travel, Traveling Abroad
Over the course of our Selfish travels we’ve had several people ask what we pack for a year abroad. Most people assume we’re hauling backpacks around the world, which would probably have been a good idea, however Mrs. Selfish and I are too old for that type of travel.
Mrs. Selfish and I are in our 30’s. Not really ancient, but my days of sleeping on floors are probably over. I do appreciate the feel of a good mattress, and enjoy staying at fancy hotels, so it’s probably safe to say we fall more in the flashpacker category.
Here’s some of the things we ended up bringing for our year long trek around the globe.
1. A crappy looking backpack to store your valuables.
As per the DOs of traveling, Mrs. Selfish and I rock a 10+ year old, frayed backpack to house most of our important documents and devices. I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve seen on the road keeping time on their rolex watches, bandying about their designer purses, or taking pictures with their iPad 4. They make traveling easier for the rest of us.
2. One or two all in one power converters.
I love the Insten Universal World Wide power converter. So far we’ve used this sucker in every continent but South America. The only downside is that you still risk frying some of your devices in Asia and other parts of the world since they don’t convert electrical output current and voltage.
3. Small laptop.
Useful for staying in touch with the rest of the world. Mrs. Selfish likes to rock the Lenovo X230 which starts at a mighty 2.99 lbs.
4. A compact power strip.
Given that you’ll likely have a few devices with you, I highly recommend a portable power strip like the Outlets to Go power strip. It’s extremely compact and has room for 3 power cords, as well as a USB device. My only gripe would be the bright blue light, that shines like a lighthouse.
5. A collapsible and expandable bag.
Or two! Mrs. Selfish and I ended up bringing 3 Briggs & Riley bags with us to Europe, and 1 Briggs and Riley bag and 1 Samsonite bag to Asia and Australia.
In hindsight, I wish we had brought 2 B&R bags since the Samsonite ended up dying midway through China. I like Briggs & Riley for two reason: 1) They have a lifetime warranty, 2) The zippers never die. You can also buy them for cheap on ebay.
10 Tuesday Sep 2013
Posted in Best Of, Living Abroad
Editor’s Note: This was originally going to be part of our “DOs of Traveling” post, but kind of ballooned out of control. It doesn’t seem like there’s much out there on haggling, so we figured we’d do our part to contribute to the vicious blood sport of bartering.
Haggling is an essential skill in most non-Western countries or in just about every outdoor market, yet most Westerners are put off by the concept of bargaining. GET OVER IT.
If something doesn’t have a price tag, chances are you’ll be given a “flexible” price. In Shanghai we saw marked-up prices as high as 500%, in Marrakech this was probably closer to 300%. The vendors aren’t holding back, and neither should you. Here are some common techniques to make sure you leave with your shirt still on your back.
1. Survey the competition. 
Haggling over Fatima hands in Marrakech
Never buy from the first place. Chances are that several merchants are selling the same wares – and the ones with the crappier location will sell things to you at a better price.
In Marrakech we shopped around for leather camels and checked their prices at about 8 stands to establish a base line cost.
2. Buy in bulk to reduce costs.
Camels for everybody! The furry ones make Godzilla noises.
Planning on buying gifts for the whole family? Might as well ask how much that camel costs when you buy 10 of those suckers!
3. Buy from the guy with the roll up carpet, not from the place with a window.
The Marrakech markets were lined with vendors on carpets.
People with low overhead can afford to cut you better prices. They also might not have a merchant’s license, so don’t be surprised if your bargaining gets better when the police get close.
4. Lie about where you’re from, when necessary.
Market in Siem Reap where we were either from Hong Kong or Singapore. Some times both!
It may seem like they’re making conversation, but merchants are probably trying to judge how rich you are before they offer you a price. America has an inflated reputation of being extremely wealthy, so in Asia we told people we were from Singapore since they couldn’t tell the difference in English accents anyway.
5. Never accept the first price, the merchant can usually go lower.
Breakdancers in Bangkok’s seedier side of town.
Pick a number in your head (like 40% of the starting point) and start below that. The merchant and you will usually meet in the middle, unless someone gets the upper hand.
09 Monday Sep 2013
Posted in Best Of, Living Abroad
Yesterday we went over some of the DO’s of traveling, so today we’re going over some of the DON’Ts of traveling.
1. Don’t pay in your currency when given the option by a merchant.
In a rather horrible turn of events, many foreign merchants will now give you the option of paying in your home currency. Sounds great, right? NOT SO FAST.
Not only will merchants give you a crappy exchange rate so they can make a little more off your purchase, but it’s also possible that your credit card company will charge you as well. Even if you have a card with no foreign transaction fee.
2. Don’t get suckered in by tuk tuk and tour scams.
Bangkok is notorious for the tuk tuk scam. Beijing is notorious for the tour scam. Both work similarly – you work out a cheap rate ahead of time, but are then driven to other stops before you reach your destination.
In the case of the Bangkok tuk tuks this is usually a jewelry store where the tuk tuk driver receives free gas in exchange. In the case of the Chinese tour bus it’s not uncommon to be brought to an Eastern Medicine building where doctors will diagnose you with all sorts of illnesses. Fortunately for you they can be cured with herbs and medicines that they keep on premises, of course.
3. Don’t give money to Asian monks.
A common(er) scam in South East Asia. The scammer is dressed as a monk asking for money for some cause or another. The thing is… monks don’t ask for money. Politely decline and move on.
08 Sunday Sep 2013
Posted in Best Of, Living Abroad, Rant
Tags
American Airlines, Award Wallet, Dos of traveling, Lufthansa, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, TripIt, United
Over the year of our Selfish travels, Mrs. Selfish and I developed a few travel habits that helped us successfully navigate new countries regardless of language and technology. For today’s post I’ll go over some of the DO’s of traveling.
1. Do research how to get to your hotel ahead of time.
The moment you arrive at a new country is when you’re most vulnerable to scams or are most likely to get ripped off. Not only are you unshowered, jetlagged, and exhausted, but you are also carrying your valuables, cash, and important travel documents. Getting to your hotel/hostel safely should be a top priority in order to make sure your stay goes smoothly.
Mrs. Selfish and I always research transportation options on sites like flyertalk or tripadvisor prior to landing to compare costs and times – especially when the best option is a cab.
2. Do run the math on low cost carriers.
Low cost carriers like Ryanair, easyJet, Jetstar, and Air Asia, almost always undercut their competition by dozens of dollars per direction, but are they worth it? Sometimes.
Since Mrs. Selfish and I were often checking 2-3 bags, one of which was ALWAYS oversized, adding in the extras to cost often meant a legacy carrier was a better way to go. Especially since we could often earn miles on those flights.
3. Do negotiate taxi fares ahead of time.
This was less of an issue in Northern Asia, Australia, and New Zealand where the cabs just ran the meter. In South East Asia and parts of Europe, however, cabbies often hid their meters or refused to use them.
If you ever find yourself in one of those countries either make sure they use the meter (ideally ahead of time), or negotiate a price before you close the door.
4. Do know basic words or phrases to smooth over transactions.
Learning basic phrases like “hello,” “thank you,” “goodbye,” “excuse me,” and “do you speak English?” can really smooth over most transactions and sets expectations. Parisians are notoriously unfriendly to visitors, yet they bent over backwards to help us after we uttered a few French words.
07 Saturday Sep 2013
Tags
Angkor Wat, China, Downton Abbey, Great Barrier Reef, Highclere Castle, New Zealand, Nha Trang, Russian Tourists, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Terracotta Warriors, Yellow Eyed Penguins
Mrs. Selfish and I were very fortunate to be able to travel the world (safely!) for a year, seeing and doing things we would otherwise never do. While the majority of the trip was amazing, we had more than our fair shares of letdowns.
Whether we went in with inflated expectations, or the experience really wasn’t that worth doing, there were things that just didn’t live up to their reputations.
For your consideration, I present you our 10 biggest letdowns (in no particular order). The first image is what I imagined the experience would be (thanks to the magic of the internet) and the second is reality.
Enjoy!
Imagination: Sunrise over mystical Angkor Wat. Peaceful. Tranquil.
Reality: Shoving your way through throngs of tourists to catch a shot of overcast ruins at 5:00am in the morning.
Siem Reap, and Angkor Wat are awe-inspiringly awesome and totally worth doing. That being said, catching the sunrise was one of the most touristy experiences of our entire trip. We woke up at 4:30am to hit Angkor Wat along with what seemed like 1000 other people. Totally packed, and not that sanguine – definitely not what I was picturing.
Imagination: Strolling the grounds of Downton Abbey with Maggie Smith on a perfect day.
Reality: Rainy weather most of the time. Plus they rent it out for weddings. Wha-wha.
While we still had a blast at “Downton Abbey,” Highclere Castle is actually quite different from what you’d hope. The Castle is used to shoot the show mostly during the summer, and is open to the public for a few (hotly visited) months. The inside is peppered with familiar rooms, but it’s full of family skiing photos from the 80’s. Plus the duchess of Highclere will try and sell you her book on the REAL Downton Abbey in the gift shop. Classy.
06 Friday Sep 2013
Posted in Africa, Asia, Best Of, Europe, Food & Drinks, North America, Oceania
Mr. Selfish and I had a lot of amazing food during this selfish year. It was incredibly hard to narrow it down but here’s our top 20 eats in no particular order:
It cost under $1 USD for a deluxe Vietnamese sub (banh mi) at Tiem Banh Mi Phoung in Hoi An. Mr. Selfish was so obsessed with it that we ate over 10 banh mi during our five-day stay in Hoi An. We were able to identify about 10 ingredients in the banh mi, but we lost track after we hit the double digits. Needless to say, it was absolutely delicious.
Tayyabs is located near White Chapel, which is close to Brick Lane in London. Although there is always a crazy line out the door, Tayyabs is completely worth it. It is by far the best Indian food we’ve ever had.
During our stay in the Philippines, Mr. Selfish and I became fixated on sisig, which is made from parts of pig’s head and liver, usually seasoned with calamansi (a type of lime) and chili peppers. It isn’t the best for you, but man, is it tasty! The best sisig was from Gerry’s Grill, which is near the Taal Volcano close to Manila.
05 Thursday Sep 2013
Tags
Conrad Koh Samui, Hilton Bora Bora, Hilton Queenstown, Intercontinental Danang, Paris, Park Hyatt Sydney, Park Hyatt Tokyo, Riad Pachavana, Ryokan Sanga, Selfish Year, Selfish Years
Prior to our year of reckless traveling, Mrs. Selfish and I only splurged once on a hotel, staying at the Sofitel Hanoi for our Honeymoon. Otherwise, business as usual was a 3-4 star hotel using sites like hotels.com.
And then I discovered the world of miles and points.
With a bank roll of millions of hotel points, spread out over 5 different hotel programs, Mrs. Selfish and I decided to spend our year abroad in style – hitting up some of the travel hacking community’s go-to destinations.
Here’s the 10 best places we stayed in chronological order. Some are miles and points accessible, though some can only be paid for with cold, hard cash!
Mrs. Selfish and I spent an amazing 6 weeks in Paris in Montmartre, the same Arrondissement where the movie Amelie takes place. Taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of Paris was something I’ll never forget, and certainly nothing screamed “Paris” quite as much as waking up to a view of the Sacré-Cœur every morning.
Anyone interested in renting the same flat can do so at Airbnb.
Mrs. Selfish and I arrived in Marrakech, disoriented and utterly confused. Marrakech’s old town is maze of twisting streets and Aladdin-style scamming street rats, children who try to get you lost so you’ll pay them to take you to your hotel.
Nevertheless, we quickly succumbed to Marrakech’s charms – especially after staying at the lovely Riad Pachavana, which we saved $150 on thanks to three Expedia BRG coupons.
For more, check out our full post on the Riad Pachavana.
In the Philippines we were fortunate enough to stay at El Nido, located on Palawan – a protected island south west of Manila. Accessible only by a small private plane (max capacity of < 50), El Nido is a beautiful, isolated paradise. Despite being an all-inclusive resort, the food and activities were pretty great. Plus they have a killer happy hour with an amazing view.
For more information on Palawan check out our full trip report.
04 Wednesday Sep 2013
Tags
Best Of, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Selfish's Top 20 Experiences, Top 20 Experiences, Top Experiences
Mr. Selfish and I are winding down our posts on the blog. We are currently driving cross-country and fondly reminiscing about our epic selfish year. We’ve had so many wonderful experiences that we both smile every time one of us says, “Remember that time…” We’ve decided to do some wrap-up posts, including some best of lists.
Here are our top 20 experiences in no particular order:
Mr. Selfish and I took Rick Steve’s advice and did a driving tour around the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. We were so fortunate to have perfect weather that day. It was so lovely that we even considered buying a summer home in Dingle.
Flying in a four-person plane from Queenstown to Milford Sound in New Zealand was truly amazing. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined it to be, and I don’t even like the Lord of the Rings series.
We had many wonderful animal experiences during this trip. The one experience that stands out the most for me is holding this 9-month old panda cub in Chengdu, China.
03 Tuesday Sep 2013
Posted in Florida, Food & Drinks, North America, Orlando, United States
Tags
Bluebird Bakeshop, Cask and Larder, Enzian, Lechonera El Barrio, Orlando, Ravenous Pig, Selfish Year, Selfish Years
Mrs. Selfish and I lived in Orlando, Florida for 8 years before we left on our Selfish Year. We both moved there for work, and somewhat reluctantly stayed after getting a house. Orlando was in many ways a place we were forced to live, not a place we wanted to live.
That being said, 8 months later when we were drinking cocktails in Beijing with an awesome view of the Forbidden City, we actually found ourselves missing Orlando!
So we decided to go back.
Back to Epcot, to drink our way around the world. Back to Orlando, to visit friends. Back to Winter Park, to eat.
Located at 1234 N. Orange Ave. in Winter Park, the Ravenous Pig was probably the first good restaurant we ate at in the Orlando area. Opened in 2007, the Pig has won numerous awards, and was a semifinalist for the James Beard Awards in 2011 and 2012!
They have a great selection of wines and microbrews with a menu that changes weekly. Lunch typically runs from $10 – $18 for most orders, and dinner comes in at closer to $18 – $30.
Mrs. Selfish and I have probably eaten at the Ravenous Pig over a dozen times, and we’ve never had a disappointing meal. This time around I ordered their fried chicken sandwich, and Mrs. Selfish ordered the shrimp and grits.
The fried chicken sandwich was perfectly cooked: tender, crispy, slightly crunchy, yet still moist. The hot & sour sauce had a nice BBQ as well. The shrimp and grits were spicy, savory, and overall satisfying. I was glad we went back!
02 Monday Sep 2013
Posted in Disney, Florida, North America, Orlando, United States
Tags
Disney, Disney World, Florida, Magic Kingdom, Monster Inc. Laugh Floor, North America, Orlando, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, Stitch's Great Escape, United States
In 2004, Mr. Selfish and I moved to Florida and purchased Disney annual passes. I started my law firm job right after Labor Day in September, and that week, the firm closed for a couple of days due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Ivan. Instead of preparing our apartment for the hurricane, we decided to go to Magic Kingdom. It was amazing because there was hardly anyone there. None of the rides had lines (other than Peter Pan, which always inexplicably has a line). We rode everything two or three times each. It was the best day at Magic Kingdom ever.
Mr. Selfish and I always talk about that one amazing hurricane day at Magic Kingdom, because every other time we’ve been, it is crazy crowded. Even though Magic Kingdom is usually packed, it is still a great park. It is what you think of when you think of Disney.
01 Sunday Sep 2013
Posted in Disney, Florida, North America, Orlando, United States
Tags
Disney, Disney World, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Florida, Hollywood Studios, Muppet*Vision 3D, North America, Orlando, Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Selfish Year, Selfish Years, The Great Movie Ride, Tower of Terror, United States
Hollywood Studios is dedicated to the heyday of Hollywood during the 1930’s and 1940’s. Mr. Selfish and I enjoy walking around the fake sets and posing for photos.
The Selfish Years 