Nostalgic for Shanghai

26 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Shanghai

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Asia, Bund, China, Nanjing Road, Selfish Years, Shanghai

During the summer of 2002, I did a law study abroad program focusing on Chinese law in Shanghai at the East China University of Politics and Law. I have very fond memories of tasting soup dumplings, watching tai chi in the park, bargaining at the market for souvenirs, and walking on the Bund.

This time around, Mr. Selfish and I spent two weeks in Shanghai. Admittedly, that is a long time to stay in Shanghai. But I was nostalgic when planning this leg of the trip, and I don’t regret it.

Here are some photos of the Bund and Nanjing Road at night to kick off our series of Shanghai posts:

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Lovin’ Japan Already!

25 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, Japan

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Asia, Day Trips, Fukuoka, Japan, Kanazawa, Kobe, Kurokawa, Kyoto, Mount Koya, Nara, Osaka, Selfish Years, Tokyo

Mr. Selfish and I arrived in Kyoto last night and are staying in an apartment here for a glorious 22 nights. After so much fast traveling through China and Korea, we were glad to unpack our bags, do some laundry, and buy some groceries to make home cooked meals.

We started our trip in Japan at Fukuoka for one night and then went to Kurokawa, which is an amazing onsen town, for two nights. After Kyoto, we’ll visit Kanazawa for a couple of nights and then Tokyo for two weeks.

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The Delicious Food of the Hui Muslim Quarter

24 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Food & Drinks

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Asia, China, Food & Drinks, Hui Muslim Quarter, Huimin Street, Muslim Street, Xi'an

Mr. Selfish and I were surprised to find that Xi’an has a large Muslim population. We decided to wander around the Hui Muslim Quarter, which is primarily off of Huimin Street, and sample different types of Chinese Muslim food. The quarter is quite near the drum and bell towers, which are very scenic at night.

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The Lesser Known Tomb of Emperor Jingdi in Xi’an

23 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China

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Asia, China, Hanyangling, Selfish Years, Tomb of Emperor Jingdi, Xi'an

Mr. Selfish and I traveled to Xi’an, China primarily to see the Terracotta Warriors Museum. In doing my research, I learned that there was a lesser known tomb in Xi’an for Emperor Jingdi, which is also known as Hanyangling. We decided to visit this tomb first and save the Terracotta Soldiers for later.

In hindsight, I found the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi to be a more well-done attraction than the Terracotta Warriors Museum. The Chinese government recently renovated the Tomb of Emperor Jingdi, and as a result, the Tomb is better designed and allows you closer access to the excavation pieces. Most of the pits had a glass walkway over which you can walk to see the thousands of excavated pieces.

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A Little Underwhelmed in Xi’an: The Terracotta Warriors Museum

22 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China

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Asia, China, Selfish Years, Terracotta Warriors Museum, The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses, Xi'an

Mr. Selfish and I couldn’t go to China for more than a month and not visit the Terracotta Warriors Museum (officially the Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses) in Xi’an. Unfortunately, we were a little underwhelmed by the experience.

The first building we entered had two large painted bronze chariots. They seemed pretty well-preserved but were swarmed by Chinese tourists. Even though the chariots were behind glass, the throngs of supposed photographers kept utilizing their flash to take photos, which completely defeats the purpose of the photo.

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Succumbing to Western Food in Chengdu

21 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Food & Drinks

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Asia, Chengdu, China, Food & Drinks, Mike's Pizza Kitchen, Peter's Tex Mex Grill, Selfish Years, Tex Mex

Mr. Selfish and I enjoyed the Sichuan cuisine in Chengdu but after a while, we started craving Western food. When I discovered that there was supposedly good Tex Mex and pizza in Chengdu, we couldn’t resist.

First, we went to Peter’s Tex-Mex Grill, which is a mini chain in China. Apparently, the first restaurant was opened in Chengdu by a Chengdu native. Mr. Selfish has been craving authentic nachos since we left the States. We’ve ordered it twice while in Thailand and both experiences left much to be desired.

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Marveling at the Chinese Opera in Chengdu

20 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China

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Asia, Chengdu, China, Chinese Opera, Opera House, Selfish Years, Sichuan Opera

I adore the film “Farewell My Concubine,” which is about two Chinese opera actors prior to the victory of the Communists in 1949. Mr. Selfish didn’t watch the entire movie because he couldn’t stand the Chinese opera singing. Although I initially didn’t like it, the singing grew on me as the film progressed, and it was 171 minutes long.

When I learned that there was a highly recommended Chinese opera performance in Chengdu, I wanted to go. The Shu Feng Ya Yun Sichuan Opera in Chengdu is highly recommended. The performance starts at 8pm every night. If you arrive early, you can watch the actors and actresses putting on their makeup and costumes. Mr. Selfish and I were the only ones watching them during this process but they didn’t seem to mind.

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The Costs of 8 Months of Selfish Traveling

19 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Travel Hacking

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Selfish Years, Travel Hacking

If you’re just joining us, Mrs. Selfish and I have been traveling the world for the last 8 months – largely on miles and points – or are we? While Mrs. Selfish touched on our favorite memories yesterday, today I thought I’d take a look and see what our trip has meant from a cost perspective.

Within our Selfish Year of travel (or 369 days) we’re visiting a total of 91 cities – 78 we’re staying in, while 13 are day trips. Here’s what that looks like:

Of those 91 cities, so far we’ve visited a total of 66. So we still have a lot of fast traveling ahead:

So far we’ve visited 21 of the 25 countries we set out to see. I was a little surprised by that number myself, considering we’re only 66% of the way in. Then I looked at the country breakdown:

It turns out our upcoming stays in Japan and Australia account for 21.6% of the amount of time we’re spending abroad – probably two of the more expensive countries on this trip – whoops!

We spent the least amount of time in Monaco (1 day), followed by Switzerland, and Austria. Interestingly, we’ll have spent 3 nights in the air – 2 nights on our way to Singapore (a red-eye + the time change), and 1 night on our upcoming leg from Japan to Australia.

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Officially The Selfishs for Four Years and Counting

18 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in News

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Today is our four year wedding anniversary. Although the past four years have been phenomenal, I cannot believe how fortunate Mr. Selfish and I have been during this past selfish year. We started our trip in August and have already been to 66 cities and 20 countries. Craziness!

Check out our favorite memories from the last eight months, after the break.

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My Mouth is on Fire (aka Tasting Sichuan Food)

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Food & Drinks

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Asia, Chengdu, China, ChuanBei Famous Snacks, Hot Pot, Numbness, Selfish Years, Shujiuxiang Hot Pot Restaurant, Sichuan, Sichuan Food, Sichuan Peppercorns, Wonton

Mr. Selfish and I held a belief that we could handle spicy food. Yes, I deliberately used the past tense in that last sentence. After experiencing the Sichuan (aka Szechuan) food, I seriously doubt our ability to handle spicy food.

Sichuan food originates from the southwest of China. It is known for its bold and spicy flavor due to the liberal use of garlic, chili peppers, and the Sichuan peppercorn. This peppercorn is unlike any other peppercorn I’ve ever encountered. In fact, it is not traditionally spicy but actually causes a numbness in your mouth that sets the stage for the other hot spices used.

We decided to try Sichuan hot pot at Shujiuxiang Hot Pot Restaurant. There was a long line out front so we figured it would be good. The queue was based on a number system. Luckily, the staff figured out that we didn’t speak Chinese and tracked us down when our number was up. At that point, we didn’t know how we were going to order since nothing was in English. The staff found a huge menu with lots of photos, and we just pointed to what we wanted. We chose the spicy red hot pot and then randomly pointed at meats and veggies to cook in it.

The hot pot is made of metal with a metal separator. Chili oil, chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns are heated until they come to a slow boil.

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Exploring Charming Chengdu

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China

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Asia, Chengdu, China, Green Ram Temple, People's Park, Qingyang Palace, Selfish Years, Wenshu Temple

In planning our trip to China, Mr. Selfish and I chose to spend a few days in Chengdu primarily to visit the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. We also found the city of Chengdu itself to be quite charming.

First, we visited Wenshu Temple, which is dedicated to the Buddhist representation of wisdom, the Manjusri Bodhisatva. The temple contains more than 450 Buddha statues and other relics. Mr. Selfish and I just walked around and enjoyed the scenery.

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Earning Miles with Banking & Brokerage Services

15 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Travel Hacking

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Bank Direct, Travel Hacking

This is the eleventh post on earning miles and points. For a list of other posts, check out my post on how to travel hack your way around the world.

While credit cards represent the easiest way to collect miles and points, changing the way you bank can be a really easy way to passively accumulate boatloads of miles.

Banking & Brokerage Services

If you have money to invest or save and you live in the United States, you have a few options for earning miles. Especially if you are interested in accumulating American Airlines miles:

BANK DIRECT

Earn up to 23,000 AAdvantage miles by opening a Bank Direct account:

1,000 miles for opening a new account
1,000 miles if you are referred by a friend (plus 1,000 for the friend)
1,000 miles if you open the account with $100,000 or more
10,000 miles for enrolling in direct deposit
5,000 miles for using their debit card 12 times a month for 3 months
5,000 miles for using bill pay for at least 3 payments a month for a year.

*UPDATE* Bank Direct has reduced the cap on the amount of miles you can earn based on the money you have deposited from $200,000 to $50,000. So you’ll only earn 100 miles per $1000 for the first $50,000, after which you’ll earn 25 miles for each additional $1000 in your account.

This reduces the maximum you can (easily) earn in a month from 20,000 to 5,000. You can also open a Money Market account, which earns 50 miles per $1000 in your account for the first $50,000, which will net you 2500 miles a month.

I can still do referrals if anyone is interested, but with the new changes BD isn’t quite as attractive as it used to be.

Additionally, you’ll receive 100 miles every month for every $1,000 you have deposited in your account, up to the first $200,000. Mrs. Selfish and I bank with Bank Direct and thus far I can offer up two downsides:

1) $12 Monthly Fee – this occurs no matter how much money you have in your account, and cannot be waived.

2) Unfortunately Bank Direct has to have the clunkiest interfaces of any banking site I’ve ever seen. If you can get around that their customer service is decent, though expect to speak to one of 6 representatives – seriously, their company is that small.

Analysis: If you’re a high roller with a lot of money in savings I would strongly consider opening a Bank Direct account. Being able to earn 240,000 miles for little to no effort definitely outweighs the $144 you’ll pay in annual fees in my opinion, and interest rates are at an all time low. To put that in perspective, 240,000 miles is enough for 9 round trip tickets across the continental US, or for a first class ticket to anywhere in the world with points to spare.

If anyone is interested in a referral, leave a comment and we’ll hook you up – Mrs. Selfish and I could always use the extra 1,000 miles!

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How to Cuddle with a Panda in Chengdu

15 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China

≈ 37 Comments

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Asia, Chengdu, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda, China, how panda chengdu, how to cuddle with a panda in chengdu, Panda, panda chengdu

In planning our 33 days in China, I chose to go to Chengdu for four days. We stayed in the downtown area of Chengdu, which is surprisingly the fifth largest city in China with a population of over 12 million people. But there’s really only one reason to visit Chengdu – the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda, where you can hold a baby panda.

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The 1.34 Billion Oddities of China

14 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by misterselfish in Asia, China, Rant

≈ 3 Comments

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China, Selfish Years

Prior to our Selfish Year of travels, I had never been to China, so wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I guess I was thinking traveling in China would be similar to wandering around Chinatown in San Francisco – dirty, pungent, and delicious. Everything in a mixture of Chinese and English (well, maybe less English), and everything at dirt cheap prices.

The reality, of course, is that things are much, much different from what I was expecting. If you’re thinking of planning a trip to China, here’s what you can expect.

1. Air pollution is everywhere.

Although Beijing is the most dramatic example, every city in China is much more polluted than Western cities. The air quality index in Shanghai as I write is 165 (Beijing can get as high as 750). For reference, the air quality index back in Orlando is an average of 38, and in San Francisco is a whopping 30. What this means is that even on clear days, the sky is more of a white-blue, than a blue-blue. It also means that we’ve breathed in the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes a day – if we’re lucky.

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The Non-Gambling Side of Macau

13 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by mrsselfish in Asia, China, Food & Drinks

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Asia, Cafe Tai Lei Loi Kei, China, Day Trip, Egg Custards, Food & Drinks, Koi Kei Bakery, Largo do Senado, Lisbon, Lord Stow's Bakery, Macau, Pork Chop Buns, Ruins of St. Paul's Church, Selfish Years, St. Dominic's Church

As I’ve noted previously, Mr. Selfish and I didn’t gamble much at Macau. Instead, we mostly wandered around looking for Portuguese similarities. We had found Lisbon to be quite charming (although cold and rainy).

The first thing I knew that I wanted was Portuguese egg tarts. The ones that we devoured from Pastéis de Belém in December made a lasting impression on me. Through my research, I learned that the ones from Lord Stow’s Bakery were supposed to be the best. After much searching, it ended up being inside the Venetian. They were very good but not as fresh, warm, and gooey as the ones from Belém. The turnaround in Belém was intense, and you could see them baking the new egg tarts in the back. At Lord Stow’s, it seemed just like a storefront. Nevertheless, they fulfilled my craving at the time for egg tarts.

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