Last month, we did something irresponsible. Are you ready? We paid $15… for a cup of coffee. Yes, frugal backpackers who run this blog did that. Before you judge us for the splurge, all I can say is that we did it in a four-story fancy Starbucks on Magnificent Mile […]
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There are old fables of exhausted men climbing tall mountains to find a wise Buddhist monk meditating on the very top. The monk then, in very few words, discloses to the weary traveler the secret to success, love, life, or whatever grand question is presented. In these fables, the monks […]
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It was 6 am and I woke up freezing. Wrapped in my blanket head to toe, I braved the chilly air to sneak my head out and look around. We were sleeping on the floor. Under the neighboring blanket, Victor was awake and trembling as well. “It feels as if […]
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Every time I visit a place that is universally considered to be a “must-see” or a “wonder of the world”, I quietly prepare myself to be disappointed. Mass popularity often brings visitors (us including) to places that are totally overrated. Mount Rushmore, Stonehenge, the peeing boy statue – my personal […]
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It’s dusk in Lisbon. Darkness is setting over narrow streets and mournful melodies flow out of every pub, café, and restaurant. It’s the sound of traditional Portuguese lament, produced by a twelve-string guitar, a viola, and a heartbroken woman (or sometimes a man). This is fado, folk music of Lisbon’s […]
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