The crystalline azure waters of the Danube River churned in dense mahogany-mint swirls near our Budapest tour boat. The Blue Danube. Ha! Too bad Johann Strauss never sought musical inspiration in Texas where he might have penned another lilting aqueous-themed waltz from the banks of Clear Lake or the city limits of Sweetwater. Dubious water color notwithstanding, the venerable city of Budapest, Hungary is a fabulously lovely dame in an aging
Well, I missed the Texas-Oklahoma State game. Inexcusable, I know. But it is not like I get to properly catch Longhorn football here in Singapore anyway. Between the 3:30 am kickoffs and the queasy aquarium-like viewing experience on my laptop’s Slingbox, I find myself practically mainlining both caffeine and Dramamine in Mad Dog-sized doses. To detox a little, and to take advantage of both a long holiday weekend here and some
In the current era of stock market swoons, subprime mortgage crises and overextended consumers, I am pleased to note that I am a veritable paragon in the area of personal finance. I am an eager savings contributor and credit card interest despiser. My kids’ electronic game and cell phone technology consistently lags that of their peers – a point that has been brought to my attention repeatedly. Upon reviewing my ledgers, the
Ah, Paris. The City of Light. One of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Gay Paree does get slapped around a bit in this recent article.
Link. It notes that around a dozen Japanese tourists a year need psychological treatment when the cold reality of Paris clashes with their expectations. "A third of patients get better immediately, a third suffer relapses and the rest have psychoses,"
Thailand is a favorite Asian destination for many westerners and is appropriately nicknamed “The Land of Smiles”. The people there are amazingly happy and friendly as a rule. But it is also true that a smile – or at least an inscrutable variation thereof - is a culturally appropriate reaction to a wide range of emotions, including anger, embarrassment, and sadness.
The first time I flew into Thailand, my luggage did not
“Malaysia” is a proper noun – specifically, the name of a country in Southeast Asia. The word is spoken firmly and in a declarative tone. This is noted up front simply to distinguish it from the similar-sounding “malaise….yeah?” phrase uttered in querulous tones by Longhorn fans watching a Greg Davis-designed offense.
Malaysia is divided into three major geographical regions. So Doperbo will tell you that “Malaysia est omnis divisa in partes tres”.
My temporary home of Singapore is the first country to be explored in the Lonely Longhorn series. It is an island, a city, and a country all in one. If shown this undersized country’s outline on a Rorschach test, your first instinct might be to describe it as an amoeba with leprosy. Or perhaps as Rashad Bobino wearing a Batman cape.
Caped Crusader?
Singapore’s location - just off the