That Backpacker

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The Bamboo Train in Battambang: The Good and the Ugly

A Sunrise Over Angkor Wat and A Conversation with Strangers

9 Lessons Learned from a Month Backpacking around SE Asia

S#!t My Korean Students Say

January 10, 2013

If you are looking for a job that will make you laugh daily, then nothing beats teaching children English as a second language. My students and I have had our fair share of lost in translation moments. Sometimes they don’t understand me, and a lot of times I don’t understand them. There have been funny [...]

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The EngRish Edition: Shrimp Crap

January 7, 2013

Scroll down to the bottom of this menu for some delicious… …shrimp crap! I was personally worried about the veal heart on a skewer, but this shrimp comes stuffed in an avocado with a creamy sauce and a parmesan gratin (fancy!), so why not order it for yourself? Kind of reminds me of the time I [...]

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Should I Learn Korean?

January 5, 2013

Writing-on-tiles-at-a-temple-in-Cheonan-Korea

I’ve decided to write a series of posts where I’ll be answering some of the most frequently asked questions about living and working in Korea. It seems every week I am greeted with emails inquiring about living costs, spending versus saving, transportation, and sometimes even advice on apartment hunting in Seoul (which unfortunately I know [...]

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Resolutions for the New Year

January 1, 2013

White-paper-lanterns-Jogyesa-Temple-Seoul

I’ve never been very good at making New Years resolutions. I usually make mental notes instead; notes that I tend to forget a few weeks down the line, which means these ‘ideas’ never come to fruition… This year I’m making resolutions and writing them down, not just so that I’ll remember them, but also for [...]

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What does Christmas in Korea look like?

December 29, 2012

It’s Christmas?! I walked into work on the 24th and was greeted with a cheery “Merry Christmas!” from one of my coworkers. I looked at her blankly for a split second…huh, Christmas? Oh right, it’s Christmaaas! I responded with an overly enthusiastic, “Oh, Merry Christmas to you too!” It had completely escaped my mind that [...]

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There’s A Place In…Amristar, India

December 20, 2012

Today’s post comes to us from Alana, a twenty-something traveler trying to figure out life one place at a time…and writing about it at Paper Planes. You can see more stories and photos by following her on Facebook and Twitter. When I went to India I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself [...]

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Crazy Cat Lady

December 16, 2012

Mreowrrrrrr! That was a cat fight at 4:34… I’m not a cat person. I have two cats back in Canada that I sometimes forgot to feed…and whose litter box often went unattended… (Okay, now this probably isn’t painting a very positive picture, but I really did like my cats – even if they refused to [...]

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The EngRish Edition: Maybe, it’s Park

December 12, 2012

Well, this certainly is a puzzling one. Is it an art exhibit? Is it a restaurant? Is it a…park? Actually, it’s a cafe in Busan, South Korea. Today’s photo contribution comes from Pierre Trowbridge who spotted this fantastic and somewhat philosophical ‘EngRish’ gem at a cafe called “Cafe the Park”. Your guess is as good [...]

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24 hours in Saigon, Vietnam

December 11, 2012

Today’s guest post from Kian takes us all the way to Saigon where he shows us what to eat, drink, and see if all we have is one day in Vietnam’s largest city! Frenetic moped-strewn streets, an incandescent skyline, hundreds of street-stalls cooking up local delicacies and bicycles laden with goods all bound together by [...]

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When I Think of Germany…

December 6, 2012

Germany was the first European country I ever visited, and for that it stands out among the rest. The first time I set foot there, I was 18, knew about 10 words of German, didn’t bother researching any of the main attractions, and scrunched my face up at the taste of my first German beer. [...]

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Giveaway: Who Wants a Kindle for the Holidays?

December 2, 2012

Travel Literature - Reading a book on a hammock

***This contest has now ended. The winner will be contacted shortly.*** Christmas carols are playing on the radio, you’re spending your weekends drinking hot chocolate while Home Alone plays on TV, gingerbread cookies are baking in the oven, and some of you have already experienced the first snowfall of the year. Yes, Christmas season is [...]

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There Is A Place In…Lhasa,Tibet

December 1, 2012

You are in for a treat today because Agness, who makes up half the duo at eTramping.com, will be sharing with us a truly special place that few people ever get to visit…Lhasa, Tibet! Agness is a passionate traveller who always looks to connect with the places she visits is a genuine way. I look [...]