Why visit Huangshan? Traditional Chinese calligraphy paintings often used Huangshan as inspiration to paint mountains shrouded with clouds. Each peak has a smooth surface interrupted by jutting pines or other granite rocks. They range from a coffee toned brown to gray, shifting with the intensity of sunlight. Clouds are often drifting […]
Huangshan..China’s Magic Mountains Read More »
How did you choose travel destinations? During my year of constant travel, I tagged along on as many planned trips as possible. After the 20th or 40th country, planning every little detail like where to stay or how to get around becomes tedious. When a friend mentioned a Balkans trip with his banker buddies, it was
Balkans Trip Planning Read More »
It’s easy to draw parallels between glitzy Dubai and tropical expat cities like Hong Kong/Singapore. They attract foreigners (the population of Dubai is 80% foreigners), entertainment is built around malls (a sensible shield from the sun), and the landscape is littered with new construction. Although in Dubai there are remnants of the housing bust from unfinished
Oven baked zucchini chips, delicious for an appetizer or snack. Prep time: 30 mins (I’m slow) Cook time: 30 mins Ingredients 1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs (panko or even crumbled crackers work) 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (unnecessary if your bread crumbs are salted) 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (optional) 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black
Post housing collapse, taking out a loan has become significantly harder. Even for people who have enough assets and income to get a loan, the application process has become a tedious barrage of questions and demands for proof. Think filling out an online job application with 10 different fields for one work experience, even though the relevant
Jumping through hoops for a US Home Loan Read More »
This is a warning against any callous declaration of fact. Especially one tied to a random pattern. Email blast from a mortgage loan broker (the guy who arranges your house loan) about the interest rate paid on mortgages: ” This email is being sent to all my clients, to inform you of the rate pricing has
Broker Beware-Mortgage Rates BS Read More »
How did I get there? This trip was by far the most extensively pre-planned trip. I researched tour groups 6 months ahead of time and ended up with Gadventures, an Australian tour company with decent reviews on Tripadvisor. The pricing was ok, about $1099 for the “7 day tour”, which was really just 1 day
Peru..Hiking the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu Read More »