Last week I watched a great foreign film entitled “Pickpocket” from France in 1959. If you like foreign films and travel I recommend this movie. It is about a pickpocket in Paris France and it is incredible the skills and technique is used with pickpockets. Pickpockets have been around forever but I thought it was amazing that in 1959 they use the same techniques today. Now I know how they get the watches off your wrist. It is funny how I developed my money belt after reading all the pickpockets in Paris France when we were doing research for our trip in 2012. This movie is based in Paris France which is one of the cities with the most pickpockets and in the United States it is Las Vegas my city. The best a traveler can do is protecting their valuables with a money belt. My unique design money belt is the most comfortable which is selling well and we thank all my customers. Happy New Year and be safe!
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Great opening statement “Travel is supposed to be about a departure from the familiar” (The Paper Case article in Conde Nast Traveler, January 2014 magazine). This is why some people travel and some do not. One of my brothers loves the familiar and does not travel or venture out much where as another brother and I travel the world seeking the unfamiliar in our own ways. After reading this opening sentence I just had to blog about it because it is a very important part of travel NOT seeking the nearest McDonalds, Starbucks or Wi-Fi when traveling. Travel should challenge us in different ways but it should be different from our comfort zones. I believe this is what all travelers seek and I seek it with my passion for China. The Chinese and China takes me out of my comfort zone each time I go which has been 16 times to China. When in China the following are several things that take me out of my comfort zone which are the food, personal space, scheduling, and Come 1 Come All. The food is outstanding in China which I am constantly trying new food, places, learning how it is made, and textures. During our last trip I discovered a great breakfast sandwich from a street vendor and handmade noodle soup from a new restaurant. I learn more and more how food is prepped and cooked in China and wonder why we in America eat so much processed food, it is a shame. As I explode more food in China I prefer more foods with fat texture which before I would not eat any fat from meats. My wife says I am now 80% Chinese with all the new foods I eat in China. There is no personal space in China and it is so unfamiliar to me but I understand it is part of the culture. At first it made me very uncomfortable but as I travel in China it is something I embrace. For example, during our last trip the first night in Lishui (Nanjing) we had dinner with our friends and it was very hot which I put my shirt half way up my body to cool off at dinner. All the guys saw this and wanted me to be cool so they said for me to take off my shirt and I declined but then to make me feel comfortable all the guys took off their shirts, it was awesome. When we are in China we have no schedule or plans we just go with the flow which is the opposite for me I prefer schedules in the US. I only get to recommend things to do and we may or may not go but it is always an adventure. For example, I thought we had plans to go to a carnival type of event but it turned out to be a BBQ picnic in the mountains and I was over dressed. As soon as we leave our apartment for the day I always plan to be out all day and be ready for anything. Come 1 Come All in China is common we never eat alone, we have a minimum of 4 people with us for lunch or Dinner or late night BBQ. Everyone is always welcome and we usually eat or go to places with 6-8 people at all times. These are some of the things I love about China and the wonderful people but traveling to China takes me out of my comfort zone which is may be why I love it so much. Another incredible story how your entrusted luggage with baggage fees which items or suitcases can be stolen from Airport, Airline, TSA, and thieves, see link below. When your luggage leaves you at counter check-in or at the gate check-in it is not safe and you should do your best to uniquely identify and secure your luggage. All suitcases get scanned or x-ray and at that time personnel could easily identify your luggage with valuables like marking it with a simple sticker then when it reaches another place down the line another personnel sees it and takes your valuables. That’s why you should never package any valuables in your checked luggage this is packing 101. Now if you need to check your luggage at the gate because it is too large or overbooked then take the time to remove any valuables. Second, make it difficult to open your suitcase by using a TSA approved lock and or luggage straps. My Strap-n-Tag product to secure and identify your luggage with 2 luggage straps makes it more difficult for thieves to get into your suitcase which they would rather go to an easy accessible suitcase. Now, if they want to get into your luggage they will, so never pack valuables in your suitcase ONLY dirty underwear! http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/nightline-fix-abc-news/caught-act-luggage-looters-stealing-goods-150019863.html?vp=1 During our last trip to China we discovered a new street food for breakfast at the door steps of our apartment, almost at our door steps. It is a breakfast sandwich with a freshly cooked pastry, eggs, lettuce leaf, spicy sauce, and meat of your choice (sausage or bacon). My favorite is the pastry with 2 eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, lettuce leaf (cooked), and extra spicy sauce all for $1 USD made to order fresh, who needs McDonalds! I was amazed that the pastry was made right there as well, the dough is pre-made and with the hot surface and a spatula it quickly cooks. Before this discovery we would go to the dumpling shop for breakfast but we decided to try this cart vendor one day and it turned out to be a great breakfast sandwich. Most travelers are afraid to try street food in fear of getting sick. But again if you follow the locals and it is busy it is less likely you will get sick from eating street food. We ordered this sandwich every morning except 2 days and I felt bad for not going to our dumpling shop but it was so good and convenient. The lady whom owns the cart was talking to all her friends that she has a foreigner as a repeat customer and enjoys the food. She only operates from 6:30am to 10am or until what she has prepared for the morning is sold out. One morning after a heavy night of drinking my wife went out to get a sandwich around 10:00am and she was done for the morning with only 1 pastry left for her daughter. But offer it to us because she was so happy we enjoyed her food and she said her daughter could eat rice porridge. It always amazes me the generosity I encounter in China. Try new things, meet new people and now we have a new neighbor we know. The smog in China has been heavy in the recent weeks and it is part of the rush to get things produced before the upcoming Chinese New Year at the end of January. We have suppliers contacting us to get orders in before the holiday shutdown. It is always a busy time for factories to get orders completed to allow a majority of the workforce to go home for the holiday. They have smog now but wait until Chinese New Year and the smog clear up in 2 days after the factories shutdown. We have noticed this every time we went for Chinese New Year with beautiful blue sky. We went to Chinese New Year last year but we will be skipping this year. We will have our traditional family meal in front of the computer in Vegas talking with our family in China on Chinese New Year. We traveled Thanksgiving weekend and could have avoided the baggage fees from United. The airplane was fully booked so they requested travelers to check their carry-ons at the gate because there would not be enough room in the overhead bins. If you check your bag at the gate it is free. We checked 1 large suitcase at the check-in counter for a cost of $25 each way and we could have avoided this charge by taking 2 smaller suitcases and then check them at the gate if they did not fit. It pays to be an experience traveler, so the next time we travel domestically we will be sure to max out the carry-on policy of 1 personal item and 1 carry-on suitcase. Lesson learned and is a valuable travel tip. |
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September 2019
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