nickkembel

I’m writing this post to mark the two-year anniversary of the event which has transformed all of our lives, mostly for the worse. Of course, I’m talking about the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first part below, I’m going to tell the story of how my family and I moved around the world (from Taiwan to Canada) just before COVID started, and what happened to me and my business, a successful travel website, as a result (spoiler: it died). In the second part, I’ll talk about how we’ve passed these two years in my hometown, Edmonton, after being away for many years, and how things are going now, including my new website that I’m really excited about: FunWorldFacts. Moving to Canada (+ COVID) The timing of COVID was, ironically, rather ideal for my family. For some context, ... read more

The Bishnois are a sect of Hinduism that take drastic measures to preserve and co-exist with the natural environment in which they reside. Primarily descendants of Jats, a caste of pastoralists from northern India and Pakistan, they have now settled in a number of small villages in the extremely dry Thar desert of Rajasthan. The name Bishnoi means 29, representing the 29 principles put forth by the founder Guru Jambheshwar approximately 540 years ago. These include several eco-friendly restrictions that aim to protect the trees and wildlife of the region. The Guru believed that hurting the environment can be equated with hurting oneself. Today, most Bishnoi do not consume meat or alcohol, fell trees that are still alive, or burn wood that may have insects on it. They also practice humane husbandry of the cattle on ... read more

Well, it took me ages to write, but here is my first all-Chinese blog! A brief English introduction is at the bottom. Otherwise, enjoy the pics! 這是我第一次寫中文的部落格，是關於我最近的京都旅行。是我跟Emily六個月的結婚的週年(這個部分不是故意的，只是巧合而且是在Emily第一次懷孕的期間去旅行，這個禮拜是她懷孕的第二十四週。我很久以前去過東京，但是這是我第一次去京都，而且現在是京都的楓葉季。 我們跟Emily的弟弟去，因為他六個月前找到很便宜的廉價航空機票。我們到大阪以後覺得很餓，幸運的是機場的外面有一些國際的小吃攤，我沒想到我第一個在日本買的東西是幾瓶墨西哥啤酒。大阪的機場是很特別的，因為他們在海上做了個假的小島，然後客人會坐火車通過了一個橋到日本的海岸。 到京都的那個火車站很有名因為很有未來感。我們晚上8點到達那裡，溫度大概5度，所以我覺得很舒服，跟加拿大的秋天天氣一樣。我第一個看到很特別的是一個戶外玻璃做的抽煙房，還有很多聖誕節燈，看起來好酷！ 我們接著搭計程車到我們的旅館，日本計程車的計程表兩百台幣開始計算，跳得也非常快而且後面的門會自動開。我以為我們 的旅館是西方式的，但是有很多日式的特色，比如付錢時不用給櫃檯人員，要給自動販賣機、房間裡面很小而且需要的東西都有，廁所有很多作用、然後旅館也有賣啤酒的自動售貨機和溫泉。我們接著去吃飯。因為Emily的弟弟來過京都，他知道一家很酷的拉麵店。客人要先用自動售貨機選菜然後排隊一下。吃飯的地方是一個很小的房間，裡面有一個很小的窗戶，然後你得開窗戶給廚房你剛買的飯票，一分鐘以後，他們會再開窗戶給客人拉麵。吃完飯以後，我們去散步一下。我們的旅館附近有京都第二名的藝妓區。那邊有很多小河邊的酒店而且小路看起來很傳統。睡覺之前，我去泡溫泉，進去前需要把衣服脫下來，但是我... read more

The desert state of Rajasthan might just be the most touristy in all of India, famous for its gem scams and pesky touts, but this comes as no surprise since it contains some of the most breathtaking sights in the subcontinent. Chief among them is the 857-year-old sandstone fort in Jaisalmer, in the isolated far western corner of the state only 40 kilometers from the India-Pakistan border. In this blog, however, I’d like to stray away from history and focus on my real, on-the-ground experience of the “Golden City” and its magical fort. The most shocking aspect of my stay in Jaisalmer, besides the mere sight of the living fort and the splendor of the ancient havelis and other crumbling structures within it, was the oppressive heat. July in Rajasthan is Asia’s version of the Death ... read more

Of the four color-themed cities in Rajasthan, the Pink City is my least favorite. With a population of 3 million, the provincial capital of Jaipur is much larger and more congested than the blue, golden, or white cities, yet still lacks the impressiveness of other large metropolises such as Delhi, or the grandiosity of the Taj Mahal in Agra. Nevertheless, it is regarded as the western point of the tourist ‘Golden Triangle’ along with the two aforementioned cities, and attracts a huge number of domestic and international visitors. The city was painted entirely in pink in 1876 for the visiting Prince of Wales, and to this day local laws dictate the preservation of the pink look, particularly within the walled old city at the center. For all three of my visits to Jaipur, I didn’t even ... read more