Notes from Abroad – Page 6 – Shastified, Continued

Statues of Budapest

After spending a month in Budapest, I have lots of thoughts and impressions on the city, but the biggest first impression remains the primary one: Budapest really, *really* loves statues.

07 March, 2018: I landed at 2am, on a magenta plane from Morocco. I don’t even remember passport control, so it must have been easy, and then I stopped at the ATM to withdraw local currency. The exchange rate is confusing — my primary reference point is that 5,000 Hungarian forints equals approx $20 USD,Continue reading “Welcome to Budapest!”

Morocco was about making friends

I had an amazing time in Morocco, and I would love to go back someday. I learned a lot, I went surfing and swimming, I got to experience an entirely different culture, and I confirmed for myself that I can live and work pretty much anywhere. The best thing about Morocco, though, was spending fiveContinue reading “Morocco was about making friends”

Hot Water Methodology

I’m confused, y’all. Why do we have hot water heaters in the US? I didn’t think anything of it until I started traveling more frequently several years back, but over the course of multiple years and multiple countries, it has come to my attention that there are other options, and they seem a whole lotContinue reading “Hot Water Methodology”

The Cool Ranch saga continues

I first wrote about this over here, but to recap: I’ve realized that ranch dressing is not a thing that exists outside the US. Sure, fine (tragic for pizza-eating in other countries, but ok). But then you have Cool Ranch Doritos, which *do* exist in other countries… except they have to give them different namesContinue reading “The Cool Ranch saga continues”

What my coffee budget buys me now

I had a working hypothesis that I could travel the world (with living standards comparable to what I’m used to) and save money. So far, so good! We’ll see how that plan holds up when a) I move on to countries with higher living costs and b) I’m not in a dry town with limitedContinue reading “What my coffee budget buys me now”

“Excuse me, where is the recycling?” and other excellent jokes

I’ve traveled a lot, but I’m still a Seattle girl. My inner bleeding-heart-liberal, Cascadia eco-warrior comes out when I least expect it. I’m still shocked when I encounter styrofoam in restaurants and plastic bags in grocery stores, even though I can find all that just a few short miles from Seattle. Morocco, though, is onContinue reading ““Excuse me, where is the recycling?” and other excellent jokes”

How I learned to rinse off very quickly in the shower

First, to re-establish the main premise here: Morocco is amazing. The people are nice, the food is good, it’s beautiful, there are tons of stars over the ocean at night, and I love it. There are a few little things that come up, though, as part of living in a less-developed area of a less-developedContinue reading “How I learned to rinse off very quickly in the shower”