Be Determined if Traveling During Spring Festival

Steven Schwankert | Feb 10, 2015 1:00 pm | 9 comments | 3626 reads

I just don't get backpackers and backpacking. Do young people who are doing this now think it's original, or do they just not care? It's amazing how Lonely Planet has created a zombie army that roams the Earth, feeding on banana pancakes and muesli, getting ungrammatical foreign-language tattoos, and wearing Chang Beer t-shirts. The complete lack of originality is mind-numbing.

As you may have guessed from that description, I'm in Thailand, Koh Tao, specifically. I passed through Bangkok on my way in and find that it has a lot of the energy of pre-Olympic Beijing, without all the bluster and pretension. Read more about those two places with the links included.

The Sunrise Kempinski Hotel, also known as the site of the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, is now open to the public. Expect a whole lot of corporate events to be held there over the next two years.

By the way, if you're traveling for Spring Festival, especially domestically, be determined. Originally faced with an eight-hour drive to reach my upcoming destination, a sharp-eyed companion saw and nabbed a train ticket for me on February 18. While this appears to have "middle seat" written all over it, noise-canceling headphones and an iPad loaded with pornography should see me through. Regardless, my travel time is now cut in half. Keep trying, with the help of Chinese-reading friends if you're not literate in the local language.

Finally for this edition, don't miss this New York Daily News travel article on Beijing that seems too good to be true, and more like someone paid off the writer to write it.

Photo: Steven Schwankert/the Beijinger

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Where'sRodwell's picture Where'sRodwell Submitted by Guest on Wed, 02/11/2015 - 11:29

What an inspiring article. We must seek to find meaning in everything. What is the meaning of backpackers and backpacking? Why are they so lacking in originality? Why does this zombie army journey to banality and mediocrity? This is not how anyone should aspire to live; they ought to be more determined in their travels.

Also, kudos on seamlessly linking several seemingly unrelated topics. Finally, I was eagerly awaiting the tip that would give me more personal space on plane journeys, but I seem to have missed it; when was it posted? Please let me know as I am traveling soon, and I would really appreciate some extra space...

lucreziab's picture lucreziab Submitted by Guest on Wed, 02/11/2015 - 00:57

Sounds like some clown I overheard in line at the Beijing immigration boasting that he stayed at the Intercontinental. I was so tempted to turn around and say and still you're by yourself. Sometimes staying at more local places gives you more contact with the community. Like people at a small hotel in Goroka, Papua New Guinea saying you couldn't get around by yourself there, you needed to do a tour. There were at least six of us that were. We found it funny they couldn't figure it out.

Faychangbaoler's picture Faychangbaoler Submitted by Guest on Tue, 02/10/2015 - 18:43

"I just don't get backpackers and backpacking. Do young people who are doing this now think it's original, or do they just not care?"

Are you joking? If not, isn't that the equivalent of saying "I just don't get the college drinking experience, Do young people who are doing this now think it's original?" Surely it's a rite of passage and gaining some fun travel experience when you are younger, even if it isn't oh so original is a postivie thing?

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