Jetting Educated

Hi travelers, I have just returned form Japan and loved it . I will soon be penning some Tokyo tips, but for now, check out Kyoto! The former capital city is well known for having temples and shrines everywhere. And they really are numerous!  Whether you want to check out the top few or go on a total temple tour, my first tip is seeing them by cycling around the city. I hired a bike for  800 JPY (5 GBP/7 USD) that had to be returned by 11am the next day, so its very affordable. Riding in Kyoto reminded me of wandering Rome in 2013 without a map, as both times my curiosity led me to great sights that I was not expecting to find. Kinkaku-ji is a very impressive golden temple and cost just 400 JPY (2.5 GBP/4 USD) to see. Other than that recommendation I'm going to talk about the non-temple attractions and other ways to absorb culture. Its easy to stumble across great sights that you weren't trying to find in Kyoto These three can all be enjoyed in English: ...

During the last couple of years I've worked in a few different countries- France, Finland, Czech and I am currently in China. Of the seven different jobs I've had, they have all been within walking distance from home, which includes the job I have now.. It only takes me 12 minutes to walk to work, but even in that short distance there are some interesting things to behold. During the last week, I've been taking some snaps on the way to work... Are the days numbered for streets like this? (I hope so) A lot of construction is going on in this area, as is probably in many parts of China. Its said to be an interesting time to be in China, 'because in a few years the country will have transformed'. Dirty side streets like this one will be replaced by more habitable accommodation, possibly. At the moment though, particularly near where I live, there's a lot of filth. An abundance of littering and dumping of refuse hinders progress being made to imp...

I get the idea that recently that people weren't collectively overjoyed about the President of China coming for a visit to the UK.  This made me think. Its hard to know what actually goes on in other countries if you've not been there personally. I don't know much about the history of human rights in China- more of what I've read has been about how animals are treated. Such as stories of dogs being boiled alive and cats being beaten, also still alive, to create a 'better' product. I've heard the quote from a Chef in Guangzhou who said "the worse you treat them, the better they taste". But I've not experienced these things first-hand so I'll refrain from comment. Instead, I decided to take advantage of being a British citizen in China, witnessing how animals are treated, and report on instances I have personally seen since I've been here. Keeping cats on leashes. Just another sight around town that I would describe as...

Ahh noodles! I could eat them every day. Actually, I do eat noodles most days here in China. I don't think I realised that I was such a fan until I found them being served for breakfast, lunch and dinner. With such variety that Chinese food offers, I am pleased that I am most enamoured with the most common of foods. Noodles for breakfast However, one does need a break from noodles sometimes. I really like eating eggs back in England, as they are so versatile: fried, scrambled, poached, omelette, eggy bread and it goes on. So in an effort to have a relaxing Saturday with some homely food I decided to make some eggs. Then the trouble started. I'm sure it says 'Not the eggs you're looking for' but I can't read Chinese It began innocently enough; I was in the small supermarket picking up a few groceries and noticed these eggs that were nice and large. They were also a light blue colour which drew me in- how exotic! There was some suspicion c...

I moved to Budapest two weeks ago today and I am still loving it! Last time I wrote, I talked money and my first impression was that Budapest is a strong contender when it comes to offering excellent value for money. Well, I could speak for beer at least, as that had been my main experience of spending until that point. Since then I've continued to have wonderful, wallet-friendly times, whose crowning glory on Saturday was a tasty meal at a restaurant (including wine) for £2.69. But as my friend Sam would say, money should not be discussed. What I have been dissertating at length is  language , because the reason I'm in Hungary is that I'm training to become an English teacher. Specifically a teacher to 'non-native speakers' or as I'm sure Nigel Farage (adj: meaning xenophobic) would say, 'the foreigns'. What a funny language! N.B not so funny when you've trying to teach it... But let's not talk English, even though it is intere...