Have you ever thought about taking a road trip around the country? Well I have a suggestion for you when looking for a place to stay. You can go to HotelCoupons.com to get discounts for various hotels, motels and resorts across the country. Recently, my friend gave me the print version for Oregon, Washington, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. I find that the guide is quite useful, as it allows me to travel cheaply and visit a lot of places across the country. Motels in the United States are definitely a cooler alternative to hostels you see in other places of the world. I do consider myself an exotic world traveler and I have learned a lot from visiting different small towns across the United States. Motels allow you to get a clean bed to sleep in with clean towels to use and many provide free parking. So next time you travel, give it a try and don’t forget to choose one where you can use your coupon at! Have fun!

Chinese/Lunar New year differs for many countries. Although in the US it is commonly celebrated during one exact time frame, in Asia there is a difference. For Vietnam and China, there’s a one hour difference due to HaNoi and Beijing’s time difference. Hanoi celebrates Lunar New year one hour earlier. Well that’s the interesting fact of the day!

Largest Country in the world – Russia

Second Largest – Canada

Third Largest – China

Fourth Largest – America

Smallest Country – Vatican City

Largest City – Mumbai, India

If you are in the Seattle-Tacoma area, this is the perfect time to start going green by going organic. The Farmer’s Market is open (has been open for quite sometime, actually) and is selling organic products. If you want to save the environment, help the local farmers compete against the corporates, then do what you so desire to do and shop at the market. The produces are very good, green, and just the way you want it.

You might be thinking to yourself, they’re writing about Seattle again? What’s there about it to write so much about. Well, Seattle is not only home to the Space Needle, the Pike Place Market, and the Seattle Mariner’s, but also the Monorail. Just recently, we are home to the Northwest’s newest light rail, the Sound Transit. Rather than riding the metro, which stops every block, you can ride the Sound Transit, which stops every 10 blocks. If you’re in the Seattle-Tacoma area, you know that from Seattle to Tukwila by bus usually takes at least an hour. However, if you ride the Transit, it takes approximately only 24 minutes. And, the best thing is, you can ride the Sound Transit for about the same amount as the Metro bus!

Journey to the West, an epic story written by writer Wu Cheng-en (Ngo Thua Thien), begins with the world in a state of peril. The demonic monsters from the underworld have traversed the 18 stages of hell and shown themselves on earth. The king of the mightiest region in China at the same time was experiencing an incurable illness, where in his dreams, he is visited by the demons of his past. At this time, however, in the Holy Kingdom above, where His Holiness, the grand Buddha, was lecturing his disciples in the wisdoms of man. During the lecture, a disciple named XuanZang accidentally fell asleep, and the Buddha reprehended him and sent him down to earth to fulfill a mission before entering again the realm of the Gods. His mission was to save earth from the demons that were quickly taking over. To be continued.

If you’ve ever watched a show on the Travel Channel called Bizzare Foods hosted by Andrew Zimmern, you would know that durien is one of the few things he cannot ingest. The reason is that durien is an acquired taste. If you are not used to it, then it’ll stink in your mouth, literally. Southeast Asia is  home to this exotic, strange fruit. If you ever stop by Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia or Thailand, make sure you pick up a durien to test your taste buds, and if for the first time you don’t vomit, then I guess you’ve acquired more of a taste for ‘bizzare foods’ than Andrew Zimmern himself.

If Paris, London, Beijing, and Tokyo are the major capitals of the world, then America’s New York City pars no lower than any capitol. With the graceful statue of Lady Liberty holding tightly the red flames of American desire, New York is the world’s capital city for finance and business. Home to Wall Street, the Big Apple, and the World Trade Organization, NYC is probably the most important city when it comes to business. However, famous as it is for the endless possibilities and promises New York holds, they are not the only things that bring fame to the city. From the ever-so famous subway stations to the ever-so high skyrises, NYC is one of the most developed cities in the world. It’s the epitomy of American success. With businessmen, doctors, lawyers, and corporate managers browsing the streets, there is no better place that can better describe America in its glory. In addition, because New York is probably the first true melting pot of American culture, where people of all descent, from England, Ireland, Germany, China, Japan, and other countries come together to form a nation greater than the ones from which they come, it is truly a culture that one can appreciate. Along with the night markets and the Asia-like streets filled with bustling people, NY offers a place where many can truly call home. From the entrepreneural spirit of the businessman to the hopeful innocence of the college graduate to the dreams of an immigrant fresh off the boat, NYC offers everything anyone can hope for.

Over several thousand years ago, in a land long seperated from the rest of humanity, there existed a people who called themselves the Aboriginies. They were a peaceful people who held faith in a religion called Dreamtime and practiced the art of worshipping their ancestors, holding true to the values of their predecessors. The Aboriginies resided (and currently reside) in the Northern parts of Australia. Often called the Downunder land, Australia had been almost completely shut off from the rest of mankind and is still very isolated today (only in terms of distance).  If you should ever visit the Downunder land, be sure to tour the lands that bore its original peoples. With all the original customs and traditions still held true, one of humanity’s oldest, the Aboriginies are very rare today. If you want to experience culture first hand, be sure to visit Australia. But, there’s not only that, Australia has much more to offer, from the lifestyle of the people on the mainland, to the foods they eat, to the things they do. Stay connected to read our  ongoin series of Australia!