Most travelers and backpackers I know aren’t into collecting souvenirs.  Face it, there comes a time in everyone’s life when they take down their collection of shot glasses.  Also, as a backpacker carrying home breakables and added weight is a burden especially on a month or longer trip.  During a bar visit, I noticed some well designed coasters that were being used.  Most beer companies and restaurants use a coaster that has a front and back, and more often than not, the two sides correlate with each other.  This gives us a perfect opportunity to use a free souvenir to decorate the pad back home.

Step #1:  Collect 3 coasters from wherever you may travel.  Make sure they have different front and backs.

Step #2:  Go to your local art & craft store and pick up a cheap framing mat board.  They usually don’t cost more than a couple of bucks.  (And they are big so you can often reuse them).  Using black or white mat board creates a little better contrast to most coasters I find.

Step #3:  Line up three (art lesson 101 – odd numbers usually work better than even numbers) of the coasters and space them about how you want it to appear.  Then…cut the mat board with a utility knife so that the three coasters fill most the space.

Step #4:  Glue the coasters to the mat and hang in desired location.

So there we have an idea that is cheap, reminds you of that special place you visited, and adds decor to the apartment walls when you’re not travelling.  Cheers.

So I broke down and got a “Flip.”  This is a handheld video recorder that is about the size of an iphone…probably a little smaller, but thicker.  I’ve been testing it out with a few videos, and playing around with software.  Overall, I’m thrilled.  I can not wait to take this with me on my next trip, as it is so small, it’s not going to be a burden in relation to all the other crap I carry around.  The video for it is simple, great for web (which was my main intention), and looks sharp with good sound.  Initially, I was worried about the sound/mic for this device, as that seems to be the hardest part to get right, but The Flip nailed it.  It sounds very good when played back either through the device or on the computer.  My only complaint would be the software seems a little too simple and not exactly what I was hoping for.  Plus the USB plug which pops out of the top of the camera itself is a little weak.  I’m afraid it’s going to break off if I keep using it without support.  Time will tell.

I managed to sneak away to Philadelphia this week, and found a great tapas restaurant.  Amada, which is in downtown Philly was a great meal that reminded me of what it was like in Spain…without the language barrier.  I really wish the US would adopt more tapas bars, as it’s a very healthy way to eat, in addition to getting a variety of food instead of pounding down a 16 oz steak for an hour straight.

Shabu Shabu is a Japanese dish that is self served in a boiled water or broth. The dish Shabu Shabu is Japanese for Swish Swish, meaning you cook the meat and ingredients very quickly because the beef strips are so thin.  It makes for quick cooking/eating.  Main ingredients are usually a very thin sliced high end cut of beef, greens such as spinach, leeks or bok choy, shitake mushrooms, cabbage, and basically whatever else you want to throw in it.  Some start with chicken broth to add more flavor, and some use a ginger soy sauce to dip in.    I’ve listed a few different recipes I’ve found online to try it out at home, as I imagine it would be hard to make in a hostel.

Epicurious Shabu-Shabu
Food Network Shabu-Shabu

But if you want the true experience, you’ll have to go to Tokyo or Taiwan as I’ve heard these are some of the best places to get this dish or at least a version of it.  Hot Pot, Sukiyaki, are similar and while I’m not going to get into a debate about the history and origins of food here, I will say that this is one meal you may want to spend a little more money on than usual and be wary of cheap versions.  It’s all about the beef, and since the beef is cut so thin, and cooked so quickly, it’s important for your health to not get into cheap cuts.

Recipe Book: Favorite Japanese Dishes (Quick & Easy)

We’re back after a long computerless tragedy.  And while we were sans computer, we were coming up with some ideas and concepts for the site.  Mainly #1 being we’d like to start doing some video.  And we have had a lot of advertisers looking to place their products here….many of which were turned down in the name of I don’t need that crap because I’m a backpacker.

So cheers to you and our sincerest apologies for the lack of updates.

But we’re back.

A long while back I posted about Bordbar.  They create designs on the airline carts that goes up and down the aircraft aisles around the world.  Recently they have added to their collection.  They are available for purchase if you can speak German.  I’m not sure if they ship overseas however.  I’ll let someone else investigate that.