For a lot of people, Milwaukee is and has always been the beer capital of the US. This stereotype is enticing considering the city’s history but a little bit outdated. There is no denying that Milwaukee’s breweries thrived in the 19th and early 20th centuries and at some point, the […]
Read More• Countries
Eating Our Way Through Japan
The first and only thing I used to think of any time anyone said the words “Japanese” and “food” in the same sentence was “sushi”. I was faintly aware of noodles and tempura but have never been a big fan of either. Sushi, on the other hand, has been my […]
Read MoreJamaica: The World’s Highest Coffee
Last month we did something irresponsible. Are you ready? We paid $15… for a cup of coffee. Yes, the frugal backpackers who run this blog did that. Before you judge us for this splurge, all I can say is that we did it in a four-story fancy Starbucks on the […]
Read MoreHow I Left Everything and Joined a Monastery in Japan… For One Night
There are old fables of exhausted men climbing tall mountains to find a wise Buddhist monk meditating on the very top. The monk then, in very few words, discloses to the weary traveler the secret to success, love, life, or whatever grand question is presented. In these fables, the monks […]
Read MoreJapan: The Simple Houses of a Complex Country
It was 6 am and I woke up freezing. Wrapped in my blanket head to toe, I braved the chilly air to sneak my head out and look around. We were sleeping on the floor. Under the neighboring blanket, Victor was awake and trembling as well. “It feels as if […]
Read More