Money does grow on trees…in some places though…
Nice artistic Volkswagen Beetle
Visiting the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Chino Hills, SoCal
Hollywood Wax Museum
Visiting the Wat Padhmmachart in South California
Jehay-Bodegnée Castle – Belgium
How to prepare yourself before traveling from the US to Belgium
Belgium is a beautiful country. It was my second home for a while, I lived there for 3 beautiful years after I moved from Lebanon. I moved out of Belgium almost 6 years ago to start living in the U.S.A. Last month, I had to go to Belgium for work and it seems I was not fully prepared for the trip.
This post is not to complain about anything but to remind myself or others how to be best prepared before traveling from the US to Belgium.
You can keep the tips…to yourself
Yes, unlike the U.S, you pay exactly for the item price on the menu. You don’t have to tip anyone for the rendered service. I am not just talking about not tipping when you are eating out in restaurants; even your barista, cab driver, your hair dresser, your apartment cleaner, etc. Keep the tips to yourself or tip up to your discretion. That’s a positive thing in my opinion because those workers are getting a proper salary and not waiting for tips from clients.
In the US, you are expected to tip 20% of the total bill. Often times, when a party of 5 or more are being served then mandatory gratuity is applied. It can get very tricky and passive aggressive when you don’t like the service and you don’t tip enough. That sucks and is unfair towards the workers. I think the tipping mentality stems from the fact that it incentivises service workers to provide good service. If they do well, they get a fat tip. Well, if you are generous and happy you can still tip a Belgian waiter on top of his proper salary. Continue reading “How to prepare yourself before traveling from the US to Belgium”
Meet Roger, the man who lives in the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
I was traveling from the US to Europe and I had a layover in Amsterdam. In the men’s room, I met an interesting character called Roger. Roger, in his mid forties, was neat and dressed like a backpack traveler. He started a conversation with me, talking about random stuff. At one point, out of the blue he mentions that he lives in the airport. I was not sure what he meant but he explained that he literally lives in the airport. I asked him if he showers, sleeps and gets his basic needs met in the airport and he said yes. In fact, he uses the handicap toilet to wash himself at nights then he goes to sleep in the airport pretending to be an early morning passenger. In the morning, he also uses to toilets to get himself ready and then leaves the airport for the day.
What an interesting encounter. I had no idea that some people, out of necessity do that. I have walked in the streets of popular European cities and I have met many homeless people. Panhandling and sleeping on the street is a second nature to them unfortunately. Roger at least, gets a warm place and washes himself instead of sleeping out in the freezing cold in the winter.
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A universal grace prayer
Back in 2007, I went to India to do Dyan Yatra (a spiritual trek/pilgrimage to the foothills of the Himalayas to visit ancient temples). We were a group of 120 people traveling in 4 buses containing 30 people each. We would drive to the foothills of a mountain range, then hike up around 8 to 10 km to reach a small village and the temple we wanted to visit. We would sleep in the village and hike back down the next day and resume our pilgrimage.
One day, we got stuck in a village because of a landslide blocking the road. We stayed an extra day in the village and this is when I befriended an Indian who’s both a homeopathic doctor and a Yogi. I had an extensive chat with him and he ended up teaching me a few handy spiritual practices. One of the things that I still remember and practice to this day was the prayer he taught me to say before eating. It is akin to the Christians’ grace prayer that is recited before food is consumed.
If you follow my blog, you may have noticed that I love two things: Prayers and Stories. Anyway, his version of the prayer goes something like this:
Oh my creator and God, thank you for this food. May this food nourish my body, may it be converted into blood and energy that I can use to help and serve others.
This is a very short prayer and is almost devoid of any religious affiliations. It is not a Christian prayer, it is not a Muslim prayer and it surely not a Buddhist or Hindu prayer. It is a simple remembrance that we are grateful for the grace we have in our life and how we intended to return this grace by serving others.
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Takeaways from the “California Driver Handbook 2017”
In this article, I share with you my notes from the “California Driver Handbook 2017“. Perhaps it will come in handy when you are preparing for the driving test in California:
Notes:
- Speed limit
- The maximum speed limit on most California highways is 65 mph. You may drive 70 mph where posted. Unless otherwise posted, the maximum speed limit is 55 mph on a two-lane undivided highway and for vehicles towing trailers.
- California has a “Basic Speed Law.” This law means that you may never drive faster than is safe for current conditions. For example, if you are driving 45 mph in a 55 mph speed zone during a dense fog, you may be cited for driving “too fast for conditions.”
- The speed limit in any alley is 15 mph.
- Business or Residential Districts: The speed limit is 25 mph, unless otherwise posted.
- Stopping and safe distance
- At 55mph, it takes about 400 feet to react and bring the vehicle to a complete stop, and at 35mph, it takes about 210 feet.
- Pedestrians, bicyclists
- Pedestrians, bicyclists, or other vehicles alongside you may experience sudden strong winds when passing or being passed. Slow down and pass safely, and pass only at a safe distance (typically 3 feet or more for bicyclists).
- Blind Intersections
- The speed limit for a blind intersection is 15 mph. An intersection is considered “blind” if there are no stop signs at any corner and you cannot see for 100 feet in either direction during the last 100 feet before crossing.
- Near animals
- If you see a stray animal in your path, slow down or stop if it’s safe. Do not swerve as you may lose control of your vehicle and cause an accident.
Continue reading “Takeaways from the “California Driver Handbook 2017””
3 nights and 1200 miles later – Road trip from Seattle, WA to San Diego, CA
Two weeks ago, I started my road trip from Seattle, WA to San Diego, CA. It was my first very long road trip in the US. At first, I was just going to punch-in my destination into my GPS and drive along whatever route it suggests. However, after talking to friends who already took a similar road trip, they advised me to research taking the scenic route instead of the plain and dull I-5 highway. I became intrigued about the scenic route and my research indicated that it would be a longer but much more enjoyable trip.
What follows is my short story where I share my adventure and some tips I learned along the way. Since this is my first road trip from Seattle to San Diego along the Pacific coast and with little to no experience driving along the coast, I am hoping that this article proves to be useful for others who also are looking to embark on a similar experience. Continue reading “3 nights and 1200 miles later – Road trip from Seattle, WA to San Diego, CA”
Auroville – The universal town in Tamil Nadu, India
Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities.
Today Auroville is recognised as the first and only internationally endorsed ongoing experiment in human unity and transformation of consciousness, also concerned with – and practically researching into – sustainable living and the future cultural, environmental, social and spiritual needs of mankind.
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A day trip to Manhattan, New York City
Back in August, while visiting Boston, I took the Saturday morning Amtrak train to the Pennsylvania Station, New York City. It was a pleasant 4 hours ride in the train. After I arrived, I left the station and found myself in the center of Manhattan.
I was greeted by a bus tour saleswoman. I figured, why not, let me ride the tour bus and familiarize myself with the city. Unfortunately, it was raining the most part of the day.
It was a very busy day. People everywhere and there were barely room for pedestrians. The trash bins were full, homeless people were everywhere and the city was very very dirty. It felt like a zoo. Manhattan is not like what you see on TV. In reality it is a dog eat dog city. People were pushing each other and were very unfriendly. Later that day, I did my best to go away from Times Square and deep into the other parts of Manhattan. The further I got away from Manhattan the more tolerable and pleasant the city felt to me. What struck me most was that on each block you would find a pizza place. No wonder why the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who live in New York, love Pizza 😉 Continue reading “A day trip to Manhattan, New York City”