Category: Travel
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8/13 – Japan/US Tennis Tourney
The Bay Area is one of 4 or 5 places on the planet where there’s a convergence of culture, activities, innovation, and course, international people. Participated in the annual tennis tourney hosted by the Japan Society for those from Japan or who have deep ties there.
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What’s bad for California is good for Texas
Taxes play a huge role for refugees to Texas from California. Climate change, moderate-to-conservative politics, and business friendliness have drawn Californians to Texas. However, there is sentiment among Texans lamenting the loss of culture and affordability. What’s most clear is that Texas benefits from California issues. The State of California needs to figure things out […]
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Austin versus Nashville
I recently visited Nashville. Austin looks and feels the most like Nashville in terms of demographics, being college towns (UT versus Vanderbilt), and hosting the state government. It makes sense why people are looking at these tourism meccas with a lower cost of living (compared to CA, WA, Chicago, and the Northeast). Austonia highlighted the […]
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Isha, Tennessee – 3/19
Yoga at my local gym gets watered down to just random movements, sanitized with millennial music. It’s often led by an instructor who functions more like a nightclub DJ. There’s nothing wrong with consumer-focused yoga if it expands the audience and improves health outcomes. I wanted to learn the pure stuff (and get away from […]
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Austin > Tokyo (article)
I never imagined living in Tokyo while growing up in Austin. After my foray into Japan, Austin City Limits was supposed to be just a passing memory, a TV show meant to be forgotten, not a destination made convenient by the Covid pandemic. Returning home invokes bittersweet memories. Quality of life remains high. It’s no […]
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Texas as the Future?
Is Texas a better version of California, given all the West coast issues? Or will it become a temporary shelter for fleeing families? Good NYT op-ed
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Austin versus Miami
According to versus.com: link Austin has tech infrastructure and educated workers. Miami is more fun, and it’s hard to distinguish weekends from workdays. Seek Austin for work and consider Miami for retirement. The worker class predominates in both cities as they compete hard for the investor class — financiers and venture capitalists who are unhappy […]
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Better to Have Gone
I’ve been to Auroville, the famous hippie outpost in South India. It was hard enough deciphering the whos and whats of this unique destination. Pondicherry and Auroville offer a respite for travelers making the tiresome trek away from India’s urban metros. We checked this place off our travel wishlist. What I never really understood was […]
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Why Texas won’t slip in attracting Businesses and Workers
Texas may not appease everyone moving here. The state-level politics based on representation are decidedly conservative. The changing demographics, based on immigration and cross-country migration, are undoubtedly moderate-to-liberal. At this time, personal liberty plays second fiddle to business freedom. Texas reminds me of my time in Japan. There was an expat adage about living there: […]
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Journeys in Japan (without going anywhere)
In any other year, I would be crisscrossing Japan for unique experiences and cool things, not to mention the Tokyo Olympics. NHK’s show ‘Journeys in Japan’ offers tours from the comfort of your home. I watched this episode and found some woodcraft speakers I would buy myself if I made it to the hill country […]
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SpaceX Launch site – 7/6/2021
Boca Chica Beach is the Texas backdrop for Elon Musk’s SpaceX effort. The location looked spartan. Gas stations and shopping centers don’t exist here. I’m sure this otherworldly destination will develop and look something more akin to NASA’s presence near Houston. Hope to be back in August for the next Boca Chica launch: Link 🚀
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Auroville movie
Aside from Kyoto (Japan), Auroville (India) is probably the world’s worst-kept secret as a travel destination for yogis going off the beaten path. Great movie about how Auroville’s forests came into existence from a barren desert in South India. Given the calamities of climate change affecting the Western U.S., Auroville offers a blueprint for re-afforestation […]
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Seattle, Texas?
Is Austin becoming Seattle? (Austonia link) Austonia is a free Austin-based newsletter that launched in 2020. It sure does mimic Seattle’s Evergrey newsletter.
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Tennis podcast
Patrick McEnroe hosts a great podcast connecting tennis with life. Tennis is a sport easy to carry with you. It’s certainly a way of life in the professional ranks. Travel writer Pico Iyer shares how the world might travel again. Link
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Sticking to Common Sense
Several friends of mine have managed through the pandemic without significant lifestyle changes. It’s easier to do this in Japan, which remains wired for social distancing. A sense of collective trust is a minimum requirement to live in Japan. It’s why these kinds of societies will do much better for years to come. The grownup […]
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Health and Prosperity: Country Rankings
Once shown the green light to a world more accepting of health risks, I expect adventure travelers to seek getaways for more extended periods than usual. There will be a literal and metaphoric flight to countries offering the best healthcare systems. The countries struggling the most today have inefficient systems and vulnerable populations not protected […]
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Austin City Limits
A requiem for Austin (which I expect to bounce back faster than Silicon Valley)… Link
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Austin City Limits
Austin is not for everyone, but nearly everyone loves Austin from afar. As the world transitions in this ’gap year,’ Austin is doing better than most places in its response to Covid-19. While Austin’s most significant gaps are its lack of cultural diversity (outside UT) and scant public transportation, it shines with a hip, independent […]
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Digital Nomadism
Companies like Airbnb, Uber, Tinder, and WeWork have really changed how techies work and socialize. As a result, there’s an explosive growth of digital nomads and experience-seeking junkies — many of whom are tech workers who’ve managed to have fun while earning a paycheck in far-flung places. Will the insatiable desire for new travel experiences […]
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