Observations, Superstitions and Reconstructions

There are large pigeons at Everest Advance Base Camp
At the Hotel Seman (pronounced semaan) in Kashgar, China, Rule #10 in the Guest Directory is as follows: Such corrupt public morals as whoring, gambling and wining are stricly forbidden in the hotel.
In Russia and the former Soviet Union, it is very unlucky to whistle indoors.
If you get into a taxi in Uzbekistan, people will think you’re a rebel from Tajikistan. I don’t think this is the James Dean type of rebel.
In Shanghai, taxis will begin driving even if they don’t know they are going. They will wait for you to tell them they are going in the wrong direction and what the right way is.
In downtown Osh, Kyryzstan, there are ubiquitous refridgerators that dispense fountain style Coca-Cola, Fresca (Pear, Apple, Orange, Peach, Cherry Grape) and Mineral Water. A glass costs about $0.04.
You can enter a Kyrgyz yurt (tent) anytime without any permission. You can also help yourself to dinner for their food without being any invitation.
The 7th rule in the Hotel Seman’s Guest Directory is as follows: It is not welcome to bring such things as inflammables, explosive substances, radioactive materials, guns, ammunition, birds and beasts into the hotel.
The most common fuel for cooking, warmth and light in Tibet is yak dung.
At the Holiday Inn in the Pudong District of Shanghai, a bath assistant costs 80 yuan an hour.
If you are sitting against a wall with your legs outstretched, Muslims are not allowed to step over your legs.
The Chinese word for cheers is gambei, which means empty-glass. They will empty their glass every time.
In a Tibetan Sky Burial, a decaying human corpse is taken to the top of a mountain where a horde of ravenous vultures wait to devour the body. Tibetans believe this gets the soul to heaven quicker; also, they don’t like cemetaries.
The first toast in Central Asia when drinking vodka is always to new friends.
Marijuana plants grow wild all over Almaty, Kazakhstan, the most western and cosmopolitan city in Central Asia.
Several chinese people have commented that my incredibly messy handwriting is "piaoliang" (beautiful).
Most Kyrgyz taxi drivers turn down their radio and clasp their hands together whenever driving by a cemetary.
Chinese condoms are smaller than American condoms.
Toyota Landcruisers (like Clack’s) outnumber other cars in Tibet roughly 3:1.
It is fashionable to have at least one western couple at Chinese weddings in Shanghai and Beijing.
If you are at a disco or bar in Almaty, Kazakhstan with a girl, it is not uncommon for a Russian guy (or Kazakh-Russian guy) to tell your Russian (or Kazakh-Russian) date that he will poison your drink if she does not leave you and sit with him.
A westerner in Shanghai who says he is a consultant is an out of work English teacher.
Ürümqi, China lays claim to being the farthest city in the world from an ocean. Ironically, the land crab (think crawdads) are quite good.
Reportedly, Kyrgyz and Kazakh policeman pay $6,000 to become a peace officer and wield a baton that allows them to pull cars over and extort baksheesh (bribes).
Many Tibetan women bath once a year during a traditional bathing sort of festival.
In Kazakhstan, when you ask for your bill, the waiter will frequently add 30% or more if you are a foreigner. Ask for the written bill.
A beer at the Hotel Kabul in Afghanistan is $20.
If you speak french at the Kangeroo Bar in Shanghai, Peter, the alcoholic bartender, will likely throw you out (in the physical as well as verbal sense).
Snuff (powder tobacco) is the drug of choice for discerning rural Tibetans.
Migrant workers often sleep in the buildings they are working on, working 18 hours a day seven days a week. They get paid when the building is completed, and then they can go back home to their families.
Fashionable Shanghainese women often walk under an umbrella on sunny days so their face won’t tan - and thus make them look like farmers.
It is very difficult to find cheese of any kind in China.
Put your arm out when you’re on the side of the street in Almaty, KZ. Usually one of the first cars to approach you will give you a ride anywhere in the city for a buck.
In Chinese, when you want to buy something you see, just point and say "nigger".
Many Tibetans and Chinese toddlers wear "buttless" pants to avoid costly and bothersome diapers.