The Luxpats

Tag: destination

  • Playa del Carmen: Our Toughest Digital Nomad Landing

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    I’m not sure why we thought landing in Mexico would be easy. Perhaps because Playa Del Carmen has a large expat community and a tourist industry kitted out to accommodate travelers. Perhaps because we assumed (incorrectly) that at least as many people would speak English in Playa Del Carmen as do in Thailand, or Croatia. Unfortunately,…

  • Wish You Were Here: Zagreb Emergency Room

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    luxpat
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    In the Sveti Duh emergency waiting room, the lights are off and the fans are on. This feels appropriate for a late Sunday afternoon. Most of us don’t want any more light or heat than we’ve already had today. Sunday emergencies should be as informal as natural disasters; should leave us free to pace, or whisper, or sit…

  • Wish You Were Here: Penang, Malaysia

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    luxpat
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    It’s 10 p.m. and our street in Penang is stirring to life. The two girls on the corner have been chopping vegetables and heating big pots of frying oil since early evening. They’re settling into the rush now, stirring, dishing, carrying plates, taking money, coaxing the smells further and further out of the pot and down the…

  • Wish You Were Here: Huay Tung Tao Lake, Thailand

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    luxpat
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    Winter never touches Thailand. From November through February, Thailand’s cool season is a perfect summer of endlessly sunny days that peak in the upper eighties. Chiang Mai is blessedly devoid of the shirt-sticking humidity Bangkok is known for, and so going to Huay Tung Tao lake is a lot like going to a lake back…

  • Wish You Were Here: Nara, Japan

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    luxpat
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    It is winter in Nara, so the light that falls on Tōdai-ji temple is peach colored and hazy with wood smoke from the black steel carts that roast sweet potatoes for tourists. We are among the temple tourists, and we’ve also come to feed the messengers of the gods, liminal deer who inhabit the Nara temple…

  • Hong Kong Laid Over: A Exploration of the Senses

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    luxpat
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    The airline gave us a dark plush room in a nice hotel located in the heart of Hong Kong. There were two shower caps, one sewing kit in a hard plastic case, two free bottles of water, one large can of peanuts for eight dollars, two paper bags on a peg next to the toilet…