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salvadorbonaparte · 11 months ago

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Hi! I go to UMass Amherst! I'm in my third year of undergrad so take all of this with the consideration that my experience will be quite different than a grad student's, but I have certainly got some things to say about public transportation and the area :)

Main thing: despite the fact that public transport /exists/, it's.... not great honestly. People make it work but a car will make your life 10 times easier.

As a UMass student you'd get free access to the PVTA buses run by UMass transit, which can generally get you around campus, most places in Amherst itself, and some surrounding towns like Sunderland (more residential) and Hadley (quite a few grocery stores/chain restaurants). UMass Transit don't ask to see ID, either. You just hop on and go. However, this means that buses are often really crowded at rush times and especially so during rainy or snowy weather. These buses also do not consistently run on time, so you would not want to rely on the scheduled times; instead, look at the tracking apps. I have a few friends who live off campus without cars and they make it work, but it does often mean planning classes/work around the busses. It's certainly not CONVENIENT.

During the academic year you would also be able to get to Northampton and Springfield free with your student ID. They do charge fares over school breaks. The bus to Northampton leaves hourly and is much more consistent with timing than the UMass transit busses. The bus to Springfield, the closest "bigger" city, runs (I think) every two hours. All these busses are run by the PVTA as well, but not under the UMass transit umbrella.

From Springfield, you can catch Amtrak trains -- the Northeast Regional runs there, as does the Vermonter, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. Springfield is also the home base for Peter Pan buses which operate frequent buses to NYC, Boston, Hartford, and other locations in the general Northeast.

There is a bus to Worcester, where you can catch an Amtrak or connect to the Boston commuter rail to get to Boston pretty cheap, but it is /crappy/. Due to PVTA driver shortages they usually run it as a van, not a full bus, and frequently passengers will be left behind even after people squeeze onto the floor of the van and sit in the back or in the aisle for the 2-hour ride. It costs about $9 to go from UMass's transit hub to Worcester. Once I got stranded in Worcester and had to uber back to Amherst because that van only runs about 3 times a day and not every day of the week, last departure around 4 pm.

The Amherst area has a housing crisis right now as UMass consistently admits increasingly more undergrads than it can house, and therefore once those undergrads finish their first year and are no longer guaranteed on-campus accommodations many of them move off-campus to Amherst and its surrounding towns. The best, cheapest, and most convenient housing is usually locked down by returning students the winter before an August move-in for the fall semester. This pushes many new grad students to the surrounding towns like Sunderland, South Deerfield, etc, where buses are a bit of a crapshoot and campus is no longer within reasonable walking distance. Housing's also pretty expensive for the semi-rural location. I'm looking at off-campus housing for next year and will be happy if I can find a place where I'll pay less than $1000 a month (usually, this covers a room in a shared apartment or house).

All this said, the area itself is beautiful, and I've had a great experience with the academics here. I have heard really good things about the translation and linguistics programs and I'm sure you'd be able to find a great niche. You'll also be in close proximity to 4 other great schools (Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, and Hampshire College) and have the ability to take classes, work with profs, etc from those schools through the 5 college exchange program. I don't know what PhD program you're thinking of applying to but I'm in the comparative literature undergrad program (complit encompasses a lot of our translation classes, undergrad and grad level) and have nothing but good things to say about the faculty, the grad student instructors I've had, and the program as a whole.

Feel free to reach out for more information if you'd like!!

Thank you for the info!

Unfortunately I can't drive (never learned) so I'd have to rely on buses. The bus system in Ireland was surprisingly bad (almost daily delays and I lived an hour away from campus) and in Spain I lived on a mountain in the middle of nowhere so grocery shopping took up to 5h but minimum 3h so by now my standards are pretty low. I'd love to travel a little while I'm there (Boston, Salem, Maine, Buffalo etc) so I'm just glad there's buses and trains at all. A free bus system that's kinda crappy is still better than one that doesn't exist or one that's crappy and expensive (shout out to Ireland's 2€ bus fares and Hannover's 8€ metro tickets)

The housing situation is a little worrying but I'm not above a flatshare and I'd get a scholarship so I'm sure I'd find something?? But I'll start looking as soon as soon as I know where I'm moving to because the housing situation is bad in those cities too.

I know something who went to Smith and someone who went to Mount Holyoke so I heard good things about the general region and landscape etc.

The professors I talked to (German Department) were really nice and it sounds like a really cool phd program. Even though Amherst is not as prestigious as two of the other unis I'm applying to it's a very good school and I'd be happy to go there if that's the one I get accepted by/the one I pick.

#Asks

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skelemen · 1 year ago

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Bloodhounds - Chapter 1/? (A JJK Fic)

real-life one punch man

Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major and Minor Character Death Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Aged-Up Characters, Heavy Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blind!Gojo, Suguru and Kenjaku are the same person in this, I swear this fic isn't about boxing Characters (in this chapter): Itadori Yuuji, Kugisaki Nobara, Itadori Wasuke Word Count: 3,957 Originally posted to AO3, which you can check out here! Summary: Itadori Yuuji fights to earn money to help with his grandfather's debts. Kugisaki Nobara fights to make enough money to buy whatever she wants. Fushiguro Megumi fights to ensure that Gojo Satoru's zero-interest loans aren't exploited.

After Yuuji's grandfather is threatened by a predatory loan company called Rainbow Dragon Capital, Yuuji refuses to become a bloodhound that preys on the weak for those same kinds of loan sharks. Instead, he and Nobara accept a job from Gojo to offer security -- and companionship -- to Megumi. When things become more and more dangerous, can Yuuji still refuse to become a bloodhound if he wants to protect the ones he cares about?

Itadori Yuuji had a long day of training at the gym, the only way for him to get out the restlessness the night before something important. He didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings as he made his way home, gray hoodie pulled up over his pink hair and eyes focused on his phone as he scrolled through social media. It wasn’t even necessary to look up to see when he should stop walking, not when he’d taken that path so many times over the years. His steps automatically halted once he got to the bus stop, standing there patiently with a few others who were just trying to get home at such a late hour.

The February night was cold, and Yuuji’s breathing came out as foggy puffs of air. He shivered and looked up for the bus, grateful to see it pulling up. He patiently waited his turn to get on since a middle-aged man stumbled ahead of him, the heavy smell of alcohol filling the air whenever he passed. Yuuji frowned as he watched shaky hands search through the pockets of pants much too thin for the winter season.

“Can’t you just let me on?” The man slurred out, leaning against the railing of the bus. Yuuji looked down at his fare card, debating if he had enough money to cover the cost of this man’s ticket as well. He had to check his app to make sure. “Come on! I go-gotta get back home. I can’t walk that whole way!”

His phone chose that moment to start lagging again, slow from the age of it and busted up from rough use. Yuuji sighed softly, praying that it would just hurry up. He needed to get home himself.

“I’m sorry, but I really can’t,” the meek voice of the elderly bus driver said. Yuuji knew this man, knew all about his family, knew all about their hardships and victories. That was what happened when someone as sociable as Yuuji took the same route home from the gym almost every single day for years.

“You fuuu-fucker!” The drunk man shouted, suddenly lurching toward the bus driver in an attempt to throttle him.

Yuuji jumped in surprise, and he shoved his phone into his pocket when he saw the scene unfolding. Before the drunk man could do any further damage, Yuuji pulled him off the bus and accidentally used too much strength, resulting in the drunk man stumbling and falling down. Since he hadn’t meant to use that much force, Yuuji started bowing and apologizing profusely to the drunk man.

“I’m sorry, that was a bit too harsh,” he said. “But I really can’t let you back on the bus after you attacked him. I’m sorry. You’ll have to walk tonight.”

That only further enraged the drunk man who pushed himself to his feet and then tried to throw a punch at Yuuji. The younger man easily dodged the fist as if it were a reflex, doing so again a second time just as easily. He then apologized once more with a smile and a small bow. The third punch was caught in his hand instead of dodged, and Yuuji squeezed it until the man was kneeling and crying in pain — but he still apologized while doing so.

He eventually managed to make his way onto the bus and back home, walking along the quiet streets of his neighborhood. Yuuji unlocked the door to his apartment quietly, unsure if his grandfather was already asleep or not. He knew all of the spots where their floors creaked, avoiding them skillfully.

“I know that I said I would be able to pay you back this month,” Yuuji heard his grandfather’s raspy voice coming from his bedroom, the door cracked open, “but I won’t be able to pay the rent for the cafe if I pay you back. Is there any way-”

Gramps was cut off by whoever he talked to on the other end of the phone — Yuuji suspected that it was his grandfather’s brother who had moved out of the country years ago — and there was a heavy sigh that followed the silence.

“Thank you,” Gramps said gruffly, and Yuuji was surprised. It took a lot for him to say such things, but with the large debt hanging over their heads it took a lot of money to help keep them from being homeless.

Yuuji quietly crept through the hallway until he was back in his bedroom. As much as his thoughts troubled him, going to the gym earlier had done its job of tiring him out. Once his head hit his pillows, the arms of sleep embraced him tightly and pulled him under.

The next afternoon, Yuuji leaned up against the ropes of a boxing ring as a cacophony of screams and cheers filled the stadium. His hands were wrapped tightly and shoved into gloves, and his mouth was jammed with the mouth guard to protect his teeth. He understood the mouth guard was required by the rules, but Yuuji didn’t really need it. It wasn’t a thought said out of cockiness, but rather pure sincerity.

And he wasn’t wrong.

The boxing tournament was one for the rookies of the local area, a prerequisite to the regional tournament. It had two divisions, one for men and one for women, with each division separated into only three to five basic weight classes. The local community for boxing wasn’t very large in Yuuji’s area, so some of the weight classes weren’t fully fleshed out and had to be combined with others to have enough boxers.

The first guy Yuuji faced was in his actual weight class, someone that he had trained and boxed in the past. He was very respectful to his opponent, making sure to touch gloves and bow deeply before the start of the round. However, the fight was over not long after it started.

His opponent knew that he had to move quickly if he wanted to land a punch on Yuuji, but that was a feat that no one had managed to achieve in years. Every jab and swing missed completely, even the ones that should have made contact with Yuuji. He made the mistake of looking at Yuuji’s face when one of his punches missed, and that was the opening that the patient boxer had been waiting for.

Yuuji used his left fist to slam forcefully into the space just under his opponent's ribs, taking a step back immediately after as he knowingly watched the other boxer crumple. His opponent groaned loudly, writhing in pain on the ring’s floor. Pink eyebrows furrowed in distress as Yuuji had to wait for the referee to call the match. As soon as they did, Yuuji rushed over to his opponent to help him to his feet, apologizing the whole time.

The second match was against someone in a weight class above him, but ultimately the outcome was the same as Yuuji’s first match. He allowed himself to dodge a few punches, waited for the perfect opportunity, then landed one solid punch with his left fist that won him the match.

The third match was to determine the winner of the weight class and division, and Yuuji made sure to wish his opponent good luck. The other man only shook his head and scoffed, refusing to even touch gloves with Yuuji. He didn’t let it get to him, though. Not when he already knew from watching his opponent’s fights that he would win.

And Yuuji did win, just as he knew he would. Every opponent was taken down with just a single punch, and not a single hit landed on him. The announcers told all of this to the roaring crowds as Yuuji bowed to them in all directions, but there was one part that they didn’t know to share since they couldn’t see it themselves. They would have had to be in the ring with Yuuji to see it.

The reason he waited until he made eye contact with his opponents before throwing the knockout punch was because he wanted them to see how apologetic he was over hurting them.

The women’s division fights happened after the men’s, and Yuuji found a seat with the other boxers around the ring so he could watch. He cheered and clapped for all the boxers, a little disappointed there were less of them than there had been in the men’s division. One of the boxers in particular seemed to be one to look out for, and the announcers over the loudspeakers agreed with his thoughts.

Kugisaki Nobara.

Yuuji wasn’t sure what to fully think of her, especially with the boastful way she celebrated each of her victories by climbing onto the ropes of the ring with her gloves held high above her head. But he found himself rooting for her to win. Unlike Yuuji, she ended her fights pretty banged up, blood dripping down her chin as she claimed her victory over the women’s division. He clapped and cheered excitedly for her, glad to see such a talented boxer come out on top.

Since Kugisaki’s injuries had to be examined by the league’s doctor before she could leave, Yuuji ended up waiting outside the room that was used for such matters. Everyone else had been filtering out of the stadium building for the past half hour, but he still stayed and waited patiently until the door creaked open. When he looked up from his phone, he saw Kugisaki prodding at the bruise on her face with an annoyed expression as the doctor yelled at her about how to care for her injuries.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said carelessly. “It’ll be fine, old man. Don’t worry about it.”

Yuuji jumped to his feet and smiled, causing Kugisaki to raise an eyebrow as she scanned over him. She was apprehensive as she said, “What do you want?”

“Congratulations on your victory!” Yuuji said earnestly. “I wanted to ask if you would like to go grab some food together.”

“What?” Kugisaki asked, the apprehension turning towards disgust. “Are you trying to ask me out?”

He shook his head quickly with wide eyes, not realizing that it would have come off such a way.

“Oh, uh, no! I asked everyone else, but they all told me no,” Yuuji said with a nervous laugh, rubbing at the back of his head and finally breaking eye contact with her. Some of them hadn’t been especially kind when they turned him down, but he wasn’t sure what he had done to upset them. “I was going to pay with half of my prize earnings, but it’s alright if you don’t want to.”

Kugisaki visibly brightened, a smile finally pulling across her face, and she said to him, “Why didn’t you say so, dear friend?” She walked towards him and landed a light punch on his shoulder. “I’m Kugisaki Nobara, but you can just call me Nobara. We’re already such good friends, you know? And you’re Itadori Yuuji, the real-life One Punch Man.”

Yuuji winced but still nodded in agreement with the sentiment. He told her, “I guess you could call me that. What would you like to eat?”

“Prime rib!” She immediately said. “And stop speaking so formally! Not really a point to it.”

“Pay for the prime rib yourself then,” Yuuji replied after being told to stop speaking so formally, scoffing at the idea of such an expensive meal. “I was thinking barbecue. There’s a grilling place nearby where you cook your own meats.” Nobara pursed her lips over not getting prime rib, but she shrugged and agreed that barbecue would do. The two of them headed off together, slowly getting to know one another.

* * * *

“So if you’re using half of the prize money to pay for lunch, then what are you using the other half for?” Nobara asked as she leaned back in her chair and watched Yuuji work his magic on the grill.

“My grandfather has a lot of debt from medical treatments when he was sick, so I’m going to help him with that,” Yuuji answered honestly, smiling to himself over being able to do so.

Nobara didn’t seem as happy, though.

“Where are your parents?”

“Oh, they died when I was really young. Gramps pretty much raised me, and I want to help take care of him now that he needs it,” he said, picking up some of the meat from the grill and placing it on the plate in front of her. “It’s really only me and Gramps ever since his brother moved out of the country. He found a job that would be better than anything he can find here with the economy.”

Nobara bit into the meat, moaning in appreciation over the delicious food. “You’re really good at this. How is this so perfectly cooked?”

“What about your parents?” Yuuji asked without answering her question, layering more meat onto the grill before taking a bite of the one on his own plate while he waited.

“Ah, mine are dead, too.”

He nodded in understanding, realizing that maybe the two of them had a lot more in common than he had originally thought. Yuuji asked her, “When did you start boxing?”

“Honestly, not long after they died. You?”

“The same. It helped a lot.”

Now Nobara nodded, mimicking the way he had previously. She was coming to the same conclusion that he was, and she had already claimed that they were friends now. Friends could ask their friends about their fighting techniques. So she did.

“Why do you only use your left hand?”

Yuuji thought about it for a moment, then answered honestly, “Because I don’t need to use my right.”

“What?!” Nobara yelled out. “That’s really ballsy of you to say!”

“No, no, no! I don’t mean it like that,” he told her, waving his hands in front of him. “I just mean it sincerely. I’ve never had to use my right.”

She didn’t seem necessarily placated by this, but she did eat her meat in silence for a few moments. It was the longest she’d been quiet since the two of them had greeted each other outside the medical room. It also didn’t last, the two of them falling into comfortable chatter with each other.

An hour and a half later, the two of them sat at a bus stop completely stuffed. Since no one else had agreed to come eat food with them, Yuuji and Nobara had been able to order more meat than usual for themselves. There were posters placed on the side of one of the bus stop walls, and Yuuji scanned over them just to fill the time as he waited for the bus to arrive. One of them was for a company called Rainbow Dragon Capital, and the loans they offered sounded really affordable. He reached out to pull the piece of paper down and kept reading over it, trying to see if there were any catches.

“Hey, don’t even think about it,” Nobara told him, pulling the piece of paper out of his hand and crumpling it up. She shoved it into the pocket of her sweatpants so that he couldn’t get it back. “All those companies are just loan sharks that would chew you up. Don’t bother with any of them, okay?”

“That seemed like a really good deal, though,” Yuuji said with a sigh, leaning back once more. “It can’t be that bad.”

“I mean it, Yuuji. Don’t borrow money from any of those companies. If it seems like a really good deal, then it’s probably the worst of them all,” she told him. “And with how bad the economy is right now, the loan sharks are even more vicious.”

“Alright, alright. I won’t,” Yuuji groaned. The bus came over the hill, so he stood up and stretched out his body. The fights and the full meal made him tired. “How do you know all this anyway?”

Nobara shook her head at him and sighed in disappointment, then said, “You really need to learn some things before you start taking out loans from random people, dude. Get some fucking street smarts before somebody scams you.”

The two exchanged numbers so that they could stay in touch, and they parted ways once she got off the bus near her apartment. His own stop wasn’t far behind, but it was enough time that the sun had finally set. When he got off the bus, Yuuji pulled his hood up again to help chase away the cold. After living in the same place for the majority of one’s life, they pick up on things that are routine and normal. Such as when a neighbor will be home, who cars belong to, and more. Yet as Yuuji walked down his neighborhood’s streets, he didn’t recognize a few of the cars that lined the sides of it. It was odd, but something that he simply shrugged off as he continued on his way home.

The floor below the apartment that Yuuji and Gramps lived in was a cafe owned by the elderly man. As Yuuji got closer, he could tell that most of the lights were off except those in the back, so he used his keys to let himself in the bottom floor instead of heading upstairs.

Locking the door again behind him, Yuuji called out, “Gramps? You down here?”

He found his grandfather in the back office, hanging up the landline that he refused to get rid of. The older man stood up and asked, “So? How did you do?”

“I won!” Yuuji said, smiling brightly and holding up the envelope with the remainder of his prize money. His grandfather clapped him on the shoulder, but then Yuuji took the wrinkled hand and gently placed the envelope in the palm of it. “This is for you. To help pay back your brother.”

Gramps frowned, trying to shove the envelope back into Yuuji’s hands, but he refused to accept it back. “What are you doing? You won this, so you should keep it for yourself.”

“I won it so that I could help you. Take it,” Yuuji insisted. It took a few more minutes of back and forth, but Gramps finally relented with an annoyed groan as he threw the money on his desk. Yuuji felt like he could breathe easier, and he whispered in relief, “Thank you.”

He didn’t have anything else to do for the next few days following the tournament, and when Yuuji tried going to the gym to train he got turned away. His coach told him that he needed to rest for the remainder of the week after training so hard for the tournament. Since he won, he deserved it even more.

“What am I supposed to do though?” He asked, face innocently confused.

“Rest, Itadori! Do absolutely nothing until this time next week,” his coach said, shoving him out the front doors of the gym.

The idea of doing absolutely nothing made Yuuji anxious. It was the same reason he had worked out the night before the tournament. Doing absolutely nothing meant he was left with his thoughts, which were mainly occupied with what he could do next to make enough money so Gramps didn’t have to stress or borrow anymore. It was already hard for the old man to ask for help, but having to do it so many times was wounding his pride.

Yuuji pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found who he was looking for. With how long the phone rang, he thought that his call wasn’t going to be answered. But then he heard a very sleepy, “Hello? Yuuji?”

“You’re still sleeping? It’s almost lunchtime,” he said, pulling his phone away from his face to check the actual time.

“Some of us got the shit beat out of us yesterday, asshole,” Nobara complained. He heard the sound of her rolling over in bed through the line, and she groaned in pain the whole time. “What do you want?”

“Let’s hang out,” he said earnestly, really hoping that she would say yes.

It took some convincing, but eventually Nobara sent him her address and told him if he wasn’t there in ten minutes then she was going back to sleep. He told her that wasn’t a problem and hung up so he could look up where she lived.

On the way there Yuuji walked through a quiet little neighborhood. At least it was quiet until he saw what appeared to be a homeless guy running as fast as he could through the intersection Yuuji was headed toward. He raised an eyebrow at the sight, but he otherwise continued walking in the same direction. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that Yuuji considered something might be wrong when another guy dressed in all black with a cap on his head ran in the same direction, yelling out curses and insults. One thing was clear, he was chasing after the homeless guy with the intent to hurt him.

Yuuji didn’t think twice before he started running in the same direction, turning the corner so fast he almost tripped. In just those few seconds, he had somehow lost the two of them. He could hear their footsteps echoing from somewhere nearby, but the neighborhood was full of alleys and side paths. Eventually he stopped running when he no longer heard the echoing footsteps, and he spun around in a circle about to accept that he had lost them.

But then he heard a shout of pain, and Yuuji rushed to it immediately. On the ground he found the guy who had been running away, now groaning quietly in pain. Yuuji checked him over until he saw that he was okay then stood up and searched for the other guy, finding him walking away further up the road without even looking back.

“Hey!” Yuuji called out, chasing after him.

When the guy turned around, Yuuji saw black hair peeking out from under his cap and dark blue-green eyes peering over the top of a black face mask. Immediately, the other guy took off in an attempt to lose Yuuji in the maze of buildings that this neighborhood consisted of. He didn’t give up, though, pumping his arms and legs even faster to catch up to him.

What he wasn’t expecting was for the guy to jump out of a side alley right as Yuuji passed by, shoving something into his side. All of his muscles tensed up to the point of being painful, and a jolting pain shot up his whole spine. It bounced around in his head until it felt like his brain was going to vibrate out of his skull. He fell limp to the ground before he could catch himself, and then the masked guy was straddling him.

“Who the hell are you?” He asked, pushing the taser underneath Yuuji’s chin but not pressing the button to make it activate. That didn’t stop Yuuji from tensing up anyway.

“I-I just came to help,” Yuuji answered honestly.

“What do you mean help?” The guy on top of him practically spat out.

“I just thought that other guy was in trouble, so I wanted to help him.”

“Stay out of this. It doesn’t concern you,” the masked guy said. “That guy is not someone who needs your help. He’s a fucking scumbag.”

Yuuji frowned up at him, but then the taser pushed into his side again. It was activated for a long time, long enough that he thought he might pass out from the pain. In fact, he found himself drifting off. Hopefully he woke up before Nobara’s ten minutes were up.

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk fanfic #jjk fic #jujutsu kaisen fanfic #yuuji itadori fanfic #nobara kugisaki fanfic #megumi fushiguro fanfic #jjk angst #jjk itadori #jjk nobara #jjk megumi #write #my writing

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existentialcrisis-24-7 · 2 years ago

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Idk how other countries do it but in Ireland when you take a bus or train you can use what’s called a Leap Card, you put money on it and it pays for the transport and also does it at a slightly discounted price.

People have been using it for years and usually you can just go top up at your local corner store or petrol station and be on your way, which was great! But now they’re changing it so that you can no longer do it from stores, you can only do it from the app or you’re local post office. And I am furious.

Not only because limiting it to such means that I can’t top up at all without having to divert my route or download an app I do not have space for, but also for people who live nowhere near a post office and now have to download an app just to be able to pay for bus fares and for old people who can’t navigate apps easily or people that use flip phones that literally cannot get the app.

And also you shouldn’t need to download a stupid app that does like 2 things when you can pop into the store literally right beside the bus stop and top up there.

#Ireland #public transportation #public transport system #fucking bullshit #I have a single euro left on my card which is not enough for the bus ride home tomorrow #and I literally can’t even update my phone because I’m that low on storage #I’m furious #the day was already bad and now this

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why-rock-look-tasty-if-no-eat · 5 months ago

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It frees up street space in congested cities like New York, allowing emergency personel to do their job quicker

Paying fare is more cheaper than owning a cat in general

If you're run over by a bus you can get so much money from the city

It helps bring the community together. because you have to see the people who live in your town or city

You get to stare out the window and not have to pay attention to the road

You can have earbuds or headphones on

Busses have larger shocks so (imo) its harder to get car sick

You don't have to pay for a cars extra expenses

Meet cute

You can publicly be a nerd about busses and people won't judge you

Less pollution is happening by having one buss instead of who-knows-how-many cars

Public transport is reliable timewise, even when they're late or early you usually know which one it's going to be anyways (Germany's trains for example)

Trains are super fun to be on, and I didn't get motion sickness while on them

You can have a little shopping area or a mall next to your train stations

You can be nerd out on trains and no one would bat an eye

If you petition hard enough your council might allow you to name and customize your busses and or trains

Trains are fun and a lot less annoying than cars sound wise

Companies are looking to use clean energy or electricity for busses and trains and some of them already are

Their routes are easy to remember, or if you have a terrible memory like me, their schedule is: on an app, downloadable, on paper maps, easy to take a photo of, or you can ask someone when it's coming

The tranist is usually quiet and unobtrusive, but I'm used to towns and small cities not metro areas so don't think metros would be the same because idk

You get to have wild stories to share with your friends and family

You can judge a person's character based on how they treat the drivers and fellow riders. Or how they act about public transport in general

You can leave the public transport at any stop if you don't want to be on it anymore

Public transit is great because:

#the amount of times i typed cat instead of car

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awanderingcanadian · 9 months ago

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Freda Kahlo and the Museum of Anthropology

When we owned our property on the east coast of Mexico, (a 16 year labour of love), my husband qualified for a Mexican seniors card. Unfortunately, when I reached that golden age, rules had changed, so I’m still paying “extraños” rates, (foreigners), for entrances to museums, tourist attractions, movies, and bus fares. Today though we took full advantage, and visited a couple of Mexico City’s more well known museums.

Flush with our metro success from yesterday, we caught the metro out close to the Kahlo museum, then caught an Uber from there, arriving 30 minutes early for our appointed entry time. With Craig’s magical card, he paid a mere 10% of my entry, but the way I look at it, he’s covered the Uber costs! With time to spare before queuing to enter, we read a bit about Frida Kahlo’s life, so that we weren’t total idiots upon entry! We opted not to buy the photo pass, ($30MXN), as we figured we wouldn’t get the photos we wanted anyway. The pass only applies to inside the museum and there were only a couple of times I wished I could have taken a photo.

The Kahlo museum is quite a ways out from Centro, so we hailed another Uber and headed to the National Museum of Anthropology. While I paid a measly $90MXN, Craig was free, (he’s a cheap date). My main goal was to see the original Aztec calendar, but we actually spent a good couple of hours enjoying the museum. It’s very well done. While there I found out why things are closed on Mondays, (I alluded to this in my previous post). Apparently historically, people were expected to donate time to maintaining their community, and Monday was that day. Who knew?

The museum is one of 5 in the area, and most are in or around Chapultepec Park, so we wandered off in search of a quick lunch and some relaxing park time. Unfortunately, neither was to be, as our lunch was by far the worst food we’ve had in decades of Mexico visits, and the park is filled with hawkers. We did go to the castle, as apparently it’s the one castle in the Americas, (although I can’t attest to the verity of that claim), en route to the metro.

Our metro station was hilarious! It was under major construction, with tons of people walking in both directions on one half of a stairway without any railings. At the bottom we walked through a half finished underground corridor, while the other half was busy being worked on. Dust filled the air as workers moved dirt, sifted dirt, cut tiles, and welded, (with huge sparks seen from quite a distance). This would definitely have been a closed work site in Canada, but it gets better: the actual station was closed. Yes, there were no trains to be caught. People were using it to go under a busy road…that’s all. Fortunately, I’m good with the Uber app! However, after driving in many cities, and riding in taxis and ride shares, today I was scared by our driver. I was so tense I got a cramp in my leg, and gave feedback to Uber about his erratic driving practices.

We returned to our hotel for me to calm down, before heading out to enjoy a great Italian meal with all of the savings Craig had today!

#awanderingcanadian #mexico #cdmx

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gtccabs · 1 year ago

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What is the best way to get around Delhi to Dehradun?

There are several modes of transportation available to travel from Delhi to Dehradun, which is approximately a distance of around 250–280 kilometers depending on the route you take. Keep in mind that transportation options and conditions may have changed since then, so I recommend checking for the most up-to-date information before planning your journey. Here are some common options:

By Air: The fastest way to travel between Delhi and Dehradun is by taking a flight. Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun operates regular flights to and from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. The flight duration is usually around 1 to 1.5 hours. From the airport in Dehradun, you can take a taxi or other local transportation to reach your final destination.

By Train: Dehradun is well-connected to Delhi by train. There are several trains that operate between Delhi and Dehradun, including the Shatabdi Express and Jan Shatabdi Express. The journey by train takes around 5–7 hours, depending on the train you choose. Dehradun Railway Station is the main railway station in the city.

By Bus: There are both government-run and private bus services that connect Delhi to Dehradun. Buses are available in different categories, including regular, semi-sleeper, and Volvo buses. The journey by bus usually takes around 6–8 hours, depending on traffic and road conditions.

By Car: You can also travel by car or taxi. The journey by road takes around 5–7 hours, depending on the route you take and the traffic conditions. The most common route is via NH334 and NH7. Make sure to plan your journey well in advance and consider the condition of the roads and any potential tolls.

By Shared Cabs or Ride-Sharing Apps: Shared cabs or ride-sharing apps like GTC Cabs, Ola and Uber also operate between Delhi and Dehradun. This can be a convenient option if you’re looking for a more personalized and flexible travel experience.

Before you travel, it’s advisable to check the current COVID-19 guidelines and travel restrictions that might be in place. Additionally, road conditions, weather, and travel options might have changed since my last update, so it’s a good idea to look up the latest information or consult with travel agencies for the most accurate details.

How much taxi charge per km in Delhi?

Taxi fares in Delhi can vary depending on the type of taxi, the taxi service provider, and any specific pricing changes that might have occurred since my last update in September 2021. However, I can provide you with a general idea of the taxi fares in Delhi as of that time:

Regular Taxis (Non-AC): The basic fare for regular taxis in Delhi was around Rs. 25–30 for the first kilometer and then around Rs. 14–16 per kilometer for additional distance.

AC Taxis: AC taxis usually had a slightly higher starting fare, typically around Rs. 25–30 for the first kilometer, and then around Rs. 16–20 per kilometer for additional distance.

Ride-Sharing Services (Ola/Uber): Ola and Uber, popular ride-sharing services, operated in Delhi with dynamic pricing. This means that fares could vary based on demand and supply conditions. During peak hours or high demand, the fares might increase.

Remember that these fares are approximate and might have changed since then. Additionally, pricing structures could vary between different taxi companies or ride-sharing services. It’s recommended to check the current rates directly from the taxi service provider’s app or website for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Is Innova Taxi Available for Delhi To Dehradun?

Yes, Innova taxi is available for Delhi to Dehradun. The distance between Delhi and Dehradun is about 267 kilometers. The travel time is about 4 hours and 50 minutes. The fare for an Innova taxi from Delhi to Dehradun will vary depending on the taxi company and the time of travel. However, you can expect to pay around Rs. 10,000 for a one-way trip.

Here are some taxi companies that offer Innova taxi service from Delhi to Dehradun:

GTC Cabs

Meru Cabs

Ola Cabs

Uber Cabs

You can book an Innova taxi from Delhi to Dehradun online or through the taxi company’s app. When booking, be sure to specify that you need an Innova taxi.

Here are some things to keep in mind when booking an Innova taxi from Delhi to Dehradun:

The taxi company may have a minimum fare, even if you are only traveling a short distance.

The taxi company may charge extra for night travel or for traveling on certain holidays.

Be sure to agree on the fare before you start your journey.

Tip the driver appropriately.

#gtccabs #delhi #delhiairport #dehradun #dehradundiaries #taxi #taxis #taxiservices #taxidriver #airporttransfer #airporttaxi #carrental #airport taxi #cab #travel #taxiservice #hiring

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thelastadventureblog · 1 year ago

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*Note: this was meant to be posted one year ago during my trip to Chicago, but then life happened, I guess. I'll try to catch up over the next few days.*

Chapter 6: The Brown Line

Tuesday, August 16th 2022

10:26 AM

I have managed to loop the block trying to walk to a sandwich shop, turning right out of Union Station when I should have hanged a left. It seemed that everyone along the sidewalk was very sharply dressed in business attire. I will have to assimilate later. I wasn't able to change into something fresh with my clothes stowed in the baggage car on the trip up here.

10:32 AM

I'm sitting in a Potbelly sandwich shop, eating an Italian Sandwich with hot sport peppers and pickles. This is quite a tasty sandwich, and much better than anything on the train anyway. I will consider coming back here another time.

After finishing my meal, I walk up to the cashier and ask about the restroom. He tells me the restrooms are out of order. That won't do, so I leave on a new quest. I'll try to take one of the trains to my next location. There's the red line, the brown line, and the blue line. Maybe more, but I didn't take a close enough look on Google maps.

11:07 AM

Somehow, I have gotten myself lost. I guess that's what I get for not planning every aspect of this trip. I still need to use the restroom at this point. While I could have just gone back inside Union Station, by this point I had already made it to the Underground. Waiting outside the stairs to the blue line was a bus, idling patiently. No surprise to myself, the Underground Theme from Mario Bros plays in my head. What's going to be down there waiting for me? Will there be rats? Thieves? Generally mean people? Goombas? Turns out it's nobody. Not even someone to tell me what to do.

I figured to slap my phone against the reader on the turnstile to pay the fee. I hear a click, and move forward, lifting my suitcase up and over the steel bars of the now locked turnstile. Facing me now is a gate with a revolving door. I pull my luggage through, but the corner of the luggage gets stuck in the door, and now someone is behind me looking very disappointed and annoyed. Pushing back and then forward frees my duffle bag and bulky green suitcase, and I step through. I apologize, but he rolls his eyes at me. Hard! Oh he meant that!

There are only two directions to go, so I walk right and head up the stairs, ending up in front of the same idling bus from a few minutes ago. Well, that was pointless! Consider that fare a $5 a tip, Chicago.

11:30 AM

Frustrated and too embarrassed to take the steps back down to the Underground, I take a different approach. I take a good, hard look at my Google maps app and walk in the direction it tells me to. However, it's not too long before the weight of my bag and suitcase becomes unbearable. I sit on a garden wall near a styrofoam plate of half eaten food and order an Uber. My stomach growls and I am stricken with panic. I will have to squeeze.

11:45

Although the app didn't have a good lock on my location, my driver found me. Venancio, My Uber driver, listens to me talk about my struggle with the revolving door. I doubt he understood my ramblings--very few do-- but he did get me to the Medieval Torture Museum, so I tip him well.

Sweating profusely at this point, I buy a ticket and leave my luggage with the clerk. This was a self-guided tour, so first thing I did was guide myself just past the brazen bull to the restrooms. Some sort of device used to constrain male genitalia let me know I was in the correct room.

Ah, sweet relief! After doing my business, I kill some time looking at the bloodied dummy corpses and twisted iron instruments used for torture. I can't believe humans are this sick. It truly takes a disturbed individual to come up with these kinds of things. Many of the devices and methods I saw where implemented in the name of religion.

3:24 PM

After grabbing coffee and a donut, I consider taking the brown line to the hostel I booked. However, dreading the underground, I decide to take a bus instead. Feeling bedraggled by my burdensome luggage, I decide to find the 151. "Excuse my sir, can you--", I hear to my right as I pass a woman in her early 20's. I take a sneaky look back at her. My time in New Orleans has prepared me for people on the street asking for change or trying to lure me into an alley. Which is to say, I move with purpose and avoid eye contact. It doesn't feel very good to do, but it does save me some time and helps ensure my safety in some situations.

A bus ride, and another walk later, I step inside the Chicago Getaway Hostel. Friendly faces greet me from behind the large white desk. The two gentlemen take a deposit from me, tell me about the continental breakfast, the common kitchen, and the lounge. In the lounge there are several tables and long sofas for sitting, a pool table, a foosball table, and den with a TV. Attached on the opposite end of the lounge is the kitchen. Guests are allowed to cook in the kitchen before Midnight.

I take the keycard from one of them and ride the elevator up to the third floor where my room is. There is plenty of space for one person, and the room is modestly decorated with a minimalist but mature approach. I like it. There is a red racing stripe along windowed wall, and stencils of cassette tapes on the wall nearest the bunk bed that I have all to myself.

3:30 PM

I'm in the bathroom now. I brought with me a change of clothes, my toiletries, and a fresh towel. Upon my disrobing, I notice, to my horror, a thin brown stripe running down the crack of my white shorts. Oh my god! How long had I been walking around like this? Had people been staring at me and I hadn't noticed? Standing nude, I bring the shorts up to my face to sniff them. I wince as I brace for the worst, but all I can smell is dirt and the light musty odor of having sat in a train for 16 hours. Were they like this on the train? How many of my 5 hours of walking around downtown chicago did I have a brown stain on my shorts? I washed them off in the sink. Whatever if was, it came out very easily. Crisis averted? Maybe nobody noticed. At the very least, nobody would remember me.

#amtrak #travel blog #travel blogging #solotravel #the last adventurer #america runs on dunkin #chicago #torture museum #what the fuck

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lunarmote · 2 years ago

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Kyoto travel log, week 0

Part 2 of my arrival in Japan, where I talk about getting on the train to Kyoto Station, Kyoto Station/Tower, and my first experience being among cherry blossoms!

Read Part 1 here.

Train from Osaka Station to Kyoto Station

As an artist my eyes are trained to spot visual discrepancies at a pace that I cannot cerebrally comprehend. While I was looking out the window of the train to Kyoto Station I kept thinking the world looked so different; here was an identifiable symbol, a house, and here were a row of trees, but the “feel” of them on-scene was completely different, owing to what exactly, the architecture/arrangement of elements/compactness/colors/roofing?

I thought once about what I’d read on a digital nomad’s blog, that traveling doesn’t just teach you about another culture, it teaches you about your own culture as well. When you ponder over what makes this thing look distinctly different you have to also know what made all the other houses in your home country/street look ordinary and I didn’t know at all. I couldn’t identify any of the trees in my hometown, I didn’t know what type of tiles they used for their roofs, I knew nothing about urban planning and power lines and why the ones back home were so visually chunky.

I’ll let you see for yourself...

Mid-day shadows...

Kyoto station

These are Kyoto Station and Kyoto Tower! The lighting looks a bit dull here compared to the pics I took of Osaka but man, the sheer scale of things is so impactful when you exit and see the tower smack-dab in front of you. Due to the pandemic I hadn’t been among that many people in 3 years and it reminded me so much that we are still living in an alive, bustling world. There were people with their EOS and Canons taking pictures and other people pointing to their maps and looking lost.

There is separate bus station with its own bus map. I got very lost reading it and had to ask someone, again. He was kind enough to type up instructions for me in my Notes app (in English!) telling me which bus routes were OK, which stop to get off at, and how long to walk :’)

The bus operates differently here. You get on through the rear doors. There is a card reader and a place to take a ticket - essentially you are logging your start and end destinations either by scanning your card twice, or taking a start ticket and paying when you get off in the front. The Kyoto city bus I took charged a flat fare for all rides so there was no ticket dispenser.

The view from the river

When I got off at the stop to my guesthouse I was met by a swirling cloud of cherry blossom petals. It looked like something out of a movie. I’m not really one who can lose myself in my surroundings, but for a second I was stunned by the beauty and stillness of that moment.

It was pre-golden hour: the sun had gone down slightly, casting everything in an aged yellow light. I waited at the crosswalk while petals fluttered down: I reached out, as if to graze them and cushion their fall. One of them suddenly drifted upwards and I realized it was actually a white butterfly.

When was the last time I’d seen a butterfly in California?

There were stepping stones to a central platform where some college-age kids were playing music. My heavy backpack and camera bag threw off my center of gravity; I was so oafish in jumping from stone to stone that Japanese kids kept passing me, calling out to their moms who lagged behind. It was so wonderful to watch: families enjoying themselves on a warm spring afternoon, not feeling the pressure of time.

I walked around for a bit more until then sun came down, then went back to FamilyMart to grab some dinner (cold soba). That was my first night in Kyoto.

#travel diary #kyoto #japan #person

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hawp · 2 years ago

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nanamikentostan69420 · 1 year ago

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want to add that tiktok shop has made the user experience so much worse!!! I am pretty aware of the harm of advertisements and whatnot so I always mute and look away from my phone or scroll past, BUT the fact that there are so many more of them makes me really angry and also means that I literally WATCH LESS CONTENT!!! on the app I am choosing to spend my time on!!! can ya believe it?

everyday is a nightmare when you Have Knowledge!!! but it’s also very worth it to know things. And you did what you could to undereducate a generation (Gen Z???) and yet here we found what we were missing and used the World Wide Web to educate ourselves! often for free!!! so get Fuuuuucked because knowing better, and doing better because of it, FEELS a lot better. Like in the way some people (cough cough anyone in the 1%) spend their lives to keep everything the way it is I will spend mine fighting that. One day at a time and one foot in front of the other, and one thing I have been reflecting on since reading some of Angela Davis’s work is that so many people all around me feel as I do.

In the beginning of her autobiography she talks about how she genuinely didn’t think she would be a good candidate for writing about herself- that she didn’t want to portray her struggle as that of an individual against the entire system but of the struggle of both herself and a wide, talented network of support for herself and many more folks in marginalized groups! She is very emphatic on the importance of the movement as a whole rather than her specific role within it. The fight went on outside the walls she was trapped in while she was hiding, and while she did what she had to to survive, so did everyone else. Her retelling of her time running from the FBI is captivating and literally put chills on my arms. “I had to be worthy of them” (her ancestors and the struggle they fought through for her future)- that really stuck with me. We are all working from the position that the people who came before us gave their lives to ensure! what power we have in our veins! and that has been so hopeful to me the last few days. and I am grateful for that hope!

And this reminds me something that fills me with more hope than I can muster most days on my own, to be honest- I am not alone. I have never been. Anyone who has taught me of the painful history that many have descended from (and continue to experience!!!) has shared this burden. The burden of living in the world we do is so, so, heavy, but it is a burden one we all bear together.

So yeah at the risk of sounding like a revolutionary, we are literally all in this together, and here’s a list of all the people that I think can relate to part of what you’re feeling, no matter if they diagnose it as that or something else, and here are a very quickly made list of all the people around you who probably support (at least part!) of what you have to say:

-your bus driver and the people on it with you

-anyone who jumps the gates at the train station or doesn’t pay for the bus fare (want to be clear I’m with them, even though I pay- it shouldn’t cost you anything to get to the places you go to create and participate in the economy, if we’re allegedly doing this to promote capitalism)

- anyone who rents a dwelling or vehicle or storage unit

- many of the students near you

- anyone who has to support loved ones financially

-anyone with more than one job

-anyone who wishes they could do something they’re passionate about

like, I have been feeling pretty burnt out lately, but I also know that others have been feeling the same. because I’m surrounded by good, honest, genuine folks who care about other good, honest, genuine folks. And this is how we all feel.

I could NOT tell you how I got here from a post about tiktok culture but welcome to my brain I guess

i gotta say as much as i dislike tiktok culture it's nice to see young people sharing diy tutorials for everything like handpainted clothes and customising mirrors and making paper and crochet patterns

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eyeofthedrgn · 3 years ago

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"It was okay I guess." Maddie, you are *chef's kiss*

When Sara says hi to Felice and gets ignored, I feel that. And what was Wille gonna say to Simon?!

Mr. Englund is a douche. Talking about why Simon got the grade he did in front of everyone.

Simon looks so tiny on the boat! August go away!!! Wille, why couldn't you have just helped Simon?! Stupid boys.

I love that Rosh and Ayub make fun of rowing with Simon, but then I'm sad when Simon brings up leaving Bjärstard.

No one wears clothes that say Sweden. Sara has a pink France sweatshirt, Ayub has Washington hoodie, Wille has the NYC opera shirt.

Run, Wille! Gotta go catch up to your crush! The smiles they share after they drop out of the plank. Then Wille's confusion when Simon leaves.

So, I assume it's because August is too busy with training and classes to realize how low he is on the drugs, but I still don't fully understand how he couldn't realize he was that low before doing anything about it. And does Vincent actually have ADHD and he has switched psychologists so many times just to get more pills so he can pass some off to August or..?

I greatly enjoy when August can't open the door after talking to the Boris.

Simon was almost fine with August interrupting their studying until class and ethnicity was brought up.

Vincent has freaking bubble gum by the foot. Lol

Adorable nervous Wille after texting Simon. They're so cute! And Wille making up that he has a sore throat on the spot. Silly boy.

Rude people laughing at Wille for not knowing he needs the app to pay for bus fare. 😠

I wish the three girls hadn't interrupted the boys talk about their lives being similar, with everyone knowing everyone else. I really would like to hear that conversation.

I love Ayub's grilling of Simon. Simon's so nervous! And the glances he gives Wille. Simon is all 😍

August, he wasn't posting that for views! He was just happy you fucking twat! And now you made Simon upset by making Wille ask him to delete the story!

Felice, honey, love, darling. You don't have a chance will Wilhelm, sweetie.

The only time I really feel bad for August is when Anette asks him about the tuition fee. Like, his mother couldn't handle that shit? Like she had to ignore letters and calls from the school?

"you've got ADHD?" Is a terrible greeting. Just saying. 🙄

Don't do it Simon!! Don't shake that bastards hand!

Micke wearing a button up shirt with track pants...

Simon, honey, why did you think handing over the drugs in the middle of training was a good idea?

I love when Wille grabs Simon's leg during the jump scare. The small smiles, the pinkie and the fingers.. 😍

"You are responsible for your legacy" way to remind Wille of being a prince.

"Are you okay?" Gosh, they're so fucking sweet, these adorable babies!!

Simon, you are so brave. I love you!

#why is this show so good #here are more of my rambling thoughts #s01ep02 #young royals #wilmon #prince wilhelm #wilhelm x simon #simon eriksson #young royals netflix

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abbysroad · 4 years ago

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a contribution to the discourse, or: five years in new york

I’ve drafted this post six (6) times in the last four months, and every time, I tell myself that no one wants to hear it and I stow the words away. But fuck it, this is my blog, and I’ll write about what I want.

I realized, in July, when I rented a car and drove to the Catskills with my boyfriend, that I hadn’t left the city of New York since December 2019. Even though I’m not from here, and I’m always welcome at my parents’ house in Massachusetts, I didn’t leave the city in April, stayed in my apartment and listened to the ambulances screaming all the way to Wyckoff, started trying to count them but lost track every day. I didn’t leave because I couldn’t risk unwittingly spreading the virus to my parents, and I didn’t care to take a bus or train to get there. And what would I do there, anyway? I pay rent here, vote here, pick up prescriptions from the pharmacy here, and, until some fuzzy recent moment, considered this my home.

Early on in the pandemic, it became fashionable among the New York media Twitter circle I inhabit to make fun of those who fled—to parents’ houses, to upstate cottages, to anywhere where birdsong could substitute the sirens. But really, how could you blame the ones who left? I keep thinking about this tweet that says, “The cleavage is not ‘people who leave nyc / people who stay in nyc,’ it’s ‘people who see the city as a place of [cultural] consumption / people who see the city as a place of lived struggle.’” Allow me to be flip: Isn’t every place a place of lived struggle, barring, like, the Hamptons? Life’s a struggle, and we’re living it.

Let me show you something I wrote in my notes app on October 3, 2019 at 7:11 p.m, as I rode home from work on the L train, euphoric:

From the south side of Union Square, in the yellow dusk streetlight, I spy the creepy clock and my freshman year dorm. I’ve learned that it’s ok to start a story with a time and a place, that not all meaning grows from abstraction.

A year ago I slammed a door because my boyfriend came home in a surly mood and didn’t notice the lobsters I’d left crawling on the counter. Today I bought two more and ordered him to pick up a bottle of wine. I walked from Bryant Park to Union Square and bought Trick Mirror at the Strand. I entered the subway with insufficient fare, waited for the emergency door to swing open as it always does, and, with four other women, scurried through.

The subway rushes me to the home I have created, to the cabinets full of potatoes and rice and canned chicken stock, the refrigerator with butter, milk, eggs; the dull tip of the record player needle; the box of books in disarray. The rags ripped from sheets I’ve lain and loved in, that I use to scrub the bathtub and to wipe the counter clean. The pot I’ll boil the lobsters in, stolen from my parents’ house, which teems with things much the same.

And I know that if I needed to, I could start all over again. There’s no knowing if the world I built in four years will last a lifetime. Tonight, it doesn’t matter.

I couldn’t tell you what I was wearing that day, or how the lobster tasted, and the year-ago argument, now two years past, is a smudge in my memory. Sometime before it got hot out, but after things were bad, so April or May, I forgot my ATM PIN completely—the PIN I used to use every time I bought groceries or refilled my MetroCard—and had to have the bank send me the code in the mail. We’re going through a collective break from reality where our former selves are ghosts. All that sentimental bullshit now tastes funny in my mouth.

Disillusionment, I’ve decided, is realizing that the barista who used to give you free coffee once a week only memorized your name so she wouldn’t have to ask you every time you bought a bagel. That the optician, who remembers your name because his daughter is an Abigail too, is really just some schmuck who drives a car to work and dumps his trash on the sidewalk on the wrong day of the week. That you’ve bought all your acquaintances. That you could buy them anywhere—for less.

The tl;dr is that I’m moving to Denver at the end of the month, and we’ll have a big apartment with two bedrooms and we’ll be close to the mountains and we won’t know anyone. I work remotely. There’s nothing keeping me here. I love New York dearly. But you know how the old saw goes, about if you love something...

#writing #nyc #denver #becoming what i hate #one who flees #to another city at least #it's not because new york is becoming quote unquote crime infested #it's about trying something new

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weekleegeography · 5 years ago

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What To Prepare to China?

China, the most populous country in the world at 1.436 billion people (approximately 44 times of Malaysia’s population of 32.15 million people) and also the third or fourth largest country in the world (approximately 29 times the size of Malaysia). We have definitely heard a thing or two about China, with most notable “Made in China” in majority of your items. Production cost is one of the lowest in the world, hence why it is known as the world’s factory.

You might be planning to go to China, and so happened to stumble upon this blog as you are finding for some information on what to prepare before heading there. Otherwise, you could be my friend who read this because you saw me posting, or you just happened to see this for whatever reason. Not to worry. For my first ever travel blog, I will be sharing based on my experience on what you should prepare before heading to China and some things to keep in mind. I will be writing this from a Malaysian’s perspective (I’m a proud Malaysian), but I will try my utmost best to be as international-friendly as possible. Ya know… need to reach out to more readers! Anyways, hope you enjoy!

1) Let’s talk Visa.

No, I’m not talking about the credit card Visa. I’m talking about your permission to travel into the country visa. As of 26 December 2019, all Malaysians are required to apply for a visa before entering into the People’s Republic of China. You may use Passport Index to check if your passport requires a visa before entering to China. The link is right here!

https://www.passportindex.org/

However, the process of applying a visa is incredibly simple. All you need to do is to go to this website. shown below!

https://www.visaforchina.org/web/guidance/StepByStep_questions.action?visacenterCode=KUL&request_locale=en_US&site_alias=KUL_EN

Just follow the process. It’s a very quick process and shouldn’t take more than a week. However, it’s always good to apply at least one month before your trip.

2) Cashless Society Is Real

You might or might not heard about it, but China is currently in a transition to a cashless society. By “transition” I meant like it’s probably 95% complete. You can literally pay anything and everything with the two e-wallets in China, which is WeChat Pay and Alipay. Even small shops, roadside vendors, and markets have their own QR codes which you can scan and pay. There is a higher chance that you are not able to pay with cash than e-wallet.

WeChat Pay

As of 23 December 2019, a foreigner is still unable to use WeChat Pay in China as WeChat Pay in Mainland China requires you to have a local phone number and a Chinese bank account to be able to use. Well, no cashless society for foreigners then.

BUT WAIT.

Alipay

Alipay has just very recently launched a Tour Pass which enables foreigners to join in the cool Chinese gang and pay with your mobile phone. Just download the Alipay app, register yourself as an international user, follow the steps to register and you will be able to use Alipay e-wallet in China for 90 days. How it works is that you will receive a virtual prepaid card issued by the Bank of Shanghai. Don’t worry at all, any remaining balance in the wallet will be refunded back to your registered card once the 90 days has ended. Alexander Wong from Soya Cincau wrote a simple article on this. Tap this link below to read more about it.

https://www.soyacincau.com/2019/11/06/alipay-ewallet-tour-pass-for-tourists/

In a nutshell, as foreigners, just set up Alipay and you will be able to pay with your phone everywhere.

Malaysians, if you have not gotten BigPay, you are missing out big times. BigPay is basically a credit/debit card based on a Mastercard prepaid introduced by AirAsia. You can use it to make payments at over 30 million Mastercard merchants worldwide as it functions like a normal credit/debit card that is managed by the BigPay app. Just install the app, sign up, top up some cash into it and you are ready to use the card. While there are countless of benefits on using BigPay, I will highlight two big reasons to get this card.

i) BigPay offers the best exchange rate when you purchase an item with BigPay card when you travel overseas. In other words, by using BigPay and purchase items using the BigPay card in another country, BigPay offers the best rate and pays to the merchant at the current exchange rate. To elaborate further, the money that you change at your local money changer will have a higher rate due to many hidden fees, but BigPay does not have any hidden fees.

ii) If you are a frequent AirAsia flyer, use BigPay and enjoy zero processing fee while buying any flight tickets from AirAsia. Not only that, spend with BigPay and you can collect BIG points which can be used to redeem flight tickets.

**I am not promoting BigPay but it’ll be good if they can pay me for writing about them. It’s a real life saver for travels.

***But if you are going to get BigPay, why not use my referral code to sign up? You get RM10, I get RM10. It’s a win-win. My referral code is ZW1PKS7ATN.

So what is the bottom line from this long segment? I’ve topped up the Alipay app using the BigPay card, which I get the best rates while able to use Alipay to make purchase in China conveniently.

3) The Great Firewall of China

Took a nice photo and wanted to post it on Instagram? How about posting a status about how you are having a good time so far on Facebook? Want to make a video call with your friend using WhatsApp? Sorry, you can’t do it in China.

Yes, if you still do not know about this, China bans many, many websites that we access on a daily basis. Some top notable sites are:

Social Media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit

Messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Line

Anything from Google, including your Gmail, YouTube, and even Google Play Store

For a more complete list, I have attached a website here which you can take a look.

https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/the-complete-list-of-blocked-websites-in-china-how-to-access-them/

Unless you are fine with WeChat, which is the only messaging app I can think of that is able to use in China, you will need a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to bypass the firewall.

My own experience to get by this problem is by getting a portable WiFi from Klook to bring over to China. Be sure to read the reviews stating that it can access the firewall. I got it from this website below!

https://www.klook.com/en-MY/activity/18737-3g-4g-wifi-mainland-china/?krt=s20&krid=3c37b711-5b56-4331-6e62-5a33130b4b6a

I also downloaded at least 3 to 4 of free VPNs from Google Play Store before heading to China with hopes that some of them work. China has been actively cracking down these VPNs, so not all VPN works. If you are able to afford a proper VPN, you can subscribe to a legitimate VPN service which will be much better. I have not subscribed to a VPN service before this trip, but now I have.

I personally subscribed to Nord VPN about a week ago and it is working charms so far. I managed to get a great deal of only paying RM230 for a 3-year subscription! PM me to know how or wait a while as I will post a new blog on how I got such a good deal!

Be sure to download and prepare the VPNs before heading to China as you won’t be able to access to the Google Play Store once you are using China’s internet.

So with so many apps unable to be used, what do you use? That brings me to my next point.

4) Baidu Maps, WeChat, and Didi as your replacement

If you are able to read Chinese, then Baidu Maps is your alternative to Google Maps. It is basically China version Google Maps. Baidu is basically China’s Google.

Baidu Maps helped me to determine if it was worth walking, taking the public transport or driving to a destination. For public transport, it showed me the exact route to take, the exact bus number or train line to take, and even the total fare of the trip. As there is no access to Google in China, it is quite unreliable to use Google Maps in China even with VPN access as it does not tell you as much as Baidu Maps does. However, do take note again that it is only in Chinese, so for my fellow friends who can’t read Chinese, you can still download and try to work your way around the app.

WeChat is your replacement for WhatsApp, and why I would suggest to get a WeChat account is so that you can communicate should you need to communicate urgently. There was once that I was separated from my group, and thankfully I was able to find a café with WiFi and used WeChat to communicate. Sometimes, VPN can fail you, so it’s always better to get an app that allows direct communication.

Didi is your replacement for Uber. Sometimes, you need a taxi ride but perhaps you are too used to the e-hailing lifestyle. Didi is the app for you. Works just like Uber, except it is China version.

5) Bicycle apps

Now this was one of the things that I regretted not doing on my previous trip to China. The city of Chengdu has an excellent bicycle rental service and it’s literally so easy to cycle around the city. Sometimes, cycling is the fastest way to get to one point to another, and the rental is cheap.

The most notable bike sharing application that I’ve observed in Chengdu are OFO and Mobike. I did not do this process, but my guess it that the steps are:

1) Set up your Alipay account and top in money as told in the previous point. Make sure you sign up under the tour pass.

2) Download OFO or Mobike or both and complete the set up. Use the Alipay account to link it together.

3) Fly to China and enjoy using the service.

Again, make sure to do any downloading and signing up BEFORE heading to China.

6) Bin your toilet papers

Malaysia is blessed with an awesome sewage system, at least awesome enough that we can flush our soiled toilet papers into the toilet bowl and flush everything away. However, not everywhere is like this, and China is one of the countries that bins their soiled toilet papers instead of flushing it down. As habits are hard to break so soon, we might sometimes throw into the toilet bowl by accident or intentionally because it might be too unacceptable to bin it as it might smell or it is just pure disgusting thinking about it.

I’ve learned this the hard way in my trip, as one of my travel mate forgotten to bin his used toilet paper, and the result was that the whole toilet was clogged. By the time we managed to clear the clog, half of our day was gone and we had to throw some of our plans away due to a lack of time.

It’s real guys, you just got to bin it. It’s much more disgusting to see a clogged toilet bowl than a soiled toilet paper. Speaking about toilets.

7) Yeah, it’s paper.

China has no bidets. So for #TeamWater, you can either shower in your accommodation, or bring wet tissue out in case the production happens outside.

8) Plug outlet

It’s different. Malaysia uses the Type G as we were once under British influence.

[Type G plug used in Malaysia]

China uses the Type A plug, so be sure to bring a universal adapter to the trip. My little hack is that I also bring an extension wire along to plug into the universal adapter so that I can have more plugs to charge more devices.

[Type A plug used in China]

Be sure to always check for the plug outlet before visiting any countries. It’s a good investment to get a universal adapter.

9) Mala (麻辣) everywhere

At least for Chongqing and Chengdu, they take their mala very seriously. It’s hard to run away from their distinct mala taste in most of the food there. They even placed the Sichuan pepper into their stir-fried vegetables.

So if you are not a fan of mala or the numbing sensation from the mala, try to

bring some local food

from your country to compensate. Hard for me to suggest, as I’m usually very curious about the cuisines of each countries and will just try no matter how weird it is.

In a nutshell:

I hope that some of these tips can help you to prepare before heading to China. I hope that you enjoyed my blog, and do share it with those who might need it. It is a big country with too many things to offer, but some fundamental preparation will be great. I am sure after visiting ones, you will know better on some hacks. Do share it with me too! I would love to hear them!

Pack your bags, and let’s get travelling!

Just kidding, not now. Stay at home now as we are in a middle of Covid-19 pandemic.

#china #prepare #travel #hacks #travelhacks

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