Finally we are done our trip to Asia ARC. It always saddens me when things end. I hope you guys enjoyed this arc. There was a lot to cover, and we really learnt a lot from this trip. Starting next week, we are back to our usual jabs at life, technology and Toronto. Also please let us know what you though about this arc.

Danny

Because Alex can’t possibly draw all these tips, though I’m sure given enough caffeine and time he could, I think you should still see them:

Things You Learn Traveling in Asia:
-Ear plugs and eye mask are key to staying sain, especially if all your friends snore
-Massages in asia in shady areas often have happy endings, so GO TO SPAs
-Window seat is a nice view, but it is also the loudest seat
-Don’t drink the tap water, you’ll be sorry
-Beer is cheaper then pop, but try not to binge
-Make sure they turn the meter on for the taxi, they will try to scam you
-Make sure you don’t give the taxi hundreds, they will scam you by giving you a fake one back
-Someone told me there was once a thief so good, he managed to steal his wallet, which was on the inside of my jacket, by cutting a hole with a razor on the INSIDE of his jacket.
-There are buildings that don’t have escalators that are 8 stories high, just like our apartment
-There is no central heating/cooling in asian appartments
-If you buy a new place in china, all you get is an empty box, NO DOORS, NO WINDOWS pre installed
-Cars don’t yield to no one in asia
-Bikes don’t yield to no one in asia
-People take test for driving cars and scooters, the test is basically the instructor telling you what the answers are
-Drivers in asia are very skilled because they have to pay attention to everyone, bikes people and other cars, all with death wishes
-Food is cheaper in asia, but it is also less clean
-Very few shops will give you napkins when you eat
-That skin tight body wallet is good only for countries with mild weather, unforturnately you put your passport in there with 30+ degrees, now we can’t read the passport photo/info sorry you can’t leave the country.
-A cleaver way to avoid getting mugged is to act poor, or better yet act like a mugger, though that may have side effects
-Subway hacks, you can get off before the end of the line, and get back on to get a discount
-Having friends in other countries rock, they can show you where to go and what to avoid!

Yeah I didn’t believe it either, but when you think about it, a can of Carlsberg is the same price as a can of pop from 7-11, you begin to realize how real it can get. Needless to say we got trashed, and made fools of our selves on the restaurant, in the streets, and on the subways.

There were several places in Hong Kong where you can see Bruce Lee. One was at the harbor front where his bronze statue stood for all to pose beside. The other lesser known one was at the wax museum under “the peak”. Standing next to his wax figure, I felt quite big and superior. But it was not until a later date, back in Toronto that I realized I wasn’t in the same weight class as this legend. In his weight class he would be a muscle bound GOD, and even if I wasn’t in his weight class he would waste me. This didn’t stop me from taking a UFC pose against him. Though I felt that, at any moment, one of his fans would kick my ass while I was taking the photo (literally).

People in Hong Kong are pretty cautious. The government encourages you to put on a face mask if you feel a cold coming on, in addition to washing your hands and sneezing into a tissue. The government also tell you not to go to work if you feel sick, and to see a doctor immediately. All very good. It makes me wonder why we don’t do that in North America. Our office had a cold going around that took out 30% of the staff. If we had all followed the above procedures that could have been avoided. The problem is people are so concerned with how they look that they are willing to risk getting a cold. This is apparent in how little clothing people wear in cold weather. I think people need to take their health and body more seriously.

Danny

Gas Masks

I remember back in Waterloo, I once saw a mother an child waiting at an intersection wearing gas masks. I turned to the person next to me and she said “Yes, I see that too.” This comic was exactly what I thought.

– Alex ^.^()

OOPS

I posted tomorrows comic TODAY.
Next comic is Thursday SORRY

Danny

Airports in Asia are MASSIVE. The one in Beijing was ridiculously big, the planes looked like toy figures in the amount of land that was allocated for the airport. It also had it’s own rail system just to get from one end to the other.

In case you haven’t noticed yet. There is no solution to the above maze. If you want the real maze you can find it here.

The solution is here.

Enjoy!

Danny

So on the plane, Ray is pretty pissed that he just lost his PSP. We try to convince him it’s no big deal, and at least there was the in-flight movie display in front of each chair, along with a power adapter for his laptop. Which I must say was pretty neat, because it was a personal media station with movies and music. Unless of course it doesn’t work. Which sadly happened to us. One of the displays were dead 2 rows ahead of us, and the person in that seat naturally complained to the flight attendant. Trying to be helpful and fair, she decides to reset the system to try and rectify the issue. Off goes the displays, and they remained that way for the next 10 hours. Apparently the reset failed, and despite her best efforts, multiple resets, they refused to turn on again. So we are now stuck with no entertainment for the next 10 hours. We were right next to the engines so sleep was not going to happen. Rollin and I resort to telling each other “your mama” jokes, coming up with whole new ways to diss each others mamas. That lasted about 2 hours. So we just sat there miserable for next 8 hours, until at last someone snapped and demanded that they try to reset the displays again. It actually worked this time, and we managed to squeeze some entertainment out. We actually got 5% discount off our next flight for their blunder. But honestly, what makes them think I’ll enjoy Air Canada AGAIN?

Danny

My buddy Ray lost his PSP at security. It just vanished after he took it out of his bag and passed it through the x-ray machine. It sucks because he didn’t notice until the plane was about to leave. He manage to tell the flight ticket checkers the issue, and they file a report for him. On our way back from at the Hong Kong airport, the flight desk attendant told us that his PSP was FOUND, and it was waiting for him back in Canada. We were so amazed, the lost and found system actually works. We get back to Toronto, and it’s no where to be found. Ray spends 2 hours in the airport, running from one lost and found to another. Some the system DOES NOT WORK.

Danny

Speaking of Swine flu. We were lucky that we left in april, 4 days before the out break in Mexico. We were unlucky that we had to go in and out of customs. I filled out 20+ forums. An arrival and departure card for each country, and a health declaration for every arrival. I swear if they were selling pens they would make a killing.

We had a close call in Maccau, because they did manual scanning of all Canadians. By scanning I mean health check. We were taken aside and held in a holding area for 20 mins, then brought over to be checked by a doctor. I swear if you sneeze or cough it felt like you were going to be locked away. Besides Maccau, both China and Hong Kong had a good system. They just infrared scanned everyone, and the computer automatically detected if you had a spike in temperature. Very efficient.

Danny

China is an interesting place to shop, places like Shenzhen, are really cheap for buying goods, but at the same time it is really sketchy. Several times we were offered additional “services” while walking the street in broad day light. I can’t blame them because China at heart is a very poor country. It’s getting better now, but it will take sometime for the people to have a higher standard of living, and scams and prostitution will be significantly less.

Danny

Props to Alex

I’d like to thank Alex for keeping the site going while I was away. You win THE GAME.

Danny

Damn

Now I just lost The Game. My anger burns with the fury of a thousand white hot suns.

– Alex