Compared to most Western countries, we here at WoWasis feel Asia is pretty safe. Most travelers can go just about anywhere, any time, and not have to be constantly looking over their shoulders. Nevertheless, travelers not practicing basic security measures are leaving themselves open to the occasional theft. So here are some things to keep […]
Read the rest of this entry »Archive for the 'By Subject' Category
Leafsnap phone app allows you to identify trees instantaneously
Here at WoWasis, we’re often curious about what kind of tree we’re seeing in Asia, but don’t want to carry a tree guide (book or human) around with us. So now there’s a solution, that while focused on North American trees, will allow iPhone and iPad users to begin identifying Asian trees as well. It’s […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis spa review: Wilbur Hot Springs in Northern California
So why is your WoWasis Asian field team in California for a spa review? Because we heard that many Asian visitors go there on visits from overseas, and now we can see why. Wilbur Hot Springs is located roughly 2.5 hours north of San Francisco, 22 miles from the town of Williams on Interstate 5, […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis field test review: a durable travel watch & calculator that will never be stolen
Here at WoWasis, we like to think we dress well when we travel, but we like to look cheap, too. Cheap enough that criminals won’t target us for robbery when we’re far from the police. Some folks like to wear Rolexes (even fake ones) and gold jewelry when they travel to countries with low average […]
Read the rest of this entry »Shop at the new WoWasis Spycraft eStore for exotic covert gizmos & goodies
A number of WoWasis visitors comprise folks who’ve dealt in covert ops, detective work, and general surveillance, and sometimes don’t find it all that easy to find well-working trade goods. Our WoWasis Spycraft eStore is the answer. But it’s not just for ops folks, either. If you’ve ever accidentally locked yourself out of a rental […]
Read the rest of this entry »Is it time for a website to archive NGO abuses in Cambodia?
The most controversial and commentaried post we’ve ever published at WoWasis is NGO Pedophilia controversy heats up in Cambodia. Everyone has a strong opinion on the subject of NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) and how they’re dealing with the issue of pedophilia in Cambodia. Several respondents mentioned they had archival documents that pointed to NGOs as having […]
Read the rest of this entry »Apple unlocks the iPhone 4 for international travelers
Part of the reason we here at WoWasis carry the cheap but reliable Nokia 1280 phone is that it’s cheap and reliable. It also is feature-poor. It does, however, work in every Asian country because it uses a SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card, which you insert into the phone. You buy a different SIM card for […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Leon Wolff’s ‘Little Brown Brother: How the United States Purchased and Pacified the Philippines’
There are two very good reasons Leon Wolff won the Parkman Prize for history literature for his landmark book Little Brown Brother: How the United States Purchased and Pacified the Philippine Islands at the Century’s Turn (1960, ISBN 1-58288-209-6). First of all, it’s a compelling book. And second, there remains a dearth of literature pertaining […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis travel field test review: the incredible Plantronics .Audio 480 USB headset
Here at WoWasis, we tend to use stereo headphones a lot, for either Skype calls from around the globe, or listening to language instruction CDs. And you know how much we love miniaturization. We want everything small, durable, and light. That’s why we fell in love with our (soon to be discontinued) Plantronics .Audio 480 […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Ted Jordan Meredith’s Pocket Guide to Bamboos
Here at WoWasis, we have quite a bit of bamboo planted in our immediate environs. And frankly, we’ve been wrestling a lot with the variety known as Bambusa oldhamii, also known as Oldham’s Bamboo. The problem with this variety is that it weeps an acidic liquid that etches car windows and paint and is not […]
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