Tag Archives: Chinese Language
Chinese Tourism During Chinese New Year Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 16, 2010
I am currently writing from Laos, where yesterday I saw a large group of Chinese tourists busy on 春游 (spring travel). Several 房车 (RVs) were on the streets in Luang Prabang, not unlike some American tourists on tour. The tourists’ cars (they drove) 要么 (either) were from 云南 (Yunnan)，要么 (either, see below) were from 重庆…
Happy New Year! Posted by Transparent Language on Feb 13, 2010
Greetings from 老挝 (Laos) and 新年快乐 (Happy New Year) to everyone! This year is 虎年 (the year of the TIger), which marks the end of my own 本命年 (one’s own birth year), said to be the unluckiest/hardest year for people born in that year. For those of you born in the Year of the Tiger…
Angkor Wat Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 30, 2010
Today I went and saw 吴哥窟 (Angkor Wat), a temple outside Siem Reap, Cambodia. It dates back to the 12th century, and numerous national governments have 赞助 (donated money to/supported) the 维护 (protection/maintenance) of the deteriorating walls. It is indeed a 国宝 (national treasure) for Cambodia, and truly 具有代表性 (possess representative characteristics) for the country. Entering Angkor Wat…
Cambodia Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 29, 2010
The next stop in my travels has been 柬埔寨 (Cambodia). I sat with my traveling buddies on a bus and watched as alternating landscapes with and without 电线 (power lines) rolled by. Like in Vietnam, there is no shortage of 三轮摩托车 (Tuk-Tuks 3-wheeled motorcycles). The landscape we saw outside the window on our way to…
Learning to Cook Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 26, 2010
The other day I saw a vendor selling 鱼翅 (sharkfin) at exorbitant prices at a market in Saigon. My friend and I decided that although we couldn’t afford shark fin, we should still learn a little about Vietnamese 烹饪 (cuisine). We took a cooking class, and it became clear as soon as I made my…
Recent History in Vietnam Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 20, 2010
Since being in Vietnam, I have learned a lot about the history about the 越南战争 (Vietnam War) from visiting the 非军事区 (De-militarized zone) accompanied by a former combat 翻译 (interpreter) from the time. When we went to the former border between north and south, he pointed out that the 共产党 (Communist Party) had a 旗杆…
North Vietnam Posted by Transparent Language on Jan 17, 2010
The other day I was with my friend in a town called Lao Cai in the northern part of Vietnam. It was there that I saw something that I would never have imagined- a Vietnamese casino which counts its bets in 人民币 (RMB, Chinese currency). Situated on the border with China, the casino primarily attracted…