ESCAPE BLOG

Believe it or not, many people the world over are still highly superstitious, even about sex. As defined by wikipedia, a superstition is an irrational or invalid belief about the relation between certain actions. The superstitious individual erroneously believes that the future or the outcome of certain events can be caused or influenced by certain specified behaviours, despite the lack of a causal relationship in reality. In Trinidad and Tobago, ...

Nose-picking, as we all know, is the act of removing mucus from the nose with a finger. The act of picking one’s nose is right up the alley of farting and burping. In most cultures, it’s not socially acceptable to do it in public but we still catch a few every now and then doing the deed. Heck, a paparazzi even had a stroke of luck when he caught ...

From the coffee-drinking culture in Italy, we hopped on to Jordan. And now, it’s time for one of the most famous kind of coffeeshops in the world… coffeeshops in Amsterdam! In Amsterdam, the term coffeeshop is synonymous with a special kind of place. Yes, these coffeeshops do serve coffee but their main commodity is *blows out smoke* cannabis: hashish and marijuana. All are done legally, with license from ...

Our culture dictates that we live in harmony. We often talk to some as friends even if, deep down, we hate them. Most of us also often say ‘yes’ when we mean ‘no’ to avoid discord. Heck, someone has actually written a book on saying yes when they mean no. Well, forget all that when you head on to Bulgaria otherwise, you may find yourself in deep shit. In ...

In Jordan, coffee is an important cultural symbol of hospitality. So when you are offered Arabic coffee by your host, do NOT say no. Once you are finished drinking and do not want to have more, shake your coffee cup from side to side. However, should you want more coffee, all you have to do is hold out your cup to the person who has the coffee pot. ...

We can’t all be walking polyglots. Lots of times, we have to rely on good old English during trips abroad. However, take note that we also should not expect everyone to understand English. And if you do find someone who could speak a bit of English, make sure that you modify the way you speak. Do not use slang words/expressions and avoid the common mistake of turning up ...

Once, I found myself meeting the smiling eyes of a local whilst ordering a cup of cappuccino at a local café in Venice. I thought it was a smile of appreciation for a tourist. I didn’t realize until later that it was the locals’ secret smile. The smile of someone who knows better… for someone who doesn’t know any better. Coffee drinking in Italy has a number of rules ...

Have you ever observed other people when they talk? Not counting romantic encounters between people, of course. I am talking about strangers or near-strangers talking to each other; especially when one or both are foreign. One would seem to be getting closer and closer whereas the other seem to be shrinking more and more in his/her seat, trying to get further and further away. It looks a lot ...

Picture this: You are alone in a foreign land; eager to befriend the locals but you aren’t exactly Mr. or Ms. Personality. And then you finally find someone interested in foreigner-you but, in your excitement, you find yourself with your foot in your mouth after cracking that joke… the culturally-loaded kind. Imagine telling this joke in the presence of Germans: Q: What do you call a blind German? A: A Not ...

“what would you do (to prepare yourself) prior to your first trip to Japan?,” I asked around. Standard answers were: learn how to say hello (konnichiwa) and thank you (duomo arigato) brush up on sign language (for those who do not speak japanese) practice the use of chopsticks withdraw tons of cash (heard it’s ...