Odd Observations | adventureswithben.com

Would You Eat Your Pet? A Funny Sign, Spotted

Published August 3, 2011 at 7:00 am |

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On a recent trip to New England to visit family I drove past this retail store. It was out of business.

With good reason, who’d ever want to eat their pet?

I’ll see you out there…!

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Lots of Soy Sauce in Singapore

Published June 1, 2011 at 7:00 am |

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Traveling exposes you to new things, that’s for sure. From food, music, fashion, holidays and more, you’ll always be surprised when you visit a new country.

But despite the differences, there are also many similarities. You’ll find the same food, music, fashion, holidays and more in New York as you would in Bangkok, reminding you that the more we are different, the more we are all the same.

And then there are the things that catch you by surprise. That make you do a double-take. The thinks that make you stop and say, “what on earth was that?”. Let me show you what I mean from a trip to Singapore… behold, giant bottles of soy sauce.

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Bicycles in Amsterdam

Published May 3, 2011 at 7:00 am |

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Today’s post is a quickie and includes one of my favorite photos. On a backpacking trip in Amsterdam a few years back I exited the train station and encountered this bike rack.

Many people associate the dutch with bicycling – but I never thought they were this serious about biking!

Can you imagine trying to find your bike in this mess? And then having to get it out if it was in the middle of the pack? Yikes!

Have you ever been biking in Amsterdam? What was your experience like? Share by commenting.

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Are There Really Kangaroo Crossing Signs in Australia?

Published March 18, 2011 at 7:00 am |

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Are there really Kangaroo Crossing road signs in Australia?

Yep!

We spotted them everywhere along the roads we traveled – except within the city limits. The kangaroo is to Australia, what the squirrel is to the United States. But the real question is, do you ever actually see a kangaroo cross the road?

Yep!

We were walking along Grey River Road off the Great Ocean Road searching for Koalas (which we also saw) when upon our return down the hill, we saw a Kangaroo (or maybe it was a wallaby), sitting on the side of the road staring at us.

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Pick ‘n Pay vs. Old Navy

Published February 8, 2011 at 7:00 am |

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South Africa always surprises me. Between having hippos as pets, the thrill of searching for lions, baboons trashing my room, eating bunnies, drinking amarula and the vuvuzela, there’s always something that makes me smile. There’s something to delight you around every corner. It’s like discovering a whole new world.

Such was the case on a trip to the shopping mall. I walked past a store called Pick ‘n Pay… and then I turned around and said, “was that Old Navy I just walked past?”

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A Urinal Installed on the Floor?

Published January 26, 2011 at 7:00 am |

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Potty humor seems to be a recurring theme lately on this blog (just see my recent post on Funny, Farting Underwear). If you can’t giggle at a good poop joke, than you need to lighten up – that’s what I always say.

In any event, I was traveling through the Tokyo Airport in Japan and came across this urinal on the floor – at least that’s what I thought it was at first…

Japanese Squat Toilet A Urinal Installed on the Floor?

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Do Africans Really Have Wild Animals as Pets? Yes!

Published January 20, 2011 at 7:00 am |

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Every time I tell people I’ve traveled to South Africa, they ask all sorts of questions, from the practical to the bizarre…

Is it dangerous? Not as much as the media makes it out to be.
Did you get malaria? Nope, it’s only found in a small area and not an issue.
What do South Africans eat? Same thing as we do.
Are there lions roaming the streets? No
Do they have wild animals as pets? No… well yes, sort of.

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Funny, Farting Underwear in Orlando

Published January 17, 2011 at 7:00 am |

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Orlando is home to lots of, what I call, “Tacky Tourist” stores. You’ll find souvenir shops with wizards, shuttles, oranges and everything else imaginable on the roofs lining the main tourist streets. Most of these stores sell towels, t-shirts and other assorted items.

But on a recent pop-in, I came across these pairs of underwear that made me laugh…

On the one hand, those granny panties are a bit too baggy for my tastes. But on the other hand, they would be hilarious to wear, wouldn’t they?

What pair of briefs would you wear? Share by commenting.

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Why I Want to Drive 1,554 Miles After Reading “Drive I-95″

Published December 21, 2010 at 7:00 am |

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Having blogged about travel for 15 months, I’ve reached a milestone where PR folks flood my box with pitches for stories – most of them not of any interest to me (or you). But an offer to read Drive I-95, a book by Stan and Sandra Posner, caught my attention. Having driven that stretch of highway many times from my home state of Massachusetts all the way to Florida, I can tell you that it’s not pleasant. It’s long, boring and takes two full days with little to look forward to.

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Posing at McDonald’s in Thailand

Published December 15, 2010 at 7:00 am |

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Ronald McDonald is a clown.

Clowns scare me.

Therefore, using the transitive property of mathematics… Ronald McDonald scares me. The combination of ketchup-red hair, a mustard-yellow jumpsuit and these giant red lips on a pale, white face is just plain creepy.

Yet who could resist taking a photo like this in front of a McDonald’s in Bangkok, Thailand?

They are everywhere!

RonaldMcDonald 300x225 Posing at McDonalds in Thailand

One of the adventures I like to have when I travel is eating at McDonald’s. It’s fun to compare the menu selection, taste and general representation of this super-sized American Brand. Sometimes you come across shocking discoveries like this statue of Ronald McDonald in Thailand and others like…

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