We started our next day in Tokyo with a visit to the Tsukiji Fish Market. We opted out of witnessing the crack of dawn tuna auction and instead stood on line to wait for Kagura sushi to open its doors for breakfast. Since Jules has not ventured into the world of raw fish yet, we […]
Food
Japan, Part I: Tokyo (東京)
Hundreds year-old traditions, impeccable food, polite-to-a-fault natives and cherry blossoms? Count me in! Since Philip’s mom and sister, Kim, were arriving one week into Jules’ spring break from school, we had exactly seven days to squeeze in two weeks’ worth of fun in Japan beforehand. Here we go… Landing at Haneda International Airport and figuring out […]
Sun Moon Lake (曰月潭)
Although we’re heading to Japan in a week, we couldn’t resist going away for a weekend trip to take advantage of the quickly fleeting gorgeous weather in Taipei. Philip had mentioned checking out Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan awhile ago, but I wasn’t so keen on it due to prior subpar tour group experiences. […]
Weekend retreat in Wulai Aboriginal Village (烏來)
I really can’t complain about needing to ‘get away,’ since I’ve had seven months off from work thus far. However, it’s still nice to leave the frenetic energy of a big city every now and then, so Jules and I set out for one of Taiwan’s aboriginal villages in Wulai this weekend. I also happened […]
Biking at Dajia Riverside Park (大佳河濱公園)
Within one week into the lunar new year Jules accomplished an important life skill…bike riding! After multiple attempts (thank you Kishita family) and much frustration (more on Philip’s and my end than Jules’) Jules conquered his fear of falling and finally rode a bike on his own, yayyyyy! Philip and I were so proud of […]
Lunar New Year 2018 (農曆新年)
新年快樂 (xin nian kuai le), or Happy New Year! Although we would have loved to explore more of Vietnam it was more important to return to Taiwan to celebrate the new lunar year with my family. This was the first time of my life ringing in the new year with my family here, so I […]
Vietnam, Part VI: Hội An
A day of rest. We slowed down the pace a bit today and meandered through Old Town, popping into the odd shop and enjoying cold beverages while writing postcards in one of the quiet cafes overlooking the river. I couldn’t resist leaving Hoi An without one of its famous fabric lanterns, so we stopped in […]
Vietnam, Part V: Hội An
As soon as we landed in Hoi An, a city 1 1/2 hours south of Hanoi by air, we knew we were in for something different. Our coats and layers from the north were quickly shed to adapt to the much warmer temperatures. Outside of the Old Town the area reminded me of parts […]
Vietnam, Part IV: Hà Nội
The three hour journey back to Hanoi from Yen Duc Village gave Philip the chance to spot his must see national animal of Vietnam…water buffalo! Despite modern machinery, water buffalo are still used in rice farming here, since they are able to navigate the deep, muddy fields of the rice paddies. Along the highway, we […]
Vietnam, Part III: Yen Duc Village
Not ready to head back to the hustle and bustle of city life just yet, we spent the next couple of days at Yen Duc Village, a community-based tourism retreat set amongst rice fields and farms an hour west of Ha Long City. It’s working on obtaining US/EU organic certification at the moment (a rarity […]