When my sister came to visit me in Malaysia back in June, I wanted to plan something special that will make her visit memorable. Like I’ve said before, photos are the best souvenirs, so I asked a local photographer in Kuala Lumpur (meet James in this post!) to take some shots of us. I had also planned on leaving Malaysia shortly after my sister’s visit. KL has been a very special place to me for the past year. I had…
Snapshots of life in Beijing (in 20 photos)
After a super wordy last post, we’ll keep it light today with pictures! I imagine that most tourists come to Beijing to see the few big sites – Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden Palace, the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, and the Great Wall. And maybe in the evenings, they go grab some drinks in the Sanlitun party district. But beyond these must-see attractions lies a Beijing with peaceful, yet lively residential communities. It’s in these communities where all the “life” happens, with…
Beijing Botanical Garden: A Study of Chrysanthemums
The smog has rolled into Beijing. Day after day, the city is enshrouded in a depressing grey haze and an air of toxicity lingers about. Once in a while, we’d get lucky and there’ll be a hint of sun, a peek of blue skies. Only then do we feel safe to venture outdoors for a much needed stroll without the precautions of an unsightly M3 mask. On these days, I’d go to the community park to use the exercise equipment or…
Day trip from Taipei: Yehliu Geopark (in photos)
Happy Travel Tuesday! I thought I’d finally start to share some of my Taipei adventures, starting with this day trip to Yehliu Geopark. I hope you enjoy this (mostly photos) virtual tour! And also, next week’s link-up is themed. Find out the theme at bottom of post! I met Khee randomly at the mall on my first day in Taipei. D and I were there getting some phone SIM cards and I got distracted by a display of something sparkly and girly….
Of pavilions and little wooden boats: a walk across Chaozhou’s ancient bridge
Since this blog is still foremost a travel blog, I guess I should get back to sharing some travel adventures, lest I lose whatever credentials I acquired as a travel blogger. :P I feel like I’m trying to get back into blogging with words (which are still scarce these days) and pictures (which I have too many of), so I’m just taking it easy today and sharing some of my favorite photos from Chaozhou.
Queen for a day: a glamour photoshoot in China
As full time travelers who live out of carry-ons, there is no argument that the best souvenirs are photos. They cost nothing, weigh nothing, and there is literally no limit to how many you can have. Well they should cost nothing, in most cases. Not unless you want to be queen for a day. While in China, I splurged big time on a set of photographs.
An introduction to Lyon, France (in photos!)
Last summer, on our whirlwind Europe tour, we stopped in Paris for a few days, and I left mostly disappointed. I’m not sure what I expected, but it’s probably safe to say that I had imagined dinners in cozy brasseries, strolls along narrow cobbled streets, and other such romantic scenes. Instead, I found an aloof, sprawling city that stank of pee and offered mostly sub-par food. I couldn’t help feeling that Paris, despite it being the French capital, was a poor representation of…
The Great Wall Simatai Section in photos
One negative side effect of constant travel is that after a while, you become more numb. Things don’t appear as glittery or exciting as when you first start out. White sands and turquoise waters aren’t exactly a novelty anymore, nor are ancient churches and dazzling skyscrapers. Perhaps it sounds haughty of me to say that it’s hard to be truly surprised anymore. Believe me, I treasure every single place I visit, but it is true: there are few things that…
17 reasons why Taipei is the coolest (in photos!)
Six years ago, D visited Taipei for only two days. Three years ago, we met and since the first date as we chatted about our travels over dumplings, he’s raved about Taipei and how he dreams of returning someday. “It’s just such a cool city,” he’d say. But he couldn’t really tell me why. And he didn’t have any pictures to show me either, aside from some blurry ones taken from the top of the Taipei 101. And so I never believed him….
In photos: crazy, colorful Hanoi Old Quarter
Vietnam was the Southeast Asian country I was most excited to visit. We started our Vietnamese adventure with two weeks in the capital city of Hanoi. I have to admit that we came mainly for the food, but unexpectedly, the city completely enthralled me before I even took my first bite. This city… how do I begin to paint the picture? It’s absolutely crazy. Even though I was no longer a Southeast Asia newbie by the time I made it there, the madness of the city still took me by surprise. There seems…