One of our travel companions (thanks, Rikki!) found out about LiSong hot spring while we were planning where to go in Taiwan. Upon a quick review of other blogs and photos, this was marked as a definite visit on our map. Tell me this doesn’t...
Kenting At the very southern tip of Taiwan is Kenting National Park. Established on January 1, 1984, it is Taiwan’s oldest and southernmost national park, known for its tropical climate with warm to hot weather year-round. Although Kenting National Park is located in Kenting, these...
What do you look for when traveling abroad? Not other tourists I hope! Personally, I prefer to run into as little tourists as possible. Sure the amenities will be better in destination cities and tours are readily available in all shapes and sizes, but those conveniences also...
Geisha*, geiko, and maiko are traditional Japanese hostesses who entertain customers through various performing arts. In Gion, Kyoto, they call full-fledged geisha “geiko” and the apprentice in training “maiko.” In the olden days, beautiful girls from poor families were often traded into this profession to...
Donsol is a great place to visit for three reasons. One, it is theorized, by the discovery of baby whale sharks, as one of many Whale Shark breeding grounds. Second, the city works with the fishermen to establish a fair and eco-friendly approach to tourism. Visitors should keep a...
Thanks to relatives from both my mother and father’s sides, I saw the heart and soul of Taipei as locals would. You may find mentioned of these places online or on travel sites, but they’re not always the most popular (yet) since travelers with shorter...
The fabric markets in Shanghai can house hundreds of mom and pop booths, this translates to hundreds of potential tailors for you. Which one should you choose? How do you spot a good tailor? I spent two days interviewing tailors from booth to booth, here...
Due to limited time, a friend and I booked a trip to Tibet through a travel agency in Shanghai. We had to book our own transportation in and out of Chengdu and the agency takes care of the rest. For me the altitude sickness didn’t kick in...
Here it goes…it’s not necessarily the “traditional Shanghainese” because it is restaurant food after all, but delicious and authentic nonetheless!
Compare to other provinces in China, Shanghai’s traditional dishes distinguish itself by the delicate and time intensive process of food preparation. Often times the cooking begins early afternoon for dinner. Here’s what I got to try at my aunt’s house:
Part 2 of 2 – Longsheng After a three days stay in Yangshuo I hopped on a bus and head towards Longsheng. I heard they have the most well known rice terraces in that region and the women of the villages are often seen washing their life-long...
Part 1 – Yangshuo First stop in Guilin is Yangshuo. Before we get into any more details, there is one thing and one thing everyone must try in Guilin: Guilin Vermicelli. Like Pho is to Vietnam and Pad Thai is to Thailand, Guilin Vermicelli is regional...
An attempt to hit the peak of the most well-known mountain in China…HuangShan. Let me start with a brief summary of how the three of us decided to go. During dinner Thursday night at a Japanese BBQ restaurant I asked if anyone wants to go...
Yes it is true. I have been public utensils broken. What the heck is that you ask? Public utensils=serving spoons and forks. This might be the norm in western culture but in Asia, there is no such thing. When me and my brother was little...
Tips and things to do: Visit the tailor market and get a custom made suite/dress/qipo. You can bring a picture of what you want or pick out a style from the displays or magazine they have. Buy a silk comforter. It’s the best thing (even...
Tips for Hong Kong: If you’re Asian, speak English, not Mandarin. Apparently since the ’97 deal, there were a lot of mandarin speaking people who snuck in from China, took many blue collar jobs from the local HKnese. Since they can’t tell apart mandarin accents...