Mes Pensées

Kà

2011-11-08T17:25:00.000-08:00

I’m on my way back to the Bay from Vegas, via LAX of course. The trip out here was really last-minute, but I’m glad I came out with Angela and Jaycen. We booked a vacation package through Delta, which actually saved us some money, so it was fairly inexpensive for the three of us.

The primary reason we came out was to watch Kà. It really is an amazing show. So much goes into the set mechanics that it’s simply impressive to see this masterpiece play out. I’ve heard poor reviews of the show, and I can understand why. If you are coming for a circus-oriented show, then this is not it. What this is, however, is a very Cirque du Soleil interpretation of a theatrical production. Although there aren’t many acrobatic acts in the sense of gymnastics, they are still very much geared towards athleticism. The opening pageant alone goes to show the skill that is required to perform in such a production.

What I really loved about the show was the overall aesthetic of the theatre, costumes, and lighting. I’m fully impressed with the grand entrance when people walk in, it really seems as if you’re entering into a foreign world. The eye first is drawn towards the columns and then as you find your seat you notice the fire that seems to erupt from the void where one would expect to see a stage, only it’s just a void that is filled with rolling fog effects and intense bursts of flame every so often.

The attentional to detail is really what makes Kà so wonderful. The costumes are magnificently crafted, and I'm partial to the archers and spearmen (super hot!). The stage transitions and lighting effects are both subtle, yet dramatic and truly take the user into a new world. Although I must say this isn’t my favorite Cirque production, it is towards the top of the list. If you prefer more acrobatics, then see O and Mystère while in Vegas. If you prefer more theatrics, then Kà is definitely the show for you.

[Picture Album - Kà]

Music of Choice: Pursuit - Kà - Cirque du Soleil

Hotels à la Burento

2011-10-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

Having traveled for 6 weeks and lived out of hotels with the exception of 4 nights, I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what makes a great hotel. There isn't just a single item that makes a hotel great, but it is a compilation of things that do so. In addition to my trip, I've stayed in hotels around the US before, including places in San Francisco, Las Vegas, New York, and elsewhere. As for the list of places I stayed at during my stay I've broken them down at the end of this post.

As for what makes a great hotel, I truly believe it depends on the type of traveler. In this instance I was essentially calling the hotel my home, as it was. The best place, by quite a wide margin, was Gangnam Artnouveau in Seoul. Every single time I walked in the door I felt immediately at home. It was so comforting and nice to have that feeling. The reason it felt that way is because the place was essentially an apartment studio. I had everything at my disposal, including an in-room washer/dryer unit in the kitchen. So, let's get into the details, shall we?

Laundry: An in-room washer/dryer is amazing, yet obviously unnecessary for all travelers. For people like me, it's amazing to be able to do laundry for free—and in room was the icing on the cake! If you're going to provide separate laundry facilities for use, make them free. Not everyone is going to use them, and guests will feel like it's great bonus, even if the price is pre-included to the nightly room rate. Also, be sure to provide detergent for your guests. Gagnam Artnouveau did this right!

Bathroom amenities: Including bathroom amenities are critical to guest satisfaction, but it's the right amenities which make this key. From my recollection, Ambience Hotel in Taipei did this best. Not only did I have the standard lotion, shampoo, conditioner, body and face wash, but they also provided a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss sticks, and mouthwash. The mouthwash was critical because I couldn't keep mouthwash in my carry-on luggage all the time due to restrictions. If you're going to provide me something, this is it.

In-room amenities: Please, please, stop providing me sewing kits. It's a complete waste. If you're going to provide me anything, then shoe shine would be nice, but again unnecessary. Simply keep these kits on-hand, along with laundry detergent and shoe shine. If I need it I can call and get it from you, but it'd be a better interest of money to spend it on mouth wash and perhaps Q-tips for the bathroom.

Room extras: If you provide items for purchases in the hotel, I would recommend also providing cost information for items outdoors. For instance, AETAS had a liter bottle of water for purchase at $4. Did I buy it? No. What did I do instead? I walked outside to the 24 hour 7-Eleven and purchased the same bottle of water for about $1. What AETAS did get right, however, is something quite special. They did provide 2 bottles of water every single day. Not only the day I checked in, but every single day I was there they gave me 2 bottles of water and refilled the tea, coffee, and sugars I had used. This made me very happy. Additionally, they provided an umbrella that I could use at my leisure. As long as I returned the umbrella it was fine. Had I decided to keep it, they would have charged me, but this was critical for being in Thailand during the end of the rainy season. AETAS, you hit the nail on the head in terms of providing these nice extras, just price your mini-bar items more inline with what's outside. Had the bottle been $2 I may have chosen to get it instead of walking to 7-Eleven, but at $4 I'll easily take the little stroll.

Internet: Hotels who charge for internet are absolutely ridiculous. I only stayed at 2 places that charged and I was appalled at the charges for it. If you want to make guests happy, put the cost of the internet in your nightly room rates and then provide "free" internet. That's seriously a better way of attracting my attention as when I was traveling I tried to limit my search of hotels by Internet, and quite often Internet alone. You can still get your money, but don't make me realize I'm paying for it.

Service: Quite frankly, the AETAS was one of the best places I stayed in terms of hotel service. I was personally escorted to my room and shown around how to use everything and where everything was located. Although this may seem odd at some places, this made me feel more at home. Also, staff refused to take the elevator with me even when I urged them to. This was a great sign of respect. Even at one point the elevator opened and a staff member quickly got off the elevator so I could take it. Again, unnecessary for me, but it was a very nice gesture. Three other hotels stuck out in this respect as well, but in a different way. The Ambience Hotel upgraded my room for free even though I booked my hotel the day I was staying. It was quite nice of them and a nice way of welcoming me to Taipei and the hotel. The second hotel that did this in Taipei was the Ambassador Hotel. I actually booked the hotel on hotels.com about an hour before arriving. When I did arrive, they looked up my reservation and decided to upgrade me instead of turn me away because they had run out of the type of room I had booked. In my book, this upgrade made me feel very welcome, and even made me feel less irritated about paying for the internet usage (this being 1 of 2 hotels where I paid for internet). The other hotel that upgraded me was the Regal iClub in Hong Kong. Thanks to everyone who provided this nice gesture for me!!!

Key cards: Lastly, I love this about hotels in Asia, and I think it should be mandated in the US. In Asia all the keycards you use to enter your room must be placed in a cardholder next to the door. Once inserted, this activates the electricity in the room. Not only does this save energy usage, but also saves the hotel money while also making me feel better about not being able to leave the lights on.

So, all in all, these are the key elements I think are critical for a hotel. It really isn't about the size of the room, but obviously the larger the better. It also isn't necessarily about the view from the room, but again this is also a perk. It really boils down to these small items that make you feel like a welcome member of the hotel, like you're arriving home and being greeted by friends (or family).

My favorite hotels below I've decided to link to them as a way of saying thank you.

Hôtel Minerve (Paris, France)
Century Hotel (Antwerp, Belgium)
AETAS (Bangkok, Thailand)
Regal iClub Hotel (Wan Chai, Hong Kong)
Manhattan Bund (Shanghai, China)
Gangnam Artnouveau City II (Seoul, S. Korea) - My video review
Ibis Ambassador (Seoul, S. Korea)
Ambience Hotel (Taipei, Taiwan)
Ambassador Hotel (Taipei, Taiwan)
Venetian (Cotai Strip, Macau)
Best Western Shinjuku (Tokyo, Japan)
Ohana Waikiki Malia (Honolulu, Hawaii, US)

Let's do da kine

2011-10-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Jet lag hit me rather harshly in Hawaii. I think it was the biggest time difference I experienced during my travels. I was sorely tired from my Macau-Tokyo transit, but the time change was only an hour. THis one was 5 hours. Which was comparable to my NYC-Europe transit, but I think this one hit me harder because I didn't sleep well on the flight to HNL.

Anyways, the first day I was there I lost my cell phone. Of course… So I ended up checking my stuff at the hotel and then went to find Sprint. After finding one, which included about a 40-minute round-trip walk, I hit up Long's for some slippers for Kevin. I then went back to the hotel to check in and then pass out. I love how the tourists in Waikiki are half Japanese. It's a huge Japanese tourist spot! I felt I had brought part of Tokyo with me.

When I woke up later that evening I met up with Brandon and walked around Waikiki. It was nice seeing the beach at night with hardly any tourists. After taking pics along the beach we got some food for dinner before I went back to the hotel and slept again.

Most of the next day I slept. I kept waking up but being tired, so didn't really venture out until after sunset. After finally feeling refreshed I met with Julian and had dinner at Gyu-Kaku. We chatted over dinner for over 2 hours and enjoyed a 750 mL bottle of Iichiko. The food was quite delicious. Well, the appetizers and everything we grilled was amazing, the udon noodles were very lackluster. After having our fill, we ventured out to the beach and enjoyed a quiet time watching the waves and the moon. We eventually had to leave because the beach closed, so we went to a gay karaoke bar and had a couple more drinks. It was a very nice night in Hawaii.

The next day I met up with Brandon again and got to see more of Oahu than just Waikiki. We started by having poke at Pa'ina. Let me just say, limu ahi poke with taegu is to-die-for! I've never had such fresh fish in this style before. Absolutely delicious! After lunch we headed over the mountain to Lanikai. This beach is breath-taking. Crystal clear waters, silky sand, gorgeous views… It's no wonder it's ranked one of the top 10 beaches int he world. We next hiked up along a trail to the Pillboxes over-looking Lanikai. From up here we could see all of Lanikai and the surrounding area. Absolutely breathtaking. We saw rain coming in over the ocean so tried to make it back to the car but we still were rained upon. Oh well. It actually felt nice.

As the day grew on, we drove along the island's edge over to a point called China Walls which is a popular, yet dangerous, surfing spot. We watched huge waves roll in as surfers raced along the crests. It was really nice just sitting watching the surf and sunset. At nearly sunset we headed back to Waikiki.

That night I realized I had the wrong size sandals for Kevin, so tried looking around for some Locals since Long's had closed. I called a couple stores and walked around, but almost didn't find any. By the time I made it back to the hotel it was nearly midnight. I had to take a shuttle at 4:30 because the 5:30 was full. So, again, I didn't sleep much before my flight. Which is why I'm so exhausted while writing this.

Hawaii was a blast, and I'd love to go back. I think next time though I'll pick a much quieter location so I can enjoy the beauty the islands have to offer.

[Picture Album - Hawaii]

Life is a journey towards the guiding light

2011-10-03T04:20:00.000-07:00

So, where am I? Heh… I have to remind myself nearly every morning where I am. I wasn't too diligent in writing down my notes while in Japan, yet since I can't sleep, I'll try doing so now while I fly to Hawaii.

Japan was a blast. The culture, people and transportation are amazing. I met many wonderful people during my 7-day, 6-night stay. As usual on my first day I rested. The overnight flight there nearly did me in. I had a terrible time staying awake on the NEX (Narita Express Train) to 新宿 (Shinjuku). Thanks to great information by a reviewer on hotels.com, I was able to easily find my hotel in the heart of Shinjuku. After resting I made plans and looked around for a place to eat. I did a decent job finding some cold noodles for dinner, if I do say so myself.

The next day I hung out with Go who I had met in Thailand. We saw a ton of sites! We started by visiting 金龍山 in 浅草 (Asakusa). This was followed by walking around 上野公園 (Ueno Park) and stumbling upon a small temple there as well. It was off the beaten path, but worth the visit if you're in the area. We continued the day by going to Oazo near Tokyo station and finding a small place to have tonkatsu. Having re-energized we headed to 渋谷 (Shibuya). I, of course, got to see 忠犬ハチ公 (Hachiko) as well as Shibuya scramble crossing. As an aside, Hachiko is a very famous dog statue, if you didn't know. I didn't find Shibuya crossing as amazing as I had envisioned, but it is a massive intersection with hundreds, and I think possibly in the thousands, of people crossing at once. From here we walked through 表参道 (Omotesando)—a very nice, high-end shopping area. This was followed by 竹下通り (Takeshita Street), or as you may refer to the area as 原宿 (Harajuku). Not really my style of sohpping, and the street sellers are extremely obnoxious! Yet, worth a shot to visit if costumes is your thing. Going through Harajuku we hopped on the train and headed back to Shinjuku to visit the Ni-Chome area—a relatively gay district, but with many foreigners—boo! Haha! We stopped for coffee before saying our goodbyes.

Later that night I met up with my friend and had dinner around the area. It was nice syncing up because we weren't able to while we were in Taiwan. We went to a traditional place which served tempura. The food was very delicious, and certainly the way all tempura should be prepared. The fish were definitely the best portion of the meal. We walked around a little bit afterwards, but it was late so parted ways later that night.

The next day I met up with another friend and explored Shinjuku more in depth. We went to a ramen-ya in the area. The food was good, but still not better than Orenchi. Afterwards we went shopping, on the hunt for a coveted Y-3 bag I had wanted since first seeing it in Hong Kong. We started by going to Isetan where they had Y-3 items, but not the specific bag. We continued our search by going to Times Square where there was an actual Y-3 store. At first I was sad because I didn't see the bag. Yet after talking with the staff they produced it from the back storage. Yay! We ventured around a little bit more before ending up at Krispy Kreme. It was interesting eating Krispy Kreme while in Tokyo. Heh… Nonetheless, we went back to the hotel to drop off my things then continued to the bars in Ni-Chome. THey were mostly devoid of patrons, so we settled on a couple drinks at ArtyParty. Since he had to go to work that night we left early and made plans to meet the next day. I slept well that night, actually having gone to bed at a decent hour.

We met up again the next day at 恵比寿 (Ebisu) to eat at an amazing ramen place called Afuri. The broth was delicious! It is chicken and seafood based as compared to pork. I drank all the broth and loved every bite and sip. I'd only change two things. The egg should still have a soft yolk, and the pork should have been less fatty. Oh, I'll miss it though! We walked off dinner by walking around Ebisu and into 代官山 (Daikanyama) where I did some more light shopping. This time I picked up a nice bracelet at Okura which says, "Life is a journey towards the guiding light." I thought that was the best souvenir of my trip I could possibly find. THis was another early night for me as he again had to work.

The next day I had lunch with Yuki. It was nice to meet up and eat, even though it was brief. I then shopped a bit, not really finding much. I headed to Shibuya to meet Aya, but wasn't able to find her. We were at two different exits at Shibuya station on a Friday evening. It is a wonder you can find anyone there. While I waited for my other friend I shopped in QTokyo and picked up some nice underwear from HOM. I also bought the cutest bag from Takeo Kikuchi. His designs are awesome! That night we went to an izakaya place for dinner. The restaurant was super cute! It made me want to own a restaurant back in the US. I think I'd do well… haha. We got a drink after walking around the area at a place right next to Shibuya crossing. Cafe & Scramble or something like that. Drinking in Tokyo is not cheap! At least not at bars, and the drinks aren't strong unless you're doing shots. I headed back to the hotel afterwards as it was late.

The next day was Sunday. I ended up dragging myself out of bed and headed to 舞浜 (Maihama) station. I was determined to see ZED even if I couldn't buy tickets online. I arrived at 3:45 to the box office and sure enough they had seats. Awesome! If you are in Tokyo, go see ZED! It is one of the best Cirque du Soleil performances ever. It is up there in level with "O" as far as resident shows are concerned. I have yet to see Kà, but I feel these three would be the best ones. Of the 8 shows I've seen live, this is in the top 2. I'm very sad to hear they are closing the show in December, so highly recommend seeing it before it does close. The performance that night was flawless, even in my critical eye, heh.

That night, being my last night, I met up with my friend, Sanekazu. He got off work late, but that was ok. We ended up walking to a Korean district and had really good food. We polished it off with soju at the restaurant. When we left we picked up makgeolli to drink at the hotel. That entire day is one I won't forget. Seeing ZED, finding my way in Tokyo's train system (which it has over 36 train lines!!!), spending time with Sanekazu, and having great food… THis was the perfect way to end my stay in Tokyo.

The next day I met up with Rei. We'd always talked about meeting, and it finally happened. Two to three years after seeing each other in the Bay, it finally happened. Heh… We picked up sushi and pastries to eat at her house. It was so nice to see her place, and her 5-month old daughter! So adorable. We ended up eating and having coffee before I had to head to the airport. We said our goodbyes and I was off to Shinjuku to pick up my luggage and head to Narita.

Which brings me to now… I'm only a little tired, yet should be sleeping. I'm on my last stop, Hawaii. I'm booked for three nights in Waikiki. I'm looking forward to relaxing and enjoying some sun from all of this travel! It's been so amazing, and it's gone by in the blink of an eye. Before I know it I'll be back in San Francisco; however, I have a tremendous amount to think about when I get back… For now, though, I'll try to rest so when I wake up I'll be in Hawaii. Aloha!

[Picture Album - Japan]

Macau to Shinjuku

2011-09-27T23:02:00.000-07:00

For a change I'm actually caught up with my writings, although I'm still behind on uploading pictures. I'm actually about 3 or 4 days behind on that. Right now though I'm waiting on my dinner to arrive. I ordered 五日冷し中華 to eat and ウーロン茶 to drink. This place is actually really cute, even though I don't know the name of the restaurant.

Getting from the airport to my hotel took a very long time. I was so exhausted I had a terrible time staying awake. That day I had awoke at 10, explored Macau, took the bus to Macau, a taxi to Taipa, a ferry to Hong Kong, taxi to Central Station, train to the airport, then flew to Tokyo, then a train to Shinjuku arriving at 3 or 4 in the afternoon the next day.

…

[Picture Album - Macau and Transit]

Zaia

2011-09-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I finally made it to Macau. The airport is right next to he Venetian. You can take the bus for free, or just pay a few dollars for a quick taxi ride. Remember, always use the meter!

Once I arrived at the Venetian I had just about 90 minutes before Zaia started. I checked in, picked up my Venetian Passport, then proceeded to pick up the Zaia tickets. The staff had only given me one ticket, so I had to get the extra ticket after a little bit of discussion with the staff. They gave me one ticket because only I was staying, but gave me the second one after we discussed me taking a friend who lives in Macau. Once that was settled I showered and got ready to meet my friend at the box office. We were ushered in and took our seats for Zaia. Zaia did not disappoint in the slightest. THe night's performance had a couple mishaps in the juggling, trapeze, and trampoline acts. In traditional Cirque du Soleil style, a passive observer may mistake the mishap as part of the act unless they understand the mechanics of the acrobatics. The hand-to-hand was one of the most elegant I've seen. My favorites though were the lion dance, fire knife, and trampoline/teeter-board acts.

After the show we walked around the Venetian even though the shops had closed. We also had a couple things for dinner. The noodle soup was good, not amazing. The congee was better, but I've still had better.

The next morning I woke up, got ready, checked out, stowed my luggage, and caught a taxi to Taipa to meet back up with my friend. We started off by having a really good noodle soup with pork cake and chicken. I had it spicy (of course) and it was wonderfully flavorful. We then walked around Taipa (氹仔). I was shocked how small Macau is! After seeing a decent portion of Taipa we took the bus to the 媽閣廟 (A-Ma Temple). After visiting the temple we walked around the island back to where we had originally got off the bus. We caught the next bus and said our goodbyes.

The rest of my day was mostly traveling. I picked up my luggage and caught the Venetian bus to the wrong ferry terminal. Ugh! So I caught a taxi to the right ferry terminal, but I missed my ferry. The staff let me catch the next one. Thank you! After boarding the ferry I was on my way to Hong Kong. Arriving there I took a taxi to Central Statino. Then I checked in at the city airport before taking the train to the airport at Lan Tau.

The airport was rather uneventful, except for having to throw away the face wash I forgot to put in my checked luggage.I had just bought it, too! The flight to Seoul was rather fast. It was my first time on an Air Bus of this size, A380-800! The current largest and quietest commercial plane.

At Seoul I slept for about an hour. Well, I basically drifted in and out of consciousness. I went to the lounge when it opened and showered to wake myself up. I then ate breakfast and booked my hotel for Tokyo. The one problem is that my computer didn't update times, so I nearly missed my flight! Eek! It was really 8:56 am, not 7:56, and my flight left at 9:10! I quickly packed my things and went to the gate. They were patiently expecting me. Man, if I haven't said it, I love Korean Air! I'm just about to land in Tokyo, so will close for now.

[Picture Album - Macau]

Until next time, Taiwan

2011-09-26T12:20:00.000-07:00

When I woke up Saturday morning I packed my things and got ready to return to Taipei. I had another great dish that morning, soup with local fish accompanied by a rice dish of pickled vegetables and pork. Nick also prepared a couple dishes for me to take on the HSR with me: a guava that had been seasoned with plum powder; a glutinous rice cake with egg and pork; and another glutinous rice cake in a different fashion with pork. Mmm…

When I got back to Taipei I hadn't booked a hotel room, so I wandered around the station looking for public wifi—thank you Mr. Brown Coffee! I then booked a night at the Ambassador Hotel. Let me tell you, booking last minute is pretty sweet!

Once I finished, I took a taxi to the hotel. Of course it took extra time to check-in, but I ended up getting about a 40% discount! Furthermore, hotels.com wasn't up-to-date, so the room I booked was gone. The hotel upgraded me for free. Ha! Only downside was I had to pay for internet… It's the first time during my trip I've had to pay.

I took a nap during the afternoon before meeting my friend for dinner. We had a nice little noodle dish close to the hotel. I also had quite the tasty 红豆奶茶 (red bean milk tea) here. After chatting a bit and walking around we said goodbye as I had to get ready for the night. I went back to the hotel and got ready as my other friend came to meet me.

That night I ended up going out with him to Gstar. It was certainly a good time. I'm torn which place I like partying in more, Taipei, Seoul, or Bangkok. Although it was my last night in Taiwan I had a great time hanging out with my friend.

The next day I woke up late, almost took the wrong bus, and showed up to the airport late. Thankfully my flight was delayed, to. At the airport I relaxed a bit before heading to my next stop—Macau! Tickets for that night had already been secured in my hotel package at the Venetian, so I was going to get to see Zaia!

[Picture Album - Taiwan]

Oh, Tainan!

2011-09-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

So my next stop was 台南 (Tainan). I woke up Thursday morning and took the subway to 台北车站 (Taipei Railway Station). Once there I bought a ticket for the HSR (high-speed rail) to Tainan. The trip only took two hours to complete. Traveling down the island at 290 km/h is certainly easy and convenient. I loved being able to see countryside without being 30,000 feet in the air. The train was extremely punctual, another great plus.

Arriving in 台南 I met up with my friend Nick. He's such a generous guy. Not only did I get to stay with him the second night, but he insisted on paying for al the food we had. 哈哈! We ate so much, too!… Mmm… That first day we went back to his place to switch from the SUV to a scooter. Now, I've never ridden a scooter before, but it was quite exhilarating. I don't understand why they are so frowned upon in America, because they are super convenient and a lot of fun!

Once on the scooter we headed into the urban downtown area of Tainan. We visited a historic site, old temple, and then started a food adventure. Eel and noodles, rice cakes, awesome miso soup, winter melon milk teas, papaya smoothies, mango icee, rice cake and sausage, and an assortment of stewed food items such as tofu, noodles, blood rice cake, fish balls, etc. After the food binge we got the SUV again and headed to 白河 (Baihe) for the night.

The drive up to Baihe area took a little over a half hour. We had called ahead and confirmed a discount at the hotel before going. When we arrived they told us full-price, that is until we mentioned we had called. The price then went from NTD $7600 to $3200 for the night! This also included use of the men's private hot springs, the public spa, and breakfast for two.Since we arrived late in the evening, we had the private men's springs to ourselves. It was nice to get out of the city and into the mountains and unwind from my travels. Afterwards we enjoyed dinner we had brought along from Tainan and relaxed in the springs in our room before going to sleep.

The next day we woke up and had breakfast before going on our excursions around the area. We visited a spring that has a flame burning the natural gas bubbling up through it. It's apparently been burning for a very long time—at least decades if not longer. Next we visited a temple up further in the mountains. It was nice being able to see this beautiful temple tucked up away in nature.

Our next stop, after picking up some amazing fruits and pineapple cakes, was a place closer to Tainan. It was the Neopo water and soil conservation area. Quite beautiful I must say! While there I also had a green mango popsicle, deliciously sweet and sour. Oh! At the place before Ihad a snack made of plum ice slush and taro ice cream combined… amazing!

We made it back to Tainan in the afternoon. We once again switched to the scooter and zoomed into town. This time we had xiao long bao, dumplings, dragon fruit smootie, starfruit drinks, papaya smootie, and other delicious bites. We also went to the old 安平 fort where the Dutch had once colonized. The banyan trees were beautiful! It was interesting to see how much the sea had retreated and/or the island had risen in height from back then.

After picking up some typical Taiwanese dried fruits we went to lover's bridge to see where the sea meets the river. We followed that by going to the beach. Picture being on the beach at night, bats flying overhead, and warm water! Oh! The beaches near San Francisco are so cold! The only issue was the insects. My feet were bitten quite a few times. The warm water made up for it though. Heh…

Next up we continued the food binge with some oyster noodle soup, friend shrimp rolls, and Tainan style noodle soup. I just cry thinking about not having this food in the Bay. Worth mentioning, Tainan's style of food is both sweet and spicy. I really enjoyed it, but could have cut back the sweetness a tad.

Afterwards we went to the night market. It was super crowded, but had amazing food. We had a Taiwanese style pancake with oysters. Yum! This was followed by friend squid with garlic leaf and chili powder. I then had a fresh coconut drink. I wish I could have had more, but my poor stomach. 哈哈!

On our way back to his place we did pick up one last dish close to his house. A nice lamb (I think it was goat actually) and fresh Asian shallots (of some sort), and a lamb stew. Mmm… I went to sleep very content that night.

[Picture Album - Taiwan]

Left my Seoul

2011-09-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

I was able to find a watch for Taeil, which I hope he likes, heh. My last night in Seoul I met up with Taeil and his friend Jihye again. We went to 산골 for a more traditional style Korean dinner. It consisted of numerous banchan dishes, soups, bibimbap, and fried fish. At first the smell of the place was over-powering, but the food was really delicious. Afterwards we walked around a cute boutique area for a little while. There were a ton of cute shops, such as Under N Over. After sufficiently walking off dinner, we hit up Bloom and Goûté for coffee and 팥빙수 (patbingsu). It was such a cute place to take friends or a date for dessert. Afterwards we unfortunately had to say our goodbyes. I was not happy about leaving Seoul so soon, but I definitely will be going back.

The next day I went to Seoul City Airport to catch a bus to Incheon airport. It was actually very convenient from there. The City Airport is located in the Coex. Once at the airport I checked in and grabbed a bite to eat at Paris Baguette. Seriously everywhere in Seoul are coffee shops and pastry shops: Paris Baguette, Tous les Jours, Starbucks, The Coffee Bean, Cafe Bene, Zoo Coffee, etc… After eating I went to my gate and got on my plane to Taipei.

Taipei has been giving Seoul a run for its money in terms of food. The first night I went to 度小月 and had a great noodle soup and delicious 米血 (blood, rice cake). Fried to perfection these delicious cakes were! I then had a mango, ice, ice cream dish for dessert at a place just close by. It's comparable to patbingsu, but I think patbingsu is better.

Later that night I met up with a friend and went to 通化夜市 for more food and to see a small Taiwanese style night market. The food, again, was delicious! Dried, fried stinky tofu; spicy sausages; and a soup of duck blood, intestines, and stinky tofu were on the menu for me. We also had milk tea, which is really quite comparable to that back in the Bay. We walked around a bit afterwards before saying goodnight.

The next day I got to explore 台北 (Taipei) more in-depth. I started by taking the subway to 龙山寺 (Long Shan [Dragon Mountain] Temple). This was a magnificently beautiful temple. The only problem I've seen is that the Chinese tend to be blunt about selling things—even in the temple area. I feel Thailand revered the temple more, and kept the merchandise in better areas. Other parts of Taipei I visited included 西门 (Ximen), Breeze Center, Sogo department stores, and part of 中山区 (Zhongshan area). I had a very light dinner in the Breeze center, which was amazingly delicious for "mall food." I was supposed to go out that night, but my friend didn't get to finish studying. C'est la vie!

Oh! To mention shopping, I really like Ximen area. There is a cute place called Shinjuku Plaza. Tucked inside are numerous small boutiques worth checking out.

Next stop, 台南 (Tainan)!

[Picture Album - Korea]

Seoul!!!

2011-09-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

I've consistently been running out of time to write my entires. Heh… I was going to continue from the last one, but it feels complete enough. Overall Shanghai was nice, but when I left I didn't have the urge to return soon as in Hong Kong and other places.

So, for the past few days I've been in Seoul. It's amazing! I've had a wonderful friend, Taeil, to show me around. We've visited many places, and I'm grateful for such a generous tour guide. On the first day we went to 덕수궁 (Deoksugongroyal royal palace) which was nice, yet I'm still convinced the ones in Bangkok were better. This one was nice for other reasons, such as the architecture. The building itself had a wonderful wood scent to it. Later we met up with one of his friends and walked around some street vendors. We also stopped for tea at a rather famous tea house in Seoul, 달새는 달만생각한다. The omija I had was everything you could describe: sweet, bitter, sour, all combined in an expertly crafted cup of tea. Dinner was just as amazing. In fact, I think it's now my favorite korean dish—찜닭. It's a savory, earthy, spicy dish of chicken, potatoes, and 당면 (dangmyeon noodles). My mouth waters just thinking about it.

After a nap that evening we took a taxi to Intaeon area to go clubbing. We started at a bar, Owoo. It's really nice and has a warm, inviting environment. After our drink and light conversation with friends we headed to Queen and Pulse. Queen was super-packed, but we stayed for a little while and then headed back to Pulse. We were out for about four hours, yet the Long Islands hit me fairly hard. Taeil brought me back to the hotel and we passed out. He stayed until the trains started running again. Seriously, what's up with large cities shutting down mass transit at night?! Is New York City the only city that doesn't do that?

The next day we met up in the evening to have dinner at 거래. I've never had pork skin grilled on an open flame, but it's delicious when dipped in white bean powder and then spicy sauce. Mmm… Afterwards we went to a large shopping district, 면동 (Myeondong). It's amazing to see the layout of the city. The large avenues next to small alleys which are filled with bright neon signs, people, expensive cars slowly passing by, street vendors, shops, and restaurants. There's certainly a lot to see here.

Today I had to switch hotels because mine was booked. Let me just say, the Gangnam ArtNouveau City is a great hotel. I felt like I was going home every time I stepped off the elevator. It even had a washer/dryer in the room so I could do all my laundry. Thank goodness!

So, for now I'm looking for a small gift for Taeil to say thank you. I need to go find one, so I'll close for now.

[Picture Album - Korea]

中国的上海

2011-09-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

Ok, I'm still getting caught up with writing, but at the moment I have a massive hangover. I'm at 김밥천국 waiting for my 오므라이스…

So to once again continue. Leaving Hong Kong I headed to Shanghai. Asian airlines rock! Maybe it was because I'm flying internationally, even though the flights are less than 2 and 3 hours, they serve you a meal. Why don't domestic flights in the U.S. do that? Ridiculous… Arriving in Shanghai the first impression was the smell. It wasn't the best smell, just seemed musty. That continued from the airport, on the subway, and mostly in the city as well. I got used to it, but it wasn't pleasant.

Shanghai itself was pretty nice. I visited the 玉佛寺 (Jade Buddha Temple), 静安寺 (Jing'An Temple), 淮海路 (Huaihai Shopping District), the Bund, and 南京 (Nanjing) shopping area. The temples were really nice to see, the 玉佛寺 more so. They were doing construction at 静安寺 so it wasn't as spectacular. The shopping was excellent, everything I bought was on sale. Well, the jacket was discounted when I bought another shirt. The jacket is by Tough, an awesome clothing line!

On my last night I was walking the streets to find a dumpling place, but they were closed. Instead I ran into two girls whom I ended up going to a tea house with and then ate a ton of street food with them. All of the food was really good. I particularly enjoyed the rice cake that was grilled and seasoned with chili spices and what I think was cumin.

[Picture Album - Shanghai]

Hong Kong

2011-09-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

… After I got back, I picked up some dinner and took it back to my hotel so I could get ready to go out with Jessica. When she showed up we decided to try one of the gay bars in the mid-levels. We took a taxi there, but after we got out we had a hard time finding the place—Propaganda. I finally decided to walk down an alley behind the street, and sure enough we found the entrance. The problem was that they were closed because of 中秋节. So, we hit up 1997 and Zinc (straight bars). Zinc grew on us after a couple drinks. It was even better after we requested Rudenko. It was funny because people stopped dancing because they hadn't heard the song before, so it was just Jessica and me. After dancing we hit up 翠花. This made for my second time eating at this chain. The food is good, certainly much better than similar style 餐厅 back in California. After eating we said our goodbyes and headed home.

The next day I got up early to head to my next destination—Shanghai! Let me say this, Hong Kong has things figured out. The trains are super efficient to get you from place to place, they also have amazing ventilation in the trains. It feels like you're going down the tunnels with the windows wide open, yet they're closed. Furthermore, having airline check-in at central station is freaking amazing! Before you get on the train to the airport you can check-in and drop off your luggage. Whoever thought of this is a genius!

[Picture Album - Hong Kong]

Delay

2011-09-17T00:04:00.000-07:00

To pick up where we left off… I ended up going to see 天坛大佛 (Tian Tan Buddha) way too late. Apparently the village closes around 9:30pm, but the statue closes at 5:30pm. I still had a nice time going up there. It was a very peaceful and serene cable car ride. I didn't like it being so windy, but I acclimated fairly quickly. I also picked up a jade Buddha necklace while up there.

After I got back

…

— got my food didn't finish writing —

…

[Picture Album - Hong Kong]

香港中秋節

2011-09-13T13:15:00.000-07:00

I'm absolutely loving Hong Kong! The food is good, and there is a wide variety. The place is a true city with beautiful views of mountains, harbors, ocean, skyline and just about everything else. If you love shopping, then Hong Kong is for you. There are shopping malls everywhere! Literally, they are everywhere! I may stop flying to New York for shopping and instead come to Hong Kong. No taxes! Plus, things fit me!

Arriving in Hong Kong was beautiful, flying in over the ocean. I came at a very special time—中秋节 (Mid-Autumn Festival). Naturally I celebrated it with friends. I met up with Hantian the first night and had dinner while afterwards walking around Causeway Bay. On the next day, I hit up SOGO before meeting up with Jessica. We went to dinner with her mom at an Indonesian restaurant. I know it wasn't Chinese, but we didn't want to fight the crowds. We then walked to Victoria Harbor to take pictures and enjoy the moon and Hong Kong island skyline. We grabbed a drink at Mama's while in TST and picked up some good street food. The fish and squid balls were $18 HK ($2.30 US). We also had some soft chicken bone. Although stuff in Hong Kong isn't terribly expensive, it is more expensive than food in Thailand where I would have paid about 20 ฿ (67¢) for the same thing. After having that bite we took the MRT to Victoria Park where we met up with some of her friends to carry lanterns and burn candles under the full moon. It was a lot of fun! We stayed out until nearly 3am. The trains were still running due to the festival.

Today we're supposed to go out clubbing which should be fun. I'm certainly looking forward to it! Before though, I'm going to do some more site-seeing.

[Picture Album - Hong Kong]

กรุงเทพมหานคร - ลาก่อน สวัสดี

2011-09-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Bangkok, you were a blast! I had a great time meeting people and seeing many sites. Bangkok is truly a place at ease. As a large city, you hear relatively few cars honking their horns, people going about their day leisurely, and just about everyone is in a friendly mood overall. Certainly I think there are things to know before visiting, but it is a great place. My hotel was amazing for the price. I still can't get over the street food!

Throughout the days I was there, I saw a few temples. Two specifically wer the Golden Buddha and Wat Sekat (Golden Mountain). Both were amazing to see! Golden Buddha has a 700 year old, 5 ton pure gold statue of Buddha. Amazing… I also went to the weekend market, commonly referred to as JJ which is at Chatuchak Park. You can find some amazing deals if you know what areas to visit. The market is enormous!

Three of the nights I was in Bangkok I went out to Silom Soi 2. This little alley has a collection of gay bars that people frequent all week. Due to the government right now people are following the rules rather closely and so the place closed around 2am each night. One of the bars here is called DJ Station. Most people refer to the area as Dj Station, but technically that is only one of the bars there. I had a blast meeting people. Oh! The drinks, although not amazingly crafted nor with a wide variety to choose, each drink is only 100 ฿ — that goes for both beer and cocktails!

I imagine I'll be visiting Thailand again. I met wonderful people who I wish to see again, as well as places I didn't get to see because of my short stay. I bid you ลาก่อน สวัสดี and look forward to coming back.

Right now I'm in direct descent into Hong Kong. The pilots seem to use full-throttle during ascent and descent—which made me nervous when landing in Guangzhou, but at least they're consistent in doing it. So… here's to my next stop: Hong Kong!

[Picture Album - Thailand]

City of Angels—Bangkok

2011-09-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Bangkok! I haven't decided if I like it or not. I'm really on the fence. It's odd seeing such disparate communities next to one another on the same block. There are some really upscale houses next to really poor areas. The shopping here is amazing! Although prices are comparable to the US for name brand items, everything else is dirt cheap. Taxi ride from the club? 50 ฿. A liter bottle of water? 13 ฿. Most street food? 20-40 ฿. I could literally survive here on street food for a week for less than 400 ฿. Putting that in perspective it's 30 ฿ to the $1 (USD). If I wasn't indulging, then 300 ฿ would be plenty!

Talking about food thought… Europe had amazing fresh food with good flavor. Thailand has amazing food with 'exotic' flavor. I've had fresh fruit from streets carts: dragon fruit, pineapple, green mango, and papaya. I've had amazing grilled skewers with different fish and meats. I've also had really good noodle soup and rice dishes. Any of this food in a restaurant here seems to be about 6 times the price (in nice restaurants I should add).

Since I've been here, I've visited a couple temples, shopped, gone out drinking, and had a Thai massage. I'm enjoying myself, but I've had drawbacks. I almost got scammed once… the next day I basically got scammed, but not to any detriment. I took a tuk-tuk, which I'll never do again without a Thai person. He took me to these places I didn't want to go, until the last one. But, even though it wasn't the best experience I did learn a lot. Next time, taxis all the entire way! That's the single best advice I can give you if you visit Bangkok. No tuk-tuks unless it's your hotels, and if you get in a taxi and say meter, and they try to argue, just get out and shut the door. Take the next one right behind it, as long as they meter.

Everything else has been great. I'm enjoying seeing Harry here. It's been a lot of fun. =) We're supposed to go out again tonight. Even though this has been short, I have things to do. So, talk to you later!

[Picture Album - Thailand]

Off to Bangkok

2011-09-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

I arrived to CDG very early, but the time went by rather quickly. I ended up catching up on emails, booking my hotel in Bangkok, uploading more pictures, eating a small lunch, and showering before my flight. (Love the fact these private lounges have showers!!!) If you travel internationally, business is definitely the way to go! After I had finished everything I headed to the gate to board my flight. It went very smoothly for such a large plane. The staff was very friendly and much better than the crew on my flight from Manchester.

The view of Paris on take-off was spectacular. I tried to take a couple pictures, but they don't really do it justice. As for the food on this flight… amazingly French and delicious—amuse bouche, salad, appetizer, main dish, cheese, and dessert. In addition to the food, the drinks were served in the same accordance. I originally ordered a red wine, thinking I would be having veal. When the stewardess got to me, she was out of veal, so I took the shrimp. She immediately asked if I wanted a white wine for the course. Thank you! It's small things like that which I enjoy.

I was able to sleep on the plane for a solid 5 hours, or at least I think it was nearly that long. Although the seats weren't completely flat, they were fairly close. Again a perk for getting business class. After I woke up I had breakfast. This was followed by our descent into Bangkok. It didn't even seem like it took the entire 11 hours. After going through customs, I caught the Sky Rail into the city. In total for the two trains? 45 baht and 25 baht (a little over $2.25) The heat and humidity didn't really hit me until I got off the second train. I was pleasantly surprised it didn't bother me too much. It only phased me after I had to carry my luggage to the hotel.

That brings me to AETAS. I'm already loving it. I know I could have found a ton of cheaper options, but being away from home for 6 weeks I wanted to indulge at least once. So, why not do it in a cheaper place like Thailand? Costing me about $80 a night for such an awesome hotel is worth it. I'd end up paying about $200 or more for something like this in Vegas.

I've spent today preparing and settling in. I plan to get up early tomorrow to explore before meeting up with Harry.

Finally… in Asia! Hazaa!

As a side note—I ate at the hotel tonight. I ordered the tamarind duck… sweet, earthy, spicy, and nutty… drool…

[Picture Album - Europe]
[Picture Album - Thailand]

Are you the wife, sir?

2011-09-05T11:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a nice end to my brief stay in Belgium. I met up with Wikki and we walked around Antwerp. I got to see more of the city, and in so doing was able to piece together the layout much better.

Oh! I completely forgot to mention something that happened yesterday morning. After breakfast I was going back up to my room carrying a cup of espresso and a cup of chocolate coffee. While I was in the lift a nice English couple joined me. The gentleman said, "Are you the wife, sir?" I completely broke up laughing on the inside. Was it a gay reference? No. I responded, "Well, these both are for me. The dining hall closes too early." It was a nice little start to get my day going. I really thought he was being vulgar at first! Hehe.

So, back to the day. We walked around, even though it had started to rain a slight drizzle. Shortly after visiting the river, we decided to get dinner. We found a very quiet, rather Belgian style diner. My dish was fairly decent, but the soup we had for starters was really good. (Romsoepje van verse tomaten met heel veel ballekes. Ne super Viclee [Koninginnehapje] gemaakt van kippen, ballekes en champignons en dikke Belgische fritten zoals het hoort)

Afterwards we walked around more of the city visiting different sites. All of which were intriguing in their own right. We even stumbled across an orchestra performing for quite a large audience. We shortly made our way back to the hotel and chatted a bit more before he had to leave.

This morning went rather well, except I didn't get to work out as much as I have been. I ate, showered, packed, then checked out. Once finished I walked across the street to Station Antwerpen-Centraal to catch the next train. To my fortunate luck, I went down to the quai and a train was there. I hopped on and in less than two minutes was on my way to Brussels. At the Bruxelles-Midi station I ate a small bite and headed to my awaiting train. Again, amazing timing today! So, here I am, sitting on the TGV headed to Charles-de-Gaulle for my fight to Bangkok.

[Picture Album - Belgium]

Bruxelles-Central

2011-09-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

I'm now in Brussels and have a little bit of time before Wikki arrives, so I thought I'd jot down a bit more.

Today was my first day having coffee since having it at Lisa's. It was nice having a breakfast already included with my room. After my morning exercise I showered and got ready for the day.

I started it by visiting Station Antwerpen-Centraal. I wanted to take pictures that did the place justice. Hopefully you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed walking around the station.

Afterwards I couldn't help myself but go to the Chinatown. I went to the market to get some preserved fruits for snacks. I then walked the block and decided to get some small dim sum for lunch to have at my hotel before going to Brussels. The food was good and fresh, but the preserved egg wasn't as nice as the rest of the food. It felt good having some Asian food again, heh. Again I hadn't had any since eating with Dan in Flushing. Which reminds me! 6 € 50 for a bottle of soju here! Ridiculous!

Anyways… time to explore Brussels!

[Picture Album - Belgium]

Antwerpen-Centraal

2011-09-03T04:42:00.000-07:00

My last day in Paris I slept way too much. I think my body was adjusting from jetlag, little food, and travel shock in general. I picked up my stride yesterday, on my birthday. That morning I woke up early to go get food and get my ticket for the RER. After going back and checking out I headed to the train stations. This is also the point where I just started sweating… (As a side note the station I went through, the Metro was clean, unlike NYC… it was at St-Germain and St-Michel) I don't understand Europe, the trains were stuffy, my body basically perspired all the way to Belgium; well, the Thalys does have AC… At Le Gare du Nord I started freaking out about getting my ticket in time. I calmed down and re-read the ticket machine and found the options to use my confirmation number en lieu of my credit card (which the machines don't take, magnetic stripe ones).

Arriving at Antwerpen was jaw-dropping. Seriously! I felt like I had gotten off in some movie set or Hogwart's… something! The grandiose arcade was awe-inspiring. When I left the station I crossed the street and walked right into my hotel. After paying the addition 9 € that hotels.com hadn't accounted for, I went to my room… and to my shock, no AC! I should have checked. I hate looking like a tourist, but I broke out my tank tops.

After relaxing a while, I met up with my friend Wikki. He showed me around Antwerpen. The city is beautiful!

The quaint streets mixed with juxtaposing old and modern buildings. In Antwerpen many restaurants have nearly half their tables outside (well, for summer). The difference from Paris is that people face one another, not the street for people-watching. There are a ton of design firms here and things are very à la mode! I didn't know, bu the city has a large gay scene with bars, shops, and boutiques. Red & Blue is actually right next to the red light district. Another thing, there is a small Chinatown here! I would consider it an Asian block, but that's merely semantics.

Wikki and I walked around the central area, including the fashion street, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekat, and a large dining area. We ended up having kumpir at a cute, chic Turkish restaurant. Of course it was with a Belgian flair! Much to my opposition, he treated me to dinner for my birthday. Dank je Wikki!

That night back at the hotel I waited for the air to cool down and finally was able to sleep. Here's to exciting times for the rest of the weekend!

[Picture Album - Europe]

Paris

2011-09-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

I need to take a break from walking. I've walked anther two hours this morning. Today I've seen more of the 5ème and 6ème arrondissements, the edge of the Jardin du Luxembourg, as well as the Cemetière du Monteparnasse. It was nice walking around this morning away from the tourist areas. I've passed for both a Parisian and a tourist. I think with a bit of time I could shrug the tourist bit… I mean I've had people ask me for directions, cigarettes, and the likes—all seemingly from French people.

I'm still debating on how to continue my day. I just finished having breakfast at Le Pete Cardinal (29 Rue Monge)—finally a sit-down (sur place) meal instead of to-go (à emporter). As I've walked around I've been remembering more of the language, and able to decipher signs I've never seen.

I think now I'm going to find some coffee… I could use the pick-me-up because I haven't been sleeping a solid amount of time. The 3 to 5 hours at a time is not cutting it. Hopefully I'll adjust before I go to Thailand next week.

[Picture Album - France]

La Ville-Lumière

2011-08-31T16:09:00.000-07:00

Let's see here… So Manchester airport was stressful. I was expecting to just head to my next flight, but that was not the case at all. I went through customs, into the wrong departure terminal, then walked all the way to Terminal 3, and finally to my gate. Not the best experience, although the staff was very nice.

My flight to Paris was decent, nothing too great. The food for breakfast was amazing, but the service was minimal at best. The stewardesses were in the galley nearly the entire time with the curtain drawn. I hope that is not an indicator for my flight to Bangkok. My assumption is that it should be much better, it is Air France after all.

Arriving at Charles-de-Gaule seemed like we were landing in some field. The airport itself is quite expansive. I found the RER fairly easily, and so made my way to La Ville-Lumière. I departed at St-Michel and found my way to the hotel. It is very nice for a boutique hotel. I had to get a larger room for the first night since they were out of the classics. The woman at the desk has been super friendly. She discovered I speak French a bit, so she switched entirely to speaking French with me so I am forced to use it. When I arrived I was exhausted, so I decided to nap, which turned into normal sleep. I woke up around 9pm, so I decided to explore the night.

I ended up walking around the city for 3 or 4 hours, and easily covering 8 miles. I saw Notre Dame, La Seine, Tour Eiffel, Musée d'Orsay, Rue St-Germain, and the Quartier Latin in general. I picked up a pressed baguette sandwich (panini) on my way back to the hotel, which hit the spot! Yay for street food!

Today was exhausting. I walked even farther… I started off by actually going in Notre Dame. That was quite impressive. I really felt the energy in the cathedral from the years of prayers inside. The building is quite amazing for being constructed so long ago. After collecting myself I walked to see the Centre Pompidou, Les Halles, Pyramide du Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries, and strolled the Champs Elysées. Walking along the avenue with the Arc de Triomphe in the background was delightful. I then walked back down the Champs Elysées before stopping at the Eiffel Tower again continuing back to the hotel. I again grabbed some small bites along the way… everything is so fresh! So good…

What I've noticed about Paris is the people. People making out anywhere, nearly everyone smells good, they're mostly well-groomed, and many do indeed smoke. It's certainly a nice change to the U.S. The buildings are a site in-and-of themselves—so quaint.

Depending on the weather tomorrow, I may visit Sacré Coeur or visit the Louvre. We'll see what happens.

I'm going to try and rest for now. A demain!

[Picture Album - France]

Music of Choice: Living Room - Paris Combo

JFK to MAN

2011-08-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's really happening! I'm overseas! I can't believe this is real… Well, I can, but it's just never happened before, so I'm slightly overwhelmed.

I just had dinner, which was good, but not amazing. The flight is relatively short, so it's understandable. I'm sipping my digestif—Ferreira Dona Antonia Reserve Porto from Portugal, NV. As I look out the window I see nothing but stars. It's so strange. I've flown before at night, but there have always been some lights on the ground some where.

The steward has been super nice, yet I think he's family, so that should be expected, heh.

When I first arrived to the gate I could hear Irish and English accents. It's always a sign of where you are traveling when you see a group of people at a gate who fit together. For instance by size, accent, or some other trait. This of course is more exaggerated on international flights than domestic, but you can still tell.

At this point, I still don't have a hotel reserved in Paris, but I feel it will be ok. It was weird, sending in my booking request for them to approve. I was expecting to book it right then.

So, with that… I'll continue my flight, port, and get ready to rest, only to wake up over a foreign land. Someday this will be routine. Today though I'll enjoy the novelty.

[Picture Album - NYC]

第一天

2011-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

I can't really believe I'm doing this! In the past week and a half I've done so much, but it still hasn't sunk in—I'm travelling for 6 weeks!

So far I've moved out of my first studio, got my passport and visa, packed, and planned a global trip. It's really crazy how quickly this all happened.

When Jaycen dropped me off at the airport it dawned on me I wouldn't see him for a while… All of his advise just made me nervous—which I don't think I was before. At any rate, I'm easing myself into this adventure. First, NYC, which is like a second home. Then off to Europe. I have a layover in Manchester, which is a sluggish airport, so that should help with some stress. Next I go to Paris, again a place I am somewhat familiar, even if by that I only mean the language.

Well, right now I'm beginning my descent into LAX on my way to NYC via PHX. Here's to 6 weeks of awesome adventures!

Elizabeth Spencer

2011-03-24T02:59:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I took a little trip up to Davis to meet up with my friend Alvin. I drove up Tuesday night after gymnastics and stayed up there so we could get up and head to Napa the next day. Well, least to say I've never been to Napa, even after having lived in California for just over five years now. I was also happy because it was a trip that I didn't have to do any research prior to going; Alvin had already planned out the trip and made the arrangements.

Our first stop Wednesday morning was at Hendry for a tour and tasting. Walking around the vineyard on this cloudy day was interesting, as George explained the systematic approach he takes to produce wine. The subtle change in clone, root, varietal, and planting all highly contribute to the flavor one experiences in the wines. What I appreciated most was during the actual tasting. He explained the different wines and where they were grown. What I ended up learning is that my palette is extremely sensitive which explains why I tend to like wines that are either a heavier white or lighter red, such as zinfandels, sirahs, petite sirahs, and similar styles. At the end of the tasting I ended up geting a bottle of 2007 Block 28 Zinfandel, whereas Alvin picked up the 2007 Block 7 & 22 Zinfandel.

Our next stop was to refresh our palette a bit with some food at Mark's the Spot truck. The food was pretty decent, and certainly refreshing after sampling 12 wines. We tried three of the sliders, french toast on a stick, and fries.

The next winery was Elyse. The seven wines we sampled here were pretty good overall, but didn't blow me away. Again I was drawn to the wine in the middle of the sampling, but I ended up buying a "port" they had. It was their 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon port which is 85% cabernet sauvignon and 15% zinfandel/viognier brandy.

Having powered through some more wine, we picked up another quick bite before heading to the Orin Swift tasting room. While we only sampled three wines here, I didn't like a single one. In fact, the last two I had a hard time drinking. I'm not exactly sure why, but they were too dry and heavy on my palette. I think it's because of a type of grape they used, or due to the fact they were blends, but regardless I still didn't care for them. Alvin, on the other hand, actually ended up buying a bottle.

As for our last stop, Elizabeth Spencer, I can't get over how great it was. All of the wines we tasted here were really good. Obviously some were better than others in my book, but everything from the lightest whites to the darkest reds tasted good to me. They were even so kind as to open a bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignons from Mount Veeder. Alvin asked about getting a wine membership here together. At first I thought twice about it, but after reflecting on the fact that I enjoyed all the wines I decided to do it with him. We ended up walking out with two nice bottles. I forget the specific one he had, but I got the 2007 E x S Block Nine Syrah, Sonoma Coast (6 barrels). I'm excited to open this bottle!

One the way back to Davis, Alvin passed out, but I would have too after sampling 28 wines in one day! We finally got back around 7 or so and slept for a few hours. We grabbed a little bit of food and then I helped him study since he was taking an ACT exam the next day. It's been ages since I've had to do geometry and trigonometry, but I was surprised with what I actually did remember. I don't remember what time we ended up passing back out, but after getting up the next day I got around and came back home.

All in all I had a great time with great company. Going to Napa during the middle of the week is a great idea! It's definitely not as busy, and makes for a nice little excursion with the right people.

Music of Choice: Paper Romance - Groove Armada