japan/china 2019
On my second visit to Asia, I got to visit two countries: Japan and China. Ben’s Grandpa still lives in China – Shaoxing to be exact. So when his family decided to visit, I tagged along. Any trip to anywhere in Asia from NYC warrants at least two weeks, since it’s such a long flight.…
10 foods you should say, “ni hao” to in china
I wish I got the chance to try a lot more food but unfortunately, we were only in China for about five days. As with any country, China has its regional cuisines (I highly recommend watching, “Flavorful Origins” on Netflix to learn more about Chaoshan and Yunnan cuisines). Being that China is one of the…
6 things i learned in the 5 days i spent in china
Credit cards (and cash) are not widely accepted. Not even McDonald’s in the Shanghai train station accepted credit cards. The main form of payment is via AliPay or WeChat app where it’s either linked to a credit card, or you pre-load money onto it and it works like a debit card. Weather at the end…
7 things you should know if you’re applying for a china visa
If you’re planning to visit China, you’ll need a Visa. There are different forms you can select from, depending on the reason for your visit and the length of your stay. Here are some things to keep in mind before you apply: Download and complete the correct form (typed, in caps) prior to your visit…
-
a (super) quick guide to australian slang
If you’re planning to head to the land down under, it might be useful to learn some of the lingo they use over there. Keep in mind – It’s probably different in each city/region. But since I only got a chance to visit three cities, this is what I mostly heard: Brekkie = breakfast I Read more
-
how to survive a 23-hour flight
Well if I’m being nit picky, it’s really only 21 hours of flying. It’s six hours from JFK to LAX, then you have a two hour layover, and then a quick (queue sarcasm) 15 hour flight from LAX to SYD. But of course, it just had to snow on the day I was flying out, Read more
-
australia 2015
Australia has been at the top of my travel bucket list for as long as I can remember. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it was the Great Barrier Reef that caught my eye? Maybe it was the Australian accents? Maybe because it was so far away and different from home? I don’t know what Read more
-
last day in dublin
Our last day in Ireland was supposed to be spent admiring Waterford crystals and touring their factory down in Waterford (about a three hour train ride from Dublin). But thanks to a certain crazy snowstorm up in Northern Ireland, this plan was derailed. So instead, we decided to just spend our time checking out places Read more
-
spending a few hours in a dublin jail
Intrigued? Before you get too fascinated, you should know that it’s not what you think. It’s actually a tourist attraction – Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham Gaol was a jail that held Ireland’s most famous political and military leaders from the late 1700s to the early 1900s. For 6 Euros (or 2 Euros with a student ID), Read more
-
what it’s like being stuck in a snowstorm in northern ireland
The Giant’s Causeway is huge area of basalt columns, all squeezed together. It is located in Country Antrim in Northern Ireland, which is about an hour drive from Belfast. The legend is that an Irish giant named Finn MacCool, was challenged to a fight by a Scottish giant, who lived right across the North Channel. Read more
how to be a traveler 