Danba, China: The Valley of Happiness
October 21, 2013
Life of a globetrotter can be strangely disorienting. One minute, you are in the Tibetan village sharing roads with goats, the next, you are in Shanghai, sharing roads with cars and motorbike drivers who possess severe road rage. We live in the world where we can wake up in one setting and go to sleep in the next. Our minds…
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Muddy Road to Heaven: Hiking in Sichuan
October 13, 2013
Back in my Peace Corps days, I had the nickname of Posh Corps. Somehow, despite living in a village amidst the mountains of Cameroon, I managed a rather posh life (relatively speaking – Internet connection in a house without running water is pretty posh, no?). It didn’t take me long to acquire a personal moto driver who would come pick…
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A Day in Napa Valley
September 22, 2013
A great friend of mine from my Peace Corps days took advantage of my business trip and visited me in the Bay Area. I was glad she came out because I’ve been thinking of visiting Napa Valley, but that is so the last place I’d want to travel alone. Get a Designated Driver After asking around for tips, a friend…
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Confession of a Travel Brat
September 20, 2013
I discovered on this trip to the Bay Area that I am a “mountain” person. Growing up in Taiwan, we had the best of both worlds. There are literally stretches of highways where you get the mountain range on one side, and the Pacific on the other. But, I was too busy puking and battling with carsickness to appreciate it…
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California Dreaming : Culture Shock in America
September 1, 2013
Recently, I got a big girl job. Last summer, I thought I was on my way to a big girl job, only to realize the banking sector was still in hot waters and I wasn’t lucky enough to get a headcount. Alas, it took a move across the world and a few months of networking, hustling, and some miracle-working later,…
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Yoga Retreat with Yejo Circle
July 1, 2013
After stuffing my face for four days in Hong Kong, I came back to Shanghai and went on my first yoga retreat. A friend informed me a few months ago of a great group, Yejo Circle, that organizes city-break events at a low cost. I’ve been eyeing at the yoga retreat for quite a while, but until now, I’ve always…
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Solo Travel Encounter
June 26, 2013
Today, while I was marveling at the amazing Hong Kong skyline, and waiting for the Symphony of Lights to begin, a girl came up next to me and said hello. I met her yesterday while getting tickets to take the tram up to the Peak Tower. She asked if the massive line was for the ticket, or to board the…
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Tim Ho Wan: Cheapest Michelin-starred Restaurant in the World
June 25, 2013
I don’t think I’ve yet been to a Michelin-starred restaurant, so when my friend recommended the cheapest one in the world in Hong Kong, it was a no brainer to give it a go. The IFC (super fancy) mall location of the hot spot, Tim Ho Wan (添好運) is rather misleading. I trekked all the way there on foot. Google…
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Hong Kong at First Sight
June 24, 2013
I am in Hong Kong this week to take care of some visa business. This is my first time in Hong Kong! From the moment I landed, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I don’t even have a problem understanding Chinese, yet it was so nice to be in a place where most people speak English. Everything felt…
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Fresh Tagaytay Air
June 17, 2013
My Manila trip back in April wasn’t the highlight of my getaway. As my stay in Shanghai was approaching six months, I was in desperate need of some fresh air! A Twitter friend suggested that I check out Tagaytay, beautiful mountain range just two hours outside of Manila by bus. I wanted nothing but fresh air and a quiet place to…
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