[risebythesun]

Tokyo Part 2

As always, My pictures and videos will mainly be shot with the Canon Powershot S120 and edited in iPhoto and Final Cut Pro. I won’t be posting all of my pictures, so to see the rest, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/98220139@N08/sets/72157639750110525/

Monday, April 28

Today, Kasia and I were all alone because Logan had to work. Luckily for us, he gave us his phone so we could find directions around the city. At first, I was a bit offended because I thought I could do it... yeah, no. Tokyo is really confusing haha. So Kasia and I wake up to go to the National Garden, but it is closed on Sundays :( So instead, we decided to shop! 

Here is a picture of some pretty necklaces in a cute boutique. Kasia and I definitely stocked up :) 

Next, after some shopping, we went to Akihabara, an anime neighborhood. Definitely gave us a Japan insight we were looking for and Kasia got a gift for her friend who likes an anime character.

And then after this ... some more shopping. "When in Tokyo..."

Also, a funny story about shopping. I was in Ralph Lauren and tried on a beautiful cotton dress. Japanese yen is about 1:1 with USD, except 100 yen = 1 dollar (ish), so it's the same but no decimals. Anyways, I this dress was 58 USD, but I was like eh, it's Ralph Lauren, a cotton dress will be expensive. I leave and was thinking about the price. I thought it said 5800 yen (58 dollars), but it actually said 58,000 yen .. aka 580 dollars! I immediately returned it and all was well but yeah that happened. 

Anyways, after shopping, we went to sushi which was my first time!

And then we went to Tokyo tower ... which was also closed (I had bad luck this day!) but I managed to steal a pic! 

Tuesday, April 29

Today was a public holiday in Japan, so Logan had off and could hang out with us! We went to the Shinjuku National Gardens finally since I hadn't gone the day before. 

Missed the cherry blossoms :( these are the remains.

After this, we had a traditional Japanese meal and headed on our way to the airport. Love, love, loved Japan. I will DEFINITELY be back.

[risebythesun]

Tokyo pt.1

It's taken me a bit to blog about this but here we go. Tokyo was by FAR my favorite city in Asia. It's a wonderful city, great food and a beautiful language. I'll definitely be back, along with exploring other parts of Japan. 

As always, My pictures and videos will mainly be shot with the Canon Powershot S120 and edited in iPhoto and Final Cut Pro. I won’t be posting all of my pictures, so to see the rest, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/98220139@N08/sets/72157639750110525/

On Saturday, April 26, we left from Hong Kong International for our 4 hour flight to Tokyo, Japan. Upon Arriving, we received a Suica card, which is a brand of card to use on the subway. Oh and did I mention over 12 companies have subway lines?! Very confusing. 

Then, we took the train into Shibuya Station to meet my friend Logan from Georgia Tech. We stayed with Logan for our trip (Thanks Logan!!). 

  After meeting up, Logan, Kasia and I have ramen (I know, I know, you're looking at me like I'm crazy just listen) at a traditional ramen place. This ramen was out of this world. Seriously, not cup noodles, hearty ramen. It was great. We got yelled at though because you're supposed to eat quickly and get out. Not leisurely. Lesson learned. 

After this, we went for drinks and then headed back home. 

Sunday, April 27

Today, we got a head start on our day and made it to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tower. This tower also acts as an observatory (for free!). It's already decked out since Tokyo is hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics. 

Following this, we picked up bento box lunches from 7/11 and ate in Yoyogi Park which is like the Central Park of Tokyo. Here, there were street performers, tons of people, and we even rode bikes. It was such a beautiful day.

After this time in the park, we went to Harajuku, which is a district known for its shopping. We saw a lot of different unique pieces. For dinner, we also had ramen (again ... I'm seriously obsessed). 

After shopping and dinner, we headed to Roppongi for some drinks!

[risebythesun]

Hi! I'm going to HK next fall and i really want to travel in asia as much as possible too while i'm there. how much do you normally spend for accommodation for a few days/flights/foods when you travel (eg. for your weekend in cambodia)? you don't need to give real number just average so i can plan how much i will need more or less! i LOVE your blog btw! :D

Yay! I love Hong Kong, it's honestly been such a great third home to me. When I travel, it depends how much I spend on where I go and if it's during a holiday season. My Cambodia trip was really cheap because SE Asia is pretty cheap in general, and my flight was through Cathay Pacific fanfares which come out every Tuesday. Cathay Pacific has deals leaving from Hong Kong to various places so it's a really great chance to travel! 

Accommodation obviously depends where you want to stay. I stayed in a two person private room with my friend for 12 usd a night. There are places in Asia that are more expensive so you have to budget accordingly. By trips to Thailand and Cambodia were pretty cheap, Taiwan was in the middle, and my upcoming trip to Japan is anticipated to being expensive lol. Good luck and if you need anything let me know!

[risebythesun]

CAMBODIA

I've been so bad about this blog lately, and i'm sorry :/ But here are my ventures of Cambodia! 

My pictures and videos will mainly be shot with the Canon Powershot S120 and edited in iPhoto and Final Cut Pro. I won’t be posting all of my pictures, so to see the rest, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/98220139@N08/sets/72157639750110525/

Saturday

On Saturday, we flew out of Hong Kong and into Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Kasia and I decided to eat lunch in Phnom and Penh and then take the bus straight to Siem Reap since it was going to be a LONG ride. Ps. for anyone taking the ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, the roads are mostly paved ... meaning dirt roads. So it was a bumpy ride haha. 

A traditional Cambodian, natively called "Khmer" lunch.

When we got to Siem Reap, we walked around the night market a bit before going to bed :) 

Sunday

Sunday was a chill day after spending so much time traveling. We decided to go to a butterfly garden, and the markets for the day. Here are some pictures :) 

A nice lemon lime juice to cool off in the 98 degree Fahrenheit heat.

This butterfly wasn't doing too well. 

Monday

Today was the day we did the temples. We did a small tour of Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm (aka where Tomb Raiders was). It was really interesting to see the restoration in these places and who was in charge of it. For Angkor Thom, the Japanese primarily took responsibility in the restoration. In Ta Prohm, the Indians. It was an amazing and long day! 

Angkor Wat

Bayon

Inside the top of the temple, we did a prayer with the Buddhists and in return they gave us these red string bracelets, which is significant in their culture.

Ta Prohm

Before and After restoration. This was really cool piece of history.

That was the last stop on the temple tour. Such a long day, but a ton to see. 

Tuesday

This day was honestly all traveling back to Phnom Penh, and back to Hong Kong so I don't have any pictures. But Cambodia was an amazing time and I was so fortunate to be able to go! 

[risebythesun]

If you could have chosen any other country to study abroad, where would it be?

Hmmm, this is a good question. Maybe Israel, Hungary or Turkey. I really love that region and hope to visit some day. Or somewhere in South America since I'm okay in Spanish. However, I really think that choosing Hong Kong was the best for me, I love Asia! 

[risebythesun]

I see. Do you speak cantonese? ^^ bc i do too. haha. I went taiwan last December and its really nice. heh, i accidentally left my camera lens in the airplane :c

Sadly, I do not know Cantonese. I wish I did though! I know how to say 'thank you' and 'check please' .... lol. But I'm glad you enjoyed Taiwan! Sorry about the camera lens, happens to the best of us.

[risebythesun]

Helloo :D How's taiwan? I absolutely adore that country!

I'm actually not in Taiwan any more! I went there on a trip for a few days, but I'm studying in Hong Kong for most of my time here. It was great though, the people were incredibly hospitable :) 

[risebythesun]

Taiwan

I'm sorry that this post is late ... but I've been pretty busy! I have a bunch of exams and assignments coming up, ugh. Putting the study in study abroad :P I'll edit with some details later, but here are some pictures now. 

My pictures and videos will mainly be shot with the Canon Powershot S120 and edited in iPhoto and Final Cut Pro. I won’t be posting all of my pictures, so to see the rest, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/98220139@N08/sets/72157639750110525/

Friday

  Kasia and I at lunch in a cafe.

Taking the MTR like a local

Night marketing 

Saturday

Shaved ice that I had been waiting for

Of course, the barbie cafe.

In the background, you can see Taipei 101

24 hr book store. Thought this was pretty cool.

Sunday: Shiufen/Jiufen

Monday

[risebythesun]

A cover of Happy in Hong Kong. This isn't mine but I really liked the video! 

[risebythesun]

A quick preview of Taiwan: fun in the street and a view of Taipei 101 :)

[risebythesun]

Visit to the Elderly Housing Center

I don't talk about school that much .... lol, but today in my Bioinstrumentation class, we took a cool field trip the the Elderly Housing Center. It's basically a place that tests how the elderly are doing and promotes independent living. 

When we got there, we had a presentation given by the faculty and then a tour. A lot of the things were in Cantonese though, so it was easy to get lost for part of it. But a lot of the tests were really cool such as measuring their balance, eye sight, and cognitive ability. The tests were also very game-like and therefore fun to watch. The second half of the tour was showing different accomodations made to a home that would make it easier for the elderly to live independently. It was interesting to see the modifications to these assistive technologies so that they would fit into the small spaces that are Hong Kong apartments. I really felt like I was in an Ikea home! 

Anyways, it was a fun way to spend the afternoon with my class as opposed to being in a lecture. Glad my professor planned this! 

[risebythesun]

Kasia's 21st birthday

Although it has no special significance in this country, Kasia's 21st birthday was yesterday and we really wanted to celebrate! Since it was a Tuesday, we just went to dinner and had some light drinks in Soho (we're pretty classy if I do say so myself). Here are some pictures from the night! 

My pictures and videos will mainly be shot with the Canon Powershot S120 and edited in iPhoto and Final Cut Pro. I won’t be posting all of my pictures, so to see the rest, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/98220139@N08/sets/72157639750110525/

The birthday girl! 

Happy birthday girl!! :) 

[risebythesun]

Tai Tam Hiking Trail

As you can see, I hike a lot. On Sunday, I went to the Tai Tam hiking trail. It was on the island side, and the end overlooked the different islands of Hong Kong, which was pretty cool. It was a beautiful day and here are some pictures. 

My pictures and videos will mainly be shot with the Canon Powershot S120 and edited in iPhoto and Final Cut Pro. I won’t be posting all of my pictures, so to see the rest, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/98220139@N08/sets/72157639750110525/

[jordansbestself]

Hiking on Lamma Island

[risebythesun]

With school, I signed up to do a hiking tour of Lamma Island on Sunday. My roommate biked there the other day and had a good time, so I’ll have to make it over too. 

Anyways, we got up pretty early to take a ferry to the island. Then, we had lunch before the actual hiking. It was a sea food place because we were on an island. And guess what I learned??? I like seafood! I had some crab, white fish and scallops. I didn’t like the scallops hahah, but the crab and fish were pretty nice. 

The ferry ride over… and I didn’t get sea sick! 

Pictured: course 1 of many courses of the lunch. In Hong Kong, it’s typical to have many courses of meals, so that’s what we had. 

After the delicious meal, we then began our hike. It was a short and sweet hike, and there was also a beach. Hiking is one of my favorite things to do in Hong Kong, as you can probably tell :) 

My pictures and videos will mainly be shot with the Canon Powershot S120 and edited in iPhoto and Final Cut Pro. I won’t be posting all of my pictures, so to see the rest, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/98220139@N08/sets/72157639750110525/

Really cute cotton candy at the end :) 

[risebythesun]

Valentines Day 2014

For Valentines day, some of my friends and I decided to go out of the town and make some dinner reservations! Where to? Only the lovely Outback of course. We went for some burgers, steak, and some drinks. Afterwards, we made some dessert together. It was definitely the best Valentines day I've had yet :) Here are some pictures from the night. 

My pictures and videos will mainly be shot with the Canon Powershot S120 and edited in iPhoto and Final Cut Pro. I won’t be posting all of my pictures, so to see the rest, please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/98220139@N08/sets/72157639750110525/

The girls on our night out :) 

Cheers to that :) 

Such a beautiful drink.

All of the food. 

Oreo balls.

and rice krispies

and cheesecake filled strawberries. 

Such a delicious and love-filled night.

[risebythesun]

Bangkok, Part 2

Since we did most of the touristy stuff the first round in Bangkok, this time was more chilling .... and a lot of shopping haha. 

I unfortunately do not have many pictures from this experience because I think it's rude (maybe?) to take pictures of the things people are selling without buying them. There were a lot of signs that said no photos. 

A market was selling this puppy, which was kind of sort of adorable.

Also, the last night in Bangkok, one of the girls I was with turned 21! So that was a big night. 

The birthday girl ate a cricket. That seriously actually happened. Love you Rachel! 

All in all, I loved Thailand, and especially Bangkok. 

It was an amazing and beautiful country that I really hope to visit again :)

[risebythesun]

Phuket, Thailand

 Day 5

After so much moving around and traveling in Bangkok, we decided to just have a chill day at the beach. In the morning, I went to the beach for a morning run which was amazing. Don't get to do stuff like that everyday. Then, we chilled on the beach, swam a lot, made lunch, and then got a Thai massage on the beach before dinner (which was so cool!!!). Then we had a Thai dinner and wrapped up the night pretty early in preparation for our day tour the following day. 

Day 6

We started our morning early to begin our tour that I reserved a few days before. A driver picked us up which was really nice because the stops were all really far away. Our first stop was an over 100 year temple that was intertwined with a cave. My favorite part about this was seeing the monkeys around the cave. We also fed them which was a lot of fun. Outside this temple was a few surrounding temples as well.

Then, we were driven to a canoeing site, where we were taken on a canoeing tour around this shallow river. There were surrounding mountains which made the surrounding air so much cooler. We also got to see a bunch of local animals like frogs, snakes, and weird lizards.

My guide was also super nice and gave me a crown made of the plants which was nice. When we completed the canoe ride, we ended up near a mini zip line place where we all did that.

My friend Kasia, photogenically ziplining.

We then had a local lunch which was phenomenal.

After lunch, we made our journey over to the elephant ride. The ride was really cool, it was 2 people to an elephant, so Kasia and I shared. We named our elephant Peanut, because he was pretty small (fun fact: Thai elephants are smaller than African elephants). Peanut, however was pretty disobedient, but still fun. I really enjoyed the route we went and we even got pictures! Afterwards, we fed the elephants and got a group picture. 

We then made it home, after a super long trek, to have dinner and a great night together, 

Day 7

We woke up at a moderate time for a snorkeling tour! Again, a driver picked us up and took us to a beach where we had a local lunch. After lunch, a bunch of us went onto the boat and drove out to our first snorkel site in the middle of the ocean. It was scary though because there were jelly fish! Then, we were driven to our second snorkeling site, which was a very small island. It was a lot easier to snorkel in this shallow water, and we ever got pictures. It was also nice to hangout along this beach. When we got back, I made dinner and we had a night along the beach and just hanging out.

(taken with a friend's waterproof camera!)

Day 8

This is our last day in Phuket, so I wanted to make it the chilliest day of all. We woke up when we wanted, ate breakfast and trekked to the beach for yet another massage (what can I say, I'm addicted.) It was a wonderful day of getting in the water, laying out, getting in the water until we had to take a taxi to the airport and head back to Bangkok! 

Overall Phuket was great. It was very touristy at the beach, so I'm glad that I had the opportunity to do the tours and snorkeling that I did.