Bad Things

We arrived in Taipei on December 13th and left on the 18th to explore Alishan. On December 19th, 2025, a 27-year-old man threw smoke grenades and stabbed people in a Taipei metro station, killing three people and injuring eleven others. He then killed himself by jumping from a building. This […]

Taiwan: Shaking in Our Boots

It was an evening of our last day in Kaohsiung, and we were visiting the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas.  Temples in Taiwan usually have dragons painted by one set of doors to indicate that those doors are used to enter the temple, and tigers by another set of doors, which […]

Day Lilies, Yuli Noodles, and the Mountain Mist

Of the four days in the East, we spent three days driving up and down the coastal highway.  These days were filled with stopping at ocean viewpoints, exploring the shoreline’s rugged geoparks, and learning about local indigenous culture. But as we navigated through this narrow stretch of land, sandwiched between […]

The Wild, Wild East: Taiwan’s Enigmatic East Coast

Like Alishan, we considered cutting the East Coast out of our itinerary entirely. The region was remote, and it was a logistical puzzle to plan.  Also, it was the only place in Taiwan where we needed to rent a car and potentially drive through what looked on the map like […]

Food.  Taiwan.  Must I Say More?

I wanted to write about the top 10 dishes we ate in Taiwan and quickly realized that the list was way longer than 10 and each dish deserved its own blog post, and this would quickly spiral into Two Cats Backpack Eats Taiwanese Food for Entirety of the Foreseeable Future […]

Soaking in Estonia           

By Julia / July 21, 2022

On the fourth day in Tallinn, we were in the back seat of a taxi, chatting with our Russian-speaking driver about the intricacies of the daily life of ethnic Russians in Estonia. “I’ve never been to this one,” he said as he pulled the car over. “Enjoy!” I peeked out […]

Santa Ana: Visiting the Coffee-Boom Capital of El Salvador

By Victor / July 14, 2022

After spending a few days at a coffee finca on Ruta de Las Flores, we made it to Santa Ana.  The city was once an important center during the coffee boom of the early 20th century. The central square with its imposing neo-Gothic cathedral, theatre, and city hall looked very […]

Take Me Out with the Crowd!

By Victor / June 28, 2022

Part II We continue with our stories from the major U.S. baseball ballparks. For Part I, please start here.  6. Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati You realize Cincinnati is a baseball town when in a local art museum, just a few blocks from the ballpark, you see Andy Warhol’s portrait […]

Take Me Out to The Ball Game

By Victor / June 25, 2022

Part I Summer is here, and for me, that means one thing-baseball.  Nothing beats spending a few hours on a warm summer afternoon at a ballpark watching a game and connecting with friends over beer, peanuts, and crackerjack. In our U.S. travels, we love visiting ballparks because they give us […]

Traveling in Search of Mud

By Julia / June 17, 2022

Ten years ago, I was inside a small ceramic shop in Santa Fe, on a street lined with art galleries, hipster coffee shops, and boutiques. “$260!” I exclaimed, “I mean that’s a pretty vase, but $260!” “That’s Mata Ortiz!” Victor gushed, “Look at the geometrical design!  It’s the modern recreation […]

Pupusa-mania

By Julia / June 9, 2022

On the very first night in El Salvador, we walked down a dark cobblestone street away from our hostel and towards a dim light flickering in the distance.  A few local dogs howled and barked as we trotted on.   Finally, we arrived.  A table covered with colorful cloth, a pile […]

Subscribe to receive our stories in your inbox

Loading