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 […]

Breakfast of Champions in Taiwan

One thing that never stopped surprising me about Taiwan is how you can be strolling down a sidewalk one moment and the next, you are suddenly in the middle of a busy restaurant. And I don’t mean just outdoor seating, which is common enough around the world. I am talking […]

How I Left Everything and Joined a Monastery in Japan… For One Night

By Julia / April 30, 2021

There are old fables of exhausted men climbing tall mountains to find a wise Buddhist monk meditating on the very top.  The monk then, in very few words, discloses to the weary traveler the secret to success, love, life, or whatever grand question is presented.  In these fables, the monks […]

Japan: The Simple Houses of a Complex Country

By Julia / April 22, 2021

It was 6 am and I woke up freezing.  Wrapped in my blanket head to toe, I braved the chilly air to sneak my head out and look around.  We were sleeping on the floor.  Under the neighboring blanket, Victor was awake and trembling as well. “It feels as if […]

Wondering About Chichen Itza

By Victor / April 15, 2021

Every time I visit a place that is universally considered to be a “must-see” or a “wonder of the world”, I quietly prepare myself to be disappointed.  Mass popularity often brings visitors (including us) to totally overrated places.  Mount Rushmore, Stonehenge, the peeing boy statue – my personal list of […]

Singing the Portuguese Blues

By Julia / April 1, 2021

It’s dusk in Lisbon.  Darkness is setting over narrow streets, and mournful melodies flow out of every pub, café, and restaurant.  It’s the sound of traditional Portuguese lament, produced by a twelve-string guitar, a viola, and a heartbroken woman (or sometimes a man). This is fado, folk music of Lisbon’s […]

Surrounded by Van Gogh

By Victor / March 19, 2021

Earlier this month, we visited the hottest show in Chicago-The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit. The installation lets visitors explore masterpieces by Vincent Van Gogh through 360-degree digital projections and an immersive light and sound show. Sitting in a large hall surrounded by changing images of the artist’s works, we were […]

A “Ruined” Vacation in Mexico

By Victor / March 11, 2021

Soft light of the early morning sun gently streamed through the trees as we made our way through the jungle. Waking up early and driving in a half-asleep state for two hours from Puerto Morelos was totally worth it. We were rewarded with the chance to explore the ruins of […]

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