The Mist, the Cloud, the Tea, and the Sunset: The Trails of Shizhuo

The hardest part of any itinerary is usually not where to visit or when, but for how long. There are always disagreements online over how much time each place deserves, with some people claiming to have fully explored everything in one day, while others take a week. And when it’s […]

Spilling the Tea about Alishan

Victor loves coffee, and this blog is a clear testament to that. There are so many posts about coffee tours, coffee shops, coffee destinations, conversations about coffee over coffee, and even hiking through coffee plantations. Yet if you were to go through our kitchen, you’d find at most two bags […]

In the Sea of Clouds

When we travel, we usually try to avoid pre-planning everything. By rigidly scripting every activity down to the minute, you can easily deprive yourself of genuine travel experiences, instead just following the “script”.  But that doesn’t work with sunrises and sunsets, especially if you want to catch them from a […]

Hugging Trees in Alishan

Alishan was giving me a headache. Trying to fit this mountainous forest into our itinerary was a challenging task. No direct trains from Taipei. No direct buses. Renting a car and driving up there? Maybe. But that wasn’t ideal. The most reasonable option was to get to the city of […]

Getting My Ears Picked in Taiwan

One of the pleasures of going to Asia, at least for me, is the massages.  Everywhere from Thailand to Vietnam to Cambodia, the massages are excellent, cheap, and widely available. From restorative foot massages after a long day of hiking, to full body deep tissue rubdown that leaves me in […]

Kutná Hora: Silver and Human Bones

By Victor / December 10, 2020

“Cut! Stop! There’s someone on the set”. I look up and see actors in medieval dresses all around me. And someone from the production crew runs toward me, frantically pointing to the sidewalk. “Oh, shit.” Walking in quiet contemplation and examining Kutná Hora’s cobblestone streets, I got so lost in […]

Hysterique de O’Hare

By Julia / December 4, 2020

I don’t know how I feel about airports.  This is strange for me to admit because I am the type of person who has strong feelings about almost everything in my life, including completely inconsequential things.    On one hand, I love airports – the hustle, the crowds, the excitement of […]

Sunbathing in the Murder Capital

By Victor / November 27, 2020

Acapulco. What a great name for a city! The first time I heard the name was as a kid, in a cheesy 1990s Russian pop song. Back then, I couldn’t have placed Acapulco on the map and didn’t even know that it was in Mexico and not on some remote […]

If I Were a Country: China vs Japan

By Julia / November 20, 2020

If Victor were a country, he would be Japan.  He has a deep respect for traditions, always courteously queues up in line, and can often be found working 16-hour days.  I am China.  I chew my food loudly, sing out of tune in the middle of the street, and can […]

Jamaica: The Wild Northeast

By Julia / November 13, 2020

As we wrote in our Kingston post, our first instinct when planning a trip to Jamaica in 2017 was to avoid what most tourists consider to be essential Jamaica: Negril, Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios.  We opted for the less touristy and less developed Northeast Jamaica and didn’t regret it […]

Flamengo ‘Till I Die

By Victor / November 6, 2020

When Julia and I planned our trip to Brazil, we turned to our friend Will for advice. Will was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro and was a huge help in planning the itinerary. Also, when he learned we were going to visit his hometown, Will offered for us […]

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