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 […]

Hand of God and Goal of the Century: Azteca Stadium

By Victor / February 13, 2020

-Arbitro corrupto! Arbitro corrupto! We are sitting in the nosebleed section of Azteca Stadium on the outskirts of Mexico City, listening to hilarious chants from local soccer fans. I’m sitting so high that I feel dizzy and worry that my nose may actually bleed. I can’t believe I’m here. Azteca. […]

Accidental Medical Tourism or When Will This Stop Hurting?

By Julia / February 6, 2020

Four days before we flew out to Vietnam, when the backpacks were already laid out on the floor in preparation for packing and to warn the cats of the upcoming vacation, I woke up with a sore throat.  I spent the previous evening hanging out with my toddler niece, who […]

How Saigon Became Ho Chi Minh City and how Ho Chi Minh City Almost Killed Us

By Julia / January 31, 2020

We landed in Ho Chi Minh City after struggling not to sleep through a thirteen-hour flight to Tokyo, a three-hour layover full of Japanese snacks, and another five-hour flight to Vietnam.  We arrived in the early evening, damp air around us deceptively cool, but the asphalt still radiating warmth from […]

Itinerary Hell: I Hate It Here, I am Never Coming Back!

By Julia / January 23, 2020

One of my very first trips, straight out of college, was a group tour around Europe with my best friends.  We were completely inexperienced in international travel, the Internet wasn’t really as useful back then as it is now, and we had no idea how even to start planning something […]

Perfect Pitch – Jazz and Baseball in Japan

By Victor / December 17, 2019

If someone tells you that they experienced jazz and baseball on their trip, would you be able to correctly identify the country? If you guessed the U.S., try again! I am talking about Japan. The Japanese are passionate about jazz and baseball. The American presence after World War II left […]

Portugal: And This Is Why We Don’t Drink

By Victor / December 11, 2019

We rarely drink alcohol.  Julia claims that she is too much fun as is and that alcohol would be wasted on her. I like to keep my head clear and maintain a healthy lifestyle. When we are in the U.S., we don’t drink at all.  But when we travel, we […]

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