Go Joyfulli

Even though one of the most well-known tourist spots in Nantou County (and possibly Taiwan in general) is Sun Moon Lake (日月潭), I only went for the first time during my last trip to Taiwan. The lake itself is quite nice. There should be places where you can rent bikes or scooters to go around, though I didn't see any where I was. There's also a ropeway that connects the lake to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village (九族文化村), which is an amusement park with museums, roller coasters, shows, games, and lovely trails. It's a great place to learn about Taiwanese aborigines. I hadn't heard of the amusement park before, so I only planned a one-day visit of the lake and we spent half the day in each place. I think that the amount of time to see both places was about right since our itinerary was already pretty full, but it wouldn't have been boring to stay longer either. One reason I finally decided to go this time is because my dad was also back in Taiwan and he drove us. ...

For my first (and only, so far!) time in Scotland, I stayed mostly in Glasgow because I heard that it was nice and also more affordable than the capital... like staying in Brooklyn instead of New York or in Oakland instead of San Francisco.  I decided to go on a one-day tour of the Scottish Highlands since there's no other way I would have been able to visit the more remote places on my own and without a car. I went on the "Myths, monsters, and mountains" Rabbie's tour. Absolutely no regrets at all!  

Jiufen (Jioufen; 九份) - the town which may or may not have been an inspiration for Spirited Away. The streets are full of stands/stores and are decorated with red lanterns. I guess it has a "classic Asian" look, for lack of a better descriptor.  To be honest, Jiufen was a little too crowded with tourists for me, though I guess it was worth going once. My friends went to the teahouse and learned how to properly make tea - they enjoyed it a lot! I probably should have made myself join them in the teahouse too, since I'm unlikely to visit again... but I needed a break from being around so many people. Instead, I went to a little crane game place more on the outskirts of the town (I was even able to win a bunch of souvenirs to take back for friends/family/coworkers :). October 2019. This might be a little confusing, but Jiufen is technically in New Taipei City. We didn't go there directly from Taipei, but if you do, it sounds like it's pretty straightforward to get the...

I've driven down to LA many times, but I never really pay attention to the route I take... I just go wherever my Maps app tells me to go. One time I driving and I just had to suddenly pull over on the highway because the scenery was so lovely! Actually, I often want to do that when I'm driving but this is the one and possibly only time I actually did it. I remember there was another time I passed an absolutely gorgeous field of wildflowers (coincidentally, on another drive down to SoCal), but I was too slow to turn off... I think about that missed chance a lot. But anyway... There's no real point to this post, just wanted to share a couple pictures! Though if you're road tripping around California, you could choose to take Highway 152 and see this reservoir (and stop at the rest stop). I guess it's the San Luis Reservoir? I would never have known the location but it was stored in my picture details... technology's kind of scary sometimes 😅. December 2018. 😍 I ...

I'm not trying to pretend like I'm super fit and always climbing stairs  (because I'm definitely not!) ... but I do recommend the uphill walk to San Luca (Santuario della Beata Vergine di San Luca) if you feel like getting some exercise and/or if you want to see some great views of Bologna. The typical route going from via Saragozza is about half walking up an incline and half going up stairs. You can take as much time as you need and say "prego" to others to encourage them to pass you if you prefer to go slowly! To be completely honest, I don't remember what the other route is - only that I went another way down once with my classmates and it seemed like it took much longer than usual to get back. Pretty, though. After the long walk, I would recommend rewarding yourself by getting a pizza at Spaccanapoli if you have the energy to get there (and if it's open: I think whenever I tried taking somebody there, it would be randomly closed about 50% of the time....

tl;dr - when you're looking for a place to stay during your travels, make sure to carefully read through the booking/hotel listing, don't assume that internet counts as a basic necessity, and don't forget to glance at a map! When I first moved to Italy, I had booked an apartment without enough research. I don't remember what site I used, but I ended up in a pretty nice place - except that I didn't realize it wasn't actually in the city, it didn't have internet, and it didn't really have cell reception. My checked luggage also was delayed and when I finally got it, all my electronics were missing... but we're not here to talk about my luck! Travel tip, though: don't check your electronics, even if you have a lot because you're planning to work remotely for a few months. Anyway, the point of this post... be careful when you book lodging! These days* if I'm going to stay somewhere a bit longer, I'll usually book an Airbnb. If I'm jus...

Hi everybody! I decided to start my Instagram and this blog with a post on the first hike I remember going on the last time I was in Taiwan. As an introverted homebody, I often have to fight against my desire to stay inside when traveling. I hadn't planned on hiking during this trip, but one morning I decided to look up some options. I figured it would be interesting, good exercise, and get me out of the Airbnb without (hopefully) having to deal with too many crowds. Jinmianshan (金面山) came up as an option. The article I found said that it would be an easy hike and that it was close to an MRT station. The hike did end up being relatively easy. At one point, it looked like I'd have to traverse rocks by holding a rope, so I stopped there. I didn't want to risk a fall, especially because I was alone, and I wasn't sure it was even part of the trail. I still got a nice view of the city - it was definitely worth going! 值得 😄. I'll probably go again the next time I visit (m...