Ohayo from Kyoto!

We just got into Osaka, Japan last night. Hopped on the JR rail train and got to Kyoto in about an hour (wasn't the bullet train). Here's a little pic of the Kyoto Tower.

Today, we are heading back to Osaka for a little exploration, hopefully involving a castle, puppets, and gadgets! So excited to be in Japan :)

Lantern Festival And Fire Dragon Festival

I arrived just in time to join the Mid-Autumn festivities. There was a Latern Carnival and Fire Dragon Festival in Tin Hau on the same night. It was already the second day of the three day celebration, but I'm glad I was able to even catch it at the right time.

The Fire Dragon Festival was really neat. A giant dragon is made out of thousands of incense sticks, which are lit, as volunteers parade around the grounds. I couldn't get a really good picture to capture the dragon; I wish I could have captured the smell too because the incense was very fragrant.





Right down the block was the Lantern Carnival in Victoria Park. I didn't understand the scope of this Carnival, but it was huge! The crowds were pretty overwhelming, especially having just arrived to HK that day, but I made it through and took some nice photos. All the kiddies had their own lanterns or other light-ups like glow sticks and wands. It's a cool family-fun event.










Cute little airplane lantern. And kid!









Happy Mid-Autumn Moon!

Hello From Hong Kong!

Whew, it is humid here! I missed the typhoon by a couple days, but the humidity is still lingering. There's the option of running into freezing AC buildings, although I hope I do not get sick from the jumping temperatures (*knock on wood*).

So, the back-story...I'm staying in Hong Kong at my Step-mom's place and using it as a hub between my travels to Japan and SE Asia for the next couple months. I will be in HK for about a week at a time for a total of 3 weeks. I have some family here, a friend who is visiting from Seattle for 5 days, and my Dad here for a couple weeks, but most of the time I will most likely explore on my own. This is my third visit to Hong Kong. Last time I was here in 2002, but it was part of a tour, so I didn't really get to take time and travel how I would like to. On this visit, I'm hoping to explore more parts of HK (other than the tourist spots), get to know my family better here, and practice my Cantonese (doing ok so far).

....My first day went pretty well. Didn't suffer much from jet lag at all (thanks to these no-jet-lag pills Katie gave me from our Europe trip), so after getting in at 6:30am, I took a short nap and was ready to hit the town with my Dad. My Step-mom had to work, but since it was the day of the Mid-Autumn/Moon Festival, she could leave work early (as in 4pm. Normally, she works until 9pm!). In the meantime, we met up with my dear cousin, Elisa, for an afternoon break in the Sheung Wan district, right by her office building. I had the shui gow dumplings with egg noodles, and of course, Hong Kong-style tea.


Dad on the MTR (subway)


Cousin Elisa


My shui gow dumplings+noodles and HK tea

After that, my Step-mom picked us up and we headed over to Tsim Sha Tsui to have dinner with her good friend, Joann. We walked along the waterfront before dinner, and saw Hong Kong Island from the Kowloon side.


Peninsula Hotel and Kowloon Hotel Buildings


Bruce Lee statue along the waterfront


Step-mom, May, and Dad, Peter, getting grilled cuttlefish at the waterfront


Hong Kong Island


Hong Kong Island

After dinner, we made our way over to Tin Hau for the Lantern and Fire Dragon festival. Photos and more to come on next post!

NYC - Week 2 Recap

Hmm, not sure how I will keep up on blogging for my Asia trip. It's very time consuming. I haven't even really written a lot about NYC, and now that I am back in the Bay Area for a minute, I feel like it's past time to write about it. BUT, can't leave you hanging right? Here we go!

NYC week 2 for me was all about just relaxing, especially after doing so much and going out a lot the previous week. I got to see more friends and even family this week, which was really nice. A friend once said that the key to living in NYC is to get out of the city ever so often. Really good advice, because the highlights of the week were taking long subway rides out of Manhattan, namely to Coney Island and to the US Open out in Queens (sporting event? whaaa??).

So...

Highlight #1 - Coney Island!!!



So glad I made it there with my girls, Jaizi and Kim! Couldn't have asked for a better crew to hang out with at this magical place. We aimed to get there just before sunset, and I have to say it was very picturesque and charming at that time. Although rides were kind of expensive, we managed to ride the infamous Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel, two must-dos if you are ever there. (The rides are part of different amusements parks, so you can't really buy discounted package tickets for these two rides.)





The Wonder Wheel was great! Make sure you go on a swinger car, because as the wheel turns during the ride, your car will slide down these rails and swing back and forth. Way better than a ferris wheel. I loved Jaizi's reaction...she made us all scream like little girls whenever our car moved.





The Cyclone was keraaaazzzy! I haven't been on a roller coaster in years! I'm glad I went on it this year, because had I been a year or two older, I am pretty sure I would have had a heart attack or serious whiplash. The drops were very steep and the ride in general was pretty rough and rocky, but SUPER FUN! I sat in a seat by myself (Jaizi and Kim were in the row behind me), and that ride flung me around side to side so many times, I don't even remember where I sat to begin with. I hope they never tear this ride down.







Highlight #2 - Going to the US Open

I'm not a tennis fan at all, but my friend Jason was in town and found cheap tickets on craigslist, so I thought, why not go check it out. It's not something I would do on my own; plus it was an opportunity to get out of town.

The US Open itself was an experience. It was interesting to see the people who went. Some people were really dressed up, while others were super casual. But Polo shirts were EVERYWHERE. We did not really sit in the stadium for a game very long. We had nosebleed seats, but we managed to watched a good chunk of the men's doubles match.




*the one shot of get of the court and there are no players on it!



I had more fun taking photos outside of the arena.





My favorite thing about this highlight really was taking the 7 Subway from Manhattan to Queens. It was nice getting to see other parts of NYC. There was an awesome block of graffiti along the ride.







Only regret was not going to Flushing for Asian food after. We were only one stop away. Golden Mall, I will find you some day!

Highlight #3 - Not Getting Bed Bugs!

I stayed at a hotel a couple nights, went to a movie theater, took a bus to Boston, and was in a lot of public spaces. Happy to report, no bed begs. I survived!

And now, on to get ready for my Asia trip. I am leaving on Monday night and am starting to pack. What to pack...what to pack...

Boston Day Trip

The East Coast is awesome for traveling state to state because everything is so close. Since I was in NYC, I took a 4-hr bus ride to Boston for a day trip to visit Angie, my dear childhood best friend. Sad to say though, all my visits to Boston (all 3) have only been day trips. Even though it's a smaller city than NYC, I wouldn't mind staying a couple days in Boston just to have a change of pace. It turned out to be a nice little get away from Manhattan.

So with less then 24 hours in Boston, I managed to check out a couple bars, grab a late brunch, and take a stroll in Boston Common. I can't remember the name of the first bar we went to, but we ended the night at Middlesex, a bar with a dance floor, Cambridge. It was really fun! Great energy, awesome music (R&B/Hip Hop/Disco), and everyone was just having a good time dancing.



The next day, we had the perfect brunch at The Paramount in Beacon Hill. We split a simple stack of pancakes, eggs, hash, and sausage...couldn't ask for anything more for that meal.



After finishing brunch, we walked it off at Boston Common. It was a beautiful day in the park and everyone was out and about. I think we encounted at least 4 wedding parties walking around/taking photos.







All in all a lovely trip! Wish I could have stayed longer.

*Little Travel Note*
The last time I went to Boston from NYC, I took the Chinatown Fung Wah bus, but that wasn't a good experience. It was raining that night, and on a full bus, I happened to get the one seat where rain dripped onto my lap! Luckily, I had a plastic bag at the time and just had to sit with it on my lap for 4 hours. This time, I tried out BoltBus, which was just as cheap as the Chinatown buses, plus it included free wi-fi. The wi-fi didn't work on my bus up to Boston, but it did on the bus back to NYC. Overall, more comfortable than the Chinatown bus, so I'd take it again.

NYC - Eats

My favorite thing about New York is all the food options here. Not only is the food good, but sometimes surprisingly cheap as well. Here are the standouts so far:



Magnolia Bakery - Key Lime Cheesecake

This bakery (of Sex in the City fame) is known for their cupcakes, but this little Key Lime Cheesecake was calling my name. It was pretty darn good. Not too dense or overly rich, with a hint of key lime. I sucked on the lime a little bit - bad idea.





Hampton Chutney - Masala Deluxe Dosa

This is it! This is my new favorite dish. It is a cross between a crepe and an injera (Ethiopian spongey bread), filled with yummy goodness. The Masala Deluxe had spinach, jack cheese and roasted tomato, and it came with your choice of chutney (we had cilantro - very refreshing). I shared one with my friend, so it was a perfect light dinner, but I could have easily eaten the whole thing. It was THAT good. Now I am going to have to find a dosa place in the Bay Area.



Soba-ya - Yuba Sashimi and Zaru Soba

Wow. One word: Fresh. My friend told me this place is best known for their hand-made noodles, and they did not disappoint. We started off with a few appetizers, but the Yuba Sashimi was outstanding. I could not believe how soft the tofu was. It was like silk. And my Zaru Soba was excellent. Very simple, just topped it off with Nori seaweed. So delicious!





Wah Mei Pork Chop Fast Food - Fried Chicken and Rice

I came here two visits ago. Sad I didn't get to eat this last time I was here, but made a trip this time around. Total hole-in-the-wall spot (barely any seating), but dang, this food is so good. Special super tasty gravy sauce with pickled vegetables over rice, little bit of cabbage, plus an egg on the side...mmmm. And the chicken leg? Nice crisp on the skin and the meat was moist. Yes, they are known for their pork chop, but please, try the chicken.

And that was Round 1 of NYC eats. More to come...

NYC - Week 1 Recap

I finally have a chance to just sit and veg out here in NYC. I've been here for just about a week now and my legs are tired from walking so much! (Not that I am complaining, I'm just not used to it yet.) Freddy has been taking me everywhere...from East Village, to Chinatown, to SoHo, to the Lower East Side, to West Village...mainly in lower Manhattan. It's so easy to walk through so many neighborhoods. It's my 5th time here in NYC, so there is not a lot of touristy things I want to see. (Although I am still making it a priority to Coney Island on this visit.)

So what have I been doing? Mainly, eating at yummy places along our walks. Going out at night for some (expensive) drinks (I will miss Seattle for cheap drinks). Going to bed late and waking up late. (But it's ok, because I will be totally fine when I get back to the West Coast since 4am=1am and 1pm=10am. See?)

NYC is pretty fun, but overwhelming. Never really thought I would feel like that, since I have been here before and loved it, but I think I am getting old (!). I'm not sure if I could live here very long given the chance. Just being here makes me feel like I need to take advantage of all that NYC has to offer...which is a TON of stuff, from nightlife, to shopping, to dining, to culture...it's quite a lot. And of course, this stuff ain't all free. I am amazed that so many people live here and are able to sustain the lifestyle they have. I can't imagine what kind of income I'd have to make to live comfortably in NYC.

Anyways, I will post photos of the restaurant spots shortly.