Jordan and Turkey have been on my bucket list for a long time and what triggered us to go was the 40% bonus transfer from Amex points to British Airways Avios and Qatar Airways joining the Avios point program so we can redeem just 57,200 points (normally 80,000 Avios) for a one-way business class ticket… Read More A Wonderful Overnight Stay in Doha, Qatar to Check Off the 49th Country
Having been to Japan, it’s one of the friendliest, cleanest, and safest countries I visited. I couldn’t recommend enough to experience the Japanese culture even though language might be a barrier but all the locals are so friendly to help you out anytime! My stay in Japan was mostly in Tokyo and Kyoto area so… Read More Guest Post – 4 of the most unique experiences in Japan
Our flight from Taipei to Seoul was at 4:35 PM so we had enough time to try another famous beef noodle soup place called 老牌牛肉拉面大王. It was hard to locate it as it is hidden in between the streets inside a local tucked away outdoor market but we managed to find it. It just opened… Read More Wearing Hanbok to Explore the Palaces of Seoul, South Korea
Our breakfast was the pastries from Chia Te and headed out for our day of visiting temples in Taipei. The first one we went to was Qingshui Temple (清水巖), once again, nested in between residential buildings. We were the only tourists there and the worshipers inside were very friendly and didn’t mind that we take photos.… Read More Taipei – temples and food!
Our Kyoto to Kansai Airport train ride was smooth as by this time we were more familiar with the busy Kyoto Train Station to find our way. We purchased the Limited Express Haruka discounted ticket by showing our Icoca & Haruka and passport at the ticket office the night before so we just hop on any Limited… Read More Taipei – Day Trip to Shifen, Jiufen, and night food market
After a few days in the busy and crowded Tokyo and Kyoto, I was looking for some peace and quietness so I decided to take a day trip to Nara first thing in the morning. In less than an hour train ride, we arrived at Nara by 8 am and took a long walk to the… Read More Avoid the Crowds – Day Trip to Nara
After a good night sleep on the very comfortable bed of ANA Crowne Plaza Kyoto Hotel, we were refreshed and ready to explore more of the beautiful city of Kyoto. We walked toward Nijō Castle to catch the train to Fushimi Inari Shrine ad passed the castle wall: It took a little more than half an hour… Read More Kyoto – Infinite Torii Gates at Fushimi Inari Shrine and the Famous Wagyu and Hirai Steaks!
Our first experience of the famous bullet train (Shinkansen) from Tokyo’s Shinagawa Station to Kyoto in 2 hours 10 minutes! It was an expensive ride nevertheless: 14,110 yen with seat reservation per person, ouch! This was our only long-distance train ride as we only visit Tokyo and Kyoto, flying out of Osaka, so I did the… Read More Sightseeing in Style: Kimono in Kyoto
We made our journey from Mount Etna to Mount Fuji for the Shibazakura Festival where a carpet of “Pink Moss” covered the ground with Mount Fuji as the backdrop. When I accidentally came across the flower festivals in Japan and saw photos of Shibazakura Festival, I was like “wow!” I never ever heard of it and I guess… Read More From Mount Etna to Mount Fuji for the “Pink Moss”
We finally saw Mount Enta cleared up but that was the moment we were about to leave the hotel for our 3.5 hours journey to Palermo Airport. The drive to Palermo was okay until we almost reach the city – traffic! Our flight was at 12:45 pm and we returned the car, walked into the… Read More From Sicily to Tokyo: The Morning Commute Challenge
