Took a week long trip to China last week. Went to Shanghai and Yangshuo. I'll give a more detailed post later, but take a look at the pictures. The pictures below should entice you to go look! Yangshuo and Shanghai
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Last days in HK
Wow, the semester is nearly over. 4 more days until I head back to the US. I really don't want to leave and reenter the real world. It has been like a 3 month vacation. So these last few days I am have to scramble around to study for my finals, see everything in HK I haven't seen yet, trek up to Shenzhen to get my custom made suit, and pack! ahhhh
Took a week long trip to China last week. Went to Shanghai and Yangshuo. I'll give a more detailed post later, but take a look at the pictures. The pictures below should entice you to go look! Yangshuo and Shanghai
Took a week long trip to China last week. Went to Shanghai and Yangshuo. I'll give a more detailed post later, but take a look at the pictures. The pictures below should entice you to go look! Yangshuo and Shanghai
Saturday, April 25, 2009
recap of trip to japan
Finally time for my thoughts on japan and and summary of my trip. First of all, I couldn't have a better tour guide! Being able to speak japanese definitely helped me experience more of japan than if I were on my own (plus he's just so cute :) ). We were there right during the peak of Cherry blossom season, which made everything so beautiful. On top of that, there was hardly a cloud in the sky the whole time and only rained once on a travel day, so it didn't even matter that much.
I guess rather than fully describe where I went I will just try to briefly summarize the sights.
In Tokyo
We spent the last part of the trip in Kanazawa, a small historic town in Western Japan.
Japan is also quite expensive, at least compared to other Asian countries and Hong Kong. For example, a ride on the train costs between $1.10 and $3.00, while in Hong Kong the train is usually less than $1, almost always less than $3.
Tokyo is so sprawling, while Hong Kong is very dense. In Hong Kong, there are so many high rises, but in Tokyo most people seem to live in houses. The majority of apartment complexes seemed to be less than 10 stories. The train system is representative of that. It is very extensive, but so complicated! (the picture below is just one of the train systems! there are different systems with different maps!)
I'm going to miss the japanese toilets. Heated seats, sprayers, music. Definitely the most technologically advanced things in many places! I'll also miss the udon, gyoza and yakatori. I'll also miss my tour guide!
I guess rather than fully describe where I went I will just try to briefly summarize the sights.
In Tokyo
- Meiji Shrine
- Harajuku-Really cool hip area with neat stores.
- Yasukuni Shrine-loads of cherry blossoms. Had food stalls set up all along major walks. Accross the street was a park with even more cherry blossoms. There were hoards of students there for the beginning of their semester ceremony...we were probably the only white people there.
- Shibuya crossing- the busiest crossing in the world, a 5 way scramble crossing. Starbucks has a prime realestate looking over the crossing, but didn't allow pictures. (I got one anyway though!)
- Yanaka-a suburban feeling, calmer area of tokyo. Had a pedestrian only street market where I tried this awsome meat bun (don't know what it was called)
- Akihabra-anime district with lots of arcades
- Odaiba-man made island. Big ferris wheel, fuji televeision building and a toyota car exposition. Sat in a 129,000 lexus!
- View from top of government building-Tokyo is so sprawling!
- Tea at the Park Hyatt. Not the same as the Penninsula, although the tea was really good!
- Imperial palace
- Mount Fuji! Saw it from the train to Kyoto. We got the rare chance to see it clearly--it was so clear that even the japanese were taking pictures!
- Had sushi for about the 3rd time in my life. I couldn't leave japan without having sushi! It was really good though! I would definitely have it again, although I don't know if sushi in the US can live up to it....
- Kyomizu Shrine-more cherry blossoms and pretty buildings.
- Sanjusangendo- Japans longest wooden building filled with 1001 lifesized statures of Kannons. No pictures allowed inside, but the gardens around were beautiful
- Heian Shrine- Cherry blossom overload!
- Golden Pavillion
We spent the last part of the trip in Kanazawa, a small historic town in Western Japan.
- Higashi Chaya District-A geisha district. Although we didnt' se any geishas walking around, we got a feeling for old japan. This area had a lot of cool businesses and shops
- Temples galore! There were multiple temple districts in Kanazawa. Literally, you would turn a corner and there would be a temple only about 50 feet in front of you. They were also so peaceful and no one else was really there.
- Kenrouken Garden-Considered one of the best gardens in Japan and it definitely live up to that!
- Kanazawa Castle
- Ninja Temple-A temple where the king could come and pray, but protected by ninjas! Looked like it was only 2 floors from the outside, but was actually 4! All sorts of trap doors and secret rooms. I felt like if I wasn't careful, a ninja might come and attack me!
- Yamanaka onsen- a day trip from kanazawa. Soaked our feet in natural hot springs (really hot! 43 degrees celsius=110 degrees F). We planned on going in the actual bath, but worried we wouldn't be able to stand the heat!
- Walk along the river in Yamanaka onsen, famous for its bridges.
- Had the best gyoza ever! This place has been making gyoza for over 100 years. and it showed!
Japan is also quite expensive, at least compared to other Asian countries and Hong Kong. For example, a ride on the train costs between $1.10 and $3.00, while in Hong Kong the train is usually less than $1, almost always less than $3.
Tokyo is so sprawling, while Hong Kong is very dense. In Hong Kong, there are so many high rises, but in Tokyo most people seem to live in houses. The majority of apartment complexes seemed to be less than 10 stories. The train system is representative of that. It is very extensive, but so complicated! (the picture below is just one of the train systems! there are different systems with different maps!)
I'm going to miss the japanese toilets. Heated seats, sprayers, music. Definitely the most technologically advanced things in many places! I'll also miss the udon, gyoza and yakatori. I'll also miss my tour guide!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
My Rainy Weekend in Taipei or: How I went to the top of the tallest building in the world!
This weekend, I took a trip to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. I went with a group of 4 people and we left early Thursday and got back late on Sunday. It rained almost the whole time we were there. I only saw blue sky the afternoon we arrived and the morning we left. Otherwise, rain or drizzle the whole time. Thankfully, I stayed dry with my raincoat, but my umbrella got lost somewhere in transit.
Anyway, I'm done with my complaints about the weather. It seemed all the exchange students at HKUST were going to Taiwan this weekend. We ran into 4 different groups at some point on the trip and we knew of others who were there too. We stayed in a hostel, which was actually quite nice. The 4 of us had our own private room and bathroom which was extremely convenient, secure and comfortable. The hostel had a
good location, too, close to the train and one of Taipei's many night markets.
The afternoon we got there, we explored some of the sights near the hostel. We saw the Taipei botanical gardens, the Chiang Kai Shek memorial and the presidential office. The memorial also included the buildings for the national theater and concert hall. The whole area of the memorial was quite grandiose with a large square in the middle. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see good ole Chiang, as the doors to the memorial hall closed soon after we got there.
The next day, it was raining (of course), but we still stuck it out and saw things...mostly temples. We saw the larger ones: Longshan, Confusian, and Paoan. The cool thing in Taipei is that you might be walking down a street that has different shops and all of a sudden, an ornate temple is right next to you, just as if it were another store front! Compared to temples I have seen in Hong Kong and other parts of China, Taipei temples seem to be the most elaborate, especially with intricate carvings of dragons on the roofs and other animals on the roofs. We also saw the Sun Yet Sen memorial hall. We arrived just in time to see the elaborate ceremony for the changing of the guards. Here's a video of part of it:
On saturday we made our way over to the weekend jade market, which was convieniently situated underneath an overpass, so it was nice and dry. There were jade vendors as far as you could see. Once you finished with the jade market, accross the street was the weekend flower market. So many different kinds of flowers, plants and trees. There were beautiful orchids and bonzai trees. I wish I could take some home with me!
Later on Saturday, we made our way up to Danshui, the city on the mouth of the river. The city had an old vibe to it, with lots of street vendors, old buildings and temples. There was a boardwalk right along the river front that had carnival games and food. There were squids on a stick that were probably only caught a few hours before. Had the weather been better, I'm sure it would have been bustling with people and fishermen selling their catch. On the way back we went to the Shilin Night market. This is the biggest and most vibrant of all the night markets in Taipei. There is a large section for food stands and winding streets full of of trendy clothing shops. I didn't buy much (except for food, which I will talk about at the end!)
On Sunday morning, it finally was clear. We took the train and then the bus to the Yongmingshan National Park, Taipei's "backyard" as its advertised. We did a short hike to a open area on mountain where we were in the clouds! We kept walking down trecherous stairs made even more dangerous by the mist toward a visitor center and hot spring. Taiwan has interesting geological characteristics where there are many mountains, gorges, hot springs and even volcanoes! Sadly, the hot spring was closed for cleaning from 1-2:30 and we arrived just after 1. So I brough my bathing suit for nothing...so sad. It was nice to get out of the city for a while, however.
Following lunch back in the downtown area, we went over to Taipei 101: the tallest completed building in the world! One other person and I went up to the top (the other two didn't go, since it was too expensive...400 TWD (a little more than $10 usd, which couldn't get you into the sears tower or most museums in the US). But it is basically the symbol of Taiwan...its picture is on all their advertisements. Anyway, in addition to being the tallest building right now, it also has the fastest elevators in the world. It only took about 35 seconds to go up to the 89th floor , traveling at about 40 mph! It is actually quite an architectural marvel given that Taipei must endure cyclones and earthquakes! It really stands out since there are only a total of 2 skyscrapers in all of Taipei. To read more about Taipei 101, its accolades and interesting symbolism, visit wikipedia.
After our trip to the top of the man made world, we headed back to the hostel and then on to the airport to head back to Hong Kong.
Now to the most important part of our trip: the food! Actually, the majority of the trip was built upon the restaurants and night markets we wanted to go to. The Shilin Night market had all sorts of local treats. I had fresh donuts, sweet sesame pancakes, barbecue, pork and veggie dumplings, fresh fruit (some of which I had never seen or tasted before), bubble tea (it was invented in Taipei and actually has real fruit in it), a scallion bun, and the local favorite, chicken pounded thin and tender, fried and sprinkled with spices. Soo good. There isn't such a street food culture here in Hong Kong, or at least I haven't found it yet.
We also ate at real restaurants, usually for lunch. We had great hot pot (kind of like fondue, but with broth instead of oil) at a restaurant where the stove top was built right into the table. We also went to an all you can eat buffet. The food was decent, but the main attraction were the desserts. I had a great cream puff pastry, some sort of Taiwanese fruit custard, and really good chocolate cake.
Taipei also had lots of bakeries too. There were usually a couple on every block. They had some traditional western baked goods, but also had traditional chinese pastries. My favorite was a rice ball filled with peanut butter (Nou Mi Zi...wikipedia it).
Overall, despite the weather, it was a good trip. I think if I were to go back to Taiwan, I definitely want to explore the southern region of the country, where there are really neat nature sites. But my traveling might be done until spring break in japan...school is getting in the way.
Keep an eye out for more pictures!
Anyway, I'm done with my complaints about the weather. It seemed all the exchange students at HKUST were going to Taiwan this weekend. We ran into 4 different groups at some point on the trip and we knew of others who were there too. We stayed in a hostel, which was actually quite nice. The 4 of us had our own private room and bathroom which was extremely convenient, secure and comfortable. The hostel had a
good location, too, close to the train and one of Taipei's many night markets.The afternoon we got there, we explored some of the sights near the hostel. We saw the Taipei botanical gardens, the Chiang Kai Shek memorial and the presidential office. The memorial also included the buildings for the national theater and concert hall. The whole area of the memorial was quite grandiose with a large square in the middle. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see good ole Chiang, as the doors to the memorial hall closed soon after we got there.
The next day, it was raining (of course), but we still stuck it out and saw things...mostly temples. We saw the larger ones: Longshan, Confusian, and Paoan. The cool thing in Taipei is that you might be walking down a street that has different shops and all of a sudden, an ornate temple is right next to you, just as if it were another store front! Compared to temples I have seen in Hong Kong and other parts of China, Taipei temples seem to be the most elaborate, especially with intricate carvings of dragons on the roofs and other animals on the roofs. We also saw the Sun Yet Sen memorial hall. We arrived just in time to see the elaborate ceremony for the changing of the guards. Here's a video of part of it:
Later on Saturday, we made our way up to Danshui, the city on the mouth of the river. The city had an old vibe to it, with lots of street vendors, old buildings and temples. There was a boardwalk right along the river front that had carnival games and food. There were squids on a stick that were probably only caught a few hours before. Had the weather been better, I'm sure it would have been bustling with people and fishermen selling their catch. On the way back we went to the Shilin Night market. This is the biggest and most vibrant of all the night markets in Taipei. There is a large section for food stands and winding streets full of of trendy clothing shops. I didn't buy much (except for food, which I will talk about at the end!)
On Sunday morning, it finally was clear. We took the train and then the bus to the Yongmingshan National Park, Taipei's "backyard" as its advertised. We did a short hike to a open area on mountain where we were in the clouds! We kept walking down trecherous stairs made even more dangerous by the mist toward a visitor center and hot spring. Taiwan has interesting geological characteristics where there are many mountains, gorges, hot springs and even volcanoes! Sadly, the hot spring was closed for cleaning from 1-2:30 and we arrived just after 1. So I brough my bathing suit for nothing...so sad. It was nice to get out of the city for a while, however.
Following lunch back in the downtown area, we went over to Taipei 101: the tallest completed building in the world! One other person and I went up to the top (the other two didn't go, since it was too expensive...400 TWD (a little more than $10 usd, which couldn't get you into the sears tower or most museums in the US). But it is basically the symbol of Taiwan...its picture is on all their advertisements. Anyway, in addition to being the tallest building right now, it also has the fastest elevators in the world. It only took about 35 seconds to go up to the 89th floor , traveling at about 40 mph! It is actually quite an architectural marvel given that Taipei must endure cyclones and earthquakes! It really stands out since there are only a total of 2 skyscrapers in all of Taipei. To read more about Taipei 101, its accolades and interesting symbolism, visit wikipedia.After our trip to the top of the man made world, we headed back to the hostel and then on to the airport to head back to Hong Kong.
Now to the most important part of our trip: the food! Actually, the majority of the trip was built upon the restaurants and night markets we wanted to go to. The Shilin Night market had all sorts of local treats. I had fresh donuts, sweet sesame pancakes, barbecue, pork and veggie dumplings, fresh fruit (some of which I had never seen or tasted before), bubble tea (it was invented in Taipei and actually has real fruit in it), a scallion bun, and the local favorite, chicken pounded thin and tender, fried and sprinkled with spices. Soo good. There isn't such a street food culture here in Hong Kong, or at least I haven't found it yet.
We also ate at real restaurants, usually for lunch. We had great hot pot (kind of like fondue, but with broth instead of oil) at a restaurant where the stove top was built right into the table. We also went to an all you can eat buffet. The food was decent, but the main attraction were the desserts. I had a great cream puff pastry, some sort of Taiwanese fruit custard, and really good chocolate cake.
Taipei also had lots of bakeries too. There were usually a couple on every block. They had some traditional western baked goods, but also had traditional chinese pastries. My favorite was a rice ball filled with peanut butter (Nou Mi Zi...wikipedia it).
Overall, despite the weather, it was a good trip. I think if I were to go back to Taiwan, I definitely want to explore the southern region of the country, where there are really neat nature sites. But my traveling might be done until spring break in japan...school is getting in the way.
Keep an eye out for more pictures!
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