My interest in beaches is like my SAT verbal score… it’s nonzero, but not very much so. Maybe around the 10th percentile among people. However, you can’t really drive down the Pacific Coast Highway without immersing yourself in… the Pacific Coast. Therefore, we made a ton of beach and sea side stops along the way.
The Great 2020 California Road Trip (2/7) – Hotels
While the main destination of our road trip was San Diego, we selected our stops all over California to both break down the drive and maximize stuff to see. We spent the seven nights in seven different hotels across seven cities. The purpose of this road trip was in part to burn our stash of
The Great 2020 California Road Trip (1/7) – Heading Out During COVID
In a completely unprecedented move, our family packed a rental car in mid-August and drove down the Pacific Coast Highway. 2020 was supposed to be a kickass year for vacations. Plans made as far back as May 2019 were the definition of perfection, with many of our favorite flights, hotels, and destinations carefully stringed together.
Pacific Islands (10/10) – Japan Favorites
Time flies when you’re having fun. As we were just getting used to the pace and train systems of Osaka, it was time to head home. We flew Asiana Airlines, connecting through Incheon. It was a nice stop as we both were quite fond of Korea. Guess we stayed in Japan long enough to pick
Pacific Islands (9/10) – Tasty Japan
Here comes another food post. Let me start by saying that we would not be having a conversation about food in Japan without mentioning 7-Eleven. I love 7-Eleven, and somehow there’s less shame implicated when I refer to a convenience store in Asia, versus its American Big Gulp counterpart. Anyhow. The convenient foods in these
Pacific Islands (8/10) – Osaka Urban Hangouts
Because trains are the dominant means of transportation for people in Japan, the areas surrounding major train stations are prime real estate. The amount of urban development and connectivity in some of these neighborhoods is simply incredible. For example, around Osaka/Umeda Stations in the northern part of Osaka, there’s a complex network of footbridges and
Pacific Islands (7/10) – Deer & Whale Shark
As an advocate for urban lifestyle and mass transit, I absolutely love Japan’s train systems. As a temporary visitor, though, I find them to be also headache-inducing. Among our destinations, between every point A and point B, there were at least two train routes, sometimes operated by different companies. From there, there were different train
Pacific Islands (6/10) – Castle Day
Traveling not only enables people to see cool stuff and taste delicious food around the world. More importantly, it allows us to observe and interact with people from other cultures, bridge understanding, and break through stereotypes. It is a natural way for people to see one another as human beings rather than scary foreigners. Living
Pacific Islands (5/10) – Osaka via Shinkansen
We flew into Tokyo because it was the most convenient flight we could find, but we meant to see Osaka. In order to head westward via Shinkansen 新幹線, the high-speed rail, we first took a local train to Tokyo Station. Tokyo Station High-speed trains between Tokyo and Osaka ran every few minutes. Even the Nozomi
Pacific Islands (4/10) – On To Japan
During our last vacation, we went from the bustling Bangkok to the island resort of Koh Samui. This time around, we flew from Hawaii to spend the second half of the trip in Japan. While I like warm and scenic beaches, and love hanging out with family, what really pumps me up with vacation energy