Birds chirping at 5 in the morning that wake you up. The evergreen trees swaying in the wind. Clear blue lakes and rivers. Mountains beyond mountains. The sound of laughter nearby. It looked like I could have been home in Seattle, or just outside of Seattle. But, in fact, I was more than 300 miles… Continue reading Not too far, but far enough
One of the nice things about Seattle is that there are so many options for quick day trips or weekend getaways that make you feel like you are hundreds of miles away from the city. Exhibit A: Taking the ferry to Bainbridge Island. My BFF had planned an outing to Bainbridge Island as a belated… Continue reading An island jaunt
It was only my second time kayaking and I was super excited. Bryce and I were in Kaikoura, a small beach town on the eastern coast of New Zealand's South Island. I got suckered into wanting to go on a seal kayak tour after Bryce brought me back a flyer from the lodge we were… Continue reading Kayaking in Kaikoura: A surprise encounter
It's crazy to think I got along just fine traveling on my own with no smart phone, let alone cell phone, back when I was in college. (This was more than a decade ago, eeek!) I'm so reliant on my phone now. How did I manage back then? I guess a decade ago I was… Continue reading That time I spent less than 24 hours in Rome — on purpose
We turned left onto the gravel path and slowly drove towards the end, where we could see a white house. On either side of the car were rows and rows of lush cherry trees. We assumed we were supposed to drive to the end of this path. A little uncertain, we drove slowly. When we… Continue reading Where we stayed: a cherry tree farm
Once again we arrived to our destination with me rubbing my eyes after waking up from another nap in the car. It was the late afternoon and Christchurch seemed quiet. We saw a few people zoom by on those motorized scooters you can rent. We also saw many of those green scooters just scattered along… Continue reading Christchurch: the rebuilding of a city
I don't have a sweet tooth. But, if there's one dessert I can get behind, it'd be a scoop of ice cream or soft serve on a hot, sunny day. Since our New Zealand trip was during summer, I supported many ice cream shops, ice cream buses, roadside stops and cafes. In New Zealand, they… Continue reading New Zealand and its real fruit ice cream
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" I silently screamed so as not to make a scene around all the other people. I've never stepped on hot coal, but I imagine this is what it would feel like. I quickly ran towards the ocean to soak my feet in the cold water. Our pool was definitely too hot. Like,… Continue reading The crowds and camaraderie at Hot Water Beach
Daylight savings time always messes with my body. I hate losing an hour of sleep. But, I guess the payoff is that you have an hour of extra daylight at the end of the day. This past Sunday, on Daylight Savings Day, Bryce and I decided to make full use of the wonderful sunny weather… Continue reading A quiet, friendly, place
Prior to the inception of this blog a month ago, a lot of traveling has occurred! Here is a little round-up of my 2018 adventures. Japan (January) -- I literally rung in the new year in Kamakura, Japan, where my grandma lives. Bryce, my mom and I walked to a nearby temple and rang a… Continue reading 2018 travel year in review
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