Day 3 in Japan – Tokyo culture
Outside our hotel just before our trek across the various parts of Tokyo, we had our first sighting of snow. The precipitation was one of huge crystal snowflakes that quickly seeped through non-water-resistant clothing. First stop: Tokyo national museum (Ueno). Located north of central Tokyo, this is a popular place amongst Japanese history / culture fanatics. … Read more
Day 2 – detour to Yokohama
Morning crowd in Shinjuku. Despite the buzz of food everywhere you step foot in Japan, one will actually find it hard to find a decent breakfast. The options are limited, and they come few and far between. A quick breakfast of ramen. Step 1: order at the counter. Step 2: collect ramen and add … Read more
Eating through Japan – Tokyo Day 1
It is 9am in local Tokyo time. It has been more than 10 hours of flight time across land and ocean. A little disoriented, we fumble around Narita airport to organise a one way trip to Shinjuku on the Narita Express. The language barrier is not immediately apparent … but will soon realise otherwise. Travel … Read more
Postcard from Japan #5
Light, delicate and absolutely moreish tempura lotus. I think I had way too much at this one sitting… For more postcards from Japan >>> 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 6
POSTCARD FROM JAPAN #4
Guess where this is? And can you guess what I ate here? I’ll give you a clue – its long, thin and sits in a bowl of soup. For more postcards from Japan >>> 1 / 2 / 3 / 5 / 6
POSTCARD FROM JAPAN #3
Kiyomizu temple at the edge of a cliff. For more postcards from Japan >>> 1 / 2 / 4 / 5 / 6
POSTCARD FROM JAPAN #2
Tofu is unbelievably smooth and velvety in Japan. For more postcards from Japan >>> 1 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6
Postcard from Japan #1
Hello all. Hope all is well. It has been some time since I last posted. This was supposed to be a “hello from Japan”, being a series of postcards intended to be shared with everyone whilst travelling across Japan, but have taken much longer to edit and publish than I had anticipated. There will be a … Read more
China – Nanjing & Wuxi through my camera (part 3)
After several months of um’ing and ah’ing over which photos to post on my blog, I have finally come to the conclusion that there is no friggin way I can get realistically get them all up. Plus, I’m sure nobody wants to see every 5 minutes of my holiday being splayed out in chronological order… … Read more
China – part2 Oriental SuZhou
Settled more than 2500 years ago, Suzhou is rich in history and culture. It is infamous for its iconic monochrome architecture (aka black tiles and white walls), which has become distinctly representative of Oriental construction. Few will probably know that this city is built on a historically disaster free zone, neither too dry or too … Read more
China – part1
Before I jump into it, a quick note on the tour details… To cut a long story short, there are now tours available at most “Asian” travel agents providing an itinerary that is partially (mostly) reimbursed by the Chinese government with an aim to increase cultural tourism. Costs around $100AUS up for tours lasting for days to … Read more
Sneak peek of my China travels
Beginning at the lower reaches of the Yangtze river westward to the mountainous regions bordering South East Asia, we travel through many cities, cultures and of course consuming much food, ranging through good, average and utterly dreadful. Anyways whilst I sift through my 2000 snapshots, here is a quick reel of photos giving a sneak … Read more
NZ part 9 – final chapter
In the days, weeks and even months after a much needed indulgent, relaxing and refreshing holiday, many of us – unfortunately – fall prey to post-holiday blues. People say contemplating the next holiday helps, but seriously? I do that and I feel more depressed that it is so so so long away. Though sad to … Read more
NZ part 8 – taken on the run!
We accumulated a hell-of-a-lot of mileage on our rental car in New Zealand! Here’s a few shots of our experience on the road. Note some photos were taken literally on the run, and may cause a little nausea and queasiness, so please have a bag ready if your susceptible to sea / car sickness =P. In … Read more
NZ part 7 – honey, ice cream, ribs and sushi ??
This week marked the beginning of another chapter in my life, now putting into clinical practice what I’ve learnt in theory over the last 6 years. It has been a long week of irritating pager *beeps*, extreme multitasking and unbelievably steep learning curve, not to mention the stress of responsibility. I promise, as I ease … Read more
NZ part 6 – Blooms, arches and shadows from Hamilton
Now before I rush into the food, I must first guide you through this stunning garden of wondrous arches and blooming colours… Entrance way to the Paradise Collection of Hamilton Gardens. Left: A cone of line towards the Chinese Gardens. Right: Glimmering Renaissance latticework. Chinese column-roof decorations no doubt. A different sort of arch – one … Read more
NZ trip part 5 – in the Heart of Mordor.
Given my busyness of late – starting work – I think I am going to have to speed things up a bit and post all my photo collections from New Zealand, and try to post the more descriptive pieces when I can. Enjoy! Originally I was planning on taking one of the BEST walks in New Zealand – … Read more
Lord Stow’s Portuguese Tarts – Macao
A quick post from my Asia collection… 1 Rua Do Tassara, Coloane Town Square, Macao 28882534 Craving for egg tarts, I looked through some of my HK / Macao photos and realised I had not yet posted (among many other posts) about Macao’s infamous Portuguese Tarts. Macao rule #1 (an adaptation from an age old … Read more
NZ part 4 – perilous land of Fire, Rotorua
Nicknamed the Sulfur City, Rotorua sits on a geothermally active site providing it with beautiful eruptions of geysers, thermally heated waters for spas and unmistakably a cloud of sulfide (sulfur) emissions akin to the smell of rotten eggs. You can really only fully appreciate the ubiquitous nature of the odor when you have arrived – it smells … Read more
