Kyoto, Japan | food highlights
As promised here is my attempt at rewiring the remnant food memories largely corrupted by intermittent inebriation and the crumbling weight of time. So this will be more of a photo essay than a piece of prose on a select few places that I thoroughly enjoyed in Kyoto. For the short amount of time spent … Continue reading
Kyoto, Japan (central & western districts)
Previous chapters in my Japan travels: Tokyo part1, part2 // Yokohama // Nara // Kyoto part1. My exploration of western Kyoto (Arashiyama area) began at Otagi Nenbutsu Ji – a short bus ride north of Arashiyama – which is a little known temple on the outskirts decorated with more than 1200 Buddhist statues, most of which are more cartoonish … Continue reading
Kyoto, Japan (Eastern district)
It is the general rule that I am terribly slow at writing up my travel posts. They come at a snail’s pace and with vast gaps of time. But better late than never… It is only now that a few friends are currently eating their way around Japan, I have been enviously and rather eagerly … Continue reading
Guide to Vietnam – Hanoi day 3
Aside from all the activities revolving around food and eating, I did visit landmarks scattered around Hanoi. Today’s focus lay west of Hoan Kiem Lake. First stop: Thang Long Royal Citadel. Several Vietnamese dynasties have resided here in this royal palace. The glory days of the palace have certainly passed, with prevalent marks of gunshots … Continue reading
Guide to Vietnam – Day 2 in Hanoi
Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot … there would be much pavement pounding yet ahead… It is surprising how quick your mind adapts, and stops worrying about the potholes ahead of you or darting your eyes frantically to avoid traffic catastrophe. It all slowly blends into the backdrop of your mind, as you … Continue reading
Guide to Vietnam – Day 1 in Hanoi
Have you been wondering where has Almost Always Ravenous been since April (aka my last post)? I have taken a breather away from blogging and given myself a little headspace to reshuffle and rationalise my career calling. Of course there would be no moping around feeling depressed; rather there is no better way to get … Continue reading
A Day in Nara, Japan
If one can draw your memory far back enough to when I first started posting my travels to Japan, it has in fact been almost one year. Time does fly. I have since unpacked, repacked, gone and come back from Europe – which is similarly overdue for completion. Whilst the majestic scenery, bustling city life … Continue reading
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. … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 >>>Â 1Â /Â 2Â /Â 3Â /Â 4Â / 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 >>>Â 1Â /Â 2Â /Â 3Â /Â 5Â / 6
POSTCARD FROM JAPAN #3
Kiyomizu temple at the edge of a cliff. For more postcards from Japan >>>Â 1Â /Â 2Â /Â 4Â /Â 5Â /Â 6
POSTCARD FROM JAPAN #2
Tofu is unbelievably smooth and velvety in Japan. For more postcards from Japan >>>Â 1Â /Â 3Â /Â 4Â /Â 5Â /Â 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 … Continue reading
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… … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
Almost Always Ravenous 