Category: Destination

  • Chubu Day 2: Takayama, Shirakawa-go, and the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway

    I woke up relaxed and refreshed, thanks to our dip at the onsen the previous night. After a heavy breakfast at the hotel, we were soon pulling out of the drive and into Takayama. It’s Sunday, which meant that there’s a morning market by the Miyagawa river. Our bus driver parked beside the Takayama Betsuin…

  • Chubu Day 1: Gujo City and Takayama

    We felt the cold weather as we stepped off the plane unto the jetway. Stuck in the middle seat for three and a half hours, I made a beeline for the toilet as soon as I am inside the airport terminal, and was reintroduced to the wonder that is the Japanese toilet seat. Mmmmm, warm…

  • Getting to know Japan’s Chubu Region

    I am back from Japan, missing the cold weather and my daily dose of Hot Lemon. The trip was a great way to cap my year, as I turn 34 tomorrow. By the riverside in Takayama The Chubu region lies in the center of Japan, with Nagoya as its main domestic and international gateway.

  • Snapshot Chubu

    A couple of years ago, I have given up on going to Japan. Back then, it seemed like an impossible dream. Then I won round trip place tickets to Osaka. I took that as a sign that I am indeed meant to fulfill one of my travel dreams. After that first trip to Japan, I…

  • Project Greece

    As always, I plan my trips with Excel. Here’s the one I made for Greece, cleaned up just a bit to remove notes for our group (everybody had access to it), and fixed the formatting a little. I’ve also included a sheet with my actual travel expenses during the trip, and another sheet with these…

  • Travel Expenses: Greece

    First foray to Europe, and was pleasantly surprised that I did not go over budget! Of course, the airfare was expensive, and the visa application also cost me a couple of thousand of pesos (I did not include them in this list of expenses), but the overall expenses during the trip was lower than expected.…

  • Snapshot: Mykonos

    I love Mykonos. No fancy words, no flowery sentences. I love this place. I didn’t really have any expectations for the place. It was Chris who added it to our itinerary, and apart from knowing it’s one of the most visited islands in Greece, I know nothing about Mykonos. After nearly three hours at sea,…

  • Snapshot: Santorini

    “Why would you go with him, he’s gay,” said one of the touts that met us when we docked into Santorini’s port. Suddenly, I was reminded of our time in Fez, where touts and scams followed us in the medina. Santorini, for us, did not give a good first impression. The white buildings and blue…

  • Snapshot: Heraklion

    Heraklion was a bit of a letdown. After the beauty of Chania’s old town, and the breath taking views of the sea we saw during the nearly three-hour long bus ride, we were underwhelmed by Heraklion. Iraklio, as it is sometimes spelled, is the main reason why we’re in Greece in the first place. The…