Kyoto

Mom made it back to Taipei, and we decided to continue our adventure by jetting off to Japan.  Our original plan was to visit Tokyo, but ticket prices and availability were not in our favor.  After a little research we decided on Kyoto, which turned out to be the perfect choice.  I fell in love with the city, and was awestruck by some of the sights.  The trip started off a little rough.  We waited about an hour and a half to get through immigration, all while fighting the hoards of people trying to cut in front of us.  We finally made it out of the airport, and after a little confusion got onto the standing room train. The craziness continued when we made it into the city about two hours later, but with some help from the locals made it to our hotel.  

Some highlights of our trip included Arashiyama, where we saw wild monkeys and a bamboo forest, Tenryuji Temple, Ryoanji Temple, Kinkakjui Temple, Fushimi Inari TaishaKiyomizu-dera Temple, Yasaka Shrine, and Nishiki Market.  Not a bad number to squeeze into a long weekend!  Here are some photos from the weekend.  

Hong Kong

Photo Diary from Hong Kong 

Buddha

Sky 100

Singapore

I hadn't heard much about Singapore before I went except that it was extremely clean and very expensive.  Both turned out to be true, but I must say I loved the city.  I was inspired to visit Singapore after learning that my childhood best friend Rebecca was there teaching at an international school.    We were neighbors when I was five, and hadn't seen each other in years.   Its amazing how life works out!  I flew into Singapore early Friday morning, and met Rebecca at her school.  It was a beautiful campus, which wasn't surprising after learning student tuition is around $40,000 a year.  I spent the day exploring while she was working, and saw some stunning sights.  Here are some highlights from the beautiful city.

Walked into this temple and was fascinated by what I saw.  There were about 15-20 monks sitting and chanting, while people were waiting in line throughout the temple to give each monk a red envelope.  

Marina Bay at Night

Big S and Skeyes Taiwan Takeover

I have met many people throughout my time in Asia, and most have not been as lucky as me with visitors.  When I found out Sarah was coming to visit, I was beyond excited.  Her flight arrived late on a Sunday night, and our first stop was a late night dinner.  It didn't matter that we hadn't seen each other in over a year, it was like we were still roommates.  Unfortunately I had to work all week, but Sarah was able to do some exploring on her own, and catch up on sleep.  We hit as many sights as we could, including Taipei 101, Beitou Hot Springs, Yehliu Geopark and some of the memorials.

A highlight of Sarah's trip has to be our night at Shilin night market followed by shrimp fishing.  We sampled a few of my favorites, like dumplings and fried mashed potato balls filled with nacho cheese and broccoli.  Sarah was able to stock up on souvenirs and venture through the crowds and smells of the market.   She wasn't a fan of stinky tofu... 

After the night market we went shrimp fishing.  This local favorite is actually open 24 hours!  We arrived around midnight, and were greeted by a group of guys sitting around drinking Taiwan beer.  We got our poles, took our seats, and were quickly handed four beers to enjoy.  Being two western girls, people assume we have no idea what were are doing, and are eager to come help.  Surprisingly there is some skill to catching shrimp as you sit around the pool, and with a little help we were on fire!  One of the older men that worked there came and showed me how to take off the pinchers in order to take the shrimp off the hook.   I  wasn't sure at first how I felt about ripping the pinchers off a live shrimp, but quickly learned my lesson after getting pinched.  I had no mercy after that.  Sarah and I ended up catching around 15 shrimp, and I even caught two on the same hook at one point. 

  

Another highlight of our trip was visiting Kaoshiung.  We took the high speed rail to this southern city, and Sarah got a great lesson on the way about seat cushions.  We made it to the city, and after a few minutes of confusion went to see the Buddhist Monastery.  It was a gorgeous area, and very different from what the city offers.  Our next stop was the Lotus Pond, which is surrounded by temples and statues.   We received a lot of good luck that day!

Overall, exploring Taiwan with Sarah was an amazing experience, and I think she had a great time too...even with all the rain!

P.S. only a true friend brings you a packet of your favorite Chick Fil A sauce from across the world xxx