Our first stop in the Philippines was Manila, the capital city. A sprawling metropolis, it was quite built up, chaotic and not exactly the loveliest place. However, we were only there for a few days as it’s often used a launchpad before heading to other parts of the country. manila # After a couple of days loitering around Manila, we hopped on an overnight ferry to Coron, our first true destination. ...
Ah, Taiwan. One of the places I look back on most fondly. Arriving from South Korea, we took the train from the airport to our accomodation in Taipei, the capital of the country. The streets here reminded me of some Chinese cities, but with a more expressive and open atmosphere. There was still the messy streets, the smell of street food stalls and the density of other megacities, but people seemed more relaxed and welcoming. ...
We’ve arrived in South Korea, and boy is it cold. We’ve decided to start it off by staying in the Hongdae area of Seoul due to its proximity to nightlife. This may or may not have been a mistake. seoul # Seoul is an interesting city. It’s quite busy and the nightlife is pretty bonkers, especially on the main bar streets. Our choice of staying at a party hostel was perhaps a misguided one, as we spent multiple nights getting blind and wasting the following day in bed. ...
Our next stop, Japan, has been particularly pleasant as Jade and I got to meet up with our friends Maxi and Oscar to travel around the country together. After our relatively isolating visit to China, it has been nice to catch up with some old friends. Like many tourists, we’re starting in the metropolis of Tokyo. tokyo # The streets here are plastered in various displays and Japanese typography, which lends itself to a particularly appealing look that many others are a fan of. ...
So we carry on. After finishing up in Chongqing, we hopped on a train to our next destination, Xi’an. xi’an # Xi’an is most famous for its terracotta warriors that were discovered in 1974, amongst a few other attractions. This is not to say it is a small city, as it still boasts about 12 million people. Nowhere is small in China. xi’an city wall # Our first attraction was actually the Xi’an City wall, which we chose to spend the entire day walking around. ...
It was time to tackle one of the largest and most exciting countries on our journey, the People’s Republic of China. We began by entering mainland china via Gongbei Port in Zhuhai before making our way to Guangzhou. guangzhou # We spent a few days in Guangzhou exploring the streets, particularly the streets surrounding Shangxiajiu Pedestratian Street, as there were many fashion shops for seemingly ‘boutique’ labels. Twilight sun hitting the concrete. ...
We took the bus across the Lingding and Jiuzhou channels into nearby Macau to see what Asia’s gambling mecca was like. impressive landmark replicas # The displays of extravagant wealth are pretty intense here, and no matter where you look, you can see a casino looming in the distance. They have replicas of many world landmarks, including Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower. The Londoner. Inside the Londoner. Replica Eiffel tower outside the Parisian. ...
Four days was enough in Singapore, now we’re in Hong Kong. The city is chaotic, noisy, dirty and overwhelming. There are countless flashing neon signs, bikes and cars everywhere. I love it. A curved building in the center of Hong Kong. Sprawling. Many of the buildings look aged, in a way I appreciate the look of. You'll see alot of these red taxis around. Sunshine down a walkway. Neon sign for Mee and Gees, a famous thriftshop. ...
We spent four days in Singapore, which is sometimes referred to by its nickname the little red dot. I found it to be a clean, safe city that lacks spontaneity, but is an efficient marvel. gardens by the bay # We visited Gardens by the Bay, the cornerstone of Singapore’s tourism industry, which is a must-see if you’re visiting the city. Gardens by the Bay. The metal branches of the trees. ...
So it begins. First stop, Indonesia. View from the airplane. To start off, we spent a leisurely two weeks in Bali. You can see where we visited below. kuta # We started in Kuta as it was closest to the airport. As expected, Kuta was not very nice. A lot of concrete and it suffers from overtourism. uluwatu # We decided to leave Kuta for somewhere more peaceful and settled on Uluwatu, down in the southern part of the island. ...