by joanna on June 17, 2010
An amazing retreat only 1.5 hours outside of Tokyo
Just West of Tokyo, lies Hakone – a picturesque Japanese town famous for its views of Mt Fuji, ryokans and onsen (natural Japanese volcanic hot springs). While one can go year round, undoubtedly the most popular time of year is summer.
Hakone itself is very easy to get to – only an 80 minute ride on the JR Express train from Shinjuku to Odawara, then a quick transfer to a switchback train at Odawara to Hakone Yumoto. Yumoto is the area of Hakone with the most popular onsen, hot spring resorts. Honestly, there is not much else to do here besides soak up the local scene, literally and figuratively. [keep reading…]
by joanna on June 9, 2010
What to buy and where to buy it in Hanoi
I travel a lot and I am tempted by so many stunning Asian goods and textiles. When in a country which has a famous good, e.g. Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Tea, Chinese Silks, Thai teak, etc. it is a wonderful reminder of the trip to bring something home. However, having been in Asia for a while now I believe something must be very special in order to add kilos to my luggage and make it home into my personal collection. With that said I think there are some special shops and items in Hanoi worth checking out. [keep reading…]
by joanna on May 30, 2010
A wonderful way to spend a weekend afternoon in Shanghai
I love a lazy weekend afternoon in Shanghai. Unlike Singapore where the steamy weather often forces me into taxi cabs with air con, in Shanghai I love to spend the day walking the city and exploring various neighborhoods. One favourite for whiling away a Sunday is Tianzi Fang at Taikang Lu, on the southern border of the French Concession. Being a former NYer this area reminds me a lot of Soho in NYC – its cobblestone streets are lined with coffee shops, wine bars, brunch places, art galleries, unique jewelry stores, gift shops, clothing boutiques, handicraft centers, shoe stores, and more.
The shikumen style of Tianzi Fang at Taikang Lu takes you back to the old China of the early 1900’s. These charming little shikumen townhouses have been converted into shops. And in Tianzi Fang there is a twisted tangle of quirky stores where you can get lost for the day, wandering in and out of shops and stopping for a tea or coffee every now and again.
While each shop and gallery are distinct and unique, I have a few favourites and notables to share with you. [keep reading…]
by joanna on May 27, 2010
A luxe weekend getaway just a couple of hours from Singapore
(pictures from Banyan Tree Website)
Singapore is a convenient hub – parts of Indonesia and Malaysia are next door neighbors and as such provide great options for short weekend trips vs. the slighty longer destinations of Thailand, Bali and Hong Kong (2 – 4 hour flights). In particular, Bintan, Indonesia is just a short 1 hour ferry ride away from Singapore and several hotels and beach resorts await. I had the opportunity to visit the luxurious Banyan Tree Bintan Resort recently on a short 3 day trip for a work related event. [keep reading…]
by joanna on May 19, 2010
My exotic Asian life vs. Life in the West
I have been living now in SE Asia for 3+ years. First I spent roughly 2 years in Bangkok and have now been in Singapore for 1 ½ years. In this time, I explored a part of the world I never imagined I would know, much less know intimately. In this time I have visited 16 new countries…sometimes for personal reasons and sometimes for work. It’s actually sometimes more interesting when it is for work because I get to go into consumer’s homes (I work in international marketing) and talk to them about their lives, their families and the products / brands they use.
I love this life. Everyday is an adventure, or holds the potential for an adventure. I have met endless number of people, from locals to other expats, that have enriched my understanding of other cultures as well as of myself. My potential for new experiences is seemingly unlimited. But then again there are the trials and tribulations of being a foreigner in a foreign place and sometimes missing that which is familiar.
So I thought I might share with you my few things I love in Asia vs. things I miss at home. [keep reading…]
A 2 day trekking trip from Kathmandu to Nagarkot
We were only in Nepal for a short time and so didn’t have option to do a typical 2-3 week trekking excursion. But we also didn’t want to miss out on getting a taste of the quintessential Nepal trekking experience and so we managed to find a 2 day trip from Kathmandu to the village of Nagarkot. Nagarkot is perched at an altitude of 2165 meters (the highest point on the valley rim) and is famous for having some of the most stunning sunrise / sunset views of the Himalayas, a 180 degree vista from Mt. Annapurna in the northwest to Mt. Everest in the extreme northeast. In fact, it is so stunning that the Rana Maharajas of Nepal built their summer palace in Nagarkot in order to enjoy the vista daily. [keep reading…]
by joanna on April 27, 2010
Urban chaos and pollution juxtaposed with some of the world’s most famous sights
Photos by Joanna
Wedged in the Himalayas in a valley, even landing in Kathmandu feels perilous as the plane is batted about by wind gusts and spirals onto the tarmac. And then, nothing really prepares you for what you will experience when you leave the airport in Kathmandu. A raucous assortment of sounds, sights and even smells assault the senses. Heaps of trash everywhere the eye can see. The pollution is so heavy that gulping air feels like an impossible chore. People are everywhere, doing all manner of things on the streets that in developed countries are activities done in special rooms of the home, e.g. using the bathroom, laundry, washing dishes and shampooing hair. Just getting into town to one’s hotel feels like an adventure as dodgy cars with bumpers and other necessary parts duct-taped on weave through traffic, oblivious pedestrians and errant dogs to fight the crush and enter the city. It’s shocking that city with so many cultural riches is…well, so obviously and startlingly poor. In fact, 82% of the population live on less than $2USD a day and on the UN Human Development Index, Nepal is ranked 142 out of 177 countries. Actually, only Bangladesh and a handful of the poorest African countries are below it. [keep reading…]
by joanna on April 23, 2010
I have spent a lot of my life and a great many holidays at the beach. In the US I travelled to Hawaii, North Carolina, Florida, Martha’s Vineyard and California to see the most beautiful beaches in America. I have been to the white washed beaches of the Caribbean on several occasions. I spent every weekend for the better part of 6 months on Brazilian beaches. And now living in Singapore I am a frequent visitor of picturesque Thai and Malaysian beaches. But nothing prepared me for the splendour of the Maldives and the secluded Alila Villas Hadahaa Resort. [keep reading…]
by joanna on April 17, 2010
A charming hotel in the Lazimpat area of Kathmandu
(photos from Hotel Shangrila Website)
Kathmandu is a backpacker town mostly…a staging ground where people land and spend a few days before heading off on their treks. It’s this context which explains a distinct lack of “proper” hotels in the city. This is why when I visited Kathmandu recently I gravitated toward the Hotel Shangrila in the Lazimpat area of the city. [keep reading…]
by joanna on April 11, 2010
Spend an afternoon strolling Shanghai while taking in the bizarre and bazaars
I miss antique markets and flea markets. I suppose it is mostly a Western thing – you see them in Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles. My personal favourite being a NYer was the Chelsea Weekend Flea Market. These are the kind of places where you can find old kitschy items, vintage jewellery and clothing, mismatched china and objets d’art at bargain basement prices. Some of it is crap and some of it is cool, and that’s the fun…hunting through the crap to find that the precious needle in a haystack. These don’t really exist in Asia – except in China. Why is that? Well the market concept is alive and healthy as evidenced by the famous Chatuchak Bangkok market and others. But I have observed that most cultures in Asia simply aren’t interested in old things. In developing countries in Asia it seems they put more emphasis on the new than the old. I suppose it makes sense, but it is also a little sad. Most of the Asian art and antique dealers dealers are…gasp….Western. I went to a so called “flea market in Singapore” and it was a whole bunch of people selling new, locally designed clothing. Want to give your old clothing away to a vintage store in Thailand or Singapore? Well, you cannot because they aren’t any. But in China there is still a modicum of respect for the old and certainly an appetite for the new, and this is reflected in the vibrant market scene that abounds in Shanghai. [keep reading…]
