TravelStream™ news feed for member nicandpete on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/nicandpete en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:17:35 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1113520680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1113520680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1113520680/tpod.html Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:17:35 -0400 Asians going to Asia, how cool is that?...

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Shanghai, China

(Nicole) One of our delights during this trip is to eat at a really nice restaurant in each country that we visit. For Peter's birthday, we ate at the Grand Cafe at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the Jin Mao Tower (currently the 4th tallest building holding the highest hotel in the world). I made a reservation for a table near the window to get the gliterring city view. We practically starved ourselves the whole day for this meal. The dinner was a scrumptious buffet of wonderful seafood, meat, and dessert. The service was commendable for this extremely busy restaurant. I also found a few dishes that I would like to try to make at home, for that special occasion.Earlier that day, we tried a body massage to relieve our sore muscles from all the travelling and walking. I love trying massages in different countries to see the variety of this relaxing technique. We were in a room with calming music that made the traffic noise below a far distant away. The massage was of gentle accupressure points that did not leave use with bruises like the reflexology foot massage in Snake Alley, Taipei! This accupressure massage was the best one for Peter and I am glad we tried it on this special day.Today, as a birthday gift, Peter had a chance to buy all that he wanted in Shanghai. This ranged from ties to wallets to business card holders, etc...The shopping is really wonderful here; we bought so much stuff that we needed to buy another luggage!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114215360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114215360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114215360/tpod.html Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:16:43 -0400 Asians going to Asia, how cool is that?...

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Shanghai, China

(Nicole) CHINESE ACROBATS and OPERA The Chinses Acrobat show is not to be missed! We went to the Shanghai Center and had seats in the 3rd row from the stage. Many, many foreigners in the audience. I've never seen such grotesque flexibility in a human body; I thought yoga was bad enough. Peter squirmed several times when he thought the human body could not bend that way naturally. Since we saw the acrobats, we had to see the opera too. We went to the Yifu Opera Theatre and learned that there were no English subtitles available, but wanted to try nonetheless. It turns out that we really did not need to know Mandarin, just like we did not need to know Hindi, to see a Bollywood movie. The opera involved singing, martial arts, acrobatics, and colorful costumes to create a very dramatic show. We heard old men heartily laughing in the audience as I believe that this show was for the older generation. Very few foreigners came because of the language barrier. ZHOU ZHANG WATER VILLAGE We took another tour, although we thought it was just a bus ride, to a poor man's version of Venice, known as Zhou Zhang Water Village. The alleys are confusing just like Venice. The shops had wonderful souvenirs, from paintings to silks to ceramics, everyone on the bus came back with a loadful of goodies. For lunch, we ate at a local restaurant that served fresh seafood. The waitress recommended a special fish for us. It was a strange looking fish, with a body that was unrecognizable to us. There was not much fish to the fish, for it had more bone and a flabby structure. This was our first disappointing meal in Shanghai. If only we knew Mandarin more, then we might have known what kind of fish the waitress was referring to. As we walked out of the restaurant, we saw a fish tank that had a puffer fish inside that resembled the structure of the strange fish we ate. Peter grew sick to the stomach as he would not have eaten the puffer fish if he know its identity! NOTE TO SELF: LOOK AT SPECIES IN FISH TANK OF RESTAURANT BEFORE ORDERING!JIN MAO TOWER (curretnly the 4th tallest building in the world) This tower takes after the bamboo, like Taipei 101. After buying our tickets, we were shoved in the elavator and smushed like we were in the metro again. I had to hold me breath and decompress my ears at the same time. It was a very difficult ride as I am not use to such closeness and poor hygiene (I am sorry I have to say it!). We took pictures at the top and was smuched again on the way down.SHANGHAI NIGHT LIFE We were lucky to have Peter's cousin, Aaron, show us around Shanghai, as he has worked here for about 2 years. We went to a trendy area where there was a mixture of clubs and restaurants. Our first club was called Guan Dii, where they served lychee flavored alcohol. I really like fruit tasting drinks! After listening to some trans and hip-hop, we decided to try another club, called DKD. We hailed a taxi, but the taxi driver did not know where it is located. He drove a short distance, only to find out it was walking distance from Guan Dii! DKD looks like any other club in LA. However, I don't think the girls dress as fashionably like people in Los Angeles.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1115159460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1115159460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1115159460/tpod.html Sat, 04 Jun 2005 21:10:46 -0400 Asians going to Asia, how cool is that?...

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Taipei, Taiwan

(Nicole) I have been dying to go to a hot springs since I got to Taiwan. The hot springs in Taroko Gorge was closed because a falling rock hit a man and sadly killed him and then we did not make it to Green Island's salt water hot springs (there's only 3 in the world, do you know where the other two is located?) because of the earthquake. Finally, we went to Xin Beitou Hot Springs, a quick hop from the MRT in Taipei. The only other hot springs we went to was in Arenal, Costa Rica, which was not too impressive. But this one was awesome! There were many varieties of baths and we can stay as long as our body can tolerate it. We started at the 37 C pool that had a strong shower to massage our body. Then we moved to the 42 C pool, which was quite unbearable because of the open wounds that we had from the numerous and humungous mosquito bites in Taroko Gorge. The acidic pH did not help either. So we moved to the cold pool because we were over-heating. And then we jumped into the sauna. We also saw a pool that read "mineral spa" and many Chinese Characters in RED. It looked dangerous because there was so much steam coming out of the water. Even our fingers could not tolerate the heat. I'm sure this pool would cause 3rd degree burns if we soaked in here. But maybe other people could handle it since we were novice hot springs bathers. On our way back, we snoozed on the MRT because the heat exhausted us. If I had a hot springs near my house, I would go there every weekend!YANGMINSHAN NATIONAL PARKLuckily Fanny had a holiday, so she took us to Yangminshan National Park. This mountain area was full of beautiful calla lilies. There was a mist floating around and it sprinkled a bit, making the atmosphere very "romantic." I loved the mist because it cooled our body. The massive flower gardens had calla lilies were planted in deep water. We can pick the flowers ourselves, wearing big plastic boots, to protect us from getting wet. It's hard to imagine that the city is so close by because this mountain is so peaceful and fresh. If I had a national park near my house, I would go there every weekend too!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114903260/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114903260/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114903260/tpod.html Mon, 30 May 2005 14:48:35 -0400 Asians going to Asia, how cool is that?...

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Taroko National Park, Taiwan

(Nicole) Taroko Gorge is a nature lover's paradise. It is huge, with many hiking trails, waterfalls, and marble canyons. Luckily, Peter has a relative that owns a souvenir shop right at the entrance of Taroko, so we stayed there with her. In the morning, we hiked for 2 hrs around Taroko. Again, not knowing how to read Chinese, we happend to chose the most difficult hiking trails of them all! We kept climing uphill and uphill, like we were climbing to heaven. We sweated and sweated, and there was no point in wiping the sweat off our faces because we would sweat again right away. However, the trails were nicely paved and the steps were just the right size for our legs. We met two older Taiwanese men who seemed like professional hikers. They had a thin towel around their neck to soak up the massive amounts of sweat and they also hiking sticks, which was not a bad idea either, as I slipped a few times on the downward hike. They asked us where we were from because we did not look like locals. After they found out that Peter's parents were from Taiwan, and that we were here to visit relatives and explore Taiwan, they were very happy to hear the news. Every taxi driver and bus driver that heard Peter's Taiwanese-American accent were estatic to talk to Peter and share their nationalistic pride. We slept soundly that night because we were exhausted from the hike. However, around midnight, we felt a strong earthquake. Being from California, I have felt earthquakes several times before, but I was still shaken because it was 5.8 in magnitude. This area has hundreds of shakes that can be felt every year. After this event, we decided to skip Green Island (where we could have scuba dived!) and head back to Taipei for some R and R.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114597860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114597860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114597860/tpod.html Thu, 26 May 2005 19:21:05 -0400 Asians going to Asia, how cool is that?...

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Hualien, Taiwan

(Nicole) Peter's mom grew up in Hualien, a small, quaint town that leads to Taroko Gorge. Peter has so many relatives here, that we run into an aunt, uncle, or cousin in almost every corner. We felt so comfortable here that Peter decided to ride a motorbike around Hualien. Thank goodness the first rental store rejected us because Peter did not have an International Drivers License. But no, Peter had to pressed on and found a place that took our credit card as a deposit. I was strapped in the back and was very, very nervous, but did not let Peter know or else he might not try this at all. With us not knowing how to read Chinese characters or the rules of the road, we set out in the motorbike and hoped that our helmets will protect us from any mishaps. Our first stop was to a day spa to relax. After riding for about an hour, with throbbing thighs and buttocks, we were ready for a massage. Unfortunately, we did not understand the advertisements well. This was not a day spa, but a retreat for families. Being used to disappointments and misunderstandings from this trip, we set back to downtown Hualien. We could not find a good English/Pinyin/Chinese Characters map of this city, so we drove around and around. We got comfortable in the motorbike fast, but the afternoon heat was getting to be too much to bear. We drove around and around again to look for an air-conditioned cafe. It is so hot, that air-conditioning was essential to our livelihood; no matter how hungry we were, our stomach had to wait because our body could not handle the heat. My sweat was sticking to the helmet and it was becoming very uncomfortable. I enjoyed the motorbike ride because I felt free. However, I would not trade my car for the motorbike because the smog and heat would kill me. Oh, I am so spoiled, how can I get use to living outside California?
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114998360/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114998360/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1114998360/tpod.html Thu, 26 May 2005 18:31:22 -0400 Asians going to Asia, how cool is that?...

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Taipei, Taiwan

(Nicole) I did not even know that Taipei 101 was the tallest building in the world until I went on this trip. Standing 508 meters tall, it resembles a bamboo. The biggest bookstore in Asia is also located here; it is called "Page 1." [Maybe I will open a bookstore call "Page 2" in the near future. Or "Page 3."] Also, the biggest Wind Dampler in the world is here. I did not know there was such a thing as a Wind Dampler, but it is suppose to resist the wind from swaying the building. The elevator to go up 101 storeys took less than 1 minute! To entertain the tourists, a live percussion band was playing music in the background. The walls also had a unique exhibit of paintings and designs from famous Taiwanese artists. This was a lively atmosphere, with a great view and sound to go with it. However, we smelled a burning of some electrical wires in a small corner. The workers evacuated people in that area quickly. I decided to hop back in the elevator before things got out of hand. Knowing that we were in the tallest building in the world with a potential fire outbreak, AND realizing that Taiwan has frequent earthquakes, I did not feel safe for the first time during this trip. We escaped the building and ran to get some boba.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1113410460/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1113410460/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1113410460/tpod.html Thu, 26 May 2005 02:20:33 -0400 Asians going to Asia, how cool is that?...

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Taipei, Taiwan

(Peter) It's been a little hectic the last couple of weeks. Not a bad hectic, but it's just been busy. Malaysia was just a blur, a great blur, but a blur. We only stayed there for 6 days, but wished we were there much longer. We finally made it to Taiwan where my parents are from. We're staying at my cousin's daughter's house. She (Fanny) just got married and moved into a newly purchased apartment on the east side of Taipei city. The last time I was here in Taiwan was in 1993. I don't remember Taipei being this modernized and clean. I remember the driving being somewhat more chaotic as it was in Vietnam. Now, there is the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), a super convenient metro take can pretty much take us anywhere in Taipei. Coffee shops are in every corner--from Starbucks to Ikira, we can go in for a sip of tea or coffee, to escape the humid heat.But luckily, the one thing that hasn't changed is the availability of great food. Everywhere you go in Taipei, there are restaurants and food vendors in eyesight. And, it's not just 1 or 2. There are tons of them, and they're good! It's a vacation activity in itself to just go out on walking in Taipei to eat. From shanghai dumplings, crust-less egg sandwiches, Taiwanese-style fried chicken, exotic fruit drinks with BoBa to noodles with peanut sauce and cucumber slices, rice with chunks of stew meat, and bakery products galore. It's a paradise of gluttony at my fingertips. I'm finally home!...The first couple of days has been a mixture of sightseeing and visiting relatives. I've seen several of my cousin's daughters, as my mom's family is huge. (She has 5 sisters and 6 brothers.) In addition, we had dinner last night with 2 of my aunts and a cousin and his family. Tomorrow, there's also another dinner with more relatives. It's been nice. A few of my relatives, I have seen in the past few years when they have visiting the states, and there are a few that I have not seen before, so it's been great hanging out with everybody...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1113150960/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1113150960/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1113150960/tpod.html Sat, 21 May 2005 14:21:51 -0400 Asians going to Asia, how cool is that?...

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

(Nicole) After about 20 hours of transferring and flying, we finally arrived in KL! KL is more modern than I thought, yet the females dress very conservatively. There is a good mixture of Muslims, Chinese, and Malay people; I like seeing such heterogeneity, because I am from LA. The buildings are tall and modern and the hospitality is completely opposite from India. Our first stop was to the Chinatown district to eat some street food and browse around for some imitation brand accessories. Peter's favorite is the beef satay dipped in peanut sauce. I don't really want to know what is ACTUALLY in the stick, but I know it is not all beef. Although the shopping is not at good as Bangkok, it is still very fun. There are many, many tourists here; it is nice just to walk along the crowded alleys and listen to shoppers bargain, bargain, bargain. The highlight of KL is, of course, the Petronas Twin Tower. This was built by an American architect, with the Prime Minister weaving in some Muslim themes. Visitors can only go up to the middle of the Tower, but we did not mind since the view was really grand. Compared to the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai and Tapei 101, this building was the only building that had a metal detector to screen the visitors. We also saw an informative video on how the Petronas (did you know that this is an oil company? i guess the name gives it away, but i truly did not know this fact.) was built and the record breaking news that led to the completion of this building. Best of all, it was free to go up. At night, the Petronas shined the sky and we stood in awe of its beauty. The shopping center inside the Petronas is also world class. I treated myself to a spa treatment at Suria KLCC. I try to get a massage from every country we visit so I can compare the different styles. I had a body exfoliation, then massage, and a facial, all for 50 USD! If only I can get this back home, I would do this every week!
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Palao Perhentian, Malaysia

(Nicole) We flew from KL to Kota Bahru (I love these tongue twisting names) to go diving in the Perhentian Island. We stayed at Cocohut Hotel, which is run by a Chinese (Hakka) family. The sand is soft and white and the water is clearly clear blue. The island is the most beautiful, peaceful, and cleanest island that I have ever been to. We have our own individual hut and it is so cozy and cute. The room is small, but the ceiling is high; the wood is like mohagany, giving the room a rustic feel. I have never stayed at a place so lovely. Towards the evening, Peter was resting on the bed and noticed something running across the wall. Our hidden paradise has turned into a roach infested motel! The roaches were huge and disgusting, we could not kill them if we wanted to because their matter would spatter everywhere. We had to hurry up and zip up all our bags in case any of them wanted to hang out and lay eggs in our clothes. We decided to leave the light on while we sleep so we can catch the roaches in the act of hiding in our clothes. How can such a wonderful paradise have roaches?!Roaches aside, we were so excited to go scuba diving again. The water is warm and clean, not cold and dirty, like Nha Trang. However, the visibility is not as clear as I would hope. I only did two dives, but Peter did three. On the second dive, Peter was helping me get the jacket off and accidently dropped our underwater camera! The dive master went down quickly to get it and his ears ached because he went down too fast. I waited on top and prayed that they could recover our camera. They came back up 20 minutes later, with the camera in their hands, thank goodness. This is the second incident the camera was dropped accidently. Then on Peter's third dive, he saw a black tip shark and a sea turtle! Just my luck, I missed out on the best dive because I was too tired.We also snorkeled around Coral View and saw many clown fishes. Sometimes snorkeling can be just as fun as diving. On our last day, we kayaked around the island. It was very calming and relaxing. Then I jumped for joy because we saw sea turtles popping above the water. As they went up for air, we tried to snap a picture of them. But this was really hard since we only have a split second before they go underneath the water again. Too bad we cannot be here longer, or else I would have liked to get my Advanced Open Water Diving lessons here. But if I stayed too long, I might be bored to death and be killed by the many mosquitos here.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1115360580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1115360580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/nicandpete/asia-2005/1115360580/tpod.html Sat, 21 May 2005 14:02:01 -0400 Asians going to Asia, how cool is that?...

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Los Angeles, California, United States

(Nicole) I dreaded this moment from the beginning of the trip. We could have continued on and on, but..... Maybe next time we can explore another part of this world, South America anyone? I have very special memories of every place we've been to and am very sad it is over. As I am looking for a job to rejoin the rat race, I am also wondering and dreaming about all the places that I have not walk through. Maybe Peter and I can do this again one day? Until then, happy travels and hope you liked our blogs.nicandpete
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