traveling

[Travel Advice] Amsterdam (again)

Random Observation/Comment #801: I’m okay with not eating healthy while traveling, but this means I really need to be more mindful when eating at home. Getting fat. Why I still Love Amsterdam I visited Amsterdam for ETHAmsterdam in 2022 (travel advice). It was a short few days and I had a lot of work events, but it was still awesome...

[Travel Advice] Malta

Random Observation/Comment #800: Don’t be ashamed to take personal time to appreciate the beauties of life and nature. What did GPT4 suggest? I’m glad to help you plan your trip to Malta! Here are 10 suggested activities and specific restaurants for your 4-day stay, each taking around 4 hours: Day 1:1. Morning: Valletta– Explore St. John’s Co-Cathedral– Visit the Upper...

[Travel Advice] Tel Aviv, Israel

Random Observation/Comment #781: There’s so much more to eat and see in Israel. Time to plan another trip. What Tel Aviv Does Well: Things I Didn’t Expect: Quick Itinerary: I didn’t have a long trip. For me, it was more about catching up with old friends and being in the moment. We did walk around everywhere though. Wandering areas Places...

[Travel Advice] Bermuda (in Jan)

Random Observation/Comment #539: Traveling during off season is risky, but certainly rewarding when you want some quiet and great deals. January temperatures are usually in the upper 50s in Bermuda, so bring warm layers because the damp code does, “chill ya to da bone.” Luckily, due to our freakishly warm winter, we scored some sunny days in the 70s and...

[Travel Advice] Where to Stay (AirBnb?)

Random Observation/Comment #508: I wish I just knew people in every major place I wanted to travel to so I could crash on their couch, hang out at a local pub/coffee shop, and get introduced to the local customs. I’d get the underground culture and also see an old friend. People always ask me, “Where do you stay when you...

[Travel Advice] Beijing

Random Observation/Comment #412: Smog is smoggy. Looking at the Earth as an organism, humans are definitely the worst disease the Earth has ever caught. You need to stop with those one night stands, Mother Nature. Things China Does Great: Great Wall. It’s pretty great and epic. Certainly worth every penny to go and see it with your own eyes if...

The Bad Idea Bears

The Bad Idea Bears

Random Observation/Comment #326: It’s a wonderful and terrifying thing to surrender control of the quite normal tendencies to, ya’know, know where you’ll be going on vacation. I wanted a spreadsheet so badly, but maybe it’s a good thing to let go a bit and live on the whim. You can’t get lost if you don’t know where you’re going, right?...

Day 5: Postcard Project

Day 5: Postcard Project

Random Observation/Comment #292: I love receiving things in the mail. Tearing open cardboard boxes is much more rewarding than opening an email with a click.  Sometimes I’ll just buy random things on Amazon so I can open them. Wherever I’ve traveled, I’ve sent a postcard to my parents. It has always made them smile.  Here are the pictures of those...

Ireland: It’s so Green

Ireland: It’s so Green

Random Observation/Comment #277: I’ve been taking a lot of these long-weekend trips of 3 nights. I think they are the perfect number of days before you stop being productive with your foreign-country-adventure. After all, these vacations are more for my exploration of a new country than the relaxation from any type of stress. What can be so stressful if I’m...

The Food Bucket List

The Food Bucket List

Random Observation/Comment #276: I can’t imagine having a dietary restriction. I probably shouldn’t take this freedom as an obligation to eat everything that once lived. Why do majestic animals taste so good? This blog entry started as a general bucket list, but I found that my bucket list split very categorically into location activities/sights, food adventures, and miscellaneous accomplishments.  I...

Working Vacation’s Reflection

Working Vacation’s Reflection

Random Observation/Comment #246: I thought backpacking was the way to go, but I guess I never stayed at a hotel with this view. I guess I can still hang out at hostel bars and tell them I live in a hotel… I am torn: traveling alone in hostels or traveling with close friends in hotels?  I had always chosen the...

Muchisimas gracias por todo

Muchisimas gracias por todo

Random Observation/Comment #207: Christian is a gentleman and a scholar – or in more colloquial terms – he’s freakin’ awesome.  Not only did he act as a tour guide and “couchsurfing-type” host for a week, but he also reminded me of something very important: a summer is not a summer vacation without friends. Yes, I’ve met quite a few random...

Traveling Han-Style (Solo) vs Wingman’d

Traveling Han-Style (Solo) vs Wingman’d

Random Observation/Comment #202: I consider myself a quiet guy with a lot to say.  It requires a bit of prying, but it’s quite easy to get me on some weird topic rant.  Since I try to gain a little bit of knowledge in everything, I’m sure it won’t take a long time of searching to find something we have in...

Join Me Backpacking in August!

Join Me Backpacking in August!

Random Observation/Comment #201: Over the past 6 months, I’ve become a travel guru. I wonder if I have to wear any special attire.  In boy scouts, the badge I sew on would probably be of a guy wearing a backpack with a hiking stick.  In real life, my uniform would probably include sandals and the same badge, but with me...

My Intermediate Overview of Study Abroad

My Intermediate Overview of Study Abroad

Random Observation/Comment #194: It’s interesting how I’ve always saved the overviews of my trips until the trips are finally over when I’m in my pajammy-jams at 3PM while sadly trying to piece my life together for the next phase.  I never actually capture the intermediate stages of feelings when I’m truly happy or sad.  Instead, I’m usually writing it in...

Berlin University Buffet

Berlin University Buffet

Random Observation/Comment #190: I can’t believe I’m writing this entry two months later.  It was fresh in my mind, and now it’s like trying to remember the details of a complex dream before you’re able to tell someone (I think there’s an xkcd about this, but I’m too lazy to find it).  Luckily, the abundance of pictures I’ve taken is...

A Photographer’s Paradise

A Photographer’s Paradise

Random Observation/Comment #176: Fuji-san was such a remarkable experience that I compare every hiking scene to the rollercoaster of hardships and appreciation for nature throughout the entire journey.  From the exhaustion and freezing cold to the final reward of watching that Heaven above all clouds, I had truly stretched my boundaries of emotions.  Every short-breath I took and lactic acid...

Peddling Through Towns

Peddling Through Towns

Random Observation/Comment #175: Bike riding used to be much less painful for my ass when I was younger.  I’m not sure if it was the enthusiasm for peddling while standing, the shorter and more comfortable seat, or a more cushion-y blubber-butt, but I don’t remember having trouble walking and sitting down after an afternoon of bike riding.  The effects of...

When in Rome…

When in Rome…

Random Observation/Comment #172: No matter how much I love trying to find those hidden treasures in an unfamiliar city, I can’t help but feel the need to conform to those guidebooks and millions of suggestions online.  After all, these people are paid to travel and write these reviews – I think they should have done the job that I’m trying...

White-out in Interlaken

White-out in Interlaken

Random Observation/Comment #170: The snow accumulation in Interlaken is quite scary. The snowflakes are the size of quarters (or 1 EUR for the non-American readers) and they stick to make perfect snowballs.  Throwing a small rock down the hill will literally snowball and grow because of Switzerland’s magic.  It was most probably the cold weather and perfect humidity that made...

Interlaken’s Lakeside Sigh

Interlaken’s Lakeside Sigh

Random Observation/Comment #168: I was once asked by a friend, “What has happened in the past week that made you love life?” The question was difficult to answer not because I followed some cult cynicism (which I don’t), but rather because the week in question was a week where my senses were almost paralyzed by the overflow of natural beauty. ...

The Chain of Hostel Friends

The Chain of Hostel Friends

Random Observation/Comment #167: I’m always surprised at how easily you can meet other people in a traveling environment.  This is a part of the overall hostel atmosphere, and should be appreciated to its fullest extent.  The 6- to 8-bed mixed dorm style rooms are ideal for starting these random conversations, which usually lead to some good company during lonely hikes. ...

Interlaken Overview

Interlaken Overview

Random Observation/Comment #166: Just thinking about Interlaken makes my mouth dry and my heart flutter like a school-girl with a crush on a dreamy teacher (this, of course, includes the soft colors and blurred corners in the camera filter).  Interlaken and I have an awkward relationship filled with the essentials for a beautiful life of holding hands during long walks...

The Rules of the Night

The Rules of the Night

Random Observation/Comment #165: Drinking in public is illegal in New York.  It’s so illegal that if you’re standing in the street with a suspicious paper bag, a police officer could rightfully write you an $80 summons/ticket for public consumption of alcohol.  This does not exist in Europe (most probably because Europe rocks).  I remember the first time taking that open...

German Transportation is all about Trust

German Transportation is all about Trust

Random Observation/Comment #164: The German railway system essentially depends heavily on an individual’s choice of taking risks.  Tickets are purchased in the stations, but the common high security gates, turnstiles, or even railway information centers do not exist.  Everything has been automated on those ticket machines like in the LIRR, except conductors, or any other type of transportation officer, does...