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A Blogging Post to Get the Ball Rolling
What is the definition of procrastination? I’ll tell you later… Ha, get it? I saw that joke in a video on the internet, and related to it too much. Which reminded me of the blog posts I have not been writing and the endless list of things I want to put on there. It’s been awhile since my last post and I have not updated on my Vietnam trip. It really is a lot easier said than done, while everything is a work in progress. The more things I do while traveling, the less time I have to write about it. But as I am too familiar with it, all…
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Vietnam: Making Traditional Bánh Tét During Lunar New Year
It’s pretty cool to have family in Vietnam. Unless we have a Couchsurf host arrangement already made, we typically spend our time visiting popular free destinations in the country. We’ve been here for a week now, and all family we’ve made have been incredibly hospitable. Experiences like riding motorbikes, grabbing tropical fruits like coconuts and mangoes from the garden, eating traditional (vegetarian) foods, etc. There is no better way to reconnect with our language and culture like getting acquainted with family. Vietnamese foods that take 2.5 hours to get to back in the US are accessible here within a short 5 minute motorbike ride, and at a fraction of the…
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Last Post: Travel Blogging Challenge Highlights and What I’ve Learned
I made it!!!!!!! For those who have never heard of this challenge, here is your opportunity to read it all the way ’til the end: 21 Weeks of Travel Blogging Challenge (feel free to do a challenge of yourself!). After over three months of blogging, there are a few posts that I’m quite proud of for writing myself. Here are some of the best: Challenge Highlights Unusual Traveling Activities Inspirations for Traveling Top Three Cultural Foods Guide to Traveling Japan (for Beginners) Little Known Travel Tips As I approached this last post, I feel nervous and excited. Nervous because I feel as if I have exhausted my writing topics. What else is…
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My Travel Confessions and Regrets
Hi everyone! Welcome back to another week of my Travel Blogging Challenge. It feels like it was ages ago since I’ve written my first challenge response. So much has changed since then. Funny how time flies, yet can still be devastatingly slow, huh? This week’s challenge theme: Confessions. Regrets. I have many, many things to confess. I have always tried to live my life as if it were my last days. I want to do things as soon as possible, but with these impulses comes dire consequences. I guess it must be something in my personality, I often look back. Wistfully replaying events in my life in nostalgia, wondering what…
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The Ultimate Guide to Traveling Japan (for Beginners)
Whether you’re an avid manga reader, or lover of Japanese culture, or just fascinated about Japanese technology, there is always something mystifying and beautiful about Japan that draws millions of tourists in the past decade. Today, I’m thrilled to share one of my three favorite cultures encountered while traveling: Japan. This is a three part series response to the 21 Weeks of Travel Blogging Challenge, so please check out the rest of my responses! The Ultimate Guide to Traveling Japan for Beginners Who is this Guide For? This guide is for anyone and everyone to peruse. Though, I am writing it specifically for: People who have general knowledge of Japan…
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The Most Unforgettable Adventures!
Welcome back, fellow travel enthusiasts! This week, I’d like to share some of my best adventures while traveling! I have always considered myself lucky and forever thankful that I have had so many opportunities to see someplace new. When people ask me where I get all the money to travel… well, I don’t. I really don’t have much money. In my post on how I travel cheaply, I talked more about ways I save. Still, I have never regretted a single dollar spent on traveling. Here are some priceless memories I’ve had from my adventures. Studying Abroad in Singapore I know this may seem cheesy and a cliché, but studying…
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Travel Blogging Challenge- Week 7 (Inspiration for Traveling)
There are three types of people: those who travel, those who want to travel, and those who don’t, can’t, and never will. At 23, I’m not quite a kid and not old. People around me are getting jobs, making families, buying houses, etc. I often think to myself… what have I done with my life? What brings me satisfaction? I would like to share my philosophy and story on why I started traveling and what nudges me to keep doing so. Life’s too short. Optimistically, I estimate I will live another 80 years (haha, bear with me). That’s not a lot of time. My family always tells me that that’s…
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Travel Blogging Challenge – Week 2 (Little Known Travel Tips)
Over the years, I’ve learned so many things from trial and error. I’ve slept on the border, I’ve fallen from a motorbike, I’ve almost drowned while scuba diving, I’ve lost some of my most prized possessions, I’ve almost fallen from a coconut tree, and many more which I can tell you about in Travel Challenge Week 4 (Misadventures). This week, I want to tell you what mistakes I’ve seen people make (including myself). Little Known Travel Tips, by order of importance For an authentic experience, skip the tourist destinations, do what the locals do. … I know right? Easier said than done. But from my experience, touristy landmarks are always crowded,…
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Vietnamese Heritage
Celebrating my first Vietnamese New Year Tet in my motherland and experiencing traditions passed on for thousands of years. Wearing the traditional Ao Dai, holding red packets (with money inside), red and gold peace and prosperity decorations, and vibrant flowers of all colors for the best luck of the year. A Blog Response to Photo Challenge
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The Time I Almost Fell Off a Coconut Tree
I’ve always been jealous of people who can climb coconut trees. Growing up in the Philippines, I loved the easy access to cheap coconuts. I’ve often sat and watched people climb up the trees with ease, grabbed a coconut from the top, and slide back down like a boss. In tropical and humid countries, coconuts are the fruits of choice. They are known for their many uses as seen in this awesome and catchy song in Moana: On a hot and humid day, thirsty? We drink the coconut juice. Hungry? We eat the meat inside. The leaves are used to fire, basket-weaving, shade, and more! The trees are easily accessible,…