Category: Asia
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Istanbul
Have you been somewhere that’s so completely magical that you vow to return again and again? That’s how I feel about Istanbul. I didn’t know what to expect but when I got there, I was impressed by everything. I loved it. I stayed at a cozy little hostel tucked away in Kadikoy with one of…
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Vietnam
Vietnam was the cheapest ticket I could get out of Korea. It was also a place I wasn’t familiar with, so I was interested to visit. I should have done more research or possibly learned Vietnamese because it wasn’t very accessible for a budget traveler at all. The second I arrived, there were also masses…
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Macau
Macau is an interesting place that I visited with my family. When I say family, I really mean a random assortment of… people… that are distantly related to me. My maternal grandpa is one of nine children. My mom has a close relationship with great uncle #5 because they grew up in the same household.…
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Hong Kong
I have a love-hate relationship with Hong Kong. First of all, it is like immersing yourself in a bucket of sweat during the summertime. It is unbearably hot and you are extremely close to a million different smells and people at any given second. I don’t think New York City is as lively or as…
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Ulan-Ude
Ulan-Ude is the capital of a small Asian republic in Russia, Buryatia. Buryat people are buddhist and speak both their native language and Russian. Earlier in the year, when a non-profit organization asked some American teachers if they would like to travel to some remote republics, I jumped at the chance to go to Ulan-Ude.…
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Japan
I love Japan but I have an issue with all the stereotypical people that dream of going there. First of all, Japan is totally warped by upper middle class white people all around the world. It’s like, the place they all want to go. Japanese food and anime are placed at a pedestal. I’ve met…
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Kyzyl
When people ask for advice for where to go in Russia, they ask, “Do you like Moscow or St. Petersburg more?” My honest answer is neither. I appreciate both cities but if you really want to understand Russia and meet Russians, I say go to Siberia. In both Moscow and St. Petersburg, it’s pretty difficult…
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Korea
Busan, Korea is where I found myself in 2015 after living one year in Russia. I backpacked through Siberia and the Far East and left the country on the day my visa expired. Going to an Asian country was almost like a well-deserved homecoming. There was Western food. There were the conveniences I had taken…
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Korea
Busan, Korea is where I found myself in 2015 after living one year in Russia. I backpacked through Siberia and the Far East and left the country on the day my visa expired. Going to an Asian country was almost like a well-deserved homecoming. There was Western food. There were the conveniences I had taken…
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Siberia
Samara drops below 40 degrees starting January. I decided that it would be a good idea to go to Siberia… because, why not? Siberia turned out to be awesome! I returned later in the year to visit the Kyzyl, Ulan-Ude, Abakan, and Krasnoyarsk. On my first taste of Siberia, I visited Yekaterinberg and Tyumen. Yekaterinburg…