Blog - June Overview

Hi Blog,

June already. My blog just had a big change from public to closed; I guess it is for the greater good and to avoid those who do not appreciate and misuse my content. I can't care much already.

There is no turning back.

For those who can read this. You are the exclusive and someone whom I can trust. Hope you will protect my blog. If you are tired of reading my stupid blog, just let me know I will save your misery.

Personal - Suits for the Theme #80

Hi Blog,

While trying my best to finish my blog posts, I will post one Trisuit theme to let myself know, I have a lot to clear. LOL

I had passed by this path many times.

On every jogging and hiking trip I have; this path and tree has not changed at all...

Hiking - Finding Random Storage Ruin

Hi Blog,

Right after I touched down in Singapore safely from Japan, my twelve days oversea trip. I had to take a taxi back home... More bleeding from my wallet... But I know I need some rest after that...

So I decided to go exploration in the next day!

But I will go and meet up with my friend, Ben, for a lunching before he continued his work.

Trip - Day 12 - Japan - Returning to SG

Good Morning Blog,

Today was my last day in Japan. I missed this magical place...

Looking at my luggage and my stash -  a paper bag of souvenirs from Japan, a new bag from Donki, Manga from Taiwan and a set of clothing from Taiwan.

Feeling unbalanced and hoping that I can smooch my own emotions. I just felt gloomy like the weather.

Trip - Japan - Day 11 - Walking along Ameya-Yokocho

Hi Blog,

After visiting Tokyo National Museum, ZX and I met up with the rest of the gangs...

...for lunching.

They shared their shopping stash and I got myself nothing. 😑😑😑 Honestly, I want to buy my own favorite thing...

Trip - Japan - Day 11 - Tokyo National Museum

Good morning Blog,

I had a good cool night because it started to rain! I was so tired that I didn't want to snap any more pictures and showed our Airbnb because... It was a small department, made just for tourists - small toilet, minimum size for kitchen, no living room, narrow passage to rooms and a room big enough for a king-size bed to be shared...

Anyway, this morning was raining to make my Tokyo stay a bit gloomy.

What were we planning to do in Tokyo today? I guess shopping?

Trip - Japan - Day 10 - To Tokyo

Hi Blog,

Our Japan trip was coming to an end sooner than expected, and I couldn't help but feel it was a bit rushed. Since none of us had visited Japan before, I didn't get a chance to provide input during our flight booking. However, I made the best of what we had and tried to accommodate everyone's interests in the group.

After our final packing at Airbnb, we decided to get some food from our food source for our next trip to Tokyo at midnight.

We understood that we might not be able to get decent food while travelling to Tokyo in the morning and lunch, so...

Trip - Japan - Day 9 - Gion and Nishiki Market

Hi Blog,

The last stop in Kyoto, was to visit Gion from Kiyomizu and some markets since it is nearby. 

Time to walk again and I can sense the rest got rather tired.

Oooo, I also spotted quite a number of tourists dressed up in kimono, which tends to spice up the place culturally. I think I should get a set of such for my future event. While walking along Kyoto Street, it looks like a typical street in any developed country.

Trip - Japan - Day 9 - Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺

Hi Blog,

After visiting a Kyoto temple and our next stop was something which I was looking forward to. I read somewhere that Kiyomizu is a must-visit spot and it is near Rengeō-in Temple, so I will not miss it.

But somehow we need to walk a distance of 1.6+km

Even though, some of my group members had already started to get jumpy. I can't be bothered and let them make their move to get there. Personally, I will walk to feel grounded than take anything; So some of them decided to hop on the bus to get there and it was understandable.

Trip - Japan - Day 9 - Rengeō-in Temple 三十三間堂

Hi Blog,

Let's continue our exploration at Kyoto, the ninth day of our Taiwan-Japan trip. So where were we heading today?

Our friend's husband, he recommended that we should visit this temple as titled (too lazy to type it out 😂)

He claimed Kyoto has many temples and this one is iconic. I truly agree that Kyoto has many temples and hope I can visit them all in the future.

Trip - Japan - Day 9 - AirBnb and Veg Out

Good Morning Blog,

After last night's unexpected showering and being tired physically and mentally, the trip didn't stop there.

Let me show you our Airbnb

We had many things to cover today and I think this was one of the tiring days for most of them. Personally, it was a great experience but not enough...

Trip - Japan - Day 8 - Going to Kyoto

Good Morning Blog,

Yesterday night we had a discussion and changed of plan, we were supposed to travel to Nara and leave our luggage in the locker by the station, then travel to Kyoto. But require to pull our luggage for 1.5km to the nearest station to Nara; which is unfavourable among most of them.

So the backup plan will be, to travel to Kyoto and leave our luggage with the Airbnb host then collect at night after we had settled most of the things for the day.

Sounded like a great plan and personally, I will skip Nara for this trip to save money and explore Kyoto (there are WC and ZX) will like to go for a shopping spree and cannot recognize the route that well, so I will stay to take care of them. So Kyoto let's go!

Trip - Japan - Day 7 - USJ

Good Morning Blog,

Yes, as titled, our 2nd Day in Japan wanted to go to USJ! Honestly, I can understand the hype of it and I could feel it when everyone woke up early to prepare themselves.

Morning to Osaka. Hmm... Moody sky.

Hope it won't affect our experience there.

Trip - Japan - Day 6 - Osaka

Good morning Blog,

Yawning... Supposed to have a sixth day in Taiwan but that sixth day became our morning rush to the airport to our next destination - Japan. The country which I had been hoping to go to for five, six years ago!

Around 3am... We took a minivan to send us to the airport.

Honestly... Taiwan is so interesting, I hope to visit again.

Trip - Taiwan - Day 5 - ShiFen and JiuFen Revisit

Hi Blog,

After our short visit at Yehliu Geopark, the next stop will be Shifen and Jiufen. What amazed me, is that there is a new express route to Shifen and Jiufen!

The route cuts directly through the mountains.

Because based on my Taiwan visit previously, the bus took a longer route, along the shore for beautiful sceneries... Or I wondered... They just didn't take this route on purpose.

Trip - Taiwan - Day 5 - Yehliu Geopark Revisit

Good Afternoon Blog,

On our last day in Taiwan, we thought it will be a great idea to explore other places in Taipei by booking transportation to Yeliu Geopark, Jiufen and Shifen. We thought it will be our private transportation but...

...we were wrong... it was a tour guide bus...

Not sure what EK had booked from... I scanned through klook, there were many such tours and transportations in the app. I think... EK (he helped us to book) might go for cheaper option...

Trip - Taiwan - Day 5 - Public Swimming Pool @ Taiwan

Good Morning Blog,

Yawning hard... Dragged my Boyd out from the soft warm bed...

Started packing... Where was I heading today?

Today was our last day in Taiwan, I decided to take things into my own hands to go to where I wanted to go. Yes! I was heading to one of the Taiwan public swimming pools which is near our Airbnb. I really wanted to swim!

Trip - Taiwan - Day 4 - Free and Easy

Hi Blog,

Today was our Day 4 in Taiwan. We made it into our free-and-easy day which they travelled anywhere they like.

(Credit MZ) Personally, I wanted to visit somewhere but because I have my friend, ZQ and his two sons who are not familiarized with Taiwan hence I decided to bring them out. His two sons wanted to go to the comics shop which we found yesterday.

I can leave my Day 4 emptied but I believed I will come out with something; and true enough, I have something to share.

Trip - Taiwan - Day 3 - 921 Earthquake Museum

Good morning Blog,

Some of them felt that we should spend some time out from Taipei hence we decided to visit Taichung today.

This was 7.30am, usually this time in Singapore, it won't be that bright.

We went for a simple breakfast and set off to get to the high-speed train (there were some hiccups like providing an expired passport detail from the team and I was blind to identify the problem)...

Trip - Taiwan - Day 2 - Qingtiangang Grassland 擎天崗

Hi Blog,

What a long tiring first day in Taiwan... and on the second day, everyone seemed to take their time to catch up some rest especially it will be some exploration to do today.

We had our breakfast near our Airbnb even though I wanted to skip it but it will ruin for everyone... Ate until having a bloated tummy...

Well, travelling in a group is always about compromise. It is a second day then I should follow through first. Anyway, where are we going today? We will be heading down to Yangming Shan 陽明山國家公園. Honestly, it is a big unknown to me... Hope it is safe and easy.

Trip - Taiwan - Day 1 - Confucius Temple 孔子廟

Hi Blog,

To continue our first visit after we landed in Taiwan (post link) - to visit Confucius Temple. I had to thank Heaven for this particular arrangement because ZQ and I always wanted to explore it, but we were uncertain about finding the time in our busy itinerary. Additionally, we understood that not everyone shared the same enthusiasm for this visit.

Because the operation time for any shopping store is 11am and we had plenty of time after breakfast, so they decided to visit the temple.

Why I felt grateful for this opportunity? Because there are many possibilities like the team might want to split up or visit somewhere else. But I felt touched when they felt it is right to pay Confucius a visit.

Trip - Taiwan - Day 1 - Traveling to Taiwan

Hi Blog,

Finally! I got a chance to travel oversea! Yippee! As I mentioned to most of my friends, I wanted to travel to Japan in 2023, and it was happening!

Exchanged to different currencies and bleeding on my wallet... 🥲 Hope it was enough.

Previously in 2020, my friends and I were supposed to go to Taiwan but it was cancelled due to Covid 19. This time we would travel in big groups because XY returned to Brazil for good and WC wanted to travel too; departed from Australia. So for this trip, we had a total of nine people travelling for two weeks to Taiwan and Japan! (nine to Taiwan and six to Japan)