Where I've Been and Where I'm Going [2019 Edition]

Heading Back On The Road

I've been blessed with the chance to go on two global journeys last year (Mexico and Taiwan) after a long hiatus, but let's just say I have some ambitious plans coming up! Traveling is the best way to broaden one's horizons and discover how other people live and see the world. I'm pumped and ready to put on my backpack again! What are the top destinations you're planning to hit in 2019?

Visiting VERY SOON?

1. Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico (MAYAN RUINS YES)
2. Egypt (PYRAMIDS)
3. Jordan (INDIANA JONES)
4. India (FOOD AMAZING ARCHITECTURE)

Visited (as of August 2019)

1. Canada (Salmo, BC)
2. United States 
• Dallas, TX (BBQ LAND)
• New Orleans, LA (CAJUN FOOD)
• Denver, CO
• Phoenix, Grand Canyon, & Lake Havasu, AZ
• Las Vegas, NV
• Washington D.C.
• Somewhere in Virginia and Maryland
• All over my home state of Sunny California!
3. Sweden (Lund, Malmo, Gothenburg, Stockholm)
4. Belgium (Brussels, Brugge)
5. Spain (Barcelona, Ibiza, Seville, Cordoba, Granada)
6. France (Paris)
7. UK (London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Brighton)
8. Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Bonn, Munich)
9. Denmark (Copenhagen)
10. Norway (Oslo)
11. Czech Republic (Prague)
12. Austria (Vienna)
13. Hungary (Budapest)
14. Poland (Gdansk, Malbork, Torun, Warsaw, Krakow)
15. Lithuania (Vilnius)
16. Latvia (Riga)
17. Estonia (Tallinn)
18. Italy (Rome, Vatican City)
19. Portugal (Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais)
20. Mexico (Tijuana, Ensenada, Rosarito, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Tequila)
21. Taiwan (all over)

Visiting Someday...

1. Thailand
2. Greece
3. Morocco
4. Turkey (Istanbul)
5. Nepal
6. Bulgaria
7. Iceland & Northern Lights experience
8. Ireland, Scotland & around the UK
9. Cesky Krumlov, Kutna Hora (Czech Republic)
10. Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria (Germany)

Europe Calls, and I'm Answering

This will be a short post, but I'm returning to Europe for Spring Break! This will probably be my only international trip for at least a year, so I'm really stoked. I'll be visiting Brussels, Bruges, Stockholm, and finally home sweet home - Lund! It still feels like just yesterday that I was walking down the snow-covered cobblestones, on my way to Lund Centralen for the last time. More blog posts to come after my trip!

20 for my 20's

People in their 20's are invincible - or at least they'd like to think so. While I realize that immortality is a bit out of my reach, I have some grand dreams that I would like to fulfill in this next decade. As summer fades into fall (eventually...one of these days), I put these dreams in a bottle and put that figurative bottle on display here as a reminder, for myself and hopefully others, to never settle for a mundane life - whatever that may mean.

1. Go on an adventure. Pick a starting point and just go where my feet lead me.
2. Take a gap year to pursue a passion project while traveling.
3. Backpack Southeast Asia (top three: Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia).
4. Make beer. Or moonshine.
5. Go to the theater and watch a movie in a completely foreign language (no subtitles).
6. Get drunk in a really bizarre setting with friends.
7. Unexpectedly run into an old friend in some corner of the world.
8. Make a special dish that people really like.
9. Have a conversation in Swedish.
10. See the Northern Lights.
11. Go to Stockholm. I really mean it this time. 
12. Be able to read and write Chinese.
13. Visit my students from AID Summer 2012 (teach English program) in Taiwan . 
14. Master one more foreign language.
15. Host travelers from Couchsurfing.
16. Become a Burner (Burning Man 2016??).
17. Rave around the world, then go to Tomorrowland, where the world comes together to rave.
18. Find my travel soulmate. Bonus points if they're my rave & dance soulmate. 
19. Learn something from each place that I travel to and retain that knowledge. 
20. Live in the moment, but find meaning in that moment. Be content, if only temporarily. 

Under the Eternal LA Sunshine (Pt. I)

A summer exploration of my home city - 2/3 of which I have never seen. Here's to the place that Dorothy Parker described as "72 suburbs in search of a city."


A fews weeks ago, I discovered that the Metro Gold Line, in fact, did not end at Union Station. The other half circles through East LA, an area that I had never seen before. The first stop is Mariachi Plaza in the historic area of Boyle Heights. Here, groups of mariachi players gathered for years to advertise their art and bargain for performance opportunities. As in many parts of LA, gentrification is a real concern for many residents.

By crossing a bridge, we found ourselves in the LA Arts District, a medley of artisan shops and restaurants meshed with apartments housing the artists themselves.

As the once-capital of street art, there were murals to be found on every available wall space.

Looking for a hipster California fresh place for lunch? Try Eat. Drink. Americano.

Next up...exploring the heart of downtown LA.

The German Christmas Market Crawl

Germany, germany. One of, if not the best, economy in the EU. Really safe place. Nice. But it just didn't strike the right chord in me and I'm sorry to say I didn't find this trip particularly memorable.

But what did I like about Germany this time of year? CHRISTMAS MARKETS aka the most magical places on Earth for feeling warm, cozy...and spending more money than you intended. I couldn't believe that even tiny little Cologne had FIFTEEN christmas markets? What??? I literally stumbled on a new market every few blocks. So without further ado, feel free to vicariously experience the pure holiday spirit of German Christmas Markets.

P.S. Merry Christmas, a half-year too late.

 Hamburg train station welcomes 

visitors with Christmas lights!

 Drinking hot wine by the lake

 Winter Pride market

Winter Wonderland in Cologne

 Cuz you're a sky full of stars...

This one is in Bonn,

Beethoven's hometown 

 Munich's medieval market

 Peeking into Marienplatz,

the heart of Munich 

Just walking through the park and

I stumble on another market!

Tollwood, an animal/human rights

conscious christmas market (I think they

can make a market out of anything...)

My 25 Must Visit Cities

Got wanderlust? Even though I'm an absolute sucker for articles listing top (insert arbitrary number here) most beautiful/ must visit cities on Earth, I always wonder if the author has actually been to these places or if they just paraphrased some lines from a guidebook. So I thought - why not generate my own list based on personal travel experiences? 

I tried to select photos of locations which I believe hold some character of the city, so they might be a little different from the usual Buzzfeed travel photos. Also, with the exception of some US cities, all these pictures were taken by myself with a point and shoot camera. I'm no photographer, but I think this is a testament to the timeless beauty of these cities. 

So here I present: my totally biased, completely honest, and 100% sponsor-free list of the world's must-visit cities. 

Europe

1. Prague, Czech Republic

2. Budapest, Hungary

3. Vilnius, Lithuania

4. Riga, Latvia

5. Tallinn, Estonia

6. Rome, Italy

7. Lisbon, Portugal

8. Sintra, Portugal

9. Seville, Spain

10. Cordoba, Spain


11. Granada, Spain

12. Gdansk, Poland

13. Torun, Poland

14. Krakow, Poland

15. Berlin, Germany

16. Copenhagen, Denmark

17. Barcelona, Spain

18. Ibiza, Spain

19. Malmo, Sweden

Asia

20. Taipei, Taiwan

United States

21. Los Angeles, California

22. San Francisco, California

23. San Diego, California

24. Las Vegas, Nevada

25. Washington D.C.

Being Back

I thought that the first few weeks would hit me the hardest, like withdrawal from a drug or waking up from the perfect dream. Instead, I felt absolutely great being back home in California. It's bright and sunny every day, my university campus is stunningly beautiful, and I quickly fell back into the rhythm of school life and extracurricular activities. I think in keeping busy, it kept my mind off thoughts about my life in Europe. I didn't long for the road - I was content being home.

Then, it slowly creeped into my everyday thoughts. A flash of memory here, whiff of familiar scent there. Dancing through throbs of people on the streets of Bairro Alto in Lisbon, where the streets become the party. Stepping off the plane in Copenhagen and seeing a white wonderland for the first time. And the people I knew - I can still picture their faces in my mind even though faces are the hardest to remember. The way he'd crinkle his face after taking a shot of tequila. The way she'd smile and shake her head at my crazy dancing. Just brief moments of unexpected flashbacks.

It was not immediately obvious to me that I would miss Sweden and my time abroad. It almost seems like a distant memory compared to the immediacy of the here and now. People post oversaturated photos with captions like "I left my heart in ____," and I laughed at the corniness of those quotes. But the truth is, part of me still lives in my memories of Sweden and Europe and will never quite escape into the present day. It's nostalgia, it's the saudade my Portuguese tour guide so aptly described - a deep and profound longing for someone or something which can never be regained.