Snaps from San Fran

I went to California in early December for a work trip, and of course, I had to take advantage of the chance to explore San Fran with my partner-in-crime. After the work week was over, Preston met up with me, and we hit the pavement. It felt like a quick weekend, but we covered quite a bit of ground. And though these pics are now a couple of months old, I couldn't help but share them.

The Castro

Oakland

Powell Street

The Mission

Chinatown

Inner Sunset

Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz

Fishermans Warf

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Fall Camping

In early October, we did another long weekend camping in the Catskills. I know I am a bit late sharing these pics, but I wanted to still post them to have all these memories in one place. Check out my summer camping trip here.  The changing leaves started much earlier in the hills of the Catskills than in the city. It was also so much colder-which I was not prepared for at all.

We had some lovely autumnal walks and kept the fire going constantly. We played board games, drank pumpkin ale, and cooked up a ton of food. We love taking our breaks from the city and exploring more of upstate NY.

Rainbow!

Luckily, we still have a couple more weeks (hopefully!) of fall in the city before winter comes. Trying to soak it all in as it's my favourite season. 

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Souvenirs from Taiwan

[Sheet Masks]

I hope you enjoyed the pictures from our adventures in Taiwan. Today, I thought I'd share some of the souvenirs we picked up. We didn't have much time for shopping, and I have been working on a no-buy (more on that to come), so we didn't make it a priority. We did want to bring back a few things to share with friends and family and to serve as reminders of our trip.

One thing I knew I had to get while in Asia was sheet masks. I had so much fun going from Watsons to Watsons trying to find a bunch of different kinds. And laughing at some of the funny ones, including 'Girl on Period'. I ended up with a few from Korea and made in Taiwan. I am excited to try them out with friends in a typical sleepover situation, and I sent a few to my mom and sister to try. Preston & I used the panda heating eye masks on the plane, made the 16 hours much more comfortable.

[Pineapple Cakes]

[Alishan Oolong Tea]

We couldn't leave without bringing back some tea. Alishan is famous for their oolong. We brought back two different kinds. A little goes a long way with oolong as the tea leaves unfurl, so we will enjoy these for awhile. Every time I open the pantry,  I am remind of our trip. I love seeing that cute red train.

To go with our tea, we brought back a box of pineapple cakes. Now, these did not last long. We sent a few to family to try and pretty much ate them all in the first couple of days back.

[Ocarinas]

For my brothers, I found these handmade ocarinas. They had just got back from Puerto Rico where they got wooden frogs (the ones where you rub the stick on the back to make sounds), so I thought these turtles would be a good pair.

[Washi Tape]

[Coloring Book]

And then, I couldn't resist a few new stationery items. I found the little animal washi tape at a Japanese themed discount-type store. The succulent and the gold bamboo are better quality and from the brand Dailylike. I got those at the Eslite bookstore. I could have been in that stationery section all day. In Chiayi, we passed by a bookstore and decided to go in. I instantly saw this 'A Million Cats' coloring book and knew I needed it. I mean we had a long plane ride coming up. I picked up this mini pack of colored pencils at the airport- just in time for the flight. 

More from Taiwan

Taipei

Jiufen 

Alishan

Taroko Gorge

Beitou

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Photo Diary | Beitou, Taiwan

We left Hualien in the morning and made it back to Taipei by the afternoon. That day was reserved for meeting up with my Taiwanese friends. I met them through a summer foreign exchange program when I was in high school. It was amazing to be able to see them again after so many years and so many miles apart. We spent the day doing as the locals do-eating cake at secret cafes, walking around Treasure Hill, eating some more delicious food, and chatting at a cat bar. Yup, it's a thing. I didn't take too many pictures that day as we were catching up. For our last full day in Taiwan, we went to Beitou, famous for its hot springs.

We were able to see the source of the green springs. Definitely not where you jump it, if you couldn't tell by the steam. Nearby resorts and hotels pipe the water, reducing the temperature.

We went to an outdoor public spring. The water was too hot for us to stay in long, but we enjoyed people watching. We even bought a couple of popsicles, reminiscent of days spent at community pools or water parks.

We then headed in the direction of the Taipei Zoo to ride the gondola up to Maokong. We rode in a crystal bottomed one first to see the green a couple hundred meters below our feet.

Maokong is another area known for tea. Though, not much is grown there currently. There are tea houses and restaurants with great views of the city.

We ended up getting a green tea ice cream cone and taking pictures of interesting caterpillars. I spent hours googling to discover their species to no avail.

We ended the night with another night market and felt bittersweet that our trip was ending. The next day, we had a last brunch with my friend who took us to another great local spot for bagel egg sandwiches, an ode to the typical New York breakfast.

More from Taiwan

Taipei

Jiufen 

Alishan

Taroko Gorge

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Photo Diary | Taroko Gorge, Taiwan

Our next destination was Taroko Gorge. Since we were heading from Alishan, we were on the total opposite coast, with no easy way to cross through the mountainous middle. So we had a full day of train travel to ride up the west to Taipei, then back down the east. The train ride down the east had views of the ocean, so it wasn't a bad way to spend the day.

We again opted for scooter transportation to explore the marble gorge. It was more difficult to rent scooters in Hualien. It's more of a tourist town, full of hostels and backpackers. My guess is people have been burned by tourists wrecking scooters. Preston's passport was held hostage, which increased my anxiety as a constant catastrophizer.

The clear waters, smooth marble, and tall mountains were spectacular. We had been so lucky with everything on our trip that something bad had to happen. Good news-it wasn't the end of the world. Bad news-all my pictures from this day and the next got set to a lower resolution and small size. As you can probably guess, I was devastated. Preston was able to talk me down and remember that we were able to experience it, in real life, not through a photo, and that the pictures we have are still able to spark that memory.

This was my favourite part of the Taroko Gorge. Frog Rock named from the shape resembling a sitting toad. The gazebo at the top of his head reminded me of a fairy princess castle.

I love all the scarlet bridges against the green forest and bright, white marble.

Down this path were hot springs piped from the mountain. Preston dipped his feet in.

More from Taiwan

Taipei

Jiufen

Alishan

Beitou

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