Travel - Travel With A Butterfly

Chengdu was everything I expected it to be, and at the same time everything I didn’t expect it to be.

Chengdu, an up and coming Chinese city, was in most areas similar to that of Shenzhen, appearance wise. Old buildings, dirt, pollution… you could tell Chengdu was a Chinese city. If anything, Chengdu was a bit scarier than Shenzhen as you can see that many buildings weren’t occupied and there were buildings that were still under construction with no clear indication that these buildings would be completed. Continue reading Living In The Du

China

A Weekend In Shanghai

ByRyan Lee

Yup you read that right; my friend and I spent a weekend in Shanghai back in Sept. 2011 when I just started having a full time job. In need of a break, we decided to spend a weekend in Shanghai to destress, be young, and have fun.

Since this is a post that’s done more than 4 years after my trip, the exact stuff I’ve done is a bit hazy. Instead, I’ll put up pictures and a bit of description of what these pictures represent.

Maybe it’s just me, but I found the Shanghainese people to be direct and aggressive sometimes, at least for the people I met. Not all of them, maybe a few, some of them were really nice to us of course.

Anyway I am not sure how well their English was since we were speaking mainly Mandarin with them, so of course I suggest going there with someone that speaks Mandarin as well! Continue reading A Weekend In Shanghai

Thailand

Wat To Do In Chiang Mai

ByRyan Lee

Chiang Mai is one of those places where you hear about it, then you’re like, “Why not go somewhere else in Thailand? We could go Bangkok, or Phuket…” Well, first of all I’ve been to both. Secondly, it’s also one of HK Express’ destinations from Hong Kong. And if you have enough days (we didn’t), you can go to Myanmar or Laos since Chiang Mai is more north. Continue reading Wat To Do In Chiang Mai

Taiwan

Chinese New Year in Taipei

ByRyan Lee

Taipei’s a great city to go to, especially coming from Hong Kong, as it makes a great 3-4 day trip. But compared to Hong Kong, everything is so much cheaper there… food, nightclub, transportation etc. Actually I was very surprised by how much more country side it was compared to Hong Kong. I can’t wait to go back to Taipei soon.

But one thing for sure, I won’t be going back during Chinese New Year. This trip was back in 2012 end of January, and because Taiwanese people were also celebrating Chinese New Year, most of the stores there were closed! In fact, it was frigid and it was constantly raining, so it made everything worse. The weather was always gloomy as well. Continue reading Chinese New Year in Taipei

Travel

Celebrating the New Year in London

ByRyan Lee

Similar to the Paris post, this trip was done a year ago. In fact, the Paris trip was a side trip from my couple of days in London. The point is, it’s been a while and again I may not have the full details of this trip. What I do remember vividly however, is arriving at about 5:30am to my hostel, hoping the sun would come out at about 8-9am, only to wait till 4pm before it appeared, before it quickly hid itself again at 6pm. It’s official – I do not like the weather in London during the winter. Raining everyday… Dates I travelled: Dec. 29, 2013 to Jan. 7, 2014. Below are a couple of useful tips and pictures along with descriptions for some of them. Continue reading Celebrating the New Year in London

Travel

A Short Trip to Kaohsiung and Taichung

ByRyan Lee

This trip going to Kaohsiung and Taichung was back in 2013, before I started travel blogging, so I didn’t write many details about the trips. However, I will share with you my pictures in those places.

What I do remember is that both places were actually quite rural, well not completely rural but definitely didn’t feel urbanized / city like. Everything there was so cheap! In order to survive in Taiwan though, you would definitely need to know some mandarin. But definitely it was a really cheap trip – flight, accommodation, food, transportation, nothing there was expensive. Maybe I’ll save more money spending my weekends in Kaohsiung instead haha. Continue reading A Short Trip to Kaohsiung and Taichung

Misc.

Luxurious Airbnb Places Around The World

ByRyan Lee

Got a bit of dough to throw around? Want to impress your girlfriend/boyfriend? Want some motivation in your life? Look no further. I’ve provided ten accommodations from Airbnb from around the world that will guarantee to make your wallet thinner. I selected these accommodations based on pricing, uniqueness, and feel… some of the accommodations I saw, as expensive as they were, didn’t seem very “luxurious” and felt too “homey” for me. I set out to find accommodations that define luxury.

Important Update (Nov. 8, 2022): Upon trying to repair the broken images on this page, I realize that 9 out of the 10 Airbnb links redirected you to their homepage airbnb.com, presumably because the original airbnbs aren’t listed anymore. I apologise if you have been brought here. But don’t worry, I will be continuing to do top 10 airbnb places in different cities again soon. Continue reading Luxurious Airbnb Places Around The World

Japan

Nara Deer, Kobe Beef

ByRyan Lee

Both Nara and Kobe are places convenient from either Kyoto and Osaka. While Nara is famous for its deer, Kobe is famous for its beef. Whereas I could spend a whole day in Nara, I would definitely spend less than half a day in Kobe… besides eating, there really isn’t anything else to do there! Well, except for shopping probably.

Nara

There’s going to be a lot of walking in Nara as the park is pretty big. I had a big luggage with me, since I just checked out of Osaka and planned to go to Nara first before heading to Kyoto for my accommodation at night. It would be ridiculous for me to carry a huge luggage around. Thankfully, there was a Nara City Tourist Information Center next to JR Nara Station where you can leave your luggages there from 9am to 7pm (Tel no. 0742 27-2223). Continue reading Nara Deer, Kobe Beef

Japan

A Stranger In Kyoto

ByRyan Lee

Kyoto is a mixture of both culture and urbanisation. It retains history while integrating beauty and city elements within it. It has everything that makes it the perfect place to visit in the world – amazing food, rich culture, cleanliness, friendliness, serenity, hustle, and more. If there’s one thing that it’s lacking, it’s an airport.

Aside from that, I am thoroughly impressed by Kyoto. I find myself immersed in everything about it. It’s romantic, it’s leisure, it’s dreamy. No wonder why Lonely Planet has it ranked #2 in Best in Travel 2016.

It is a big regret that I spent only 4 short days in Kyoto… I felt a great belonging there. Kyoto is one of those places where it’s yearning to be explored. Being Japan’s old capital before, the city contains hundreds of temples. Continue reading A Stranger In Kyoto

Japan

A Vibrant Energy In Osaka

ByRyan Lee

Prior to this trip, people told me that a few days in Osaka would be sufficient. As a tourist after visiting the city, I’d agree. Osaka isn’t really a boring city. I am sure if I lived there, I would have fun there. It also gives off a fun, youthful, and vibrant culture to it. Not to mention there is a lot of shopping and good food there.

But Osaka is like any other city with its own foods and shopping. However as a tourist, you would definitely have enough time to visit all the important attractions within 3 days. Mind you, I was there for about 2.5 days… but from my research online and from my guidebook, I felt I have covered the major attractions that I had to see.

And Osaka is a convenient stop for you to travel to other major parts of Japan – Kyoto, Nara, and Kobe to name a few. And the nightlife there seems to be pretty happening on any given weekday. Continue reading A Vibrant Energy In Osaka