Dec 30th 2019 we leave for Taiwan and arrive in time for NYE.
We climbed up Elephant mountain ~½ way up as we realized we weren’t the only ones with it in mind for a good view of the show. Being tall came in handy.
Zihan joined us a few days later and we took a trip on the train to towns surrounding Taipei. The trains were very poorly documented but somehow we ended up in the right places at the right time.
But first, breakfast.
We estimated that this guy has made ~70,000 dumplings in his life. They were very tasty :)
Between the waterfalls, hot springs, and just general beauty just outside of the bustling capital the train ride was definitely a highlight.
& with the 10/10 food and culture Taiwan was shaping up to be a great trip.
End of the line. Pingxi.
Last day in Taiwan. Visting temples then back up Elephant mountain for a sunset. Finished off the trip with a foot massage. Very painful and very ticklish.
Next, off to the “Republika ng Pilipinas” and a warm welcome from Adrian’s family.
We then met Adrian’s uncles family for church and lunch before continuing. Here is me trying Balut a traditional dish (Fertilized chicken egg).
Strawberry ice cream & strawberry fields.
Lechón for dinner.
We went to Baguio city in the mountains where it was nice a cool for a few days.
El Nido. Crystal blue water, coral reefs, steep cliffs, and a vibrant nightlife.
We kayaked out from the main island (Palawan) to a smaller island that we had completely to ourselves less one couple with the same idea. Somehow there was still 4G.
The island we paddled to.
A hard-earned beer after a strong headwind on the paddle back to Palawan. I believe this to be the dinner that caused some stomach turbulence for the next two days.
Breakfast with fresh pineapple juice, eggs, and sausage.
These are the only two images I managed to take the next day on a day long boat tour. I clenched all the way back to land but did make it off the boat once for some snorkeling.
Farewell to the Philippines. We flew back to Manilla for dinner with Adrian’s Mom’s side of the family for our final night. Adrain has a very generous extended family who provided most of our meals and just about all of our transporation, thank you :)
2020/01/13: Time to start school.
We flew in to Singapore and headed straight to residence by taxi to pick up our room keys and settle in.
On the first weekend before classes began we explored the downtown and ran into an outdoor concert in front of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall.
Checking out the festival and the art displays.
The tower just behind the “NUS” labeled one is where I stayed on the 20th floor.
Zihan and Adrian reading the science smack talk on the engineering buildings.
Trip #1: 4 days in Malaysia for CNY
First stop was the local market. I picked up a new pair of sunglasses since I forgot mine in Singapore. CNY meant many places were closed during the day so we grabbed fried chicken from a fast food chain.
Explored the old quarter and some of us had our feet treated by fish 🥴
Ryan, an exchange friend from Berkeley highly recommended Thean Hou Temple for picture. Definitely a gold mine.
Dinner at Jalan Alor with lots of good eats.
A must do trip to the Batu caves.
There were lots of cute moneys that would steal any food you have. They cause quite a bit of litter too.
Looking up from inside the cave.
View of the Petronas towers from a rooftop bar (this photo is actually from a layover a few weeks later where I visted the same bar with my dad for another great view).
A trip to the pink mosque and then a long bus ride back to Singapore.
The bus ride home was supposed to get us back by 9 pm but traffic left us arriving at 1 am. A couple of us were caught in immigration as Adrian and I waited and watched the last bus back to where we were going depart without us. We tried to walk out of the bus area to catch a cab but it turned out that was not allowed and we ended up being detained and all of our passports checked again. Finally one of the officers helped us call a taxi and gave us a ride in their patrol car out to the road to meet it. We ended up not doing too well on the Japanese quiz we had the next day.
Singapore
Playing spike ball on the UTown green. I don’t thing any Singaporeans had seen it before.
View of the bay from the 1 Altitude rooftop bar.
Vietnam for a weekend.
The itch to travel before school got too busy led us to booking a last minute weekend trip to Hanoi.
Gardens by the bay.
The fountain in the middle of the Jewel is surrounded by an indoor garden and mall. The terminal trains pass through the Jewel on a bridge.
Checked out the Singapore airshow with Hugo. Cool to see some of the Asian fighter jets from China and the F35-B for the first time.
The evening view from my bedroom window. Much better than Waterloo student housing views for sure!
The financial district at sunset. A wrap to the trip as COVID resulted in many exchange students heading home early. I stayed until a day before the country went on full lockdown.
Basically had the plane to myself on the way home. I flew from Singapore -> Japan -> Chicago -> Toronto and had 2 of my flights cancelled but made it home after 42 hours.
