Make up in Japan....Eyeliner!

Yesterday, I had to throw out my old makeup because it was starting to irritate my eyes. Luckily, Japanese make-up shops are like candy stores; full of new goodies everywhere you look!

I picked up this bad boy for around 1900 yen, or 20 dollars. It's a 3-in-one stick, perfect for traveling. I'm happy with how it looks on me (it's really basic black eyeliner anyhow), and it's really, REALLY waterproof! I can't wait to do more shopping!

However, I don't know how much longer my legs can last. Day after day of touring around in flip flops really destroys your calf muscles. I have never had such SORE ankles before, not even after running.

A Rainy Run in Kyoto

OHAYO GOZAIMASU KYOTO!

I love this place. It's full of shrines, temples, history, alleyways, shops, hidden cafes, restaurants, and so, so much more that I don't even have words GAH!

We only had a small taste of the culture and history here yesterday, which will continue in force today despite the rain.

I started today with a run, with the ultimate goal to explore the Kyoto Botanical Gardens. I haven't run in about a month.

I didn't even get close to the Botanical Gardens. :)

I was huffing and puffing by the time I made it to the first major intersection, and by the time I got to Kamo River, I was soaked by the rain, and blisters were already forming on my toes. I'm a horrible excuse for a runner.

However, I got to run along this for a while:

It's even more beautiful in real life. I think I'm in love.

My stats:
2.13 miles
33 minutes
9.37 km/min pace

Hi Japan... you're confusing...

What's supposed to be one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world is a little REALLY confusing! I guess that's what happens when your train routes are privately owned and there are a million of them. Also, Steven and I have been pronouncing everything in our Japanese phrase book incorrectly. Note to self: take some Japanese classes before coming to Japan.... 

 Steven and I got the 7-day JR pass only available to foreigners visiting Japan. It's basically unlimited travel on the JR lines, which can take you to Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, etc. <-- These are the places Steven and I are hitting on this trip!

The JR office at the airport has English-speaking staff, and an great knowledge of which passes to use and when. We both purchased the Suica card to save us fumbling around for passes and fares while we are in Tokyo. Isn't the card pretty?!

By the time we finally got back to our hotel, we were starving! Air Asia doesn't feed you, so it had been about 6 hours or more since either of us had a real meal. 

Our first Japanese meal...

Ordering was tough... telling the waitress I'm a vegetarian was TOUGHER (they didn't have ANYTHING for vegetarians... oh well). I ordered myself a beer as a celebration for my *ahem* success. 

And continuing on the trend of this vacation... ABSOLUTELY NO EXERCISE! YAY! 

Wandering and Eating around Taipei

Hello blog world! 

In recent days, Steven and I have been busy touring the bustling metropolis of Taipei City. I've been making like a regular ol' Taiwanese and using my umbrella like a parasol. Don't judge me until you feel for yourself the stinging heat of the summertime sun in Taiwan! 

This was one of the highlights of our trip here. Surprisingly, though I've visited Taiwan a lot, I've never been to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. Regardless of the politics and all that, it really is quite the sight to see. It's friggin HUGE! We had a good time roaming the gardens and exhibits in the area. Plus, they had the best souvenirs:

A chilly passion fruit popsicle with a stick that's actually a Memorial Hall bookmark! Genius! 

Unfortunately, our foreign meat has been especially enticing to the local mosquito populations. One evening, Steven got 7 bites, and I got 3. My Taiwanese family, sitting right next to us? None. 

No blog post would be complete without lots of food pics. Prepare your eyes to FEAST: 

Forker's vegetarian patty with spinach artichoke sauce baked on top (actually better than any burger I've had in Australia! A bit disappointed with the fries though): 

Classic Taiwanese breakfast of egg pancake (with cheese!) and iced black tea (best breakfast EVER and only 50NT): 

And a really expensive upscale organic restaurant called VVG Bistro nestled in the warehouses of HuaShan Arts District:

Salad in Shakable Jars (So that you get an arm workout with your greens)! 

And these delicious meals: 

My friends had steak with the most delicious fries ever, a delicious scallop risotto with truffle oil, while I had the vegetarian pasta with all sorts of mushrooms and truffle oil. 

And in all this time, I have done absolutely NO exercise. HURRAH FOR VACATION!

A Day in Taipei

Today, Steven and I decided we would be good proper tourists and take pictures of everything and anything that caught our fancy. I even broke out my poor Lomo from its long Australian hibernation to get some exercise! It's a nice refreshing break from the digital world to go back to a film camera. But this does mean we have no idea if the photos even turn out until after we finish the whole roll!! Fun!

As the weather appeared to hold out, Steven and I explored the iconic Taipei 101. Hordes of tourists flock here for the pretty pictures and well, because it is a big tall tower. I was surprised at the quality of the free audio tour and displays on the observation deck. Considering the 500NT ticket, you actually do get some good interesting information on the history of Taipei, nearby attractions and of course the construction of the tower itself.

There was also some sort of exhibit that featured monthly Taiwanese cultural activities, like swimming across Sun Moon Lake next month (done that!), or the pole-climbing festivals around New year's. It was cool because after living here for so many years, these activities were actually familiar to me! Makes me feel local even though I so SO am not!

After wandering the really cool Eslite bookstore (which is really misleading since it is not only a bookstore but also full of little nick nack shops and designer furniture and stuff), we went for dinner at a place near and dear to my heart, Jolly.

This is a microbrewery and an excellent Thai food restaurant. After having been away for 2 years, I was glad to see it still bustling and brewing! The beers were exactly to my taste: sweet and girly. However, now that I am a vegetarian, I basically have to break the rules in order to eat there at all! I had a Green curry (made with shrimp paste) with veggies only and some stir-fried greens. Oh, and beer! Lots of beer!

Our Asia adventure beings

My apologies for the week-long silence in blogging. If you've been following me, you know that Steven and I are traveling around Asia on a two-month "Let's spend all the money we made in Australia" spree.

This past week, we've been busy flying from Hong Kong to Taiwan, my "home" country. After graduating university, I moved and lived in various cities around Taiwan for (on and off) about 3 years. So, in many ways, coming back to Taiwan is like coming home.

Taiwan is where I got through some big struggles in my life so far, and learned peace and contentment... at least for a time. Coming back here is and always will be joyous for me.

Anyway, I'll be back to regular blogging soon! We've got a skim date lined up for this weekend, and lots of catching up with friends and family.

From Sydney to Hong Kong

1. (top left) Steven and I spent our last day in Sydney being the best tourists we could be: walking across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, shopping for souvenirs, and having our last Australian Starbucks!

2. I think Starbucks cards make pretty good souvenirs! They are printed with all those touristy things like the Sydney Bridge or kangaroos and stuff like that. They are also technically useable back home even though it would make no sense to use an Australian card to spend Canadian dollars in Canada...

3. Steven and I ordered a pizza from Crust for our last meal as we were busy packing and had no energy to go out and eat. I think I will miss this pizza: loaded with veggies and topped with a delicious pesto aioli. 

4. Skip ahead about 12 hours and BOOM we are waking up in Hong Kong! The flight was hard on my poor motion-sick stomach, but Steven seemed to have a great time watching all the movies and chowing down. I'm always so jealous of people that can so thoroughly enjoy themselves on flights. Don't they know I can barely move my eyeballs without wanting to throw up?!

5. (bottom left) This is Steven's new favourite Hong Kong thing: iced milk tea but with the ice on the outside so as not to dilute the precious tea on the inside. He had two in one sitting today, and I think he will have more later. If it were his choice, he probably would hook himself up to one of those beer helmets, but instead of beer, pipe HK milk tea straight into his mouth.