When we were plotting our return to the US, we thought we might need to drive our car from San Francisco to Milwaukee. Unfortunately, some work circumstances changed, and we came up with an alternate plan that didn’t require such a road trip. However, the work of planning the trip was already done, so I…
Out of all of the Thai islands/beaches we visited, Koh Phangan seemed to have the most authentic and affordable food. Phatchara Boutique Hotel [Thong Sala/Town]: The people at our hotel were very nice, offering us fresh juice at arrival and even upgrading our room without us asking. So, we overlooked the fact that their prices were…
Here are 14 things that surprised us about Tokyo specifically. There were a lot more about Japan overall and about Osaka and Kyoto. There are a lot of brightly-colored flowers planted all over town, along sidewalks or on road medians. These are not flowers planted by individual households, but by public workers using city funds. This…
The re-entry process is never quite smooth when you’ve been away for a while. Here are some observations from our return to America: Japanese bathrooms are small: a small tub, a toilet, a sink, and room for you to actually enter the bathroom. I mean, airplane bathrooms are bigger! So, it wasn’t exactly a surprise when I managed…
I struggled to write this because, like Susan, I found the food on Krabi’s Railay Beach to be watered-down tourist fare at inflated prices. I don’t have any real recommendations, other than to eat non-Thai food here. Pranang Cuisine: We came here looking for free wifi, since the service at our hotel was weak. The wifi…
Neighborhood: (Nishi)Waseda and Takadanobaba Also Called: N/A Pros: Because these are both university neighborhoods, there is plenty of affordable dining – from restaurants to grocery stores. At the 7/11 in this neighborhood, they’ll even heat your food for you, in case your place doesn’t have a microwave. Because these are both university neighborhoods, places like cafes or…
We had fun in Sweden! There’s plenty to see in both Stockholm and Malmö, but here is what sticks out for us, looking back on our time there: B’s List Walking around Langholmen, an island that’s a beach – minus the sand: it’s all rocks. Our city tour guide. From her explanation that Swedes think that Danes are speaking Swedish…
One thing that stands out about Japan is the language. Specifically, the fact that they use it. Let me explain. Imagine you go to a grocery store. You’re checking out, and the cashier needs to ask you something. For example: how many plastic bags do you need? cash or credit? do you need chopsticks? do you…
Tokyo is not currently the most expensive city in the world, but it’s still in the top six. Certainly, housing plays a part, and I have found apartments and hotels to be more expensive than many (but not all) other places we’ve been. However, I also expected food to be expensive. After all, sushi at even…
Because we were finalizing summer living details while in Kyoto, we didn’t see as much as we could have during our week there. But here is what we did explore: 1) Nishiki Market: I didn’t find this market as friendly or interesting as the Kuromon Market in Osaka. Perhaps it was because the food was more expensive and the…