The setting sun never looked better. 

Back to Buffalo, NY

You learn more about a place after you come back from leaving it in the first place. Buffalo is that place. I went to school for 4 years there, and I love it more when I come back. Planning a trip became more of reminiscing old times and finding new things along the way. Take this for example, Niagara Falls is always an attraction to go to when travelling to Buffalo, NY. But, I didn't go to the Canadian side until this time around...and it is much more livelier than the other side. More casinos, more restaurants, more bars, and an even more stunning view of the falls. We found this spot by following the crowd (sometimes it is best to follow everyone else...sometimes). The clouds cleared up and we were looking across to the Falls and seeing the beauty. There is a park on the other side of this spot, where you can hike, have a picnic, take a stroll, or just soak up the sun. 

No matter how many times you visit a place, you never truly find everything and know everything. 

I fell in love with Quebec City. The sights, the sound, the smell, the cobbled stone walkways, the crisp cold air, and the people. I did not think I could easily love a place, but I did. After a few weeks planning this trip, I think my love for this city grew. And spending a few days exploring by foot, eating local cuisine, and seeing the sights...I fell in love even more.

The old living right next to the new. There was a section in the old part of town, in the lower tier, where a wall has been drastically altered to be a mural. It was an open space, in between two 1800s buildings, and the picture depicts people of Quebec in a colourful setting. It was a living image of the diversity the city held, of the modernity living alongside the past, and of the fun nature these people had in life. Street art beautifully depicted in a city setting.

 

Thank you Quebec Tourism and Friends

Tourism websites can be your best friend when planning trips. Take for example, the Quebec City Tourism website: http://www.quebecregion.com/en/

Everything is at your fingertips. Looking for places to eat for dinner, check! Looking for brunch but specifically serving French cuisine, check! Looking for souvenirs for coworkers and family, check! Looking for nature activities on a nice sunny day, check!

Really, it is well organised and well displayed that navigating the website is not too much of a hassle. In the "What to Do" section, you can find a tab for routes and get a map of different ways to explore the city by foot, car, public transportation and carriage. This is so helpful! 

Download the maps if you can, memorize certain areas of attraction, and be creative. 

They even show you activities for the different seasons in the year! You can do skiing in Winter, a cruise in the Summer, explore a sugar shack in Spring, and hiking in the Fall. We are planning to go during the in-between season of Fall and Winter, more tree leaves changing colour and less freezing cold. Hopefully the weather gods will be courteous and allow sunshine and nice weather during the trip...one can only hope. 

Quebec City, Quebec

• French Canadian, main language is French (but a different tone and dialect than Parisian French)
• Cheaper to book hotels outside of Quebec City or Old Quebec: Look at neighbouring towns like Vanier, Sainte-Foy, Sillery, and Les Rivières. You could get a room for less than USD $60/night. And ask for breakfast, sometimes not included in the hotel price. 
• An 8 to 9 hour drive from NYC, if you go on speed and less bathroom/lunch breaks. 
• At least know a few words and phrases in French, the locals appreciate it more than you think. "Bonjour, ces't va?" goes a long way. 
• A diverse city so there will be Japanese restaurants, Thai restaurants, Spanish restaurants, Irish restaurants. 
• Walking is the best mode of transportation. 

Just a few things I learned when researching Quebec City...a trip there will be like going to a European town except you are still in North America and they are located in Canada. 

Using booking.com and hotels.com, plus agoda.com has been a lifesaver for finding hotels that are fairly cheap but decent. Add to that, if you search in a different country mode in those websites sometimes you may find good deals or a point of obstruction to use to ask for lower price when speaking to an agent. 

Hotels.com will give you cheaper price should you find same listing (same room type, room features, amenities and policies) in a different website. Learned that by searching multiple sites and finding the same hotel room with different prices, and arguing effectively to receive the cheaper rate. Thank you third party sites, reasoning skills, and a knack to haggle for lower prices. 

One advice to live by: Go where your heart takes you, do the research beforehand but remember to let yourself live in the moment...in the adventure of life. 

Ask the Locals

Often times, I'm still a tourist in my home country. Hence, I usually ask the locals: neighbours, family members, travel guides, front desks of hotels, and street vendors. We were at my uncle's place in Sentul City, a few km outside of the city centre. I've never been to this part of Jakarta and fairly so, this was a new development that boomed in the last few years. We had less than USD $50 in our pockets and wanted to do something fun but cheap. My uncle and his neighbour suggested taking a hike up one section of the housing development, and we'd get a view of the township. 

We walked about 5 km from the house to a different section of the gated community, and realized it was a steep hill we needed to go up to reach the highest point. A street vendor selling water and snacks by some houses attracted our attention so we bought 3 bags of chips and 2 water. We walked up the streets, stopping at guard houses to ask for directions, and eventually made it to a clearing where rock steps led to this...

Untouched land with wild grass reaching past ankles, the "Sentul City" sign and an unobstructed view of houses in gated communities and rivers and trees. The air was cooler and the sun blistering hot...and the experience priceless. Thanks to my uncle and his friend, the security officers giving directions, and the street vendor for our nourishments. 

A Planner

Before going on this trip, I planned. I planned the time we needed to leave the house so we get to the airport at least 2 hours before take-off, I planned locations in Jakarta we would go to for lunch and dinner for the first two weeks, I planned what I should take to get to places, and I even planned how much I should have to last a week.

Sometimes plans go awry, sometimes itineraries are not followed. And that is fine. Perfectly fine.

We had an itinerary, list of dates from our transfer in Hong Kong to arrival in Soekarno-Hatta airport and the day we go to Bandung to meet my grandmother. It had contact info for Cathay Pacific (both office in Jakarta and in NYC), Blue Bird taxi, family member cell phones, and some stores we usually frequent. This was followed for the first few weeks, then things were tweaked like times and locations. We found out about GoJek, a company doing deliveries and cab services (similar to Uber) and their contact added to the itinerary. Restaurants no longer open = crossed off. New places, new stores = added to the page.

Be prepared for deviations. For changes, for things not going according to plan. 

The previous post of the two pictures, that was not in the itinerary. It was pure adventure, straying off a path and finding something beautifully flawed: Nature. We did plan to meet my grandmother in Bandung, taking a bus to arrive late evening, eating dinner then heading home. We did plan to eat lunch at a bakery/cafe nearby, did plan to go to ITB (International Technology University of Bandung), did plan to leave the next day bright and early. We did not plan to watch sunrise at the top of a hill, did not plan on walking through dense forests and getting lost, did not plan to walk through a park...and most certainly did not plan to see the most amazing sight of thick fog-like clouds creeping along the bottoms of trees and breathing in fresh dewy air.

Sometimes plans go awry, and you make the best of the situation. You might find something worthwhile...or maybe the whole experience is worthwhile on its own.

"Sometimes the way forward, is the way back."
                                                     --Anonymous



"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."
                                                     -- Lao Tzu

Pre-Adventure: Transportation

When your summers are either driving around U.S.A. or flying to Asia, you learn a great deal of tricks to save as much as you can...especially for transportation. Here are some tips I have to make your planning easier and hopefully cost effective. 

1. Embrace your age. That misconception of growing old is hard or being young means being wild, scratch that off your notebook and your thoughts. Embrace the age you are at the moment. Sites like Kayak.com, Booking.com, and studentuniverse.com can be cheap for flights if you are a student or senior citizen. You can get student discounts, deals for under 25 years old, or discounts for over 50 years old. Young travellers are leading the way for lesser known cities to gain tourism, so deals are common. Places like Bali, Yogya, Hong Kong, Thailand and some Eastern European cities cater to young travellers by offering discounts on activities or tours of the city. 
2. Search Locally. Sometimes you can find deals by searching locally, through local travel agencies and newspapers. Or flying locally can save money...a lot of money. Airlines like Citilink, Air Asia, Tiger Air, Ryanair, and Easyjet will offer cheaper flights to cities than major airlines. If you are already in the country, save money by locally finding transportation instead of sticking to more prominent airlines. Be aware these cheaper prices come with a hitch, nonrefundable and non changeable. But, despite that if you plan accordingly, you can save a few bucks or more. 
3. Timing is key. When you go is important for any travel plans. In the case of transportation, that is also true. To find good deals, search and book for flights/train during low seasons (February -May in European and Asian Countries, October - December in New Zealand and Australia). Go when school is in session. Book at least 6 months in advance, some sites like booking.com and own airline sites allow one to book a flight at least 6 months in advance. (And, it is cheaper to change the date because you bought the ticket early). 

These are just some tips I use when I made this trip abroad to Indonesia, it might work for some and it might not for others. Travelling requires you to go out and explore, try something new...and if does not work out, then try again. You learn by making mistakes.

16 Children And Their Bedrooms From Across The World. This Will Open Your Eyes.

16 Children And Their Bedrooms From Across The World. This Will Open Your Eyes.



Eye-opening and appreciative of everything one has no matter how little or how scarce it may seem.

30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself



Uplifting. Thoughtful. Inspiring.