The World’s Best Beef Noodles A wide, steamy bowl of broth. Winter radish and bits of chopped beef blended in. A nest of soft, thin, hand-pulled noodles. A dark puddle of chili oil. Green onion garnish. The World’s Best Beef Noodles 牛肉面 (niú ròu miàn). Beef noodles. A cornerstone dish to the Chinese cuisine, for three straightforward reasons: it’s simple,… Read More
Like A Local: Taking The Train In China It was on the slow trains of China where I fell in love with the country. As my fatigued body was slowly rocked from side to side through thousands of kilometers of countryside, I stared at the vibrant train culture that took place before me. Then, I joined in. Like A Local: Taking… Read More
Pairs Of Children Make My Day Pairs Of Children Make My Day Have I ever had a bad day while traveling? Is like asking myself, do I eat ice cream? All the time. Medical mishaps, immigration errors, bed bugs, fallouts with new friends and old friends. I can honestly say that in less than two years on the road, I’ve outlasted… Read More
24 Hours In A Tibetan Tent I encountered the most authentic, unique experience of my travels without expecting or asking for it. No amount of tashi deleks* could answer for the real and exclusive Tibetan hospitality I received. From the modest interior of a nomadic tent on a rainy August afternoon, I was introduced to how a family could sustain itself… Read More
Guilin: Oil Tea And Odd Geology My aunt grew up amongst the deformed-gumdrop-looking karst formations in the Guangxi province of China, just north of Vietnam. She was raised with strong ties to family and village farming, and her life was uniquely set against the Dr. Seuss level scenery that has now been recognized by UNESCO World Heritage and printed onto the… Read More
The Ultimate Chinese Snack Sunflower seeds are the holy grail of Chinese munchies. Locals tow bags of roasted sunflower seeds with them wherever they go. Whether bored, gossiping about who got accepted to what university, playing mahjong, drinking tea, drinking, or especially when taking the train, I assure you that they will be cracking these things. The Ultimate Chinese Snack… Read More
Orchard Observations: The Counterintuitive Way Life Works Hidden away in a corner of Japan’s fruitiest prefecture, I was volunteering on one of the best farms that ever happened to me. I wove my bike through rice fields and greenhouses of cherry trees. On clearer days, I soaked up a splendid view of Mount Fuji. One morning, I even found myself at the… Read More
High Up Huangshan: Three Days In China’s Yellow Mountains It was a Sunday morning. My mom, dad, myself, and our enormous sack of lychees and grapes were moving at 250kph along the train tracks through Chinese countryside. I was still unaware of what I was in for. Across the aisle of our train compartment, my mother was stretched across three seats, and unresponsive. I… Read More
Ode To Deo: A Tale Of Bali Secrets And Cali Karma Armpit-love is self-love. As I dive deeper into prioritizing self-care and pondering preventative medicine, I re-educated myself on the harmful effects of deodorant. In lieu with this personal quest for healthier pits, taking place on a puny island overrun with entitled expats and unsustainable tourism, a magical little story was born. As we… Read More
When A Sakura Petal Lands In Your Matcha When a sakura petal lands in your matcha, your heart skips a beat. Day 424 When a sakura petal lands in your matcha, you suspect things may have just gone from 0 to 100. You blink twice and look again, because maybe you’ve just seen so many petals this sakura season that you’re… Read More