Photo Journey: The Two-Week Chronicle Of A Hungry Girl And Her Vietnamese Street Food So. How much street food can a hungry Vivian put away in fourteen days? According to my detailed Chasing Calories: Vietnam guide, it would be 47 distinct dishes and nine tropical fruits, not including the foods I ate repeatedly or did not write about. I guess the best way to start off would be with… Read More
Chasing Calories: Vietnam Vietnam is the cradle of sophisticated dishes that exude healthy colors and flavorful innovations. A general formula for a Vietnamese dish includes a serving of rice-based wraps or noodles, a tart dipping sauce or hearty bone broth, and a hand-plucked selection of raw leaves and herbs for garnish. Prices are affordable, markets stimulate all five… Read More
Whang Od’s Blessing “Hi, my name is Vivian. I come from the USA. Both of my parents are Chinese. I am 21 years old. I have no tattoos and never imagined myself getting one. I saw a photo of you one month ago, and was so fascinated by the history and culture of your art that I couldn’t… Read More
Luzon: Rice Terraces and Hanging Coffins Rural highlands meant extra good coffee and extra bad wifi. It was time to put down the phone and tune into the present. Banaue and Sagada were tucked into the Cordillera mountains, adored by Filipino couples and families for their views and cute cafes. Both towns possess UNESCO World Heritage sites. While these spots get… Read More
Cebu: A Very Southerly Circuit In 24 Hours If there’s anything a solo female traveler knows, it’s how to figure out exactly what she wants. My upcoming flight out of Cebu left me with a laundry list of adventures to seek and so little time left. And this was just the southern half of the island. Possible or not, I had one day… Read More
Cebu: A Million Sardines and a Whale Shark Three years ago, a massive school of sardines left the coast of an island that was a 15-minute boat trip away from Moalboal, and moved to Moalboal itself. More specifically, one million shiny fish dumped themselves off the banks of all the dive shops. As of 2017, Moalboal was still a popular destination for snorkeling… Read More
Cebu: DIY Kawasan Falls Day Trip Chasing the endless waterfalls of Cebu was so fun that I left that island with busted toenails. Kawasan Falls were the most well-known set of falls, running through the jungle in a unique aquamarine. We arrived as early as we could and beat the crowd to some stunning bridges and sketchy rope swings before sitting… Read More
Cebu: Lechon And The City Cebu city is the capital of Cebu island. Like any regional hub, air pollution was heavy and traffic was slower than walking. Like any Filipino city, the creepy grin of the Jollibee followed me from block to block while the locals were extra hospitable. The Filipinos hanging out at Hey Fellas Guesthouse took me prime lechon1 and… Read More
Palawan: Lake Kayangan Feeling rather volatile with making choices, I decided I wanted to see the cleanest lake in Asia. Coron was so close and I had no certainty of the next time I could come to the Philippines, so I accepted my inefficient use of time and money and proceeded to backtrack a segment of my travels… Read More
Palawan: The Cheapest Way To Explore El Nido Island-hopping through lagoons and limestone formations outside El Nido was one of the most beautiful days of my life—I would even go as far as to say top five. It was cheaper and less crowded than Thailand or Vietnam, swimming was often encouraged, and below the surface the marine life was popping. The following day… Read More