After my visit to Sensō-ji and a simply delicious (and very filling!) Midday meal, I head east with a full stomach towards the Sumida River with the last goal of the day visiting the Skytree tower. I planned to walk there, although it could also be done by metro or surface via a suspended train,…
Here, we start at the beginning, namely arriving in Japan, but if you want to go directly to Sensō-ji, click here! It was after a flight of just over 9 hours from Helsinki that I landed rather “fresh and ready” at Narita airport in Tokyo. It’s the first time that a flight of this distance…
Landmannalaugar means “hot springs of the locals” and owes its name to the numerous geothermal phenomena of the surroundings which have colored the rocks with hues as pretty as they are amazing. The site lies southeast of Hekla volcano and was largely created by the activity of the subglacial Torfajökull volcano. Several hot springs dot…
I’ve never been across the Pacific. I consider myself a decent traveller, but not once have I ventured over to the Asian side of the world. Last week, I finally got my chance! Here was my packing progress: Graham’s friend owns Budget Biz, so when we procured our Thai working visas, we asked him if he could help…
After our one week in Phuket Town was over, we decided to go on a mini vacation for an extended weekend in a neighbouring town (Patong) across the mountain hill range. More importantly, Graham really wanted a chance to hang out on a rooftop pool, and I had never been. So, I finally experienced the awesomeness of…
Graham and I met abroad and have adventurous spirits, so when we decided to move to Calgary, Alberta, to begin our life together, we knew it was only for a short while. (Graham has the ability to work anywhere in the world that has good internet, so obviously I’m tagging along.) As soon as the snow…
Travelling days are always exhausting, no matter the distance you go. Though the flight from Bangkok to Phuket was under 1.5 hours, by the time we packed, got to the airport early, waited around (ate at the Dairy Queen that was conveniently located near our gate), flew there, bartered with the taxis, and got to our final destination, most of the…
The goal (for the first two weeks of being in Thailand): figure out where we want to live. The choices: Bangkok (on the mainland) or Phuket (an island in southern Thailand), and, if neither appeal to us, Chiang Mai (in the north) The result: Stay tuned. But in the meanwhile, enjoy a brief summary of our first week in…
It’s ugly and beautiful, dirty and clean, poverty-stricken and rich, busy and peaceful, noisy and quiet, cheap and expensive. Bangkok is a beautifully overwhelming city where your senses are constantly under attack. Sticky. Hot, humid and wet. Smoggy. You go out in search of dinner, clutching your phone and keeping your money in your “African Asian purse”…
We were made aware of the Chaofa Weekend Market (also apparently called the Naka Market) through the Speights family, as David sets up a prayer “booth” most every weekend. This particular market is only open on Saturday’s and Sunday’s from 4pm-? I’ve heard 9pm, but we’ve left at 9:30pm and there was no sign of…
Calling all dorm dwellers + anyone that’s not feeling up to a pots, pans, and ovens kind of meal – this one’s for you! This simple microwave-friendly recipe leaves you with a healthy snack or light meal in a matter of minutes. The four simple ingredients involved in this recipe can be easily kept in…
It’s pi day and I’m celebrating with a delicious blueberry pie smoothie! It’s a quick and healthy substitute to everything you love about blueberry pie: the sweet blueberries, the crunchy topping, the somewhat mandatory whipped cream on top – the gang’s all here! If you’re looking for a dorm friendly blender to make your smoothies,…
Hello! I hope you’ve all had a wonderful bank holiday weekend! In all my time working I’ve never really had a week off as such and I’ve used days here and there but this time round I’ve said RIGHT! USE YOUR HOLIDAY PROPERLY! So I did. Anyhoo… I had this urge to bake today after…
This past week I’ve been feeling really under the weather, I’m still feeling it to be honest but the dizzy spells seem to have stopped which is great. I’ve also been feeling a bit meh about my health since moving into my own place because well it’s been down to me to cook and I’ve…
This weekend i thought i would cook for my family, this rarely happens because truth be told i can’t cook. Well i say that i can’t, i can if i put my mind to it and what i can cook is quite limited. I decided to try something completely new and cook a dish that…
We’re in the middle of a cold snap here. Not as severe as the polar vortex that gripped most of the states earlier this month, but still, the weather is not ideal for outdoor adventures, or really, anything that requires more than a few minutes of exposure to the elements. It’s a good thing I…
My senior year of college I was elected to head the campus writers’ union. Essentially, this put me in charge of planning, or assigning the job of planning, student readings and a couple of parties. I learned two things that year: I enjoyed hosting events that had an air of seriousness but were actually excuses…
My love affair with peanut butter probably began when I was a toddler and it has not waned. I love it so much I can almost count my years in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which I could eat, uncomplaining, for lunch, dinner, breakfast, and desert. What keeps me from a three-meals-a-day peanut butter sandwich…
I didn’t acquire a taste for legumes until relatively recently. When I was a kid I refused to touch garbanzo beans, and whenever my Mom made chili, I picked all the red kidney beans from my bowl before I deemed it safe for eating. I’d never even heard of lentils and all the legumes we…
I finally caved and added a mini muffin pan to my bakeware collection. I held out for a long time because I never understood the mini muffin’s utility. The “gone-in-two-bites” size, while cute, didn’t strike me as particularly practical. And honestly, I’d still rather gobble down a full-sized muffin instead of trying to approximate its…
The inside of my oven has seen a few too many batches of cupcakes this month, so I decided to let it rest this weekend. But this being the season of sweets and all, I couldn’t let the weekend pass without a homemade confection to share with my little family. So I turned to the…