Picture Post: Last Days in Sapporo, Japan

My last couple weeks I tried to carry my camera around with me as much as I could and take pictures of the last days I had in the city. Here are the things I did before I left. And ate. Mainly what I ate.

I ate buta-don (pork over rice) at this tiny little shop across from the Central Ward office. This one is actually my friend's, mine was covered in cheese. I recommend no cheese.

I walked around at nice a bit to enjoy all the lights. My neighborhood, I miss you Susukino! Though I don't miss dodging all the vomit piles at 6am.

Had a final trip to the beer garden by Sapporo station on a random Wednesday with a friend.

On the way to get food we ended up walking past this big display in Odori park, probably for Obon.

And we ended up at Rad Brothers, a bar near my place that has one of the more entertaining bathrooms. Surprise long nights out are always the best ones.

That following Friday I went to Mugi Shu Tei with some friends. Mugi Shu means "beer" in Japanese, kinda like how "Nihon Shu" means sake to us.

The walls are completely covered in all of these old beer cans.

I started off my last week in Japan with my favorite Sapporo food, soup curry. This one has coconut milk curry. And pork. And all the veggies. You can find it at Soup Curry Samurai.

For my last dinner with my close friends I ended up getting yakiniku.

Then I made a final trip to Nakajima Park on my last day in Japan.

Where I met a friend for a final Sapporo Classic.

And that night I had more soup curry at a tiny restaurant with my best friend who was letting me crash on her couch.

And at the airport the next day I had my final meal in Japan, kitsune udon with some tempura veggies.

City in Pictures: Hanoi, Vietnam

I've decided to start a new series, "Cities in Pictures". My goal in life is to travel to as many places around the world. During those travels I will take pictures to not only remember the places I've been, but capture their spirit. All pictures are taken by me, and I ask that none are used without permission. Please enjoy a look at the first City in Pictures, Hanoi, Vietnam!

From the top of my hostel I am able to see just how crowded the city is. City planning does not exist, and the same cheap materials make up most of the buildings. Even from this height the never ending cacophony of the streets surrounds us. 

There is a railroad which runs through town, is it in use? I don't think so. There's so safety barriers and the shops are all very close to the tracks. 

A visit to the Temple of Literature shows the dirt and grime with seems to coat the city. Opaque reflection pools of green, weathered monuments. 

Along the streets you see traditional sights, mainly that of women selling local foods. They can be pushy, yelling at you as you wait to cross the street and shoving bananas and pineapples into your hand and demanding money.

Traffic laws are something unknown in the city. Most streetlights don't work, and the streets are so busy that traffic moves at a slow pace. There aren't many sidewalks, and the ones that are there usually have tiny plastic chairs where locals sit crowding the walkway.

The streets are crammed with buildings and the power lines are a cross-crossing mess. It's very easy to get turned around and completely lose your way, but that also leads to great possibility for adventure and exploration.

The pho is fantastic. A light, crisp meal in a bowl that fills you up so you can continue going about your day. Walking along the road you'll see a small shop with people outside, just go in and grab a bowl. Hanoi doesn't really have restaurants, and I think that's fantastic.

Banh mi is a must. Vietnam is great at marrying flavorful meats with fresh vegetables in ways you can't get anywhere else. Not to mention the bread. The bread is just so, so good. It's a light lunch to pick up as you walk towards your night sight.

The center of town boasts a lake. Foreigners line the red bridge to see the Temple of the Jade Mountain. The lake is also home to endangered soft-shell turtles that lucky visitors may get a chance to see. 

The water puppet theater to the north of Hoan Kiem lake is an enjoyable way to spend an hour of your day, even if you can't understand Vietnamese. It's a unique production you'll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

Most of the streets themselves are covered in a canopy of bright green trees. It's amazing to see the branches appearing to emerge from the buildings themselves. The abundance of trees leads to nice, shady strolls through the tropical city.

Souvenir shops line most main streets, all housing the same goods packed into their stores, waiting to sell to unsuspecting tourists looking for something unique to bring home.

Remnants of the French occupation are still prevalent around the city, best shown by the dreary looking Notre Dame near the center of town. The gates which surround it give it a feel of an era long past.

At night the streets come alive with stalls selling anything you could think of. It's refreshing to not worry about traffic for once while walking along the roads, and the sound of car horns is replaced by the sound of music.

A food tour is a must in the city. Not only are you guided along by a local you get to try foods you never would have dreamed of. There are so many little set ups of all these different dishes lining the roads, it's hard to tell which are good and which are not-so-good. Hint: It's almost always good if there are people around!

Hope you enjoyed this first city in pictures! Please click on the images for better quality shots!

Little Known Japan: Furano-Biei Flower Farms

Two weekends ago I went on a trip with a few of my friends to a famous farming town two and a half hours north of Sapporo. It’s called Furano and its specialty is growing flowers. I had been there a couple years back, when I stilled lived in Atsuma and a friend had a spare seat in her rental car, but the weather was rainy and we had missed the lavender blooming, so I had always wanted to go back there.

A couple weeks ago I decided to try. I sent a message out to a handful of friends and organized a rental car and Saturday we were off. It was a great trip that went off without a hitch and the weather was perfect. I realized how much I enjoy roadtrips and it is now my goal to do more of them!

The day started at 9am and we got our rental car. I was the navigator and Allie, who I went to Vietnam and Cambodia with, drove us. I was planning on driving but I didn’t realize that my Japanese license expired back in March rather than the three year mark of me getting it. Nice job assuming, Kaley.

The drive itself was beautiful. We took the backroads to avoid the exorbitant prices of Japanese toll roads (only would have saved us 20 minutes) and the winding mountain roads and scenic farm towns we passed reminded me just why I love Japan and why I have stayed here for so long. It’s easy to forget when you spend your days in a concrete jungle.

The weather was so nice that I rode with the windows down. Until a carpenter bee decided to fly into my face and end up on Allie’s leg. Props to her for not freaking out and bigger props to Sevy for grabbing the thing with a tissue while I was frozen in fear and confusion.

We started about thirty minutes north of Furano in Biei, where we had lunch at a beautiful little cottage at a potato farm famous for their beef stew called Blanc Rouge then headed back south to Shikisai No Oka, a flower farm located on some rolling hills.

When I came two years back the blooming season for the flowers was in full swing, it’s a shame that the lavender and most of the other flowers aren’t in sync, but we can’t really expect to control nature now, can we? Regardless, it was still a beautiful place and there was something more exciting than flowers.

Alpacas.

I love alpacas. I think they are just the funniest and cutest animals. Their long awkward necks, fluffy bodies, and hilarious noises just get to me. And I have a collection of random alpaca cuteness all over my apartment and desk.

Though, the saliva warnings scared me a bit.

They’re animals and you can’t expect everyone to be perfect. Even an alpaca.

After we finished up in Biei we headed down to Furano itself and the main stop, Farm Tomita. This place is very busy as there’s only really two weeks in a year where the lavender blooms, so the Chinese tour buses were out in full force. I can confirm that Chinese tourists are the worst tourists. They’re just loud and rude and travel is large herds.

I got some ice cream, cantaloupe and lavender swirled together into perfection, and as I was waiting in line an old Chinese lady just shoved me out of the way to look into the drink cooler before walking off. There was a line of ten people behind me as well. Rude.

Farm Tomita was beautiful, the lavender were perfect and the weather even moreso. Though it was hot for the first time since, well, last year. I realized that Sapporo has removed any ability I have for heat adaptation and my move back to Florida will be a warm one. Though we have air conditioning in Florida and springs and beaches so I guess the heat really won’t matter too much.

After we got done looking at the flowers we headed over to the melon house where I bought the tiniest melon smoothie for far too much money. Melon in Japan is beyond expensive. A cantaloupe will cost you $15 and a honeydew $8. The only time I eat it is if I get it for school lunch, which happens a few times a month in season and I actually got some good cantaloupe this Monday.

By 5 we had to head back to Sapporo, to drop off our rental car by 8. The drive back was much the same as the drive there, though the windows stayed up and the setting sun was in our eyes. We got the car back with a full tank of gas ten minutes before it was due, so I consider it a success.

One of the main reasons I love living in Hokkaido also makes it difficult to enjoy living here. The island is largely farm land and nature, and the train lines go to only a few major cities. If you want to go anywhere it will take you ages (Furano is only 120km away from Sapporo), but the drive will be beautiful and a large part of your journey. We only spent four hours total in Biei and Furano and six in the car, and it was nice to just enjoy the beautiful mountainous country of Japan for a day, and really appreciate the country I have called home for the last four years.

I highly suggest renting a car and spending a few days driving around Japan, rather than sticking to the main cities. Japan actually goes from urban to rural really quickly, and you can experience the more rustic Japan easily in a day trip outside of Tokyo or Kyoto or Osaka. To me, that’s the real Japan. That special part of Japan that lets you really understand the country.

All photos are taken by me. Please don't use without permission. I hold all copyrights.

How I Get The Perfect iPhone Photo: SITS Photography Challenge Days 1 and 2

For my birthday this year I bought myself a Nikon D3300. I've wanted a DSLR since high school but never really had the money saved to get one. Moving to Japan was expensive and moving around Japan was expensive and living in Japan is expensive. So it took me this long to buy one. Since I've gotten it I have tried my best to practice with it. Taking it to Vietnam and Cambodia, exploring around Sapporo, taking trips to surrounding villages. Mostly I just fiddle with the settings until it looks halfway decent and polish it in Photoshop.

Last week I got an email about the SITS blogging photography challenge and decided to give it a try. My time difference makes it a bit difficult to participate as I would like, since the challenges are usually posted right as I get to bed, but I am trying my best!

Day 1 was about composition, something I am familiar with thanks to the photography class I had in high school which spawned my desire to get a DSLR. And day 2 deals with phone photography, an area I am definitely lacking in thanks to only having an iPhone 4 (did I mention it took me six years to save for a DSLR? Yeah I ain't got money for new iPhones all the time). Thankfully I'll be getting the newest iPhone this September when I move back to America. You don't know how much I am looking forward to getting it! I can't get iOS 8 on this, which means many apps I want I can't have (VSCOcam being one that many people use to edit photos). Not to mention it's just small and slow. It's been a great phone but four years is definitely the most it will last.

I had some free time at work today (which really isn't anything new... Six days left!!!) and decided to try and play with my phone a bit. Japanese phones actually have permanent shutter noises thanks to all the perverts but I downloaded a manner camera which silences it, though it's a bit slow and I think the photo quality lessens. Another reason I don't use my phone much!

I started by setting up what I wanted to shoot. I decided on a colorful image of my pens with some Sailor Moon stuff thrown in because... I like Sailor Moon.

The background was a bit boring so I tinkered it a bit, then decided to work on the angles that I was using.

I really liked going from nearly a top down point of view, but the background was too cluttered for that.

I decided to change the angle to more of a sideview, and began snapping away.

I didn't really like the reflection of the lights on the table, so I tried to get some without them in it.

Which proved difficult when trying to get a somewhat decent composition going... 

So I ended up dealing with them and changing the background to be a bit darker, and this is my final image! 

You can see a higher quality image by clicking on the photo!

 As you can see, it takes a lot of different shots to get the "perfect" picture. When you watch shows like Top Model and the contestants have like 100 frames to get one good image this point is really drilled home. So many little details go into making a great picture, and you really can only learn what those details are by practicing. Phone cameras are a great way of playing with different angles and backgrounds, as the limited settings narrow your focus down a lot. You're no so concerned with ISOs and f-stops and apertures and just really focused on the image you're taking a picture of. I think great photography comes from the ability to understand what you're taking a picture of, and not using fancy settings and editing to mask what flaws it may have.

What is your photo taking process like? Do you pay attention to these little details like I do? How many pictures do you usually take before you find the right one? Leave a comment below, I'd love to hear about it!!

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

The never ending cries of car horns and the random bawking of the street chickens had only just begun by the time I awoke in the early hours of the morning on March twenty-sixth. It was an exciting day, probably the day I really looked forward to the most out of all of them on this two week trip. I was finally going to get to Ha Long Bay, a place I had seen in travel shows and on various travel websites across the internet. A place that I couldn't experience anywhere else, a natural formation found no where else in the world.

I'm unsure, really, where I first learned of Ha Long Bay. For years I have dreamed of sailing through it's limestone karsts, thousands of them emerging from the water like some strange mythical beings. Perhaps it was a post on Reddit that brought it to my attention, or maybe some sort of documentary features natural wonders of the world. All I know is that is has been near the top of my list of "must-see" places in the world, along with Angkor Wat (check!) and Machu Picchu.

It was honestly one of the main reasons I had come to Vietnam, let along Hanoi. And I didn't mind having to wake up with the sun in order to see it.

I had a long day ahead of me, the drive out to Ha Long Bay would be at least four hours, as Hanoi isn't that close to the coast and highways aren't really a "thing" in Vietnam yet. I had debated for months if a day trip would be enough, and looking back I would say that it was definitely worth it. There were a number of other packages you could choose from outside of the day trip that me and my friend eventually decided on, ranging from two days and one night to over a week. I honestly can't see more than two days out there being worthwhile, Our one day trip was around $60, if I am remembering correctly, and the multi-day trips are all $100 plus dollars.

We were picked up right on time and our tour guide was a young, energetic Vietnamese man. After a brief trip around the city to pick up our fellow cruisemates we were on our way to the Bay. The guide we had was very knowledgeable and seemed to really enjoy what he was doing, and I believe that in this sort of situation the tour guide can make or break the experience. I learned a lot about Vietnamese culture, about the four sacred animals (turtle, dragon, phoenix, and "unicorn") as well as the meaning behind some common Vietnamese city names.

Four hours in a small bus isn't ideal by any stretch of the word, and midway through I thought my bladder was going to burst, but just when I started eyeing my water bottle as a source of relief we pulled into the definition of a"tourist trap". I am from Orlando, Florida, mind you, and I have never seen a place fit the image of a "trap for tourists" more than the rest stop we were brought to both to and from Ha Long Bay. Inside is dozen of women creating these (amazing) woven pictures, along with other gimmicky souvenirs. You have to walk the entire length of the building, coming out the other side to a newly cleaned and gassed up bus 30 minutes later.

I consider myself lucky with the group that I had for the tour. The people traveling with us to Ha Long Bay were so nice and I met one of the most interesting families, a married couple with two children (plus the daughter's boyfriend) who have lived all over the world thanks to the mother's job. The father was especially interesting to talk to, having so many insights into the world he has traveled. As someone who hopes to continue her worldly adventures into her middle years of life, it was inspiring to see a married couple able to do that, along with their very well adapted and well rounded children. The son, an early teen that was currently on remote schooling while they lived in Kuala Lumpur, spent almost the entire ride talking about Lord Of The Flies with his newly college-aged sister.

At roughly midday we arrived at the port of Ha Long city, the area surrounding the harbor was showing definite signs of development. The hopes of making Ha Long Bay a standalone destination for vacation rather than a day trip from Hanoi were everywhere you looked; a newly opened movie theater, resorts under construction, billboards in English. The docks were busy and full of life, the boats varying in size and color, all with one goal in common - get as many tourists around the bay as possible. It was a bustling center and I found myself wondering off to test out my camera.

It didn't take long for us to get our tickets and board a tiny, tiny little boat that was to ferry us to the larger day cruiser we would have lunch and explore the bay on. Apparently the boat was too big to fit into a docking station so we had to brave the slightly choppy sea in a slightly sketchy looking vessel. But thanks to good fortune we survived and I happily jumped onto the boat I would call home for the next few hours. Little did I know this was only the beginning of my boat parkour during this trip, I believe my trip to Tonle Sap completely removed any fear of boat hopping I once possessed.

As a related aside, I had a bit of anxiety when I booked this tour. I grew up on a small peninsula in the large peninsula of Florida. The small suburban city my parents live in resides in the middle of the lake so boats and jet skis are nothing  new to me. It wasn't until I visited the father of an ex-boyfriend and joined them for a day of deep sea fishing that I learned of my greatest weakness. As I sat on the floor of the fishing boat, hugging my knees to my chest and getting battered my rouge mahi-mahi while hoping the Divine Force Of The Universe would deliver me safely from this hell I was living in I learned that I get seasick. Not the, "hold one while I go feed the fishes" kind of seasick but the "I would give anything to vomit but sadly I cannot do anything but feel awful". Even Dramamine didn't do much to aide in the misery that is deepsea travel to my insides (I tried that months later when we visited again).

Due to this fact I was very, very nervous that I would spend my dream day huddle in a corner of the ship while my dreams little drifted by me. I love being on the water, I love swimming, I love boats, I love the ocean. My first memories are learning to swim and nothing is better that a sea breeze across my face. Our trip out into the bay was spent eating up some fantastically wonderful food, I didn't eat too much thank to the issue mentioned above (though it was more due to the fact that I didn't want to risk upsetting my stomach and less of the fact that I felt motion sick). The food really was fantastic, and we were given a lot of it. I was impressed.

Once we were done eating the group of us went to the top deck of the boat to view the first of the  karsts. The day was overcast and a lurid mist shrouded the bay, which actually gave it an otherworldly effect. While a blue sky would have been nice, the gray skies provided a nice ambiance I didn't mind.

We spent a while driving through dozens of the tiny islands, and I found myself overwhelmed by the fact that I Did It. I had made it here and I was in one of The Places. And in less than a week I would be in Angkor Wat. It was at this point that the fact of me being on this trip really sunk in, that I truly felt like I was Here Now.

After a few minutes of slowly making our way through the limestone formations we made it to a tiny floating village. For an extra few dollars we could either take a kayak trip around two of the larger karsts or have a local woman ferry us around the same area. Due to my laziness and my desire to take pictures I opted for the latter option. Also I am probably the least coordinated person that you have ever met. Regardless, the second scary boat hop happened of the day and I was situated on a handmade boat with some middle-aged Asians and a Vietnamese woman whose arms must be stronger than any of the guys I know.

The boat ride around the karsts was great, and it was awesome to get so close to the islands. We went through a few small tunnels and were even serenaded by some local woman's singing. I believe she was pregnant. And rowing a boat.

Afterwards we were ushered back onto the boat and then taken to a very large limestone island. After jumping onto one on of the same small ferry boats that took us from the docks we disembarked onto our final site in Ha Long Bay. A Giant Cavern Whose Name I Have Forgotten. At this point being on non-moving ground was very strange. But the cave was awesome and lit up by really colorful lighting. We made our way through it and our tour guide proved, again, that he was awesome and full of knowledge.

After we were all safely back on the boat we began to head back towards the harbor. Our time in Ha Long Bay was over and I was filled with a happiness that I can only feel while traveling, and it is a reason I will do it for as long as my body can manage. I also practiced my selfie game, since I seriously lack the ability to take a decent picture of myself in that fashion. I'm still not very good at it.

We arrived safely back at Ha Long City and piled into the minibus, I was equal parts tired and excited and the drive back to Hanoi went quicker than the drive to Ha Long Bay, and over 12 hours after we left the hostel in the morning we were back long after the sun had set.

All photos are taken by my and I hold all the rights to them. Please do not use them unless given permission to directly from me. Thanks!!