What is the best way to learn English, you ask? This not an easy question to answer, and perhaps my view on the subject is a bit biased since English is my mother language. However, I may be able to provide some insight as I am currently learning a fourth language: German. There are three basic principles that I believe are important when learning a language: Immersion, motivation, and practice. Immersion can encompass a variety…
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Tips
Who knew there could be a small scale Las Vegas right here in Taiwan? EDA World is tucked away in some mountains of southern Taiwan by Kaoshiung and is a master planned city of sorts. It has its own K-12 school, university, mega shopping complex, amusement park, and shuttle buses to Kaoshiung as well as residential communities. Everything is walking distance to each other and connected via a series of skywalks. A variety of entertainment…
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Taiwan
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Today I decided to be a farmer for a day. Ok. For a few minutes. I'm sure I could have done more work pulling radishes out of the ground but my Uncle said that some of them might need two more weeks to grow larger. A lot of the white Daikon radishes we pulled out were a few inches long and looked more like ginseng. There were probably a dozen or so when we finished…
So today I just needed to get something very minor: some hair bands. I know it is still Chinese New Year and everything so I expected that people would be out but I had absolutely no idea how insane it would be! The normally 10 minute walk from my house to the department store took more than 40 minutes. Sure there were lots of people milling around, but it was because everyone parked their scooters…
On the first day of the New Year, which starts at Midnight, it is customary to give a red envelope which contains money and this is probably the part that people are most familiar with. Aside from giving red envelopes to unmarried children/juniors, there is also the fact that some people abstain from eating meat, not using knives or lighting fires (i.e. not using the kitchen), not throwing out garbage, etc. Also to keep away…
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Taiwan
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These past few days there has been a frenzy of activity of people getting ready for Chinese New Year. It is one of the biggest only holiday here in Taiwan. Everyone looks forward to Chinese New Year here in Taiwan as I'm sure they do in China as well. It is is a celebration that lasts at least five days long though there are specific traditional things to do for almost the first 15 days of…
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Taiwan
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I have faced this decision many times in the past: whether to stay in Canada or to move back to Taiwan. It is extremely difficult because of several reasons. 1. While I have been to Taiwan on countless occasions to visit family, I have never really had to sit down and think about living here; there's always Vancouver. But this time it is different, I am am at a point in my life where I…
Wow last year was a whirlwind and 2012 promises to bring a lot more traveling although definitely at a slower pace. I will be using Taiwan as my base of operations and will be doing quite a bit of exploring around the island for the next few months and as well as the surround countries. I'm hoping to focus a lot more on some scuba as well as just general travel and definitely there will…
I arrived in Antwerp late today and since there really wasn't anything to do by the time I got in to town, I just headed to my hostel and checked in. Thankfully there was internet in the room and I was able to catch up on my blogging. I am really like where I am staying here in Antwerp. It is a family owned hostel called Abhostel and apparently it used to be a praline…
I met Michelle back in October when I was in Rome. She was staying in the same room as me and we did some sight seeing together while I was there and got to know each other a bit. I found out that she was living in Den Haag (The Hague) and would be back from her own backpacking adventure around the time I would be in Amsterdam so I decided to take a day…
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I didn't really do anything today except walk around the downtown area of Amsterdam. I blame it on the second hand pot smoke but at the same time it was also very nice to just stay close to the hostel. I checked out some of the head shops that are around to look for souvenirs for friends back at home and was surprised at the variety of things that they carry! Some of these contraptions…
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Amsterdam
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I took the train from Hannover to Amsterdam today. Thankfully Lennard offered to drive me to Hannover station which made the trip a lot more comfortable! I also reserved a compartment for the ride so that I could sit in an area that's relatively private. There are only six seats in the compartment and for the most of the ride to Amsterdam I had the lights turned off and had a nice little nap. I…
Sunday, 20 November 2011 00:11
Photographing Around Papenburg and Some Interesting Monuments
Written by Ken Ku
One of the things that I promised Lennard that I would do while I was visiting him was to show him some photography techniques so today we took the day and went out shooting. We talked about aperture, shutter speed, as well as how to design a photo. Certain techniques that help to enhance a photo visually and then we put them into practice. The day was perfect for a photo lesson too, the sun…
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Pappenburg
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There is nothing better than going to the spa on a cold autumn night. I went to Lennard's dental practice earlier during the day today to have one of my molars checked out because I had chipped it a while ago and he was able to help me smooth it down and then walking back to the house all I could think about was going to the spa: soaking in the hot spring and sitting…
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Pappenburg
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I knew that I was going to meet Lennard for lunch today so I went a little earlier to check it out and walk along the canal that runs along the centre of the town. I found a small book store that sold panoramic postcards of Papenburg so I pick up a few before heading to the döner restaurant. I wasn't exactly sure if there will be any vegetarian options but I didn't need to…
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Pappenburg
Originally, I planned to explore the town and possibly go to the lab with Lennard and visit his facilities but in the end I decided to catch up on some sleep. It wasn't very exciting but I suppose I needed it. There will be plenty of time to visit the rest of Göttingen when I come back on Sunday. Today Lennard and I will be taking a three hour road trip up to Papenburg, where…
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Pappenburg
I left Düsseldorf today for Göttingen to visit a friend of mine from private school that I hadn't seen in over ten years! Before I left for the train station, I went to the Deustche Post to mail off some post cards but the office was closed! There was an automated machine outside that sold stamps specifically for postcards which is what I bought. I just hope that I bought enough postage for each card…
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Pappenburg
It was absolutely beautiful, 13°C with the sun shining, and not a cloud in the sky. I decided to take the rest of the afternoon to go out for a walk back to the old town and take some photos of the Goethe Museum, the Jägerhof, as well as some other things along the Rhine. I walked by several bakeries and the delicious smell of pretzels enticed me inside. I ended up just buying two…
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Düsseldorf
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After going coming home from the club at around 0330, I thought it would be a good idea to take it easy today. I didn't really do much except for drink lots of coffee. I did make lunch and improvised a bit because there was no curry powder for the naan like pancake that I was thinking of making. So instead I used ground coriander and some chilli powder into the flower. It tasted alright…
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Düsseldorf
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After we got back from walking around the old town and shopping around Düsseldorf, I decided to make dinner for Keith and I. There's nothing better than tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches on a cold autumn night so we went to the local grocery store and picked up ingredients for some gourmet food: roasted tomato soup and emmenthal and gruyère on a German bread. It was definitely what I needed, not only was I…
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Düsseldorf
Yesterday, when I got into Düsseldorf, it was so nice to be greeted at the airport by a friend! Especially when I haven't seen Keith since 2003! I can't believe how long it has been so of course we spent most of the time just catching up. Even though it wasn't too late, I just had to go to bed. I think it was one of the best sleeps I've ever had! I just completely…
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Düsseldorf
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Saturday, 12 November 2011 06:16
Five Hours of Sleep at the Airport and then Another Two in the Lounge.
Written by Ken Ku
My adventure to Düsseldorf started yesterday at about eight o'clock at night from Manchester Piccadilly train station. Joe and I walked from his flat to the train station hoping to catch the earlier train but unfortunately we missed it which was no big deal since there was another one right afterwards. Thankfully it was a direct train to Euston Station in London and would arrive about 2230. I knew that I had about an hour…
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Manchester
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Friday, 11 November 2011 00:09
Another Travel Adventure Begins! Leaving Manchester...
Written by Ken Ku
I can't believe that I have been in Manchester for four days already! I seems like I barely had enough time to see the city and now I'm getting ready to leave again. This next travel day will be an interesting one since I decided not to book any accommodations on my way back to London Heathrow and my flight is in the morning at 10AM. I'm not quite sure what exactly my plan will…
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Manchester
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It was such a beautiful day out in Bern. There were so many colours on the trees, the town was alive with people shopping, there was the farmer's market selling delicious foods, and then the hand made market further out by the river. What a perfect day to explore a new town with my cousin and her classmates. To end it off we had a tour of the Federal Palace of Switzerland and had a…
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My last day in Bruxelles was spent with another couch surfer, Aleksander, and we spent all day walking all over the city. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the gallery of images that I have selected from that adventure! I can tell you that wearing a 17 kilo backpack and then walking for eight hours is definitely a fantastic work out. I was so sore for the next day that I…
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After the horrendously long travel day on Monday, I spent most of Tuesday just relaxing and trying to get caught up on my blogging as well as some other work so I didn't really explore Manchester all that much. I did however go to the shopping centre that is just across the train tracks and it really reminded me of home! There are stores there like TJ Max (but its called TK Max) and other…
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Manchester
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I got up to leave Zürich at six in the morning so that I had plenty of time to take the tram and the train to get to the airport and when I arrived at the train station I missed the train by just a few seconds! I watched it depart just as I got to the platform and while I was disappointed I knew that I had plenty of time and wouldn't miss my…
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Manchester
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Before I left Geneva for Zürich, Claire, Elizabeth, Sabrina, and I had a huge Sunday brunch! There was sweet crêpes filled with bananas and Nutella, then savoury crêpes with roasted potatoes, and scrambled eggs. It was absolutely a feast where afterwards the only think everyone wanted to do was take a nap. I have to admit, that is exactly what I did. I must have passed out on the couch for a couple hours and…
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Zürich
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I had such a great time hanging out with Claire that I decided to stay an extra day! There was a field trip to Bern scheduled for the Saturday and I decided to tag along. I had met some of the other people on the study abroad program but I wasn't sure if the director would be happy about me joining the group for the field trip. However, everyone were super generous and I'm pretty…
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When I arrived in Genève it was already quite late and all the currency exchange inside the airport were already closed and I wasn't sure if the tram would be covered with the free train ticket that the Genève airport gives you. Just remember to pick it up at the baggage claim area. Thankfully I found one currency exchange still open before I left the airport and found out that the train ticket will also…
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Geneva
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My trip to Brussels was very interesting for sure. While it is not the first time that I've slept on a couch, it definitely is the first time that I've used CouchSurfing.org. To sleep in a stranger's house for a few days while exploring a new country can be a very intimidating experience. However my host, Gio, was very patient and gracious. Also, even though we didn't know each other, we did have a mutual…
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Brussels
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Thursday, 03 November 2011 07:40
One Last Walk Around Bruxelles...With My Backpack!
Written by Ken Ku
My last day in Bruxelles was spent walking around the city with another one of CouchSurfer that was also staying with Gio while I was there. Since my flight was later in the evening I decided to walk around the city again with Aleksander and play the part of the tour guide. I did have to carry my luggage with me since there wouldn't be enough time to go back to Gio's place in the…
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Brussels
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Everything was planned the night before for our day excursion to Maastricht, Netherlands. The alarm was set for 8am and we would head out to the train station buy our tickets and head on over. The actual ride would take almost two and a half hours so we needed plenty of time in the morning to make the day trip worth while. Plus it would be All Saints Day so no doubt there would be…
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Brussels
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Today I decided to take a day trip to Brugge (Bruges) because it is only an hour away by train. But more importantly, it is a very beautiful city to walk around and admire. When I got out of the train station in Brugge, I was suddenly reminded of Vancouver. There was a park with a path leading towards the centre of the old town that is tree lined and the leaves have started to…
There are so many things to take photos of and the architecture here in Bruxelles is so different than what I have seen in the other cities I have been to. Mainly it is baroque and gothic though unfortunately a lot of it has been replaced with modern buildings. There are still quite a lot to see and very interesting things all around the city as well. Scroll down to the bottom of the page…
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Monday, 31 October 2011 03:15
Farmers Market, Flea Market, Justice Palace, Beer for Lunch, and a Reindeer Sweater
Written by Ken Ku
Sunday is my favourite day in Europe. In most of the cities that I've been to there are always fresh flower markets, farmers markets, and people are always just out and about enjoying their day. Of course it was one thing that I had to get used to when I first got here since grocery stores are not open on Sundays either. So make sure if you needed to buy food, do it the day…
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Brussels
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I had to bid farewell to Athens today, the Acropolis, and headed off to my new destination: Brussels. This was the first evening flight of my trip and I am glad since it allowed me a chance to take a leisurely stroll around the Acropolis again for one final look before picking up my bags and heading to the metro to head to the airport. The Acropolis station is walking distance from the hostel that…
When I first arrived in France I noticed that their street names are not always easy to find. Usually they the placard is attached to the building and it takes some time to get used to it. Asking strangers is not always that easy either, especially if you don't know the language of the country you're in. Aside from that, the person may not know either or could give you false directions! Below are some…
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The Acropolis of Athens is just an amazing place to take photos that I both my iPhone and my Holga out at the same time trying to capture as many images as I can. Below is a gallery of the other images that I took today from my trip to the Acropolis. The Parthenon is currently undergoing some reconstruction although I'm not sure to what extent. I might also visit the Acropolis Museum as well…
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Today was the perfect day to wander around the Acropolis and the hostel that I am staying is just minutes away which makes it even better. I took a leisurely stroll along the cobblestone path so that I can commit everything to memory and also to scout out places that would make interesting night photos. The ticket is 12€ for admission to the Acropolis of Athens and you also receive tickets to: the Ancient Agora,…
Yesterday was my last night in Rome and I saw some good friends that I had met while I was on Tenerife: Rosie and Gianluca. Even though we only recently parted ways it was so nice to see familiar faces and to hang out for a few hours with them. While I enjoy exploring and traveling by myself, I cherish all the connections and friendships that I've made in the past several months even more.…
Tuesday, 25 October 2011 00:17
Being a Temporary Roman and Seeing Gladiators at the Colosseum
Written by Ken Ku
Being in Rome for just four nights is definitely not enough to thoroughly explore the city but I was able to see some of the important sights: the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Piazza Venezia, Piazza del Popolo, and Fontana di Trevi. Two places that I did not have a chance to go during this visit were Castel Saint Angelo and the Vatican. One of the things I did see yesterday on…
I have to admit that when I first booked the Los Amigos Backpackers Hostel online, I had absolutely no idea what I would be getting myself into. All I knew was that it had 100% ratings and that was basically it. On the map it seemed like it was super close to the airport and that transportation was convenient as well. However, when I actually bought my ticket I found out there is actually two…
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Thursday, 20 October 2011 05:53
Last Day on Tenerife! Three Weeks Has Passed Way Too Fast!
Written by Ken Ku
Today is my final night here at the Los Amigos Backpackers Hostel and I really don't want to leave. It will be difficult tomorrow. Saying goodbyes is never something I have been very good at and this time it feels especially tough. I have grown so close to these people: Francesco, Ferdinado, Luigi, Federico, Diana, Lucia, Marta, Daniel, and Francesca. Lucia and I will be heading up to Tenerife Norte airport and that will be…
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Wednesday, 19 October 2011 05:16
Galloping on the Beach with Federico, Matteo, and a Former Model Rebecca
Written by Ken Ku
I just love going horseback riding. I remember how excited I would get back in high school when I used to ride every weekend. When I found out that there was a ranch here in Médano that offered trail rides, I knew that I had to go. Then I found out more about Rebecca. She used to be a German model and now she has retired here. Rebecca lives in a very simple house without…
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Monday, 17 October 2011 22:33
Tapas for Lunch, Lebanese for Dinner, and Hooka Smoke to End the Day
Written by Ken Ku
My new friends Joe and Rick from Manchester left yesterday but before they did, we went around and sampled a bunch of different local fares. Another one of the guys I met here at the hostel, Daniel, rented a car for his stay so we all went to Médano for lunch as well as to pick up some ingredients for chilli that I was going to make later that day. We ended up at a…
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Food
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The past few nights I have been sleeping outside just gazing up at the stars, letting the cool breeze take off into the dream world. I have only slept outdoors once before and that was on a camping trip in college and I have to say that sleeping outdoors is a very interesting experience. After two days of sleeping out doors, I really wanted to spend the rest of my time here on Tenerife sleeping…
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Canary Islands
Friday, 14 October 2011 06:03
Yoga in the Morning, Relaxing in the Afternoon, and Good Food for Dinner
Written by Ken Ku
Last night after dinner we all just hung out in the out door common area and talked until the wee hours of the morning but decided that yoga at 8am would be a good idea. It seems to be catching on this little routine of ours. So this morning, right at around 8am the group congregated by the pool and we waited to go to the beach. It was quite cool which is nice though…
Today is a national holiday here in Spain: Columbus Day. Though it isn't called Columbus Day here, instead it is called Fiesta Nacional. I didn't know what kind of celebrations they usually do but things here just carried on as usual. I tried to catch up on some news regarding the El Hierro although there wasn't much in English. It is confirmed that the underwater volcano on El Hierro has erupted and that island is…
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Food
The day started out pretty much the same as all the others: sitting outside enjoying the cool air for the brief few moments before the sun becomes too hot. Of course yesterday wasn't going to be ordinary. It was the continuation of Lucia's birthday celebration as well as Canadian Thanksgiving. There was plenty of preparation to do but since this is Tenerife, there was no rush to get everything done. I thought about what I…
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Monday, 10 October 2011 18:54
The Land of Birthday Celebrations! Happy Birthday Lucia!
Written by Ken Ku
There was a goal yesterday to do yoga on the beach but at 10 in the morning, the sun was already scorching hot and just being out for a few minutes was enough to burn. Of course that is what sun screen is for but it just doesn't sound like a good plan to do too much physical activity in that kind of heat. I did however find a new pose that I want to…
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The weather here on Tenerife is starting to cool down but only in the mornings and at nights. By cooling down, I mean 18C. Still when the wind picks up it is enough to put on a long sleeve shirt. This morning, after breakfast the sun wasn't too hot yet, Lucia, Luigi, and I went down to the closest beach to the hostel and did our morning yoga. It was definitely a new experience for…
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Today started off fairly uneventful, woke up late and had the abundant free breakfast that the hostel always has available from 9 to 11 in the morning. Today I decided to so something different. I had two hardboiled eggs with a dash of salt each, some muesli with yoghurt, a grilled sandwich with cheese and tomatoes, and of course coffee. It was simple but delicious. After checking some emails, I just laid in the sun…
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I have been eating more than ever since I've arrived here at Los Amigos Backpackers Hostel and last night I had dinner by candlelight with the everyone. Lets just call them family. That's certainly what it felt like, we all sat around the big round table outside, had a nice meal, and lots of laughs. Even Diana's Dalmatian, Pana, joined us though she had her own food to enjoy. It really will be my turn…
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Canary Islands
Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays, especially in Canada. The weather is cooling off and the leaves are changing colour and the winter is approaching. Though I live in Vancouver and our winters are quite mild, it is still an awesome feeling to be with family and to celebrate this time with good food and conversation. Now I am on Tenerife, the sun is beating down constantly everyday and in the last few days…
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Canary Islands
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I was just getting ready to set up my camera to take a photo of the prized mango tree in the courtyard of Los Amigos for Ferdinando when it started to rain on Monday night. It didn't rain hard but each droplet was large and in no time the ground was shimmering. At first we almost abandoned our attempts for the night, then I remembered the beach umbrella! It only took a few seconds to…
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Canary Islands
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I celebrated my 27th birthday starting right at midnight today. It really started last night at the bar in El Médano. Right at 12:01am someone started to sing me happy birthday. First in English, then in German, then Spanish, Italian, French, and ended with Arabic? That might be the longest birthday song that will be sung to me for quite some time! The rest of the day today I went up to Los Abrigos to…
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Canary Islands
I spent the day just lounging around the hostel yesterday and met many new people. The hostel that I am staying at has a lot of Italians staying here and it is a good time to learn the language. Since the hostel is smaller than the ones that I've been staying at before and it seems like many of the people are here for a longer period of time so it is nice to get…
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Canary Islands
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Today was an absolutely beautiful day to let it go to waste. At first I wasn't too motivated to go out because I wanted to rest a bit from all the traveling I did yesterday. However after talking to a Polish woman that I had met, I realized that it is her last day in town, I should hang out with her more. That way not only will I get a better sense of where…
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Even though it was a frustrating and long travel day, as soon as Francesco picked me up from Tenerife Sur Reina Sofia Airport, I felt all the tension melt away. I knew that I was really able to enjoy my time here. I have absolutely no plans for the time I am here but I know that I will definitely enjoy the beaches and the ocean. Possibly go scuba diving, several times (if I can…
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Canary Islands
I have been spoiled with all the traveling that I have done in the past. I know that I have to go to the airport two hours early for a flight just so that there is enough time to check in and go through security and make sure that there is generally enough time for all the hassle. In the past I didn't have to walk with a backpack weighing close to 20 kilos on…
Thursday, 29 September 2011 03:19
From Gaudí to the Gothic Quarter to Tapas, it is a Walking Tour To Remember!
Written by Ken Ku
My day began at 9am today and it was going to be a whole day of walking. I promised a friend that I had met here at the hostel that we would go on a walking tour that we would make up so we armed ourselves with maps and cameras. I'm glad that Jonathan is from Argentina because we did get lost a couple times. Street signs here are put in such inconspicuous places! In…
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Last night I wanted to try something different for dinner and I asked the hostel for some recommendations and was given a name for an Ethiopian restaurant that was just a ten minute walk away. During the sangria party I tried to see if there would be any other people that would be interested in trying this restaurant with me. No one seemed too keen on eating with their hands so I just went by…
There are several things that are on to do list while I am here in Barcelona: eat tapas, visit the Gothic Quarter, and see the works of Antoni Gaudií. I was able visit two of Gaudí's famous works today. Parc Güell and Basilica de la Sagrada Família. I started the day off by figuring out the best way to route my day and figuring the Metro system. The hostel staff told me which trains to…
Tuesday, 27 September 2011 01:56
Adieu Marseille et France, tu vas me manquer mais...Bienvenidos a Barcelona
Written by Ken Ku
I left Marseille today for a Spain. It will be a whole new adventure for me! At least in France, I had a little bit of my French that I new from back in school to get be by. But Spanish? That is an entirely different story! The only one sentence that I know how to say is: dos cerveza por favor. Still that is why it is an adventure! In any case I am sitting here at the Aéroport de Marseille Provence and it was very nice and relaxing. Even the check in procedures. Although I was quite early…
I knew that train traveling in Europe is very convenient and that it was an inexpensive way to get around so before I came I looked into buying the EuRail Pass. What I didn't realize is how expensive the pass is or how many options there are! After doing more research and talking to some of my friends, I decided to not buy pass for my own trip. Instead, I would buy tickets either online…
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After spending a week in Nice, it was a bit hard to leave. The people there have been so wonderful and I also met a lot of new and wonderful friends. Hopefully we will continue to keep in touch and perhaps meet up in our travels again in the future. I headed towards Marseille again on this leg of the journey. I found this hostel called Hotel Vertigo that had wonderful ratings so I decided…
I can't believe that I've already been here in Nice for a week! I have experienced so much since I have been here and staying at a hostel is one of them. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first signed up for the whole backpacking and hosteling adventure but I have to say so far it hasn't been completely scary, though there is four more months of adventure still ahead. I am staying…
Friday, 23 September 2011 04:03
Saint Paul de Vence - A Favourite Destination for Artists
Written by Ken Ku
Saint Paul de Vence has a rich history going back all the way to 120BC! However, this fortified village is best known for the artists that visited during the early 20th century during the Impressionism era. It was a favourite spot for Picasso, Matisse, and other contemporary artists. Marc Chagall even lived here from 1966 to 1985 where during this time, he incorporated the village and the ramparts into many of his paintings. I first…
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Thursday, 22 September 2011 05:38
Hanging out in Nice and Cap d'Ail with New Friends
Written by Ken Ku
I met some really great people, Katie, Marley, Shaun, and Jamie, at the hostel here in Nice and today we all decided to take a walking tour that was supposed to start at 11am. We weren't quite sure where the tour was going to take us but wanted to check it out anyways so our gang headed towards the sister hostel for the adventure. However had just left by the time we arrived. We ended…