Travel

Mom’s Birthday Celebration in Taiwan

| mickijosue

For Mom’s birthday this year, my Dad decided to take the whole family to Taipei, Taiwan. Of course, I was more than thrilled to be off exploring another country yet again, and one I had never been to.

Prior to our departure, I was told by friends that Taipei was street food heaven. Hence, I prepared to eat my way through our four-day trip. Apart from pinning down the locations for food tripping in Google maps, we also booked a van for a day of sightseeing outside the city. I was eagerly anticipating the food, and I was more than excited for the new places we were scheduled to visit.

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Making Peace with The Cold

| mickijosue

I have entitled this entry as such because it best sums up my two trips to Japan and Korea early this year. You see, I’ve never been good with the cold. I’m known as lamigin, a local term used to describe someone who easily feels cold. That’s me. I don’t like direct ventilation from an electric fan, more so, from an air conditioner. Trips to the movie house and even the mall sometimes require a cardigan. I easily freeze when visiting Baguio or Tagaytay during the “Ber” months.

The last time I was abroad in a cold country was way back in 2007.My family spent New Year’s in Hong Kong. I remember walking in the streets and getting numb all over. I enjoyed the trip but I didn’t enjoy the cold. It was just too cold.

Last March, I was set to travel to Japan and Korea for two consecutive weekends in a row. March, I was told, was still going to be very cold. Luckily I have a mother that prepares for the worst, and even better, she knits. She made me all sorts of cute hats and scarves to keep me warm. She also made sure I packed a lot of warmers..

When we got to Japan, it was just as I expected – chilly and windy. I got myself bundled up as soon as we hopped off the plane! It was about 8 degrees Celsius, VERY COLD by my standards. But hey, thanks to my mom’s scarves and hats, and all my layers, I survived the trip and enjoyed it very much.

Here I am with Mt. Fuji behind me, a rare occurrence, we were told. (The chances of seeing Mt. Fuji is said to be 3 out of 10. I consider myself very fortunate!)

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