Our Trips Around The World – Page 4 – Blogs from All of Our Trips

Planning for Mexico City

We’re traveling again, yeah! Actually, after Tokyo, Zhaoyang travelled back to her home town in China in August for a brief visit and then we met up in Honolulu for a week. It was actually a working vacation for her since she didn’t want to burn up any more of her PTO 🙂 But regardless, we had a great time and she snorkeled for the first time!

Anyway, we are heading to Mexico City for a week or so. We will leave just after Thanksgiving and return the first Sunday in December. Beyond getting our plane tickets and an apartment, we haven’t done much planning on where or what we will see.

But we’re excited to be traveling again and this time Zhaoyang will be blogging!

东京独特的东西 Unique Things In Tokyo

2023年6月11日，星期日，东京之行归来后第7天

Sunday, June 11, 2023, the 7th day after returning from the trip to Tokyo

从东京归来已经整整一周了，时间过得好快，一周勤奋的工作，时差已经基本倒了过来。想总结一下在东京看到的独特的东西，独特到我俩在世界各地旅游都没有看到的东西，排名第一当属自动贩卖机！最多就是大街小巷的到处可见的售卖各种饮料的机器，然后就是卖那种盲盒小玩偶的扭蛋机，还有地铁站和商场里的自动储物柜，饭店的自动点菜机，真的是一道很独特的风景线。我俩看到的和拍到的应该只是很少的一部分，肯定错过了很多很多。

It’s been a whole week since we came back from Tokyo, and time flies so fast. After being back for a week at my work, jet lag is basically over. I would like to summarize a few unique things we saw in Tokyo – things so unique that neither of us have seen something similar in our travels around the world.

再见东京 Bye-Bye Tokyo

2023年6月4日，星期日，东京之行第九天

今天回家啦，东京的天气竟然格外的好，阳光明媚，下午5点的飞机，本来买了下午一点的成田特快的票，整理好行李后，觉得可以赶上12点38的那班特快，就去新宿站顺利地换了票。回程顺风飞行，8个半小时的平稳地到了旧金山机场，终于回到了我熟悉的安静的大农村，感觉真好。

Sunday, June 4, 2023, the ninth day of the trip to Tokyo

We are going home today. The weather in Tokyo was exceptionally good, the sun was shining brightly, and the plane was schedule to depart at 5:00 p.m.

东京第八天 Day 8 in Tokyo

2023年6月3日，星期六，东京之行第八天

Saturday, June 3, 2023, the eighth day of our trip to Tokyo

早上还在下雨，我去附近的一个零食店买了一些小零食，11点多雨停了。今天打算去上野公园看看，坐地铁先到了著名的购物一条街，阿美橫丁。来了之后发现，这里的商家和饭店很多都是中国人，经营中国菜和那些便宜货，一时像是回到了国内的某个大市场。随便找了一家不是很忙的饭店吃了午饭，就去了上野公园。

It was still lightly raining in the morning, so I went out by myself to some shops to buy various Japanese snacks. The rain finally stopped at 11am. Today we plan to visit Ueno Park. We took the subway to the famous shopping street, called Ameyoko which is short for “Ameya Yokocho”, meaning candy store alley. After we came here, we found that many of the merchants and restaurants were run by Chinese. There was a mix of Japanese and Chinese dishes and also many shops selling cheap goods. It seems that they cornered a big domestic market here. We randomly picked a restaurant that was not very busy for lunch, and then went to the nearby Ueno Park.

下雨的一天 A Rainy Day

2023年6月2日，星期五，东京之行第7天

Friday, June 2, 2023, Day 7 of the Tokyo trip

今天早上醒来外面就在下雨，参考了一下天气预报，看来这雨是要下一整天的。改变计划，打算找一个能买到票的美术馆看看。很惊讶东京的美术馆这么火爆，本来计划要去的宫崎骏动画为主题的吉卜力美术馆和草间弥生美术馆的票都已售罄，只好选择了不那么火的东京国立近代美术馆。

We woke this morning to the sound of heavy rain outside. After referring to the weather forecast, it seems that the rain will last all day. We changed our plans and decided to find an art gallery that has available tickets. But I was surprised to find that many of the art museums in Tokyo are so popular.

参观东京皇居 Imperial Palace Visit

2023年6月1日，星期四，东京之行第六天

Thursday, June 1, 2023, the sixth day of the Tokyo trip

今天是重返东京皇居的一天，希望我俩昨天的犯错是一个正确的错误。今天也是洗衣服的一天，洗衣室在8楼，洗衣机是300日元30分钟，烘干机是100日元30分钟，还是比较便宜。

Today is our real scheduled day to visit the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. We hope our mistake yesterday was worth it, in other words they will require our passports to get in. Also, today is laundry day. The laundry room is on the 8th floor; washing machine is 300 yen, and the dryer is 100 yen for each 30 minutes – decent price.

东京第五天 Day 5 in Tokyo

2023年5月31日，星期三，东京之行第五天

Wednesday, May 31, 2023, the fifth day of the Tokyo trip

PJG很早就预定了东京皇居的下午一点半的门票，今天天气还不错，没有雨，坐一班地铁大概30分钟就到了东京站，下了地铁，在东京站附近逛一下，突然看到在东京站门前聚集了一群人，还有马，很多警察，似乎什么重要人物在这里。走上前去，看到几个人上了几辆很皇家感觉的马车，由警察护送，离开了东京站。问了一个执岗的小姑娘，在谷歌翻译的帮助下，是刚举行了一个迎接中国驻日本的大使的仪式。

PJG booked tickets for the Tokyo Imperial Palace last month for our visit at 1:30 pm. The weather today was nice, not hot and no rain. It took about 30 minutes to take the subway to the Tokyo Station. After exiting the subway, we walked around Tokyo Station and happened to come across many people gathered in front of the Station watching horse drawn carriages and many policemen.

东京第四天 Day 4 in Tokyo

2023年5月30日，星期二，东京之行第四天

Tuesday, May 30, 2023, the fourth day of our trip to Tokyo

天气预报预测今天的雨晚上才会下，看看外面的天气，能见度还不错，我俩决定去东京塔。坐地铁大概40多分钟就到了，人不多，买票不需要排队。东京塔是东京的地标性建筑之，建于1958年，是日本最早的钢铁塔之一。它的外观灵感来自于法国的埃菲尔铁塔，但整体是红色和白色的外观，高度为333，曾经是东京最高的建筑物，直到2012年东京晴空塔（Tokyo Skytree）建成。塔内设有两个观景台，分别位于高度150米和250米处，在晴朗的天气里，可以看到远处的富士山。可惜今天远处还是有雾。

The weather forecast predicts that it will rain later this evening. Looking out our window the skies are clear and the visibility is good. So, we decided to go to see the views from the famous Tokyo Tower. It took about 40 minutes to get there by subway. There are not many people, and there was no queue of people to buy tickets. Tokyo Tower is one of the main landmark buildings in Tokyo.

东京第三天 Day 3 in Tokyo

2023年5月29日，星期一，东京之行第三天

Monday, May 29, 2023, our third day in Tokyo

早上醒来，外面在下雨，正好借这个时间把这两天的行动记录下来。早饭又是昨晚从7-11买的，当然某人又买了鸡蛋沙拉三文治，我买了一个饭团和一个面包。

When I woke up this morning, it was raining, so I just took the time to record the actions of the past two days. We bought breakfast from 7-11 last night again, and as before someone bought an egg salad sandwich, and I bought a rice ball with bread.

东京第二天 Day Two in Tokyo

2023年5月28日，星期日，东京之行第二天

May 28, 2023, Sunday – Tokyo Trip Day 2

早上的早餐是昨晚在酒店楼下的7-11便利店买的鸡蛋沙拉三文治和炸鸡肉三文治，方便好吃，比在欧洲旅行的时候面包做早餐要上了一个级别，哈哈。吃完早饭，在酒店附近逛了一圈，打算买几样用品，结果早上9点多，很多地方都没开门。我俩所在的区域是新宿，东京的繁忙心脏，一个狂热而生机勃勃的地方，穿梭在街道中就像是欣赏一场绚丽的烟花秀，即便是在白天，也可以感受到烟花的绚烂。

Our breakfast was egg salad and fried chicken sandwiches that we bought at the 7-11 store downstairs last night. It is convenient and delicious, and it is indeed an upgrade from the simple croissants for breakfast as had while traveling in Europe, haha.

去东京 Heading to Tokyo

2023年5月27日，星期五，东京之行第一天

Friday, May 27, 2023 – the first day of the Tokyo Trip.

期待已久的东京之行终于到来了，今天从旧金山机场出发，很平稳顺利的10个小时飞行就到了东京成田机场。我在飞机上看完了最近很火爆的8集台剧《人选之人》，真的很好看，讲述了很多各种中文语境下很难看到的东西，比如男女平权，同性恋，工作环境下的性骚扰等等的话题。

Our long-awaited trip to Tokyo finally arrived. Today, we departed from San Francisco Airport and arrived at Tokyo’s Narita Airport after a smooth 10-hour flight. I finished watching the popular 8-episode Taiwanese drama, “The Wave Makers” on the plane.

Leaving for Tokyo on Friday!

南美洲预告片之旅的总结 The Summary of The Teaser South America Trip

2022年12月8日，星期四，南美洲归来之后第四天 – Day 4 after South America

我对这次南美洲旅游的总结的一句话是没有出乎意料的愉快享受。如果分我最关注的几方面的话：

我喜欢的方面：

价格便宜，尤其是用黑市的蓝色汇率的阿根廷
接触到的本地人都很友好
圣地亚哥的街头表演很有创意

My summary of this trip to South America in one sentence is that it was not unexpectedly enjoyable, meaning it was not enjoyable. In terms of the aspects that I was most concerned about:

瓦尔帕莱索的墙绘 Murals in Valparaiso

2022年12月6日，星期二，从南美洲之旅归来的第二天 – Day two after South America

今天还是在倒时差，不过算是可以静下心来整理在瓦尔帕莱索拍的墙绘照片，并在这里分享。瓦尔帕莱索的两日短游算是这次南美洲之旅最精彩的部分。虽然这个小港口城市充斥着不整洁的街道，横七竖八的电线电缆，看起来凶狠狠的流浪狗，令人担忧的治安问题等等，这个城市还是用它的千奇百怪的，眼花缭乱的，有创造力的墙绘吸引并征服了成千上万的游客，我俩就是其中之一。

Though I’m still jet-lagged today, I can relax now and sort out the wall mural photos that I took in Valparaíso and share them here. The two-day excursion to Valparaíso was clearly the highlight of the trip to South America. Although this small port city is full of dirty streets, criss-crossed wires and cables, ferocious-looking stray dogs, worrying security problems, etc., the city still uses its strange, dazzling and creative walls to attract thousands of tourists like us who are captured by the murals.

南美洲最后一天 The Last Day in South America

2022年12月4日，星期日，南美洲之旅第十八天 – Day 18 of the South America Trip

这次短暂的南美洲预告片之旅就这么快结束了，当时叫做预告片之旅是因为到达的城市比较少，所以这次旅游酷似试探之旅，如果喜欢南美洲，再计划回到这里。现在的感觉也许这是第一次也是最后一次来这里旅行。

我俩晚上10点多的飞机回美国，今天基本上有大半天的时间，我俩把行李寄存在了民宿大楼的前台，选择了再去一次瓦尔帕莱索，看看那些上次去没看到的墙绘。

Our short South American teaser trip has come to an end so quickly. Initially, we called the trip a teaser because we were traveling to relatively few countries in South America, so this trip would be our first. Well, to be honest, South America was not our favorite place to visit. So, maybe this will be our first and our last trip to South America.

比尼亚德尔马 Vina Del Mar

2022年12月3日，星期六，南美洲之旅第十七天 – Day 17 of the South America Trip

早上被地震叫醒了，我感觉床在晃，一开始以为PJG在动，转身看他，他没动，一看床上面的吊灯也在晃，马上知道这是地震，立刻叫醒PJG，我俩站到了门框下面的时候，地震已经结束了，随即网上查到了是发生在瓦尔帕莱索附近海域里的4.6级地震。

I was woken up by the earthquake this morning! I felt the bed shaking and at first I thought PJG was moving. I turned to look at him, but he was still. When I saw the chandelier above our bed swaying, I knew it was an earthquake. I woke up PJG immediately and when we went to stand under the door frame,

Valparaiso 瓦尔帕莱索

2022年12月2日，星期五，南美洲之旅第十六天 – Day 16 of South America Trip

PJG今天感觉好了很多，还是有些咳嗽和泻肚子，以防万一，做了新冠的快速自测，阴性，说来也奇怪，我俩这一路旅行，去过那么多人员聚集的地方，这个病毒又没消失，但是还是没被传染上，看来我俩已经建立了很强的免疫！

Well, PJG feels much better today, but still has a lingering cough and diarrhea. Just in case, he did a quick self-test for Covid-19, and it was negative. Strange to say, we have traveled far and near, and we have been to so many places where people gather – we have never worn a mask. The virus has not disappeared, but we are still not infected. It seems that we have established a strong immunity!

重返智利 Returning to Chile

2022年12月1日，星期四，南美洲之旅第十五天 – Day 15 of our South America Trip

早上4点半起床，快速收拾完行李，5点半预订的出租车就在楼下等好了，今天我俩要重返智利，去距离圣地亚哥大约120多公里的一个海滨小城-比尼亚德尔马。PJG还是没有痊愈，早上还有些低烧，可怜的人只能带病旅游了。一小时五十多分钟的飞行就到了圣地亚哥，在机场坐Turbus公司的大巴，十多分钟先到了pajaritos站，再转乘到比尼亚德尔马的大巴，一个小时四十多分钟的车程顺利地到达了目的地。

We got up at 4:30 in the morning, quickly finished packing, and our 5:30 taxi was waiting downstairs. Today we fly back to Santiago, and then take a bus to Viña del Mar, a seaside town about 120 kilometers away from Santiago. PJG still isn’t better, and he still had a low fever in the morning. The poor man

Buenos Aires Day 9 布宜诺斯艾利斯第九天

2022年11月30日，星期三，南美洲之旅第十四天 – Day 14 of South America Trip

坏消息，今天早上PJG的泻肚子还是没有痊愈，而且又开始发烧到37.78度，他给我俩的医院打了电话，可惜美国是凌晨3点多，护士说会联系他的医生，今天他又要在家休息了。我去超市买了一小袋大米，给他做了鸡汤粥做午饭，我吃了昨晚没吃完的猪排。吃完午饭我和小熊坐地铁去了女人桥（西班牙语：Puente de la Mujer），这个桥是一座配重斜拉桥，由西班牙建筑师圣地亚哥·卡拉特拉瓦设计，桥梁的设计是一对跳探戈的情侣形象。

The bad news is that PJG’s diarrhea is still not better this morning, and his fever of 37.78c (>100 f) degrees returned. He called our hospital in the US, but unfortunately it was still only 3 am there. The nurse said that she would send an urgent message to his doctor.

Buenos Aires Day 8 布宜诺斯艾利斯第八天

2022年11月29日，星期二，南美洲之旅第十三天 – 13th day of South America trip

PJG今天还在挣扎，还是有泻肚子，体温基本恢复正常了，他还是需要在家休息，我去超市买了鸡蛋，跑了两家西联汇款又换了100美金，今天的汇率是1比305，去取了洗的衣服。中午PJG这几天来第一次吃了三个炒鸡蛋和面包片。我下午去了这里的一个特别的书店, 中文名翻译过来是雅典人书店，这个书店是在2019年被国家地理杂志评为“世界上最美的书店”。

PJG’s stomach troubles continued today, not much better, but his temperature has basically returned to normal. He still is weak and needs to stay at home. I went to the supermarket to buy eggs then went to two Western Unions looking to exchange another 100 dollars. Today’s exchange rate is 1:305. I picked up the laundry at noon, got takeout and went back to make PJG three scrambled eggs and sliced bread for lunch, his first real meal in a few days. After lunch, I went with bear to a cool bookstore called, “El Ateneo Grand Splendid”. This bookstore was named “the most beautiful bookstore in the world” by National Geographic in 2019.