a blog by Julia Escano
Just like Japan, and most other developed countries, I love how South Korea could straddle both their history and their progress while letting both sides of their identity shine. During my visit, I was able to see many chapters of their story as well as the different personalities they took on over time.
Read More
By the time we arrived in Myeongdong, where we stayed for the duration of the trip, it was early evening. The sun had been gone for hours, and the breeze still a constant. After five steps from the station, I wanted out.
Read More
It was 3pm. The Mexican sun was scorching hot as we stood on the empty dock at the Puerto Los Cabos Marina. We were supposed to board the boat now. But it was nowhere in sight.
Read More
The heat hit me like a brick wall the moment I exited the San Jose del Cabo Airport. I heard Mexico’s air was supposed to be dry, but the humidity was so thick it felt solid when I breathed. All too familiar, I thought. Like I was back home again.
Read More
That’s right, I just got a photo published on Lonely Planet Traveller’s November issue. It’s a photo of a farmer’s market in the Okanagan Valley, which was included in their monthly Instagram picks for #LPPostcards.
Read More
It was too short. That sums up my visit of Kyoto. Bad weather on top of tight viewing schedules and complicated bus transfers resulted in only a few hours in the city. Thus we missed the Fushimi Inari Shrine, the long stretch of beautiful, red torii gates, and the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – two of Kyoto’s…
Read More
A gust of wind hit my face like a sharp slap as I stepped out of the warmth of New Osaka Hotel. The morning was blustery, almost 0 degrees C, a true winter morning. We marched to the Shin-Osaka Station across the street, gloved hands in pockets and heads bowed against the cold.
Read More
“It’s so cute, I want to squeeze it!” I believe those were my first words to Sandy the first time we took a walk around his hometown of Salt Spring Island. I also remembered saying “I feel like I’m in Stars Hollow!” and “Your whole town looks like a pretty movie set!” Suffice it to…
Read More
I stared up the rock bluff, an “in your face!” finale to the tough hike I’ve had. After two hours, Sandy and I were almost at the summit of the Prairie View Mountain Trail in Kananaskis Country, Alberta. My legs were raging, my chest was tight, and my sides were in stitches, but I had…
Read More
Thick fog nestled lazily on Salt Spring Island’s fields the morning we left for Calgary, as if they slept on a cradle of land. The sky was as blue as ever and the air sharp and nippy. Everything had a whisper of freshness and light, a hint of quiet awakening.
Read More
Life as a Tumbleweed 