Tag: travel

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Wanderlust

People who know me know that travel is my passion. It’s quite expensive for me, but it’s what I look forward to. I think I got the “bug” as a little kid. I used to live for field trips. It was getting out of the classroom and experiencing the surroundings with all of your senses. Mom also used to cook these great bentos for me. She would bust out the tin and fill it with musubi, fried chicken, and spam. I remember packing a frozen can of juice in aluminum foil.

Speaking of field trips, my best one came as a teacher. I was able to take students to Japan for an exchange program. I believe that homestays are the best experiences you could possibly have.

First trip to Europe was with a school tour group. Worked out great. We were always with a local guide, and we could skip lines at museums and attractions.

I have been blessed with opportunities to travel for free. Being invited to Beijing to present at a conference was a dream-come-true. I was also hosted by a school in Melbourne, Australia. Amazing friendships. Kamehameha Schools has occasionally sent me to conferences on the mainland.

I have been on missions trips to Okinawa and Thailand. These have been life changing experiences. I was also able to visit my Compassion sponsored child in the Philippines.

My favorite form of travel is solo traveling. I take one carry-on bag with me and immerse myself in that city. So freeing. You have to try it.

Only thing missing is mom’s bento…

Tracking my travels on this cork globe. Hope to add a few more pins soon…

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Paris Day 1 & 2: Bon Voyage

 

It’s been a longtime dream to travel to Paris. However, I booked this trip on impulse. I also wanted to go solo (YOLO) and enjoy the city at my own pace. I went with only one carry-on bag. It was an amazing adventure and a dream come true….

It was a 6-day trip (2 days of travel) from March 21st-26th. Getting there took over 19 hours, and I lost a day. Expedia flew me to Maui first, to catch a flight to LAX. On my flight to L.A., I met a nice family from Minnesota who was vacationing on Maui. Then I sat next to a couple from Sweden on my flight to Paris. I guess traveling solo frees you up to meet more people.

I didn’t want to stay at a franchise hotel, so I booked a Parisian boutique hotel called the Hotel du Dragon. I arrived in the late afternoon. I was greeted by the staff, a young dude with a cigarette and an iPhone. After telling him that I was from Hawai’i, he became very pleasant.

The building is over a hundred years old. It has no elevator, crooked stairs, and free Wi-fi. I would describe it by saying that it bordered on the fine line between “quaint” and “ghetto.” Haha. I loved it.

The room was tiny with old French furniture like this charming armoire. The bathroom was galley style.

But I selected this hotel based on location. I stayed in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood in the 6th arrondissement on the Left Bank. In other words, I stayed in the café district within walking distance of all the attractions. I walked around to orient myself to the surrounding area.

Here are two of the most famous cafés in Paris (the world.) I liked both equally, although I did go to Café de Flore more.

I stopped by this brasserie before returning to the hotel. I picked up a few bottles of water at a boutique market. I felt tired, excited, and happy.

 

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Day 1 & 2: Beijing Bound

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Blessed to have been invited to participate in the RDFZ Xishan International Summit in Beijing, China. I was fortunate to have met these amazing teachers from RDFZ this past summer at the Punahou Lab School. I attended the iSummit along with Liz and Doug from Punahou.

Liz and I flew out on Tuesday, November 19th on Korean Airlines. It was about 10 hours to Seoul, Korea, then another 1½ hours to Beijing. Somehow, we lost a day in between. Lance was able to take me to the airport. The flight wasn’t full, so we had the row of 4 seats to ourselves. I watched “Linsanity” on my iPad. (I won a gift card from EdCamp and was able to rent a few movies.)

We were picked up from the airport and stayed at the Holiday Inn. It was nice and only about 10 minutes from the school. (This photo was taken the next day, but we arrived at around midnight.)

I was greeted in my room with a plate of fresh fruit from the school.

Didn’t need to use the AC here. I left a window half-open and slept with a sweatshirt on. We experienced good weather throughout the week. It got a little smoggy at times, but it was really nice. It only got cold when there was wind.

There was free wi-fi in the hotel, and I quickly confirmed that Facebook and Twitter were blocked in China. Fortunately, I was able to post pics to Facebook and Twitter via Instagram.

So excited to be here! This is crazy….