Bewitched by the Peruvian Scissor Dance (Goodbye Mexico, Hello Peru)

This morning we arrived in Lima. I was super exhausted and wanted to spend the rest of the day in bed, until I found out we had a roof top pool in our hotel.Yay! So I spent the rest of the day sleeping under the sun until 4pm.

Peru has so much history packed into it, with a blending of the vibrant Andean culture and its much newer, modern culture. We don't have an itinerary yet, all we know is we will be here for a few weeks (with a small trip to Argentina in between). No one can visit Peru without taking a pilgrimage to Machu Picchu (which I did during my trip in 2011 before I started this blog). But Peru is so much more than just Macchu Picchu. Sand dunes and an oasis, the ancient Nazca Lines, cities surrounded by volcanoes, canyons and the Amazon jungle, this time we will be exploring a few different places.

48 Incredible Hours in Queretaro | Things to do in Queretaro

On our journeys through the cradles of Mexican Independence we visited Queretaro City, the once capital of the nation, considered to be the safest city in Mexico and the most dynamic city in Latin America.

We left behind San Miguel and arrived in Queretaro City (Santiago de Queretaro in Spanish) just over 2 days ago. Like the past 3 cities I have visited, Queretaro is brimming with history and considered to be part of the cradle of Mexican Independence. Not only that, it is apparently the safest city with the highest quality of life in Mexico. Plus, it was voted to be the most dynamic city in Latin America. As a medium sized city, I was recommended to spend 2-3 days here. In a city that ticks of so many boxes, these are the best things to do in Queretaro City when you have only 48 hours.

Visiting Dolores Hidalgo and Atotonilco (Day Trip From San Miguel De Allende)

Historically speaking, Dolores Hidalgo and Atotonilco are among the most important places in Mexico, considered to be the cradles of Mexican Independence.

Today we did a day trip to Atotonilco and Dolores Hidalgo from San Miguel de Allende. We booked a private day tour with our own personal guide from an agency in the main square of San Miguel de Allende. Dolores Hidalgo is a very small town, so if you want to visit it is better to do it in a day trip rather than stay there for a night or two. Our tour guide, Jose was enthusiastic and lively, and really made us revved up and excited from the moment we stepped in his black cruiser. Of course, you could hire your own car and take your own personal trip to these places, but one of the things I really like about personal day tours is the guides always make the tour more fun by telling you anecdotes and bits and pieces of information along the way. Plus its nice to sit back and relax while someone else drives you around for once in a while. Let's get started on the best things to do in Dolores Hidalgo and Atotonilco on a day trip.

Mexico's Secret Fairytale City | San Miguel De Allende Travel Guide

San Miguel is the city that everyone falls in love with. Maybe it has something to do with its fine architectural details mixed with a stunning landscape of valleys and mountains. Or maybe its because you can live in the art that thrives in every street and square of the city. But without a doubt, there is something special about San Miguel de Allende.

We arrived in San Miguel De Allende two days ago, and were warned before arriving that this is where all the English speaking expats in Mexico flock to retire. As such, life here is made very easy for English speakers to find services catered to them (in case you were wondering a day trip to San Miguel De Allende from Mexico City is totally doable if you're an early riser). As we drove through the streets searching for our hotel I noticed all the buildings were painted only in deep earthy colours, such as red, brown, orange and yellow.

The Essential Guanajuato Travel Guide - Discovering Mexico's City of Frogs

Guanajuato derives its name from the indigenous language to "Quanax huato", which means "hilly place of frogs".

MAZE OF TUNNELS

I've had an exciting few days wandering around this charming city, taking tours and sampling the local cuisine. I thought it only natural to commemorate my time here by writing a travel guide on the best things to do in Guanajuato. First things first. To get into the Guanajuato valley you must go through the Guanajuato tunnels. You can truly get lost in this compact city with its hundreds of cobblestone passages and underground tunnels. In fact, one of the most striking features of this city is the network of underground tunnels that connect Guanajuato to the outside world. Since Guanajuato is built into a valley, the only feasible mode of transport is using the tunnels built under the mountains. Everywhere you walk in the city, you will see tunnels just like this one. In fact, this one was right next door to my hotel.

Mexico's Most Beautiful City? Guanajuato Day Trip From Mexico City

As I pulled back my curtains I was immediately met with the sight of brightly coloured houses tightly crammed into the mountains that surround this picturesque city.

Yesterday I arrived in Guanajuato. We arrived just before sunset so we couldn't do much, but I just had to share a few photos of this magical city. Below is the outside of our hotel (beautiful, right?), and driving around all the buildings had this colonial style. This city, which is a mishmash of colours, cobblestone streets and baroque architecture, retains its old charm since it was founded as a mining city in the 1500's.

Electrifying Tokyo Street Photography

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." - Lin Yutang

Sooo I arrived back in Australia on Christmas Eve. Weirdest feeling ever... leaving a place I lived in for almost 2 years. But I'll be back though. Not for a while, but I'll definitely be back. Even though I have hundreds of Tokyo city pictures from my 2 year stay (maybe thousands?), I wanted to upload a small photo diary with some of my favourite Tokyo street photography with everything from food, fashion, host clubs, idol groups, robots, street art, crepes and traditional architecture... enjoy!

Top 6 Weird Candy From Japan (Sapporo) | Bizarre Japanese Food

Japan leads the pack when it comes quirky snacks and eccentric treats. Many times I've found myself scratching my head wondering if we really need another rendition of sweet potato flavoured KitKat or a new brand of plum flavoured potato chips.

I enjoyed many appetising dishes from Sapporo, but I also stumbled upon a few strange Japanese snacks. Living in Japan, this is nothing unusual where caramel covered potato chips are considered a normal treat and mixed almonds and anchovies are a party snack.

The first one I found was at the top of the Sapporo TV Tower. Everyone enjoys flavoured chocolate right? (My personal favourite is strawberry chocolate!!) But no, the Japanese take it a little further and add their own spice to the mix. The three flavours of chocolate below is miso-ramen chocolate, curry chocolate and beef bowl chocolate (WUT?!?!). These are all dishes native to Japan. I decided to take the plunge and buy a beef bowl chocolate. I was expecting the worst, but honestly, it wasn't half that bad. The taste was quite subtle, but the flavouring paired well with the dark chocolate. It reminded me of chilli chocolate. I wonder if chilli flavoured chocolate is considered an eccentricity in Japan? As far as strange Japanese food goes, this one wasn't too bad.

12 Mouthwatering Best Food in Sapporo | Sapporo Food Guide

Japan is home to one of the most recognisable cuisines in the world. Each region offers specialties unique to that province. Sapporo, located on the coast of Japan's north island, offers a cuisine rich in the freshest seafood of Japan. These are just a few of my top picks of food to try in Sapporo.

After an amazing adventure in Sapporo, I decided I needed to make a post all about the tasty food I enjoyed. I got this dish at the Sapporo Curb Market. It is a taraba ikura don, or in english, a salmon roe and crab bowl. This is a very typical dish you can find anywhere in Japan, particularly in Sapporo because Hokkaido has a large fishing industry. Under the seafood topping is a bowl of rice. Crab is pretty common worldwide, but salmon roe used abundantly in a dish is something I've only ever seen in Japan. Tourist Tip: Skip wandering the city centre looking for the best crab in Sapporo - the Sapporo Curb Market has the freshest crab in the city!

Top 10 Insanely Fun Things to do in Sapporo | Sapporo Travel Guide

Situated on Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, Sapporo felt like a smaller, laid back version of Tokyo. But don't let its size deter you. This city is jam packed with plenty of fun activities.

Wanting to get an escape from the big city for a few days, myself and a few friends decided to visit Sapporo. I've never been to Hokkaido so I was pretty excited to say the least. Its a small city, with a population less than one tenth the size of Tokyo, so the four days we spent there was an ample amount of time to see everything Sapporo has to offer. The atmosphere was friendly and laid back, and it felt almost like a miniature version of Tokyo. So here is my mini Sapporo travel guide with a list of the top 10 fun things to do in Sapporo!