A cold brisk day in New York City and hunger overcame my little sister and I. Yesterdays dinner was so savory and flavorful so we both came with the conclusion that we should have a more sweet breakfast to cleanse our pallets. A destination that we were familiar with was Remi Cafe, however, we went to the bigger location in another part of the city. Known for its floral infused coffees and sweet treats we were excited to have a taste again. Today was going to be a very busy day filled with ice skating and meeting up with friends so we needed something loaded with carbs. During breakfast my sister and I truly did catch up on each other’s lives, even though we are around each other all the time we tend to ignore each other back home. We ordered a pumpkin cake, a jelly donut, a ham and cheese croissant and a muffin along with a hot matcha latte and a rose latte. It was a good breakfast that was light enough but still fulfilling for the cold we would have to embark that day.
After breakfast we decided to go to the huge ice skating rink present. It was a while since I skated last (roller or ice) so it did take a good 10 minutes to warm up to the feeling of my feet slipping. We skated for a good hour, my parents tagging along as well spectating from beyond the rink. Despite it being very cold, the motion that comes with ice skating did bring temporary warmth back into our bodies. To the point where I was able to take my jacket off and keep my hoodie on only. After the tiring amount of times we went in a circle we were hit by the surprise of some of our closest friends also being in New York the same time we were in. This initiated a search and find mechanism in us as we tried to find our friends in the big crowd of New York. The people who were over was one of my mom’s good college friends from engineering school in India and his family.
Upon catching up decided it was better to get out of the cold as we began the search for a restaurant to truly sit and catch up. My mom’s friend currently resides in Texas, so they too were not accustomed to this cold. He has two children, one a few years younger than me and the other one a few years younger than my sister, hence the immediate connection between us. We headed over to a Thai restaurant where the girl who was roughly my age and I ordered matching Thai teas. When I tell you Thai tea is one of my favorite teas I’m not lying. The tier list is Masala Chai, Thai tea and then Matcha tea. Alongside me and her also shared a good helping of pad Thai while the whole table shared two fishes that were super savory and very well prepared. I’ve always been fond of the Thai cuisine for its usage of intense spice while also intertwining subtle sweetness to the dishes (exactly like pad Thai). And do NOT get me started on Mango sticky rice, 10/10 one of the best desserts out there. Yes it’s very simple but the taste and quality can never be outdone.
After the amazing lunch we all headed to a really crowded area of the city where families were seen shopping everywhere. It was here that I bought a new North Face jacket for myself and me and my little sister went on a bit of a splurge buying Lululemon earmuffs and some skincare products from other stores. After when it became too dark and cold to stay out any longer and shop we decided it was probably time to get some dinner and head to the hotels to sleep. Our good friends were in a different hotel than us so we would have to split up later, but we decided why not order pizza for take out and eat in one of our hotel rooms? And that is what we did. If you have read my past New York blog then you would know Joe’s Pizza is my go to pizza place anytime I’m in the Big Apple. Overall a great way to end the day, it was a little sad knowing the fact that tomorrow afternoon would be the day we were flying out and back home, leaving our friends, and leaving a great city of memories.
The next morning we walked around trying to find any breakfast spot that could take us in and aid us from the cold winds. We didn’t want to go to Juniors again, despite how amazing it was, because we wanted to try new things. We walked around and found a quaint breakfast place called The Blue Dog. The Blue Dog is a great place for instagram worthy food. Plus the interior of the breakfast place was so nice, especially as it was decorated for Christmas. They had an array of food items from Matcha Waffles, Oreo Waffles, etc. But if you’ve read any of my past vlogs you would know what type of girl I am. Chicken and Waffles. All day everyday.
I needed all the protein for today. Today I was going to watch Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play. Know when I was a kid I was obsessed with Harry Potter, so going to watch this play after years of watching the movies I was so ready to get sucked into the fandom again. Which didn’t disappoint, the actors were phenomenal. It was so interesting to see what the lives of the trio were after Hogwarts and how their kids are holding up as new students to the adventurous school. With plot twists and emotional moments I was alert and awake for the whole play. Highly recommend to watch any musical or play in the area whenever you travel to New York. Broadway 100% brings the full New York experience. After exiting the theater it was night, it was late and we were all starving for some good food. We previously placed a reservation for this very popular Indian restaurant, GupShup.
GupShup took Indian food and aesthetically plated food to a different level. The purpose of going to such a fancy restaurant was that on this day it was my parent’s anniversary. What better way than to have a family dinner eating our cultural food in a cozy environment? The restaurant was projecting a popular Bollywood movie on the wall that I didn’t know the name of but my parents certainly did. There was also a really good Bollywood playlist, whoever was on AUX made such a memorable experience for my sister and I as we jammed and sang along quietly to the songs. I must say not only was the food and ambience good, but the chef of the restaurant made our experience comfortable. He came over to talk to all tables, including ours, wishing my parents a great anniversary and even coming out with Gulab Jamun (a cake dosed in rose syrup) for them. He was such a welcoming person and I could tell he cared about the people dinning in as he spoke and connected with us all. We ordered so many things, but we were in a restaurant with a notorious palette of food. We got cauliflower for my dad, who loves his vegetables; chicken tikka masala, a very basic necessity; pav bhaji, which is the equivalence of a sloppy Joe but no meat; garam masala fries, sprinkled in a nice spice that had a kick and added flavor; biryani, which was in the bowl covered by dough; ras malai, a nice dessert, almost like a tres leche cake if talking about texture and concept. I’m not saying it is like that though, not in a long shot. It was just such a warm feeling for such a cold night.
The thing about New York in the Winter is that it is BITTER cold. Even though I did enjoy my stay, I would very much appreciate my time spent if gone in the summer where cool beverages are among every cafe and you’re not worried about fingers going numb. I carried hot pockets in all of my jacket pockets to keep my hands warm.
We started off our day with Juniors (a diner + restaurant known for its cheesecakes) for breakfast. A 2 minute walk from our hotel is a win to me, even though I love walking in big cities, when it is below freezing I prefer to avoid walking long distances. It was a very spacious area and very very busy, I guess the popularity of the place wasn’t a joke. We waited around 15 minutes to get and seated and once we did we were starving. My mom ordered some coffee which came with those crystal candies, it was fun t stir it in and watch it dissolve in the hot liquid. I got some pancakes which came with cinnamon apples (something I don’t think I’ve ever had before) and they were pretty good. My little sister went a little overboard and absolutely nailed her carb and protein intake in just one sitting by ordering potatoes, toast and an omelet.
After breakfast we headed into an uber towards Sloomoo Institute. It’s an interactive slime museum, normally presented for kids it was fun to be a child again and walk around touching all the slime samples. I remember back when I was younger slime videos were absolutely thriving all over YouTube, it was THE thing. Although not as popular today it was relatively crowded inside. We were first greeted by a wall covered in slime, apparently since the opening of the museum in 2019 they have been placing slime on one designated wall which every guest that enters the museum participates in. It was a huge clump of slime clinging onto the wall and it was really cool to see it. I did also slap some slime onto the already ginormous dump of slime and admired the dedication it must be to not clean it all up. Next we are presented with the option to stand behind a glass wall, which, a second person can literally fling slime at you. Just like that one Jimmy Fallon segment where they fling fruit at the celebrities. Right next to that are a bunch of slime samples. The samples are coded through their texture, from clear to crunchy, snowy to metallic, all of the types of slimes were presented to touch. My dad really liked this part of the museum, as someone who banned slime in the house when my sister and I were younger, it was ironic to see him enjoy the mess of the slime as much as we did. Once you go through the slime sample hallway you’ll see people waiting in line with ponchos. Those people are in line to get voluntarily slimed, like those clips of celebrities getting slimed on the Nickelodeon show they quite literally get covered head to toe in a gooey substance. If you don’t want to get slimed, which my family and I all collectively agreed upon, there is another room close by that tracks your movements and turns you into a silly little blob monster.
A real nostalgic time turner was when we could create our own slime, first we are presented with some textures we want, I chose clear for mine (they’re always silky and smooth for me), next you can smell an arrangement of scents that are plastered on the wall (be careful because some of them are REALLY strong), and then you can take a look at the slime counter and choose a color you want. For me I did a coffee scent with a black color and called it “Depresso”. My sister on the other hand did rose scents and a pretty pink color and named it something like “Cupid Shuffle?” [How many of you remember the cupid shuffle?] If you’re a parent who can’t stand slime but went for the kids there are places for you as well. They have ASMR rooms past the slime making ones. You’ll see a little hallway, each room a different furry color and once you step into one you’ll hear some satisfying slime crunches. Each room has a different ASMR. My sister and I did not hesitate using the furry walls as backdrops instead. At the end the kids are able to get rewarded some more because there is a little parkour pit. First an aisle of squishes you have to get across, then walk through the mush of smile and finally through a tunnel and out onto the other side. It looks really fun, but being the age I am it definitely would not fly if I went through that tunnel.
After the slimy experience, I really need some fresh air. So I explored the city a little bit more and stumbled upon SOHO, very aesthetic and filled to the brim with luxury brands and other stores. As I walked closer to my hotel I saw a huge Christmas tree that is all lit up at night. I stumbled upon it while walking to a market, there was ice skating there but I was pretty cold as it is and didn’t want to wait in the HUGE line. My toes were going numb and I knew it was time to go back to the hotel and maybe take a little nap.
For dinner we headed to Queen of Sheba, a very popular Ethiopian restaurant. We ordered sambusa as appetizers and I was shocked by how similar it was to a samosa. It wasn’t until I came here that I realized how similar Indian and Ethiopian cuisine truly was. We also ordered a plate full of food that we shared together as a family. It’s like the Indian equivalence as dosa and an arrangement of curries and dhals. Which I loved. Finally for dinner we got some flan and some sort of rum cake. But altogether it was an amazing dinner and an amazing night. We did walk to the restaurant which was like a 20 minute walk from our hotel so by the time I got back to the hotel my feet were so numb I could barely walk. Maybe I’m too accommodated to southern winter weather.
The view of NYC at night tho was lowkey so worth the numbness in my feet.
Winter break is one of my favorite things. It’s nice and snowy, school is out for around two weeks, and the Christmas holidays are in full swing. A fun time to spend time friends and family. New York is no different, it’s really cold in the city and I was always shivering from the cold.
My family and I first landed around 11:00 am, and since it was really “early” we did some research on things we could do until our hotel rooms were done. Just like during the summer, last time when I came to NYC, we went over the Ice Cream Museum. It was a fun experience and amazing for taking pictures for Instagram, and my sister and I wanted to find a museum like that as well. We stumbled upon a museum like the Ice Cream one called Color Factory. Each room was based on the concepts of color and based on the rooms it became a nice relaxing time for us. A lot of the rooms used the power of your senses and based them on color, for example, there was a fortune cookie table with very different flavors connected to the color. The blue ones were blue raspberry flavored cookies (which I didn’t know was a flavor), the red ones were cherry and the brown ones chocolate. So many photo opportunities at every corner. There was even a hallway of scents on the wall. Some of the scents were really weird and off putting like bacon, but there were some really nice ones like fresh laundry, cherry blossoms, and more. Many interactive opportunities, from being able to make your own music with xylophones, to throwing confetti at everyone and everything (I didn’t get the confetti out of my hair for a while, to even going into these small stalls where you can create drawings of the person sitting in front of you. One of my favorite rooms was the room with options on the floor, you start at a certain area and based on your opinions you walk across the room to a certain door. Behind the door is a color that reflects your personality. It’s like one of those personality quizzes on Buzzfeed but in real life. I asked my sister what her favorite room was and she said it was the silent party room, exactly what it sounds like, you are given headphones with music blaring through them and then you just party. There’s even a golden dance room where you can show off your moves, which my dad and sister did not shy away from. Just don’t take the headphones off because then you’re enwrapped with silence. The ball pit room is fun too, painted in a nice and calming light blue where you can definitely be an inner child again.
Bacon scents, floral scents, every scent
Even after the color factory, it was only around 4:30 pm, but since it was Winter the sun was already down and my dad tends to eat dinner pretty early. Like around 5:00 pm we put our name for the waitlist for Shanghai 21, and if you’ve seen my other blog posts, this was the same restaurant we went to last time we were in New York. Chinatown is bursting with personality, and it was a fun time to catch up with my family members about what’s going on with them. It was a great night and a great first day in NYC.
The next morning I met up with my cousin at a nice cafe called Cafe Flora, known for its aesthetics of the interior and food, I was really hyped to eat there. There at the cafe I met up with my grandparents, older cousin, my sister and my mom. It was a sunny and warm day, storms did loom in the distance because of a tropical storm rolling in, but as of right now we were ok. Of course warm days call for cold drinks, we ordered some lemonades which came with cutely decorated flowers (definitely not edible) and came in a nice big jug (perfect size). I ordered chicken and waffles because if others didn’t know already, chicken and waffles are one of my favorite foods. Maybe it’s from growing up in the south or maybe it’s because I love the sweet and savory difference between the two. No matter what though, it will always be a comfort food for me. My cousin got some sort of Tiramisu French Toast which is a super interesting hybrid to me, it was really good though and it looked so beautiful and delicate. My sister got an acai bowl (which at the time was her favorite obsession) and my mom ordered a spicy chicken sandwich drenched in a spicy sauce with nice and savory eggs. Lastly my grandpa and grandma shared a kind of breakfast sandwich with a more traditional toasted bread.
After breakfast I looked up some things to do in Miami, finding Superblue Miami (which is kind of like Team Labs of Japan but in Miami). A huge fan of the Team Labs back in Japan when I went in spring of 2024, we had to book tickets for it. The super blue lab definitely did not disappoint, when you first go in you’re greeted in a dark room, beautiful flowers start to grow on the screen illuminating the room in a beautiful light, subtle glow. The flowers once touched broke apart letting the flower petals float around in the dark. You actually have to go up to the stem of the flower and put your hand on the wall, that’s what triggered something making the flower fall apart. It was such a beautiful and peaceful moment to watch these petals swirl around you. The room connected to this one was a waterfall/flower room that was just like the floating flower room back in Japan. You could lay on the floor and just look at the ceiling and relax. I may have dozed off for a few minutes but if you do go, you’ll understand why. The next room was filled with lightbulbs, hanging from the ceiling in a nice twinkling ambience. Three posts were around the room, you place your hand on one of these posts and the lights start to flicker with a specific rhythm, mimicking your heartbeat. It was really funny to hear how fast paced my sister’s heartbeat was vs how slow paced mine was. The room after that was a mirror maze literally. Filled with stairs to spectate the people navigate their ways through never ending tunnels it was a fun little break from the peaceful environment of the place to just relive childhood and have fun. The last room, which is a room you need to specifically buy a ticket for is the bubble room. I know others might be skeptic to buy a ticket for a room full of bubbles but this was one of my best decisions of the trip. It was so fun, running through the bubbles, playing with the bubbles, touching the bubbles, it was in some kind of way therapeutic.
After going through this interactive experience, we decided to go to the Miami zoo. Walking around the zoo was proven to be a nice way to connect with my cousin again after years of not meeting with also admiring the joys of Miami. From Flamingos to seals to birds we saw it all. My favorite part though was we were able to go and take pictures with the dolphins here. Which was a really cute picture opportunity. We also saw a little performance carried out by the seals, just doing little tricks of flopping around on the deck and jumping up to get fish from the caretakers hands.
It was starting to get late and dinner was now looming closer. We walked around a little more and found a restaurant called Italianspiration. I will be honest, maybe we just came at a bad time, but the food was kind of mid. The pizza was ok, it wasn’t spectacular but that’s ok because the tiramisu defiantly made up for it. They had the traditional flavor and then a pistachio strawberry one which was also equally just as good in my opinion.
Our last day in Miami was going to be a chill one, this was the day I was leaving to head back home. Before going, I had to do what any sane tourist would do when they go to Florida, I had to go to the beach! The water was really cold and it took awhile to get adjusted to it. The view was really beautiful though and just sunbathing was nice enough. The tropical storm that was forecasted next to Florida was looming closer to Miami and I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t a little anxious. I mean flying through a small hurricane isn’t ideal. What if my flight gets cancelled? Some wise people told me however that no matter the situation we must always think about the positive outcomes because thinking about the negative might just come true the more we will it. So after the beach I headed over to this really famous mall in the downtown area, stopping at Moxies to meet up with my cousins current boss and my moms old boss to have lunch, and buying myself a pair of new AirPods. The time loomed closer to my departure of Miami, I went to Rosetta to get one last cup of coffee with my cousin before wishing good luck and leaving to go back home. It’s nice to know that a family member has moved closer to you, I mean compared to India, him living in Miami is a wonderful thing to me because he’s incredibly close. I will definitely come back to Miami again!
A few weeks after I landed back in the states after traveling around Australia, my cousin who is currently staying in Miami, Florida reached out to me. He recently got a job at Lennar and wanted to meet up, so I did what every reasonable person would do. I bought a plane ticket to Miami Florida!
After reaching Miami the sudden heat swept me off my feet. My was it hot outside. Something I needed to adjust to. During my visit a small hurricane was rolling around, so the weather was sunny to rainy to sunny to rainy. I reached the hotel a little too early so my room wasn’t fully ready. Which gives me perfect reasons to explore the new city. This was my first time in Miami. Whenever I go it’s either Destin, Orlando or Tampa. My first stop on my list was the raved Museum of Illusions, found commonly on every social media platform, this museum uses the perception of shadows and light to turn wall art into something very realistic. So as I walked through the vast hallways I had different adventures from playing basketball with professionals, dodging radioactive slime, and even riding a unicorn. It was a point of peace and simplicity that I enjoyed thoroughly.
My cousin was currently still in office working and it was only after lunch, so I wandered around the little outdoor mall that the Museum of Illusions was located in. I stopped by an H&M and bought myself a cute shirt and a jacket as it was getting a lot brisker outside than I imagined it was going to be in the Sunshine state. Miami has some sort of charm to it, the beach is right there, the air smells of salt water and sometimes fish in certain areas, and the colorful houses dot the beach boarders. I couldn’t place a finger in it at the moment but now looking back at it Miami felt so peaceful and quiet, compared to other cities.
It was getting darker and the storm clouds rolled by over the sky blocking out the sun. I waited outside of the restaurant Havana 1975. Miami was very known for a lot of amazing Caribbean food and the Cuban cuisine we were about to eat was no different. At first we were dining outside, but I guess the weather had other plans because soon the sky opened up and the rain fell on us. Finally moving inside I realized how the ambience of the restaurant was so relaxing, performers danced and sang to Cuban songs, a lot of the songs performed were by Celia Cruz (the queen she is) and I couldn’t help but also hum along to iconic songs from her like Guantanamera. A magician even walked from table to table, entertaining little kids and even some adults. My cousin and I ordered a lot of appetizers varying from fries, to tamales, etc. For the main course however I got myself some chicken and caramelized bananas. The chicken was so tender and coated in some sort of magical juice and the bananas were just spectacular. I never really thought about having a sweet thing like that alongside a very savory dish, but it worked very well!
It’s been quite some time since the last time I wrote or relaxed.
Hayman Islands Day 7:
After a two hour flight and a pretty long drive, we made it to the hotel we were temporarily staying at. Only for one night. We were on the coast, everyone was excited, the next day we would be heading out to the island of Hayman, where our luxury villa was waiting for us. When we first reached the hotel I was taken aback by how gorgeous the water was. After getting settled into our rooms we decided to go seek for dinner, however, everywhere was full. Every restaurant on the coast. So we decided to go to the restaurant provided in the hotel. Located next to the pool, the restaurant gave off a very relaxing vibe. Our waiter was a really entertaining and cool guy who taught me some of his language, French, when we were deciding what to order and in return my friends and I tried teaching him how to say dawg. His manager, being Australian, spoke Hindi fluently catching me off guard. He said that he spoke a numerous range of languages and showed each one to prove it. For appetizers we ordered some squid, now normally I dislike squid and octopus due to the texture but this day really opened my eyes on it. I ordered some pasta because I didn’t want anything light but nothing too heavy like what some of my friends were ordering, and of course we had to order dessert as well. I got myself a brownie ice cream fudge sundae. We also ordered some yuzu like cheesecake which I didn’t try but apparently was super flavorful. Afterwards I went on a walk with some of my friends while the others stayed at the table. It was raining slightly, the grass was wet and the sound of the waves crashing the rock was heard throughout. I sat on a swing and just talked. There are few moments in my life where I am able to truly relax. This day, was one of the most relaxing days I’d ever had. I never would have thought that it would get better.
The next morning I awoke super early, it was around 7:oo am (yes that’s my definition of early) and got ready for the day. We were going to be picked up for this tour of the Hayman Islands. We would first start off on a plane ride to see what it looks like from above and then next we would take a boat ride and do excursions all across the beach to show what the islands are like on foot. The plane was a little private one, it was very bumpy and some of us began to panic as fear for turbulence is common. But the view was so worth it, when I tell you the ocean was so blue I’m not joking. Pictures can’t even do the waters beauty any good. It was so cool to see the clash between the water and the coral reef which created this water barrier between. Also, this area is known for this little piece of coral reef that is shaped as a heart. It’s pretty small, but it’s really cute. After we landed the plane the excursion started up again, it was a boat ride, but one of those boat rides that are super adrenaline pumping. I sat up in the front because that’s where it was the most bumpy meaning that’s the area of the boat that would jump up from the water and momentarily hover above the sea. A lot of my friends do get motion sickness so they sat in the back of the boat while I sat in the front. It was fun to topple out of my seat and fall onto the person beside me. Our first stop was a mountaintop/beach where we would stay to take pictures, here there were snorkeling opportunities for anyone interested. During this time I did get really close to a stingray when I was walking through the water to get back to the boat. We stopped a couple more times with more activities planned out for people and we had food made for the guests of the boat. The captain of the boat gave me some fish food, I was perplexed at first why was he giving this to me. I brushed it aside when he threw some in the water, 5 seconds later 10 huge fish swam towards us nibbling at the thrown food. I felt it brush my leg on multiple occasions, very weird feeling.
We got done with the excursion at around 3 or 4pm. Afterwards, after a nice shower as well, we boarded the boat that would take us to Hayman Islands. We got a snack box, which was super yummy. It had carrot cake, sushi, English sandwiches, and grapes. After reaching and getting to the villa I was shocked. Each of us got chose the room we wanted and who we wanted to share it with. We got a whole tour of the inside, the kitchen had macarons, brownies and a charcuterie board filled with goodies for all of us to share. Our villa even had a cute heated pool, even though Australia is warm during the winters, it was so nice inside the pool. The thing about the villa I liked the most was every room had speakers on the ceiling which can connect to your phone. So you bet I was blaring music at midnight on the speakers embedded in the ceiling dancing with my friend. We didn’t feel like making anything in the kitchen so we went to one of the Islands many restaurants, the thing about the island is the whole island is a hotel. We went somewhere for dinner and got many things, I got a salmon with dill. It was nice and had a tangy sour taste, but overall really good.
Hayman Islands Day 8:
Today was a day posed to relaxation, we went to get breakfast but then after that we spent most of the day in the villa relaxing. Whether that be in the pool, bed, or the spa. Starting with breakfast, since it was a buffet, I did not hold back. I got pancakes with blueberries, hash brown, veggie dumplings, ton of pastries, an egg, and some honeydew melon. Afterwards though I decided to go explore outside while the rest went back, because we stayed in the villa, which is on the top of the hill compared to the hotel rooms and small couple apartments on ground floor, we needed a gold cart for mode of transportation. Not only did we have a golf cart, we had one really really small, really really cute, electrical car. So while my friends took those modes of transportation I decided to walk up the hill and explore my surroundings a bit more. After quite some time of chilling we decided to go try out the spa they offer here. While doing the spa I lost my gold necklace that belonged to my late uncle, I was devastated but found it later on. Anyway the spa experience as a whole was so amazing, I’ve never felt so relaxed like that before. What was really relaxing though was when warm melted chocolate was placed onto my body, it was definitely an experience. Afterwards I got this really interesting hibiscus tea, I did not like it. But it made me look fancy so worth it. Later for dinner though we did go out and found an asian restaurant that served food from all parts of south and east Asia. I got myself some pad Thai because I always have been a fan of Thai food. While eating a cute little bird that looked like a roadrunner came into the restaurant and decided to check us out at our table, a second one appeared later on as well. It was so cute especially because the legs are like skinny little sticks and the body looks heavier than what the body can carry. Afterwards we got ourselves some dessert, a pineapple and coconut ice cream INSIDE of a coconut and a yuzu tart.
Hayman Islands Day 9:
Our last day in Hayman Islands before heading back to Sydney to fly back home. Today we wanted to make it special, so, we arranged a tour where we would be taken to a little sandbar and then there we could have a picnic and chill for most of the day. The sandbar was really fun, the water wasn’t too cold and there was a lot to do other than just playing in the sand. I wanted to go for a walk and walked the whole sandbar, which was pretty long, over to a piece of trees where I noticed a pathway. As I was heading to the pathway I found these really cool shells which I later found out by the boat driver are super rare to find. So that’s cool! As I was walking up the stairs on the pathway I realized maybe I should have brought shoes, my feet were killing me and who knows what was crawling on me, I did push through it (quickly of course) to the very top and it was so worth it. The view was amazing, I could stay up there forever but knew it was time to go when a spider flew out of nowhere. After the very tiring day we went to get some lunch from yet another restaurant on the hotel grounds. I got a chicken sandwich and some fries, pretty good. The only downside was that the restaurant was outside. So all of the seagulls were just watching you, waiting. Since lunch we just relaxed in the room waiting until we got hungry for dinner, and when that happened we went to the Italian restaurant on the island to celebrate our stay in Australia which was now officially coming to an end. It was going to be sad to say goodbye but even the best things come to an end and we shouldn’t cry over them, we should be glad they happened (wise words from Dr. Suess). I had some pizza and tiramisu and called it a day.
Sydney Day 10:
The journey back from Hayman Islands to Sydney took all day and by the time we reached it was nighttime. It was around dinner time and something caught my eye the first time we were in Sydney and that was Nene Chicken, they have really famous Korean corndogs and I’ve always wanted to try a Korean corndog before. I got the spicy one and it was good, not too spicy but definitely not bland. As I ate my corndog and walked through the streets we found Yogurberry, not first we didn’t want to go in but the cute interior and people walking out with their frozen yogurt looked a little too good to resist. So I finished my corndog quickly before heading inside to get my frozen yogurt. I got two flavors, the taro and the plain and I topped it off with an Oreo, sour gummy worms, marshmallows, chocolate melts, and Coca Cola gummies (which I had never tried before). While my stomach was fulfilled, some of the people in my travel group were not so therefore we just walked around Sydney before stumbling upon Sydney Vogue Cafe. We ordered Brussel sprouts and chicken and honestly it was super flavorful. The Brussel sprouts were like at the perfect amount of burnt. If you get what I’m saying. It was a nice way to end the trip. Filled with laughter and love.
Hey, I’ve been absent. You know the struggle of junior year! It’s been pretty hectic but I have found some time to write.
Our days in Sydney were over as we took a flight towards Cairns. From Cairns we would drive to our destination Port Douglas.
Port Douglas Day 4:
After we landed in Cairns we needed to take a rental car for our hour drive towards Port Douglas where our AirBnB for a few days resided. Hunger was growing in the car however, the 3 hour plane ride did exhaust people, so we stopped by a restaurant called Noodle House on the way. The noodles I got were super savory and sweet and impossible not to finish.
Before we got to the airbnb we made a few stops. The first one was to see the cliffs of the beach with amazing sights. The only downside was it’s not a usual tourist destination so therefore there aren’t any ways to get there safely instead of crossing the busy road. The road is not only busy but since it’s in the mountains a lot of cars can’t see people walking until last minute because of all the curvy roads on these mountains. After getting a taste of the ocean we got back into the car after narrowly being run over. We headed towards an aboriginal art making class where we would make our own boomerangs. Now our boomerangs look different compared to the traditional ones because our appointment was last minute or something happened but the people of the art workshop didn’t die our boomerangs black, which they were supposed too. Our instructor who was aboriginal told us that the dots signify rain. To draw the designs he only gave us a toothpick and that’s how we drew our dots.
It was super fun to create such artwork, afterwards it was finally time to actually go to where we would be staying. According to my friend, we booked a super fancy Balinese styled villa. The thing about this house was that it was split into two, you enter the villa and there are three bedrooms and a laundry room. Then at the end of the small hallway there’s a door that leads to an outside patio with another part of the house on the other side.
After that I took a really nice nap while some of my friends went to a grocery store to get supplies or explore the premises. We did all decide though that for lunch we would head to Lagoon House, which is a restaurant in this really nice hotel in Port Douglas. Yes today was more of a chill day but we just landed in Port Douglas and we wanted time to relax for our very busy day tomorrow. The hotel premises were super nice, there was one pathway that my friend and I found that led straight to the beach. It was such a cute secluded little pathway that looked so pretty I was taken aback by the sheer beauty Earth could offer. I would have stayed there forever, but my friend scared me by saying there might be crocodiles that come out at night.
Dinner was really good. The menu was Asian themed so they had Indian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc. I ended up ordering Korean Fried Chicken and some broccoli. It was a really nice dinner to end a day with.
Broccoli
Port Douglas Day 5:
We woke up early to head towards a wildlife center, today, I would be swimming with crocodiles. Of course there was a glass separating us, but when I was underwater with my snorkeling mask on the glass looked downright invisible. The snorkeling mask I used seemed to work as well but other than that it was a fun experience. When we were in the water, the zookeepers were feeding the crocodiles so they were snapping their mouths and everything. One of them gave me a death stare underwater. After being “eaten” to death, we had a private tour to see the rooms and animals the zoo had to offer. The tour guide told us that the animals in the zoo are only native to Australia. So there weren’t giraffes or anything.
Spider made the X like design
Afterwards we were picked up by a tour guide named Juan for a different private tour. This tour he would show us all of the aboriginal ways of eating, hunting, etc. We first started our journey at the beach where we threw spears, I thought I would be pretty good at it, however I wasn’t expecting how light the spears were. This resulted in the wind taking it away easily. Our tour guide tried challenging us to hit a coconut that he put onto the beach, and when I tell you that was really hard I’m not joking. He led us onto the beach, it was such a surreal experience being part of the nature, we looked for crabs here before Juan led us to the Mangroves. This part was such a fun adventure, we clambered our ways past the roots of the trees into the squishy mud to search for a crab. A lot of my friends wore water shoes, but I wanted to be part of the nature and decided to go barefoot. It did come with its pros and cons, pro my feet felt like velvet after I took a shower that night, con I did get plenty of mosquito bites on my feet and legs. We scavenged the area looking for a crab, which we did find! We ate this for dinner and it was so good. After taking us to the beach, Juan, our tour guide, led us back to the shore and back into the van where we drove into the forest. This area was known for its rainforests and we were going to explore it. There were a lot of parts of the tour of the rainforest would we would have to take off our shoes and then wade through the river, the water was chill and the clouds above us looked as if it would start to cry. The end destination of where we were going was this rushing river. We sat for some time at the river side and Juan found some green ants on the forest floor and ate them. To our surprise they’re edible and taste like a citrusy fruit. I did not try them because eating something alive felt totally new to me, but looking back on this day I should have taken that opportunity. Later after that Juan picked up this sort of furry spiky thing that looked like a fruit, he took a rock to break it open revealing a nut inside. I did try this one and it tasted just like an almond. It was so cool to experience and understand the lives of those previous before us. Knowing this stuff can really open your eyes about people as a whole.
Port Douglas Day 6:
I started off my day with some breakfast, it was these two eggs absolutely smothered in tomato sauce, with sides of bread. It was a great meal to wake up with, I had protein, carbs and fruits in my system and I was bouncing off the walls to see what we would be doing today. We were going to go to some zoo in the Daintree rainforest. Unlike the other zoo we went too, this zoo was more in the wild compared to that of the last one we went too. This was an interesting experience, especially because I got to see the most poisonous frog in the world. They also had a prehistoric section of the rainforest, and that warmed my heart.
Afterwards we went to this sandwich shop that was known for serving all types of meat, like those of Kangaroo, emu, and crocodiles. I got myself a Crocodile sandwich, and you know what, those Crocodiles taste like chicken but more denser. It was an ok meat but a little disturbing to realize I was eating an animal that is well known for being scary and attacking people. My friend joked to me while I was eating it “Oh how the tables have turned.” Insinuating I hope that crocodiles are known to “eat” people. After eating our lunch we had a reservation for an exotic fruit tasting tour, which is something I wasn’t expecting. There were some fruits I knew about but never tasted like: Star fruit and Custard Apple and then there were some that seemed not human like the Pomelo or the Yellow sapote. So let me tell you which fruit is which. The red fruit that looks like a tangerine is actually called a pomelo. This was a very citrusy fruit and way too sour when I first tried it. The fruit above the red one is the cacao as in the fruit used to make chocolate cacao. This was a very intriguing taste as it was pretty sour compared to what its pulp is made for. The one above that is the Rasaboy (or I hope that’s how you spell it) and then star fruit which was pretty good. It had the same texture as a pear but it was more sour. The one at the bottom next to the Pomelo is the yellow mangosteen, now out of all the fruits this was the most sour. When we all first tried this fruit all of my friends and couldn’t keep a straight face. Above that is the custard apple which is this sweet fruit that honestly was my favorite. Then above that is the black sapote which was super sweet, it tasted like chocolate and it had a texture just like yam. Above that is a Longin which is just like lychee and then lastly the yellow sapote which was so much more sour compare to its familiar. While we were leaving the area, I saw the hugest spider ever and freaked out.
Super fun day, while we were leaving I managed to take a picture of our surroundings before leaving the house that held the exotic fruit tasting. While we were trying to get out we realized our car was stuck and not moving. This did cause some chaos with all of us as we tried to figure out what to do because we parked our car into a somewhat ditch. We did manage to get it out after a couple of minutes of slamming on the pedal and on our way to a quaint ice cream store in the rainforest. There were so many flavors to choose from: Dragon fruit, Passion fruit, Daintree forest, the classics, Coffee and more. I chose the dragon fruit one and I was expecting it to be tart but it was super sweet and creamy. Not like a sorbet at all.
Port Douglas Day 7:
Today was our last day here in Port Douglas before we hopped over to Hayman Islands. We wanted to make this day more memorable, so memorable in fact I was willing to go on this sort of drop swing in the middle of the rainforest to see that extra thrill.
We woke up fresh and early, it was currently pouring and we were heading over to the area in the middle of the rainforest that offers bungee jumping. Now I didn’t exactly bungee jump, I did this huge swing that dropped me and flung me through the trees. Also the thing is, I wasn’t going to do it at first and then changed my mind. Kind of bad for me for I didn’t bring a change of clothes and it was pouring so I was completely soaked afterwards. It was hilarious to see the reaction video they took of me as I had a go pro attached to my wrist. My friends said I was smiling the whole time while compared to them they were spewing prayers and making all kinds of awful faces. The rain started to simmer down a little and we headed back into the car to do this gondola thing. It came with some really pretty views. The gondola takes you all the way to a little town at the top of the mountain where tourists raid the areas shopping at the cute markets and dining.
At the very top we explored the markets and a lot of my friends found this really aesthetic store, apparently it was really “preppy” to them. They found some flower clips and some cute things they wanted to bring back home to display in their rooms. We did find a little cafe where I got an asian salad because I felt very healthy in that moment. Note to everyone: I defiantly did not eat healthy on this trip, sorry mom. The rest of the day definitely went by super fast, we mostly explored the little town before deciding it was too late and needing to head back. We found a super cute authentic Australian restaurant, named Ochre. I say this because we had kangaroo skewers and it was certainly divine. Kangaroo tastes just like pork and honestly couldn’t tell a difference if you never told me the animal I was eating. Next I ordered myself some sashimi because I LOVE sashimi, especially with sushi. I like tuna, but I prefer salmon and other things more. We also ordered a tray of meat that had a platter of emu, kangaroo, crocodile and salmon. So for appetizers we were good, then when selecting our entrees it was hard what to choose so I shared with one of my friends, I got a salmon entree and she got shrimp. We also ordered fries because everyone that came on this trip is MADLY in love with fries. Lastly for dessert we treated ourselves with sugar, a lot of sugar, not that we needed it. Getting a creme burle and a chocolate mousse.
That was our time in Port Douglas, our last destination in Australia before packing up and going back home was Hayman Islands. We were really sad to be going because it marked the ending of our trip. We were really excited though because Hayman Islands is KNOWN for their beaches. City check, rainforest check, and now onto the beach.
After landing in Sydney I realized the jet lag was going to be the only problem during my stay. After a 16 hour flight from LA to Sydney the sun was just beginning to rise for the citizens. It was only 8:00 am when I checked into the Zara Tower Hotel. Since it was so early in the morning and airplane food is not the best I decided to explore to find a breakfast place. I dropped off my luggage in my room, which had an extended chair and got me hyped up. The people at the front desk of the hotel told me that Basket Brothers, the cafe right next door, had a discount for everyone who is staying at their hotel. So that was the answer to my breakfast problem.
Basket Brothers is a cute and small cafe tucked in the city. I ordered pancakes or “hot cakes” as well as an iced chai (which tasted like pumpkin spice and had a literal ice cream on top) and my friend got an Acai bowl because she’s in her “preppy” phase, as well as a chili egg meal.
Chili eggs
Afterwards we were getting pretty bored in the cafe and started to wonder what we could do to get acquainted with the city. In that we found Darling Harbour and the many interactive and fun things to do there. We got some gelato from a store called Gelatoissimo (I got the matcha). Whilst eating the gelato I saw a group of girls dancing to Supernova by Aespa and was constantly being pressured by my friend to join. But that’s not how that works. I can’t force myself to be with people. We also stumbled upon a cute park with a nice playground. It really enhanced my childhood playing on the big net.
Afterwards there was a sign advertising the Chinese Garden of Friendship, and I believe that was one of the best decisions we did that day. It was filled with serene sights of native Chinese plants and etc.
Since the jet lag was real, I napped most of the day (which apparently you aren’t supposed to do so womp womp). I skipped lunch AND dinner, which was a pretty bad thing because the next morning I was super hangry. Which results in the next day of Sydney.
Sydney Day 2:
My friend was watching things to do in Sydney on TikTok and came across a cute cafe called Koto Kawaii. It’s a cafe where you don’t only eat food, but make keychains or phone charms as well. I made a phone charm that was super coquette. It was made up of pink and white beads and a little hamster attached at the end. For food I got an iced Strawberry and Kiwi tea that came with an iced bear. As well as a karagge burger, which is essentially just a chicken burger.
After breakfast we wanted to go on a walk to burn off calories. What better place to do that than a very touristy destination. The Sydney Opera House.
I went on a Ferry ride that went around that little lake area and saw many things such as Luna Park, which has a very creepy face as the entrance. I was shocked to see how tiny Luna Park looked. Afterwards, I did something I wasn’t expecting. I did the Sydney Harbor Bridge climb, where I climbed up to the summit of the bridge and got to witness the breathtaking views. The only problem is we couldn’t bring our phones as a “safety” hazard so I wasn’t able to get any pictures of the moment. It was more of a soaking up moment.
After the climb I did get really hungry therefore we found a restaurant called “Foreign Exchange”. It was an Indian restaurant with an interesting menu. It had food from all over India, not just one designated state. I ate some Bombay Shrimp with Ghewar and Pistachio Kulfi for dessert.
Ghewar
Sydney Day 3:
I got up especially early as for today we were going to a restaurant called High tea where we would be dining and eating “royal” food. Such as British Tea and finger sandwiches. It was such a fun experience to have such fancy food and be like the Royal Family.
Kids setMasala chaiOolong peach
The thing is even after eating so much we still went to a little Korean restaurant called Nene’s Kitchen where we ordered some Korean Fried Chicken. I really wanted to try a K-dog because I heard those were super popular and such. However, I never got the chance too. After that my friend had a reservation for this thing called Quiz Room which is literally a place where you can compete against your friends or family as if you were on Jeopardy. I won because I literally have nothing else better to do than learn useless knowledge and watch a lot of pop culture references. Which is why I won.
After being praised for my epic win my friends and I wrapped it up over there and started ordering an Uber to take us to Bondi Beach. Of course it was too cold to actually swim, though we did see some surfers and casual swimmers, we walked around the beach and basked in its beauty. The ocean was this dark blue and it really contrasted to the light blue sky. To get away from the cold we found a gelato and cafe store Anita. I got myself a Vanilla Madagascar gelato, which didn’t help with the cold. No figure. As well as sharing a hot chocolate with my friend.
When finished with everything it was still pretty early in the afternoon. Therefore we decided to go to Strike, which is a bowling alley/bar/escape room/karaoke room. It was pretty fun, I did lose because it’s been years since I’ve last bowled. I got 39 points while my friend dominated with 142. I ate way too much and since today’s the last day in Sydney before heading to Port Douglas. I just decided maybe I should go on one final walk around the city. It was one of the best decisions of that night with all the city lights.
This was our last day in Japan before we headed back to Tokyo on the 23 to go back to America.
The first thing we were led to was a cute deer park, a park filled with deer where you can interact, feed, and admire the beauty of deer. I found this part of Osaka super cute and cool, and surprisingly the roads are clear from deer feces. So it’s an easy walk down the roads of the park without worrying of messing up your shoe game. I also realized that these deer are super polite, I dropped my phone and when I went to pick it up the deer interpreted it as bowing and it bowed back. Now at first, I was confused, I thought I was seeing things. Then I went up to another deer and bowed purposely resulting in the deer bowing back. Now I was shocked on how trained these deer were, or if they just picked it up from being around people for so long.
My friend named it milk
Afterwards, we approached a temple, Todai-ji in Nara, Japan. The history behind the temple was super inspiring, it was originally made in 700 AD but it’s been burnt from wars several times. The last time it was built was during the 1600s according to my tour guide. Which is super cool to think that the huge bronze Buddha statue inside has survived all of these years and through all of these fires. The pathway walking into the Todai-ji was a road built from other countries, some stone from China, Japan, Korea, to even India.
Another temple
Inside, I lit a candle for Buddha, in doing so you are able to make a wish. I wished for a healthy life full of success and love. It’s interesting to see how Buddhism has some same concepts like Hinduism such as karma, dharma, and reincarnation. Walking around this huge statue may crane your neck because it is really tall, I was exploring and found a pillar inside the temple. People were going through this small hole on the bottom of the pillar. I looked towards my tour guide and he said that going through that hole brings good luck. Which is cool unless you’re not tiny. My sister had no trouble going through the hole, I also got through pretty easily, however some of my friends had some trouble.
Afterwards the tour continued on to the Osaka palace. The Osaka palace is so beautiful, the blue/green roof compared to the white building makes it look so magical. I didn’t go inside the Osaka palace but just looking and admiring its beauty from the outside was enough for me. I stopped by a restaurant nearby where I got myself some ramen and fries as well as a Sakura ice cream, which tastes just like vanilla but sweeter and heavier for some reason. THE ICE CREAM LOOKS SO CUTE.
Licking the dried up ice cream off my hands, don’t judge, our next destination is one of the most known in Osaka. I forgot the name of what the shopping street is called, but do you know that famous street with the billboard of a man running with two hands up and one leg off the ground as if he’s running? That’s where I was. I was looking around for some Sushi, but with my dismay, I couldn’t find anything. WHICH IS CRAZY. Maybe I wasn’t looking too hard or maybe something happened but I couldn’t find anything. I did however find some nice shoes at this one trendy street wear store called Atmos. As well as a Starbucks, I got a Matcha tea because believe it or not the last day of Japan is when I got a matcha tea drink. It was so smooth and there was no gritty matcha bits at the bottom like in America. Believe it or not, everything is Matcha flavored in Japan. They love it. Which I understand. My friend who tagged along with me to get Starbucks got a Vanilla Frappe.
Atmos Osaka JapanVanilla frappe and green tea
Airport day, March 23:
It was time to leave and I finally got my sushi at an airport restaurant while waiting to board. I’m sad to say goodbye to Japan but what can I say. It was a fun experience and I always know there will be more travel time for me later. I’m going to get ready for Australia in a few weeks!
Travels Around the World 