Tag: backpacking

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Taipei, Taiwan

We arrived in Taipei around lunchtime, dropped our bags at the hostel, and decided to grab a drink at the café next door while planning how to spend our afternoon. The café was a postcard café— even the menu was on postcards. You selected one to make your order and got to keep it for free. We also picked up a few others and spent time writing them while sipping our drinks.

We then found a lunch spot—a local cafeteria where you mark a cross next to what you want on a laminated menu. We chose some beef and chicken dishes with no real idea of what they were, but as always in Taiwan, they turned out to be super tasty. After lunch, we decided to kick off our sightseeing with Taipei’s, and possibly Taiwan’s, most famous building: the Taipei 101 skyscraper. It was the world’s tallest building in 2004 and, between 2004 and 2015, had the world’s fastest elevator, reaching a speed of 1010 m/s! Not sure if it was going that fast when we used it, but our ears popped and we felt weightless as it decelerated—very cool.

We paid to go up to the observation deck and got a real sense of just how large and sprawling Taipei is. It was fascinating to see. They also have the exposed movement-dampening weight that reduces the tower’s sway in high winds or earthquakes, and we watched videos of it moving during previous quakes—really interesting.

In the evening, we joined a food tour at one of the city’s night markets. Taiwan has loads of night markets, so we figured it would be a great way to learn about all the tasty things we could be eating.

We started with sweet, donut-like balls made from sweet potatoes—very nice. Then came my favourite: a pork belly bao bun, a soft, steamed bun filled with pork belly, cabbage, and crushed peanuts. It was incredibly tender and delicious—so good it’s even earned Michelin recognition!

We also learned that this market, like several others in Taiwan, originally started near brothels. When prostitution was outlawed, people used the loophole of “just buying food” and then “falling in love with the chef.” Eventually, the food became more popular than the other services. That’s also why there are still traditional shops selling snake-based products—rice wine mixed with snake blood, bile, venom, and even semen, to fuel the men up for round two! Our guide joked that Westerners had too weak a stomach to try them, and Grace dared me £10 to prove him wrong. That’s how I ended up drinking a shot of rice wine and snake semen. Thankfully, it just tasted like rice wine! Having single-handedly restored Western pride, we moved on.

Next were soup dumplings—always delicious, no matter how many times we’ve had them. At this point, I was very full, but we were only on stop 5 of 10. Next came oyster omelettes, made with egg, oysters, and a rice paste. They were okay, but not something I’d rush to eat again, especially when already stuffed. Grace didn’t touch hers, but our guide boxed it up with the rest of the extras he’d collected to give to homeless people later. That made us feel better about not finishing everything.

After that was a drink stop where we tried winter melon juice. The fruit is absolutely huge. It tasted fine, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to have it again.

Next came deep-fried fish paste, which sounded a bit grim—it had strips of boiled egg inside—but it was actually quite pleasant. Then we had scallion pancakes, a mix between an omelette and a pancake with spring onions. Grace loves them and had already had one for breakfast that morning, so I skipped this round.

Our final food stop was stinky tofu—fermented tofu with a very strong smell. We’d been smelling it at every market and genuinely thought it was sewage! We even had conversations about why no one sorted out the plumbing near the markets. Turns out it was just the tofu. It’s super popular here, so I figured it must taste better than it smells. I was mistaken. It tasted horrible—less strong than the smell, but still very unpleasant. I managed to swallow it with a poker face and convinced Grace to try it as payback for the snake semen dare. She immediately gagged and spat it into a tissue. Only I and a Korean woman in our group kept it down—she even liked it, but said she was used to strong fermented foods.

Our last stop was actually a 7-Eleven, which are everywhere in Taiwan and most of Asia. Despite being an American chain, they’re even more common than McDonald’s here. This was one of the most interesting stops for me. Our guide introduced us to popular Taiwanese snacks. First up were Guai Guai, which roughly translates to “obedient” or “well-behaved.” They’re coconut crisps that taste a bit like a fruit-flavoured version of Rainbow Drops from the 90s. But more importantly, they’re used symbolically—people write names on the packet and leave them unopened as a way to ensure that person or even a computer server behaves. They’re even placed next to machines in Taiwan’s semiconductor factories.

The other two sweets had less lore but were just tasty. One was chocolate-covered jelly bean-like sweets—unusual but nice. The other was a slightly harder, more rigid puff pastry filled with a sweet, custardy filling. Delicious, and dangerously cheap and accessible!

We also learned why Taiwan is so keen on receipts. All receipts here are entered into a lottery. The government announces winning numbers monthly—it’s a clever way to ensure all transactions go through the till so taxes are paid correctly, enforced entirely by people insisting on their receipts. Genius!

The tour was so good we signed up for another one the next morning—a historical walking tour of the city. It was brilliant. Despite being three hours long, we probably only walked for 20 minutes, as we stopped frequently while our guide, a history student, explained Taiwan’s fascinating past. He talked us through the island’s various occupations—Dutch, Japanese, and then the ROC after retreating from mainland China following the communist uprising by the People’s Republic of China. He explained how Taiwan still officially uses the name Republic of China (ROC) because of long-standing treaties and the sensitive politics involved in changing it.

We also learned about the decades of martial law under ROC rule and how badly the local population was treated, including the horrific 228 Massacre. On February 28th, 1947, army officers beat a widow selling cigarettes to feed her family. The sale of tobacco was restricted to government vendors. When a crowd gathered to defend her, soldiers fired into it, killing a man. Protests escalated, and the military continued for weeks following with more shooting into crowds, eventually leading to an estimated 18,000 to 28,000 deaths. It was a sobering but very informative tour. The guide’s passion really showed—we were only meant to go for two hours, but thanks to everyone’s questions, we went on for three.

The tour ended with a couple of food stops. We visited a traditional ice cream shop that’s been around for years, Ice King. I tried their pork flavour—odd but not entirely unpleasant, with bits of jerky in it! Grace went for jasmine tea flavour, which was also good.

Our guide invited us to join him afterwards for lunch, where we got another pork belly bao bun—this one had a fried bun instead of steamed, and it was amazing. Definitely Michelin-worthy too.

We met a really nice Aussie guy on the tour named Jacob. After chatting about our plans, he asked to join us for our evening hike up Elephant Mountain to catch the sunset, so we exchanged numbers and said goodbye for now—he went off to nap some jet lag away.

We then headed over to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a huge plaza surrounded by impressive buildings honouring the ROC leader who retreated to Taiwan. Feelings about him are very mixed depending on age, social class, and how people were treated under his regime. The memorial strikes an interesting balance—there are two museums inside: one that praises him, and another that criticises him. You can choose which one to walk through—they’re on opposite sides of the same building. We had a quick look at both, but since we don’t speak Mandarin, we didn’t take much in.

In the evening, we met up with Jacob again and hiked up Elephant Mountain. It was a lot of steps, but the view was worth it. It was too smoggy to catch much of a sunset, but the skyline lit up at night was really cool.

Afterward, we found a small restaurant with a huge menu. The owner spoke some English and offered to read the whole menu to us, but we asked her to just pick us a few of her favourites. She brought us deep-fried crispy noodles, two small prawn omelettes, spring rolls, two types of steamed dumplings, chicken in broth, and spicy chicken feet—which I had actually wanted to try at some point. Everything was tasty—even the chicken feet!

Afterwards, Jacob asked if we wanted to join him at an open mic night at a local comedy club. It turned out to be great fun, although one American guy seemed more mentally unstable than funny—he ranted about the US government racing sperm. Wild, but it made for great material for the comics that followed!

The next day was another jam-packed one. We took the train to Jiufen, a mountain town to the north east, joined again by Jacob. Jiufen is known for its tiny, winding market streets and traditional teahouses. When we arrived, it was absolutely rammed—turns out it was Labour Day and a public holiday! We shuffled through the market in a sardine-like conveyor belt of people, sampling teas and snacks. We grabbed a sausage on a stick along the way, and when we’d had enough of the crowds, we ducked into a traditional teahouse. We were shown how to properly steep the tea and spent a lovely hour chatting and sipping.

Afterwards, we had lunch at a restaurant with a stunning mountain view. As expected in a touristy spot, the food was overpriced and mediocre, but the view made up for it.

Next, we hopped one stop down the line to Houtong Cat Village. It was fun to see cats wandering everywhere, although most looked a bit fed up with being petted by strangers. We only stroked the ones that seemed keen and left the rest too it, much to Grace’s disappointment.

Our last stop of the day was Shifen, another old town built around railway tracks. The popular activity here is releasing paper lanterns on the tracks, which then float into the sky. We watched people do this for a bit before heading to the nearby waterfall. The walk was beautiful and peaceful, except for the old lanterns scattered everywhere. We also saw beautiful long-tailed blue birds—very picturesque.

We took a taxi back to Taipei and headed to another night market, again super busy. We tried deep-fried boneless ribs, more chicken feet (less tasty cold), deep-fried mushrooms (very tasty), pork blood sausage (mostly tasted of peanuts), and of course, our favourite, more soup dumplings. We spotted another Michelin-recognised stall and had to try it, but somehow ended up with a massive block of flavourless jelly. Still not sure what the deal was—maybe we ordered wrong? At least we tried!

Bellies full, we headed home for the night, said goodbye to Jacob, and got ready for our next stop—Alishan National Forest.

Can’t wait to tell you all about it soon! Love, Alice x

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Hualien, Taiwan

Our trip to Hualien got off to a promising start. We successfully navigated Taiwan’s bullet train system (which is as smooth and shiny as you’d hope) and even managed to pick a hostel just a stone’s throw from the station. We then got some mystery lunch, with a pot luck point at the mandarin menu, I think it was braised beef with beef jelly and cinnamon, it was tasty so no complaints here. So far, so good.

Then things got… a little bumpier. We had come to Hualien mainly to visit Taroko National Park, famous for its jaw-dropping gorge and dramatic hiking trails. But thanks to our method of booking *an entire month of travel* in a single caffeine-fueled afternoon back in the Philippines, we hadn’t caught one small detail: Most of the park is still closed because of earthquake damage from last year.

This was, of course, not mentioned on the park’s website. Or by our hostel. Or by anyone until we were sat there pulling our hair out, wondering why there were no buses, no tours, and only confused shrugs from the locals.

We spent most of the afternoon desperately trying to figure out a Plan B. After a lot of Googling and spiraling into minor despair, we found a taxi tour suggested by another stranded tourist online. We were saved! (Sort of.)

With that sorted, we went out to the night market to drown our sorrows in street food, which frankly is always a solid strategy. It was brilliant—an absolute feast for the senses. At one point we even saw a whole crocodile displayed on ice, which neither of us was quite brave enough to order. (Maybe next time.)Instead, we started with soup dumplings, and *wow*. Life-changing. Steamed parcels of pork and veggies, each filled with a tiny explosion of savory broth. So good we even learned the Mandarin word for “delicious” just to thank the vendor properly—who was delighted by our mangled pronunciation.

Next stop: iced tea. I went for passion fruit flavor, and it was every bit as amazing as you’d expect something containing more sugar than a small country to be. Then we watched a fun local performance where guys with giant puppet costumes strapped to their backs chased squealing children around. Good wholesome fun.

Feeling brave, we moved on to mystery meat skewers. Despite the very helpful English menu, none of the actual skewers were labeled, so it was a bit of a lottery. I just picked two that looked safe and hoped for the best. I was tempted by “chicken butts” (apparently the tailbone meat), but Grace, who’s tried them before, warned me they’re usually quite tough and dry. So I stuck with my mystery picks. The stall owner, clearly used to nervous tourists, kindly double-checked with me: I’d chosen duck and belly pork—perfect! Both were delicious.

While eating, we ended up chatting with a couple of other westerners at the stall—two digital nomads in their late thirties. We haven’t seen many other western tourists around here, so when you do spot one, it’s pretty common to say hello. After a nice chat, we said our goodbyes and went off to look for more food… but unfortunately, the market closed at 9pm. Good thing we were already pretty full!

The next day was our big “tour” of Taroko National Park… and it was, well, not exactly what we’d hoped. What was supposed to be an eight-hour day ended up being four hours of being dropped at random locations and posing awkwardly for photos.

Our first two stops were “beautiful beaches”—which is a tough sell after the Philippines! Honestly, even compared to UK beaches, they weren’t anything special. That said, there were some amazing art sculptures made from driftwood washed ashore, which were very cool to see. Next, we visited a well-maintained garden, a scenic viewpoint (this one was actually quite pretty), and then… a tiny local library, where the staff looked very confused about why we were there. After that: an ice cream shop, then a photography shop—none of which seemed like actual tourist attractions.

Finally, some more genuine sightseeing: a small historic church and a fish factory, which at least had a little museum showing how they catch and dry the fish.

At last, we made it to Taroko National Park itself—only to find out officially that it was mostly closed due to earthquake damage. Still, we got to see the iconic entry gate and tunnel, and we explored the visitor center, where a documentary was playing about the earthquake and its impact. It was in Mandarin, but we could get the gist from the footage, and it was striking to see the extent of the destruction.

After that, we visited a small recreation of a Japanese village, where we learned a little about Taiwan’s history under Japanese occupation—thanks mostly to some quick Wikipedia reading on our phones. Then it was back to the hostel for a chilled-out afternoon.

In the evening, we went out for dinner—some delicious fried rice and salt-and-pepper chicken— and admired some truly questionable English on the restaurant’s wallpaper, before heading back to pack up for our early morning train to Taipei.

I’ll tell you all about it soon! Love, Alice x

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Jiaoxi, Taiwan

We’ve made it to Taiwan! We landed in Taipei and, without stopping, hopped straight into a taxi to a small town about an hour away called Jiaoxi. We’ll be coming back to Taipei later on—originally, the plan was to meet my brother there about a week into our Taiwan trip and do all the sightseeing together. Sadly, he can no longer join us, but since all the accommodation had been booked months ago, we’ve ended up with a slightly jumbled itinerary.

In the end, it’s worked out surprisingly well. Normally when we’re backpacking, we only book things three days to a week ahead, but in South Korea and Japan, all the nicer accommodation gets snapped up months in advance. So, while we were still in the Philippines, we locked everything in. What we didn’t really plan for, though, was any downtime—every day had been crammed with activities. After nine weeks of nonstop travel, we were definitely feeling a bit worn out. Thankfully, Jiaoxi is famous for something we desperately needed: hot springs and relaxation.

We arrived at our hotel around 6pm, only to find the front door locked and no reception in sight. Luckily, our lovely taxi driver had waited to see that we got in safely. When he noticed the situation, he kindly called the hotel for us. A few minutes later, a man pulled up on a motorbike, took our payment, handed us a key—and then disappeared. We didn’t see a single staff member again for the rest of our stay! Still, the room was nice and cozy, which was all we really needed. After settling in, we wandered out into town and followed our noses to a little noodle restaurant. With the help of Google Translate, we managed to order. Grace had a braised beef noodle soup and I went for pork noodles. Both were absolutely delicious—possibly one of the best meals we’ve had so far. Feeling full and happy, we headed back to the hotel, found some YouTube travel documentaries about Taiwan to watch on the TV, and had an early night to recover from all the travel.

The next day, the weather wasn’t quite so welcoming. It was rainy, grey, and miserable. We’d originally planned a walk to a nearby waterfall, but decided instead to stay local and explore Jiaoxi’s famous free hot spring foot baths. The town is full of them! You’re not allowed to dip your feet near the source of the spring (the water is dangerously hot there), so we found the furthest pool and gave it a go. Even then, the water was scorching—around 45°C. Our feet turned bright red after just a few minutes! I couldn’t last more than five minutes before hopping out.

We had seen adverts for larger, private hot spring baths (onsens) at some of the local hotels, but they didn’t open until 3pm. With some time to kill, we naturally decided to return to our new favourite noodle spot for another incredible lunch. Afterward, we headed back to the hotel for a lazy afternoon of book reading and chilling, letting the rain do its thing outside.

At three o’clock, we made our way to one of the hotels offering public onsen baths. These are gender-separated, as the tradition is to bathe naked. We handed over our phones at reception, were given a towel, and instructed to thoroughly wash and shower before entering the pools—following proper onsen etiquette. The pool itself was beautiful, styled to look like a natural hot spring with rocks, a small waterfall, and lush greenery surrounding it. I’ve added some photos from the hotel’s website to show you. The water was lovely—still hot, but far more manageable at around 41°C compared to the earlier footbath. Even then, we couldn’t stay submerged for too long without needing to cool off. For the most part, we had the whole place to ourselves, floating peacefully in the warm water surrounded by mist and greenery. After about an hour, we were thoroughly relaxed—and thoroughly cooked! We grabbed an ice-cream to cook off and headed home.

In the evening, feeling like treating ourselves, we decided to splurge (£15 per person!) on a fancier restaurant and cocktail bar. It looked promising, with fancy presentation: our cocktails even arrived surrounded by decorative scenery. We ordered three dishes—lemon prawns, courgette and pork skewers, and dumplings. Sadly, it didn’t live up to expectations. Everything was a little greasy and not nearly as tasty as those humble noodles we’d been enjoying. We both agreed we should have just gone back to our favourite noodle shop instead!

The rest of the night was much less glamorous. We had a walk around town to see it all lit up in the dark and then we spent two hours sitting in a laundromat doing our washing, but at least it meant we had clean clothes ready for the next leg of our journey.

Tomorrow, we’re taking the bullet train to Hualien—I’ll tell you all about it soon!

Love, Alice x

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Seoul, South Korea

Thanks to our pre-booked trains, the journey to Seoul was pretty straightforward, and we arrived just after 2pm. We dropped off our big bags at the hostel and decided to stretch our legs with a walk through the park up to Seoul Tower. We’d assumed it would be a gentle afternoon stroll, but the tower sits on top of a massive hill—and hiking up it in jeans and 24°C heat was definitely more of a workout than we’d bargained for. Still, the panoramic views from the top made it all worth it.

We didn’t splash out the extra £15 to go up to the very top of the tower itself. Instead, we treated ourselves to a cold soft drink at the base, sat on a bench in the breeze, and enjoyed the beautiful view over the sprawling city below.

The next morning started very early—up at 6am to make it to the pickup point for our DMZ tour by 7. Unfortunately, it rained all day, but luckily it was the kind of activity that could still be enjoyed in the drizzle.

The DMZ—the Demilitarised Zone separating North and South Korea—is one of the most heavily guarded borders in the world, and being there felt surreal. It was both fascinating and sobering to be standing so close to a place so charged with tension and history.

Our first stop was a striking red suspension bridge stretching across a quiet river, framed by forested hills. The peaceful scenery was deceptive—especially as we explored the nearby bunkers. These relics of past conflict sit eerily quiet now, but it was clear they once played a serious role, and being there gave the whole place a slightly haunted feeling.

Next, we visited the Freedom Bridge, once used by prisoners of war returning from the North. Now it stands as a powerful symbol of hope and reunification. Nearby, we saw statues dedicated to the “comfort women,” a deeply moving tribute to the women forced into sexual slavery during wartime. It was a sobering moment and added a deeper emotional layer to the day.

We then went underground to explore the third infiltration tunnel. This tunnel was discovered after a defector tipped off the South Korean government, who drilled holes until they found the hidden passageway. It’s one of several tunnels dug secretly by the North, designed for potential invasion. Hard hats on (and very much needed, given the low ceilings), we ventured into the narrow, dimly lit passage. It was cold, damp, and slightly claustrophobic—but amazing to be standing just 170 metres from the North Korean border, the closest civilians can get.

Our final stop was the Dora Observatory. There, through binoculars, we got our first proper look into North Korea. We could see what’s referred to as the “propaganda village,” Built to flaunt North Koreas wealth when the South was much poorer, with tower blocks and buildings that are painted to appear occupied but are likely empty shells. We also spotted guard posts, statues of the North Korean leaders, and old factories standing eerily still. Although not as quiet and somber as you may be imagining as South Korea blasts K-Pop (Korean pop music) to the North as a form of propaganda. In return the North sends over ‘trash balloons’ and drops waste over the South.

We arrived back in Seoul around 4pm, feeling reflective and grateful for the experience. After such a heavy morning, we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon on a lighter note. We headed over to the jewellery district and had some fun trying on engagement rings—very exciting, as Adam had asked for some hints about my preferences and ring size! A little sparkle to end an emotional day.

Our second day in Seoul started with something a bit different—trying out a popular activity with Koreans: cosmetic procedures. The beauty industry here is huge, particularly when it comes to cosmetic surgery. In fact, it’s estimated that over 30% of Korean women have had some form of cosmetic surgery, and it’s not uncommon for parents to gift procedures to their children as graduation presents!

We weren’t going quite that far, but we were curious to try some non-invasive treatments. After losing over 7 stone over the last six years, I’ve been left with a bit of loose skin, so I opted for an ultrasound procedure that targets the collagen layer in the skin and encourages new collagen production to help tighten things up. Grace, on the other hand, has a few patches of sun damage she’s wanted to improve, so she had a laser treatment. It was a fascinating look into a part of Korean culture we’ve heard so much about, and the staff were kind and professional, making it a smooth and comfortable experience, not to mention much much cheaper than the same procedures in the UK!

With our faces and bodies freshly zapped, we spent the afternoon doing more classic tourist activities. We wandered through a preserved area of old-style Korean houses, soaking up the charm of traditional architecture, and passing through a park filled with elderly people sat playing games and chatting, then headed to a local food market.

One stall caught our eye with a sign proudly claiming it had been featured on a Netflix show about street food, so of course we had to give it a try. We sampled their dumplings and some spicy kimchi—though honestly, the dumplings were a bit underwhelming. What we *did* love were the soft dough balls we later tried, filled with different fillings—we tried cream cheese, custard, and red bean paste (which oddly tasted a bit like chocolate). Originally, we ordered just one of each, but after we thanked the stall owner in Korean, he smiled, took our bag back, and added extras of each flavour for us—such a kind gesture. In fact, everyone in Korea has been incredibly warm and welcoming; we’re often greeted with waves or a cheerful “Welcome to Korea!” as we walk around.

In the evening we met up with the two Indian guys we had met in Gyeongju. We went to a rooftop restaurant and had some pork belly stew and some breaded chicken in a tast soy sauce and spent the evening chatting, before heading home very full and sleepy.

Our final full day in Seoul—and our last in Korea—was a busy one. We had arranged to meet up with Mark, a university friend of Grace’s best friend, Lilly. Grace had met him a few times over the years, and since he’s been living in Seoul for nearly ten years teaching English, he kindly offered to show us around for the day.We met him around 11am after he finished his class. His students had even prepared a document with fun facts about Korea and its history, which was incredibly sweet. Mark used it to give us little bits of information as we explored the city, pointing out statues and sites along the way.

We started off walking through one of Seoul’s trendy shopping districts before stopping for lunch at a spot Mark recommended. We told him we wanted to try something we hadn’t seen before, and he didn’t disappoint—we had tofu pouches stuffed with flavoured rice and topped with eel, octopus, prawn, and salmon. I was a bit nervous about the eel, but it turned out to be surprisingly tasty! We also shared a spicy soup that was packed with flavour.

After lunch, we wandered toward the main palace, passing through a lively square with water features, live music, and the presidential residence in the distance. Along the way, Mark pointed out a large statue of King Sejong the Great—a deeply respected figure in Korean history. King Sejong ruled during the Joseon Dynasty and is most famous for creating Hangul, the Korean alphabet. Before Hangul, Korean was written in Classical Chinese, which was difficult for commoners to learn. By developing a simple and logical phonetic script, King Sejong made literacy more accessible to ordinary people, forever changing Korean society. He’s also credited with championing scientific and technological advancements, promoting innovation in agriculture, astronomy, and printing. Seeing his statue and learning more about him gave us a real sense of how impactful his reign was.

We arrived at Gyeongbokgung Palace just in time to watch the changing of the guard ceremony, complete with bright traditional uniforms and rhythmic drumming. Afterward, we explored the palace grounds, which were beautifully laid out with peaceful gardens, elegant pavilions, and an artificial lake reflecting the surrounding buildings. Despite being in the heart of a busy city, the palace felt calm and expansive. Towards the exit, we popped into the National Folk Museum, where we learned about daily life in Korea throughout the centuries—from traditional clothing and religious practices to family rituals and agricultural tools. It was a really enriching way to get a sense of how everyday people lived, far removed from the grandeur of the palace halls.

After soaking in some history, we stopped for a drink and considered where to go next. Mark suggested the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Grace and I aren’t usually big fans of art museums—they can be pricey and a bit hit or miss for us—but since Mark had been so generous with his time, we happily went along.

And we’re so glad we did. The museum was featuring an exhibition by Ron Mueck, an Australian artist based in the UK. Entry was only about £4, and the work was super cool. Mueck creates incredibly lifelike sculptures of people—some miniature, others massive. Each one captured raw emotion so vividly it felt like the figures might blink or breathe at any moment. One of the most impressive was a huge sculpture of a woman in bed that looked like she could sit up at any moment. We also watched a short film about how the pieces were made, which gave us even more appreciation for the artistry behind them. It ended up being one of the most memorable museum visits of our trip.

We finished our day with a walk through the city, passing a beautiful Buddhist temple on the way to one of Seoul’s famous food streets. There, we had our final Korean BBQ—and finally learned we’d been doing it slightly wrong all along! Mark showed us that some of the sides, like the kimchi and bean sprouts, were actually meant to be grilled, not eaten cold like we had been doing. Better late than never!We treated Mark to dinner as a thank-you for being our tour guide, but he insisted on buying us dessert. We ended up at a soufflé pancake café, sharing a chocolate and a strawberry pancake between us. They were absolutely enormous, jiggly, and delicious—a sweet way to end our time in Korea.

Our last day wasn’t particularly exciting as we packed our bags and headed to the airport, most of the morning was spent queuing for tax refunds for all of our purchases here, we may have gone a little overboard on skincare products…

We also had a seemingly famous K-pop group on our plane people were sat with banners waiting for them to pass through security and taking photos of them as say waiting for the plane. We however didn’t have a clue who they were!

Sadly we didn’t have their first class tickets but were still on our way to our next stop: Taiwan—country number five!

I’ll tell you all about it soon. Love, Alice x

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Jeonju, South Korea

We kind of messed up our journey to Jeonju. We knew it was a fair distance—around three hours by train—but what we *didn’t* factor in was that it was a Saturday, and unsurprisingly, a lot of the trains were fully booked. We ended up spending most of the day hopping on slower buses or sitting around in train stations waiting for a later train with seats available. Not our finest travel moment!

On the plus side, we got to try a “meat donut” while waiting. It was exactly what it sounds like—a sweet, fried dough filled with a spicy pork and onion mixture. A very strange combo of flavours and textures, and I’m still not entirely sure if I liked it or not… but I finished it, so I guess that says something.

We arrived at our hotel quite late and tried to order takeaway, but had no luck without a Korean phone number. We even tried asking at reception, but after a lot of back-and-forth using Google Translate, we gave up and walked to the McDonald’s around the corner instead. Sometimes, you just need the easy option. Then it was back to our room for a bit of Netflix in bed—a rare and welcome hotel luxury!

The next morning, we were determined to make the most of our only full day in Jeonju. We started off at the Hanok Village, a traditional area filled with beautiful old-style Korean houses and narrow streets lined with little craft shops, cafés, and photography studios where you can have photos taken around town in traditional clothing. It’s a big tourist spot for locals, and it was buzzing with people. We kept being offered cake and eggs by friendly strangers—possibly because it was Easter, or maybe they’re just really enthusiastic about eggs here?

Grace got her fortune from one of those popular coin machines—they’re everywhere here—and apparently she will “find adventure in the east and be betrayed by a friend.” The first part definitely checks out, and as for the second… we’ll see if she manages to annoy me enough to fulfill the prophecy!

We tried to visit the calligraphy and paper museum, but it turned out to be closed on Sundays. So, in what’s becoming a bit of a trend, we decided to get another portrait drawn instead. This one actually resembled us a bit more than the last one, so we’re improving! After that, we wandered around the shops and ended up buying personalised stone stamps with our names written in Korean—such a cute little keepsake and a new way to sign off our postcards.

Next, we made our way to the mural village—an area filled with colourful street art, with everything from nature scenes to famous faces and cartoon characters. We had a relaxed wander, taking photos and just enjoying the creativity on show.

From there, we headed to an old stretch of disused train track where you can ride along in modified pedal carts. It was a fun, 30-minute cycle in the sunshine—nothing too scenic, but it was a quirky experience and a good way to enjoy the nice weather.

Our final stop for the day was the launderette. Sadly, the days of cheap laundry services are behind us, and in Korea, it’s all self-service. It took a little time (and some creative app translations), but we managed to figure it all out and got our wash and dry done—emerging victorious and with clean clothes in hand.Next up: our final stop in South Korea—the capital, Seoul! Don’t worry, this time we’ve *pre-booked* our trains.

I’ll write again soon, Love, Alice x

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Gyeongju, South Korea

Getting around South Korea has been super easy so far—everything in tourist areas is really well signposted, and most signs include English translations. One thing that surprised us is that Google Maps doesn’t really work here, as the Korean government doesn’t provide mapping data to foreign companies. Instead, we’ve been using a local app called Naver, which has been brilliant. It’s mostly in Korean but has decent English translations and works really well for directions and transport.

That said, our journey to Gyeongju was a little more adventurous than usual. We needed to take a series of intercity buses, which aren’t commonly used by tourists, so everything was entirely in Korean. It felt a bit like a puzzle—matching up the characters on the buses with those on the app and just hoping for the best! At one point, we were walking along the edge of a motorway trying to find a bus stop, wondering how on earth we’d manage to match the right symbols in time to flag down the correct bus. But Korea, being as efficient and well thought out as ever, came through—there was a small kiosk by the roadside with an attendant and a self-service machine. The attendant kindly switched it to English for us, helped us buy our tickets, and even stopped us from getting on the wrong bus by making a cross with her arms every time we got too excited and tried to board the wrong one. Very helpful!

After about six hours of buses, we finally arrived in Gyeongju around 4pm and after checking in and unpacking headed straight out for dinner. We found a place serving delicious ramen—Japanese food here is surprisingly good too.

Gyeongju is a city steeped in history. It was founded in 57 BC and was once the fourth largest city in the world. It served as the capital of the ancient Silla kingdom, which ruled over two-thirds of Korea from the 7th to the 9th century. History is everywhere here, so after dinner we went for an evening walk to see some of the historical sites beautifully lit up at night.

We visited Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, a restored palace complex from the Silla period. It was absolutely stunning—reflections of the lantern-lit pavilions dancing on the water. On the walk back into town, we passed the oldest surviving observatory in Asia, which was just casually standing there along the path! Back at the hostel, we spent the evening in the bar chatting with other travellers, including two Indian guys on their first trip abroad. They’d come to Korea for a Coldplay concert and decided to turn it into a holiday. They were so excited about their travels and full of questions about where else to go in Asia and Europe—it was lovely to chat and see how much they were enjoying their first adventure and how quickly they had caught the travel bug!

The next morning, we continued our history deep-dive at the National Museum. It was fascinating—free to enter and full of artefacts from Korea’s ancient past, especially the Silla period. We learnt about the royal tomb mounds scattered across the city and the treasures found inside them. You’re not allowed food or drinks in the museum, and while there are lockers, most people just leave their bags and belongings on benches outside. It felt strange to see at first, but it says a lot about how safe people feel here.

After the museum, we walked to a reconstructed bridge built using traditional techniques where an ancient bridge once stood. From there, we wandered through a traditional village filled with historic homes still in use today. One had even been turned into a little bagel shop, where we stopped for lunch and shared a very sweet garlic and cream cheese bagel. It was a bit of an odd combo, but not unpleasant!

Next, we explored the royal tomb mounds—huge grassy hills where Silla kings and nobles were buried. The burial process was fascinating: a wooden chamber was built in a dug-out hole, filled with treasures, and sometimes even a sacrificed servant, then buried under stones and earth. One of the tombs has been excavated and turned into a small museum, so we went inside to see how it had been constructed.

We spent the afternoon wandering through the mounds and the surrounding woodland, admiring the cherry blossoms. We saw lots of Koreans dressed in traditional hanbok taking photos.

While we were watching one family’s photoshoot, some older women helping with the outfits started chatting to us, and the husband of the family translated—they wanted *us* to dress up too. Apparently, it was a free service, so we gave it a go. They dressed us in beautiful gowns, and then one of the women took charge of our photoshoot—marching us around, posing us, and making sure we smiled *a lot*. If we didn’t show enough teeth, she shouted at us in Korean, so we quickly got the hang of it! It was such a funny and wholesome experience, and they were so pleased when we thanked them in Korean afterwards.

That evening we went out for sushi—my favourite! I even convinced Grace to try my favourite spicy tuna rolls. She said they weren’t too bad, which is very high praise considering she usually avoids anything fishy or seaweed-y. I loved them so much I ordered a second round and ended up waddling home, completely stuffed.

On the way back, Grace stopped for an ice cream at a convenience store and I tried one of the fun lemonade drinks you can get here—you buy a cup of ice and then choose a flavour pouch to mix into it. I went for a peach lemonade and it was really good.

Back at the hostel, we met a Korean man in his early 40s who’d just checked into our room. We ended up chatting for a while using Google Translate. He told us he lived in Busan but had come to Gyeongju to visit the graves of his father and grandfather. He was so sweet and curious about what we thought of Korea, asking all about our trip so far. We reassured him that we were absolutely loving it.

Next stop: Jeonju! I’ll write again soon.

Love, Alice x

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Jeju Island, South Korea

Our next stop was Jeju Island, just off the southern coast of Korea and famous for its natural beauty. The island is crisscrossed by a series of scenic walking routes known as the Olle Trails, which together form a circular path around the entire island. The hostel owner recommended sections 6 and 7 as her favourites, so we decided to tackle those first.

She was absolutely right—they were stunning. The trails took us along dramatic coastlines, through peaceful forests, past pretty houses and hidden waterfalls. At one point we stopped for a homemade lemonade and sat down to enjoy the view… only to realise we’d chosen metal chairs that had just been painted. So we spent the second half of the hike with fresh chair imprints on our bums. Not the most fashionable look, but it made us laugh, and it didn’t spoil the walk at all. The weather was lovely—bright and a little warmer than Busan, though still breezy.

As usual, we shared the trail with lots of elderly Korean hikers, who all greeted us cheerfully as they passed. At one point, two older ladies stopped us and, to our confusion, began showing us some drawings they had done. We told them the pictures were lovely and tried to hand them back, but they insisted we keep them as a gift. We’re still not entirely sure what it was all about, but it was a very sweet interaction and definitely a highlight of the day.

That evening we treated ourselves to another Korean BBQ, this time trying Jeju’s famous black pork. We weren’t quite sure what made it special, but apparently it comes from a breed of black-haired pigs unique to the island. Taste-wise it was pretty similar to other BBQ pork we’d had, but still absolutely delicious.

On our second day in Jeju, we visited a “wellness forest,” a kind of peaceful woodland area designed to promote mental and physical wellbeing. There were scenic walking paths, quiet spots for meditation, and even beds for “forest bathing” (which basically just means lying on sun loungers and soaking up the sounds of nature). It was incredibly relaxing—until we realised the trail gradually led us uphill to the top of a surprisingly steep mound. After the long hike the day before, we were definitely feeling it in our legs! But the forest was beautiful, and we enjoyed following the trail, which was marked by colourful ribbons tied to trees. It turned into a bit of a game, spotting the next ribbon and making sure we hadn’t lost the path—especially since there were warning signs everywhere about the dangers of wandering off-trail due to wild animals. Thankfully the only wildlife we saw were a few deer.

In the afternoon, I attempted a mission to the local post office to send home some clothes I wouldn’t need for the rest of the trip—shorts, dresses and swimwear mostly. It ended up being a much more stressful experience than expected. Between the language barrier and some very confusing paperwork, it took over two hours of miming, pointing, and hopeful smiling before I finally handed over the box. I *think* it’s now on its way home, though there’s a slight chance I just paid £35 to lose a random box of clothes somewhere in Korea.

The rest of the evening we spent relaxing—chatting with other travellers at the hostel and turning in early ahead of our flight to Gyeongju the next morning.

More soon! Love, Alice x

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Busan, South Korea

After a long day of travel, several delays and not much more than three hours’ sleep, we finally landed in South Korea at around 8am. First challenge was figuring out public transport while half-asleep, but thankfully a kind newsagent took pity on us and helped us top up a Korean T-card and pointed us in the direction of the metro. Once we were on the trains, it was all surprisingly easy—everything is clearly signed in both Korean and English, and there are handy indicators showing where the train is, which carriages are full, and even what side the doors will open. We had to take three trains to get to our hostel, but it all went very smoothly considering how tired we were.

Our day got even better when we arrived at the hostel and found we’d been upgraded to a private room and could check in straight away. We gratefully went back to sleep for a few hours before heading out to explore.

First stop was a nearby shopping mall—perhaps not the most cultural choice, but necessary! We’d gone from 32°C in the Philippines to just 11°C in Busan, so we spent a few hours buying jeans, jumpers and coats. Not sure how we’re going to fit it all in our bags, but we’ll deal with that later. Obviously we also stopped to admire the sweet treats and treated ourselves to a very pretty strawberry and cream croissant.

Once we were sufficiently layered up, we went in search of a proper meal and found a restaurant serving kimchi and beef hotpot. It came with loads of side dishes and was very tasty—meant to be for two people, but we still couldn’t finish it all. We also realised metal chopsticks are so much harder to use than wooden ones, so we’re basically back to square one on that front. It was an interesting eating experience we had no idea what pairs with what, or how to eat certain things, and I even managed to nearly blow my head off by not recognising wasabi and adding a big blob to a mouthful of food.

After lunch we headed to a park that was supposed to have lots of cherry blossom trees. We’d just missed the main season of them but there were still a few blossoms hanging on. We also found a cool samurai statue and plenty of stray cats for Grace to befriend. Later we found out why all their ear tips are clipped, it’s to show they’ve been neutered/spayed, which was interesting to learn.

On the way back to the hostel we popped into one of the many claw machine arcades (they’re everywhere here) before calling it a day. We’d planned to go to a drone show on the beach that evening, but it was cancelled due to extreme wind and rain, we even got warnings about it on our lhones, so instead we went back to the warm hostel, had gloriously long hot showers and brushed our teeth with tap water! Such a novelty after so long without it. Then it was straight to bed.

For our second day we took the train up to the town of Beomeosa, in the far north of Busan. After a bit of miming with a helpful shopkeeper we discovered there was a nice woodland walk to the temple, so we decided to follow it. It was a peaceful hour-long stroll and we passed lots of older locals out for walks or stretching—it seems the older generation here are very active.

Beomeosa Temple is still an active Buddhist temple, and since it was the weekend, there were no guided tours running and about 100 people were there to worship. We were still allowed to explore and wander through the beautiful old wooden buildings, all strung with colourful paper lanterns. It would have been nice to know more of the history, but it was still a lovely visit.

We stopped by a street market on the way back and picked up a pot of sticky spicy chicken to share —absolutely delicious, we regretted not getting one each.

In the afternoon we visited Gamcheon Culture Village, a colourful, coastal neighbourhood filled with art shops and cafés. We wandered the winding streets taking photos and enjoying a hot chocolate before deciding to get a little portrait done by a street artist. We’d seen someone else get theirs and it looked amazing, so we paid ₩35,000 (£20) and sat for ours. The artist spent ages measuring our faces and even stared deep into our eyes to get the colour right. Unfortunately, despite all of the inspections, the final result didn’t look much like either of us—maybe she wasn’t used to painting Western faces—but we still liked it and it makes for a fun keepsake.

That evening we joined a little hostel group for a Korean BBQ—one German woman and two Swiss guys. It was great fun, grilling meat at the table and trying different side dishes. I also decided to try the rice wine, expecting something light, but it turned out to be more like a small bottle of vodka. Apparently it’s common to mix it with beer here, but I went for coke instead, but the others said it was nice in beer too. After dinner we ended up across the road in a cocktail bar and had a really fine evening staying out until 1am! One round we all ordered drinks for the person to our left with the rule that it had to be something they hadn’t tried yet. I got a super sweet candy one, while Grace got a cocktail that was proudly described as tasting like “soil.” We assumed it was a mistranslation. It wasn’t.

Understandably, day three started a bit slower. We spent the morning writing postcards before heading to a traditional market for lunch. We shared another sticky chicken dish, a tempura squid stick, and some pork and kimchi dumplings. All delicious.

After lunch we headed to the beach, though it was too chilly for sunbathing. We strolled along the promenade in our coats and watched people building sand sculptures for an upcoming competition. It was a strange but cool contrast to see skyscrapers right next to the sea.

We tried to ride one of the cute two-person train pods we’d seen on overhead tracks earlier, but being the weekend they were all booked up. Instead, we grabbed seats on the slower coastal tourist train which left in about an hour and a half. We filled the time with hot drinks and I tried mochi in the form of — a chocolate mochi -covered strawberry it was a bit chewy and didn’t taste of much. Probably won’t get it again, but not bad as a one-off try.

The train ride was just a slow plod along the coast and there wasn’t loads to see, which was probably good as we both fell asleep for the first half of the train ride, which the Korean ladies next to us found hilarious. At least we saw the view on the return journey!

For dinner, we stopped at a little restaurant on the walk back to the hostel. It wasn’t in a touristy area so there was no English menu and the staff didn’t speak any either. We attempted to mime “whatever you think for two people” to the very patient waiter, and ended up with another BBQ and a selection of sides. There was also a jug of mystery liquid we assumed was water, but it tasted very sesame-y—possibly oil? Not entirely sure if we were supposed to be drinking it or not, we played it safe and ordered cokes.

On our final morning in Busan we got up early to squeeze in a few last sights before our afternoon flight. First was another seaside culture village, which looked very cute in the early morning light even though all the shops were still closed. The chilly weather and quiet streets made it feel a bit like an English seaside town out of season.

Next we took the cable car ride along the coast, which was fun and gave us a great view of the city—though the glass-bottom floor over the ocean was a bit unnerving! At the top we had a quick walk around the sea walkway before catching the cable car back.

Our last stop was the fish market, which I was dreading slightly (based on past experience of smelly fish markets). But it was actually fine—cool weather plus live seafood meant no terrible smell! We had a fun wander nosing around the tanks of fish and octopus before heading back to the hostel to grab our bags and head to the airport for our flight to Jeju.

More on that soon! Love, Alice x

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Bohol, The Philippines

Our last stop in the Philippines was Bohol. Getting there—surprise, surprise—involved more trikes and ferries, but the journey wasn’t too bad. We were greeted by a lovely private room in a hotel (with a working shower!) and decided to splash out a bit (£20pp a night is splashing out here!) for our final two nights in the country.

For our first full day, we had a few places we wanted to visit, so we booked onto a day tour. It was £40 each—which is pretty steep by Filipino standards—but the reviews were glowing, so we figured it’d be worth it.

Sadly, it was a bit underwhelming. Our first stop was a man-made forest planted by students about 50 years ago, filled with towering mahogany trees. We’d hoped to walk through the forest or visit the eco centre, but instead we just pulled up at the side of the road for a quick photo stop.

Next was the tarsier sanctuary—the only place you can see these tiny mammals in the Philippines. That part was genuinely cool. The part of the sanctuary open to the public is small, to avoid disturbing the animals, so the visit only took about 15 minutes, it started with a very sinister looking tarsier puppet but thankfully the tarsiers themselves were less creepy and very adorable—about the size of your palm, with babies no bigger than a thumb.

After that, we tried some coconut milk ice cream served in a crispy, prawn cracker-style cone, which was actually pretty tasty.

The final main stop was a viewpoint over the Chocolate Hills, a cluster of around 1,500 limestone hills that turn chocolate brown in the dry season, giving them their name. Again, it was cool to see, but we were only given 15 minutes to enjoy it before being ushered back into the van.

After just an hour and a half of sightseeing, the “official” tour was over. The rest of the afternoon was spent being shuttled around to “optional extra” attractions—basically overpriced tourist traps. We checked the reviews for each one and found they barely scraped two stars, and each cost around £15 extra per person. After each attraction the group opting in slowly dwindled until eventually we all agreed to skip the last two stops and just head back.

Looking back, we definitely would’ve been better off hiring a trike and doing it ourselves—but you live and learn.

The weirdest part came later. That evening, our tour guide started WhatsApping me, asking for a 5-star review. When I said we didn’t feel comfortable doing that, she sent screenshots of her and her boss slagging off us and other guests. When I told her I thought that was inappropriate, she told me she’d be fired and wouldn’t be able to feed her kids unless we left a 5-star review. So that’s how the tour ended up with such glowing ratings! In the end, I told her we didn’t want to leave a misleading review or get her in trouble, so we’d just leave no review at all. A very bizarre customer service strategy!

After a disappointingly expensive day we decided to just spend our last full day in the Philippines relaxing around the pool, making the most of the sunshine and doing some planning for our next stop of Busan, Korea.

I’ll tell you all about it soon, love, Alice x

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Siquijor, The Philippines

We had another long travel day to get to Siquijor: a trike, a bus, another trike, a ferry, another trike, another ferry, and one final trike. Seven hours in total! But we finally arrived on another island, this time off the coast of Cebu. It’s bigger than Malapascua and might just be our favourite place we’ve stayed yet.

You can circle the island on its main road in about two hours, but the attractions are pretty spread out. So, after arriving in the early evening, we headed out to rent a scooter. Once that was sorted, we dropped off our laundry and grabbed a very un-local tapas dinner—then straight to bed.

The next morning, we set out to explore the island by scooter. Our first stop was Cambugahay Falls, a series of stunning turquoise waterfalls with four levels to swim in. We climbed up to the top level—it took a bit more effort, but it was far less crowded, mostly just local kids. They were very curious about us, asking where we were from, whether we were married, if we had a baby, etc.

They were especially fascinated by Grace’s snorkel, which bought us a brief moment of peace while they took turns playing with it. Then they spotted our Kindles and insisted on learning how they worked. One little girl even asked if she could read aloud to Grace—her English was excellent! She told us she was ten and that she and her cousins live in a nearby village and visit the falls on weekends. Then came the question she’d clearly been dying to ask: she pointed at Grace’s face and asked, “Why is your nose so big?” We explained that people from different places look different. Grace asked her, “Do you like it?” and the girl looked horrified and said a very blunt, “No.”

They asked for a selfie and made Grace add them on Facebook to send it over. We’re a little worried she’s now on a watchlist somewhere for adding random children on social media, but they seemed happy enough and finally let us leave!

Our next stop was an old monastery from the 1800s that had been beautifully restored. We wandered through the stone and woof buildings and peaceful gardens before heading to see the island’s oldest tree. It was pretty impressive, and you could sit with your feet in an artificial stream underneath where tiny pedicure fish nibbled at your toes.

After a late lunch, we spent the afternoon at Little Boracay Beach—another postcard-perfect white sand beach with palm trees and clear water. It was the perfect chill spot to end a busy day of exploring.

That evening, we freshened up and went out for sunset drinks and dinner at a local place with live music. A really fun way to wrap up the day.

The next morning we were up early for a boat trip to Apo Island, about an hour away. It’s designated as a marine sanctuary, so no boats are allowed near the shore and commercial fishing is banned. We were split into groups with local guides who swam with us to make sure people respected the rules: no touching wildlife and no stepping on the coral. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop some groups—especially some Korean tourists—who crowded around turtles, dove down next to them for selfies, and stepped all over the coral. It was heartbreaking to see, especially knowing how slowly coral grows.

Our guide tried his best—he shouted at the groups and even told off their guides. He later apologised to us for getting frustrated but explained that the turtles have started avoiding the area when it’s too busy, and he worries they’ll soon stop coming altogether. That would mean the locals, many of whom have lived on the island for generations, might eventually be forced to leave as their main source of income disappears. We totally agreed—it’s amazing to see the turtles, but this isn’t a theme park, and people should respect the wildlife.

Luckily, we found a few turtles away from the crowds and watched them from a respectful distance. It was just as magical, and way more peaceful.

Back at the hostel, we showered off and met a couple of Dutch guys in our room. We ended up going out for dinner and drinks with them—another not-so-local spot, this time an Italian place. But the food was incredible and it was my first pasta in weeks, so I had zero regrets. Filipino food is nice, but the variety can be a bit lacking, so we’re branching out when we spot something good.

After dinner, we went to a bar with live music and taught the Dutch guys a drinking game called “Higher or Lower Squared.” We weren’t drinking ourselves since we were driving the scooters, but they didn’t seem to mind being the only ones! It wasn’t a late night anyway—still so hot here even after dark, 30°c with no breeze, it felt like sitting in an oven. By 11 PM we were back at the hostel, grateful for the sweet relief of air conditioning.

On our last full day in Siquijor, we decided to make the most of having a moped and complete the full loop around the island.

Unfortunately, it rained for most of the morning, so our first stop ended up being a nice breakfast spot where we had bagels and cream cheese. Can you tell we’re enjoying the availability of good Western food on the island?

Once the rain cleared, we headed to a marine sanctuary to do some more snorkeling—but sadly it was closed due to poor visibility caused by the weather. We did, however, spend some time giving water to a very sunburnt-looking puppy. It’s heartbreaking how many stray dogs and puppies there are here, and how many seem to be neglected.

After that, we drove past some rice fields and into a beautiful forest. Unfortunately, I still hate being on the back of mopeds, even though we were only going about 35 km/h. I didn’t feel confident enough to get my phone out to take pictures, so you’ll just have to take my word for how lovely it was.

In the afternoon, we stopped at Salagdoong Beach and spent a few hours lounging in the shade and chatting. There wasn’t much else we wanted to see that day—and honestly, the heat and humidity in the Philippines are so intense that the only way to cope is to stay in the shade and dip in and out of cool water!

On our way back to the hostel, we stopped for some sunset drinks—which I was very happy about, because after an hour of bumping along on the back of the scooter, my backside was really starting to feel it. At least it was our last ride! We dropped off the bike and walked the rest of the way back, hot and sweaty, only to find there was a power cut… and no working showers.

That meant we had to take another classic Philippines special: the bucket shower. Not glamorous, but better than no shower at all.

After dinner, we returned to the hostel hoping the power would be back on—but no such luck. It was 32°C in the room, and without aircon, it was a pretty miserable start to the night. Thankfully, after a few hours of trying to sleep in the heat, the power kicked back in, the aircon came on, and we finally got some rest.

As beautiful as the Philippines has been, we won’t be too sad to be heading to much cooler South Korea soon! But first, one more stop: Bohol. I’ll tell you all about it soon.

Love, Alice x