Divanun Guide/ Chiang Mai & Pai

 

Historical

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Chaing Mai

  • Wats

    • Wat Chedi Luang

    • Wat Sri Sutphan

    • Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

  • Tha Phae Gate

Pai

  • Pai World War II Memorial Bridge

  • Wat Phra That Mae Yen: Temple of the White Buddha, huge buddha statue up a hill consisting of 250 steps

Cultural

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Chaing Mai

  • Loi Krathong Festival

  • Elephant Sanctuary: There are many to choose from just make sure they are ethical and do not involve riding the elephants.

  • Songkran: a water festival that happens all around Thailand

Food

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Chaing Mai

  • Khao Soi

  • Night Markets

  • Rustic & Blue

  • MIxology

  • The Riverside Bar & Restaurant-

Pai

  • Om Garden Cafe

  • Pai Walking Street

Miscellaneous

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Chiang Mai

  • Thailand Wow Guest House: The only hostel I will stay at in Chiang Mai. Kai the hostel manager is so kind and sweet and he really gives his backpackers 110%

  • There are cheap red tuk tuk’s that will take you all across the city for a fair price

  • Inside of the moat is the older stuff but once you go outside the moat especially to the West you will find a more upscale area with all the digital nomads.

Pai

  • I stayed at Pai Circus Hostel which I would do again only if I stayed in one of the private bungalows.

  • If you get motion sick easy then you have to fly into the airport because the road is not a Joke.

  • You pretty much have to either rent a bike or ride on the back of one to see all the beautiful sights and nature in the area.

Divanun Guide/ Barcelona

 

This DivaNun Guide is a one pager of everything to do, see, and eat in Barcelona, Spain.

Historical

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  • Barcelona Cathedral
    • Gorgeous Gothic Cathedral that is the heart of the Gothic Quarter
  • Gothic Quarter
    • Beautiful cobble stone streets transport you back through time in this quaint neigbhorhood
  • Labyrinth Garden of Horta
    • The oldest garden in the city is also home to a very fun hedge maze

Cultural

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  • Las Ramblas
    • A large open walking street filled with restaurants, buskers, and a vibrant positive energy
  • Street Art
    • I loved seeing all the inventive and bright street art the covers the walls
  • Liberia Complices
    • An LGBT book store in the Gothic Quarter
  • Architecture of Gaudi
    • The city is covered with beautiful work by this architectural master. 
  • La Merce
    • a festival that honors the patron saint of Barcelona and happens in late Septermber

Food

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  • Avinyo 10 Restaurant
    • has a good paella lunch special in the Gothic Quarter
  • Bar Marsella
    • Old school Absinythe Bar that Hemingway used to frequent
  • A Tu Bola
    • Chain restaurant serving delicious easy to eat fried balls with craft local Barcelona beer
  • Swagatam Restaurant
    • If you are craving some indian in the land of tapas then look no further it was bomb~
  • Ugarit Verdi
    • One of the best meals I had. This is a small neighborhood chain in Gracia that serves some amazing Syrian food. Make sure you get the stew with chickpeas and eggplant twas diving
  • Entre Hores
    • This place has a fig, iberian ham, honey, cheese on bread dish that will knock your socks off. It was so good I had to eat it twice.
  • El Viejo Almacen
    • This cute little empanada spot in Gracia has some delicious little treats.

Miscellaneous

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  • Transportation
    • This city is extremely walkable and as well has a great public transportation system of buses and trains that are easy to navigae

Divanun Guide/ Tokyo

 

This DivaNun Guide is a one pager of everything to do, see, and eat in Tokyo. 

Historical

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  • Imperial Palace
    • The site of a beautiful garden and the primary residence of the Emperor of Japan
  • Senso-ji Temple
    •  An ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo
  • Meiji Shrine
    • The Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken

Cultural

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  • Kanda Matsuri
    • One of the 3 great Shinto festivals in Tokyo
  • Yoyogi Park
    • A nice large outdoor space to sit and enjoy some nice weather. It is not connected to Meiji shrine they have different entrances. 
  • Museums
    • Tokyo National Museum
    • Mori Art Museum
    • The National Art Center Tokyo
  • Shinjuku Gyoen National Park
    • A large park and garden located in Shinjuku that has phenomenal landscaping and a green house. Great for photo shoots and an extensive rose garden
  • Harajuku
    • A neighborhood south of Shinjuku with great fashion and food 
    • be sure
  • Ni-Chome
    • The gay district of Tokyo located in Shinjuku
  • Craft Sake Week
    • A great even where you can sample different types of sake from Japan. Happens in the spring in Roppongi
  • Shimokitazawa
    • Tokyo's answer to Brooklyn. A cool hip neighborhood filled with thrift stores and cute little shops
  • Golden Gai
    • A series of narrow alleys filled with bars that can only fit 5-8 people at a time. I visited a couple of these and I found them to be extremely expensive and super touristy. Most of the bars charge an entrance fee and the drinks were expensive. I would suggest getting a bottle of your choice from 7/11 and then wandering these streets. 
  • Piss Alley
    • A narrow side street next to the bustling Shinjuku metro station which has a series of small bars, yakitori grills, and food stalls. I walked down this street a bunch of times and the smell of food is so delicious but I never actually ate at any of the stalls. I would definitely suggest coming here to get a quick bite. 
  • Meguro River
    • During Cherry Blossom Season the Meguro river which is lined with this pale pink blossoms becomes a huge outdoor market with stalls selling food and alcohol as you wander and enjoy the natural beauty
  • Karaoke
    •  There are many places scattered across this city where you can sing popular songs with your friends in private rooms. The only place I went to where you sang karaoke in public was a bar in Ni-Chome. They are open all night so it's a great place to go before the train comes in the morning

Food

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  • With the most restaurants of any city you can literally eat anywhere and have a world class dining experience but here are some of my favorite spots
  • Tsukiji Food Market: There are some of the more famous shops here for sushi but in my opinion they are over priced and you can get the exact same fish from a shop a little deeper in the market. Just wander around and check prices. There's also a stall selling snow crab buns that are absolutely divine. 
  • Ramen
    • Asuka: In Shibuya serves a special tan-tan ramen thats hard to find. It is a sesame flavored ramen, very spicy, and it topped with fried pork
    • Hayashi: In Shibuya very delicious
    • Kikanbo Ramen: Has some of the best spicy miso ramen in Tokyo
    • There's more but I made the mistake of not saving a number of restaraunts to my google maps.
  • Gyoza Restaruant in Ni-Chome: On the weekends there's a late night gyoza places that slings some of the most delicious morsels of heaven I had. The name is in Chinese so its impossible to say but the location is across the street from the Apa hotel.
  • Tsurutontan Shinjuku: it's a chain and a little pricey but one of the best bowls of Udon I had in my life
  • Coco Ichibanya: Yes this place is a chain but it has such a reliably spicy pork curry that my heart will forever sing. 

Miscellaneous

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  • Irori Hostel
  • Night Life: Going out in Tokyo is all about making the last train home or staying up until the first train in the morning. Any bar or club you're in will stay open after the last train leaves so don't fear what you'll do inbetween. 
    • FancyHim: a queer underground dance night hosted in Ni-chome https://www.facebook.com/fancyhimtokyo/
    • Slideluck Tokyo: An event where food meets art and you can meet cool local artists http://slideluck.com/city/tokyo/
    • Aiiro Cafe: Where the gays congregate as the night begins. They have a beer blast HH that always brings a crowd
    • Eagle Tokyo: This cute establishment has a very long bar and is popular with the bears. I suggest ordering a double whiskey highball you won't regret it
    • Dragon: The top 40 music dancing destination. Not a personal fav of mine but they are a staple on the weekends. 
    • Trump Room: By far my fav venue in Tokyo. This is located in Shibuya and its a hassle to get to but the inside is filled with gold-plated tables and mirrors with super cool Dj's spinning until the early hours of the morning. 
  • Facebook Groups
    • Tokyo Expat Network: a place where I learned the most about renting an apartment and other information about settling into Japan
    • Fruits in Suits Tokyo: a LGBT buisness related facebook group great for networking and meeting other people
    • Couch Surfing Tokyo: Host weekly meetups and great for expanding your social circle.

 

Travel/ Navigation

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  • In Tokyo
    • The Tokyo subway system while sprawling and large is actually not that hard to navigate. Its like New York its much scarier then it looks. There are signs in english in most places and google maps will be so helpful for navigating your way around the city. The trains do not run after midnight so make sure you want to stay out all night. Thankfully you can buy alcohol at 7/11 or any convenience store all night long
    • Ubers and taxis are super expensive so I suggest avoiding them at all costs like the price is wild no one is trying to pay that.
  • From Tokyo
    • There are night buses that I took to Kyoto. 
    • You can find cheap flights on budget airlines like Peach
    • BEFORE YOU ARRIVE you can apply for a discounted bullet train rail pass in 1-3 week incrememnts. I didn't do this but there's more information here

Next Visit

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  • Get some custom clothes made at Y. & Sons
  • More Day Trips
    • Chiba
    • Hakone
  • See Mt Fuji
  • Eat Ramen

Busan

 

After spending a month and a half in Tokyo I was ready for a change in scenery. I've grown used to the flow of the city: waiting for trains, walking home, deciphering kanji on the menus of ramen restaurants. Living in Tokyo a part of my routine; one of the hardest and most life-changing routines I've had to develop but routine none the less.   

The best way to appreciate the space you live in daily is to take a break from it. When DC became too monotonous I would take a trip to NYC to clear my head. Now that I'm in Tokyo a quick jaunt to South Korea is how I'll re-ground myself. 

Originally my goal was to travel to Thailand, but after discovering how hot it becomes in April I decided that the temperate climate of South Korea would be better for my aesthetic. Instead of flying from Tokyo to Seoul I decided to take the ferry from Fukuoka to Busan instead. This way I could squeeze two extra cities into my trip. 

Busan is the second largest city in South Korea and is thought of as Korea's San Francisco. While there the city was building frantically as its the home of the 2030 World Expo.

The first thing I noticed in Busan and later Seoul is the sheer number of sculptures I have never seen so many statues and sculptures around a city as I have while traveling through South Korea and I'm from DC. 

 I felt awkward navigating around this foreign culture and new language. But at the same time, I felt alive. Nowhere did this contradiction feel more literal then inside a restaurant. The first picture above is the restaurant I ate after checking into my hostel.  The first time I saw the prices on the menu I audibly gasped before I realized that the currency was Won instead of Yen. For comparison,  one thousand yen is ten dollars whereas, ten thousand won is 8 dollars. I ate this thick pork bone soup that was popular in the south along with the delicious side dishes called banchan.

The next day before I caught my bus I wondered the downtown area and found another restaurant. I ordered a  soup and some dumplings. The soup was bright red with chunks of meat and vegetables. I realized after gulping down half the soup that it was so red not because it was seasoned with Kim chi but because it was deep and intensely spicy. The number one thing I missed in Japan was spicy food and while Japan was lacking the Koreans live for spicy food. I just wish I had been prepared because I started sweating so much that the lady who owned the shop was seriously concerned about me. 

The timing of this trip was perfect because, as I sat on the ferry about to leave Japan, I realized I had started to feel at home in Tokyo. After feeling so sad and confused my first few weeks I wasn't sure I would come to love Tokyo. However, as the ferry zipped me across the Sea of Japan all I could think about was how I couldn't wait to return. 

Busan is a city rich with history, art, and culture. I definitely need to come back and explore more of the city. But with only 24 hours between when the ferry dropped me off at the harbor and a bus would whisk me away to Seoul, I could really only explore the downtown business district. 

The view from my bus to Seoul. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss my adventures in Seoul and all my additions to the archive. 

Tsukiji Fish Market

 

The first time I ever had sushi was in a banquet hall during my teenage years. While the date and location are fuzzy the memories that are the strongest from that night was being tricked into eating wasabi and disliking sushi. I knew that for my upcoming travel to Japan I needed to get over my dislike of sushi. While in LA I made it my mission to get conquer my aversion. After a couple rolls and sake bombs I finally started to get the hang of the sushi life. However nothing prepared me for eating sushi in Tokyo. 

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One of the best and most famous places to eat sushi in Tokyo is at the Tsukiji Fish Market. The market itself has been operating in this location since it was relocated after an earthquake in 1923. The market is separated into inner and outer sections. The famous fish auction takes place at the inner market and has very limited seating that requires you to arrive around 4 am, before the trains open, in order to snag a seat.

For those who just want to eat sushi breakfast feel free to show up around 9 or 10 and the outer market will be full of fresh fish and tourists meandering its tiny alleys. The first thing I realized when eating sushi in Tokyo is the absence of maki, which is the sushi rolls we are so accustomed to in the states. While they definitely are available the most common form of sushi you find is nigri, which is fish placed on top of sushi rice. I found that with nigri the flavor and texture of the fish really shine through. 

Now don't be tempted by the long lines of some of the more famous sushi shops in Tsukiji. Every restaurant in the outer market gets its fish at the same time from the inner market so quality doesn't vary. I advise wandering the markets looking our for signs like this:

I found that the cheapest restaurants were in the back of the outer market near the shrine. Some places near the front charged more money for the exact same products in the back so evaluate carefully.  After I found my location I ordered three different kinds of tuna over rice. 

One of the best breakfasts I've ever had.

One of the best breakfasts I've ever had.

I wouldn't order too much because there's so much more to eat in this market than sushi. I suggest starting off with sushi and then finishing off your breakfast with one of these. 

After getting your fill, wander around the market and see all the cool shops and stores. I found a wine bar tucked into the back section of the market along with stalls selling dried fish and strawberries and anything else you could want. 

As I was exploring the market I found a Shinto shrine hidden in the back. It's a great place to sit down and take a rest away from all the frenzied tourists in the outer market. The Namiyoke Inari Shrine was built in 1657 and its name means "protection from waves."

Exploring the market and eating some of the freshest fish was a great way to start my morning. A stop here is a must for anyone visiting this amazing city.