Category Archives: Travel

Travel

Photo Journal: UK, Belgium, Germany

It started with a plane from LAX
And it was my first time flying business class!
All very exciting for me, clearly
Beautiful morning view of London taken by Hugh Jeremy
As soon as Hugh landed, he wanted to go for a run
So we started at Tower Bridge
And ran 4.5 miles through some of the more icon London spots, such as Big Ben
Ending at Buckingham palace
There was a bike race happening that day, so we ran on the road with them
It’d been a year since I saw my friend Kris (remember him?!)
We had Nitrogen cooled ice cream at Camden Market
Grabbed a cocktail at the Shard
And found some adverts for the game I am working on in the London Underground!
Then Hugh and I caught a train to Derby, where we met up with Becky and met her friends (this car included)
She took us on a Sunday drive
The Chatsworth House
It was a rainy but beautiful day
With beautiful people 🙂
Finished off with some much needed Sunday roast in a pub
Then it was off to Brussels, Belgium
In an afternoon stroll we came across the Grand Palace
Next stop: Cologne Germany
Alway love to see the Dom
Beautiful architecture
Gamescom 2014 was massive and so busy
The whole city was celebrating the event, even the chocolatiers
So we took a load off that night with some amazing Italian food in town
And, of course, gelato
There was Evolve advertising in Cologne too!
But all good things come to an end.

On a recent work trip, I made a few pit stops.

Standard
Travel

Photo Journal: London, England

Next time, you’ll be here too.

Hadn’t seen Becky since we parted nearly a year ago in Nepal!
So we headed out for some food and drinks
And nearly missed the last train home
Next morning, we headed out to Camden Market
Stopping to check out the canal boats along the way
I’d never seen anything like this before!
Camden Market was big
Really big
It just never ended
It didn’t even end here
On and on
and on
A rave department store
I wasn’t supposed to take pictures; I’m sorry
More Camden
I bought Becky a cronut… she was terrified of it
Classic
Primrose Hill
Beautiful Spring weather
221B Baker St.
St. Pancras Renaissance hotel
Gorgeous structure
Afternoon tea and scones
St. George’s
Stock Exchange
The Shard gave an awesome farewell
Walking back
Stunning hotel
But what trip to England is complete without fish & chips
And Banoffee pie
Goodbye, Europe!
Sunny, sunny Florida…
Standard
Travel

Photo Journal: Copenhagen, Denmark

Lunch in Copenhagen, wishing you were here.

Central square
Eurovision took place here
Tivoli — rumored to be Walt Disney’s inspiration for the parks
Sing to get a subway ticket as a Eurovision promotion
Even department stores look amazing
Opera house
Boats float lazily, as visitors dine nearby
Saw Julia, my German friend from high school!
Beautiful Copenhagen
Colorful canals
Quiet day on the waterfront
Friday shoppers take a break
The sun kept coming and going as we walked
and walked
and walked
Stairs in this were leveled to make a sloping ramp up to the top at some point in the past.
We had an amazing brunch near the university
A church
Walking tour of Copenhagen
A very lively place
The trains have no drivers, just windows
Streets of Copenhagen
The airport is more a mall than any other airport I’ve seen!
Standard
Travel

Photo Journal: Gothenburg, Sweden (2)

For you, dad.

Dusk
Penguins at the zoo
Overlooking Gothenburg
From the top of the hill
Out to sea
The harbor
A rainy view from the top of a skyscraper
There are random trampolines
We didn’t care
Coffee tasting with Swedes
Live music at Starbucks
The drink menu was kind of cute
Looking over Liseburg amusement park
Dusk on the streets
The Central Station
Trams around town
The pool on top of the Avalon
Swedish pride
A sleep road
I was in heaven
The most amazing candy store
Lunchtime shopping
Coffee shop in the alley
Most places look like Ikea
Inside a housing store
Even ketchup has great design
Rooftops of Gothenburg
Leaving for Copenhagen
But second class was comfy
Fields of yellow
As far as the eye could see
The Swedish coast
And quaint country towns
Yellow
Standard
Travel

Photo Journal: Gothenburg, Sweden

I don’t know how much time we have left together, but I think of you every moment, wishing you were here.

Flew over the Atlantic
The design everywhere is amazing, including the airport baggage claim
Took the bus to the center of town
Three trams later, I figured out how to pay and which to board
But the money doesn’t have denomination labels
They leave blankets outside at restaurants in case you want fresh air– but it’s so cold.
Streets of Gothenburg
More streets
Banners made of jeans
Nordstan shopping mall
Had to check out the McDonald’s seasonal items — Chicken wings and Prime Nib (no typo)
Yup, a mall.
But spring is in full bloom
And the weather was lovely
So I wandered
And wandered
And wandered
And wandered
Graduation?
Followed the spring
Wandering
Discovering
Eating traditional Swedish foods
Like rump-roast
And raspberries with butter and ice cream
Until my first afternoon came to a close
But not without me discovering that Sweden loves gummies
Just like Ikea
My morning run through the park was gorgeous. We later returned here to relax that day.
Grabbed a morning coffee from across the street
Trying to learn the local language
Moved over to my hotel, that’s a pool on top!
7-11s are like Japan, places of wonderment and good food
So I bought the weirdest things I could find.
Before returning to the park
Swedes have good taste
I also located the largest chair in Gothenburg
And then I located a cider
And some local food
But, still managed to stop by to get more gummies
My hotel is nice
My view is nicer
Bill Murray talks about coffee
Tiny cars live here
And every afternoon, the Swedes enjoy the tradition of “fika” — afternoon coffee break. So I followed suit.

I love you, dad.

Standard
Travel

Final Destination: San Francisco

Well, it’s done. It’s over. My grand tour of Asia 2013 has finally come to an end. After traveling for so long, the thought of being able to acquire items and not wonder how to get rid of them in a few months time is an odd thought. Even more strange, that I sleep in just one bed, “my” bed. Stranger still, I have to get a job. Now that’s the tricky part.

A lot happened over the last three months, as I’m sure you’re aware. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you. I could never forget about you. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to play “catch-up” with you as I post some of my recent adventures. I’m happy to report that nothing devastating happend while I was wandering around these countries. So sit down, strap in, and no arms or legs outside the vehicle. It’s going to be a wild ride.

Teasers:

  • 50K in one day in the 2013 Yamathon
  • Tokyo from 440 meters up
  • Street food in Malaysia
  • A duck race on the beaches of Langkawi
  • Living it up in Singapore
  • Celebrating Buddah’s birthday
  • Hiking in for 7 days in the Himalayas
  • A new fear of leeches
  • Working with an orphanage in Pokhara
  • A Buddhist meditation and yoga retreat
Standard
Travel

Color Me Rad 5K

552971_2449976965043_1368790045_nRecently, I joined team Pokemanz to “run” in the Color Me Rad 5K! Basically, as I said before, you start the race white, and end colorful! I mean, I did wear colorful socks to start, but they only got better as the race went on! For anyone thinking about doing this as a first 5K, I highly recommend it. It’s a very laid back event. No pressure what-so-ever. And who doesn’t like blindingly-bright chalk thrown at them while doing physical activities? No one. That’s who. Continue reading →

Standard
Travel

Game Developer’s Conference ’13

gdc13_logoEvery year I attend this conference called the Game Developer’s Conference. Basically, it’s a great chance to learn about the latest and greatest techniques in game dev, as well as drink– I mean network– with as many people as possible. The week is normally the “shortest” week of the entire year for me, and I can never see everyone I wanted to. For those of you I said “Hey! Let’s hang!” to and never got the chance, I’m sorry!! But I’ll be back in the bay area in June, so no sweat.  Continue reading →

Standard
Travel

Departure

DeparturesSo sorry for the lack of posting. I handed off my internet to a friend in my last two weeks at work, and I just couldn’t bring myself to post at dial-up speed.

Luckily, not a whole lot has happened. By that I mean the following:

A good friend of mine, Kate (from Across The Sea blog) was the parade queen in the Tokyo St. Patricks day parade! I know a real-life celebrity! The day before the parade was a fancy-pants lunch at the Park Hyatt Tokyo with the most amazing appetizer/dessert buffet I’ve seen in a long time. The view was breath-taking, as usual. After our snazzy lunch was a farewell party for those leaving at a local izakaya.  Continue reading →

Standard
Travel

Seoul, South Korea

East GateLast weekend, Becky and I took a little 4-day holiday to Seoul, South Korea. Like a delicious appetizer, it really wet our appetites for the summer traveling plans. The perfect weekend-getaway before the real-deal.

Seoul is the closest city I’ve every seen to what I would call a “city of the future.” Flat screen TVs can be found around every corner, most of them interactive touch screens. Many of the stations also had interactives designed for the last-minute shoppers. Need a new dress for that date tonight? Just scan your phone and it gets delivered to your house. Forgot to grab water at the store? No worries, it’s sold here too.  Continue reading →

Standard