Summer Shape Up 2K15: Made it Through Week 2!

Hello All!

Apologies for being late on the week 2 update, but I took a much needed trip to visit a close friend of mine and decided to just take the time and really enjoy myself.

Week 2 was so much easier than week 1. I took the lessons learned and my own tip of the week to heart and really just hit my stride. My body is adjusting to the new diet and routine and I'm getting into a great flow with everything. However, every week comes with new tests and battles and so as usual here are my lessons learned and tip of the week coming out of week 2: This week I focused on really listening to myself and remaining in touch with my body and thoughts at every step of the way, so you'll find that many of the lessons are centered around that idea:

Lessons Learned:

1. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY: About 6 months ago I took an aerobics class and somehow hurt my back pretty badly. Ever since then I've had pretty chronic discomfort in my lower back, which I can usually alleviate through rest and stretching. When I started this new workout regimen I pushed myself to reach my 3-5 day goal by going in to the gym with very few rest days in between, which really BACKfired...get it...ok sorry. This week's first lesson is to listen to your body. If something starts to hurt, if you get dizzy, if something just doesn't feel right...stop. Immediately. Assess the situation and make adjustments. For me, the adjustment was to workout only two days in a row and then have a rest day (or two if necessary) where I focus on doing just that-resting. I also stretch A LOT on that day, giving my back extra love so that I'm ready to really go for it on my next day in the gym. The more you see results, the more you'll want to keep getting in the gym, but trust me risking an injury is definitely not worth it and could delay results.

2. ME, MYSELF & I: The gym can be a very intimidating place and I often find myself looking around and falling into the comparison game. You know the one where you start comparing your body to others', or trying to run as fast as (or faster than) the person on the treadmill next to you. Your workouts should be a very personal experience that have little to nothing to do with anyone else. I try to workout in front of a mirror or window where I can see myself and make eye contact with MYSELF as much as possible. Each day I workout I am only trying to do better than I did the day before. This also plays into the first lesson. Pushing too hard to keep up with others in the gym can lead you to injury as you push your body further than it is ready to go. Consistency will lead to steady progress. It might not happen as quickly as you want it to, but you'll get there.

3. MUSIC MATTERS: I love music and use it to motivate myself in almost everything that I do. I crank music up when I'm studying, when I'm driving and ESPECIALLY when I'm working out. However, the type of music that I listen to can really make or break a workout. Also, I need tons of variety because listening to the same music over and over again kills my vibe very quickly. In the past I've made different workout playlists and rotated them throughout the weeks (I still do this). However, I've also found that various apps are extremely helpful in providing the perfect soundtrack to any workout. My personal favorites coming out of week 2 are Spotify and Pandora. Spotify's "Workout Twerkout" playlist was great for a while but recently I've been listening to the "Women of RnB & Hip Hop" list. There is something about listening to great songs by strong women that just pushes me so much further in my workouts. Also I LOVE Pandora with my favorite channels being the 2000s and 90s hip hop channels as well as...and don't judge me here..the Britney Spears channel (it features a ton of fast-paced songs that really keep me motivated during cardio..it just works for me haha).

Tip of the Week:
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL: So mirrors can be almost as hard to deal with as scales when embarking on a fitness journey. However, I've found that mirrors can actually be your best friend, especially when you're first starting out. As I stated earlier I make it a point to look in a mirror while I workout to keep my focus on ME the entire time I'm in the gym, but I don't shy away from looking in the mirror when I'm at home either. In fact I make it a point to spend a little bit of time each morning and each night looking at myself in the mirror and finding at least 3 new things I love about myself and my body. We all have something we probably wish we could change or improve, but no matter how much work you put in you'll never be satisfied until you learn to love yourself for everything you are in the present. Taking time to look in the mirror and have a positive conversation with yourself about your body will help you build a better relationship with it and you might even find that workouts are even easier to get through. Also, you'll often see results in the mirror much quicker than you see them on the scale, which will keep you motivated and encouraged.

I hope you've found this week's lessons and tips helpful. You can also head over to the YouTube channel now for a video on the third component of Summer Shape Up 2K15, meditation, which further emphasizes the importance of remaining aware of your mental and emotional health along with the diet and exercise components. In the video I review three of my favorite apps that I use to assist in keeping my thoughts positive and aligned with my overall health & fitness goals.

As always please feel free to leave a comment/question/suggestion. I'd love to hear how you all keep yourselves positive and focused while engaging in your own health and fitness journeys. If you leave them in the comments I'll add them to the beginning of next week's update. Let's all stay motivated together.

Enjoy the journey...

Summer Shape Up 2K15: Week 1 is Done!

Hey Blogoshpere! Week 1 of Summer Shape Up 2K15 is done, and although it was more of a struggle than I expected I am feeling full of energy and really excited to move into week 2.

Throughout the summer I'll update here with lessons learned and a tip of the week. You'll also want to head over to the YouTube channel every week for videos of my cooking adventures, snippets of my workouts, and reviews of resources, which I might not always include here.

As I said week 1 was a STRUGGLE. The heat, the change in diet and the fact that I hadn't been in the gym in a while all worked against me for the first couple of days and the mental battle to push through that was a tough one. Here are some lessons and tips that I walked away with this week.

Lessons Learned
1. WATER IS A GAME CHANGER. This seems like an obvious statement, but I nearly passed out the first two workouts simply because I wasn't drinking enough water. As I said in the last video, it is always recommended to increase your water intake when drinking the protein shakes as the powder just absorbs it all. Water also has a ton of other benefits  and can make or break your entire fitness plan.

2. BLENDED NOT STIRRED. I love the taste of the Lean 1 protein shakes, but since my parents have a blender here (I don't have one in my new place in NY) I decided to use it and the shakes taste SOOOO much better. It's like drinking a chocolate milk shake twice a day. Note: In last week's blog I said the 2 lb. tub of shakes lasts 3 weeks. That was based on my previous experience when I think I was only replacing one shake a day (except for weekends). Doing two meal replacements will probably only last you about two weeks making the $40 at Smoothie King a bit costly. I ordered my second tub off of amazon this time and it was only $26. Much more reasonable!

3. WORKOUT FIRST, PLAY LATER. When I'm at school I have to fit my workouts in whenever I can and it's usually at night, but my relaxed schedule during the summer means my days are wide open. Putting my workouts in the morning BEFORE I get too deeply into relaxation mode was definitely another game changer.

TIP OF THE WEEK:
SKIP THE SCALES! It's so tempting to hop on the scale daily or weekly to check your progress, but my advice is to fight this urge as much as possible. Weightloss/training is 90% mental (in my opinion), and so many things factor into how much you weigh on a given week/day/hour. Seeing a number you don't like can really discourage you. I usually stay off the scales for a whole month when I'm first starting a new routine or getting back into the swing of things. This keeps me motivated by the more important things like increased energy, better sleep, less stress, improved attitude/emotional stability, etc. Of course you'll want to know how you're doing eventually but I'd say at the most keep your weigh-ins to once or twice a month.

Photo Cred: http://www.fridaylovesong.net/

 Alright guys I know that these were pretty basic tips and nothing too shocking, but when you're starting a new regimen or trying to get back on the wagon it's nice to be reminded of the basics. This week I'm keeping my cardio routine pretty steady but adding in more weight training since that bit the dust as I battled through the near-fainting due to lack of water. Also, I've started my second phase, which is purposeful attention to my mental/emotional state through various meditation and journal apps. Next week's tips and lessons will all be related to that with a video introducing and reviewing all of the apps I use.

I hope you all find this helpful/motivating/encouraging. If you think I forgot any important tips for starting out please leave it below in the comments and I'll add them to next week's post with a shout out to the commenter. Stay motivated and as always...

Enjoy the journey...

Ivy Rose Travels: Japan & Vietnam, Part 5, Ha Noi/Ha Long Bay

Ok so normally I'm able to bounce back from jet lag pretty quickly, but this time I really got my butt kicked. As you can probably tell from the posts and videos my family goes pretty hard when we travel, and I was a bit out of travel-shape. I handled it like a champ while on the trip (although admittedly there were way more cranky moments/days than a 30-year-old probably should have two weeks), but the recuperation process has definitely been interesting.

Basically, all of that was a long-winded way of explaining why I've taken such a long time to put up the last two videos and posts. I guess we should just jump right in at this point so as not to waste any more time. 

My parents and I arrived in Ha Noi relatively late at night (I believe it was some time between 10 and 11). What immediately struck me was how active the city was. Actually, that's a lie, what immediately struck me was the intense heat and humidity. I'm from Miami, so it wasn't anything I hadn't experienced before, but Miami at least cools down a bit at night. Stepping out of the airport that night it was clearly still in the upper 80s and very very humid. But once we got acclimated to that and stepped into the car the hotel sent for us, the NEXT thing that struck me was the amount of activity at this time of night. The main mode of transportation in all of the cities we visited in Vietnam are mopeds, or what some might call, scooters. For all of my Gators out there just imagine your typical day on campus except EVERYONE is riding a moped/scooter on their way to and from class--not just the athletes and brave freshmen who miss their cars.

Anyway the drive to the hotel was fairly quick and although he was sleeping when we got there, we were all very excited to finally get to spend some time with my younger (but much taller) brother, Brandon! Our hotel, The Viet View,  was very nice and had a beautiful restaurant on the top floor that had fantastic views of the city. Our suite was also very lovely, with a master bedroom and a separate sleeping area for 2-4 more people down the hall and an amazing balcony with similar views as the restaurant. Our bathroom was also very nice, although we did have some issues with flooding from the shower. The hotel management was very accommodating and provided us with a separate room down the hall where we could take our showers without having to give up our suite, which I thought was a nice compromise.

So normally I split the trip into the "stops" we made within the city, but this time it seems more fitting to use the term "adventure" since we did a couple of tours in which we made a few stops along the way:

Adventure 1: Ha Long Bay Boat Tour

My brother and our Tour guide, Tu

Our first adventure was a two-day, one-night cruise along Ha Long Bay. We crammed into a van (that luckily had pretty decent air conditioning, with two tour guides and 12 other tourists (from all over the world) and set off on a 4-hour drive to the bay. Most of our travel companions were backpackers, many were traveling as couples, but there were also quite a few single travelers, which I will note here as I plan to write a commentary/reaction piece on traveling alone in the near future. The drive wasn't too bad as I slept for most of it and our tour guide, Tu was great! We made one stop half-way through the drive for restrooms, snacks and shopping....AND BOY COULD YOU SHOP! I'll just let the pics speak for themselves.

The tour company we chose was Ha Long Dagong Sail, which is one of the mid-priced bay tour companies and overall we were very pleased with the accommodations and service. All meals are included in the package price, but any drinks on board are extra-and they push them all day. The first day on the boat we did quite a bit of exploring and made two major stops:

Stop 1:  Sung Sot Cave
Sung Sot Cave, or the Surprise Cave/Cave of Surprises was absolutely mind-blowing. We had to make a pretty decent hike up what felt like a million steps in the heat, but we were rewarded with breathtaking views and a much cooler environment inside the cave. Again, I think I'll just let pictures do the talking here.

Stop 2: Kayaking
Our next stop was kayaking around the bay, which we all felt a little too tired for due to the heat and the fact that we were repeatedly told that we couldn't swim because of jellyfish. However, we were once again rewarded with magnificent views and our guide ultimately felt that it was safe enough in our particular area for a quick swim and we all literally jumped at the opportunity to cool off. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the actual swimming because-well I was in the water-but my parents do and I'll link to their blogs once they put them up.


Then it was back to the boat for a sunset cruise, with one complimentary beverage and delicious fruit, followed by dinner and socializing/bed time. The next day was spent entirely on the boat and most of us tanned, tried to stay cool and slept until it was time for our cooking class and final meal. We met up with some people who were on a 3-day trip, which includes an overnight stay on a nearby island in the bay and then we all got into two vehicles (my family was lucky enough to get placed on the larger bus) and made our way back to our hotel.

Adventure 2: Food on Foot Tour

Fresh fruit

Happy Father's Day Dad!

The day we returned from Ha Long Bay was Father's Day and my mom had booked a food on foot tour as a special surprise for my dad. The tour package includes a guide who takes you through the streets of Old Quarter in Ha Noi, visiting 5-6 local restaurants so that you can sample the local cuisine. The guide also provides history of the Old Quarter and the people living there. Our guide was amazing and took us to some really awesome spots,  although he loved to play the "guess what you're eating" game, which we only failed once when we ate a mixture of meat that included ground up worms....which was surprisingly delicious.

Delicious rice cake

The tour was a great way to get a lot of information on the city in a short period of time and I highly recommend it.










We were exhausted from our boat trip and adventurous eating experience and had to head off to our next city-Hoi An, which my mother promised would be filled with tons of time to relax by the pool or on the beach. Since the last two cities were both pretty quick stops (about a day and a half in each city) with no pre-planned activities, I am going to merge them into one final blog and vlog. Hopefully I'll have them both up by Monday night at the latest.

Comments/questions/suggestions are welcomed and encouraged. Also, take some time to watch the video above.  If you think anyone else might find this post interesting and/or useful please pass it on. Make sure to follow (this blog) and subscribe (to the youtube channel) for future posts and vlogs. Many of my other series are picking back up now that I'm back in the states. As always...

Enjoy the journey...

Ivy Rose Travels: Japan & Vietnam, Part 4, Tokyo

I can't believe I'm already writing about the last piece of the Japanese leg of our trip. We packed a lot into each stop on our trip and Tokyo was definitely no different. Let's jump right in.

Day 1: Arrival & Sightseeing Part 1
The night before we left for Tokyo I stayed up way too late (working on things for this blog and my youtube channel) and I was extremely tired and cranky when we set off for the train station. Luckily we were taking a train into Tokyo (I really LOVE trains and as many flights as I've taken in my life, I actually prefer them to planes). The Odakyu "Romancecar" got us to Tokyo in less than 2 hours, which wasn't enough time for me to get the nap I desperately needed but did leave us with plenty of time to get our bearings in Tokyo without losing the whole day to travel.

Outside of our hotel

We arrived on the tail end of morning rush hour and Shinjuku station was buzzing with people trying to make it to school and work.  I was still a bit drowsy and cranky at this point so it probably felt a lot more chaotic than it actually was--imagine Penn Station or 42nd Street stops at rush hour and it was pretty much no different. After a quick stop at the information desk we hopped on a train and headed to our hotel. (Note: I found Tokyo's  metro system to be extremely easy to navigate--much easier than NYC's. All of the stops are numbered and the ticket machines are simple to use, often calculating the exact fair for your trip so you rarely end up overpaying or coming up short. Also the trains are SUPER clean and comfy). We stayed at another ryokan hotel, the Homeikan Daimachi, similar to the one in Kyoto. However, this one had bathroom facilities outisde of the rooms, which were shared by all of the guests. There was a "family/private" facility that could be locked and used by a single family or person as well as larger public bathrooms for men and women. Both featured a traditional Japanese bath/onsen similar to that seen in Hakone, which was great for our travel-worn bodies. Additionally, breakfast was served in the rooms each morning at a time selected at check-in.

As usual we dropped off our bags and hit the streets.
Stop 1: Shibuya Crossing
Anyone who has ever watched a movie or television show filmed in Tokyo will be familiar with this area of Tokyo. It gave me a bit of a Times Square feel, although MUCH more crowded (if you can imagine that) and way more visually stimulating. The most mind-blowing thing about this particular spot is the sheer number of people that constantly flow across the street at the crossing's four corners. We joined the crowd a number of times during our exploration of the area, but eventually made our way onto the second or third floor of a nearby building to watch from above. I assume the crowds in Times Square look almost as impressive, however the fact that no one even attempts to cross once the light has changed, regardless of traffic flow, and that the mass of people is almost the same size every time, makes it seem almost like a beautifully choreographed dance (see YouTube video below for a clip). For some reason I found myself completely mesmerized by this, and watched at least 3 crossings before my parents were able to tear me away to move on to our next stop.

Cool art on our way to the Harajuku area

Stops 2 & 3: Harajuku Area (Omotesando & Takeshita Street)
Although it was raining we decided to walk to our next stop and take in a bit more of the city. We were well equipped with large umbrellas and jackets and the rain left the air a bit cooler so it made for a nice walk, and we saw some interesting shops/stores along the way.

Seen on Takeshita Street

Side street off of Takeshita St.

As mentioned in previous posts about this trip, my mother visited Japan as a chaperone on a trip and she took us to many of the same areas. Omotesando and Takeshita Street were at the top of her list for Tokyo, and I'm glad we prioritized them. The areas were definitely designed to cater to a younger/more hip crowd with Omotesando featuring many high-end stores and cool coffee shops and restaurants. The area was packed with tourists, but many Japanese teenagers were also out in this area, particularly when we got to Takeshita Street, which caught my attention for its interesting clothing shops and amazing graffiti/wall art. Unfortunately by the time we made it down to this area many of the shops were already closing, but we did get some great photos and I got to check off my only mandatory activity: eat at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant!

My stack of plates at the sushi spot

Day 2: Technology (and shopping) Day
Stop 4: Miraikan (a.k.a. The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation)

Dad in front of the Miraikan

ASIMO

During her research for this trip, my mother happened to stumble on a bunch of videos and articles about the advances in technology taking place at the Miraikan, particularly those involving the development of androids and humanoids (robots). She was particularly interested in seeing the ASIMO demonstration as he(?) is known as "the world's most advanced humanoid robot". It took us a  bit longer than anticipated to get to the museum, and due to technical difficulties we had to stick around until after the 4 PM demo (we arrived around 1:30, but it was DEFINITELY worth it. 


Stop 5: Ginza District
This part of Tokyo is another area known for it's high-end stores, entertainment and restaurants. We thought this would be a nice area to find some souvenirs as we hadn't really purchased anything up until this point and the area has a lot of history, keeping many of its traditional street signs and building markers around. Luckily we did find a few stores and I must say I did quite a bit of damage in the souvenir/gift department. My mother also kept stressing that we must stop into a Japanese department store and visit go down to the lower (underground) levels. Apparently beneath each department store, particularly in this area, is at least one floor filled with high-end gourmet food and beverage counters/shops. It's quite unexpected that these shops are down there and definitely something worth seeing. Some even have a wine tasting counter where you can have a few sips of wine before continuing on your journey...although keep in mind this is "the good stuff" so it's going to be a bit costly.

Stop 6: Akihabara (a.k.a. The Electric Town/City)
This was another area that my mom continuously heard about as she prepared for this trip. Akihabara is home to many, many, MANY electronic shops and is known as the center for diehard anime and manga fans. Admittedly, I was a bit worn down by the time we reached this part of town and my feet literally went numb due to the culmination of walking and climbing done throughout the week (and also the poor choice in shoes on this particular day) and I reached a bit of a brick wall in terms of sightseeing. However, I did enjoy the general atmosphere of the area and if you have even the slightest interest in electronics, anime and/or manga this area is a MUST SEE.

We pretty much shut down after this and groggily headed back to our hotel to search for food so we could eat, shower and pack. Luckily our flight wasn't too early the next day and we were extremely excited to get to Vietnam and meet up with my brother.

Our stop in Japan was a whirlwind and while I know we just scratched the surface of what this amazing country's culture I loved every second. As I've stated before this is a place where you want to stay away from guided tours and pre-packaged activities as much as possible. Every city is so easy to get around and the people are so kind and willing to help that you can always find someone to assist should you have a question. Of course I've made a video of the last stop, which you can watch below:

I hope you enjoyed this quick glimpse into the first half of our trip. If you have any information you'd like to add/correct about or any questions/concerns about any of the locations/activities I've discussed throughout these past few posts please don't hesitate to leave a comment here or on the corresponding YouTube channel. Also take a minute to become a follower of the blog and/or subscribe to the channel so you can stay updated on the upcoming posts covering the Vietnam leg of the trip (these won't be posted until I get back to the states as I am currently wrapping up the last two days of travel as I type). If there is anyone that you think might find this blog interesting please pass it on. Once my travels are done it will take on a bit of a different flavor, but will still very much document my journey through every day life. Thanks for joining me so far and as always....

Enjoy the journey...

Ivy Rose Travels: Japan & Vietnam, Part 3, Hakone

Welcome back to the journey everyone! Views are up on all of the videos and blog posts and I really hope everyone is finding them both entertaining and informative.  Remember, I’m fairly new to the blogging world and BRAND new to the vlogging world so please ANY advice/feedback/tips/strategies/suggestions are more than welcome (I JUST realized I should have been filming in landscape mode on my phone. Sorry for the annoying portrait view in previous videos…).

Anyway, back to the trip…

Our second city in Japan was Hakone. When planning the trip, my mother purposefully placed this city between Kyoto and Tokyo to build in a bit of a rest period. The atmosphere of this city is much more relaxed and was a very welcome change of pace after the busy (but fun) three days traveling to and exploring Kyoto.

Day 1
Arrival: We arrived in Hakone in the afternoon, after riding the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) in from Kyoto station. The trip was about 3.5 hours and took us to a neighboring city, Odawara. Once we arrived there we purchased a 3-day unlimited pass which not only afforded us unlimited access to buses and trains but also discounts on entrance fees to various sights within Hakone and the surrounding areas. From Odawara it was about a 30-40 minute bus ride to our BEAUTIFUL hotel, The Fujiya, which is one of the first resort in Japan and has hosted the likes of John Lennon and Yoko Ono as well as political leaders from various countries.

Many of the sights and activities we wanted to engage in were closing once shortly after we arrived so our first day we spent most of our time in and around the hotel.

The Fujiya has a beautiful garden that takes about 25 minutes to walk through and the sunny weather provided a perfect opportunity for us to grab our cameras and work on our photography skills. Here are a few of my favorite shots:

We then walked to Naraya Cafe (about 10 minutes from the hotel) where we enjoyed ice cream and beverages while soaking our feet in a hot spring bath! Our feet were a little swollen and tired from the previous three days of travel and the hot soak felt SO GOOD! Finally, it was time to head back to the hotel for tea in the Fujiya’s famous Orchid Lounge for…well..tea and of course some sweet treats. During the tea my mother convinced me to join her in taking a Japanese bath or onsen. The process was initially very intimidating and overwhelming to me (click the 'onsen' link for details) and I actually walked out twice before trying it, but I'm so glad I did. Soaking in the hot spring water left my skin feeling cleaner and softer than its ever felt and I've never had better sleep. I loved it so much that I ended up doing it again at our hotel in Tokyo...but more on that later.

Day 2: To make up for not being able to hit any of the sights on our list the day before, we got up pretty early and covered nearly everything before closing time!

Stop 1: Hakone Open Air Museum
Easily my favorite part of the trip so far! I love art museums, especially when the work is uniquely displayed or presented. I was literally rendered speechless by the sheer size of some of the work presented and the combination of art and nature was perfect. Ultimately, I ended up putting on my headphones and wandering around the museum by myself for most of the 2-3 hours we were there, and of course took a TON of pictures. I could make a whole post just devoted to this place (and probably will), but for now click the link and enjoy the few pics I've included here and in the video below.

We were also able to enjoy another foot bath here, which for some reason included oranges. Here is a clip of my mom sharing HER thoughts on the matter:

Stop 2:  Gora

Our next stop was to a cute little area called Gora. This is where you can catch the Hakone Tozan Railway, which is the first step in getting to Lake Ashinoko (sight 3). Since we were starving we sat down and had a delicious soba noodle lunch (Gora is filled with soba noodle spots) and then hopped on the train. There isn't much shopping or other activities to do in this area, although there is a park in the area that has wonderful gardens and views. 

Stop 3: Lake Ashinoko

Hakone is one of the cities from which you can get a clear view of Mt. Fuji. Lake Ashinoko, or Lake Ashi for short, is the perfect place to do this and is usually done by taking the ropeway or a boat cruise. Unfortunately for us due to increased volcanic activity in the area the ropeway was shut down (something I was actually not too upset about since the thought of dangling above a mountain didn't seem very appealing to me). Seeing as our only option was the boat tour we hopped on a bus that took us down to the dock and we got on a beautiful boat that took us on a ride across Lake Ashi and dropped us off on the other side where we could shop and eat if we wanted to before catching a city bus back to the train station. While the boat ride was very peaceful with beautiful views, it did get a little crowded with tour groups and we had a bit of a cloudy day and could not get a clear view of Mt. Fuji. However, the shopping on the other side of the lake was pretty decent (mostly touristy souvenir types of shops) and we were able to finally get some delicious bean-filled buns! 

At this point a lot of things in Hakone were beginning to close and we needed to head back to the hotel and figure out what we were going to do for dinner. I will say that if you visit Hakone during the week, plan on eating an early dinner as most of the restaurants don't stay open very late. We ended up eating in our hotel's bar, which was actually really delicious, but there were a ton of places nearby that we wanted to try. As you can tell, Hakone has a very different vibe from Kyoto, but it was just as enjoyable. As I said before my mother planned this portion of the trip to give us a chance to rest before taking on Toky, and as you'll see in the next post we definitely needed it. 

As always I've gone ahead and made a vlog of our short time in Hakone. Make sure to check it out and leave a comment to let me know what you think:

Before I close out I'd like to take a second and say that I almost didn't write this post because of all that is going on in the world in the past week, particularly around the lives of Black people throughout the diaspora. However, as I was looking for guidance and inspiration in my own processing of emotions around these events I came across the following quotes and offer them to you merely as food for thought:

"In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it."  -  Marianne Williamson

"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends." - Maya Angelou

 

Next post will again require at least one or two days for me to get ready, but it is one you defnitely don't want to miss!

Enjoy the journey...

Vlog 2 is up: Roses Take NY

My parents made a quick stop in NYC before we all headed out for our trip to Japan and Vietnam. Vlog #2 covers some highlights from their (less than) 48 hours in the city. Check out the video below and find out what blows our mind on the High Line, which treat my dog Riley would die for and which coffee shop is my favorite spot in all of NYC.


 

Feel free to leave comments/feedback and show love by passing it along.
And remember to always enjoy the journey...