A Trip To Peru (WITHOUT Machu Picchu?!): The Logistics

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A Trip To Peru (WITHOUT Machu Picchu?!): The Logistics

In my previous post, I shared about a portion of my travels with my sister in Peru: the extraordinary day trip that we got to take through Peru’s Sacred Valley. But when I talk about this trip with people in-person, I get more questions about the more basic aspects of the travels. So here I’ve attempted to compile some answers to the logistics of our overall voyage; hopefully it can help inform your next trip to the area!

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Visiting Peru’s Sacred Valley (Sans-Machu Picchu)

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Visiting Peru’s Sacred Valley (Sans-Machu Picchu)

When us outsiders think about Peru, most minds will likely automatically arrive first to one name: Machu Picchu. And it’s understandable; the 15th-century Incan city ruins is the country’s most visited site, attracting tourists as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. But Machu Picchu is actually just one of a number of archeological and cultural sites that sit within the area north of the Incan capital of Cusco, known as Valle Sagrado de los Incas–The Sacred Valley of the Incas.

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Emotions, Unfulfilled Dreams, & More: Some thoughts on 'Creed III'

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Emotions, Unfulfilled Dreams, & More: Some thoughts on 'Creed III'

I should admit–this movie had not been on my radar to see at all. Sure, I had seen it around here and there; but the title didn’t mean as much to me as it would to someone who is avid Michael B. Jordan fan (considering that this film marked his directorial debut), or to someone else who enjoyed growing up following the Rocky franchise (I actually didn’t know the Creed trilogy was born from the ‘Rocky’ movies until later). Despite this, I somehow found myself among the moviegoers in theaters to see it on its opening weekend. I had no background or expectations going in–but I was surprised that I quite enjoyed the movie, namely for some themes that it engaged with that I wanted to share my thoughts on here.

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Finding New Hobbies As An Adult

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Finding New Hobbies As An Adult

I don’t really have any hobbies.🙇🏽‍♀️

I was forced to face the music on this recently due to two things. One of such being dating apps–because there’s no escaping the dreaded questions of “What are your hobbies?” or “What do you do in your free time?” The other thing that made me realize my lack of hobbies was living in a different country, in the middle of nowhere. I’ve had previous extended stays outside of the US; but during my other travels, I was usually in big cities, where it was easy to find random things to fill up my time. But while residing in the mountainous northern countryside of South Korea–far from the city and having pretty few opportunities to interact with others (as my area basically comprised of children, soldiers, and elderly folks)–I realized: I don’t have anything concrete that I like to do.

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Everybody is going through something.

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Everybody is going through something.

This world is filled with so many things. Of course, there’s the joyous and the fascinating, the wondrous and the awe-inspiring. But there’s also a lot of the difficult, less-sparkly things as well–certainly more than any one of us even take into consideration on a daily basis. And these days, I can’t help but to think about all the heavy moments that a person can see during their lifetime.

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My Online Dating Profiles Are My App-Sized Love Letters to Myself

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My Online Dating Profiles Are My App-Sized Love Letters to Myself

I’m gonna go ahead and out myself on something here:

I love making dating app profiles.

Don’t get me wrong–dating apps are a special kind of hell, and between modern technology and a global pandemic, dating in this current day and age is, unequivocally, the ghetto (as well as a twisted gamification of human interactions…but that’s a gripe for another day).

You may have read that and thought, ‘Well gosh, someone’s vain’. And you know what–I’ll take that assessment, any day of the week. Because there was a long period of my life when I could have never claimed such confidence–and I live in constant awe and gratitude to have been able to emerge from those dark times and sit on the opposite side of the confidence spectrum.

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My Best Reads of 2021

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A few years ago I set an intention to get back to reading–and at the end of another year, I’m happy to report that I have successfully stuck to that commitment!

And even more recently, I dedicated myself to actively seeking out and spending more time reading books by and about underrepresented identities (in the world of fiction, that essentially means nonwhite identities; you can read why I did this here). And I’m so glad that I did, because every single book on this list is a result of that intention–and I likely would have missed out on these stellar reads if I was doing otherwise.

Part of the joy of reading is of course experiencing a story; but, as a natural storyteller myself, I’m aware that for me, the other part of the joy lies in sharing my reads with others. And that’s what inspired me to compile this list and present them to you here as a blog post–with hopes that you all will be inspired to check them out as well~

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My goal in this single short lifetime is to live as many lives as possible.

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My goal in this single short lifetime is to live as many lives as possible.

The older woman took her time approaching the counter, her gait a slow, measured shuffle. When she reached where I stood on the other side, she inquired about the restroom. While we have signs notating that ‘Restrooms are for customer use only’, I directed her to the back of the restaurant where they were located. However, she didn’t proceed on. Instead, she stared at me. After a few beats, she asked “You still getting them good shoes for free?”

Well. That was…unexpected.

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Your Anti-Racism Must Include Asian Americans

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Your Anti-Racism Must Include Asian Americans

This year, Black History Month and the Lunar New Year overlapped in the month of February. And while there is subsequently and rightfully a significant amount of narrative around uplifting Black voices, we don’t see anywhere near the same movement around Asian and Asian American voices, at any point of the year. I am only a single voice--one that doesn’t really have much of an audience honestly--but this month, I want to use my voice and my platform to uplift those of another group that faces racism, hate, marginalization and discrimination in the US and across the globe.

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