Living in a city whose average temperature is 57.3 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s not often that I crave frozen desserts. With the temperature being in the upper 80’s to low 90’s in Vancouver though, any reprieve from the heat was a nice one. While walking around Coal Harbor, my friends and I stumbled upon a Korean dessert shop called, Sulmida Dessert…
Located in False Creek, just a short walk or ferry boat ride from Sunset Beach Park is an amazing little center of art and foodie culture, Granville Island. Granville Island, at the turn of the century, was originally an array of factories and sawmills. With the area eventually falling into depression, local authorities turned the site into a public market…
I have heard horror stories about people converting their money into Canadian currency (CAD)—though really any currency. Oftentimes, people are told to use exchanges at the airport either before or after departing. Because these businesses exist through fees charged, the amount of money you get back will be much less, relative to what is taken out of the bank. In…
Traveling to a new place, one thing that I’m going to want to try—of course—are the local milk tea drink offerings. Somewhere, ranked second or third, would be donuts. On my recent latest trip, I wanted to try one of the best doughnut shops in Vancouver, Cartems Donuts. Sadly, on both of the occasions I dropped by, the shop was…
In addition to trying new foods, one of the ways I like to immerse myself in the culture of an area is by checking out the local art scene. I love walking the streets, both worn and freshly-paved, checking out street art, large and small. I’ve detailed some of the street art in Taiwan in a previous post. For this…
Many readers of Collecting EXP will know how much I enjoy trying different drinks, particularly those with tea and boba. For anyone visiting Vancouver interested in the local drink scene, here’s my take: Starbucks is Big Not really surprising, considering how close the headquarters is to Vancouver, Starbucks is a cultural mainstay in the Hollywood of the north. If you…
When I asked for recommendations in Vancouver, British Columbia, one place that came up time and time again was Miku. Upon closer inspection, I found out that Miku was one of, if not, the best sushi restaurants in the city. When looking for places to take our friends, it was a no-brainer with the number of accolades. After a long…
Summer time can only mean one thing in Vancouver—the return of the largest night market in North American, the Richmond Night Market. Having had a taste of night markets in Taiwan, when I flew over to Vancouver, British Columbia I knew I had to drop by. To get to the Richmond Night Market, my friends and I got off the…
Before Bake Cheese Tart made its way to the US in Westfield San Francisco Centre, I had a chance to check out the famous Japanese tart in Taiwan. I was walking along the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (新光三越 / shin guang san yue) mall in Taichung (台中市 / tai zhong shi) when I noticed a few stanchions on the corner. At first,…
On my way to Taiwan for another trip, I was able to discover what United is all about. We left for the “Fruit Kingdom” in the afternoon from SFO. The goal was to sleep as quickly as possible to get in a few hours of sleep in Taiwan’s early morning, then to stay awake during the rest of the flight….
