a life of serendipity
We all know the guy... Khaki pants (occasionally zipoffs), white sneakers (not the trendy kind), big old backpack hitting everyone around him, but he doesn't notice, as he's too busy taking photos of everything in sight... The classic tourist. There are definite advantages to NOT looking like a tourist... First off, and probably most importantly, [...]
Hello hello friends! I’m sure you’ve picked up on my love for hiking. There’s something about it that’s so simple, instinctive, and beautiful. It’s my go-to activity if I need a clear head or inspiration. If you choose to do longer hikes, gear certainly can make a difference! These are my must haves for hiking [...]
Writing this blog was never supposed to be a job. It was honestly just a way for relatives and friends to keep up with my gap year. As Unexpected Occurrence has grown, I've become so attached to this blog, and to YOU GUYS. I never would have expected my life to become so public; I [...]
Hello hello, my friends! Today, I’m turning 20… I know, I know, 20’s still a baby! But I’m feeling quite weird about this new decade. I feel like travel in your twenties is a different ballgame… it’s a time to discover yourself; it’s a time to make new foreign friends; it’s a time to have [...]
By now, you guys have probably guessed that my friends and I like to get away from our studies by going on weekend trips. This weekend, we checked out Dali, an ancient town north of Kunming. Dali is a great destination for a weekend away. It's full of amazing restaurants and cute little alleyways to discover and [...]
Earlier last week, I was talking to a friend, and when I said I loved Singapore's immigration line, but kinda hated that I didn't get an entry stamp, I was met with a very strange look. But come on, travelers like passport stamps!!! It got me thinking about all of the quirky things travelers love, [...]
Anya went hiking again... that shouldn't even be a surprise by now. I've heard wonderful things about Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan, China, and being in Yunnan made for no excuse NOT to go! This past weekend, some friends and I headed out, despite the bad weather reports. NOTE: there is an upper trail (hiking) [...]
The more I travel, the easier it is for me to decide what to bring. Through plenty of trial and error, I’ve found a couple things that I’ll always bring with me. P O W E R B A N K Bless my power bank. I only just recently bought one, but it’s quickly [...]
After a lovely weekend in Shangri La, we decided to spend the weekend in our home city- Kunming! Kunming is a wonderful, manageable-sized, charming city. There’s plenty in the city to check out (if you’d like a post on that, I can definitely do that), but we headed towards the mountains. Kunming is the home [...]
Located 3160 m above sea level, Shangri La (also known as Zhongdian) is the Himalayan paradise of the 1933 James Hilton novel Lost Horizons (or so they say, although other towns also claim to be THE Shangri La). My friends and I decided to do a weekend trip here to see the mountains and Tibetan culture. G E [...]
