Tokyo

Posted on December 27, 2016 by amydo

Everything in Tokyo commands attention. The night lights of Ginza, Shibuya, Shinjuku and Arikahabara. The pedestrians and bikes coming in every direction at the scramble. The advertisers on streets luring you into cafes and restaurants and stores. The Christmas music, trees and lights. The architecture. Screens. Food. Everything!

Ginza at night

All my sense were simulated day and night. Walking around the city, I was overwhelmed by the beauty, frenzy, excitement and modernity of this dense city. On the metro I saw stylish men and women going to work, school, shopping, out on dates and out with friends. As soon as work hours are over, everyone seems to be in the mood to shop, eat and drink.

But the city doesn’t lose its sense of tradition and history. The modern architecture co-exists in a harmony with the old. It was a surprise to catch quiet streets in Yanesen and marvel at the simple and elegant buildings tucked away between the many Buddhist temples. Here, within the calmness of the Yanaka cemetery and Tennoji temple, I found a moment of peace and belonging.

A day trip away from the hustling also opened up a different view of the city. From the heights of Mount Takao, I saw the city engulfed in trees and clouds, dreamy and slow. That’s not what anyone would ever say about Tokyo ever, but despite being fascinated with the urbanism of the city, I found the quiet parts the most alluring.

I loved Roppongi hills, even after getting lost there multiple times. The upscale area has public art scattered around like a scavenger hunt, and the sparkling lights to celebrate Christmas are some of the most beautiful I’ve seen. Tokyo loves the camera, just like a model who knows how to flaunt and pose. It’s a wonderful city to photograph.

Mori Tower

I keep trying to look up everywhere I walk, but the massive amount of pedestrians make it hard to focus. This place just took my breath away.

Seattle

Posted on November 13, 2016 by amydo

My idea of Seattle is it’s Vancouver but with more highways and more yoga. Not entirely untrue but grossly generalized. In this city, you can find the first Starbucks in the world, so we all have to thank this city I guess. I wasn’t sure if visiting America after Trump was elected is a good idea… but Seattle has always been a great city no matter who lead the country.

It was luckily not raining this long weekend when we decided to drive down to our American sibling city. The wait at the border was 3.5 hours, so I was in the car for a good 7 hours by the time we got to Bellevue. The main purpose of this trips is clearly to shop at Uniqlo and Kinokuniya, which doesn’t exist in Vancouver (yet), so we made the most of it. I was very in awe of the huge highways and the sheer amount of traffic there is. Urban planners have cautioned us against building highway bypasses through cities for this reason.

We hit the city just around rush hour (4 pm) so we definitely did experience the commuting pain. Where are the bike lanes??? (says the person sitting in a car). Immediately after satisfying our shopping cravings, we headed to downtown Seattle for Kinokuniya. It’s located in a shopping plaza with other Japanese stores like Daiso.

After which, starving, we drove to Pike Place and tried to find a nice restaurant for dinner. My friend had recommended Japonessa, but the wait time was about 1.5 hours and we didn’t think we could last that long. So we walked around the block and found this huge restaurant called Wild Ginger.

I really liked the open space and the food! I got lamb chops that were delicious – but I’m not sure if it was because I was too hungry. After dinner we only had a small window of time to actually see Seattle, so we took a quick photo at Pike Place just so we can complete the tourist experience.

Till next time ‘Murica!

February in Vancouver

Posted on February 21, 2016 by amydo

I haven’t taken a photo of Vancouver lately. It’s cold and wet, with the occasional sunny or cloudy days. Recently I’ve tried to bike to UBC for school, and the majority of the times I’ve biked it’s been pouring rain, leaving me soaked when I arrive. I don’t remember Vancouver being this wet ever!? Or maybe my memory is just bad.

Since coming back, I’ve moved to 49th and Fraser, a working-class, less exciting southern part of Vancouver. I enjoy the proximity to working-class (aka cheap) food places like Samurai Sushi and Fresh Slice, but I miss the hipsterism and (generally) biking culture of Main street. I’ll be moving back to Mt. Pleasant in a couple of months – I need to get back there before the area is gentrified!

The city has been heavy lately – or perhaps I just haven’t had time to look around. My face is stuck on the computer screen or on my desk. It happens every year that I feel tired and blue from being forcefully hauled into a non-stop whirlwind of school or work, but this year it’s exacerbated by my recent travels. I miss feeling free – but at the same time I feel good that I am getting things done. Checking off things to do from my agenda.

I guess you never really live in a city until you are too busy to look at the city, at which point you stop living in the city. So if you’re lucky and catch that moment right before things get hectic, you can maybe live as a local without drowning in work. A great city has to support its working class and lower classes before it starts flashing off to tourists. It has to attract its inhabitants and workers enough that they don’t feel left out while trying to earn a living.

While many are leaving Vancouver for various reasons, mostly financial reasons, I hope to hold out here for as long as I can. It’s a privilege to live here among the millionaires and billionaires, and if it costs so much to be here, so be it. If it wasn’t for UBC, I think I would stay on the East side for as long as I can, because the Duffin Donuts, Bonn’s off Broadway, and the Black Lodge, Storm Crow Tavern, Formosa… A lot of times I feel like “going where the locals go” should be”going where the working class goes”.

This is, then, officially my ‘coming home’ blogpost. Home is Mt Pleasant and Sunset for now. Hopefully I’ll find a new home soon.

Budapest

Posted on December 24, 2015 by amydo

Budapest is charming and historical. Christmas is the perfect time to see the city dazzle in its ancient beauty and glow with the fragrant of mulled wine.

I think this city is the fundamental European city – based on my biased and hasting judgement of course. But this city has all the elements of Europe: castle, cobblestone, grand architecture, old trams, cafes… I wish I had visited Budapest first, because this city feels like the heart of this continent.

This time of the year, a thick veil of fog covers the Danube, making the light reflect off a red-ish tint in so many of my photos. I usually can deal with different situations to get decent photos, but I have to admit defeated with the fog. That’s when I just gave up and actually enjoyed being there in the city.

Christmas time makes me lazy though, and I wish I wasn’t so lethargic. Although I did walk around the city a lot. I felt safe and cozy in the city center, where it’s convenient to get to places and people aren’t hurrying all the time.

Of course when people think of Budapest they think of the grandiose parliament building. I enjoyed seeing it as I walked across the bridges and along the river. Having come back from Stockholm, I didn’t find the city that cold in comparison! I wanted to bike around the city, but the vacation mood took over and I went shopping instead. Surprisingly I didn’t go on a spree, but I was so into the secret boxes – they’re actually Turkish. And I remembered that the Rubik’s Cube was invented by a Hungarian! Can’t resist a little exercise for the mind.

I see a little bit of everywhere I’ve been in Budapest. There’s Ronald Reagan in the park and ruined bars. A fun, young, and cultural city, full of character and charisma.

I’m starting to become exhausted – not just from the travelling, but also from winding down from a hectic year. As I stood on top of a hill overlooking Budapest, I found myself letting go and catching a breathe in the foggy December air.

Stockholm

Posted on December 19, 2015 by amydo

Leaving on Snälltåget after sunset, I looked back sadly at Stockholm that I had to leave. I had fun, though alone, and I like the city when it’s void of summer backpackers.

I had an entire week in the city so I walked, biked, took the public transit and drove so I could see the city from different points of view. Everyone at this time is so busy getting back, going away, shopping, moving… It’s also brightly lit and cold, chirping, cheerful. Something I would expect in spring, but I found it in December.

I have a few memorable moments while wandering around the city. Ice skating at Kungsträdgården while my feet suffer in pain, but the lights and the ABBA music, and the kids and teenagers enjoying some holiday fun was so warming that I couldn’t bring myself to stop. I’m suffering all this blistering pain in my feet for a joyful feeling in my heart! Sounds like Christmas.

Another moment was when I walked around Djurgården in the chilly sunny afternoon and wandered off track into the forest. I saw a deer! But most importantly, in the extremely quiet stillness of the trees and wind, I felt like I had Stockholm to myself, and that the city is standing still for me.

One more, I biked to Drottningholm Palace in the -5 degrees C weather on a 3-gear bike. After getting lost countless times and scratching my head at the different places whose names I couldn’t pronounce (Ekerö), I finally get to the palace in the sunset, catching a glimpse of the royal glory in the fading sunlight. As I rode away in the sunset, I saw Stockholm from a bridge and marvelled at the cotton candy pink clouds, light as a dream.

But when I arrived, the moment I got off at Stockholm Central I wanted to go home. No, don’t get me wrong, not because I hated the city at first sight. But because it reminded me of places I feel at home. Vancouver. Singapore. The bustling and hurrying – people rushing and squeezing somewhere with purpose.

What an odd reaction! When I visited New York City, it was crowded and fast too, but it didn’t remind me of home. Stockholm’s “downtown” core also has high-rises and modern office buildings. Only a few car lanes funnel traffic through the central area, and pedestrians, trams and busses own the space. It was around 4 when I arrived and the pavement was packed with shoppers and white collars, in suits, hurrying. Christmas lights turn the city into a big party.

There’s exciting projects happening for the city: Hagastadan, Slussen, Vision 2030… The city will transform, but will not lose its beauty.

I wanted to go home, but I wanted to be there in Stockholm. I wanted to make Stockholm my home.

Utrecht

Posted on December 14, 2015 by amydo

Out of all of Amsterdam, Ede, the Hague, Eindhoven, Utrecht and Groningen, I have one favourite city. The Netherlands is small and well connected enough that it doesn’t take much time to travel and see a city. It’s so easy to become a “hit-and-run” tourist, seeing an entire city in one day and adding it to a checklist.

But Utrecht is more than a stopover or a checkpoint for me. The city tapped into my inner hipster – or rather, faux hipster – my secret desire to be young and hip all the time! The city is crowded with students, young, free, happy (or stressed?) and therefore the cafe, boutiques and restaurants are also youthful and lively. My friend took me to a cozy cafe, packed with people because it was a Saturday and apparently all of Holland came to Utrecht central to transfer or shop for the Sinterklaas holiday. While I sipped a very creamy hot chocolate and treated myself to a sweet croissant, I looked at the major bike traffic outside and listened to people my age gossip about life and relationships. It feels so warm to be in the company of friends. And these people, whom I just met, already made me feel welcomed.

My second day in Utrecht, I walked around all the canals and tried to get a glimpse of the sun. It had been stormy and wet for most of my stay in the Netherlands, but at times I was lucky enough to catch the sun stopping by. The city has very old roots, evident in its cobble stone streets and ancient buildings, like the cathedral and the water reserve. Yet its young, cool vibe shines through the colourful pride crosswalk, the buzzing of bikes and 20-somethings rushing to class, the Miffy traffic light (Nijntje Pleintje). Want a trip to your childhood?

I have to admire the Dutch’s ability to bike, everyday, everywhere, anytime. And they definitely built a very poetic city to enjoy biking in. Long walks along the canals and hipster boutiques and cafes is my idea of a nice date.

I wish I felt 22 forever.

Helsinki

Posted on December 14, 2015 by amydo

I only had two days in Helsinki, but they were very relaxing and calming. I spent a whole day at Stockman to satisfy the shopaholic in me, and another day biking around the city and surrounding areas like Lehtisari and Lauttasaari. Where are the people? Rush hour in Helsinki is so gentle.

The city in late November sparkles in Christmas lights. The main Academic Bookstore in the city center lights up with decorations. I wanted to buy so many books there, even the Finnish ones, and for a moment I wish I was Finnish.

It’s a city I want to get lost in. Hop on a bike and put on some good jogging shoes and turn off the GPS and be completely lost. I don’t know what’s beyond the water and parks, and I don’t know what this street is called, but I don’t mind not knowing. I somehow ended up in a residential area with big houses – perhaps they’re summer houses – and it was quiet I could hear the highway traffic from kilometers away. The sound of wind and the water harmonizing made me feel tranquil. Happy.

The city is so safe at any time. The bike store owner who rented me a bike was fine with me leaving the bike unlocked outside. “It’s Finland, you know!”, he said. In the stillness of the city, I was dazed and dreamy. By the water bank, I fantasized about drifting off into the water on a small boat and read a book. It was dark and gloomy – but it’s the unique feeling of just drifting out into the unknown, knowing you will always find your own home.

Then when I hit a dead end, I thought, does that mean my little adventure is over? But a city always extends beyond its cul-de-sacs and closed roads and what tourists experience in a short time. Helsinki can feel like home to those who are willing to stay long enough and discover the city’s nooks and crannies.

The end of a journey is not the end of an adventure.

St. Petersburg

Posted on December 9, 2015 by amydo

The city seemed almost familiar. The communist style buildings with concrete fences painted in yellow and metal poles sticking out at the top – so much alike Ha Noi. The dark alleys at night and small worn down convenient stores where I can bread for an equivalent of $1CAD. But then the city also has enormous shopping centres like Galleria, flooded with UNIQLO ads, and streets, buzzing with a language I am not used to and most people don’t speak English, so I’m stuck on my own if I ever need help. A sense of uncertainty creeps in me when I see that the city guide warned against going home alone at night, but I stay out late anyway. I wouldn’t say St. Petersburg makes me feel safe, but it entices and seduces me.

I felt so small in this huge city of 5 million, even though I grew up in Ha Noi with 7 million, so I should be used to the traffic that doesn’t calm down even until 9 pm, used to the crowded pavements without smiles and the impersonal feeling that big cities bring. But it was the first time in a long time I felt so private and nostalgic – the city brings back so many familiar feelings of my days in Singapore, racing against rush hour and caught up in the hectic lifestyle.

But I also felt so small because the weight of history in the cultural landmarks. This is not a new city. It has its poetic and dilapidated and glamourous angles. It has its sparkling and hidden and jaded corners. Couples hold hands and kiss late night on the metro. People yell at each other on the street for accidentally bumping into each other. Each person lives their own life and finds their own space in this vast city.

So yes, somehow the most impersonal place I’ve been to so far seemed the most at home to me. Which can’t be true – I could not understand any Russian to be able to feel comfortable! But somehow I remember my roots.

Digging my way through the metro (because the metro is very deep in St. Petersburg – it takes about 3-5 minutes to get to the surface), I finally made it to Avtovo – considered one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world. I was simply overwhelmed. For a city that clearly designs for cars and has much less consideration for bikes or pedestrians, it is so wonderfully vested in creating such an amazing metro system. It’s almost romantic to take the train and indulge in this alluring city.

Copenhagen

Posted on November 26, 2015 by amydo

Oh my dear Copenhagen! I want to embrace you and fall asleep with your scent of the ocean and the sound of the wind fluttering in my mind as I dream of the precious drops of sunlight scattered on the Black Diamond. When I’m away from you, I think of you, and when I’m there, I wish I didn’t have leave.

Copenhagen is romantic and lovely, oh so captivating. Perhaps it’s the quietness of the city because most people bike or take the metro. Perhaps it’s the canals and beaches and the little mermaid. I want to fall in love there and live happily ever after. I want to believe in fairy tales and drift away in Christiania. Honeymoon in Tivoli gardens and Nyhavn. Wake up early everyday and bike to work. Go to Tørst Bar on the 37th of October in 2016, while it’s only 2015???! Perhaps I did actually step through a fairy tale gate or something.

Oh I just want to take a million pictures of Copenhagen and its streets, full of people and bikes. People are drunk, or high, or in love. A little romantic dinner on a boat. stroll through Strøget (or not!), squeeze through Nyhavn, cruise through the canals. I’ve been to Copenhagen on 3 different occasions and love it whether it rains or not, whether it’s day or night, whether it’s 10 am when people are still sleeping or away in their summer homes…, or 10 pm when the party is just getting started. Whether I’m walking or biking. I will definitely not drive in this lovely city!

I want an apartment in the city so I can wake up with the sound of rain on my window sill, or the sunlight shining on my eyelashes. In the summer I will go sailing in a dinghy into the calm waters and think about how perfect it is to be here. Chase Coy playing in the background..

You know when you meet a boy or a girl so perfect that you daydream about spending the rest of your life with that person? Copenhagen is perhaps like that to me. I don’t even know if I’ll ever end up together with this city, but I like to fantasize that I will.

A girl can always dream.

Berlin

Posted on November 26, 2015 by amydo

Berlin is mysterious. Four days in this city is probably not even enough to discover properly any area of the city. Touring the city by car, I saw snapshots of the Turkish markets, highways, the Berlin Wall, trams on the east side, busses on the west side, commuter rails, Rittersport chocolate, lovely apartments, my friend’s balcony where I can sit in the morning and watch the sun rise while the September cold hadn’t settled in yet, Tempelhof, the-day-after of the kite festival, Postdam, the outskirts Wannsee – Kladow… So many things flashed across my eyes as if I was watching a sped up montage of history and culture, and my brain racing to retain as much as possible of the scenes. It’s a beautiful city no doubt, complicated, mosaic, layered, changing.

The city has character. People are happy and moody, the way big cities are with the constant flowing of time and business. It’s extremely inter-connected, but somehow shuts down on Sunday! It’s obviously a very political city as well and has seen milestones in modern history. How overwhelming it is to realize that things happen right there, with Germany being an important European power, and so many books, fiction and non-fiction alike, are about that very city. I felt small and swallowed by time and place. Oh gosh, I thought, this is Berlin!

Perhaps if I was a historian, I would have focused on seeing other things… But being me, I chased after chocolate and chocolate. You could say that Berlin is very sweet, very darling. Not something you would usually say about a huge city.

There’s so much I cannot write about Berlin, because I felt like I saw only 1/1000 of a second of its existence – so much I wish I could feel and understand. But “optimism” is the word I’ll use to describe the city. Optimism. Berlin has seen bad and good, and through all that, is a witness of changes. The city has made it through tough and great times, and I saw that a place can really start over and change. Once, what was an airport can now be a square. What were train tracks can now be a garden. And if times get hectic and suffocating, I can always escape to the top of the hill to see the city from above.

The Berlin sky is one full of hope.

And although blurry, I had extremely happy moments in Berlin. May you never sleep.

Amy Do

UBC ✈️ Lund