Thank you & a loud shout out to Travel Osio for the nomination. Very kind of you. Thank you.
I feel tremendously lucky to be nominated a 2nd time within my 1st year of blogging. How warm and fuzzy does this community get? 😀 Alrighty, fellow blogging peers, I am sure that you know the drill and I will dive right into it.
My answers to Travel Osio‘s 11 questions are…
1) When did you decide to start your blog and why?
June 2015. I quit my job for a career break / travel. Sadly, my workaholism was severe. I needed something to calm myself. So here it was, Local Girl Foreign Land was born 😀 sadly, after 2 weeks, wordpress was locked down in China. So it was like, I signed up and straight away my site was blocked by the great firewall of China… *LOL*
2) What is best travel memory?
Hitch hike in Japan! It was one of my fondest memory. I was sooooo stupid and yet the journey was so worth it. I shared the story in one of my post – Hitch hike in Japan. It was one of my most treasured memories.
3) How often do you travel?
Hm… once a month? This is a tough question *lol* I love getting lost anywhere.
(business travel does not count)
4) Who is your biggest travel inspiration?
Probably Little Lai: Beyond Limits or Lawrence from Hello Toyama. Hard to decide between the 2.
Little Lai is a spontaneous hike / outdoor, landscape seeking sort of traveler. The way he conveys his appreciation to travel / life itself is inspiring. His attitude towards travel is admirable.
Whereas, Lawrence does not actually leave where he lives, but a traveller all the same. He does daily vlogs to record all the culture quirks and observation of a sleepy town in Japan. Well, he is now in Kyoto, but his vlogs are amazing in the way that it offers details that most travellers cannot observe. *He is fluent in Japanese, which helps a lot. He does such beautiful narratives and really show true appreciation of difference in culture and celebrates life as it is.
5) If you can move anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Takamatsu, Japan. Beautiful seaside city with gorgeous garden and affordable living cost. Easy access to islands for spontaneous get away. It is on the island with THE ancient 88 pilgrim route. Crazy temples but half the crowd compare to Nara / Kyoto. Low population density. And it is JAPAN! It is the udon prefecture of Japan. No further elaboration needed, right?
6) What is the best food you’ve ever had and where?
Unagi-don from a small, simple shop in Tottori, Japan. It was amazing! Nothing fancy, just pure craftmanship.
7) What’s the most challenging thing you’ve done?
Learning a 5th language. I am slowly mixing it all up…
8) What’s your favorite place so far?
Guadeloupe, France (Caribbean)
9) What place(s) is on top of your bucket list?
- Thebes, Egypt
- Rekyjevik, Iceland
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
10) What was your most embarrassing moment while traveling?
A naked guy tanning at his balcony greeted me good morning and I freaked out. I felt so embarrassed. He was a neighbor.That was in Sweden.
11) What do you hope people will learn about the world by reading your blog?
Travel does not have to involve doing many things. All it takes is your open eyes and ears.
Nominees
My nominees are:
- Taiwan’s waterfall – avid hiker and beautiful photos of many stunning hikes
- Japan etc. – short snippets from all over Japan (local Japanese blogger)
- Tagnoue – stories from a Japanese lady working in an international company
- Haiku Girl’s Japan – Alison writes a lot about Japan. Large collections from various prefectures.
- Skipping customs – follow Maria and her adventures working in China
My questions to the nominees
- How do you start your morning?
- What is your favourite season (spring/summer/autumn/winter)? Why?
- Where is home?
- When did you start to blog?
- Why did you choose your current blog theme?
Quick summary on Travel Osio, the kind blogger who nominated me:
- Travel Osio specialises in South East Asian travel
- She can dive and give good tips too
- She is a full time softwear engineer with a soft spot for travel
- She travel spontaneously with an adventurous spirit
- Her travel stories are affordable
Please be a sweetheart & follow my social media xox
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14 Comments
Great sharing Joyce. The Swedes are like that as you would know having lived there. I planned to walk the pilgrimage around Shikoku but my Japanese friend sadly died before we could and my Australian friend has deserted his family and gone off in a yacht. Do you know of the books on cycling around Japan by Josie Dew, (maybe next time Joyce) and Hokkaido Highway Blues by Will Ferguson hiking the length of Japan? If not you must read them.
Thank you, Denis ???? You can do the shikoku pilgrimage alone too ???? adventure and plenty of stairs. I didn’t know about those books~~ thanks for telling me. Fab to know, way easier than me battle thru my Japanese books ????
I like the artwork you created for this award! So cute.
Crazy that WP was blocked in China. I did discover that Facebook was blocked there too but people have ways around it!
Tsk tsk you hitch hiked in Japan, you crazy chick!
Ok, I’ll put Takamatsu as a place to visit next time we’re in Japan!
Yes, yes, you need to visit Rekyjevik, Iceland! Fascinating little country. Amazing food too.
I’d freak out too if some random naked man greeted me!
Congrats on the award! 🙂
Thank you, Stashy ???? artwork is from Miitomo. You are always so supportive xox ???? thanks ????
Congratulations Joyce; really well done. Enjoyed reading about you too.
Aw, thank you, Sue ????
Hello Joyce,
I didn’t know I was able to inspire you to travel. Thank you so much for your appreciation toward my blog. I’m completely overwhelmed. God bless on your journey and thanks for sharing the interesting information about you.
???? I hope you’ll inspire many more
Congrats!! You totally deserve it, you have a lovely blog! 🙂
http://www.fromdreamtoplan.net/
Thank you for the kind support.
Congratulations Joyce ????
Thank you, Lai 🙂
Your response makes me want to fly out to Takamatsu, Japan right away, and it’s the first time I’ve heard of that place!
You are so close ???? give it a go ????