Hello!
I am Joyce, a micro-entrepreneur, blogger based in Paris. I love to wander around getting lost everywhere I go, and I laugh a lot. That’s why my slogan is: Explore. Laugh. Repeat.
Beauty related profile: click here
This blog started out as a digital travel journal, because my real life journals were getting out of hand and there’s no space to keep them all. Little by little, I started to write about beauty, blog admin and other lifestyle topics.
Travel preferences
Mainly travel solo or with my spouse. I love exploring affordable local options. Spending like crazy is not my idea of fun. Price tag and expectation has an exponential relationship in my books; aka splurge usually results in disappointment.
Favourite tourism is cooking class, hike, museum and local street food. Walking around getting lost is pretty good too. I do regularly ignore reading ‘top list’ and ‘best list’. I find that if I wander around enough, I’ll spot something that tickles my fancy. Personal experience is good enough for me.
In a nutshell?
- I can read/speak: English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese and
Afrikaans(gone to hell due to lack of practice). Currently studying French. - I hate spending money on transport i.e. flight, ferry, train, bus…
- I prefer rural and non-city travel.
- I am fond of minshuku and hostel experience.
- My favourite destination is firmly Japan.
- I can drive a manual car, but cannot parallel park a Smart car >_<
- I sleep easily on a long haul flight or bus or anywhere.
- The way I tend to pack? 2 nights travel means a 20L. 8 weeks is a 45L for summer / 60L for winter. A carry-on case is enough luggage room for my 30+ days summer travel. *I will bring a check-in luggage if I plan to haul*
- My backpack max tolerance weight is 12kg. I am 157cm, weigh +/- 43kg.
- I love meat, but do not eat lamb.
Where am I from?
- I was born in Hong Kong.
- Chilled in Durban for 10 years
- Partied/worked in Cape Town for 8 years
- Exported to Shanghai for 8 years
- Lived in London for a year
Now live in Paris 😀 I clearly have an identity crisis issue. LOL
My motto is, ‘Ichigo ichie’ 一期一会. In English: One opportunity, one encounter
All photos are my own unless stated otherwise. Support original work! If you will use my photos / videos, please do not remove my watermark; otherwise, please ask me for permission.
Looking for me?
Contact me 🙂 localgirlforeignland@gmail.com
I have opened a small workshop in Paris 😀 running kitsuke workshops (how to wear a kimono) & I make Japanese fabric goodie. https://kikitaru.com
58 Comments
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Lovely to meet you! I was in South Africa (Cape Town based) for nearly two months – can’t wait to read your blog and reminisce!!
Hi Emily 😀 Thank you for dropping by. Lovely to meet you too. How wonderful that you got to stay in the Mother City for so long. I don’t write that much about CPT. Now that you’ve inspired me, I should work on that 😉
Thank you for stopping my blog.
I thank you for dropping by mine too 😀
Joyce, what an interesting and adventurous life! I cannot wait to explore your space for Japan stories and get inspired! 🙂 xoxo, nano
Thanks for dropping by, Nano. Same here, I like reading about your life/adventure in Japan ????????
dig your blog and overall vibe and the energy you display is very refreshing. peace and the best
Thank, Maxx 😀 Such encouraging comment.
Lovely to ‘meet’ you Joyce! You have such a stunning blog and one visit is definitely not enough to absorb everything on offer 🙂 Looking forward to my next visit already! 😀
Please to meet you too 😀 Thank you for the kind words and visit 😉
My pleasure! 🙂
Hey, twin ???? thanks, I was busy making birthday graphic to text you wahaha. Happy birthday to you too ????????
Hello Joyce,
I am pleased to inform you that I have nominated you for a Liebster award. Visit this post to know more about it. https://travelosio.com/2016/06/04/travelosio-receives-liebster-award/
Congratulations!
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for the nomination ???????? how kind of you ????????
Looking forward to reading your post 🙂
Happy to have found your blog! I love the layou, the style, the content…everything! I’m a travel lover too so following you will definitely be inspiring!!
Looking forward to reading your posts! 🙂
P.S.
Your pics are amazing!!
https://fromdreamtoplan.wordpress.com/
Thank you so much for the encouraging comment, fromdreamtoplan (did not find your name on your blog) . I will continue to try the try 😉 I love the gateway theme 😀 very clean.
My pleasure! I’m Lisa and thank you for stopping by my blog 🙂
Pleased to have found your blog too, Lisa 😀
Congratulations speaking so many languages and especially that You learning also French, which I love very much. I love languages and that is why post in four languages since nearly two years.
Happy and safe travels!
P. S. Great blog.
Wow, Sartenada! Posting in 4 languages for 2 years!!! That is crazy talent and discipline!!! I should be the one congratulating you ???????? amazing!
Your photos are breathtakingly beautiful. They make Japan look like a much better travel destination than any other advertisements they do here. Thank you!
Aw, thank you so much, Keikli. Such sweet encouragement. I love visiting Japan. Such a beautiful country.
What a great motto! Happy to have stumbled across your blog :). We’re looking forward to reading through your posts!
Thank you for dropping by, Maria & Nifesi! 😀 Lucky me 😉
Thank you for stopping by my blog, Joyce! I can’t wait to read more about your adventures. It sounds like we enjoy the same kind of travel. 🙂
Love your blog and your motto. Just wanted to say thank you so much for visiting my own and for kindly following.
I shall look forward to keeping in touch.
Luv n peas
Bob
Aw, thank you, Bob. That’s so sweet of you. Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment. Look forward to read your next post 😀
I like your way of life 🙂 I will follow your blog
Thank you for reading 😀 so nice to know~~
Great smile and blog! xo
Hey, very interesting blog and I like your style a lot – visually clear. Happy to start following! 🙂 I’m an ex-expat who doesn’t feel at home in my “home” country and I was just asked yesterday which nationality I think of myself as belonging to. The only answer I came up with was “international”! Luckily here in the blog world, I can be whatever I want!
Thanks for the support. Ja, this expat all over the show is identity crisis causing haha. I understand your feeling too
That’s the word I was looking for: identity crisis! Exactly! 😉 haha!!
Hey, you have a great blog, thanks for commenting(yes, it was tough reading about the Massacre of Nanking).
Btw you have a beautiful smile, keep smiling!