Travel Missteps - Lili on the Loose

22 06, 2015

Travel Missteps: No Cocktails at the Pub

By Lili|June 22nd, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2009, at the heart of it Ireland 2009, cocktail, cosmo, cranberry, drinking, Drinking songs, Dublin, Europe, Guinness, Ireland, pubs, Smirnoff Ice, Temple Bar, vodka, whiskey|0 Comments

Ireland was the first trip abroad where I was able to and wanted to drink. Thankfully Ireland has no shortages of drinking establishments, and none are so iconic as the traditional Irish pub. So on our first night my family and I headed out to the Temple Bar district of Dublin to get a drink. At first we tried a pint of Guinness for its 250th anniversary, but no one in our family really liked it. I wasn't surprised as I actually hate most beer. But we did greatly enjoy the traditional pub atmosphere and we learned a lot of drinking

8 06, 2015

Travel Missteps: The Expensive Scarf

By Lili|June 8th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2005, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, euro, Europe, Italy, language, market, Rome, scarf, shopping, Trafalger, translation|0 Comments

My first morning in Italy I was so excited. I had a brand new DSLR Camera and I felt like a Pro photographer. I got up early and went into the piazza near our hotel. There was a local market going just getting ready for their first customers. I wandered through it, taking photos here and there. A festive fish stall My sister found me and we wandered towards the edge and found a woman selling pashmina scarves. It was late December and I realized I had forgotten yet again to bring a scarf for the cold weather.

25 05, 2015

Travel Missteps: Not So Yummy Assumption

By Lili|May 25th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2015, Canada, Donuts, food, HIMYM, How I Met Your Mother, North America, Ontario, Tim Hortons, Timbits, Toronto, TV Show, Yea! Sports|0 Comments

When I had a quick, last minute trip to Toronto for work I didn't have much time to plan. Especially when I was going during a massive conference week and nearly all hotel rooms were booked. So I looked up a few touristy activities and timing but nothing else. That likely wasn't the smartest idea. I didn't know that my chosen hotel was in the Financial district of downtown, and that nearly all cheap restaurants and stores closed down over the weekend. I also didn't know my chosen hotel was more like a dorm, and it wasn't recommended to drink

4 05, 2015

Travel Missteps: Yavin 4

By Lili|May 4th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: Central America, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Geek, Guatemala, Mayan Encounter 2013, Movie, Pyramid, Star Wars, Temple, Tikal, tour, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Yavin 4|0 Comments

Its not often while traveling that you can really let your Geek Self out. But at the top of Temple IV in Tikal, Guatemala I had that opportunity to Geek Out with other Star Wars fans. You see, a very short scene from the original Star Wars (A New Hope) was shot at the top of this temple in Tikal to show the Millennium Falcon landing at the rebel base on the 4th moon of Yavin. Temples I, II, and III are seen off in the distance. Yavin 4 (Tikal) in Star Wars A New Hope I had

27 04, 2015

Travel Missteps: Sigh “American Right?”

By Lili|April 27th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2005, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, chocolate, Europe, Italy, language, translation|0 Comments

Many people travel to countries where they don’t know the language. Prior to my trip to Italy I had traveled to England, France, Mexico, and Japan. In middle school and high school I had taken some Spanish, French, and Japanese classes, so I didn’t feel that lost language-wise when traveling to those countries. So Italy was a first for me, not knowing any of the language. After a long day of traveling, our group stopped into a roadside shop. It was like a mini-grocery market combined with a restaurant and a chocolate shop. I was tired and decided to buy

13 04, 2015

Travel Missteps: The Legend of the Hubcap Nachos

By Lili|April 13th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 1997, 2012, Florida, Hawaii, Margaritaville, Nachos, North America, Oahu, Orlando, Orlando Adventure 2012, Sunburn, Sunburnt 1997, USA|1 Comment

When I was in middle school we took a family vacation to Hawaii. I...didn’t enjoy it that much. The first day I got the worst sunburn I’ve ever had in my life and was miserable the entire trip. Our cheap hotel was going under major renovations...and smelled like cat pee. (I also think it was a sweatshop, as the 2nd floor was a warehouse room where many women were making cheap jewelry from beads and shells.) I didn’t know you were suppose to barter at the nearby marketplace and spent all of my spending money on a Japanese money cat

30 03, 2015

Travel Missteps: I Swear its Not Porn

By Lili|March 30th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2004, Akiba, Akihabara, Anime, Asia, Electric Town, exchange program, Gundam Wing, Japan, manga, Otaku, porn, Sailor Moon, Sister Cities, Sister Cities Japan 2004, Tokyo|0 Comments

I became a Japanese Anime and Manga fan in 1998 when Sailor Moon (and later Gundam Wing) were aired on Toonami. I loved the artistic style and would brave dial-up internet to research other anime, how to draw the big eye style, and start teaching myself Japanese. It was hard being a fan back then as it was so new to America that most people didn’t know what it was. The Original Anime Sailor Moon I remember that most bookstores didn’t carry manga. I once asked for the “Graphic Novel” section, and a confused shop keeper took me

16 03, 2015

Travel Missteps: Quit Your Bitchin

By Lili|March 16th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2009, at the heart of it Ireland 2009, CIE, Europe, Ireland, Old People|0 Comments

My first indication that my trip to Ireland would be unusual was at customs. My sister and I waited together and when we stepped up we answered the usual questions. When the younger custom agent asked us what we were doing we explained we were going on a tour. Curious he asked us which tour company and we said CIE. He then just started laughing at us. “You certainly are screwing with their demographics aren’t you?” He said still laughing. Confused we tried to find out what he meant, but he only replied “You’ll find out soon enough!” And boy

16 02, 2015

Travel Missteps: The Little White Lie

By Lili|February 16th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: bunny, cocker spaniel, Disney World, Florida, holy, lie, Michigan, North America, Orlando, pet, rabbit, retro, snow, Toontown, USA, Where Dreams Come True|0 Comments

Random Cute Bunny When I was 4 I remember going to a county fair. It seemed huge and circus like. And I remember having the knowledge that it was not my first county fair. So I made a beeline to the tent that would have the rabbits for sale. I fell in love with a white rabbit with red eyes and a little black around the ears. I don’t remember how much whining and bargaining I did but somehow we came home with a rabbit, cage, and food. I was so excited for my first real pet! (I

2 02, 2015

Travel Missteps: 1 Thing Not To Do In Washington DC

By Lili|February 2nd, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2013, DC, feet, metro, museum, Museum Madness, North America, pain, USA, walking, Washington DC|0 Comments

When I travel I do a lot of research. I particularly enjoy articles like “10 Things Not To Do In...” as they can provide a nice overview of common traveler mistakes. But on my short trip to Washington DC, I ignored one of common pieces of advice: Don’t Over Do It! But I only had 4 days in DC, and I wanted to see all the free museums! Protesters in front of the Jefferson Memorial at night. So I pushed myself hard. On the first day I went on a guided tour of to the National Archives, then