Oh, The Places You'll Go!

 this was my lunch time "fortune" on a mini roadtrip to Tulalip, WA this past weekend. :)  
I love travelling. If you ask me if i'd rather spend $1,000 on a new purse or a new experience, i'd choose the latter. Perhaps it's because i've been on the move since I was young, having moved from the Philippines to Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, my family and i moved to a new place every 2 years. After Hong Kong, we moved to Canada, then I moved to California, then back to Canada.

It's the excitement leading up to my departure date, making my "to-pack" list, packing, waiting at the airport, take off, landing, taking your first breath of the new place once the airport doors open, exploring, trying new foods, getting sick from new foods, experiencing the culture, meeting the people, shopping for souvenirs... i love it all! (okay, maybe except for the getting sick from food part)

 Photo credits to: tourist destinations for bora bora photo, carmelo61 on flickr for santorini photo, jazztruth for tokyo photo, fellsho for venice photo, and nicepictures08 for palawan photo.  

There are still so many places I would love to visit, especially now that I've become great friends with many of you here on blogger from around the world! Someday, someday... :)

Which country is first on your "to visit" list? 

tweet, tweet // i design clothing: www.herrohachi.com and post videos about it on my YouTube page

Preparing for the Culture Shock...

To prepare for my trip back to the Philippines in about 2.25 months, i've been talking to several friends who have been there recently to get some tips. You see, I haven't been back to the home land in 11 years!!! I don't know what it looks like anymore, what it smells like, what the authentic food tastes like, what the shopping is like, etc! I definitely don't want to look and sound like a foreigner so I can bargain well at the markets, hehe.

For those of you who don't know, I am originally from the Philippines although I only lived there for 2 years. My family then moved to Hong Kong for 10 years and then we moved to Canada. My first taste of culture shock was when we visited Canada before moving here. I was stunned. Where was everybody? I was used to the streets of Hong Kong which was packed at almost every hour of the day. People would walk shoulder to shoulder and you'd often get elbowed! And what do you mean the mall closes at 6PM? What do you mean the bus arrives every 30 minutes instead of every 5 minutes!? What do you mean people don't wipe boogers on bus and train poles? :P

Where did you experience the biggest culture shock? 

Speaking of cultures, travel, and far away places. Check out what arrived in the mail today all the way from INDONESIA! I ordered two prints from my lovely friend Tiara, one for me and one for my four year old cousin. Tiara's imagination, creativity, and skill radiates through her artwork. Seriously amazing! Check out the rest of her prints HERE! The quality is great, her prices are reasonable and my prints arrived quickly. Thank you Tiara!


tweet, tweet // i design clothing: www.herrohachi.com // book of faces // tumblr

My 30 Minutes as a Baller.

Yesterday, I talked about my first afternoon tea experience at the Fairmont Pacific Rim and mentioned that I went on a tour of the hotel's rooms after tea. About 5 years ago, I started working in a hotel and trained someone who is now a good friend of mine and now also works at this hotel. It is one of the most prestigious hotels in Downtown Vancouver and one of the first picks for celebrities to stay at.

My friend started by showing us their "regular" room:




These regular rooms have TV's in the mirrors of the bathrooms!



Next she took us to the Presidential Suite (pictured above) and this is where Lady Gaga stayed not too long ago. The price? Oh... just $5,000 CAD per night. No big deal.

They have enclosed kitchens in these suites that have two entrances. One coming from the outside so that your private chef can come in and cook your meal without disturbing you.



This is the balcony of the Presidential Suite with a view from the 22nd floor. You're probably wondering why i'm holding my shoe? Lady Gaga has a photo of herself on this very balcony, holding her stiletto and using the heel to mix her drink. :P



Inside the huge bathroom of the Presidential Suite - you get to bathe and put on a show for the other surrounding buildings. haha!



Still in the same bathroom... If bathing for the world isn't enough, you can also poo for the world to see. ;P There are blinds that you can pull down for privacy but I wonder how many people actually use them?



This is the most expensive "room" in the hotel - The Chairman Suite going for pocket change of $6,000 CAD per night. The chandelier you see up there costs $200,000 CAD and made purely from Swarovski Crystals. Some people don't prefer this suite though because it's on the 8th floor as compared to the Presidential Suite which is on the 22nd floor.



You can't tell from this picture but this bathroom is about the size of a small condo, no joke. It was HUGE. And again, you can bathe for the world to see.

People have said to me that the windows must be one sided but I can assure you that they are not... i've heard stories. O.O




So there you have it... a glimpse of how ballers travel.

Which room would you like to stay in?

tweet, tweet // i design clothing: www.herrohachi.com // book of faces // tumblr