Gunkanjima | Hashima Island, Japan

Markus and I are a fan of films, which makes sense since Markus is an animator. When we travel, for some reason, I always tend to look for filming locations. We've been to Pemberely, Hogwarts, and 221B Baker Street. When I was planning our trip to Japan, Skyfall was just released in the theaters. When I saw the film, I remember being intrigued by the abandoned island that was featured. I've always wanted to explore a ghost town or an abandoned theme park. After a bit of research, I learned that it was in Japan. So, I made sure to include Hashima Island on the list.

Hashima Island is known by so many different names such as Gunkanjima, Battleship Island and Ghost Island. It's located off the coast of Nagasaki. The island was primarily used as a coal mining facility from 1887 to 1974. It was bought by Mitsubishi in 1880 and people lived and worked on the island. In 1974 the mine was closed and Hashima has been abandoned since then. Due to several typhoons, the buildings have taken a beating and the island was closed off to visitors. It's popularity has risen in the past few years and it was decided to open Hashima for supervised tours.

Markus and I used to watch a lot of those "ghost hunter" like shows. I'm really intrigued by places that are supposedly haunted and for some reason always end up watching shows like that on TV. I was a huge fan of Unsolved Mysteries when I was a kid, so I think this fascination stems from this. What can I say? I'm a bit of a weirdo, but at least it makes for interesting posts and travels!

I was a bit sad that we weren't allowed to freely explore the island, but I can understand the reasoning behind it. The tour took us to three different spots on the island. The tour was completely in Japanese so Markus just wandered around. It was also extremely hot that day, so by the time we reached our third stop, I was pretty over it. Despite the heat and not understanding the tour, I enjoyed being able to visit the island. It was really cool to see something so unique and unlike any other place. Maybe Markus and I will start searching for more abandoned places we could explore on our own.

Paradise Bungalows | Koh Rong, Cambodia | 2 of 3

Before we headed down to Koh Rong, an island off the southern coast of Cambodia, I extensively researched the best place to stay. I was really worried about being stranded on an isolated island for five days. The island is quite underdeveloped and is powered by solar generators. There are even designated times for electricity at night. It's probably the closest I will ever get to living on a "deserted island".

While I conducted my research, I wanted to make sure that we found the best of the best on the island. There were a lot of hostel like type places where you could pay $1 for a night in a dorm room packed full of random people. I'm sorry, but I'm not about that life. I'm already in my 30s and I think I've gone past that stage. I don't mind paying a more for a more comfortable place. For only $19 more, Markus and I stayed at Paradise Bungalows.

Paradise Bungalows is by no means five star accommodation, but it's the closest you'll get on Koh Rong. Everything is really rustic, but that adds to the charm. I must say that it took a lot of getting used to. If you stay on an island like Koh Rong, it's going back to the basics. It was definitely something that Markus and I both wanted to experience.

For bungalows, you can choose one on the beach or more inland. We chose an inland bungalow and didn't feel like we missed out. We were only a minute walk to the beach. There really isn't a bad bungalow because you can see the beach from the porch of every single one. All of them have bathrooms that are connected and outside. It was pretty cool taking a shower without a roof. I felt a bit like I was Eve or something. Although, using the toilet was a bit uncomfortable. Many times, you could hear people talking and walking by. Either way, it was a great experience and one that I wouldn't be afraid to repeat!

Buckingham Fountain | Chicago, Illinois

Back in September, we went to the city with our dearest friends and roommates Ashley and Zack. Since I've never been to Chicago, we tried to fit in a ton of places. We pretty much walked all over the city. While we were at the Bean we decided to walk over to Buckingham Fountain. I didn't know that this was the same fountain featured in the Married with Children opening. As soon as I found that out, I couldn't stop singing "Love and Marriage".

We spent most of our time trying to take pictures of each couple. At one point an Indian lady walked right in front of the camera when Zack was taking pictures of us. She was completely oblivious and had no idea what was going on even though we were laughing hysterically. It was pretty awesome and the highlight of my day.

We spent a decent amount of time trying to get a serious picture out of Ash and Zack but they shined the most when they were being themselves. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. I love these pictures of them and I think I would blow them up and hang them on my wall. That's how much I love them. We always have a great time with Ash and Zack and they're definitely an extremely amazing bonus to living a wonderful city.

Lords Park | Elgin, Illinois

Markus and I currently live in the far west suburbs of Chicagoland in Elgin. It's quite a bit of a drive to the city and it's super suburban. It's not a bad place if you want to raise kids and settle down, but for Markus and I, it's not where we want to be. After living in a city like Busan, I've started to crave the city life. Growing up in Tampa was enough suburbia for me. I've had a lifetime of it and now 'm dying for the city life. 

Despite being in the burbs, there are still some really nice pockets. The other day, Markus and were driving around and we saw Lords Park. It's really close to our house and I've always wanted to visit. For some reason or another, we never stopped. Every time I've wanted to visit, it was in the fall. As we were driving by, I saw that it was completely covered in snow. It was so beautiful and we couldn't help ourselves.

There wasn't a single person at the park and it was wonderful. I spent the whole time frolicking in the snow. It was really peaceful and actually quite beautiful. I'm pretty sure if this was in the city, it would've been overrun with people and kids. It's times like these that I'm okay with temporarily being in the suburbs!

Mommyo's Grand Tour of Chicago

I don't know how it always happens, but mommyo always ends up visiting us just when we've moved to a new place. When we moved the South Korea, she was there two months after we arrived. This time she came three weeks later with my older brother Chris. I left my car in Florida and my brother kindly drove it up to Chicago. My mom needed to go to the Philippine Consulate, so in the end it all worked out quite well. It was quite lovely having them so soon after we moved. There's nothing like having a bit of family in a new place.

The first morning she was here, Markus and I took her to the Philippine Consulate so that she could be sworn in as a citizen again. About the same time Markus and I moved to Korea, she retired in the Philippines. When we were at the consulate, everyone was speaking in Tagalog and I had no idea what they were saying. I kept asking Markus to translate and that surprised a lot of people. Tita' are always telling me that it's a shame I don't understand the mother tongue. Trust me, I regret it too. If I had my way, I would be fluent in French, Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese and Korean. Sadly, I don't have a knack for languages, which totally stinks. 

After she was finally sworn in, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the city. We visited a few sites and ate way too much food. The highlight of the day was when we went to Magnolia Bakery and had red velvet cupcakes. I live for those cupcakes. I still remember when we went to NYC in 2008 and ate them for the first time. Of course my mother defied convention and ordered a cheesecake. She always does what she wants, which makes sense because I do too. I'm glad that I was able to have this one day with her in Chicago. I missed the times when it was just me and her, so it was nice being able to explore a new place with her!