For my Chinese New Year break, I wanted to explore a couple of new places in east Asia (Thailand and South Korea) and return to one that I’d really enjoyed in the past (Japan). Leaving Nanjing at the end of January, I had no idea that my month of travel would end up being much longer than anticipated, and am grateful that none of my vacation plans were impacted during that early period of the coronavirus outbreak.
I first flew from Nanjing to Chiang Mai, Thailand for a week of solo travels. Staying at a villa in Chiang Mai’s Old City, I spent my days walking around the city, visiting temple after temple, and hitting up as many restaurants recommended by friends as possible. Traveling alone was peaceful and refreshing, sort of a reset button after the end of the semester at the HNC. The highlight of Chiang Mai for me was an excursion to the Elephant Nature Park, a rehabilitation center for rescued elephants. After Chiang Mai, I headed to Bangkok for a lot more historical sightseeing at sites like the Temple of the Golden Buddha, the Jim Thompson House, and the Palace Museum.
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| Amanda Walencewicz feeds pumpkin to an elephant at the Elephant Nature Park. |
From there, I met up with friends from the HNC for two weeks in Japan, beginning in Osaka. I was looking forward to showing the group some of the highlights of my previous trip to Japan, which in Osaka meant food first and foremost. A particular favorite was a few rounds of sushi at Harukoma--huge slabs of fish paired with warm sake on a frigid February afternoon. After a few days we took a train to Kyoto, another great city for historical sites, like the Fushimi Inari Shrine with its thousands of bright red torii gates set against the green of the surrounding forest.
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| A sushi spread at Osaka’s Harukoma. |
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| HNC friends pose in front of the Osaka Castle. |
Next up was Tokyo, where we stayed for nearly a week, shopping in Harajuku, walking around the Tsukiji seafood market, and happening upon a parade at the Meiji Jingu Shrine on National Foundation Day. For the last leg of our trip, we flew to Seoul, staying in Hongdae, known for being a center of music, art, and shopping. We visited palaces and temples, ate all kinds of Korean specialties (including, of course, barbeque), checked out the nightlife, and found time to load up on K-beauty products.
In Seoul, we began to see the effects of the spread of the coronavirus, as more and more people on public transportation began wearing masks and guided tours at landmarks were canceled. Heading home for what we anticipated would be a delayed return to the HNC, we didn’t think this trip would mark the end of our time on campus this year. Sitting at home under our respective stay-at-home orders now, we’re all glad we got the chance to hang out together and travel before the outbreak became a critical situation globally.
Written by Amanda Walencewicz, HNC Certificate '20
