Meng Jit : Missing exchange...

Every now & then I find myself missing my exchange moments in Canada and North America. It was such an eye-opening experience, really. Shall blog briefly abt my post-exchange travel adventures today! A little outdated yeah? (but since I'm in the mood...)

First stop: Mont-Tremblant

Tbh I was pretty apprehensive about skiing initially. Yeah it looks fun in videos, but doing it in real life can be nerve-wrecking for a complete beginner who was gonna attempt a more-than-beginner slope. The gradient of Canadian ski slopes are relatively steeper than those you find in Asian countries.

It didn't help that I kept falling down at the warm-up area, where the ground was relatively flat. But somehow I mustered the courage to attempt the mile-long ski course (twice), which was freaking scary because I was zooming down the hills at god-like speed due to my inexperience in speed control. The adrenaline rush was incredible. But when you're stuck at the top of the hill, you know that the only way to get down is to overcome all fear of height and speed. Truly a YOLO moment!

The warm-up area

After completing the ski course twice!

I was SO HAPPY when I completed my ski experience. Happy is a total understatement.

My boy who was so patient with me when I fell countless times!

Gorgeous place right? So in love with the scenery.

Feeling over the moon and accomplished!

2nd stop: Las Vegas

Probably my favourite destination in post-exchange. Absolutely adore the glamour, blitz, entertainment, and night life in this city. It was so wonderful to experience a taste of the high life for those few days. Love it. Will definitely be back again some day, LV. :)

Lunch buffet at Aria Hotel and Resorts

Spectacular night landscape

SMU gathering!

Gordon Ramsay's BurGR restaurant

Always love some truffle fries ^^

3rd Stop: San Francisco

Probably better known as the 'Land of Slopes', this place really lives up to its nickname. Most roads are either upward or downward sloping. You really hardly ever come across a flat piece of land. It can get tiring trudging up and down the slopes all day, but I guess its a great form of daily exercise haha.

My favourite part of San Francisco is its Chinatown. The best Chinatown I visited during my exchange. The Chinese restaurants there serve really delicious food! Better than the ones we have in Singapore imo. I found myself having Chinese food almost everyday during my stay in San Fran. And the dim sum is heavenlyyy.

Beef fried rice

Was already sold by the beef fried rice I tried at a random restaurant on the first day.

The famous dimsum stall! Only available for takeaways though.

It tastes wayyy better than it looks! All of us were craving for these har gows and siew mais every morning ^^

The famous Alcatraz Island

It was a memorable visit to Alcatraz Island because I was familiar with the rich history of this prison from a young age. It felt surreal to step onto the grounds of Alcatraz after being so intrigued by a movie based on it years ago.

The famous Golden Gate Bridge. It supposedly reflects light from the sun at certain times of the day, and will appear 'golden' during those periods.

Travel buddies

San Fran was the place we spent Christmas at, so we bought seafood from Fisherman's Wharf on Christmas eve to have a mini celebration!

As you can tell, it was quite a humble spread for 5 people (4 of whom were guys) hahaha. #studentsonbudget But it was nonetheless a very lovely evening!

4th stop: Washington

Jem and I are not exactly fans of museums, so 2 nights in Washington were more than enough for us. We briefly covered most of the Smithsonian Museums, took some mandatory photos with the White House and Capitol Building, and tried Shake Shack (at long last!). We really loved our ultra-comfy hotel stay at Hampton Inn by Hilton, and on both nights we went back to our room early to chill and watch TV. :)

Takeaway Korean food from a food truck!

Outside the White House :)

Last stop: New York

New York is the place to go for shopping and musicals! They also have amazing food trucks there. Many people seem to love New York for the vibrant city life, but it didn't exactly live up to its hype for me. Perhaps some of the travel fatigue had kicked in by then!