TRAVEL — Blog — Lina Forrestal

The train ride from Ichinami to Kyoto was much easier than some of the other long train journeys we were on in Japan. It was only one transfer, we road the JR line to Fukui, then took the Thunderbird express train to Kyoto. Honestly, anyone who ever tells you that traveling by train in Japan is “easy” is lying. Well, okay, so traveling in Japan by train is easy if you’re only going to major cities. The second you decide to travel out to the countryside you’re working with local trains and if you don’t speak Japanese, it can be rough to figure out where to go.

travelLina ForrestalMarch 13, 2019KYOTO, JAPAN, TRAVEL, MUSEUM Comment

Hiking to the Echizen Ono Castle Lookout

If you’re visiting Japan and are looking for an “off the beaten path” adventure, this is a fun one for ya

Nestled between a moody mountain range sits the sleepy city of Ōno, home to a stunning 1580’s Japanese castle. Echizen Ono Castle is famous for being known as the “castle in the sky”. In early mornings when the fog hangs low, you can see the castle appear to float above the clouds. However, this phenomenon only occurs about 10 times a year and most likely in the month of November.

travelLina ForrestalMarch 13, 2019HIKING, LOOKOUT, ECHIZEN ONO CASTLE, TRAVEL, JAPANComment

My 30th Birthday Trip! | Tokyo, Japan

I’ve never been less embarrassed to love the things I love. It was my dream to come to Japan ever since I was little! I was obsessed with Pokemon, anime, and video games. Tokyo’s nerd heaven did not disappoint! I’m 30 years old and I still play video games, love Pokemon, Star Wars, anime, and all things chibi . Sometimes I feel like I have more in common with 12 year old boys than women my age. But in Tokyo, there are old men in business suits playing Pokemon Go, and arcades are packed as if they’re bars. Tokyo is pretty cool in my book

travelLina ForrestalFebruary 13, 2019TOKYO, JAPAN, TRAVELComment

Three Temples in One Day: White Temple, Blue Temple, Black House

One of the tours that you can do while staying in northern Thailand is a trip to Chiang Rai to see the White Temple, Blue Temple, and the Black House. These three temples are all about 20-30 minutes apart from each other, which is convenient to including them all in a day trip.

travelLina ForrestalDecember 19, 2018THAILAND, TRAVEL, TEMPLEComment

Krabi, Thailand: An Unfiltered, Honest Review

We are not beach people. This is ironic because John and I both grew going to the beach on family vacations and our house in America is in a beach town . Thailand is known for it’s beautiful beaches, so we couldn’t live here for a year and not go to the beach. Luckily, one of my best friends, Beth, was coming to visit and she wanted to see the beaches, so we had the perfect excuse to go check it out! We decided to go to Railay Beach in Krabi after some recommendations from our friends Sven and Alix!

travelLina ForrestalDecember 13, 2018KRABI, THAILAND, TRAVEL, BEACH Comments

A Unique Experience: We Stayed on a Farm in Fang, Thailand

Let’s be honest: there are tons of fancy shmancy resorts in Thailand. It’s easy to book something fancy. We all travel differently, and trust me, I like nice things (and staying in nice places) too. Are you getting the most authentic experience when you stay at a resort? While resorts manufacture “authentic” experiences, a homestay offers something more raw.

travelLina ForrestalOctober 6, 2018THAILAND, TRAVELComment

A Day Trip to Ayutthaya By Motorcycle

A few weekends ago, we took a little day trip from Bangkok to Ayutthaya on our motorcycle . We left early in the morning, packing our ponchos, and an extra change of clothes in case we got caught in the rain . It is rainy season after all!

Even though our end goal was to see the ruins, we ended up taking two detours at the Bang Pa In Royal Palace and the Japanese Village Museum. They were on the way and well-worth the visit!

travelLina ForrestalSeptember 9, 2018THAILAND, TRAVEL, DAY TRIPComment

Khlong Bang Luang Artist House (Baan Silapin) in Bangkok

The hustle and bustle of Bangkok can be completely overwhelming. I don’t do well in large crowds – they completely tire me out and I just shut down and my eyes glaze over. Can anyone relate? LOL. So when we decided to explore Thonburi, I was mentally prepped for the crowds, only to discover that the Artist House area is a total hidden gem. It’s a little off the beaten path, but it’s well worth it. It was nearly empty – a stark contrast to nearby Wat Arun, which is totally mobbed on a good day.

travelLina ForrestalAugust 7, 2018BANGKOK, THAILAND, TRAVEL Comment

Eating Adventures in Hong Kong

After living in Bangkok for two months, I was really excited to visit Hong Kong to see another big city in Asia. Hong Kong truly is a foodie city! Most people come to Hong Kong and think dim sum. Although we didn’t actually eat any dim sum on this trip, we did have some truly amazing pizza . We start off this blog post at the Blue House Cluster at an awesome little vegan restaurant called Local Ginger. Then, we get an afternoon snack at Mammy Pancakes and then finish off the night at Mother of Pizzas. The next morning, we head to The Flying Pan for some brekkie. Are people still calling it “brekkie”?

travelLina ForrestalAugust 6, 2018HONG KONG, TRAVEL, FOODComment

Day Trip from Bangkok: Visit the Monkey Temple (Prang Sam Yot) in Lopburi, Thailand

There is a TON to do in the city of Bangkok. Like any big city, there are so many tourist attractions (and tourist traps!). If you’ve exhausted Bangkok tourist attractions and are looking for a fun and different day trip- visiting Lopburi is for you!

Lopburi is a city that’s run by monkeys. If you’re from the West, I can guarantee that you’ve never seen anything like it!

travelLina ForrestalJuly 19, 2018MONKEY TEMPLE, TRAVEL, THAILAND, BANGKOK, lopburiComment

Moving from Boston to Bangkok | A Travel Diary

I apologize in advance for the low-quality iPhone photography , the lack of food pics, and the pile of words! I’m passionate about good quality photography and want my blog to have only the best – but this blog post is a little different than others! I wanted to document our trip for our close family and friends who were interested in how the trip went!

travelLina ForrestalMay 28, 2018BOSTON, BANGKOK, TRAVELComment

Where in the world is Lina Forrestal?

Whelp, so- I’ve fallen off the face of the social media and blogging planet in the last few months. After we got married, we went on this amazing honeymoon and then I blinked – and it’s October. When we came back from our honeymoon, we treated it as our fresh start. Fresh start in new habits, hobbies, our love for each other, and with friends. I love social media and blogging and I’ve missed it – but I think I needed a little break to focus on some other things.

lifestyle 2Lina ForrestalOctober 13, 2017MOVING, SELF CARE, READING, TRAVELComment

Why You Should Visit Djúpavík, the Gem of the North

Far away from the hustle and bustle of Iceland’s capital, and with the nearest food store and gas station (let alone an occupied town!) a mere 45 miles away, Djúpavík is the gem of the Árneshreppur peninsula and, in my opinion, the entire North.

Originally a herring salting factory and living quarters that were occupied seasonally by Icelanders since the 1910s, Djúpavík’s legacy is a rollercoaster, ultimately coming to a close in the 1950s. In the 1930s, the factory was rebuilt and industry boomed, but it was not sustainable. Soon the fjord was without herring, and workers without work. The factory closed its doors.

travelLina ForrestalJuly 7, 2017TRAVEL, ICELAND, djupavik, visit djupavik, travel djupavik, west fjords djupavikComment

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