Katrina Lat

This is my Lola ('Grandmother' in Tagalog) Paro. I visited her 3 times over the course of my one week in the Philippines. The first time, I asked if I could take her photo. She asked to see them after I snapped each one. "I look so old!", she exclaimed. She's 94. The second time I visited her, she was prepared with lipstick, and had her hair styled in what her helper & I jokingly called the "Justin Bieber" to hide her forehead. The third time I visited her, she was decked out

This was my first time in China, and I'll admit I had a very specific idea of what I might see in Shanghai, admittedly borne out of stereotypes and minimal research. What I didn't expect was for it to look so... European. Back in the 19th century, Shanghai was one of the few places where the Chinese authorities would allow foreigners to live, trade, and work. At one point, it was known as "The Paris of the East", and this French influence is especially noticeable in areas suc

The Bund is a waterfront area in Shanghai. Its European-esque board walk, and view of the skyline offers some gorgeous views. Here are some snaps I took at various times of the day. Sunrise These were actually some of the last photos I took during my visit in the city. I'm not typically a sunrise person in the slightest, but with a midmorning flight home to catch, and the a serious case of jetlag waiting for me back in Toronto, I figured an early morning photo session on The

For my final sunset of the this Asian adventure, I hopped on the metro and ventured out to Qibao, an old water town about 20km from Shanghai. Qibao is also known for its market, where a variety of fascinating and tasty treats are on display to be ogled and consumed. I snacked on a candied strawberry dessert, whose sugar coating made my teeth positively ache. This clever pup took up post by the entrance of the market. I watched him swindle several passerby into sharing morsels

For me, travelling is an exercise in finding the balance between: Wandering, in the hopes of encountering unexpected adventures Visiting touristic spots, in the hopes that the wisdom of the crowd, as channeled by the likes of Yelp/TripAdvisor, is somewhat correct The following is an exercise in the latter. When one thinks of China, there are a few tropes that may come to mind: Monks! Temples! Red lanterns! Pointy roofed buildings! Feng shui-ified gardens! It's not that these