Riccardo Ulpts

Hey guys, haven’t updated this blog in ages… why ?!?! Oh well don’t ask me Well I try to keep this post as short as possible. After Hong Kong I went to Taiwan to see some friends of mine. Unfortunately many of them were busy and so I couldn’t meet up with everyone in the short week I had in Taipei. But I made a great trip down south to Kaohsiung. with Mattea and David. Thanks to David for inviting me to this trip, he actually had a job down there shooting some skater guys…. Great Stuff, Check out this picture to the left.

More photos by David Barker you can on Flickr!

Mattea and me went hopping and sightseeing and met up with David and everyone else later. After the shoot we went to Liam’s house to relax for a while before we had dinner at a restaurant, I forgot the name tho, but the food was great! They even had german sausage :-)… If ur ever down there check it out. It was quite late so Mattea and me then decided togo back to the hotel as we had to get up early. It was an awesome time I had down there, so chilled and relaxed compared to any place I had been before and after the stress and work I had in Hong Kong… Of course I couldn’t miss going to Bar Code, Room 18 and yeah ok Luxy as well. Here is one photo of Mattea and me in Luxy Isn’t she cute…

As I said, it was only a week, not enough time to enjoy Taiwan the way I did before… I left to Hong Kong for a day, organised a few things and did my banking before I took off to my next trip, JAPAN! At the airport in HK I then looked for the counter NWA - NorthWest Airlines or so. American company… I got checked like 4 times or more from the time I checked in to the time I was boarding. It was the cheapest flight I could get, and let me tell you something, you could taste the cheapness in the food. The flight was one of the most uncomfortable ones I had, turbulences and those air bumps when ur feeling like ur in free fall. Despite that I had a very nice lady sitting next to me who I was talking to the whole flight. We basically talked about Tokyo, Japan’s culture and things. She gave me her business card and phone number in case I had any troubles getting around in Tokyo. Thanks Tomie!

Tokyo, here I come!!! I have heared great things about this city from my friends. And let me tell you one thing upfront, I didn’t get disappointed! …except the fact that no matter what city I was going to it was raining…One thing gave me headaches, and this was getting a sim card for my phone… It’s not as easy as in Hong Kong where you buy a sim card at 7-11 at the counter, it took me around 40 minutes to get one at the airport. Usually people rent a phone, but I wanted to keep my contacts and everything. The disadvantage using your own phone is that you can’t send or receive any messages.

Finally I took the Airpot Express to Tokyo City….easy… Not so easy is the metro system tho. It’s not like having one major company running the metro, you have a different subway systems run by different companies. I somehow managed to get where I wanted and called up a my friend Mami to meet at the Station Ueno. I took us 30-40 from the time we arrived at the station to find each other, let me tell ya, Ueno is massive! She helped me getting something like a PrePaid card which works for all metros and busses.Not to forget the first Sushi I had with her, AMAZING. Thanks for all that sweetheart, I won’t forget what you did for me!

We went to many different places. First stop was how else can it be Shibuya. It’s a place where all sorts of people meet and go shopping and clubbing. The Clubbing scene in Shibuya as far as I know is more like Hip Hop style and only locals… You won’t see many foreigners in those clubs. But guess what, that lady I met in the plane, she has a few shops in Tokyo and Hong Kong. Most of her stuff is young and female, so she called up 2 of her stuff who took me out in Shibuya.. It was kinda weird since those girls were dancer also, or at least one of them and I was pretty much the only white guy in there It was crowded as hell and I had to meet my other friends in Roppongi, where english is a more common spoken language. So I went there but couldn’t find the girls to say good bye. Hope you understand I took a taxi, for the first time in Tokyo, and let me tell you it is quite expensive if you intend to do that on a regular basis. Anyway I managed to get to Roppongi and paid the cap driver with Credit Card, loving it

I met Mami and we went to different bars and clubs. One thing I forgot to mention is that Roppongi is very famous for it’s nightlife. You will see many foreigners and of course models down there. Said tho I also met some old friends from Korea and China… I had a great time…

The third day then I moved to a new place, amazing place in Shunjuku. It is called Fraser place and is located very near the metro station. VERY convenient! Thanks to Aaron for getting me this great place, check out this view!!!

Of course I did a lot of sightseeing myself in my own freetime. I checked a few old Temples as well as the skyline of Tokyo. One great place you shouldn’t miss visiting is Roppongi Hills. You not only get a great view all over the city and the famous Tokyo Tower, you also get to visit a great museum and BMW exhibition. It’s definitely a must see attraction if you visit Tokyo! What more can I tell you guys… I guess pictures can express the vibe and feeling of the city a lot better than I could possibly describe it with words and the lack of time that I have

Check them out here!

I guess it’s time to say good-bye. Thanks to all my friends and the new friends I made in Tokyo and Taiwan. I love these 2 places and will always come back if not even live there…

Cheers

Wow it’s been a pretty busy time in Hong Kong for me. I did a lot of fashion shows / presentations for brands like Dior, YSL, Gucci, Jil Sander, Agnes B and many more. I didn’t even have enough time to go out and party, which isn’t actually a bad thing… The only time I went out was to the LV (Louis Voiton) party. I had a good time with my friends Stinger and Eydie from Hong Kong and Janet Lee, Shiaojair and friends from Taipei… It definitely brought back memories about the time in Taiwan which I miss sooooo much.

I decided then with Eastern coming very soon to take a break from work and go to Taipei to see some friends. We Janet, Cammier, Michelle, Vivianna and friends went out to Bar Code and Room18, the usual thing I had a great time… loads of old and new faces.

Other than that I was really looking forward to meet Boris again which I missed a lot. Just want to tell you that ur a great guy… stay as you are…. glad things are seemingly becoming better.

I also want to thank you Mettea and your sister for having such a great evening and going to the movies watching “The Eye”. I was so happy and surprised to see you guys I totally forgot that I had my camera with me to do some nice pictures… Next time I will, promiss. Oh and thanks for bringing back my phone… hope that didn’t cause too much trouble

It’s only one day left and tomorrow I will hopefully meet up with everyone who was either too busy or not in town

Hey guys, its been a time of making hard decisions but also a time of great enjoyment. I met many nice people who I will miss for a very very long time. First of all I want to thank Shing-I who I met at one of my castings. She immediately picked up my Australian accent and we started chatting. We met again with friends in Bar Code a lounge Bar close to the 101 Tower and there I got to know Boris, Terresa, Alex, Cammier and many others. I had such a great time with you guys! We ended up having some drinks in the Sheraton Hotel. Boris invited me to a charity event for third world children and we had some drinks and Taiwanese food. Well I tried Shark Skin and other things I can’t really remember the name of. Let’s be honest, I wouldn’t wanna try it again, I’d rather stick to my Sausage, Sauerkraut and Schnitzel with a nice fresh Paulaner Beer

Boris and me went to the gym a couple of times he invited to his brother’s wedding in the Sheraton. The weddings was hughe, haven’t seen so many people attending a wedding in my life. Boris then left to Canada, unfortunately…

New Year’s Eve then was coming very soon, and so my Birthday…. 24 years old, or should I say young. Well, no clue…. Terresa, Boris’s cousin invited me to a NYE party at “InHouse” next to the 101 Tower. You could actually see the whole all the Fireworks from where we were sitting. We arrived there at about 9.30 pm and it was freezing as I didn’t were as much as I should have. So the only way to keep warm is drink I met many interesting people that night from all over the world. But also one guy who I met the first time I went out in Taipei, his name is Brian! Great GUY! We had a few drinks and introduced each other to friends. In the end I didn’t get to see a third of the fireworks and the fact I left my camera at home means i gotta wait for some people to send me the pictures.

Later then we went to Room18 also very close to the 1o1. It was a fun night out, I really did enjoy my birthday! Even tho most people didn’t know Special thanks goes to Terresa for inviting me and letting me have such a great time!

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

[singlepic=761,320,240,,right]Haha this was great. First of all, in Taipei you find most clubs playing Hip Hop and stuff which is absolutely not my genre but nevertheless. Last night I went to Luxy a night club with my mate a photographer David Barker. He’s a genius, crazy fellow Not only that he was taking pictures in a club, he was equipment with crazy for such a venue. Not to mention the Ring Flash what makes a ring appear in your eyes… Great effect! Anyone with a digital camera would have looked like from the stone age!

Here is one of his photo he took last night. You can see more photos in the gallery!

What can I say, at the Airport I got picked up from a guy who couldn’t speak english at all. The only word he could say was “Sign here” for the bill he could give my agency that I got picked up and he gets his money.

I got my hotel that night and well it is ok. Its clean! I got a double bed and TV and shower and so. But I’m alone …. I’m used to getting an apartment with people to hang around with. But my agent said the girls would live in an apartment and guys in hotels, apparently because it would cause trouble between girls and guys and most of them are underage…

Well so I got myself a map and went to the see 101 Tower the next day. Metro is easy and convenient. About 20 minutes it took me from my hotel to the 101. From the metro you can take a free Shuttle Bus to the 101 Tower/Mall. Very nice service!

As soon as I arrivedI recognized a fair on the other side of the street. It was the International Coffee and Food Fair in Taipei. Entry was 100 Taiwan Dollar. Looking for my wallet some staff member came and told me it was free for foreigners on weekends, great!

It was nice and you could try heaps of stuff. I got myself some Vital Balance Biscuits, Napolitaner wafes and Ritter Sport Chocolate (Good old german chocolte )

Later then I went to the 101 Mall, many designer and fashion shops, less electronics tho. I only got myself some hair gel and toothpaste in Watsons It was also very windy and rainy outside as its getting winter. I didn’t spent too much time there and went back to the metro.

Walking home I saw a night market where I had a look through. Many eating stands less clothing and stuff. It was nice tho anyway. Check out the pictures I’ve taken. I wouldn’t eat all this

This was my 2nd day in Taipei. Stay tuned there is more to come …