Monday, August 12, 2013

This land is Thailand

Chiang Mai, Thailand-- This will probably the last post we will have while actually abroad, unless we are so bored on our excruciatingly long journey home (Chiang Mai-Bangkok-Tokyo-Dulles-our car in Alexandria-drive to the Burgh!). We are now in our 9th and final hotel, the Maninarakorn of Chiang Mai, just a 10 minute walk or so outside the Old City.

Thailand is pretty nuts. Well, we thought that Cambodia would be just a palate cleanser between the sophistication of Japan and the refinement of Thailand. Not so. Bangkok was like a much bigger, louder, crazier version of Siem Reap. Behind the five star skyscrapers and fancy new Skytrain, Bangkok is very much a third world metropolis. Traffic and exhaust fumes everywhere, and a concentration of people like we haven't seen...ok, maybe like in Osaka. We found Bangkok to be very far from Thailand's charming reputation. So much so that at one point, I was sure that the title of this post would be "a survival guide to Bangkok."

Grand Palace, Bangkok





After a couple of days (including my birthday where EVERYTHING went wrong), we finally hit a groove, but our mistakes along the way were long and somewhat painful. We found that any Thai in Bangkok who could speak English was in some way trying to scam us. We got double and triple charged for taxis, creepy men tried to sell us things on the street, no one would help with directions, but by far the worst was trying to book the overnight train to Chiang Mai.

Wat Arun, view from the hotel!
We got to the station, exhausted from a 90min trek through construction in Chinatown, to find that we were getting the "last two" tickets to Chiang Mai from Bangkok on Saturday night (this was on Thursday). These seats, of course, were on opposite sides of the train, not air conditioned and not in the sleeper cars. From there, some teenage girls in "uniform" brought us up to the travel agency where they magically found us 2 sleeper bunks, but after a dog and pony show, told us the price was doubled. We would have happily paid the $50 per ticket from the counter downstairs, but they "had to call the travel agency" and "make special arrangements" in order to get us our tickets. Mysteriously, they needed to do this for the other 20 or so tourists in their crammed office as well.

The fancy Sleeper Car.
Clearly their company buys up all the train tickets immediately and sells them at jacked up prices. That, though shady, we understand is business, but the false regret and corruption we encountered were what bothered us. The crookedness spanned top to bottom, from the ticket takers to the police to these teenage girls with colored contacts and long painted nails "booking tickets" on their cell phones. They kept us captive for over an hour, but we did finally get our tickets to the sleeper bunks...Of course the train ride was a rocky sixteen and a half hours crawling at what we later figured out to be 26mph. Man!
View of jungle from the train.

Ultimately, the highs certainly have outweighed the lows in Thailand as we got to enjoy a drag show with all the Thai "ladyboys," see all the famous wats, taste the delicious foods, meander the sprawling flower markets and even spend all day today with a troop of rescued elephants.
They wouldn't listen to our commands, but were very friendly.

Betz enjoying a ride on Superman.
We have to say, though I'm not sure why were were expecting something different, Thailand is not what we thought it would be. The parts we saw anyway are much grittier, louder and less friendly than expected. "Land of 1,000 Smiles" yeah, right. Perhaps we are getting weary or perhaps we aren't feeling as well. This Thai food is delicious, but it packs quite a punch (note that we never got sick in Japan-not even a little). We've have indeed enjoyed our time here, but find it to be exhausting and are looking forward to coming home- to the good old USA!

Friday, August 9, 2013

Cambodi-AAAAH

Bangkok, Thailand-- So, we find ourselves at the end of another week of our journey which is fast approaching its end. This week we found ourselves in Cambodia and here in Bangkok and I must say that it is VERY different from Japan.

Pari, our tuk tuk driver.
Wow. Cambodia, as expected, was pretty underdeveloped. We stayed in Siem Reap, the "city" a few km from Angkor Wat. Stepping off our tiny prop plane, it was evident we were entering the third world. Our 20 yr old tuk tuk driver from the hotel (who reminded me of a young Muhammad Ali), Pari, met us at the airport. All smiles, he welcomed us to the Kingdom of Cambodia, propped up our bags on the seat and ushered us onto the golden upholstery of his back seat. And away we went, zipping through the dusty red streets of Siem Reap, dodging and weaving around bikes, minibuses, motorcycles, other tuk tuk, pedestrians, cows, chickens and even some real cars. It was a speeding frenzy as no one really payed any attention to the lanes (in either direction) or traffic rules. Pari was clearly a pro, cutting through gas stations and zipping around other tuk tuks with a wink and a smile. He was probably showing off that he had two prized American clients in the back who were overpaying way too much for the fare. Before we knew it, we were at the hotel and we had agreed to a $5 excursion to see the sunset over "the lake" with Pari later that day.
Typical Street in Siem Reap

What we didn't know about the little sunset cruise was that it was actually going to be four and a half hours and that we would also have to pay $50 in ticket fees to get into the lake. At 4:00pm we returned to find Pari waiting for us, all smiles as usual. We raced away into the chaos once again, kicking up more red dust. After a while, about 20 min. or so, Betz and I looked at each other clearly thinking the same thought: "where the hell are we going?" We had turned off the main road a while back and now were winding through some small streets lined with trees and lean-to shacks that were lacking in every modern amenity except television. Wild dogs, cats, cows and chickens roamed freely across the streets and Pari would nonchalantly weave around them and zoom off. Then we realized that we were totally reliant on this guy who we didn't know, in a third world country where the average household income is less than $5000 a year. Every minute felt like five as we pushed farther into the abyss, away from the "civilization" of Siem Reap. The only reason not to panic was that Pari was an official tuk tuk driver from the hotel. When we were about 45min in, we came to the gate of the lake where we were asked to pay $25 per person to enter. After discussing it with each other, we decided not to turn around and pay the tourism fee and continue the journey to see the sunset. Pari felt very guilty. He came off as goofy, oafish, airheaded, genuine and likeable. We didn't think he was trying to take advantage of us, rather he just neglected to tell us about the entry fee. Oh well, we had come this far...
We continued down the bumpiest narrow dirt road that was elevated above the rice fields on either side when we were confronted by a herd of about 300 cattle coming the opposite way. Pari drove right into them, pushing them aside with his hands when necessary. Finally we made it to our boat!
So happy to get a beer for the boat ride!

We were the only ones on the little stream going out to the lake at that point and we would occasionally pass other tourist boats returning. Every time the drivers would be smiling and the tourists had this horrific look on their faces. We laughed, knowing full well that they had the same experience as us. Instead of feeling taken, we decided to shrug it off and do our best to enjoy the sunset. Betz and I felt so lucky to have each other for this harrowing tale that oddly the bumpy ride somehow felt romantic.
The boat wound for half an hour downstream before we saw the first structure. It was a secondary school that was perched on the bank on 25 foot tall wooden stilts. Then more structures, houses, also dozens of feet up. Soon, we were riding through an entire floating village. Naked children were jumping in the water (which was a gross milky brown color) and full grown men were washing up and brushing their teeth. This shrimper colony was teeming with people who were playing, laughing and preparing for the end of the day. Though the Cambodian people are poor, these certainly appeared happy.
Sunset on the lake. Sigh.

We finally reached the lake, which was huge, water at every horizon, with the sun hovering in the west. We were apparently very lucky to have seen such a beautiful sunset because during the rainy season it is a rarity. Our captain tethered us to a floating bush and we watched the sky change to a warm orange as the sun went behind a low cloud. We enjoyed the moment of peace despite the Khmer radio in the background (Pa Woo do my bum krang du!), knowing our 2 hour return journey awaited us.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Sayonara, Sawahdeekup

Hiroshima, Japan-- Goodbye Japan! Wow, what a country. Sitting in the small yet comfortable Hiroshima airport, Betz and I have a couple hours to reflect on the whirlwind that was the last two weeks. We have visited Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Hakone, Kawaguchiko, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and Miyajima, yet I feel like I barely know the country at all. In fact, coming here has raised more questions about the people and culture than it has answered.

The tori at Miyajima

First, I should say that I have the utmost respect for Japan. It amazes us to see how orderly, controlled, caring and considerate the people here are (with the possible exception of Osaka, which we found to be a giant urban mess, full of electronic stores and anime porn shops). They wait in line, offer help with directions unsolicited, step aside to let foreigners go first, smile to strangers and say "arigato gozaymas" everywhere- meaning thank you very much. Japanese seem to be hyper aware of their surroundings and of others. Rarely do they touch each other, even on crowded subways. They walk (and drive) on the left side of the street, never bumping into each other. Though they rarely seem outwardly happy, we haven't seen anyone mad at all. They are respectful and reserved. They speak in low voices and obey rules regarding cleanliness and quiet hours. When we stayed in ryokan, the lower help (cleaning service usually) would hide behind curtains or plants when they saw us coming. They are efficient and smart and always looking for ways to lend a helping hand.
Low tide, we walked right through it.

The country as a whole is a bit harder to quantify. There seem to be a bunch of contradictions here that we just couldn't solve in two weeks. We found that much of Japan's reputation holds true, however the manifestations are completely different from the image in my mind's eye before I came. The ultramodernism, honor code, cleanliness, efficiency, historic culture, consumerism, kitschiness, kinship with nature, Zen, fashion, gender roles, and spirit of Japan all hold true to their stereotypes. Yet, when walking down the street of a typical Japanese city, you could imagine it being anywhere in the world.
Perhaps it is the after effects of WWII, which left Japan completely bombed out, but the wonderful traits that Japanese culture are steeped in fail to produce a cohesive and beautiful urban form (except Hiroshima which is beautiful). The Japanese attention to EVERY detail seems somehow fails to miss the big picture on a citywide scale. Streets often are so narrow, treeless, and filled with wires, that they feel more like American back alleyways (they usually don't even have sidewalks). The central cores of the cities establish very little hierarchy and are often unimportant, leaving the image of the city to be piecemeal--again focusing on a specific shrine or rail station. Kyoto was the prime example of this, with its myriad beautiful temples on the outskirts and virtually nothing of value in the central city. I have learned a lot about architecture and space here, yet very little about urbanism.
Konichiwa!

There are other apparent contradictions as well. The Japanese are obsessively clean, yet finding a public garbage can be difficult--which makes having so much packaging seem suspect. The use of parasols to block the sun and rain is ubiquitous, yet finding a tree-lined street is a rarity. When we went to the fireworks show, millions of people waited patiently for five or six hours to reserve spots that weren't even within view of the fireworks. There is such a minimalist approach, yet consumerism is so over-the-top that we often found ourselves overwhelmed. There are many gardens and parks, but no benches to sit and enjoy them. And of course the whole sex culture is baffling, with everyone seeming so conservative yet prostitution / anime sex joints are found everywhere, mingled among restaurants and libraries and electronic goods stores.
Overall, we have enjoyed our time in Japan immensely and would recommend a visit to most anyone-- so long as you are open to sitting on the floor, taking your shoes off everywhere and don't mind trying bizarre food. We found keeping kosher challenging, but not overwhelming. I can say easily that the cultural barrier is much less hard to navigate here than it was in China--and the experiences make the trip well worth it.
So, sayonara Japan. You have been great. Up next is a quick 2 days in Cambodia before landing in Thailand. Sawahdeekup (hello in Thai), we look forward to discovering your many cultural experiences.
Mmmm. Maple cakes with red beans!

Friday, August 2, 2013

9h

Hiroshima, Japan -- Well, we are spending our last weekend in Japan. Before we make it on to Thailand and Cambodia, Hiroshima is our last stop, where we will spend Shabbos in the place of the first atomic bomb detonation. But, before that, we spent one last night in Kyoto, not in the comfort of a ryokan, but in 9h, a capsule hotel!
Our stay in Kyoto was a bit polarizing. It was great to see the ancient history of the beautiful temples and the old way of life including staying at ryokan, but it did have an air of inauthenticity. Staying at 9h certainly verified our feelings as we once again got to experience the modern Japan in full force. 9h is a capsule hotel that seems more like an apple store. The walls are all brightly lit, shiny white with black accents and Helvetia font icons. It is called 9h because guests stay for exactly nine hours. The perfect model of Japanese efficientcy, you get 30 min to get ready for bed, as well as when you wake up, bookending your perfect eight hours of sleep.
9h lobby
When you enter (and promptly take off your shoes like everywhere else), men and women ride up on separate elevators to their respective floors. You take your key and open your corresponding locker to find everything you will need for the night--a toothbrush and toothpaste, toiletries, towels, and even a set of pajamas that match the decor. Putting them on, I felt like I was in a Post-apocalyptic sci-fi or something out of an Orwell novel. (I love scifi so it was awesome).
do you like my fancy pajamas?

Sleep chamber

Opening the door to the dark capsule room, it looked more like a laundromat. --We also did laundry that day, in a very futuristic Japanese laundromat. It had machines that dispensed the soap washed your clothes and dried them all within one hour using the same machine. Of course, even in the laundromat you had to take off your shoes.--I climbed in my one by one by 2 m capsule, and read my book for a while before trying to go to sleep. My pod came equipped with a lighting system that glowed slowly until it dimmed, putting me to sleep. And then awoke me promptly with a flash of light at the time you set the alarm to go off, no sound involved as not to disturb the other guests in the surrounding capsules.
my pod

In the locker room, I found another 20 something-year-old man, dressed identically. In our gray pajama bottoms, we looked like soldiers of a futuristic army. We rode the elevator to the six floor together, a pair of young mirror image men, leading mirror image lives, emerging from identical cells to start our mirror image days... At least that's how I imagined it.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

You Gotta Yukata!

Kyoto, Japan -- We knew when we first started planning our time in Japan nearly a year ago that we wanted to try and achieve as many authentic Japanese experiences as possible. One way we are doing so is by staying in Japanese-style hotels called "ryokan," which largely means sleeping on futons on tatami mat floors, going shoeless or wearing special sandals in certain areas, and enjoying "onsen" (a sort of combination shower and spa with an area for washing with soap and a deep tub for soaking). It also means donning "yukata," cotton robes tied at the waist that are worn around your room, ryokan, and even short distances around the ryokan (though we haven't done that much!). In Kyoto we checked into our fourth ryokan, and though they have varied in terms of luxury, our we haven't had a bad experience yet.

At the top of the spectrum was our stay at Hakone, a sort of resort town in the mountains of Fuji-Hakone National Park. After enjoying an afternoon on various forms of transportation around the mountain with stops at the beautiful Hakone Open Air Museum and Owakudani (where we ate eggs boiled in the sulfuric waters of the volcanic hot springs, turning their shells black!) we checked into Ryokan Senkei, and were eventually introduced to Kimiko, our attendant. A slight, middle aged Japanese woman in a traditional kimono who flitted around enthusiastically spouting Japanese instructions and the occasional staccato English word in her tiny voice, grinning and giggling as she bowed repeatedly. She showed us around our enormous private pavilion and then shooed us away  nearby private onsen, so that she could prepare for our "kaiseki" dinner.
Kimiko

Kaiseki is another important part of a traditional ryokan, though it is so elaborate that in modern times it seems to be reserved for only higher-end places. [We should note that this was one experience we had planned on having with Ben's parents, and though it was a great evening, we missed them a lot! Ben says, "Arigato, Moop and Shmoop."] We returned from the onsen to dine like wealthy shoguns in our yukata, a parade of small plates with colorful foreign delicacies, each component masterfully presented with attention to the most minute detail. Highlights were an aji (horse makerel) and eggplant stew and a fig coated in ginger sesame paste; the one low light was a watery fish broth(?) with gel-coated leaves of some kind...haha.
Tiny whitebait for kaiseki breakfast


Our attendant at the Seikoro Inn in Kyoto is young and speaks a bit more English than Kimiko, and graciously makes up our futons each day and serves us tea when we arrive back from our daily activities (We have been going full force here, taking in temples and gardens like Ginkakuji, Nanzenji, Kinkakuji, Ryoanji, Pontocho, and Gion).The system has it's upsides, but I have to admit, having a personal attendant is not our style. It was good to experience once, but it feels very strange to have someone waiting on us to this extent. No problem, our next stay will be in the capsule hotel, where I'm not even sure there's a desk attendant!

Ginkakuji, Silver Pavilion -- Kyoto



Saturday, July 27, 2013

Gone Fishin

Tokyo Japan-- Well, we are spending our final night in Tokyo tonight in our ryokan (Japanese style hotel) because the weather finally caught up to us. Up until tonight, we have been blessed with great weather for this time of year, when it is normally raining or unbearably hot or both...ironically not unlike the D.C. area. The sad part is that tonight is of one Tokyo's biggest annual festivals where they shoot of tens of thousands of fireworks along the banks of Asakusa, and with the weather not cooperating, we they had to cancel the show only about 25 min. into it.
And then it really started to pour, sending hundreds of thousands if not millions of onlookers running for cover. We got drenched, but Betz and I felt worse for all the Japanese people who got all gussied up in their traditional fancy kimonos. Our emotions went from excitement to fear to annoyance to acceptance and finally we were able to laugh about it again and start to appreciate our memorable night and the trip thus far. After all, we did see our fair share of fireworks before the rain started anyway.
We spent the last couple days here in Tokyo exploring the eclectic neighborhoods that comprise the city. I think my favorite was Tsukiji, where one of the world's largest fish markets serves as Tokyo's source for all it's sushi. We arrived at 5:30am (as the guidebook recommends) to experience the hustle and bustle of the early morning frenzy that includes unloading the night's catch, various fish auctions, wholesalers distributions and merchants setting up for the day. This place is HUGE. I mean it seemed like whole city blocks of endless stalls selling everything from whole fish to giant clams and octopus to seaweed to high grade sushi knives. Somehow, we went in a back gate and ended up in the "forbidden zone" where the actual merchants were setting up. We were almost run over by the hundreds of carts zipping by, rushing from one vendor to another, carrying beds of fish that were still swimming a few hours earlier. While catching our breath in an alley, after bobbing and weaving between these carts and their reckless drivers, Betz caught a glimpse of a giant tuna on a cart. We had stumbled across the famed tuna auction area that is strictly private. There were hundreds of giant fish on the floor, marked with red letters with what looked to be lipstick, being hooked by the high bidders and dragged onto these carts to zip away and disappear into the vast grid of stalls. We were pretty geeked and decided to linger a little while, half hiding behind some Styrofoam boxes, before we gave ourselves up to one of the guards in order to find our way out of the fish maze.
The other neighborhoods we visited were equally fascinating, though not quite as thrilling. They included the swanky shopping district of Ginza, the pop/punk candyland teenager hangout area called Harajuku, Tokyo's version of Old Town known as Ueno (where we are staying) and the electronics district of Akihabara. We are sad to be leaving Tokyo, but thankful that so much of our trip is still ahead of us.
 

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Mountain Dew and Baseball

We certainly have had a busy day. It started out when we awoke at 12:30am to the commotion of the other climbers. About 150 of us were all crammed into the Hakuun-So lodge, in our identical navy sleeping bags that looked like larva lining the walls of some kind of hive. With the Japanese tourists leading the way, the rest of us decided to follow suit...and quickly because we knew that we didn't want to miss the sunrise from the top of Fuji.
We had climbed about 2/3 of the way up yesterday--a trek that took us about 4 hours before we hit Hakuun-So. The winding gravel path gave way to steep volcanic rock as we passed from station 6 to station 7 and soon the many travelers that were clogging the path began to fizzle out. Suddenly, there were no more groups of school children in their matching "buddy" uniforms and white hats. Climbing was quite a challenge and it only got harder as the hours went by and as the air got thinner. Worse, about 1/4mile away from our destination for the night, it started to rain. Alas, we were so foolish not to take ponchos and our sweatshirts got soaked! This would prove extra costly as we awoke at midnight, forced to choose between wet jeans or shorts for the final 2 station trek to the top of the Mountain. I chose shorts, Betsy was lucky enough to have worn her shorts and leggings the day before, so she had a nice warm pair of pants to wear.
The funniest part of the night was when they served us all dinner. Of course we couldn't eat their meaty dish that looked like Salisbury Steak, so they served us some interesting veggie Japanese food that included seaweed wraps that were nicely tied in bows and various fermented or fried vegetables. The irony of it was, for the meat dish, they gave everyone spoons, but for the veggie dish they gave us chopsticks. The Japanese couple across from us couldn't help but notice and the four of us had a good laugh.
Reaching the top felt pretty good, but we raced up so fast that we had to wait over an hour for the sun to rise and only wearing shorts in 45 degree weather was pretty miserable. We even cut out a hole in a garbage bag so that Betsy could wear it like a homeless person. And to no avail. The clouds rolled in at about 4am and we couldn't see anything except the blackness of the sky turn blueish.
So we gave up and started heading down the exit path. We were a bit disappointed, but really proud of making it to the top (especially after how hard the book made it seem). But then, as we were headed down, we saw the bright pinkish ball fill the sky with warmth. It was beautiful through the foggy clouds, contrasting with the dark red of the volcanic rock of the cliffs. And it only got better-- after we made it down a little ways, we were underneath the top layer of clouds, about 1.5miles in altitude, and we could see everything. We were like floating in an airplane, with a sea of clouds below us with only a few peaks protruding in the distance. Just beautiful. The remaining 2.5hr decent was absolutely awe-inspiring.



We ended the day, back in Tokyo, at a truly great Japanese tradition...Baseball. The hometown Swallows were taking on the Yakult Tigers, a team that will probably make the Japanese version of the World Series. 2/3 of the stands were filled with Tigers fans who had organized chants, flags and even a band with them. It was like going to a college football stadium or something. Everyone was on their feet every time their team was up to bat. Betsy and I fit in the the Tigers' fans because our Pirates shirts matched their black and gold uniforms.Very good sportsmanship though, and even when the Swallows were down 11-0, the jumbotron translated into English read "every time try!" which we thought was hilarious at the time, maybe because we were pretty slap-happy by then. The Swallows were terrible- even an old friend, Lastings Millage, went hitless in the game, but it was all good fun and really cool to see the great American passtime be experienced so differently.
 (picture of the umbrella dance during the 7th inning stretch)
Now, it's time for a real night sleep, something that we can't say we have had since leaving the States. We are staying at the beautiful Ryokan Sawanoya in Ueno Park, complete with Japanese baths, futons and our very own crazy Panasonic toilet...Ah, Japan.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Turning Japanese

Konnichiwa! Well, we have arrived in Tokyo. Overall, I'd say the trip went very smoothly. It began with us saying goodbye to our Alexandria apartment before heading to National Airport. We managed to confine our packing to two small wheeled bags and two large backpacks, and it was validating when a United Airlines attendant complimented us on our efficiency!

A brief layover in Chicago allowed for last phone calls and pizza, then we were on our way. We were surprised at how many nationalities were represented on the flight and decided Tokyo must be a big hub for flights going to eastern Europe. The flight was fairly uneventful, though, and even touched down in Narita about 30 minutes early. We breezed through customs, where they take electronic finger prints and a picture of each individual, and managed to withdraw some Yen and purchase tickets for the train into the city. Opting for the cheaper, local train allowed us to see a glimpse of rush hour in the Tokyo suburbs. There were plenty of people who looked to be coming from work (both men and women), as well as many children in uniforms, but for the entire hour-plus journey, we were the only non-Japanese that we saw on the crowded cars. The pattern continued on the busy subway we took once within the city limits to the station nearest our Japanese-style hotel, or ryokan.

It wasn't until we emerged from the subway that we hit our first snag. We knew from the guidebook that the streets in Tokyo are not really named or labeled as they are in the United States, but we didn't realize how clueless this would render us. We stared at a busy 5-way intersection clutching our directions we had carefully printed from Google maps ahead of time, but no matter how we looked at it we simply could not do any better than guess at which way to go. Ben asked a man near the station, who pondered carefully and then gave us definitive directions, which turned out to be wrong. Another man even pulled out a pocket magnifying glass to help study our map, but no dice. With dark clouds looming, we jumped at the chance when a taxi happened to pull down our side street. Even the driver struggled to find Andon Ryokan on his GPS, but we made it just in time for the rain to start.

The ryokan is very cool, a modern interpretation of this Japanese tradition. After a rejuvenating shower we hit the streets again to find dinner, which proved much easier with the kind hotel manager's map and instructions (we really are very close to the subway, too). Dinner proved another challenge, though this we had expected. We muddled our way through at a tiny sushi bar with the animated owners and another diner who knew some broken English. We were able to order vegetarian tempura (including bright orange regional squash and breaded egg yolks) and some fish with sushi rice. The owners threw in some delicious miso soup with egg and daikon radish, possibly because our Japanese is so pitiful! In any case, we are learning constantly and excited to become more comfortable with the customs, language, and food.

Tomorrow we wake up early to climb Mt. Fuji...so now it's off to bed!


Friday, July 12, 2013

Travel Map

Click on the map for a full view


Here is our Plan:

We start in Tokyo, head throughout Japan, including visits to Hakone, Kyoto, probably day trips to Osaka and Nara, before departing from Hiroshima.

From there, we get on a flight to Bangkok, but before we get out of the airport, we turn around on another flight to Siem Reap and Ankgor Wat in Cambodia for a couple days.

Then its back to Bangkok for a while and an overnight train up to Chiang Mai (in northern Thailand) to end our trip.

We leave in one week and return August 14th...Should be fun.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

At 2 years, on the cusp of another adventure!

Well well well. It certainly has been quite a while since we've used this blog. It's been three years, almost to the day. Oy, I forgot how hard it is to figure out this blogging interface and actually get some thoughts down in a comprehensive way. Anyway, here's to shaking off some of the rust and getting pumped for our next adventure.

Let's see. What has happened in the last three years? Too hard for a first post...but here are some of the major events in our relationship. We got engaged almost as soon as we got back from Europe. In fact, today is Betsy's and my 2nd anniversary! We are going to go out to celebrate at Geranio, one of our favorite spots in Old Town. We have had weddings, funerals, births and graduations in the family. (I guess three years is a long time.) Also, I am now an Architecture Master and have less than one year left on my internship before I can get my stamp.

So now that I am on my way, it was time to follow Betsy as she goes back to school. I have to take a minute to brag about her here. She applied to 15 Psychology Doctorate programs all across the country,  and got in to almost all of them, something that is just unheard of (I mean her incoming class is 7 students of the hundreds that applied!)...So she will be going her first choice, Duquesne. We could have ended up in Chicago, Berkeley, Indianapolis, NYC, Philly or even Detroit. Alas, as fate has it, we will be returning to the beautiful Golden Triangle, the Steel City, our homeland, the Burgh!

But before we do that, we decided to quit our jobs a month early and head out East in hope of rediscovering some of the magic we found abroad three years ago. We figure that this will be the last big life transition we share before having kids--crazy--so why not make the most of it? The itinerary this time: Japan, Thailand and Cambodia!

For those of you who remember, Betsy is a huge Anglofile, but if her passion for the English is eclipsed by anything, it's probably the Japanese. And me? I'm just so excited to be out on the road in a new and unfamiliar place again. The estrangement and excitement just can't be matched any other way. So this should be a good trip. Thanks everyone for following our travels. We look forward to keeping you in the loop and using this blog to decompress and comprehend all of our new experiences.