Back to America

Wow, Back to reality.

I can not believe that the trip is over. I am home. I am at my desk at work. I am filtering through IB fun list emails. (I forgot how much time I spend doing that!) I am doing tech escalations. I am going to Wed. night Karaoke. I am performing with Mainstage. I am going to get coffee at Flour. I am doing all of the things I do. In Boston. At home.

This trip was possibly the greatest thing that I have set out to do for myself - besides maybe doing study abroad in Israel. Traveling is so rewarding. It is not only fun - but educational, exciting, eye-opening... it is waking up and not knowing what you will be doing or where you will be going next - and loving it. It is not predictable. It is not 9 - 5.
Let's see... yup - It is freaking awesome.

Since I have been back, a few people have asked me if I just love other countries so much now that I have become Anti-American. And, as you can imagine from previous emails (although I don't think I ever blogged about it?) the answer for me is clearly no. I have, in fact, experienced a different revelation. I'm not Ms. USA or anything, but I do recognize the importance of being proud of your roots and of your country. I know patriotism is not something that happens over night. But, with a new prospect of hope due to a new president-elect, I think that greater Patriotism is a possibility for me - and for other Americans - in the future.

Now, that being said...all I can think about is where I want to travel next! At this point in time, I could go anywhere in Europe and have friends to visit! We met so many wonderfully awesome people throughout our travels. In Europe, I am definitely interested in Italy and Germany. My family is all from Germany...and researching my roots could be really cool. Of course, though, I want to see Australia, New Zealand, South America...more of Japan.
The predictability of routine is already getting me down. I have caught the travel bug.



I keep having conversations with people who say they can't travel because they have kids, responsibilities, or whatever... And yes, I know these walls exist. But, I also think they are climbable. Now that I'm back, and have gotten my year of "Independent Raero" out of my system, I would love to meet someone and possibly settle down. But, by no means does that mean I'm going to stop doing these things that intrigue me! I'm not going to stop traveling. I won't so don't try to make me!

Some random thoughts and observations:
- A lot of foreigners hadn't heard the phrase "Fair enough." And they quite enjoyed it.
- Australian and British people often say "I reckon" and "quite." I always thought those words sounded so formal...but now, I reckon I'm going to try to fit them into conversation quite often and whenever possible.
- The American election was followed by everyone EVERYWHERE. And, the results of a new President will affect everyone everywhere.
- I reckon (there it is!) American education needs to expand its lessons on the foreign world. For a generally smart person, I felt dumb sometimes in conversations with others. I realize how much other countries educate their people on American geography, history, and politics - and how much we do NOT educate our people on the rest of the world. Granted, as my friend from Norway replied, my life isn't much affected by the politics of Norway... but still.
I should know some stuff.
Just some stuff.
More stuff than I know at least.
Luckily, in the Metro this morning, I read that Massachusetts is thinking the same thing and are looking to update the curriculums to include more global education! The Metro must have been reading my blog. In the future.



And, for anyone who doesn't already know: I got home to a very special surprise in my apt. If you have read this blog, you will know that I mentioned there are no napkins in Asia. Because of that one comment, two of my girlfriends surprised me and completely decorated (dare I say vandalized?) my place with red, white, and blue napkins - literally covering my walls, drawers and closets from head to toe! Napkins were taped together into flags; streamers draped my doorways and walls, and red white and blue star shaped lights decorated my kitchen walls. Megan and Cuddy - thank you! It was amazing. Best welcome home ever. :)

Snapshots

Can't you read?
MBK Mall in Bangkok

Bangkok

In the market, you can buy anything from flip flops and t-shirts, to pineapples, to puppies.
"Don't be around the dog lick your hand." Seriously.
Bangkok

This last one is actually from Vietnam...but it's just such a classic, I had to include it.
When your child is being difficult...do what I do - give him some cash.
Hanoi, Vietnam Airport

Almost over

In the blink of an eye, this trip passed me by. I can't even believe it.

Mcgorty, Wendy, and I made it to Koh Samet on Monday (an island off of Bangkok) after a few unforgettable days in the beautiful land of Pai. Pai has got to be my favorite place in Thailand. The major highlight of the weekend, I would say, was riding motorbikes through the mountains! That's right - I actually rode on my own motorbike for the first time in my life. It was very scary at first, but Wendy and I eventually got the hang of it (with the guidance of one very skilled Matthew Mcgorty.) Driving all through the mountains and through tiny villages, I felt like I was seeing the REAL Thailand. No tourism. No stores. No signs in English... just straight up beautiful Thailand. We ate lunch over looking the mountains in something that resembled a tree house. It was perfect.

One of the funny things about Pai was that the third most popular language after English and Thai - was Hebrew! Hebrew was everywhere - as were traveling Israelis! I loved it.

We arrived in Koh Samet last night just for a quick stay on the beach. I was absolutely thrilled last night when we bumped into Sara and Mike - mine and Tucker's friends who we met in Mt Fuji, Japan - almost 2 months ago! We have been hanging out with them ever since and it's just been a perfect ending to this trip.

Tomorrow night we have our last moments in Bangkok before flying out on Thursday morning...

I miss my friends. I miss my family. I miss burritos and American football. But...nothing could ever replace the amazing experiences I have gotten while traveling. I have so much more to see and do... and more to say about it...but only a few hours left of this trip. So, I need to go enjoy. Bye!

Chiang Mai, Pai...and only 6 days to go

The end is near. Never have those words rang so true! I can't believe that after almost 2 months of traveling, i will soon be wearing my pack for one last time and hopping on a flight back to New York. This trip, of course, flew by and although I know it isn't over yet (I have 6 more days) its hard not to think about the "real world" that awaits me on the other side.

But until then... a quick update. First off, internet hasn't been as easy to come by - and also i am trying to enjoy my last few days. So, hence no updates. Also without Tucker's computer - I can't upload photos. Sorry all!

Currently - though - I am with Mcgorty and Wendy and we are in the North of Thailand, in Pai, after spending a few days in Chiang Mai. Wed. during the day we explored the town, walked all over, and got massages! (obvi.) We also experienced the Night Bazaar one night where we got our bargaining skills down pat - and bought a ton of stuff. For someone who isn't a shopper - I can't stop! There is so much cool stuff and its all so cheap!
Wednesday night in Chiang Mai, we actually went out with some new friends we had met and celebrated our new President-elect in style - with other random Americans at a Thai bar with a Thai band that played American covers! We danced and drank and had a great time.


Yesterday we had a jam packed day trip in Mae Hong Son. We were picked up by our 73 year old tourguide/driver - who looked like he was about 93 - and went on the ride of a lifetime. Literally, i didn't think we would make it through the ride alone. We were in an open sided truck that has seen better days...off roading through potholes, mud, and mountains! It was scary. Our day, however, turned out to be a huge success. We rode elephants (!!) and then went on an amazing (at at times pretty challenging) hike up a waterfall and then to white water rafting, then bamboo rafting... the whole day was exhausting but perfect. Also, our tour guide was absolutely adorable and he so clearly LOVED his work - it was great to spend the day with someone that happy. I got a slight injury getting into the raft, since the boat was "docked" in the busiest part of the rapids and we had to just walk on these tiny slippery rocks to get into the raft... i slipped and hurt my foot but its not too bad and definitely could've been worse. I met the nicest pharmacist ever who helped get me the right stuff to take care of it. :) She could teach the people at Walgreens a thing or two.

This morning we left for Pai...which is where we are now. It is a tiny somewhat alternative scened town in the middle of the mountains with little shops, live music... A perfect spot to chill for a few days. Its really beautiful and we are staying in a bungalow with our very own hammock. Paradise.

Actually...that is the name of the hotel. Pairidise.

We are going to try to fit in one island (hopefully where Tucker is) as well before we fly out of Bangkok. I don't know where the time has gone...

There is so much in this world to see...so many people to meet, foods to try, towns to explore, cultures to learn about, hikes to venture, music to here, places to go, beautiful things to see, things to do... I hope to do a trip like this again really soon. So should you.


OBAMA!

yes we can

Hey everyone,
I writing on a computer that doesnt have all the right keys so its quite difficult to make an update but Im getting a lot of complaints about not updating. Also,the zs are ys and the ys are zs on this kezboard. It is a mess.

So reallz fast - I am in Thailand. I am with Mcgorty and Wendy and we are having a blast. We are north in Chiang Mai and Tucker is down south with some of our new friends we met in Bangkok. Hopefullz, we will all be meeting up down there in a few days. Bangkok was awesome. I doant know why i have heard so much negativity about that city. I thought it was quite nice and a cool combination of modern and ancient. We saw some amazing temples with Buddhas bigger than buildings! Also, my friend Juay lives there and he and his girfriend Ying showed us an amazing time and an amazing home cooked meal!

Since I can't write much now / I mainly just want to tell you all about this morning. We watched Obama claim the win as our next President of the United States on Cnn. It was definitely strange to be in a foreign country when something so monumental was happening in the USA. However,i can tell you..everyone inThailand was watching. Everyone. We sat at our hotel bar with another American and watched the acceptance speech. I will say, it was the first time in my life I have ever shed tears as the President elect made his first speech. I was moved. We are feeling patriotic here...and we are looking forward to the changes in the future.

The Frenchman that owns this hotel has informed us of a democratic celebration happening at a bar here in Chiang Mai so we might just stop by tonight and show our red, white and blue!
We will get into more as soon as we can..but update in summary: Thailand is awesome. We are safe. And, hopefully - so is America!

Raero, Wendy, and Matty

Updates! Da Lat, Nha trang, Hanoi, oh my.

Yes, faithful readers...it has been a while. But, that isn't because anything bad happened - Moms and Aunts, take a deep breath! We have just been having a lot of fun, and not having a lot of wireless internet. (We need the wireless internet to sync our photos, so that is why those are a week or so behind.)

We are still in Vietnam - currently in the North, in Hanoi. We are really liking Vietnam a lot. The cities are CRAZY, the mountains and beaches are beautiful, and for the most part - the people are cool too. The one hassle that does start to wear on you after a few weeks is the constant pestering of people trying to sell you stuff - mainly bike rides and sightseeing tours. If you are white, you are a target. That is the general rule.

Hanoi is a crazy city with tiny windy streets in the old city, where you have people in pointy straw hats, walking around trying to sell you anything from pineapples, to phrasebooks, to motorcycle rides. I don't know how they squat on the street so low, for so long. Many families just squat the sidewalks, cooking and eating and feeding their children.

We thought crossing the street was a challenge in Saigon - we had no idea! It's insane here. Tomorrow, we are taking a boat tour for a few days, into the beautiful islands and caves of Ha Long Bay. We are on a junk boat the first day - seeing caves and islands. Then, we sleep on the boat...and the second day, we kayak all day, and then stay at a resort on Cat Ba Island. Doing a tour like this is really the only way to see Ha long Bay - so I hope the tour we chose turns out to be a good one. They are a million places selling basically the same thing for vastly different prices. It's hard to figure out when you are being scammed or not, but the one we chose was recommended to me by a traveler I met in Nha Trang, and he said it was good.

Updates...
Da Lat
The motorcycle tour with our Easy Rider guide, Dung (when he pronounces it, it's much better), was personally a real highlight for my time in Asia. I was on the back of the guide's motorbike and Tucker held his own on his own bike! Dung toured us all around amazing green mountains, scary winding roads, and into some really cool spots including a silk factory where we saw the process from start (worm) to finish (scarf). Much to my surprise, I really enjoyed being on a motorcycle! It was so fun and I felt totally safe...even though it rained a lot of the time. Also, it was cool to chat with the guide as we rode...he told me about his family, religion, politics, real estate...all sorts of stuff that you can't really get reading from a book. We took a hike down this somewhat scary and extremely muddy and slippery rock path down to the bottom of the "Elephant waterfalls." Dung actually got injured and couldn't finish the hike with us, but Matt and I tried to go as far as we could, until we were locked in by surrounding water. It was pretty cool - but I was really sore the next day! (Shock shock) After the hike, we walked around a Temple, where there were all these Vietnamese woman sharing lunch together, and I assume also praying together. On top of the mountain, there was this HUUUUUGE Buddha...pictures to come.

The next day, we took a taxi to Langbiang Mountain for some hiking. To be fair, I was sore from the day before and didn't get TOO far up the mountain, but Tucker had some cool experiences that I'm sure he'll fill us in on later.

After Da lat, Tucker and I split up for a few days - we each did our own beach thing. He went to Mui Ne, and I went to Nha Trang.

Nha Trang
Nha Trang is a little town mainly popular for it's beautiful water and beach. There are a bunch of little restaurants and hotels in the area, as well as the usual tourist shops and tailors. I thought traveling alone would be a little scary - but on the contrary, it was really fun. Also, i was hardly alone! It is so easy to meet other travelers. So, the first few days, I hung out with my "Irish boyfriend" and the next two days, my "Israeli boyfriend." If only it were this easy in the U.S. :)

It was sooo amazing to just relax for a few days and literally, just sit on the beach, read, and recharge. I did not want to leave! The beach was beautiful and the water was so warm. Also, they had a brewery there (Lousiane Brewery) that had the best beer I've tried since I got to Asia. I stayed in a nice hotel, treated myself to an amazing spa massage - and even got a dress custom made for myself! Everything is so cheap so treating yourself is so much easier to do! Tailors are everywhere and it's quite common for tourists to get clothes made.

That is the trip update as of now. More to come soon...

PS Remember to vote! Even if you are in one of those "my vote doesn't matter" states... your vote DOES matter. We are trying desperately to figure out how to vote now that we are abroad and it's harder than you would think. I believe this election to be a life-marking event as I'm sure many of you do as well. It is a little hard to be missing it.

Happy Birthday Steve and Happy almost birthday Matty Z and Patrick French!

Top Ten Reasons I know I've Been Traveling for a While

Top Ten Reasons I know I've been traveling for a while:

10. Before going to brush my teeth, I instinctively look for a bottle of water. (Man, I miss tap water.)

9. Beeping now has new meaning to me. It is not rude - it's a safety precaution. If you are on a motor bike, and people don't beep - it's very hard to hear that someone is trying to pass you! Beep for safety's sake!

8. I am lost without a bottle of Purell on me at all times. More so than chapstick!

7. I'm used to not having a clue what anyone around me is saying.

6. $4 sounds like a A LOT to pay for a beer.

5. I crave noodle soups for breakfast.

4. I drink my tea sans milk.

3. List of things to buy when I get home: 1.) rice cooker 2.) Electric water boiler.

2. Also: 3.) a motorcycle or scooter.

1. I kinda sorta want a Vietnamese baby. (Seriously, though, these kids are so cute. Can I have one?)

Goodnight Saigon

We have been in Vietnam since Monday (and right now, it is Thursday evening). So far - so good! Our first stop was Ho Chi Minh City, which we have learned the locals still call Saigon. To be honest, I thought it would be too crazy for me - and that I wouldn't enjoy it. But, I was totally wrong. Saigon is so interesting... it is it's own beast. I almost can't even explain it. It is crazy but so simple at the same time. It has a certain rhythm to it. The little stores and shops - at least in the backpacker area where we stayed - were so run down and so close the the street. It seems like one monsoon would make the roofs come crashing in! The kids play barefoot on the sidewalk. People have little "restaurants" on the sidewalks and in the streets. Basically, a woman squats on the ground, cooking on little grills - meats and huge vats of rice etc. Then, they set up tiny little plastic stools in the street - smaller than what nursery school kids sit on - and people just sit in the street at eat at the "restaurants."
Its so different from what we know.
Also - we didn't see ONE chain restaurant...no Starbucks. No McDonalds. That was nice.

The motorcycles are EVERYWHERE! It is not uncommon to see families of 3 or 4 on these motorcycles - including little babies! Seriously, I had heard crossing the street in Vietnam was a challenge - but in fact, it's an Olympic sport. Basically, you just have to GO- just charge through...and not worry about the fact that 3 taxis and 20 motorcycles are coming straight for you. You just have to trust that they will drive around you. There is NO such thing as pedestrian right of way! In fact, if they see people - they just beep. Beep beep beep! The horn means something totally different here than it does in the USA. Passing someone on the highway? beep beep! See someone walking on the side of the road as you are driving? Beep beep!

I can't believe that over 3 1/2 weeks have passed by. I am having so much fun - but the whole trip is flying by way too quickly. I think it is perfect that we started out somewhere expensive (Japan) and now are in the cheap areas. Hanging out in Vietnam is SO affordable. We eat lunch for around $3. Beers are around $1. A HUGE bottle of water (1.5 liters) is usually around $0.30. The largest bill they have here is 100,000 dong which is equal to about $6. We are millionaires! One night, we decided to go all out to a fancy restaurant. We had three main courses, beers, tea, dessert...the whole thing was $26. Total. Amazing.

One day, we took a ($10) day trip into the Mekong Delta. We had a tour guide who took us on numerous boat rides, to candy factories, a honey making and bee-keeping farm, on a horse drawn buggy (if you can call it that), through little villages... it was really neat. As always, we met some really interesting people traveling - this time from Japan, Germany, Seattle, and Taiwan.

Since we have been in city after city on this trip - we have been looking forward to getting back to nature. This morning we hopped on a quick flight north to Da Lat. The ride from the airport to the hotel was absolutely breathtaking. Talk about LUSH green trees, fields, and mountains. this is where most of the delicious Vietnamese coffee comes from as well. Amazing. We were so happy - this was exactly what we needed. Or so we thought. Unfortunately - we aren't as remote as we thought we would be. We took this amazing ride through the green areas in the middle of nowhere - then went over the top of one mountain - and suddenly this city appears! It was like Brigadoon!

Our hotel is in this city. It's disappointing, but apparently - there isn't really anywhere to stay that isn't in the city of Da Lat. So...tomorrow - I'm facing my fears and going on a guided MOTORCYCLE tour around the mountains and to go hike, see waterfalls etc. I will not be driving the motorcycle. We have hired one of the famous "Easy Riders" to tour us around. I'm nervous but quite excited. This is one of those once in a life-time experiences that I felt I had to do. Right? Right.

So far my favorite thing about Vietnam has been the people. They have been warm and wonderful. We stayed at a place called the Saigon Mini Hotel - and the staff couldn't have been more wonderful. I would recommend anyone to stay there.

I am at the point where I have been away from home for so long, that I start thinking about anything that I will change when I get back. "When I get back to real life, i'm going to eat better." "When I get back to real life, I am going to take a class or two." It is true, though, that traveling has made me want to learn again. Maybe I'll take an adult ed class or something.

One difficult experience i had in Vietnam was my exploration of the War Remnants Museum. I went by myself. And, yes I knew it wouldn't be pleasant. And this might sound extreme - but I felt like I was the daughter of a Nazi...walking around a Holocaust museum. The exhibits were horrifying. America sounded like the worst place - with the worst people - in the world... I couldn't even look at a lot of the stuff on Agent Orange etc. I started to enjoy the exhibit more, however, in the exhibits about worldwide opposition to the Vietnam War. It showed protesters in Australia with "USA out of Vietnam NOW" posters. And, European countries with similar displays. I kept looking for the Americans...where is our voice? Where are our protesters? Finally, i found it - a section where you saw the brave men and women who protested the war. Photos of people burning draft cards; an article about a fighter pilot who refused to fly etc etc. I finally felt ok.

My favorite part of the museum was an exhibit all about the photographers recording the war, who lost their lives while doing so. Their photography was amazing and so much more special knowing their personal stories.

We will hopefully post pictures of all of this soon. Tucker's camera is facing some serious technical difficulties but we are making do with mine for the time being.

More updates to come. Wish me luck on my motorcycle!? omg.

More on Shanghai...and a taste of Hong Kong nightlife!

Hello readers!

I find out every day more and more people who have been keeping up with our travels on our blog – so thanks!

We safely arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon, after the train ride from hell. It was a 20 hour train from Shanghai and I won’t get into details, but it was awful. Also, I ate something bad on the train – and ended up with a stomach bug for 24 hours. Luckily, we are staying with my friend Rachel “Patch” Adams in HK, so I had a comfortable place to be very, very ill. And, I am now recovered! Phew.

The rest of our trip in Shanghai was much better than that first day. If you take a trip there, I would recommend staying away from the touristy areas like the walk from People’s Square to The Bund. That is where we experienced all the craziness and people trying to scam us…everywhere else we went was just fine. We really loved the French Concession area and Taikang Lu area (which is a cute little maze of artsy shops and streets and restaurants where we bought cool communist propaganda stuff.) Also, on that Monday night, we at an amazing restaurant! “Lost Heaven” is the name of the place. It was in the French Concession and was probably our best meal yet on the entire trip so far! The food was from the Yunnan province and was very fresh- and the spices they used were so different than what we are used to. Although I stuck to TsingDao - the Chinese beer – this was the night Matt got patriotic and switched to Bud.

In any case, I would highly recommend Lost Heaven to anyone going to Shanghai.

One night in Shanghai, we went out with some of our friends from the ferry (see picture above). Kevin lives in Shanghai and took us to some really cool clubs which, even on a Tues. night, were pretty bumpin'. Yes, I said bumpin.

Since we have been in Hong Kong, we haven’t done too much (since I was really sick), but Patch and her friend Andy did show us around the bars in Central and took us to a great Peking Duck restaurant. Hong Kong is off the hook as far as nightlife goes. I have never seen so many cool bars all in a row! It was crazier than New Orleans – I’m telling you. It’s strange though, because the area they mainly hang out in is all ex-pats so you see very few Chinese people. That is definitely a change from everywhere else we have visited in Asia. Granted, we probably need to get out of the “Central” area and see a bit more of this city. Hopefully, we will do that today.

Of what I have seen so far, Hong Kong is a very, very cool city – a very clean city – and most people speak English. It is quite different from our other China experiences. We did expect the difference – but not this great of a difference!

Tomorrow, Patch has rented a junk boat for her birthday. About 15 of her friends will all be onboard and it will be a little food and booze cruise going around to 3 different beaches! The weather here has been great…so I’m really looking forward to it!

After that, we are off to Vietnam… we haven’t planned that leg of our trip AT ALL so we have a lot of work to do today.

- Miss you all -

PS Our RSS reader is only displaying some of our photo albums in the right nav. If you'd like to see all the photos, you can just go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/matt.d.tucker/

Toto, we're not in Japan anymore

In comedy, we often reinforce stereotypes...such as, blonds are dumb, Jews are cheap...or, of course - all Asians are the same. Well, fear not my Asian friends - you will NEVER hear us say that ever, ever again. Thus far, our experiences in China vs. Japan have been polar opposites.

First off, let me start on how we got here: The Osaka-Shanghai 2 day ferry! Ya know what? It was way better than we thought it would be. This, however, has nothing to do with the ferry really - and everything to do with the awesome travelers we befriended while on board. When we were first getting onto the ferry, we experienced the first difference between the Chinese and the Japanese... the Japanese patiently line up and wait for everything. Everything! The escalator, the subway...anything. There is always a perfectly patient LINE. While waiting to get on the boat to China, however, there was a lot of pushing, cutting, and just general disregard for other people trying to get on the boat around us. Once we got on the boat, #2 difference - help and hospitality. Tucker and I were split up immediately and put in different rooms - he in first class and me in standard. We paid the same amount and should have been in the same room but no one explained or offered to help or anything. It just 'was.'

In any case, the trip began. The views from the ship were beautiful. We were soon wondering what the HECK we were going to do to kill 48 hours on a boat. There was only so many rounds of Rummy 500 that we could play. Sooner or later, we met other travelers and had people to eat dinner and do karaoke with! The Karaoke was a blast. It was so different from how it is in the States. People REALLY appreciate good Karaoke singing. The "audience" claps in the middle of the song - like they are at a rock concert. I felt like a star! :)

The Karaoke ended at 10:30pm - and we didn't know what was left to do! A girl (from NJ!) said "go outside! The sky is beautiful and someone is playing guitar!" Soon enough, we were up on the deck of the boat - staring at one of the most star-filled, clear, and beautiful skies I have seen in a long time. The guitar playing continued and in a moment, you had people from the US, China, UK, Australia, Ireland, Poland etc all belting out the same Radiohead songs... It was such an awesome moment. You realize how simple things can be...and how music seriously unifies us all. It was truly amazing. (Videos of Karaoke are in the Traveling to Shanghai album.)

Some of the friends we met on the boat are Americans now living in China. THANK GOD we met them because they took us to lunch and to buy our train tickets when we first arrived in Shanghai. Their Mandarin really came in handy. (Also, they were hi-larious.) It is definitely much harder here to get around without speaking the language - AND the language is much harder to pick up or "fake."

It is Monday evening, and we just got back to our hostel after our first day exploring Shanghai. If I'm being completely honest - it wasn't the greatest sight-seeing experience I've ever had. First off, I'm feeling paranoid here. I mean... communism in general makes me paranoid! Second, our friends had warned us of tourist scams - and they were spot on. Person after person tried to scam us with the same offers over and over again. (Where are you from? Are you a student? We are travelers too! Want to go to this tea ceremony with us?) I felt very uncomfortable and was very glad I had Tucker there with me for safety!

Besides paranoia about scams, and pushing away people trying to sell us things - I am a tad paranoid about what we can consume here! Don't drink the water; check the bottled water to make sure it hasn't been tampered. Don't eat dairy because babies are dying. Don't eat fruits and veggies because they are washed in the water! Don't eat food from stalls. Ahhh!

Also, its just really dirty here. And it's not just in comparison to Japan. I mean, you can see and FEEL the pollution in the air. Also, you can be in the nicest area - and suddenly a terrible smell just hits and its so off-putting you have to cover your face with your shirt. People push. People spit. A LOT. There is a lot of smoking and spitting. Its definitely different from the past two weeks. :)

That being said, I don't want it to sound like things are terrible. We did have a good time today. Although I'm so skeptical about trusting ANYONE because of our experiences, we did meet one helpful man - so that was nice. Also, we walked around and took a bunch of photos, and had a lot of laughs. We went to the Yuayuan Gardens - and it was full of plants and rocks and temples. The signs throughout called the rock formations "Rockery." We had lots of laughs at making a mockery of the rockery...not gonna lie.

By Popular Demand...Monkeys!

During the day of exploration Rachel wrote about in her post below, I hiked to the top of a mountain and checked out some sweet monkeys!

From Kyoto

This is the cool little buddhist lamp / arch thingy at the start of the monkey path. Note to self: learn something...anything about buddhism.

From Kyoto

The path wound it's way up a little mountain. It was a beautiful, sunny day in Kyoto and the way the trees filtered the light made the hike simply sublime. Note to self: refrain from using the word "sublime" in the future.

From Kyoto

Ooo...monkey trash barrel...I must be getting close.

From Kyoto

Ok, right about here is when I started getting worried that a monkey was gonna jump out of a tree onto me head and take a big dump.

From Kyoto

Oh, I guess if children are unafraid of these guys, I'll be fine.

From Kyoto

Made it! This monkey is like way into photo ops. Notice that I'm keeping my distance at this point. I don't trust these guys. They look kinda funny.

From Kyoto

You could see all of Kyoto from up here. Oh yeah, and a bunch of damn dirty apes.

From Kyoto

These guys look like they're just chillin in the shade but I can tell that they are really thinking about how delicious I look.

From Kyoto

OK, so little tip when taking pictures of baby monkeys. Don't. Stay away from the babies. I spent a good five minutes right up in this guys grill snapping pictures until his mommy came out of nowhere and made a very aggressive demonstration with her rather large teeth about a foot from my face.

From Kyoto

It was at about this point that I decided to take my leave of Monkey Town. Granted I did hang around for another 2 or 3 minutes just so they didn't think I was a total pussy.

From Kyoto

Nothing to do with monkeys. I just like the picture.

OK kids...more updates later. We just got off a boat and are now in CHINA! We have a lot to fill you in on, dear reader. Stay tuned.

Kyoto catch up and US politics!

Kyoto was interesting. I wish we had more time there – 3 days was definitely not enough. But, at least we got a taste. The regular city itself is nothing special, but once you get into any of the old streets and areas – you finally see the architecture that you picture in your head when you think “Japan.” It’s beautiful. My favorite street was Poncho-cho dori. It is a teeny old street right along the water – with just restaurant after restaurant. Really pretty. We took a lot of photos and you can see them through the Kyoto link on the right!

Tucker and I split up on Wed. and did our own city tours. He went to see monkeys! I went to the Silver Temple (Ginka ku) and walked around the beautiful gardens. See pic. They had maybe 15 different types/colors of moss. The grounds were SO beautiful and well kept. I walked around…and I had my music on…I was almost moved to tears. It was amazing. After that, I did a little shopping in GION ( got myself a pretty purse and belt!) and then headed to an Onsen to soak in a natural hot spring.

We went out both nights in Kyoto with our friend, Eva, from Germany – who we had originally met at our hostel in Fuji – then met up with again in Kyoto! One of the bars we went to was a super funky cave-like place with a live DJ, and a woman painting a huge canvas while the music played. It was very indie.. Very cool. :)

We are currently in Osaka – which is nothing to write home about. Unless you like to write home about a city like Springfield. We actually had booked a place online for Osaka – which looked ok on the internet. We got there, checked into our room , – and 20 minutes later, we had checked out! Although we would have only been staying there for the night – it was disgusting and the more we sat there, the more we realized we wouldn’t be able to handle it. It was a Japanese style hotel – tatami floors, no beds…but it was DIRTY and gross. We didn’t want to touch the floor – much less the blankets or pillows.
Now, we are at a swank place downtown. Seriously – it’s the nicest hotel ever! We decided we just couldn’t live in filth the night before we were going to live on a boat for 2 days! We figured we’d splurge.

I am starting to get excited for the next leg of the trip: China! My fears are 1. The people not being as nice and helpful as they are here and 2. The language is tough! As I write this, Tucker is sitting next to me trying to talk in the “tonal” language of Mandarin. It is hi-larious! Apparently, 1 word can have 20 different meanings depending on the TONE! We have been spoiled by Japanese – its way easy compared to other Asian languages!

As always, rachel’s random thoughts…
- (Thanks to Ayako), we learned that you never pour your own sake – you always must have a friend pour it for you.

- As much as we are far away from home, we have been reading the paper and catching up on the political and economic situation regularly. In fact, being here – where the economy is also affected…and being surrounded by people from all over the world – I feel almost MORE informed than I would at home. We watched most of the debate last week on the internet. We want to watch the Palin/Biden debate but we don’t know if we will get it on the boat or not. We shall see.

- Palin REALLY got schooled in that Couric interview, EH!? She looked terribly unprepared. I thought it was hysterical.

- Tucker and I often ask other travelers their thoughts on America and – more so – on Americans. ( I didn't want to get spotted eating McDonalds for fear that people would think, that is "what all Americans do!") One girl we spoke to (from Germany) was surprised to hear that many of us (MOST of us - sorry Dad!) don’t support Bush. Granted, she was young and perhaps not up to date on all things political, but she said that she always assumed USA and Bush go hand in hand. We had to explain Blue states and Red states…and that we didn’t um…technically vote for him.

Hey Asgard crew! We did Karaoke in Japan! It was very different from our usual Wed. nights – but we went out with 9 people from all over the world, sang our hearts out, and had so much fun! So, even though I wasn’t there on Wed. in Cambridge, I was representing in Fuji! In this picture, Tuck and I show Japan JUST how to rock out the Justin Timberlake. Can you say, bring sexy back? Yea, that's right. We did just that.

Quick note: Please be careful about what you write in the “comments” area while we are in China! I don’t know how regulated things get…so I figure,better safe than sorry! I don’t want us to lose internet access… or have to trade in Tucker to the authorities. I mean, I don’t want to travel alone while he takes the heat for YOUR comments thank-you-very-much. ;)

Shana Tova and Happy New year everyone!
Love Raero

Fujisan! Fujisan!

We did it! We finally saw Mt. Fuji yesterday. It was spectacular. We took a bus up to 5th station at 3000 meters. There are a series of 10 stations along the route ascending Fuji. We think 5th station is about 700 meters from the summit.



The bus ride up was hair raising. But at some point, we turned a bend and had a great view down the side of the mountain and, for the first time, realized we were above the clouds. Not long after, we looked up and were finally able to see the summit of Fuji for the first time. It was beautiful.



It was damn cold at the 5th station but we had a great view and took loads of photos. We stayed for about an hour, had a cup of coffee and then boarded the bus back down.

When we arrived back at the bus stop, I looked in the direction of Fuji, and there it was! It was the first time we had seen it from the ground. Our stay at Fuji had been plagued by clouds and fog. But now, there it was towering over us. It was only visible for about half an hour.



This has been the highlight of the trip for me so far. I am really regretting not having the chance to climb to the summit however. After having been up there, we could have done it yesterday but just didn't have our act together in time. We are considering extending our stay in Japan so perhaps I will have another shot.

Mmm...mountains

Tokyo has been our home for the past four days...and we were definitely bummed and tentative about leaving. But, now we are in Kawaguchiko - which is where Mt. Fuji is located...and we both agree its an amazing and welcomed change. When we were in Tokyo, we were in a hotel - just the two of us. This was a great first step into a new country. But, now we are at this awesome hostel called K's House. Its really fun to interact with and meet new people - esepecially other travelers. Also, I have to say - this is the nicest, and cleanest hostel I've ever been to. We got here in late afternoon, went to the grocery store...cooked up a big meal in the hostel's kitchen...and now have been chatting, drinking beers, and playing cards with some of our new friends.

Mainly though - we are just in awe of how absolutely beautiful it is here. We left the bright lights, big city - for a teeny mountain town. Its definitely a striking change - but its also a lot more me (especially since this time of year, i would normally be in Killington anyway!)

We are surrounded on all sides by mountains. The train ride from Tokyo was absolutely awesome... Tucker probably took 100 photos of the mountains before we even got off the train.
The weather isn't the greatest. Its very foggy and cold. And, in fact we are strongly discouraged to climb the mountain at this time of year. However, we are still praying the clouds clear up so we can at least really SEE the mountain. ALL the mountains here are beautiful...but we came to see Mt. Fuji. So, hopefully - we get to do just that.

Japanese Breakfast!

UPDATE: This was supposed to be a video but Picasa F'd us. Here's the link: Click here to see us eating a homemade Japanese breakfast

 

Culture! and um, Saki.

We have become very cultured over the past few days in Tokyo! Yesterday, we headed to an exhibit at The National Art Center (in Roppongi.) We saw lots of beautiful paintings and Tucker took tons of pictures. (To be posted soon.) The building itself was completely amazing...some of the most modern and funky architecture we have seen since we got to Japan.

After that, we went in search of some real deal local cuisine. After getting lost in circles in Roppngi for an hour, we finally found a tiny little restaurant. We were very confused at first as to what the man was saying to us as we entered. He kept saying what sounded like "Sit! Sit!" but he was pointing outside. Finally, we realized that the way this worked was this: you choose what you want to eat from this little vending machine. You pick your meal and hit the button, and it spits out a ticket - and then you hand the order ticket to the man. Apparently, this is common procedure during busy times in Japanese restaurants...so they don't need to hire a waiter to take your order etc. We thought it was really peculiar, though, in this situation - as we were the only people in the place besides the man and the chef! Ah, well. We had fried rice and noodle bowls. (Will, I took a photo of the food just for you!) It was delish.

Last night, we went out and stayed up past 8pm for the first time in forever! We met up with Ayako and Makiko, friends of my friend Matt Z. It was such a relief to go out with people who spoke English! We had such a great time. Not only did we get to go to a super awesome restaurant ("Izakaya") that we never would have found if we weren't with locals, but we didn't have to worry about the language barrier. By the way - they have a button on the table that you press- and a waiter appears! How awesome is that?? You never have to wait. Ayako and Makiko took good care of us and ordered so much good food. Then... the saki began. I have never seen nor drank so much saki before - but it was really good! I actually can say that I can taste the difference between different kinds.

First we drank Japanese sake - the typical kind.
Next one was Shochu. (slightly stronger but really good)
And we finished with a sweet one, called Ume-shu (Sake with Plum)

After getting a bit tipsy, we walked around Shinjuku and stopped to play a video game! We will post video soon.

This afternoon (Friday), we continued with Culture... by attending some real Kobuki theater at Kobuki-za in Ginza. The sets were amazing and the costumes and makeup were all really beautiful and detailed. The story was sort of confusing- even with the English translation in our ears - but we both really enjoyed the show. The one thing we are treally curious about was this: throughout the show - audience members would shout randomly. Something like "hiyabaya!" We didn't know why they shouted, or when...or what it meant. It seemed to me to be something like "Bravo!" but I'm not really sure. In any case, it seemed so special to be seeing this traditional Japanese art form - right in Japan. I felt lucky for sure.

My comments of the day:
- I'm concerned about what other countries think of the U.S...and of Americans. Our lack of our own cultural identity made me almost sad and embarassed, when discussing it with our Japanese friends.
- The Japanese seem to make really good use of everything; there is little waste. Paper, space...nothing. They recycle everything. Its really admirable.
- We love Japan. Its our home right now! We are slightly sad and nervous to leave for China next weekend!
- Tomorrow we head to Mt. Fuji...and after that to Kyoto (Boston's sister city! How is THAT for a fun fact?)

Thank you for reading. We love your comments and messages!

Sushi Showdown

Now I know what your wondering, because I once wondered it myself. In the question of Man vs. sushi, sushi vs. man... who will win?
Well, I can tell you now.
The answer is not man.

The Sushi Showdown
After trying to sleep past 5 am, due to jet lag, Tucker and I finally rolled out of our hotel around 7:30 AM. After starting our day in a truly Japanese way (OK FINE, we went to starbucks), we hopped on a train. We went where every tourist goes in Tokyo, when they can't sleep till a normal human hour: the Tsujiki Fish Market. We were actually too late to see the fish auctioning, but we walked around for a while, seeing the bustling market vendors and then finally decided to sit somewhere and taste some of the "freshest fish in the world."

Nestled next to each other was tiny restaurant after tiny restaurant (they are so tiny!). There was a line outside of one, which we assumed had to be a good sign - so we got in line as well. After a short wait and a lady yelling where to stand in a language we didn't understand, we got in. The place was like 2 ft wide and had about ten seats total - all at the sushi counter. We sat down and they asked us something we didn't understand. We struggled to answer. So, the sushi chef (see photo) showed us this menu w/ pictures and basically implied "this is what we serve." (or "this is what you will eat.") Tucker replied with a resounding "HAI!"

As the chef prepared our sushi, he asked the one thing he knew how to say in English "Where are you from?"
I responded "USA. Boston."
He thought for a second...and then responded.
"Boston. Daisuke Matsuzaka?"
We replied "YES!! HAI!"
We had had a conversation! Success!

Soon enough, the sushi started coming. And, we were in over our heads. The chef just placed piece after piece of unrecognizable sushi and fish on our plates. A few things were good, but after a little while - we realized they weren't going to stop giving us more fish, and we had to continue eating b/c otherwise, it was rude. I started to get panicky. Eating sushi at 9 am is one thing, but eating stuff you don't want or like is another. Some of it was sort of grossing me out. I got really hot. I looked around for an exit. I started flipping through the phrasebook as fast as I could to try to find how to ask "Where is the bathroom" but I couldn't find it. The chef and waitress saw me looking at the phrase book and waved it away, saying "eato! eato!" and then pointed at the line outside. Apparently, we were eating too slowly! I looked at Tucker who appeared to be happily(?) throwing it all down, so i decided I also had to power through.
I finally quietly checked in w/ Tucker and he was like "oh my god, the sushi is never going to stop. We are eating too slow. we have to finish..."
I eventually admitted to myself I was going to be rude, and not finish everything. There was no way to "move the food around" either to make it look like I had eaten it all.

Tucker paid. 7000 yen (around $70) for the two of us.

We left and stood outside. We were quiet. I offered Tuck a piece of gum. He yelled YES so loud and then said, "that was the most money I've ever spent on something I hated in my whole life."
What a morning!
It was definitely the freshest fish I've ever had. And it was definitely an experience. But it was no Inman Square Spice and Rice.
Welcome to Japan. Sushi showdown? Check.
Or check mate? Whatever.


Other highlights/thoughts of the day:
- Friends who have been to Asia before said we should be prepared to be stared at. I have to say, though, besides two adorable Japanese girls asking to take a photo with us in it, we haven't been stared at all. In fact, its quite the contrary. I am the one doing the staring - at white people. I think, every time i see a white person - i'm just curious to know where they are from, if they are American or whatever. So apparently, we aren't the starees - but more the starers.

- After walking around taking photos of everything, carrying and using a Phrasebook, and stopping to look at EVERY map we see - we will never make fun of tourists we see in Boston ever again.

- People constantly say something to us in Japanese and we have no idea what they are saying. And for some reason every time - i look to Tucker for an answer. haha like HE speaks Japanese ?!

- Our Japanese is really lacking. Basically we just say Origato (thank you) over and over again. At least we are polite!

- DANA JAY BEIN- today we saw this huge line in the street, that was being crowd controlled by cops. We had no idea what was going on. We finally get to the front of the line - and realize they were all waiting to get into the brand new H&M! Haha. I have some great photos of the chaos that I'll upload soon. This line spanned for BLOCKS!

- We saw some absolutely beautiful gardens today. Check the photos labeled "First day in Tokyo."

Tomorrow night, we are having dinner with a friend of a friend. It will be nice to have someone who speaks Japanese order for us.

oh, Happy belated birthday to my brother, Ben!

The Journey to Tokyo (or, "How We Rolled")

We were too wiped out after 24 hours of travel to write anything of substance last night. I'll try to fill in some details.

The Rosenthals started us off right. Our last home-cooked American meal included Rachel's dads fantastic barbeque beef. I hope I'm not giving too much away but he sears it on the grill and then slow cooks it for an hour or something. Her mom cooked up some great veggies and rice. I made sure to scarf what I suspect will be the last meal in two months whose component ingredients are not dubious in nature.

The alarm went off at 6 AM. After a cup of coffee and a look at the paper to confirm that the state of the US economy was still completely F'd, we hit the road. As Rachel's dad drove us to JFK, I observed that prosperous New York City suburbs often disguise large utility poles as trees by affixing fake branches to them. True story.

We arrived at the airport to discover that our 11:45 flight had been delayed until 12:30 and we had a good four hour wait ahead of us. JFK is basically a mall with airplane parking so we found plenty to do to kill time. When we finally rolled up to the gate, we got a taste of what the next two months were going to be like. The Boeing 777 carries between 283 and 368 passengers. We were two of about five non-Asians on the thing.

When we return, we will have a new president-elect. Bush made sure to do one last thing to piss me off before we left the US. We sat on the tarmac for a half an hour while Air Force One landed.

The flight wasn't too bad. We somehow lucked out and got seats with unlimited leg-room and Tetris! The service was a goddamn joke however. What happened to stewardesses being hot blondes with impeccable manners? Ours were old and weird looking and didn't share a brain cell between them. At one point, one of them poured hot water on my foot.

When we landed and got our first glimpse of Japan, our first thought was, "Looks like New York". We navigated customs pretty well and threw around a little Japanese on our way to the express train to Tokyo.

We took the Narita Express from Teminal 2 to Shinkuku Station in Tokyo. The ride was great. We watched the Tokyo suburbs roll by and caught a glimpse of a huge, beautiful, red sunset. I tried to snap a picture of it but by the time I got my camera out, we had rounded a bend and it was gone. But it was there and we saw it and it was an amazing welcome to Japan.

We navigated the huge Shinjuku train station fairly well and came out of the South Entrance in Tokyo. It was night and the streets were full of people. Shinjuku is what you picture when you picture Tokyo. Big, bright, and over the top. We consulted a map, picked a direction that seemed right and started making our way to the hotel. Rachel spotted it sticking out of the huge buildings around us, making our walk considerably easier.

When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised at how nice the place was. It's only a year old and sports some pretty snazzy decor. Our room is a little small by Western standards but adequate. A nice, big HD TV and free internet access are some of the nicer amenities. The bathroom is also pretty doable. The shower is fairly badass although the top of my head is about an inch from the ceiling.

We dropped our stuff and, after a moment, realized we were on the other side of the goddamn planet. And we had been awake for 24 hours. It was 7 PM in Tokyo, 6 AM back home. We went down to the hotel bar for a celebratory drink but after a glass of wine, neither of us could string a coherent sentence together and we called it a night.

Avoid This Man

This is a very bad man. Very bad. This man force-fed us sushi at 9 AM. Fish eggs, shrimp, eel, and some unidentifiable substance that looked like peanut butter wrapped in seaweed. I didn't touch the stuff. I did, however, eat just about everything else. Out of fear. This man has a BIG KNIFE.

We made it!

I am writing from a computer that is in Japanese...and I've been up for over 24 hours. So, this may not be the greatest thing ever written.
Also - I'm typing on a keyboard that is the size of Will's old phone.
IN any case, I can say this: We made it to Asia!
We are in our (really nice) hotel in Tokyo - in Shinkjuku.
We are tired.
I think its 7:30 or so PM here (which means 6:30 AM there...and we didn't really sleep much on the plane.)
Our flight was delayed but otherwise, all 14 plus hours really weren't so bad. We appropriately watched Lost in Translation on the flight. (We brought it - that wasn't the offering :) )
Highlights thus far:
- We encountered one of the worst, but most entertaining, and idiotic flight attendants of all time. I feel bad for all the people who's legs she smashed.
- Everyone in Japan (i.e. on the train and at the airport) has so far been very kind and helpful.
- Tucker spoke flawless Japanese (he said "Do you speak English?") to the woman selling the train tickets. It was very impressive.
Hopefully we will thrill you with more interesting cultural phenoms, once we've slept.
I will say this though: everything is so clean. The train, the airport etc.
Our toilet has a lot of buttons on it. It scares me a bit.
People here are patient - especially when waiting in line.

Can't wait to sleep and then start exploring tomorrow!

The journey is beginning

Well. It's official. We are going to ASIA! And we are going for two whole months. We have finally purchased our flights and are leaving the country, headed for Tokyo, on September 22nd.

It's amazing to think this trip is really going to happen! I'm not sure I ever thought it would become a reality after one phone conversation Tucker and I had back in April. Driving back to Boston from Stamford, we chatted for a while and I said, "You know what? I really want to leave this country and see some of the world for a while." When Tucker admitted he wanted the same, I told him, "Well...then, we can never stop talking about it. Or it will always just be something we mentioned way back when, and will never actually become a reality."

And now, it's 3 months later - and our dream is real.

I am so proud of us for getting on this and just doing what we set our hearts out to do. Everyone always says "oh, I wish I could do that... maybe someday" but now I'm convinced that you have the power to make someday today. There is so much to do to get ready for this trip, (I mean, seriously, China wants us to give a kidney to get a visa) but the plane tickets are booked. And this journey is really going to happen.
I can't wait.