• Thaipusam: Masochistic Mayhem

    Thaipusam: Masochistic Mayhem

    Warning This post contains some graphic images. If blood makes you queasy, you may want to skip it. I’ve mentioned a few times how, although I do travel mostly without plans, I also do so […]

  • A Different Experience

    A Different Experience

    I’m here. In Tokyo. Finally. During my idle time on the flight over I kept on thinking, “what am I going to write to everyone once I finally get to Japan?” Most of you already […]

  • Kyoto Drift

    Kyoto Drift

    You know how I’m always seeking out new and interesting experiences? Well last weekend I went drift racing. One of my coworkers, Miki, is extremely into cars. He has a Limited Edition Impreza (one of […]

  • The Mega Trip Part 9 (The Great Wall)

    The Mega Trip Part 9 (The Great Wall)

    With the land-based portion of my adventure through China nearly over, I realized that I was still missing a significant piece of what I wanted to see before returning to Japan. Kung Fu. So, after […]

  • Long Walk Down a Longer Road

    Long Walk Down a Longer Road

    Peder and I left our pousada in Trancoso and started out for our day’s 30 km walk at around 11am. The plan was to follow the coast all the way to Arraial d’Ajuda, a neighboring […]

  • Into the Lion's Den

    Into the Lion’s Den

    How many of you have heard the name “Transdniestr?” Not too many, I’m guessing. Transdniester – also known as Pridnestrovie in Russian – is a small rogue nation occupying a narrow strip of land along […]

I was last seen 5 months ago in Los Angeles, .

The Mega Trip Part 7 (Hangzhou, Shanghai)

 China, Public  11 Responses »
Sep 152005
 
Armies of bicycles and scooters populate virtually every street of Shanghai during the daylight hours Armies of bicycles and scooters populate virtually every street of Shanghai during the daylight hours

I am officially in China, there’s no doubt about it. My stomach told me so. Take my advice if you ever come here: don’t mess with the drinking water. Trust me. Please. I beg you.

Majong, an incredibly popular pastime in China (the boat from Japan even had a specific room for Majong-playing) Majong, an incredibly popular pastime in China (the boat from Japan even had a specific room for Majong-playing)

The morning after our late-night massage parlor party, David, Giannina and I woke up for a breakfast of beef soup and goose. It’s interesting, but I never really noticed how much I take for granted the simple ability to walk into a restaurant in Japan, read the menu, and order. My knowledge of kanji often gives me hints as to the contents of a dish here in China, but even so you never really know what you’re going to get – one time I pointed at a dish that I recognized to contain “chicken” and what I got was fried chicken chunks, each containing gigantic pieces of bone that were impossible to eat around.
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The Mega Trip Part 5 (Tokyo, Kobe, and Shanghai)

 Japan, Public  8 Responses »
Sep 012005
 
David, Nick, Me and Hitomi. As a nice little surprise, Hitomi came up to Tokyo so that we could hang out one last time before she leaves for Seattle! David, Nick, Me and Hitomi. As a nice little surprise, Hitomi came up to Tokyo so that we could hang out one last time before she leaves for Seattle!

Man, Tokyo was nuts. In addition to the first weekend (when I lost my voice) Nick, David and I went out every night from Wednesday to Sunday, never returning home before 5am. I can’t remember the last time I did so much non-stop partying. It was just what I’ve been waiting for, and great to see my old friends from back home.

This is what a Typhoon does to a crappy convenience-store umbrella This is what a Typhoon does to a crappy convenience-store umbrella

We were a little worried when the weather forecast warned of a week-long typhoon exactly overlapping the guys’ visit, but as it turned out the rain was only a problem for one day – and as it was mostly a bed-ridden hangover day anyways, we didn’t mind too much. Or at least David and I didn’t. Nick wasn’t too pleased when a sudden gust of wind ripped his umbrella to shreds.
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The Mega Trip Part 4 (Tokyo)

 Japan, Public  10 Responses »
Aug 232005
 
Goodbye, shinkansen…until the next time I get a Japan Rail Pass! Goodbye, shinkansen…until the next time I get a Japan Rail Pass!

Hey all, just a quick update to let everyone back in Americaland know that I am still alive and well. Since coming to Tokyo, I have done the following:

-Obtained a Chinese visa.
-Explored a completely self-contained city within Tokyo where one could live their entire life without ever going outdoors.
-Attended a huge festival held in the exact part of Tokyo where I’m staying (meaning that instead of regular meals, I got to eat non-stop FESTIVAL FOOD).
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The Mega Trip Part 3 (Tokushima, Iya, Naruto, Anabuki)

 Japan, Public  10 Responses »
Aug 182005
 
A scene of pure excitement just outside of Tokushima Station A scene of pure excitement just outside of Tokushima Station

Sometimes I’m just completely overwhelmed by this place…and today was one of those days. It’s impossible to describe the feeling of stepping out of a train station to see tens of thousands of people dressed in bright kimonos, their war cries accompanied by earth-shattering drums and the sound of thousand-year old flutes and shamisen. The Awa Odori Matsuri may have topped my list of amazing things I’ve seen since coming to Japan – and that’s not an easy list to top.

EVERYONE was having an awesome time EVERYONE was having an awesome time

For more hours than I could stay on my feet, the city of Tokushima was literally filled to the brim with people young and old, all here for one reason. To dance. As the old saying goes, “The dancing fools and the watching fools are foolish the same, so why not dance?”
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