Falling in Love with Life

Departing soon for SE Asia

2011-02-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

Wow, I will leave in 9 days for SE Asia. I plan on visiting 9 countries over a period of 3-5 months. This will be the biggest and most crazy trip I have ever done. Here is where I plan to go:
* Cambodia
* Vietnam
* Laos
* Thailand
* Malaysia
* Singapore
* Indonesia
* Philippines
* Taiwan

I am only taking a small carry-on backpack. It's the Osprey Porter 46. It's a really cool bag that is slightly duffel style with hidden straps that turn it into a backpack. It's quite comfortable too and it only has one way into the main compartment that locks which is very important.

I also bought some new shoes. Merrell Trail Glove. Really cool, lightweight and comfy shoes.

I hope to have some great pictures and posts up here and also on Facebook as I go along my journey so stay tuned.

Cheers.

Loren

I am terrible at keeping my blog up to date. haha.

2011-01-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

Wow, can't believe it has been over 1 year since I wrote a post on here. Guess keeping a blog up to date is harder than I thought it would be.

A lot has happened since my last post. I spent 10 months in Japan and had an amazing time. I was sad to leave but also happy to see my friends back home. I learned a lot of Japanese and I can say I am conversational now. I hope I don't forget it since I am not using it much back in the states.

I have been back in San Francisco about 5 months now. Wow, I can't believe it. I started to go back to school. I completed a semester at City College of San Francisco and I have been working at the Apple store in downtown SF. I am already restless and wanting to travel again.

I think I will backpack in SE Asia. Maybe I will go back to Japan after that. If things go well then I will be able to do these things and reflect more on my life, love, and where I want to go from here.

I feel that finding my heart and my spirit is more important at this time. I need to heal myself, forgive myself, learn to love all the amazing things that make me who I am. Only this way will I be able to love again.

It's amazing how lost we can get sometimes and we don't even know it. Life can be a fast roaring river and if we don't pay attention we can get swept away. Sometimes this can be good and sometimes it can be bad. As long as our heart is into it then it's good but if we loose our heart then we must work hard to find it again.

I am on this journey now. The journey inward. I would like to combine this inward journey with an outward one and allow the beauty of Asia to guide me on my inward search.

Blessings to all.

Winter Holiday

2009-12-28T19:06:00.000-08:00

It`s been a long time since I posted and I appologize for that. Life in Japan has been a lot busier than I expected. School is very hard, I must study 8 hours a day at least if not more. Learning and remember Kanji is very difficult. I have been able to get in a little fun though.

Now it is winter break and I have about 2 1/2 weeks off from school. I am really enjoying the break, it`s just what I needed. I am in Osaka at the moment and will then travel down to Kyusyu for a New Years party and going to the onsen (Hot Springs).

I return to Tokyo on the 4th and will enjoy about 1 week of holiday in Tokyo before I have to return to school and hit the books hard again. I hope I haven`t forgotten everything in the meantime.

I hope you all are enjoying your winter holidays as well. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Mostly Study with a Little Fun

2009-10-20T17:59:00.001-07:00

I have been mostly studying here in Tokyo but have managed to throw in a tiny bit of fun. About 2 days actually. :)

Most of my days consist of 8-10 hours of study both at home and at school. Wow! I haven't studied like this since... maybe ever?

Anyway, enough about the boring stuff. Last Sunday I was able to break away from homework to attend the Kawagoe Matsuri or Festival. It was pretty traditional and lots of fun.

I went with a friend from school and so all the pictures are on her camera. You can see some of them on my facebook page now but I hope to get them on here soon.

I also went on a walking tour with my class last weekend and visited some government buildings in Tokyo, the Imperial Palace, Ginza shopping district and a traditional Kabuki theater.

Living In Tokyo!

2009-10-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

I have been living in Tokyo just over a week and a half now and I am finally getting my first post up. Sorry for the delay. It's been pretty crazy and has taken a while to get settled. I am probably not even really settled yet but good enough for now.

My journey started off pretty great with an unexpected upgrade to Business Class at the airport in San Francisco. Wow! That is the way to travel. So comfortable and relaxing with almost a full reclining bed, my own T.V. and plenty of space between me and the people around me. The food is way better also. Here are a couple pics of what I ate.

Then I met my new friend Seiko who helped me get my prepaid Softbank cellphone. We had a great day and I don't know what I would have done without her. Thank you Kumiko for introducing me to Seiko, she is a sweetie.

Then on Friday night I met another new friend, Takehiro who invited me to his International Friends party on Saturday in Shinjuku. There were so many people from different countries there it was really cool. I had a great time. Too bad I had to return to my hostel I was staying at before the curfew at 11 pm. :(

Lili, a nice girl from France who was staying at the same hostel and I hung out for a bit and went to Meiji jingu shrine in Yoyogi Park and walked around a bit. She will be living in Tokyo for a while and looking for work.

Yoyogi Park is located in or near Harajuku which is a great place to see all sorts of fun and interesting things on the weekends such as street performers and crazy fashion.

Then I met my friend Jun for dinner at a delicious yakiniku restaurant. Made friends with an older Japanese guy staying in my room at the Hostel who then paid for my taxi when I moved to my guest house. Amazing how nice people can be sometimes. :)

I made some friends with my new roommates and finally met Kayoko from Osaka. We went to Odaiba and walked around the Fuji TV station and the Toyota showroom. We also played some games at the Sega game building called Joypolis.

This week I need to focus on my schoolwork as I was told it will be 4 hours of classroom work a day and 6 hours of homework a day. So 10 hours everyday of Japanese study. I hope after 9 months of this I will be pretty fluent. :)

がんばります！

1 Month to Go

2009-09-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

I am back in CA from Idaho and had a wonderful time with my sister Laura and her family. It was very relaxing and I was able to let some of my stress go. We did a little work and had a lot of fun. Went swimming in the river, sat out and looked at the sunset, watered the goats, fed the chickens, sold a horse, had BBQ, watched movies, read books and learned a lot.

Now I am back in CA and I have one more month to go before I am in Tokyo starting a whole new adventure. I will be leaving SF on 9/29 arriving in Tokyo on 9/30 and starting school on 10/6. Full time Japanese Language Study! I hope I can squeeze in some fun. Needless to say I am extremely excited about this new adventure but before I go I hope to continue my summer of fun with my Sister Lisa in Yuba City and my friends in Sacramento and San Francisco. Cheers.

The art of relationships and love

2009-08-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

I am reading one of the most incredible articles on love and relationships. Absolutely amazing!

http://tinyurl.com/6qllzf

I am learning so much about how people interact with each other and how so many people expect others to be responsible for their happiness. What many often don't realize is that we are truly the ones responsible for our own happiness and we can't expect anyone else to make us happy.

So many people live in fear which most negative feelings are born from. Feelings of worthlessness, selfishness, jealousy, anger, and many more. If you truly live a life of love then you will accept full responsibility for your own happiness and realize that we are all unique individuals with different dreams and we must all be responsible for our own happiness. Once we have mastered that, then we can share that love with others and be truly happy.

I couldn't think of a more worthy quest than mastering the art of love.

Idaho Camping

2009-08-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

What a different life it is here in the Idaho rurals. Slow paced life. Dusty and dirty. Meltingly hot in the summer and with no air conditioning the only way to survive is to swim in the river every day. Even then you are only cool as long as you stay in the water.

However, talk about getting rid of stress and slowing things down! Thoughts about work have vanished completely. We cook every meal at home and make good natural food. We sit out and enjoy the scenery, the cool breeze, and the chickens and goats roaming around.

I think it's good to get such a different perspective to help you appreciate the variety of life, to help you really enjoy and cherish the good times and the abundance that you have everyday of your life. In less than two months I will be living in the incessant hustle and bustle of Tokyo life with no dirt or dust, no swarms of bugs buzzing my head, and no peace or quiet of the cool evening breeze that you get in the mountains.

But I can't wait! ;)

The Next Chapter

2009-07-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty amazing 2-3 years. Engine Yard has grown incredibly and I am so privileged to have been a big part of it. I am excited to see what the awesome team we have put together is going to do next.

It's a new chapter for me though, off to explore new worlds. Well I consider Japan to be a new world. :)
As of 5pm today I am officially on a really long vacation. I am looking forward to spending some time with my family before heading off to the other side of the planet. It will be a nice time for reflection and relaxation. Also a time for preparation for my new life in Tokyo.

I feel a little anxious but also very excited. I need to enjoy my time even though it feels I am just playing a waiting game right now.

More to come...

It's Alive! Am I?

2009-07-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

I need to bring my blog back to life. I hope to do a lot more writing especially while I am in Japan.

Oh, by the way, I am moving to Japan! Yay! I start school at KCP Japanese Language School in Shinjuku Tokyo Japan the beginning of October 2009. I am really excited but also a little nervous. It will be a huge change. Compared to the states, Japan almost feels like another planet. But that is also what I love about it.

So I have 1 more week of work, 3 more weeks to sell all my belongings and move out of my apartment and about 12 more weeks before I start school. Wow!

I go back and forth a bit on this new path I have started to tread. Is it the right thing to do? Will I just be getting myself into and even more lonely and secluded situation than the present? Learning Japanese is no easy feat. Maintaining motivation is a challenge, especially when you start to question your goals. Hmmmm.

Recently I have been feeling pretty lonely and raising lots of questions for myself. Do relationships become more difficult as we get older? Is it because we have been burnt a few times and are less risky now? I know this post is wondering pretty far from topic, if there is one.

I have met some amazing people in my life but somehow building that passion is just not as easy as it used to be. Where did this hesitation come from? Did my taste just become refined over time or am I just too damn picky? That is a fine line in itself. A little picky is good as it will hopefully help you to pick someone that will last, that will fit nicely. If you take it just a hair to far and you may pass the right one(s) by always looking for something more (infinity).

This blog is still going to be about falling in love with life and all the magic that happens along the way. It's just that sometimes we fall a little too far and then we get to see the magic that is our friends love pull us back.

It's Been Awhile

2009-02-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since my last post. Well, I guess I just got back to San Francisco and right back into the same ol' same. It's easy to do in this city and this industry. One of my friends reminded me that I should continue blogging and that she really enjoyed my words. On a side note... I think some of the best friends and people I know are those that live all over this beautiful planet and many I have never met in person.

I love how I can connect with people on the other side of this earth with very different backgrounds, cultures and languages and realize how much we still have in common because we are all just people who feel love, sadness, loneliness and joy. I love how I can reach out and share my smile with friends all over and how they can remind me of the good things and keep me on the right path.

It's amazing to me how the little things in life always seem to teach you the biggest lessons. How powerful a smile is. How giving can be the greatest gift.

:)

Stress, Health, New Directions

2009-01-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

Wow! I now realize just how much my stress level is tied to my health. Yes, I have been sick a lot of this trip through Asia but it was due to a bad cold. As for my constant stomach ache and digestive issues, they have been almost non-existent this trip. Over the last couple of days though, I have noticed my stomach issues slowly coming back and I think it is very much related to the fact that I know I will return to the states tomorrow and I am thinking about it and starting to stress out again.

I have always known the mind is powerful and can control your state of being but controlling the mind is another story. I have even more to think about now after this trip, the future of my life and my goals. Where I want to go in life and what I want to do. How I want to live my life.

I know I need to see more of the world and live globally. America and San Francisco is not big enough for me. I need more culture, more adventure, more languages, different foods, different love, more friends, less stress, more challenges. It's my life and time doesn't wait for anyone.

I have witnessed some amazing acts of kindness from perfect strangers who can barely communicate with me. I have been blessed to feel the same sun but in parts of the world where it feels so much more comforting and displays it's beauty in a way that melts your heart and inspires your mind.

I wish everyone could spend more time feeling the love of this beautiful planet shine down on them while they sail on the big blue rather than the glow of their computer screen in a prison called a cubicle. When you finally stop to breathe and look up, you realize you are old and life has been flying by without concern. You realize you missed a thousands beautiful sunsets, dinners with strangers who are your best friends, tasting exotic foods you never knew existed or only read about on Google.

The hardest part is not knowing what is right or what should be done. It is taking action and doing it. Perhaps, knowing if I should go to the right or to the left. I know it should be one of those directions rather than straight. We all know where this path goes, it is the same as where we have been. If we want to go somewhere new, we must change direction, change our present to improve our future.

I have a long flight ahead of me, plenty of time to think about the right direction to go.

I love you all.

Loren

Thailand Update

2009-01-08T19:26:00.000-08:00

I finally had a chance to upload a few pictures so I wanted to post a quick update.

I first arrived in Bangkok and it was pretty overwhelming to start.

We had lunch with Pui's friends in Bangkok, they were all very nice and fun.

Then, Pui and I were off to her hometown in the countryside of Thailand. Her family was very nice and hospitable to me.

It was onward to Koh Samui Island for New Years and relaxing. It was incredible and beautiful. Most of these pictures were taken from our room or hotel restaurant.

After a couple of days at Koh Samui it was time to head to Koh Tao Island. An even more amazing and beautiful island. I have more pictures but they are on Pui's camera as my battery charger got stolen for my camera. I will get them uploaded as soon as I can. Here are a couple pics though. Koh Tao was relaxing and then it was scuba diving time.

I have a video of my scuba diving and will try to get that online when I return home. I am now back in Bangkok for a couple of days before returning home to SF. I can't believe my vacation is almost over. So sad. It will be tough to get back into the swing of things.

Cheers.

Are you for Scuba?

2009-01-05T06:31:00.000-08:00

Still in Koh Tao and taking scuba lessons. Today was my first lesson and it was a lot of fun. I think I might have found a new profession. :)

Everyone is so laid back here it is unbelievable. We have some studying to do but then we get to have fun in the pool and soon I will get to dive in the sea. And it is amazingly beautiful here. I can't wait until I can post some pictures. Maybe in a couple of days. I some incredible pics to share.

Anyway, I feel like I am getting better again so I hope it's for real this time.
I hope this post finds you all well.

Love and Sunshine.

Loren

Koh Tao Island - Amazing!

2009-01-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

Wow! It will be hard to find words to describe Koh Tao Island. It is so beautiful and amazing I don't want to leave. I have been able to take some pictures but don't have time yet to upload them so I will try to find some time soon.

I will also start scuba diving lessons tomorrow night so I am very excited. This place is so peaceful and amazing. It makes you think of life in a whole new way and time changes as if you were in a time machine or if the clock could stop.

This is how life should be lived! It makes everything else worth it and also makes the value of everything seem like something foreign.

Love to all.

Loren

Koh Samui

2009-01-01T04:01:00.000-08:00

I am in Koh Samui and had a wonderful new year night! Pui has been a great host and I think I would have been lost without her. Thailand is so different, like nothing I was prepared for. Some good and beatiful and some bad.

I was able to see the real Thailand when I visited Pui's home town in the country. The living conditions were something we don't get to experience in America. I am greatful for that experience. Unfortunately, some things were stolen from my bag during the flight there and my camera charger was one of them. So now I am looking for another one but it's not looking good and my battery is dead so no pictures. :(

Also, I am sick again. Or I should say still sick but got worse again. I think I have a fever tonight. I hope I can get well for scuba diving but I am worried it's not looking good for me. I will try to take it easy. Seems like everything has been going wrong here in Thailand. I hope things turn around as it's not a good start to the year.

Anyway, I am happy to experience this new and exciting country even if it comes with the bad.

Happy New Year to all of you.

Blessings.

Loren

Heading for Thailand

2008-12-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

Time is flying by and it's time for me to fly off to Bangkok! I don't want to leave Japan, it has been amazing! I am looking forward to more adventures and relaxation in Thailand though. Japan has been non-stop walking and going here and there. It has been pretty cold as well so I am beat!

Once I get a chance, I will upload more photos and a better blog post. I haven't had really good internet access but I am ok with that. Tired of spending my life on the internet and I love that I am living in the real world and meeting incredible people every day.

Sending smiles to you all!

Tokyo!

2008-12-24T01:14:00.000-08:00

Before I left Shizuoka we went to a tea ceremony and it was amazing! I really enjoyed it.

It was so hard to leave my new friends from Shizuoka.

I am in Tokyo now! Awesome place!

I arrived in Tokyo yesterday and met Koichi who is hosting me this week. He has a nice but very small place in a great neighborhood called Shinjuku. It's a tiny hallway containing a kitchen, shower and toilet room and then a door to a small bedroom. That's it.

Last night when I arrived we walked around a bit. I was able to see Shinjuku at night, also Harajuku and Shibuya. We had a nice tempura dinner and then went to a sento or Japanese traditional bath house for a nice soak in hot water. It was pretty relaxing and put me to sleep.

Today, I was on my own again as Koichi is working. I went around Shibuya a bit and Harajuku. It was so quiet as it's really a night time place. Then I made my way to Akihabara. That is the electronics city. What an amazing place! They have every gadget and gizmo you can imagine and some you can't. All the games, electronics, etc. It was fun to walk around and check them out but it was pretty overwhelming as well. Also in this area are quite a few "maid cafes". I had to check them out! Here, you can find cute girls dressed up in various outfits catering to the geeks. It's pricey but fun. It's a pretty good business and I am sure makes a ton of money off of the shy and geeky types who want some interaction with cute girls but don't know how to get it.

After a long day walking around, I made my way back to the apartment for some relaxing before dinner.

Shinjuku at night when I arrived.

A nice guy I met at the Maid Cafe who was a regular and had many pictures of the girls he often went to see there. I received a picture with my girl as well but will have to upload it another time.

No More Sake!

2008-12-22T01:44:00.000-08:00

Sizuoka has been awesome, especially the people. Mochan has been the best host ever and everyone else has been amazing as well. We had a great dinner and party on Sunday night and drank two huge bottles of Sake. It was so much fun as you can see in a couple photos here. I have a ton more pics I will upload when I get a chance.

However, that much drinking is always followed by bad times. Today, Monday, I was soooo sick. I went with everyone on our sightseeing trip but I had to run out of the bus a couple of times to puck. Uuugggg. I am just now recovering tonight.

Fortunately, I was able to enjoy the Onsen with everyone. It was so relaxing and refreshing. I hope I can go to more onsen while I am in Japan. I am also slowly getting over the cold/flu that I had so that is good news.

Cheers.

Osaka Castle

Dinner with Sakura in Osaka

Dinner party in Shizuoka. I had a ton of fun but drank way to much Sake.

Sight seeing trip

Dinner party after two huge bottles of sake.

Mt. Fuji

2008-12-20T16:07:00.000-08:00

I am still alive and getting better. I am in Shizuoka now and going to Mt. Fuji today. Kyoto was great and then Osaka was nice as well. I didn`t do too much in Osaka as I was still feeling sick and so rested a lot. It was really nice that Sakura helped me and took me to see her doctor and I was able to receive some medicine.

Looking forward to the rest of my trip. I will update again soon with some pictures.

Cheers.

Kyoto Day 2

2008-12-17T15:42:00.001-08:00

Kyoto Day 2 was great! I started out by transfering my bag to the dorm room where I will stay my last night in Kyoto. Then I headed off to the Golden Pavilion. It was a cold morning but beautiful as you can see in the picture. I will upload all of my pictures later when I have more time. I got some really great shots.

I visited another shrine in the same area and then made my way to the Imperial Palace for a 2 pm tour. This was by far the most turisty thing I have done. There were a lot of people on the tour. I met a really nice girl along the way from Brazil who is living in China and we walked together and took some pictures together. The gardens of the Palace were the most beautiful part of the tour as the buildings were very simple.

After the tour I went back to my bed to rest a bit before heading to dinner. I was getting more and more sick as the days go by as well. Caroline called me (the brazilian girl) and we decided to meet for dinner and walk around. We went to a little ramen shop in the shopping area and then found a gaming building after and played some video games. We had a good time. Then I needed to head to bed for some rest.

This morning I will head to Osaka and Sakura will help me to go see a doctor. I hope I can get over this sickness. I fear it may have turned for the worse.

Cheers.

Kyoto Day 1

2008-12-16T05:42:00.000-08:00

Today was my first whole day in Kyoto and it was a great day!

Again, I woke up around 3 am and then laid in bed until about 7 am and then got ready. This jet lag is killing me. haha. After a few failed tries, I found a place to get some breakfast. There are not many places in the area I am staying. Then I walked toward Kiyomizu Temple and on the way met Junko, a really nice girl who showed me around.

Junko and I went to Kiyomizu Temple, Ryozen Kwan-on, and Heian Jingu Shrine.

Junko had to go back home to Shizuoka so I took a nap and then later that night I went to Arashiyama for the Hanatouro Light festival. It was very beautiful. I met a couple very nice college students who went way out of their way to go with me and show me around.

Then I made my way back to my Ryokan for a good night sleep.

Cheers.

Loren

pictures

2008-12-15T02:10:00.001-08:00

Ok, I made it to Kyoto this evening but I am still pretty sick so I need to rest. I may have to see a doctor if this doesn't clear up soon.

Anyway, I uploaded some photos so have a peek. They are on my flickr account. I will post again with a better description once I feel better and can think straight.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhale/

Hiroshima & Miyajima

2008-12-14T18:04:00.000-08:00

I am at the Hiroshima Peace Park now and have use of a free computer for 30 minutes. It is pretty amazing the damage that can be done. It is beautiful today so I am greatful for that. My health is still bad but I am taking medicine so I hope it will improve soon. Once I get access to a more suitable computer I hope to upload the awesome pictures I have been taking.

I will make my way to Kyoto later today. I am excited about visiting Kyoto as everyone has told me it is a wonderful place.

Cheers for now.

Loren

Hiroshima

2008-12-13T11:12:00.000-08:00

Well, I made my way to Hiroshima via the bullet train or Shinkansen. It was a nice ride and I was able to nap on my way. It's good also, because I still have very bad jet lag. I woke up again at 3 am and can't sleep so here I am.

I am staying at a nice hostel and the folks are so nice and fun. We had a party and good food and drinks. Unfortunately I am still sick so I am doing my best to enjoy. I will probably go sightseeing tomorrow with them.

I have some good pictures but will have to upload them later so stay tuned. I look forward to sightseeing tomorrow. My Japanese is getting good practice alsol. They said I can speak very well. That's nice to hear.

I am running out of time on my pay for use computer so I will update again soon and have pictures.

Cheers.

Solitude amidst an ocean of people

2008-12-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

It is pretty amazing, the strange feeling of being alone while walking amidst a seemingly ocean of people. So much action going on, people talking, laughing, doing business, making plans, eating, etc. All this and you are alone and have no idea what is being said and what is going on. The world is all new, all over again.

Even simple things like ordering coffee or breakfast is fun and interesting. If you love to people watch then this is heaven. I hope to interact more but it's difficult with the language barrier and the fact that is everyone is so busy. Oh, except for a slightly crazy old man at the train station that could speak english, or should I say spit english and insisted on standing very close to me even though I continued to move away.

I will make my way down to Hiroshima, I am so tired, I hardly slept last night. I hope I can rest some on the train.

Cheers and Smiles.

Loren

Tokyo I have arrived!

2008-12-12T11:43:00.000-08:00

I made it! I am in Tokyo and it's amazing!

It was a rough 12 hours or so of travel but I survived. The really amazing thing was my favorite Japanese language teacher was on the same plane! We didn't get to sit next to each other but when we landed she helped me find my way around the airport a bit and get a cell phone. Then we rode the train to Tokyo station together. It was nice.

Then I had to transfer to the Yamanote line and make my way to Ueno station. From there I had to walk about 15 or 20 minutes to find my hotel. I passed it the first time and stopped to ask a nice police man for directions. It is kinda funny, he only spoke about 3 words of english so thank goodness for my Japanese, but as the conversation continued, if you can call it a conversation, more like a game of pictionary, his english got dramatically better. hahaha. Strange.

I finally found my hotel and checked in. Made my way accross the street to a ramen shop and had some soup. It was about 9:30 PM by this time. There was hardly anyone in the shop when I arrived and the cook and helper girl was very nice to me. They didn't speak any english, well, maybe 5 words but we managed and I was able to practice my Japanese and have a fun little conversation. It's amazing how people can function without language, using pictures, gestures, smiles, etc.

Then I went back to my hotel and passed out. Even though the bed was less than desirable. :) Better than an airplane seat for sure. Now if only I could get back to sleep as I type away at 5 AM. Been up since 3 AM. :( Night!

Hmmm. My pictures aren't working on this post so you can check them out here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhale/3103276352/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhale/3103276358/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lhale/3103276362/

Sick but Packed

2008-12-10T12:01:00.001-08:00

Well, I leave tomorrow around 1 PM for Tokyo and I am pretty excited! Probably not as excited as I should be but I have been sick for a few days now. :(

I am doing my best to get well before I leave but think it will linger a few days into my trip. Such is life. I can't let it get me down though. I have been waiting for this trip for a while now and I am determined to have fun and enjoy this adventure. An adventure it will be as well. I don't have all my hotels booked, so I will be winging it some of the time. I haven't been practicing my Japanese like I should either so I will be a little rusty.

I will take the BART tomorrow to the Airport to save a few bucks. I haven't taken Bart to SFO before so that should be interesting. Then I have a 12 hour flight to Tokyo. Once I arrive, it will be fun finding my bag, renting a cell phone, getting my Rail Pass, finding my way on the Train to my Ryokan in Ueno area, changing trains along the way, etc.

Once I finally get to my room on Friday night, I think I will pass out. :) hahaha.

Wish me luck!

Travel Delays

2008-12-01T17:32:00.000-08:00

Wow, Thailand is in pretty bad shape right now. The majority of the middle class in Thailand is protesting against the government and has taken over the the major airports in Bangkok and shut them down for a week now. This has caused an amazing amount of damage to the country, not to mention my travel plans.

I have finally booked new travel at an additional cost and a two week delay, but never-the-less, I will be going on vacation! My new itinerary is as follows:

I depart SFO on December 11th
Arriving in Tokyo on December 12th

I hope to hop on a train as soon as possible and head south to perhaps Hiroshima or maybe even Fukuoka and work my way back. I would like to stop by Himeji, Osaka, Kyoto, and Shizuoka. I hope to find at least one or two nice onsen along the way.

Once back in Tokyo I plan on going to Harajuku, Shibuya, Asakusa, Imperial Palace, Roppongi, and Yokohama. I am looking forward to meeting some great people, having Christmas in Tokyo, and having a party with friends on the 26th.

I depart Tokyo on December 29th for Bangkok and arrive that night.
On the 30th I will make my way to Koh Samui for some Island fun and plan to be there for New Years.

Then I will take a boat to Koh Tao for more island fun and then Scuba lessons.

Around the 7th of January, I will make my way back to Bangkok for some sightseeing until the 12th when I return to SFO.

It should be a great trip and I am really looking forward to it. I hope Thailand can get itself back in shape soon.

REI Customer Service Excellence

2008-11-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! I decided the shoes I purchased at REI last weekend were not right for me and decided to take them back. REI has an amazing return policy. 100% customer satisfaction guaranteed.

While I was there, I needed to figure out a solution for checking my new travel pack at the airport. I have read a lot of blogs and posts that say you should get a cover bag to protect it and keep all the straps from getting snagged in the conveyer belts. One of the guys at the store here in San Francisco was super helpful and showed me what they had and then while I was browsing he found me again and said he had some ideas to secure the bag better.

We worked together for what seemed like an hour on one of the bags at the store, (same model I had purchased) and added some little plastic strap holders and moved some of the buckles around etc. We eventually came up with a great way to secure the pack and make sure all the straps were secure and out of the way so they would not snag at the airport. I didn't end up buying a cover as I think our solution will work just fine.

I walked out after spending about $5 on some strap tie downs and thought, what amazing customer service.

Thanks REI.

Preparation

2008-11-19T16:13:00.000-08:00

No! It's not the cream. I am getting ready for a much needed and anticipated vacation to Asia and it's DAMN exciting!

I will be departing the ever wonderful city of San Francisco, for whom I have been resisting falling in love with, on November 29th. Yeah, that's 10 days from now!

I will arrive in Bangkok on December 30th at about midnight local time. Ouch! I transfer planes in Tokyo on my way there.

After a week in Bangkok, I will ta

ke a train and boat to Koh Tao and then Koh Samui for a week and then back to Bangkok.

Departing on the 16th for Tokyo. I hope to take the train from Tokyo to Osaka and Kyoto and find some beautiful sights and a relaxing onsen for a few days then return to Tokyo.

A week in Tokyo including Christmas and then returning to San Francisco on December 30th.

I forgot to mention that I have never been to Thailand before so it will be a new and exciting experience for me. I have only been to Japan once and didn't get to spend too much time in Tokyo so really looking forward to it. Not to mention I will be able to practice my Japanese.

I went to REI to pick up a sweet travelers backpack (REI Grand Tour Travel Pac) and some new shoes so I will be doing the backpackers thing this time. No suitcases! :)

Should be quite the adventure so stay tuned and I will do my best to keep posting with updates along the way and hopefully some amazing photos.

Cheers.