Sihanoukville, Cambodia - Day 1

I took what I thought was an 8 hour bus ride from Siem Reap in northern Cambodia to the beaches on the gulf of Thailand. I would have taken the 1 hour flight but they discontinued the flights during low season. So the bus ends up taking 13 hours and was excruciatingly long, but I made it one piece.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia - Day 1

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 5

I took a cooking class today and learned how to make tom yum soup and fish amok. Then I walked around and got a massage. While walking around a night market I managed to find grilled snake on a stick.

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 5

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 4

I spent the day relaxing, eating, and updating my pictures.

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 4

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 3

Jason's last day in Siem Reap and we spent some time chilling. We went to the gym and walked around the markets in town. We tried these "special eggs" which we thought were the fertilized baby chickens but they ended up being similar to salted hard boiled eggs. They were pretty good but there definately weren't any bones there...although I ended up trying the fertilized chicken egg in Sihanoukville later in the week.

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 3

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 2

Amazing, Stunning, one of the Highlights of my trip. If you haven't been, GO!

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 2

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 1

I had a buddy Jason fly down from Korea to go temple climbing with me at this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Siem Reap, Cambodia - Day 1

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 6

After flying back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai we went out to dinner at a awesome bbq place with tons of seafood and good food. And then I was going to take a bus at 6 am to Siem Reap which is about 10 hours away to meet up with my friend Jason. But unfortunately I got really really bad food posioning in the morning and spent about 5 hours in the bathroom. I missed my bus and ended up taking a flight to Siem Reap which was a ended up working out better than the bus.

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 6

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Day 2

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Day 2

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Day 1

Chiang Mai, Thailand - Day 1

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 5

Taking a bus up to Chiang Mai

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 5

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 4

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 4

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 3

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 3

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 2

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 2

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 1

Bangkok, Thailand - Day 1

HK Round 2 - Day 8

Hong Kong Round 2 - Day 8

HK Round 2 - Day 7

Hong Kong Round 2 - Day 7

HK Round 2 - Day 6

Hong Kong Round 2 - Day 6

HK Round 2 - Day 5

Today I met with my friend, Clarence, for lunch and he took me to a local spot to get some cheap good eats. After lunch we went to a famous local bakery where I had the most buttery dan tats (egg custards).

After walking around the IFC mall for a bit, I decided to take a day trip to Macau, a UNESCO site. It's about a 1 hour ferry ride to Macau and there are sizable remnants of the Portuguese influence. The captions on museum plaques are in Chinese, Portuguese, and English. I could get around HK rather easily because most of the people spoke a little English and when I went to some of the remote areas I could navigate in Mandarin. However, that was not the case in Macau as everyone spoke Cantonese and no English or Mandarin. My mandarin wasn't as helpful here as it was in HK.

Macau is the most densely populated region in the world and it was apparent in the hoards of people everywhere that I went. I visited two sections – the first being the historical area of Macau and the second being the casino area. The historical areas had a distinct European architecture and feel with the Portuguese style buildings and street names. I walked around the center for a couple hours and made my way up a steep hill to the top where there was a fort and a large museum in the fort. On the way up the huge hill it was extremely muggy and it felt like I was walking through a rain cloud so it wasn’t surprising that on the way out I got caught in a monsoon and stood under a shop awning for about an hour while I waited for the rains to dissipate. Then I walked around the casino area for a bit before heading home. The casinos in Macau were huge with an emphasis on hard core gambling. Other than gambling, there was little else to do for entertainment unlike Vegas where there are mini golf course, theme parks, local tours, street foods, clubs, gaudy reconstruction of other cities like Paris or New York, etc.

Hong Kong Round 2 - Day 5

HK Round 2 - Day 4

Hong Kong Round 2 - Day 4

HK Round 2 - Day 3

Hong Kong Round 2 - Day 3

HK Round 2 - Day 2

Hong Kong Round 2 - Day 2

HK Round 2 - Day 1

Hong Kong Round 2 - Day 1

Philipines - Day 4

Philipines - Day 4

Philipines - Day 3

Philipines Day 3

Philipines - Day 2

Philipines Day 2

Philipines - Day 1

Philipines Day 1

Indonesia - Day 4 Ubud

We had a flight from Bali to Jakarta in the afternoon and we were suppose to be back to our hotel at 3:00pm to catch a taxi. We were a little late as our massages ran over and we got back at 3:30pm. Ubud is about an hour away from the airport and the flight was at 5:30pm...the taxi driver was passing cars on a 2 lane road...we would be going head on onto an oncoming car and the taxi driver would just honk and the other car would just slow down...it was sooo bizarre and scary at the same time...we were flying around trucks and bikes and the guy's hand was constantly on the horn...about halfway through the trip his brakes started squealing...that was the craziest car ride that I've ever taken...someone could replicate that for an amusement park ride...oh well we made it to the airport in under an hour and made it to our flight safe and sound...

Indonesia - Day 4 Ubud

Indonesia - Day 3 Ubud

We did water sports in Kuta beach in the morning - going parasailing, jet skiing, banana boating, and snorkeling. Then we hung out on the beach for a while. Afterwards, we took an hour cab ride up to Ubud, the cultural area of Bali

Indonesia - Day 3 Ubud

Indonesia Day 2 - Bali

We liked Bali a lot as we stayed near Kuta beach which is famous for its good surfing conditions…it was very relaxing...

We also rented motorbikes and rode around the city and into the country side...that was a lot of fun because it allowed us to explore more of the area then if we stayed on foot or taxi...riding a motorbike was interesting though - I had done it before but this was a new experience for Dan...but after a couple hair raising near accidents he got the hang of it

There are some differences to driving in a Indonesia…one thing that’s different is that they drive on the left side of the road similar to London and HK...there is also a ton of traffic that just kind of flows fluidly like water...there are few stops except for lights…if there is a car in front of you that’s going slower you simply pass around and other cars on either side will just expand laterally to make space...when you turn you just turn into traffic and people just kind of flow around you in either the cars or on their motorbikes...the concepts of road "lanes" and staying in your lane is quite foreign in indonesia...people routinely drive on the medium and turn a 2 lane road into about 3-4 cars wide with motorbikes flowing between all the cars...while this may sound haphazard it was actually quite nice once you get the hang of the rule of the road because you can drive at your own speed and people invariably just drive around you…quite an interesting driving experience...I'll just have to remember to check myself before driving in the states less I turn without slowing expecting the Cadillac escalade to go on the medium and flow around me...

Indonesia - Day 2 Bali

Indonesia - Day 1 Jakarta

I found Jakarta the least appealing of the cities that we visited…it was overrun with people and cars, had minimal public transportation, abounded with poverty, and was hard to navigate with few sights to see. We also felt the least safe in this city. When we got into the taxi at the airport and arrived at the hotel, they basically strip searched the taxi opening up every compartment...then we had to go through metal detectors and they searched our bag to get into our hotel…it was quite an eye opening experience…

Indonesia Day 1 - Jakarta

Japan - Day 5

We went to Yokohoma in the morning which is a city about 45 min away from Tokyo. They had a musuem dedicated to ramen and one for curry but unfortunately we didn't have to the time to check them out...

Japan Day 5 - Yokohoma

because we had to get back to Tokyo for a sumo match. Sumo matches are only held 3 times a year and we were lucky enough to be there when a match was going on. We bought the cheap seats and because we went to a match on Monday night it wasn't as booked so we were able to move down into the box seats. I was going in expecting sumo players to just be overweight guys banging around in the ring but some of them were ripped and they were all pretty tall...the good ones seem to be from eastern europe and not necessarily asian.

Japan Day 5 - SUMO!

Video of sumo match:

Japan - Day 4

Some general observations about Japan in my very brief time there...

1. the place is IMMACULATE...I didn't see a single piece of litter on the subway or on the street...nobody eats or drinks on the subway so everything is really clean...there seem to be some pride in keeping their country clean...interesting enough there aren't very many public trash cans either...people seem to keep their trash until they get home...

2. they seem to be an obsessive culture...whether it's baseball, clothes, style, or food...they do things to an extreme but in a good way...take a look at the pictures of the harajuku girls and the greasers...

3. they are extremely polite...we heard 2 stories from other backpackers. One guy needed to get to the post office and asked a business man on the street how to get there...the business man told him that it closes in 30 minutes and that it's across town. So the business man insisted that he drive him there in his Mercedes while the wife sat in the back...

Another guy was in a 7-11 and needed to find a store...he asked directions but the cashier couldn't explain them in English...so she gets a coworker to cover the cashier and walks him 10 minutes to the other store...

I could envision these scenarios occurring in the US; however, I doubt they would happen as frequently...it was refreshing to see their warmth and hospitality...

4. the women must take at least 3 hours a day to get ready…everyone is so made up and perfect looking…

5. they are very individual and unique but within their cultural norms…everyone looks different but similar if that makes any sense...

6. in almost every restaurant, coffee shop, or quaint little cafe there is 90's hip hop or rap music playing rather loudly in the background. Some of it is really obscure but they have much love for ja rule and ashanti...

Japan Day 4 - Harajuku

Japan Day 4 - Misc

Japan Day 3

I’m starting to get writers block so I’ll just list out our itinerary for the day and let you look through the pictures….

1) Ate at a restaurant close to the hostel for breakfast. I noticed that a lot of people had the fermented soybeans so I decided to give it a try - they were probably one of the grossest things I’ve ever eaten…they were slimy and rotten smelling and tasting…they gave you some mustard and soy sauce to put on them but that barely masked any of the taste…

2) Went to Ueno which has some nice historical sites. I believe it’s also the old capital of Tokyo

3) Walked around the Ameyoko open market. Watched this weird plinko game where players had buckets of sliver beads that they fed into machines.

4) Walked around Ueno park which had a lake in the middle

5) Went to the Benten Hall temple in the center of the lake

Japan Day 3

6) Had snack of noodles at the roadside

7) Went to the Shitamachi Museum which provides a charming example of what life was like in 19th century Edo / Tokyo

Japan Day 3 - Part 2 (Shitamachi Museum)

8) Walked towards the Tokyo national museum

9) Watched a street performer entertain large crowd

10)We happened upon a large group of people sitting in a perfect square hunched over in front of a platform and microphone. We thought that it was a group of middle aged people waiting for a concert or to do some outdoor exercise – much to our surprise it was a group of homeless people who were patiently waiting for their curry and rice. It was pleasantly orderly and calm in the middle of a park in front of the largest museum in Tokyo. Another example of Japanese structure, order, and politeness shining through.

11)Walked through the Kanei-ji temple. It was listed as a really nice temple but it was closed and not so interesting.

12)Then we took the subway 2 stops to Asakusa – also another historical section of Tokyo

13)There is a huge temple called the Senso-ji temple which is the center of Asakusa. Two large gates lead up to the temple and in between the two large gates is a very long corridor of stalls selling foods and trinkets. On the outskirt of the hallway of shops and leading up to the second gate and the temple are stalls after stalls of every Japanese street food possible. Possibly one of the largest street food markets that I’ve seen in a long time.

14)There was a festival going on where about 20 people carried a shrine atop two long poles and bounced up and down while chanting. They slowly walked around the area for a good part of the afternoon and into early evening.

15)We walked down the main strip and shopped; ate some street foods – grilled chicken, noodles, and a huge vegetable pancake.

16)Took pictures at the huge Senso-ji temple, Kaminarimom (Thunder Gate) and Asakusa shrine which is a 5 story pagoda

17)Walked further north and there was more food, a handicraft museum, and a drum show.

Japan Day 3 - Part 3 (Asakusa)

Video of Asakusa shrine dance:



Video of some kind of dessert bun creation:

Japan - Day 2

So on our second day in Tokyo we woke up around 4 am as we were still jet lagged and we figured this would be a good opportunity to go to the Tsukishima fish market as most of the action happens between 6-8 am. We got there and were immediately bombarded by a ton of little trucks with produce on them that were whizzing around at crazy speeds. The cars and people walk on the left hand side of the road which we learned rather quickly. The previous night we almost caused a bike accident when a biker came up behind us…we both stepped to the right to let her pass on the left which is what we would do in the states. But since its reversed in Japan, she was expecting us to step left and she could pass on the right…she wasn’t expecting us to step right and in order to avoid us she swerved more to the right and almost ran into another biker. As we apologized, she (as with the all the Japanese that we encountered) was very gracious to the annoying foreigners causing accidents.

After walking around the fish and vegetable market and viewing a plethora of seafood and veggies – most of which I recognized, but there were a couple new items, we had breakfast at a sushi bar right next to the fish market. The fish was amazingly fresh and the meal was quite good although a little pricey due to its proximity to the market. We walked around the Shibuya area for a bit and then heading back to the hostel to hang out for a bit.

Pictures from Tokyo Day 2 -

Japan - Day 2

Then we met up with my friend Eric in Shibuya for dinner. We put our name in for a reservation at a good yakitori place and walked around to kill some time. In passing we stopped by a Mos burger and Eric swore that we had to try one…never being one to turn down food, we grabbed a burger with marinated sliced beef in between a bun made of compressed rice. The meat was really flavorful and juicy and the rice bun soaked up some of the meat juices and was surprisingly good…it was definitely rice but it didn’t fall apart. After the Mos burger appetizer, we went back to the yakitori restaurant and had some delicious food like duck skewers with wasabi, ribs, pork and ginger skewers, and shrimp balls.

Afterwards we walked around Shibuya and ran into some comical things like Shibuya boys and girls, who tease their hair out and streak it in different colors; department stores with some interesting very cheap items as well as high end LV and Gucci purses; and love hotels where you can rent space by the hour or by the day.


Pictures from Tokyo Day 2 -

Japan - Day 2 Part Duex