Day 65 (Japan)

Since my last update I have survived the madness of the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan (I'll let those pictures speak for themselves) and ventured north east to explore the areas around Tokyo and Kansai, Japan.

Japan... Aahh Japan! My now unfathomly rapid journey through this magnificent country has been a whirlwind of impressions, emotions, confusion, clarity, tranquility, contrasts and harmony.

Japan is tall skyscrapers and idyllic countryside, frantic labor and quiet zen, lightning fast Shinkansen and peaceful village strolls, high pitched and low key, incredibly formal and down to earth, foreign and familiar, spiritual and mundane, sacred and profane, high tech and primitive, Western and Asian, endearing and repulsive, reasonable and mad and oftentimes just downright odd - but most of all, Japan is distinctly, charmingly and uniquely Japanese.

Arriving in Tokyo I was for the first time on this journey truly inconvenienced by the fact that I am travelling alone, for one single reason; I immediately found myself turning towards the first person next to me every 5 minutes with the desire to go "did you just fucking SEE that!??", only to repeatedly find a Japanese person with no English capabilities wholly unimpressed by whatever mind boggling situation had caught my attention.

This inconvenience was quickly forgotten though, as I have been accompanied by incredible friends both new and old throughout my visit - all of whom I owe a great debt of gratitude and cannot wait to revisit.

Japan is an incredible Mecca for anyone intrigued by foreign cultures, and the impressions with which I have been bombarded over the past weeks are simply too numerous to adequately recount. The cultural differences between here and South East Asia, let alone Europe, are vast, and most immediately apparent is the fact that very many Japanese don't speak any English. And I mean *ANY* English. Add to that the interesting conundrum that in a society as modern as the Japanese, most signs, bulletins, menus etc. are written only in Kanji, and you have a formidable communicative challenge on your hands. A 15 minute instructional monologue from the receptionist at my day 1 hotel in Tokyo, of which I understood approximately 0%, was the first clear indication that I would come to truly appreciate the help of my Japanese companions in the following days.

The second thing that struck me was how the Japanese, unlike, say, the Cambodians, are very wary of being approached in the street and seem initially reserved to a degree almost comparable to northern Europeans. However, once the ice is broken and they're convinced you're not about to stab them, complete strangers will walk with you for 15 minutes at night in the opposite direction to make sure you catch your train or find your hotel, generously offer you gifts, eagerly practice their limited English vocabulary and happily praise your pitiful attempts at Japanese pronunciation.

The third major difference - quite possibly the best of all - was the noticeable absence of Western tourists! Not once have I spoken to a foreigner in my travels from Tokyo through to Nara (which is a definite first for the 5 countries visited on my itinerary so far), and although gap year backpackers are an awesome crowd for the most part, this has been a very pleasant surprise.

In the past weeks I have seen crazed businessmen dance with glowsticks in maidbars in Akihabara's Electric City, I have played Street Fighter like it's meant to be played in 8 story SEGA arcades, said a prayer at Sensoji temple and ascended the towering Skytree in Asakusa, shared beers with the locals of strange little bars in Nihonbashi, walked around the expensive shopping district of Ginza, consumed the best sushi known to man in Tsukiji, slept in space capsules and peeked into positively strange 'girl bars' in the red light district of Shinjuku, partied with the young Tokyolites in Shibuja, gone moonlight hiking in the parks and paid a visit to the last samurai in Ueno and strolled through the streets of Harajuku. I have explored Yokohama and the Kirin brewery on foot (with a little help from my excellent personal tour guide - and errr... Google Maps! ;D ), slept in kimonos on tatami mats in a traditional ryokan and visited the temples and Japanese gardens of Kyoto. I have sung karaoke with 60-year old izakaya regulars, celebrated Halloween in Osaka's Dotonburi with the most impressively dressed up crowd I have ever seen, hung out in 24-hour manga comic cafés, established a personal fan club of Japanese high school girls in Universal Studios, been invited into Japanese homes, been attacked by angry deer and subjected myself to (excruciatingly painful) zazen meditation in Nara. I have gorged myself in criminal amounts of sushi, sashimi, ramen, udon, somen, tokoyaki, yakitori, okonomiyaki, hakozushi, tempura, soba, mizo, mochi and other extraordinary dishes I never properly learned the names of. I have had the pleasure of sharing gratuitous amounts of Japanese beer and amazing sake with fantastic people and have picked up just enough Japanese to be able to get through a meal without offending the host - and so much more that for the first time in my life I have begun keeping a small diary to avoid forgetting all the details.

Perhaps most importantly, I have thoroughly enjoyed every second of my adventures in this enchanting foreign land and am, once again, sitting here at the airport, wondering why on earth I am about to leave. Fortunately, nothing prevents me from eventually returning (except perhaps the red number column on my mobile banking app, because as my bank lady would diligently point out, Japan is not Cambodia), and hopefully my next destination has something even just half as fascinating to offer!

Thanks for now Japan, and see you soon!

----

I have now been travelling for more than two months, and am more or less at the end of the itinerary I planned out in advance from home. If I were to  be broke and go home tomorrow, everything I have experienced in the past 65 days would already have made all the preparations and all the money spent far more than worth it. However, I still have about 10 months to go! Whatever comes beyond this point is pure (and very ill researched) improvisation. Wish me luck! :D

PICTURES (Full Moon and Koh Phangan): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152219983682262.1073741839.649632261&type=1&l=14bf046029

PICTURES (Tokyo and Yokohama): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152220006192262.1073741841.649632261&type=1&l=3659917891

PICTURES (Kyoto and Osaka): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152220061827262.1073741843.649632261&type=1&l=1ab6c81474

PICTURES (Nara): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152220097457262.1073741845.649632261&type=1&l=69901c9817

Day 46 (Chiang Mai and Koh Tao)

A short update! 16 days have gone by since my last note, and it's a little bit scary how quickly time flies! Every single day is something of an adventure, and I am already counting myself lucky to have taken plenty of pictures to help me remember some of what I've been up to.

I am now sitting in the cozy little office at Scuba Junction, which has been our home for the last several days. Since leaving the elephant conservation center, I have spent another couple of days in Chiang Mai rock climbing, doing cooking classes, riding segways (XD !), bungy jumping, getting massages, seeing the city, eating amazing food, partying, meeting wonderful people and occasionally managing to just chill out for a bit. From Chiang Mai I took the bus back to Bangkok for a few days before moving on down south to Chumphon and finally Koh Tao.

This place is how I picture paradise! :D A two minute walk from my room to the pristine beach, morning swims, cocktails in the sand, beach parties and beautiful sunsets every night is something I could easily get used to. Koh Tao is all about the diving though, and this new and intriguing underwater world (from sea turtles, puffer fish and moray eels to night diving and discovering sunken shipwrecks) has had me hooked from the start - hooked enough that newfound friends and I decided to go ahead with our advanced training courses straight after we got certified. Several days after arriving on the island and many many trips to the bottom of the ocean later we are now officially advanced open water divers and qualified to take on exciting dive sites all over the world! :D

The island has much more to offer - from Muay Thai training to simply chilling on the beach with a book, and if the next destination wasn't equally exciting, I'd be sad that we are leaving today.

PICTURES (CHIANG MAI): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152171208997262.1073741837.649632261&type=1&l=196c3f77c2

PICTURES (KOH TAO): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152171223122262.1073741838.649632261&type=1&l=5c4051c068


Next destination is Koh Phangan and the notorious Full Moon Party! :D

Day 30 (Bangkok and Chiang Mai)

Bangkok has provided me with the first real culture shock of my journey. I was more or less mentally prepared for the challenges Dubai, Vietnam and Cambodia would throw my way (having read up on the destinations carefully in advance), but arriving straight on Khao San road in Thailand, I had no idea of what to expect. 

The Thais are a wonderfully friendly and welcoming (although also incredibly proud and fiercely tempered) people as a whole, and after about 11 days here I am really loving the place, the people and the endless possibilities this country has to offer. However, the Thais in the tourist mecca madness that is Khao San have a very different mentality, and you instantly get the feeling that the endless throng of rowdy tourists has had a severely detrimental influence in this area on the otherwise legendary Thai hospitality. But once you've figured out that 9 out of 10 people are either lying to you or trying to scam their way into your pockets, you quickly learn to navigate it and can sit back and enjoy the ride. One thing is for certain though - Thailand is nothing like either Vietnam or Cambodia, and the magnitude of the cultural differences has been a surprise. 

After staying in a couple of different hotels and hostels to check out various parts of the city, Bangkok has really opened up and revealed why so many people love coming here. Once you get outside of the tourist zone (which, admittedly, really is a lot of fun for a while!), the locals are wonderful, the sights are amazing and the atmosphere extraordinary. I have made it a point to make sure to get lost in strange places as often as possible, which has led to many late nights in the cheerful company of lovely people I would normally never meet.

Some of my favorite moments have been bicycling through the backstreets of the city at night, going out in various parts of the city, meeting the professional muay thai fighters at legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, the city parks in early morning and late evening, massive local and international marketplaces, the Grand Palace murals, the Temple of the Dawn, Wat Pho, Chinatown and simply taking in the atmosphere of small backalley bars as well as participating in the great Khao San party circus (yes, including the comical ping pong freakshows...).

PICTURES (BANGKOK): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152135143657262.1073741834.649632261&type=1&l=fb88c4e077

A long and arduous bus ride from Bangkok behind me, I am currently in Chiang Mai. This place is far removed from the bustling metropolis to the south, and it is an extaradinary, endless amusement park for anyone who enjoys outdoor activities of any kind. So far I have ziplined and absailed through the rainforest, played with tiger cubs (unbelievably fun!), gotten thoroughly lost and made unusual friends. This place can be pricy compared to other parts of the region, but to say that the experiences are worth every 'baht' would be a gross understatement! I cannot recommend this place enough. Tomorrow and the coming days I head for the elephant conservation center to begin my training as an elephant 'mahout', and then onward to trekking the mountains! I am excited! :D

PICTURES (CHIANG MAI): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152135168947262.1073741835.649632261&type=1&l=8bed0a829d


----

Update: Before I had a chance to upload this, I had to get on the bus to Lampang and the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. I have now just returned to Chiang Mai, and am still completely blown away, humbled and honored by the experience. 
Rarely in my life have I taken part in anything as rewarding and awe inspiring as riding one of these deceptively powerful, majestic creatures bareback in the pouring rain through deep rivers and up impossible inclines into the mountains surrounded by some of the most incredible scenery I could imagine. 

Feeding, bathing, training, performing with, waking up, riding and caring for 'my own' elephant (a lovely 16-year old, 3.5 ton girl named Wannalee) for hours upon hours for 3 days among elephant mahouts and their families who have dedicated their entire lives to their respective elephants has been an absolute privilege that I will never ever forget. 

Needless to say, I am enjoying myself! :D   


Pictures will never do this experience justice, but I will try to upload some regardless!

PICTURES (ELEPHANT CONSERVATION CENTER): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152135197947262.1073741836.649632261&type=1&l=5479655d35


Tomorrow's mission: rock climbing at Crazy Horse Buttress! :D
  

Day 20 (Mekong and Cambodia)

As I begin this entry I am sitting on a crowded bus leaving Siem Reap for the Poipet border crossing into Thailand, and eventually Bangkok. 

Since my last update I have ended my visit to southern Vietnam with a wonderful stay in the rural Mekong Delta. My route took me through My Tho, Ben Tre, Can Tho and Chau Doc with various stops along the way, visiting floating markets, coconut candy manufacturers, rice mills, noodle makers, small villages and a lot of sailing on the Mekong River. The area is nothing like either urban Saigon or blissful Mui Ne, and offers a small piece of intriguing insight into Vietnamese life in the countryside. From there, a 7 hour boat&bus-trip took me by a series of roads never meant for motorized vehicles to the border and into Cambodia. 

PICTURES: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152124678542262.1073741831.649632261&type=1&l=dfd44583ab

My time in Cambodia has been relatively short, but the days I have spent in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap have been extraordinary, and the Cambodians have left a lasting impression that guarantees I'll eventually be back. Despite being a country ravaged by countless atrocities and genocide only decades ago, the people are disarmingly warm and welcoming and never fail to greet you with a smile or offer a helping hand - I have made many friends here, travelers and locals alike. 

Time flies by faster than I could have ever imagined, and I am already having a hard time telling the days apart - awesome experiences here are too numerous to properly recount, but some highlights include: 
- Visiting the Buddhist monks of the temples in Phnom Penh.
- Getting caught up in the middle of violent clashes between police and national election protesters (a man was shot dead by police 500 meters from my hotel).
- Enjoying the amazing Khmer cuisine and ridiculously inexpensive local beverages.
- The stunning temples of Angkor outside Siem Reap.
- Shopping with the locals, filling a tuk tuk with groceries and donating it to a local orphanage, hanging out with the absolutely adorable children.
- Quad bike racing through small villages around the killing fields and visiting Tuol Sleng.
- Partying on Pub Street and backpacker bars, local bars, early morning bars, rooftop bars and rather questionable bars in every location.
- Watching the brutal sport of Khmer boxing (10 fights - 6 knockouts, 2 disqualifications!).
- Experiencing a culture and daily life that is so different that walking down the street or venturing into traffic is an adventure in itself (only very few times have I genuinely feared for my life... :) ).

PICTURES:

Acodo Orphanage: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152111057322262&type=1&l=470e29ae1a

Cambodia: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152124693797262.1073741832.649632261&type=1&l=dc0d9b5b5d 


Next up is Bangkok! :D

Day 11

I am sitting in the small, cozy lobby of Phan Anh Backpacker Hostel in the Pham Ngu Lao area of bustling, colorful Saigon. The rain is pouring down outside, and will probably continue for another hour of so before being replaced by the distinct smell and uncharacteristic quiet that briefly follows every rainfall, as the city gets back into gear. I have just returned from Mui Ne, and have only 3 days left in Vietnam before continuing my journey towards Cambodia.

I have kept pretty busy ever since leaving Dubai, and the warmth, charm and hospitality of the Vietnamese people have already won me over. I see now that my time here is way too short, and I will most definitely return in the future!

So far I have explored the massive beast that is Ho Chi Minh City with my wonderful Vietnamese colleague as a guide, and in contrast to what many travellers experience here, I really love the atmosphere of the city. I have taken advantage of the fantastic (ridiculously cheap) massage spas that crowd the backpacker area, I have witnessed the absolute horror of decades of war from the Vietnamese perspective at the War Remnants Museum, I have crawled underground in hiding from American bombardment in the Cu Chi Tunnel system, I have partied at rooftop bars at the 2 tallest buildings in the city and had 3 DKK Saigon beers at charismatic outdoor bars until the early hours of morning.

Vietnamese cuisine is absolutely amazing. I have already consumed a truly exotic array of dishes during my short stay here - some incredibly good, some incredibly gross :D Roasted chicken feet, grilled octopus, boiled squid, manta ray, neon colored sticky rice, pigfeet, duck liver, frogs, duriem (the Vietnamese version of surstromming!), and a great deal of things I have no idea what was - most of it so hot that it will have you sweating as if you've been running a marathon. A cooking class with a Vietnamese TV cook has even taught me the fine art of cooking an excellent Bun Bo Hue :)

Mui Ne and Phan Tiet along the coast are small slices of paradise, and a couple of days in pure beach resort luxury away from busy Saigon have been extraordinary. I have been eating in the middle of the night at 24 hour local restaurants, visiting street markets, swapping stories with rugged Australian beach bar owners, partying with a throng of Kazaksthanis, visiting the local sand dunes, swimming in the clear ocean, bike riding up the coast, meeting the friendly locals and taking 4 AM motorbike rides in the pouring rain. 

The next part of my journey brings me into the heart of the rural Mekong Delta... I am excited! :D

(To ease the process of keeping this updated, I will be using Facebook's public photo album service for pictures from now on. You dont need an account to view the pictures, just click on the link!)

Pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152094093922262.1073741827.649632261&type=1&l=292253bceb

Day 6

Suddenly, I find myself back on a plane. This morning is a complete blur - I can hardly remember how I got to the airport, whether I had breakfast or if I forgot anything at the hotel. I'm heading for Saigon, Vietnam, and have the plane pretty much to myself. I have slept for 3 hours and have a pretty solid hangover. I am beginning to feel a bit like a backpacker...

The last few days have gone by all too fast, but Dubai has given me some unexpectedly powerful and memorable experiences in a very short time. It's safe to say I will never forget this leg of my journey. Sailing on the creek, dune bashing, observing the inherent paradoxes of Emirati society, sleeping in the vast desert under the night sky and spending time with incredible people are highlights of my all too short visit.

Public pictures link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152094056052262.1073741826.649632261&type=1&l=7ba35f8b0e

 

Day 2

Arrival around 1 am without incident. Emirates Airlines surprised me - despite being fairly cheap, service was professional and everything from inflight entertainment to food was good quality. They are not too worried about terrorist takeovers, as dinner is served with sharp steel cutlery :D

Dubai is HOT! Even in the middle of the night it's 37 degrees. Luggage retrieved, my hotel is just 10 minutes away. A quick beer at the hotel bar before bedtime. As I chilll at the bar, I slowly begin to realize why this hotel was so cheap. It seems management here encourages the availability of certain 'extra services' for hotel patrons. The no less than 3 house night clubs are practically crawling with Philippino and African prostitutes - I'm basically sleeping in a brothel. Oh well.. I finish my beer and leg it out of there asap, but not before the Ugandan ladies have described in explicit detail what an African massage entails :D

I wake up early for a mandatory tour of the city. I manage to get lost in downtown Dubai and disappear from my guide. After a 30 minute jog around the souqs in 41 degree heat, I get back on track. Visits to the museum, the creek, Burj Khalifa and al Arab, the Palm, Jumeirah Mosque, the beach. There's a lot to see, and the (sometimes borderline ridicules) mixture of Arab and Western culture is intriguing.