And now for something completely different

After several months of traveling alone to places as far and as foreign to me as possible, my next two trips are quite different. Ill be traveling in Europe, with family and friends, revisiting cities I've been to before. How will Spain and France compare to the exotic locales I've just seen? We shall see!

I'm home!

Unpacking is tiring!

Game over

You know that feeling of anticipation you have when you watch someone playing a video game - when it looks like a lot of fun and you can't wait to try it...but then you do and you suck at it, and it's the most exasperating feeling? Well that's how I felt most of the time I was in Tokyo! I was constantly lost and frequently overwhelmed. I'd like to give it another try, but like those video games, it's going to take practice to master!

The kindness of strangers

While eating my sushi breakfast, I chatted with two men seated next to me. They wanted to know if I had any suggestions for exploring Tokyo, turns out they were only there a few days as well. I gave them a few suggestions and told them I was down to my last hour, as I would be heading straight to my hotel to grab the shuttle to the airport. When my bill came, I was told it was cash only. The bill was 4000 yen, and I had 1000 yen and $2. The waiter told me the nearest ATM was 10-15 minutes away. I had 15 minutes to be at my hotel. A wave of panic hit me. One of the men asked, "How short are you?" "Quite a bit" I replied. The man took out a 5000 yen note (around $50), handed it to me along with his business card and said, "Here. You can mail me money from NY." I was shocked. I told him I had never had a random stranger do something so nice for me before. Between the friendly man at the fish market and this generous man, I felt incredibly fortunate! It was certainly a lesson in generosity!

Tsukiji Fish Market

On my last morning, I woke up at 430am and headed to the Tsukiji Fish Market, the chaotic trading place for all variety of sea creatures. I didn't watch the tuna auction (which required arriving before 4am) but I did get a free tour. When I entered the market, a man insisted I jump on the back of his motorized delivery cart (I was the special delivery) and while I hung on for dear life, he zoomed around,  pausing to point out different sections and to have me pose for pictures! When I got off the cart and thanked him, he sped off before I could offer him any money. Talk about an enthusiastic local!

I followed up my whirlwind tour with the obligatory sushi breakfast of the freshest fish!

Tokyo pictures

The view from the Mori Arts Center Sky Deck

The 'scramble' at Shibuya

Directions

The concierge confirmed what I had already (painfully) learned: "we don't use addresses here". (!!!)

Food coma

Ate at Tokyo outpost of my favorite place, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon!

The menu:

Langoustine

Fois gras

Wagyu beef

Cheese

Chocolate

Plus wine (ahh Bordeaux !) and Japanese whiskey.

Heaven!!!

Tokyo

Transitioning from an idyllic, deserted beach to one of the world's most frenetic metropolises. And I am completely unprepared. This should be interesting ....

A reluctant farewell

Myanmar was enchanting. I had an incredible guide, Cho, a smart 32 year old that mixed lessons in Buddhism with local legends and witty jokes. We ate tea leaf salad, bargained in the markets and got pedicures together. I give her a lot of credit for making my trip so memorable. 

The people here were a big part of making this a wonderful experience. I don't think I've ever experienced such genuine friendliness. I would catch someone staring at me, and wave, and their face would break into a huge smile and they would wave back enthusiastically. People are still curious about visitors and don't yet see them as walking wallets. Some of the most fascinating moments were when Cho and I would wander through a village, dropping in on whoever happened to be home. We stopped and talked with an old woman hand rolling cigarettes and asked her about business (she lamented that people aren't smoking enough these days). We visited a man whose family had been making pottery for generations, who showed us how the pots were made and then showed us around his small home. (He had daughters my age and thought I was very brave to travel alone). An elderly woman beckoned us into her bedroom to show us her prized piece of lacquer furniture. None of these people wanted anything from us - they were as curious about me as I was about them. How many years before that changes? 

The tourists are arriving, mostly older Europeans. I saw plenty of people engaging in the kind of obnoxious behavior that ruins it for the rest of us. (I want to learn how to say 'you are a disgrace to your country!' and 'cover your flabby body' in every Western language....). At a monastery, a monk confessed to us that he wanted to welcome visitors, but felt very uncomfortable with the hordes of paparazzi. Cho joked, "we went to see 1000 monks, but we found 2000 tourists!". 

Elections are in Nov 2015, and we will see how that affects the country...

The under 25 set is heavily influenced by Korean culture, and is giving up their traditional clothing for the ubiquitous western style club look. In 10 years, a lot less people will be wearing the longyi or painting their faces with thanaka.

So if you're thinking of going, go now! The sites are stunning, the infrastructure is modern and the people are lovely. As I was departing, the customs officer have me a huge smile and said "So nice to meet you!" For the first time ever, I smiled at a customs officer. "Thank you for sharing your beautiful country."