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Week 8 Where We Went: Guilin + Hong Kong Funniest Thing We Saw: Our Chinese tour guide Gary performed a special martial arts show for us on the top of the sightseeing tour boat on the Li River…out of nowhere. His stretching to prepare for the performance was the funniest part. His hilarity began when we got out of our tour van after driving to the pier and he repeatedly said, “I cannot feel my leg” in astonishment. It had fallen asleep. Craziest Thing We Did: Take the tram up to “The Peak” in Hong Kong. Chelsea distracted herself the whole time as this train/tram scaled the steepest cliffs at a 27% grade. Best Thing We Did: The Li River cruise and the Hong Kong skyline from Victoria Harbor on the Star Ferry Tastiest Thing We Did: Eat Chinese food at the Irish Pub in Guilin. Kung pao chicken, sweet and sour pork and fried green beans.  Dumbest Thing We Did: Not have enough cash to pay the bill at a restaurant when it didn’t accept credit cards and then continue the stupidity by sitting and drink long island ice teas while Adam ran around town trying to get cash out of ATMs.
Biggest Surprise: Hong Kong loves horse racing. There is a huge racecourse in the center of the city and it’s PACKED and so fun! Mystery Solved: 250k+ deaths on the road per year. Twice as many as the US per capita. Now it makes sense. Coolest thing we Learned: Hong Kong is the 4th most densely populated place in the world. Also one of the biggest income discrepancies. Other Updates:
USA Travel: Stops 1-9  Japan Travel: Stops 10-15  China + Hong Kong Travel: Stops 16-19   SE Asia Travel - Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia: Stops 20-28   Australia Travel: Stops 29-33  New Zealand Travel: Stops 34-53    Fiji Travel: Stops 54-55  Singapore + Indonesia Travel: Stops 56-59 
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Best Thing We Did: Hike 10k of the Great Wall of China with a small group of 8 people, all of whom became friends by the end of the day. Our Belgium guide Fred was so laid back and cool plus knowledgeable. We had a delicious lunch served in a farmhouse before we took off hiking. The only other people on the wall as far as the eye could see was another group of 8, hiking with the same company we were. This was an unbelievable and unforgettable day.
Tastiest Thing We Did: Peking Duck at DaDong. The crispy skin sprinkled with sugar was our favorite part of the duck.
Dumbest Thing We Did: Walk and walk and walk. We have to get better about taking the subway, bus and cabs.
Biggest Thing We Learned: About the history of China through visiting Tianamian square and the Forbidden Palace and about current day practices in China via lack of google, FB and government policies still in play.
Mystery Solved: Since we’ve been in Asia we’ve been wondering what these ridged yellow tiles throughout the subways and streets were for. Our guesses included the direction of pedestrians and emergency exits. Turns out they are for the blind to follow.
Other Updates:
Biggest Thing We Learned: About the history of China through visiting Tianamian square and the Forbidden Palace and about current day practices in China via lack of google, FB and government policies still in play.
Mystery Solved: Since we’ve been in Asia we’ve been wondering what these ridged yellow tiles throughout the subways and streets were for. Our guesses included the direction of pedestrians and emergency exits. Turns out they are for the blind to follow.
Other Updates:
- Got to spend a night out with Adam’s High School/College buddies Lisa and Tom from Chicago who live in Shanghai. They took us out for dinner and drinks and we had a blast!
- With all the coughing, hacking, blowing, and snorting in China it’s no doubt Chelsea got her first cold…
- Adam is mastering chop sticks.
- We confirmed that Adam’s Chinese character tattoo does, in fact, mean hero.
Week 6
Where We Went: Nagoya, Shizuoka, Hakone and back to Tokyo for a night by the airport.
Funniest Thing We Did: We were looking for a bar on the 5th floor of a building. We walked into the fourth floor restaurant, asked where it was and they pointed to the back corner. So Chelsea positively opened the door thinking she would discover a cool, back room bar, but instead found the bathroom. Embarrassing!
Craziest Thing We Did: We went to a town where no tourists go to - Shizuoka. It was apparent that no white people come through here.
Best Thing We Did: See Mt. Fuji from the bus on our way to our hotel then relax in the hot springs at our hotel in Hakone, fed by the volcanos all around us. Here is the sunset from our hotel room:
Where We Went: Nagoya, Shizuoka, Hakone and back to Tokyo for a night by the airport.
Funniest Thing We Did: We were looking for a bar on the 5th floor of a building. We walked into the fourth floor restaurant, asked where it was and they pointed to the back corner. So Chelsea positively opened the door thinking she would discover a cool, back room bar, but instead found the bathroom. Embarrassing!
Craziest Thing We Did: We went to a town where no tourists go to - Shizuoka. It was apparent that no white people come through here.
Best Thing We Did: See Mt. Fuji from the bus on our way to our hotel then relax in the hot springs at our hotel in Hakone, fed by the volcanos all around us. Here is the sunset from our hotel room:
Tastiest Thing We Did: We needed a taste of America so we found an ex-pat bar in Nagoya where Adam got a tasty burger. I think it was the first time he had beef in two weeks.
Also, lunch at our hotel on the first day in Hakone, it was a traditional Japanese lunch with 15 or so different elements:
Also, lunch at our hotel on the first day in Hakone, it was a traditional Japanese lunch with 15 or so different elements:
Dumbest Thing We Did: Order a coke at the expensive hotel we were staying at in Hakone, it cost $8 and was barely 12 oz.
Biggest Thing We Learned: If, when you first walk into your room and it smells like smoke, go downstairs and get a different room. There had been a mis communication and we spent the first night in Nagoya in a smoke-filled room…horrible!
Biggest Surprise: Just how big Mt. Fuji is. Incredible!
Coolest thing we Learned: Toyota (Toyoda then) was founded as a textile company.
Biggest Thing We Learned: If, when you first walk into your room and it smells like smoke, go downstairs and get a different room. There had been a mis communication and we spent the first night in Nagoya in a smoke-filled room…horrible!
Biggest Surprise: Just how big Mt. Fuji is. Incredible!
Coolest thing we Learned: Toyota (Toyoda then) was founded as a textile company.
Mystery Solved: What we thoughts was peanut butter called “peanut cream” was something entirely different. This mystery remains unsolved.
Other Updates:
- McDonalds tastes the same in Japan as it does in the states.
- Pajamas provided by the hotel in Japan do not fit Adam.
- Chelsea loves Matcha everything.
- Nagoya’s sister city is LA and it is a great, very livable city,
- Being in the mountains after a week and a half in cities was so relaxing.
- We traveled through Seoul, South Korea on our way to Beijing and got to watch the Cubs play the Giants in the playoffs.
Week 5
Where We Went: Tokyo and Kyoto
First Moment Here: Leaving Shibuya Station you’re dumped into the busiest pedestrian intersection in Asia where everyone crosses in every direction. It’s called the “Times Square” of Asia. This was our first moment here, and looking back it’s hilarious to think of our overtired selves, dragging suitcases back and forth as we searched for our airbnb during rush hour. Check out the video I took crossing Shibuya Crossing.
Where We Went: Tokyo and Kyoto
First Moment Here: Leaving Shibuya Station you’re dumped into the busiest pedestrian intersection in Asia where everyone crosses in every direction. It’s called the “Times Square” of Asia. This was our first moment here, and looking back it’s hilarious to think of our overtired selves, dragging suitcases back and forth as we searched for our airbnb during rush hour. Check out the video I took crossing Shibuya Crossing.
Funniest Thing We Did: Going through immigration at Narita Airport you have to write your destination, aka hotel address, and all we have are Japanese characters…so Chelsea redrew them on the immigration form and after having taken us out of line, the official laughed out loud and waved us through. Still wondering what I actually wrote.
Craziest Thing We Did: Riding bikes through Kyoto, luckily we made it out alive. No rules, weaving in and out of pedestrians and other bikes coming your way fearlessly while busses rush by. X 10 miles.
Best Thing We Did: Robot Restaurant…BY FAR! This was the craziest hour of our trip so far, which left us both totally speechless. Can’t even describe it, other than to say, you must go.
Craziest Thing We Did: Riding bikes through Kyoto, luckily we made it out alive. No rules, weaving in and out of pedestrians and other bikes coming your way fearlessly while busses rush by. X 10 miles.
Best Thing We Did: Robot Restaurant…BY FAR! This was the craziest hour of our trip so far, which left us both totally speechless. Can’t even describe it, other than to say, you must go.
Tastiest Thing We Did: We went to a Ramen place without cash, had to leave to go find an ATM, come back and “fed the machine” where you select what you want, pay and receive a ticket before being seated in your own booth. Then, you’re served the best ramen. We had ramen for breakfast and can’t wait to go back to this place when we pass through Tokyo on our way to China.
Dumbest Thing We Did: Right road. Wrong direction. Chelsea took us on a wonderful bike ride in the absolute wrong direction of our destination. 3 1/2 hours after we left our airbnb, we were back at our airbnb without having reached Monkey Park.
Biggest Thing We Learned: The standard Japanese bike is slightly smaller than Adam requires.
Biggest Surprise: How much the Japanese SMOKE. More than once, we saw a dude with his mask pulled down sucking on a cigarette.
Mystery Solved: We finally figured out what the jelly looking paste served with various types of bread at breakfast was…any guesses??…red bean paste.
Other Updates:
Dumbest Thing We Did: Right road. Wrong direction. Chelsea took us on a wonderful bike ride in the absolute wrong direction of our destination. 3 1/2 hours after we left our airbnb, we were back at our airbnb without having reached Monkey Park.
Biggest Thing We Learned: The standard Japanese bike is slightly smaller than Adam requires.
Biggest Surprise: How much the Japanese SMOKE. More than once, we saw a dude with his mask pulled down sucking on a cigarette.
Mystery Solved: We finally figured out what the jelly looking paste served with various types of bread at breakfast was…any guesses??…red bean paste.
Other Updates:
- Chelsea hasn’t worn makeup since we left Atlanta five weeks ago
- Adam got to have his first cup of noodles in Japan and since then, we’ve eaten about a dozen
- We’ve already thrown out 10 of the things we brought with us to lighten the load
- Clothes line is coming in handy as we do laundry about every two days (with no dryer!)
- Travel yoga mat has been used each and every day. Today was the first day Chelsea woke up after the sun… a record 6:09 am!
- Adam’s still complaining about being fat and tall in Japan
I thought I would share my experience of being a near 6’2 male who is a couple sushi rolls shy of 220 lbs. as I make my way across Japan.
First, In the USA I am not really fat. I am just a little chubby. In Japan, I am enormous. As we walked through Tokyo I came across 2-3 people that were fatter than me. Most everyone seems to be at a very healthy weight. It is much different than our obesity epidemic in America.
Another observation, related to the first, is that 90% of the doorways I walked through I had to watch my head and my girth. It made me feel like a giant. Admittedly, it was pretty cool! Many store fronts often had canopies outside on the side walk. Each canopy hit me right about the nipples. It serious shrunk the size of the sidewalk I was able to use.
Lastly, the bathrooms. Surprisingly, there was a lot to learn. In many restaurants there were doors marked “Men, ”Women”, and “Men/Women”. The “men’s” room consisted of a sink and a urinal. No number 2’s allowed. For that, you had to use the “Men/Women”. I cannot report on the situation of the “Women’s” only, but I can make an assumption. It also came with a tiny sink smaller than the size of my hands. It had ample soap to clean up but no towels. No hand dryers either. Japan seems to value cleanliness, but not dryness. The biggest lesson/surprise/disappointment/fiasco was actually in the small flat were rented through Airbnb. Many small apts. in Asia have a shower/sink/toilet in one tiny room.
The sink will slide to cover the toilet so you can shower and slide back so use can use the toilet (see below). It is shoved into a closet smaller than most broom closets in the states. I quickly realized that I couldn’t close the door and sit on the toilet. This led to very awkward conversations with my wife. “Babe, I need you to stay in the bedroom so I can use the bathroom…with the door open." On top of that, since the floor was always wet from a previous shower I had to take my pants completely off so they wouldn’t get wet while they were around my ankles.
I think the most excited I have been since we got to Japan was when I looked at the picture of the bathroom in the next Airbnb. It looks like a good 6-8 inches larger. My perception of luxury has changed. Now all I need is bathroom I can fit in.
First, In the USA I am not really fat. I am just a little chubby. In Japan, I am enormous. As we walked through Tokyo I came across 2-3 people that were fatter than me. Most everyone seems to be at a very healthy weight. It is much different than our obesity epidemic in America.
Another observation, related to the first, is that 90% of the doorways I walked through I had to watch my head and my girth. It made me feel like a giant. Admittedly, it was pretty cool! Many store fronts often had canopies outside on the side walk. Each canopy hit me right about the nipples. It serious shrunk the size of the sidewalk I was able to use.
Lastly, the bathrooms. Surprisingly, there was a lot to learn. In many restaurants there were doors marked “Men, ”Women”, and “Men/Women”. The “men’s” room consisted of a sink and a urinal. No number 2’s allowed. For that, you had to use the “Men/Women”. I cannot report on the situation of the “Women’s” only, but I can make an assumption. It also came with a tiny sink smaller than the size of my hands. It had ample soap to clean up but no towels. No hand dryers either. Japan seems to value cleanliness, but not dryness. The biggest lesson/surprise/disappointment/fiasco was actually in the small flat were rented through Airbnb. Many small apts. in Asia have a shower/sink/toilet in one tiny room.
The sink will slide to cover the toilet so you can shower and slide back so use can use the toilet (see below). It is shoved into a closet smaller than most broom closets in the states. I quickly realized that I couldn’t close the door and sit on the toilet. This led to very awkward conversations with my wife. “Babe, I need you to stay in the bedroom so I can use the bathroom…with the door open." On top of that, since the floor was always wet from a previous shower I had to take my pants completely off so they wouldn’t get wet while they were around my ankles.
I think the most excited I have been since we got to Japan was when I looked at the picture of the bathroom in the next Airbnb. It looks like a good 6-8 inches larger. My perception of luxury has changed. Now all I need is bathroom I can fit in.
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Husband and wife travel the world for a year.
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