Vietnam & Cambodia

November 30

I arrived into Saigon with no problem at all. One helpful tip is to avoid the taxis that will try to hustle you for close to 20 dollars to take you to the city center of district 1. Instead all you have to do is walk out of the departure area and catch bus 152 that goes the same route for 25 cents!

After checking into the My My Arthouse hostel, I went and ate a bowl of pho. My first try of pho in Vietnam was a bit disappointing as the flavors were not as good as in the States.  From there I went to Ben Thanh Market to check out all the clothing, souvenirs and food stalls. I ended up just buying fruits.

One of the things that I wanted to get accomplished in Saigon was to look for the old homes of my parents. So I decided to give it a try today. District 5 is a bit of a hike from 1 so I hired a motorbike to take me there. Unfortunately he dropped me off at the wrong place. Luckily my dad gave me the address of my mom's cousin who lived nearby. I was able to find that house but my mom's cousin was not there. I ended up meeting her older brother instead. We talked for a bit and he gave me some family history that was pretty interesting.  He also took me by motorbike to the home. The house that my mom grew up in has now been turned into a coffee shop. It's pretty surreal to think how my mom and all her siblings once lived there. My mom's other cousin came home later and we all ate at a com (rice) stand. 

After dinner I got dropped off at my hostel and took a long nap. I was still tired from not sleeping the night before in Manila.  In my 6 person dorm there were a German girl and a Canadian guy who wanted to go out so we went around town and found this club called Apocalypse Now. It was one of the more modern clubs in Saigon and the crowd was a mix of new money and young professionals,  which naturally attracts the prostitutes too. I met a young girl there that night who told me that her husband recently left her and her 6 week old baby. She then tells me she's been prostituting for the past 2 weeks to support her family. I know there's a good chance that these are stories girls tell foreigners to get sympathy but a part of me wanted to believe her. So I told her that I would give whatever money I had left in my wallet to her if she would go home to her baby now. She refused many times to take my money and told me it was her problem and not mine. I finally had to just force the money on her. I ended up walking home at 3 in the morning because I had no money on me.

December 1

the canadian guy below me is named Kyle and we made plans to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels together. But before I left I had a nice banh mi sandwich with cafe su da at the park for my breakfast. Kyle and I took the public bus instead of booking a tour because we wanted the flexibility.  On the bus we met a couple of cool Vietnamese girls who helped guide us to the Tunnels. One of them is an artist and I asked if she could sketch me and she did an amazing sketch of me in a matter of minutes.  The evening was a bit uneventful since I decided to go to Cambodia the next morning. My 4 other dormmates and I wandered around district 1 after dinner..so far there has not been too much to see.

December 2

For long journeys I think I prefer buses over trains because of the rest breaks built in to stretch your legs and wander around for food. Today's bus is supposed to be about 12 hours but I heard that it could stretch to 14. I have been told by people that a Cambodia visa would cost around 20 at the border. Be very careful of the guys who come up to you with forms and start filling it oh n for you. They are looking to get paid for their assistance with or without your awareness. The bus drops you off on the Vietnam side while you walk over to Cambodia to fill out your visa. Don't forget your bus number, name and Cologne because it would suck to get left behind. I really don't think they do headcounts. I ended up meeting two Spaniards on the bus named Pablo and Juan, affectionately called Juanito by Pablo. There are some people that you can just tell have color in their lives and these guys have it! Juan at first glance appears to be a tough guy with his bald head, arm tattoos and bigger build but later I discovered him to be a softie...more to come. Pablo is unique and that might be the best way to describe him. Mid40s with a beard and a personality that's one part Robin Williams and one part Billy Crystal as blended by a Spanish barista.  We became fast friends and made plans to go around Siem Reap together.

December 3

when in siem there will be tons of people pushing you to do Angkor Wat tours by vans or by personal tricycle drivers or tuk tuk as some call them. One helpful tip if you are into it is to rent a bicycle instead to Angkor. It will only cost you a dollar and you have the added flexibility of going and staying as you please.  While renting bikes with the Spaniards we met Maria, another person from Spain who wanted to join us in cycling.  I don't know what it is about the Spanish culture, but they just seem to always be laughing, joking and having a great time. Getting a bike was so worth it. I felt free on the bike and very much alive.

We checked out some temples and then had lunch by the lake while sitting outside on a blanket.  It was so relaxing that I fell asleep on the mat.

Angkor is massive and pretty spectacular.  Just to imagine how the people constructed it all those years ago is fascinating. 

Dinner was at a nice family food stand where the food was OK but the hospitality was top notched. From the husband and wife to the little daughter who acted as the hostess. After dinner we had pancake.  You can find them everything... it's like a banana chocolate crepe.

December 4

I spent the morning taking it easy. First by sleeping in and then going for a nice casual jog around parts of siem reap. Its been a while since I've had some proper exercise so I was not able to go very far. After a quick shower, I went over to the old market to do some shopping for scarves. I had some time to kill before meeting the Spaniards for yet another bike ride to Angkor. This time we didnt purchase tickets and somehow they still managed to talk their way into every place. Probably the most impressive was when we got into an invitation only classic orchestra event performed by this Japanese group in association with musicians from Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. The attendees at this special performance was the prime minister of Japan and other foreign dignitaries! We were asked at multiple checkpoints for our tickets and we kept saying we were guests of the drummer. In the end we got in with no issues and even received a SWAG bag! The musical performance was a sweet treat and having Angkor Wat as a lit up backdrop was magnificent. Everyone was dressed up and there we were in t-shirts, PJs, and our bicycles... It was brilliant. A Japanese news crew even interviewed us and said it would be broadcasted in Japan. We capped off the evening by riding our bikes home, eating at the same family restaurant, and of course pancakes. It was great meeting Pablo, Juanito and Maria. Hopefully our paths will cross again one day.

December 5

As always, I caught the earliest bus possible and this time I'm headed to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The ride itself was about 7 hours and I pretty much slept the whole way there. I checked into the Eight8 Hostel and dropped off my bags and did a quick stroll around town. The evening was spent getting some drinks with my dorm mates.

December 6

I woke up a bit later than normal today. After getting ready, I set out to explore the capital by foot. I managed to cover a lot of ground and visited old markets and various temples. The street food was pretty good and I have yet to be sick in Cambodia and ive eaten some really non-hygienicly handled food. There are numerous beggars on the streets who use their children to attract attention and sympathy. Ive always been leery of handing out money cuz u don't know if it will reach the kids. Instead I always hand out food. A couple of times I have opened up a package and fed a kid directly just so I know he or she eats. The rest of the day was pretty low key...I prefer that sometimes. I have become a less greedy traveler as I've gone deeper into my trip. Oh I had to check out early because the girl in our mixed dorm puked everywhere and it smelled horrible in our room. Oh well, back to Vietnam!

December 7

The bus to Saigon was very relaxing. This time I paid only 10 bucks from Phnom Penh. The only drawback is that there's no bathroom on the bus but it does make a couple of stops. It was irrelevant for me since I just slept the whole way. I have gotten really good at sleeping anywhere, anytime and in any condition.

Thy border crossing into Vietnam was a breeze with the bus company rep picking up everyone's passports and getting exit and entry stamps for everyone.

I checked back into the My My Art house because it really is a great location on Pham Ngu Lao. There was a food festival taking place across from me at 23-9 park or 23 September as some call it. I ended up getting invited into this hackysack game that's really unique. You kick and slap at this feathery object using soccer skills. Ive seen young, old, men and women play this game at the park. I tried to buy one of these feathery objects but the vendor was giving me a huge foreigner markup. I ended up asking this girl to buy it for me since she was a local. I think I ended up playing for a couple of hours...still suck though. The one thing that I love about Saigon is the numerous parks and recreation games they have there. Its always jammed pack with people from morning  to night. I think its done a great job of keeping people always from the streets.

I ended up going to bed super early so I can catch the Longhorns game that was kicking off 330am Saigon time. Unfortunately we lost. Off to Hanoi now!

December 8

Taking the 152 bus from district 1 on a Sunday morning is not only cheap but efficient. It only took half an hour and cost around 25 cents. My flight to Hanoi felt much longer than 2 hours because I was surrounded by two crying babies the entire way. Once I landed in Hanoi, I took the 17 bus that dropped me off near the Old Quarter. I met up with another couchsurfer named Amelia and we explored Hanoi together. The highlight of the evening was when we stumbled upon a group of students playing music at the park. There were guitars, uekele, makeshift drums and shaker,. They were singing Viet and English songs so we stuck around to listen. Most times it was one person starting a song and everyone blending in. One girl named Minku approached us and asked if we had any song requests. From there we started a conversation and then she told us that she wanted to take us out for dinner. We had a great evening hanging out with her and her friend Anh over food, drinks and guitar.

December 9

We met up with our new friends in the morning to go motorbike riding. I was getting the hang of it until I fell because I didnt realize braking required holding down both bars. Now I have a huge bruise on my knee. Afterwards the girls showed us the oldest university in Vietnam where we saw tons of graduates taking photos. The highlight of the day was eating this yummy dish called bun cha which is a broth made from many ingredients and then topped with grilled pork meat. This is accompanied with a dish of mints and bun. After lunch we had this coffee that was served with rich egg cream. Very strong and sweet!

December 10

Woke up early and got picked up by the van for Halong Bay. There was about 14 in the group and the ride to Halong Bay was about 4 hours long. The itinerary included kayaking, swimming and hiking. Along with lunch and dinner that was pretty much it. I would say that Halong is a pretty impressive world wonder but just a bit touristic. I didnt like how people were ushered in and out of Halong Bay like factory products.

December 11

Wrapped up the halong bay tour and then boarded a 13 hour bus to Hue. Peeing in a bus along bumpy roads is quite the challenge. Best to restrict fluids and hold it in. These sleeper buses are pretty unique...rows of 3 and 2 levels. Basically your feet go in a slot that's right beneath the head of the person in front of you.

December 12

Made it to Hue and checked into the local hostel. I was told to try the local specialties called bun bo hue and com hen. Ive had the former a few times in the States and they make it super spicy but its like liquid crack. Com hen ive never had before and really wanted to try the local tiny clams. Unfortunately the old lady at the restaurant charged an outrageous price and cheapened my com hen experience. Same for bun no hue...when I argued for a local price, the lady didnt give me any meat in my soup...argh. Plus the msg in the soup was a bit much. Only highlight was my lunch where this mom and her young daughters were pretty honest and even hooked me up with the local strong Hue coffee called cafe da. Oh almost forgot, I ended up getting a haircut too...decided to go bald for the low maintenance during my travels. Ive been getting some weird looks...maybe my head is an odd shape or maybe it just needs a tan so it doesn't appear so ashy gray.

December 13

Had a good morning in Hue and ate some yummy food at a local stand. The guy who owned the shop was very friendly and conversed with me in English. His dad made a rau wrap with pork and offered it to me with some homemade rice wine. It was a great experience to sit there and laugh and eat with them. Afterwards I boarded the bus for Hoi An, which was about 4 hours or so. Hoi An was once a sleepy town but lately has attracted many tourists. The waterside is littered with lanterns and people selling you candles in a floating box to place in the water. There's also many street vendors selling deep fried crab and fried bananas. The local dish is called Cao  Lao and consists of noodles with soy sauce and some veggies. The other popular one is Com Ga or chicken rice.

December 14

Decided to rent a motorbike and practice riding since Hoi An is not as congested as Saigon or Hanoi. I got the hang of riding ok...the hardest part is understanding the system for yielding during turns at intersections. Its a pretty amazing feeling to have the wind run through you as sceneries slide by on the open road. The fastest that I managed was 80 km. I road to the beach and then took it to Danang. In Danang I read the Little Prince and was pleasantly surprised that I actually enjoyed it. That Little Prince is quirky! Spent the rest of the day shopping because Hoi An has many personal tailors. I went ahead and got a custom made suit, pants and a couple of dress shirts made. I ended the evening with another relaxing bike ride. I can see why riding can be addicting!

December 15

Walked around town a bit before I went to pick up my clothes. There's only a one day turn around for clothes custom made. I even bought a new pair of walking shors since the ones I brought for my trip is falling apart from the inside and out. My clothes all fit for the most part...just needed some minor adjustments. Aside from one lady making the wrong color shirt, it was all good. Now I'm boarding the 12 hour bus to Nha Trang!

December 16

Woke up a bit groggy in Nha Trang...dropped off my bags and went to eat some breakfast. I read about a restaurant called Lanterns that hands out free lunches to the homeless on Mondays so I decided to go check it out. The staff at the restaurant were very friendly and appreciated the help. My job was to scoop rice into take-away boxes and pass it along to someone else who would add food to the box. Once the boxed lunches were complete, there were already a huge crowd of people outside lined up for food. The staff warned me that it would get crazy and people would be fighting for food. Sure enough I saw people pushing and shoving each other...I even saw people fall down as a result. Witnessing this was quite sad to see the state that people were in and did make me appreciate more the things that i do have. It really is a first world problem when we complain about what we don't have in lieu of what we do have.

Afterwards I wanted to explore the city further and leave the main tourist center. Found a local bus that went up north and pretty much just ate everywhere. The highlight was meeting a group of ladies who were so giggly over teaching me Vietnamese. We sat in those tiny plastic chairs outside just talking the night away. One even shoved a piece of duck in my mouth...who am I to refuse? After that I had to find a bus back and ran into some older men who were drinking beer at a side cafe and they invited me to drink with them. I really think some of my best times during my travels has been eating and drinking with locals.

December 17

Woke up early to see the sunrise on the beach. Nha Trang is known for its gorgeous beaches and you will see lots of locals out there by 5am doing exercises, walking and playing badminton. The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous and I felt so at peace.

I did some more exploring outside the city center...again more eating. I found a guy driving a water buffalo in this village area and he was cool enough to let me try driving too. I even got tail-whipped! After that I walked along the railroad tracks and heard people saying hello outside a house. Out of curiosity I went and I ended up meeting a couple families and about 3 generations! The conversations were a bit challenging since they didnt speak English and my Viet is pretty limited. I did talk to one of the daughters in Japanese since she was learning that in school. We were offered fresh fruits and tea. I'm loving the hospitality everywhere I go!

In the afternoon, one of ladies from Lanterns took us to a nearby orphanage. The owner of the orphanage is a retired doctor who took in babies abandoned by mothers as a result of unwanted pregnancies. This particular orphanage had about 20 kids ranging from 3 to 12 and is privately operated without government assistance. The kids are really precious and some cling onto you from the minute you step in the door. I was there to play with them for a little and help with the feeding during dinner time. The experience is really indescribable and hard to capture in words.

Later in the evening, we rode our bikes along the sea and through the bridge to the seaside area where there's seafood vendors everywhere. Bike rides at night are very relaxing!

December 18

Hello Da Lat! The drive from Nha Trang to Da Lat is absolutely amazing through majestic mountains and rolling green valleys. Da Lat itself is a sleepy town that can get a bit cold at night. My first day there was spent just exploring the town center... Lots of food and markets. I ended up eating everywhere of course. Of highlight was probably eating roast pork and duck on a street bench because we couldn't find a table. It was hella messy but very delicious! Oh and the bakeries are great!

December 19

Headed to Elephant Waterfall in the morning. You don't need to book a tour or get a guide, just venture on your own via a local bus. The waterfall while small, was still pretty magnificent.

Later we met up with some University students who had coffee, dinner and karaoke with us. There was also a dude from France with us. We had such an amazing time with them!

December 20

The bus ride to Sai Gon took forever and the Friday traffic didnt help matters. I had originally thought that I could arrive by 2 pm and meet up with my 2nd cousin Anthony by 6pm with no issues but I didnt arrive to my hostel till after 5. I was still able to catch up with Anthony and his family. I had not seen him since my wedding on California back in 2005. My how time flies.

December 21

I have been in touch with this Vietnamese girl named Chau, who is my friend Vinh's girlfriend's cousin. We missed each other the first two times I was in Sai Gon so I made a point to figure a way to meet her. She's in district 6 so I had to take bus 1 to cha lon station and then hop on jeepney bus 101 to her house. Not too difficult to find. Her mom sells beef noodle soup and was so nice to save a bowl for me. She had sold all the bowls in the morning. Great great hospitality from her family. Chau even took me to my mom's old house in district 5 again.

Overall my impression of Vietnam was extremely positive. Honestly I went in with really no expectations and knew nothing about the country. This trip has educated my mind and connected my heart back to the place I was born. Ive always told people that I'm Chinese when they ask me and ive always left the Vietnam part out because I was not able to identify with the Vietnamese culture before, but now I do feel a connection with the land and the people. The Vietnamese are some of the most hospitable people you will ever find. From village to village and city to city, I always find groups young and old gathered together at all hours sharing a meal, a drink and lots of laughter. It is the true sense of the word community and I am thankful that they have allowed me a glimpse into the community during my first trip back to Vietnam after 35 years. I do have quite a bit of mixed emotions because this was our home for 2 generations before the communist drove us out and caused us to be refugees. Every time I see foreigners sporting t-shirts and caps with the communist star, I always get a bitter reminder. But the past is the past and im very happy that I got to see Vietnam. I will no doubt return one day with Riley and share with him our family history and connection to beautiful Vietnam!

Philippines

November 15

I caught the night bus from mong kok to the airport for only 23 hkd, which is a steal! Drawback was having to sleep at the airport at 4 in the morning. If only the seats weren't separated by the arm rests, I would have had a better horizontal sleep. I ended up sleeping in a curl position on one of the end tables. Overall it was OK but not as Haneda airport in Japan. I highly recommend this website suggested to me by David called sleepinairports.net.

The flight to Manila was pretty short and uneventful unlike my taxi experience. I had been told to look for the yellow taxis and avoid the white ones that some locals use. Naturally I didn't listen and got into one that hustled me out of 400 pesos and dropped me off far from my destination. I was lucky enough to catch a jeepney for 8 pesos instead. So jeepneys are essentially wagon Jeeps where they load people in by the herd. Pretty cool experience.

it's unfortunate that the Philippines has experienced so many natural disasters as of late. There are many relief efforts underway and more volunteers are needed.  At my hostel, Our Melting Pot, there's a signup sheet for volunteer shifts.

November 16

checked out of my hostel and took a super early bus to Vigan in the Ilocos region. It's consider a historic site. The bus ride was 10 hours but felt much longer due to the frequent stops. Vigan was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO know 1992 and has retained much of the old architecture and history. In the evening I tried their famous empanada, which is a fried taco with veggies and meat. The other interesting item I had was sinanglaw, which is boiled beef intestines. Taste is OK but still pretty chewy. I also had one of my favorite ilocano dishes called pinakbet, which is a good mixture of garden veggies.

November 17

Spent the morning checking out souvenir stores and syquia mansion, home of elpidio quirino, the first Ilocano president. After that it was a walk to the river to check out some weaving. The other cool thing was the hidden garden where I had some more pinakbet and halo halo. Their halo halo is a bit different from what I am used to. It was in a pretty shallow dish as opposed to a glass so mixing was a bit of a challenge. Overall a slow day of sightseeing.

November 18

started the morning with a traditional Filipino breakfast consisting of rice, fried egg, and bangus or milk fish in English.  Then headed out to see some pottery making which was a bit of a letdown. After that I checked out the bantay belltower and witnessed a funeral procession at the church next door. The afternoon was spent going to Santa and the Quirino Bridge.

Dinner included pinakbet and a soup made of ampalaya or bitter melon, saluyot (a leafy green vegetable) and clams. All pretty tasty! Back on the 10 hr bus back to Manila! Bye Vigan.

Observation: the many modes of transportation include calesa or horse, tricycle,  motorbike, vans, bus and jeepneys.  I think I've tried it all but horse. Interesting enough,  I did have horse in Japan: )

November 19

I checked back into Our Melting Pot and luckily I was able to do early check-in. I asked the guys in the front for some things to do in Manila and they suggested Intermurals. Getting there was an adventure that consisted of bus and jeepney.  Once I got there, I wasn't quite sure what to do. I did get solicitations from tricycle guys about doing a tour. I always prefer to walk so I declined and just explored on my own. Not much for report back on.

For my return I decided to catch the train instead. It was relatively quick and efficient. I met a Tita who helped me navigate the right route.

Back at the hostel, I decided to join 2 of the staff members and go help with the super typhoon Yolanda relief efforts.  We took a taxi to Villamor Air Base and jumped right in. There was a line of volunteers waiting for orientation but we said screw it and just went in and started working. We sacked huge bags with rice, canned goods and other non-perishable items. Then were tied and hauled the bags away. At one point we were  carrying 50kg rice bags from trucks into the warehouse.
There were volunteers of all ages, gender and ethnicities. It was amazing to see strangers working side by side in unity.

I went in with no expectations and left feeling overwhelmed to see so many local Filipinos and volunteers from all around the world coming together for a common cause. We bagged dry food, hauled 50 kg rice bags from trucks, and loaded food into the warehouse this evening. I'm very impressed by the spirit of the Filipinos. Despite unthinkable hardships, they are resilient people who always find a way to see sunshine through darkness with their impromptu songs, happy dances, and easy smiles. Mabuhay!

November 20

I woke up pretty exhausted from the night before. I guess I'm a little out of shape since I haven't been to the gym since September before I started my travels. At breakfast I met Susanna from Montana, who was just wrapping up her stay in the Philippines and had a flight in the afternoon for Sri Lanka. She told me that she needed to go to the mall and buy a fake ring in hopes that it would ward off strangers in Sri Lanka. I went along with her since I had not checked out Greenbelt and Landmark Mall yet. I gotta as admit Susanna is pretty easy when it comes to ring shopping. Within minutes we found the perfect ring in terms of appearance, size, and price. She joked that this may be her one time getting a ring so we made it official with me getting on one knee and slipping the ring on her finger. The Filipinas who worked there loved it. We joked that it was a short marriage...especially with her leaving that same day.

When I got back to the hostel, I discovered that uncle Vic was closeby. Soon after he picked me up and we headed to Antipolo to see his school and some other businesses.  I took some photos to share with Donna later. Later in the day we went to the mall and walked around to kill time. Then we headed to this bar/restaurant for some San Miguel beer. Argh too many San Migs... still have a headache now.

Back at the hostel, this Aussie Clark Kent guy and a Pakistani joined up with me to explore Burgos St. I think the most interesting thing we saw was midget boxing at this bar. Nuff said.

BTW, all over China they call restrooms toilet. In the Philippines it's called CR, which stands for Comfort Room.

Oh and be careful of ladyboys. This Israeli guy at my hostel told me to pay attention to elbow shape, feet size and walk...

November 21

I checked out of the hostel early in order to catch my flight to Boracay. I've heard from many that Boracay is a bit touristy but still worth a visit if you have never been. The flight was delayed a couple of hours due to all the air traffic related to the Yolanda relief. To get to Boracay you have to fly into Kalibo and board an hour long van ride to the port. From there you pay a couple of taxes before riding a ferry over to boracay.  I spent the evening listening to some Filipino reggae band play right on the beach. Overall a pretty laid back day.

November 22

negotiated with some street vendors for an island hopping and helmet diving tour. Helmet diving does not require a certificate and pretty straight forward.  They plop a huge helmet on u that provides oxygen and u slowly sink to the seafloor.  There's not much to see in that area but worth the experience.  The island hopping allows you to snorkel and swim at various points. Pretty relaxing and I even fell asleep on the boat.

November 23

Got sick in Boracay.  Not sure what I ate but I felt horrible...almost like I was in labor with stomach cramps. Didn't do anything today but rest.

November 24

met a girl from Cali on the flight back to Manila. Turns out we are both going to be in palawan around the same time so we made plans to meet up. Today is the Pacquiao fight and to put in perspective how big a deal it is, it was the first time that I have seen no traffic in manila. I met a couple of guys from Canada and we decided to do the free intramuros tour that Ate Chateau was conducting. I guess it was better the second time around with a guide since now I understood more of what I was seeing.

I capped off the night by playing pisoy dos with a couple of guys from the hostel. Pisoy is a Filipino card game similar to big 2, vc,  and 13 card poker. We even taught one of the Canadians how to play. Unfortunately he was the big loser and kept asking his buddy for more money.

November 25

I woke up early to catch my flight to Puerto Princess, Palawan.  I've been really looking forward to Palawan based on the way people rave about it. It was a quick 1 hr flight. I still had not made up my mind on whether to go to El nido first or stay know Puerto. I decided to get some assistance from the booking agents at the airport.  It was advised to me to stay in Puerto, get my underground river permit, hit it up the next day and then head to El nido in the evening.  With the afternoon to kill, I decided to book a city tour. Overall, I would rate it as just OK. There were some nonvalue added shopping stops. The highlight was probably the indigenous palawan visit where we met some of the aboriginal aboriginals. They even rolled a banana leaf cigarette for me. The other cool things were the poison dart weapon demo and the big ass snake that they draped around my neck.

In the evening, I met up with the girl I saw on the plane. Had a couple of drinks with her and her roommate and then called it a night.

November 26

I got picked up early for the underground river tour since it's almost a 2 hour van ride to Sebang. The first stop was for some caving and spelunking.  It was pretty fun inside the cave and the climbing effort was pretty minimal.  After that we headed out for a buffet lunch that had a decent spread of Filipino food. Then we made our way to the underground river. To get there you take a boat to this part of the island that truly looks like the set of Lost. It's hard to put into words the look and feel of this place. The greenery is truly amazing. The underground river itself is about a 1.5 km ride gondola style. You are inside this pitch dark cave and hydrogen pretty interesting for the first few minutes. Then I fell asleep. I'm not sure whether I was tired or something about that cave that lulls you to sleep. Afterwards I got dropped off at the van terminal for El Nido.  I was crammed into a van with 13 other people bound for a 5 to 6 hour ride. I met a Chinese dude from LA named Kent who's pretty cool. We passed the time by sharing backpacking stories.  One observation about the night van to El Nido - it stops for no one. At one of the pitstops,  I swear one guy got out to use the bathroom but we may have left him behind. We don't take headcounts : ) by the way, the road is dark and curvy and at one point I heard a huge bump and a loud squeal. We think it was a dog or a person. The van kept going.

We made it to El Nido near midnight and got lucky with a cheap room at La Banane aka the banana. No AC,  no Wi-Fi,  no thrills but it was still a roof over my head.

November 27

I ended up booking the option A island hopping package. Dont really know the difference in the tours but everyone says A is good.  The pickup for the tour is right at the beach and my hostel is literally steps from the water. The view is spectacular with a great shot of a mountain and various islands along the horizon. The boat took us to a couple of lagoons to swim and play in. This is what parades feels like. I was totally relaxed and really feeling like I was in heaven. The water is this amazing blue green hue that just invites you to jump in. Not to be second fiddle, is the beautiful mountain and caves covered in lush green vegetation. I swam and I snorkled...so much fun. The lunch that we grilled on the boat was so good too. We had grilled fish, squid, chicken, pork and eggplant. Very yummy.

November 28

I checked out of my place and headed for the van terminal to catch my 6 hour van. The ride back to Puerto is extremely bumpy because the national highway is not finished. On the ride back, I sat next to this dude who is planning an adventure called surviving Asia where he .attempt to travel around Asia for 1 year by spending 0 of his own money. Should be a cool challenge. I did give him the suggestion of including north Korea since that would intrigue people a bit more.

November 29

There's an opportunity to have a stake in a new hostel opening up in El Nido.  The idea of being associated with a hostel is intriguing and I will have to review this a bit further. I met with one of the partners today to learn more about the opportunity. In the evening I met up with uncle Vic and JP for dinner. Ahhh nothing like a Filipino buffet as my final meal in the Philippines.  Overall it has been a great experience here the past two weeks. Many eye opening moments from volunteering at the typhoon relief efforts to meeting locals and fellow travelers. I've also come to understand the Filipino culture a bit more and perhaps gained a new found perspective. Now off to Vietnam. Link to pictures: http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=7164950015/a=9293579_9293579/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/ 

Hong Kong

November 11

woke up and caught the subway to the train station. At this stop it's an easy walk to pass through immigration and into Hong Kong. I passed immigration relatively easy with no questions asked. In hong Kong they use this thing called an octopus card for all transportation. I was in line getting my card when I noticed a sign saying meeting spot. I thought back to the night before and how that would of been useful with David. Then I turned around and the person behind me was no other than David! Talk about a trippy feeling. Small world right? We boarded the train together for Mong Kok,  which literally means busy corner in Cantonese. We said our goodbyes shortly but I have a feeling that I will see that guy again somewhere in the world.

After checking in at mg hostel, I met up with Sarah, a girl I met in Shenzhen. We decided to take the tram up to The Peak. Spectacular view from atop. Afterwards we checked out her hostel and when I entered, I ran into this Turkish guy I met at Lazy Gaga. Man what a small world. The rest of the evening was just walking and exploring Hong kong.

November 12

met this guy from Germany named Thees and we went to get breakfast together. I have been trying to find that comfort dish called seafood baked rice with cheese on top. But unfortunately they only serve it later in the day. Afterwards we met up with Martin, another dude from the Lazy Gaga. Marty is a pretty cool guy as I mentioned before. We just walked around a bit before heading home. Quick rest and then I met Marty again for a drink. We sat by the harbor and watched the boats go by. It's pretty cool drinking beer by the water with the rain pouring down. We talked about life and the future. It's good to shoot the breeze with him. I had to leave early and meet a local couchsurfer named Angel. Real cool chick who gave me a brief tour of mong kok.  We even got my baked seafood rice!

November 13

Lately I have been waking up early and averaging around 4 hours of sleep. I think it's the combination of my open window at the hostel and the construction outside. In the morning I felt like doing nothing at all. I did hop on the computer to firm up some travel plans in the Philippines. The recent typhoon has devastated much of Tacloban and there's talks of how the relief efforts are slow. I'm headed to Manila, palawan, and boracay.

I met up with Annissa around noon for lunch. We had some coffee and satay beef noodle soup. Afterwards we walked around the city and headed to the museum area. At the space museum I tried this gravity moon walk...eh forgettable. Then we took a city tram and enjoyed some sightseeing views from above. Annissa grew up in Hong Kong but has the travel bug too. She was super informative and took time to explain sights to me in English and Cantonese. In the evening we caught a viewing of Titans of the Ice Age at the Stanley Ho Space Theater. Pretty good film on the woolly mammoth during the Ice Age. Lyuba is a mummified baby woolly found know Siberia and was prominently featured. After the show we grabbed some yummy mom and pop diner food. In cantonese we call it cha ton teng.

On the walk back to my hostel, we saw all these people getting black and white pictures taken. Annissa  told me it's a hk craze that started a couple years back. So when in Rome, get your picture taken too.

Back at the hostel I was checking email in the lobby and I always see this girl from Malaysia. We swapped info and told me to look her up when I go to KL. She's here in Global with 4 of her friends. They were quite the loud bunch last night. Around 2 am they came out and gave me a beer offering. Per global etiquette it's rude to refuse so I took it and ended up drinking with them for the next hour. Woke up in the middle of the night buzzed and with a leg cramp. I think my screaming woke up the elderly British lady in the bunk next to me. Still hurts.

November 14

I bumped into my new Malaysian friends during checkout so we all ended up having brunch together and doing some street shopping. The rest of the day was quiet until I met up with CK, another local couchsurfer. She's amazingly cool and we had loads of conversations around life and cultures. I really feel that I've learned so much from her and I'm very grateful that I had the opportunity to spend time with her.

We had snake for dinner and that was a first time for me. The texture reminds me of pork and it's OK.

Hong Kong is truly an international city that has no rivals. From the densely packed buildings to the neverending sea of people at all sorts of hours, Hong Kong Is unique. Thank you for the memories. Here's the photo link: http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=7107151015/a=9293579_9293579/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Shenzhen

November 9

I realized that I put November 10 as my last entry in Guangzhou...oops.  lately dates, days and time have been mixed up for it. I don't have a watch nor a phone so often times I have no clue.

So shenzhen is a relatively new modern city that was once a fishing village. To me it's a bit posh and pretentious. Enough about that.

I met an Indian friend at the gaga in Guangzhou who happens to live in shenzhen so he told me to drop in on him. Shortly after checking in at the grand theater hostel, I met a girl who told me she stayed at the GaGa too and knows the Indian guy and would gladly take me to find him. So we set off to his place and hung out for a bit. Vibhu was a great host and showed me around town. We met up with his Cantonese friend Edmond for dinner. He's a super nice guy and they have great chemistry together. Overall an early night since I felt very tired after Guangzhou.

November 10

started the morning with dim sum with Vibhu and Edmond. It was quite tasty and probably the only unique dish that I have never had before was something that looks like egg tart but is filled with frog ovaries. Not bad...

After dim sum I took a super long nap and just chilled. David from the GaGa was also in town so we made plans to meet up. Remember my prior experiences with meeting up with people in foreign places. Yep it is always a challenge. So David tells me to meet him at McDonald's in this area and provides me with GPS coordinates latitude and longitude. David you are such a nerd. I hope you are reading this. The problem with coordinates is that it's slightly off and the problem with picking McDonalds to meet at in china is that there are tons near each us. I passed along the info to Vibhu to meet us too. For 2 hours we all could not find one another and it didn't help that we had no phones too. Somehow while walking back we all managed to run into each other. Oh shenzhen....

November 11

in China they have a special singles day on 11/11...get it all the lonely 1s?

today I leave for Hong Kong. Yep short stop oh n shenzhen. Originally I was going to spend a week here..luckily it ended up being just 2 days.

As I was packing my bags, the dude in the top bunk leans down and points at my beard. Then he proceeds tl take his hand and strokes my chin. Did I mention he was only wearing tight white briefs? Oh shenzhen...

Guangzhou / Huadu

November 3

oh my God that train felt forever. I tried to busy myself by writing in this journal, uploading pictures, clearing my tablet, playing solitaire and angry birds. I think I've been on trains in China for over 50 hours now...and counting.

I found the Lazy GaGa hostel pretty easily. Yes, it really is called the Lazy GaGa. I Made quick friends with this guy from new York named Josh, another guy from California named David and lastly someone from shenzhen named Vibhu. Didnt do much except get some dinner and walk around the Pearl River. For dinner i had spare ribs and rice and also won ton noodle soup.

Theres something about being in Guangzhou that gives me a sense of familiarity...almost like being home finally. From the language to the food and to the women...all beautiful! As much as everyone says Sichuan has the most beautiful girls, i kind of think Guangzhou is better. Guess everyone has different tastes. I do get the sense that Guangzhou is more liberal than the rest of China and there does appear to be an attitude of resistance to conformity here. From appearance, it does remind me of chinatown in san francisco.

November 4

What stands out about Guangzhou is definitely the greenery everywhere. So different from the other major cities that I have visited thus far. Additionally, I feel that the driving is less reckless here and you can actually safely cross the streets without fear of being roadkill.

I had some dim sum for breakfast and for almost 2 usd you can easily load up. The rest of my day was spent taking the bus to white cloud mountain. The view from the top is pretty spectacular. There's also a temple at the top. I paid 40 rmb tl write my name and Riley's on a red sheet of paper that a monk will read off later for blessings.

Later I caught up with David for dinner and a well needed foot massage at the parlor around the corner.

Side note: there's a guy who snores incredibly loud in my 4 bed dorm. After a bit, some other dude started syncing up with him in a snorchestra.

November 5

It's funny how my broken Cantonese from back home has improved so much in China. I'm actually teaching two mandarin speakers now at the hostel. Diana is from outside of Beijing and in Guangzhou now for an interview with Emirate to be a flight attendant. They told her she needs to be able to speak some Cantonese so I've been helping her prepare for her interview. Then theres a sichuan girl named little pear who works the front desk at the lazy gaga and she too wants to learn Cantonese.

Little Pear has been helpful in researching for me on how to get to hua yuen which is known as huado these days. The only reason I'm really in Guangzhou is to find my grandfather's home.

Diana took David and I to a nearby place to get Congress for breakfast since the weather was cold and rainy. My cargo pants have rip away leggings so they double as shorts but I think I lost one leg and now the pants have to permanently be shorts.

I took Little Pear out for lunch as an appreciation for all her help. We bad some yummy rice steamed in bamboo containers. On top of the rice was bbq pork and fish. Very tasty. I'm always fascinated by people's life stories and Little Pear had a good one!

in the afternoon I decided to go this other mountain park called yue could mountain . It's famous for being a sun yat sen memorial. But for me it was watching these two grandmothers play badminton at the base square. I sat and watched for a while and then asked if I could play. I've never really played in my life and grandma whooped me. I didnt feel bad and she even took a picture with me. 

I started feeling sick towards the evening. Argh my first time being sick on the road. Horrible.

November 6

I woke up early to find my grandfather's home. All I have to go by is 徐錦章, 三华, which is his name and the area. To complicate things, names have changed and I have no physical address. My grandfather left his village as a teenager to find work in Vietnam. That was nearly 80 years ago and my grandfather has been dead for 12 years. So this really is a needle in a hay stack scenario. Even my dad has never searched. What I have gathered thus far is the city is called huado and the district is 3 wa dim which has been renamed 3 wa churn. This is near the biggest airport in Guangzhou. From Guangzhou take the 527 bus to 807 bus until you are in huado... the stop says computers at the end of it. From there start asking people until they lead you to an alley area that opens up to a farming and merchant street shops area.

I asked around and everyone told me to look for a man who sells tobacco. When I finally found him he told me the name I am looking for is his father. Sure enough the man died around the same time as my grandfather but after more sharing we concluded that they are two different people. The challenge here is that everyone has my family name....there are 10,000 of us here in this village. Apparently we are all related because the founder of this village in ancient times is my ancestor.

Later in the evening I met an Aussie/Chinese guy who lives in LA named Martin. Pretty cool guy who's in the music business. Used to drum and travels a lot. We've had some great conversations over beer at night sitting on the steps outside of the hostel. Two French guys joined us as well. I ended the evening with foot massages with the French guys. They have been walking for days and were very happy with the parlor we went to. Inside the parlor we ran into another guy from the hostel named Derrick or baller as I call him...he's a fast talker and has his hands in many jars. Overall a good day with new characters.

November 7

had a slow morning where I didnt feel like doing anything. Called my dad and gave him some info on our home village so now he's interested in making a trip in the future.

I walked around town and ate some duck and a rice plate. Did a quick walk to the Pearl river area and visited the shaman island and witnesses over 10 couples taking wedding photos.

I even took the 50 cent ferry back and forth to pass the time.

Later I went back to yue xiu, my favorite park to find my badminton friends. Again the elderly ladies whooped me. I decided to try hoola hooping instead. I suck at that too. I did wander over to another area where 10 ladies were singing old patriotic songs for china. I asked if I could film them and they obliged happily. I told them I would email them a video but they told me they don't have email. We chatted for a good bit.

Afterwards I met a new friend, Demi, from the hostel for dinner...it was short cuz I had to meet Oliver for basketball.  The game is quite different here in China as they call various touchy fouls. Oliver works at the hostel and has been trying to select an English name. I think he had one before but didn't like it. And some French guy called him Olivier and he was OK with that. I suggested Oliver and he liked it. After basketball I met Demi for dessert and then we walked around the river for a few hours. Demi has similar life experiences as me but less jaded. She has a very positive outlook on life that is refreshing. Also she can speak mandarin, Cantonese, English, Spanish, and French!

There's also a Polish traveler named Dominic who has cycled to Asia via Poland. Instead of going the easy route through Russia, he decided to go west Europe and back down to Asia. While in Guangzhou I saw him buy parts to convert Ghana bicycle into a motorbike...very nicely done. He worked on it in the hostel lobby for 3 days. My one contribution was negotiating the purchase of motor oil for him from a street vendor because no place would sell to him. His plan is to ride all over Asia.

Side note: I patched up one T-shirt and one jacket with the sewing kit that I got from the hotel in Beijing. I'm actually quite proud of myself  : )

November 8

I was supposed to check out today and head to shenzhen but I felt at home in Guangzhou so I stayed an extra day. There's something about the weather, food, culture, language and people that feel all so familiar to me. I started the day with a walk around the neighborhood. I almost feel like a local...dodging traffic casually, spitting on the floor, buying groceries at the local market, and I even helped an old Cantonese lady understand what a mandarin speaking cashier was saying. For some reason the people in Guangzhou think I speak Cantonese pretty well. It's only when I say things oh n English that they ask me where I'm from.

I went back to yue xiu in the afternoon but didn't see any badminton action going on so I decided to west on one of the stone benches. I was feeling quite knackered out since I didn't sleep till after 2am earlier. I found the perfect bench under a shady tree at the footsteps of the Sun Yat Sen memorial. When you look up you see a field of bright lime colored leaves dangling from lively brown branches. It was more perfect than any trippy hallucination. And then I fell asleep at peace. It was perfect until I was woken by security telling me sleeping was not allowed. Damn.

In the evening, i caught the metro and met Demi near where she works. We grabbed some ice cream and then she showed me the new place that she plans to sublet. It's in of the old Canton villages that has remarkably kept much of it's old character. Demi was really happy and excited about the area and told me how she plans to buy a bicycle and explore the village. We ate at a local restaurant and had one of my favorite dishes - beef with bitter melon.

Afterwards we took a double Decker bus and did some night sightseeing. The Canton Tower is gorgeous with it's ever-changing ensemble of bright flashy colors. We walked along the Pearl river again but wisely took a bus at midpoint to get back to the hostel. The Pearl is a long walk!

Made it back to GaGa and saw the usual suspects sitting outside on the entrance deck drinking beer. The French guys, the Columbia (really a texan), and a couple other. After saying good night to Demi, I joined the lads for the usual drink and talk. It pretty amazing that we all come from all over the world and have the unique opportunity to bond over beer and share stories usually about futbol, travel and of course girls lol. We were drinking till about 2am and then it happened. Out of nowhere we hear something fall from the sky with a thunderous splat on the ground. We were covered in water! The GaGa shares common walls with other apt building and apparently that's the warning to go inside and stop making noises. Instead of a verbal warning, we got a water splash from a faceless bomber. We were a bit worried that bomb 2 would be something worse than water...use your imagination.

November 10

Woke up early and had some warm congee with Demi and then took a stroll to a nearby temple. Then we went to a university up north because she was volunteering with some French group. Said our goodbyes and I headed back to GaGa to pack my bags for shenzhen. The French guys were headed there too so we made plans to catch the train together. On the way out of the hostel I came across an Austrian musician named Water who was playing the sitar, a beautiful guitar from India that north Jones dad made popular. He played a bit flexible me and the sounds are so lovely. 20 strings so you can imagine how tuning can be a chore!

we headed to the train station and with our oversized backpacks and certainly attracted a lot of attention from the locals. We got our tickets fairly easy. Goodbye Guangzhou. Thank you for the memories. I've had the chance to walk the same streets in the village where my grandfather and ancestors once walked. I've met so many awesome people. For a place that was originally not on my itinerary and only added a week prior, its amazingly been my favorite place. I think that really sums up travel and life. It's not really the planned destinations but rather the journey itself that opens not only our eyes and mind, but also our heart.

XiangYang

October 31

I've attempted to keep up with a diary or a journal many times in my life but have never been disciplined enough to keep up with it. This has been the longest stretch for me thus far. One of the motivations for keeping up with the journal on my trip this time is because places and days all blend in after a while and it's hard for me to keep track. So write I must.

My train yesterday was a bit late but Fred was right outside to pick me up. He told me that he just stepped out of an evening meeting with some architects over new real estate developments and would have to return. So yes, I got to go and listen in. The meeting was in mandarin and they showed a lot of drawings. That's as much as I gathered. Oh and the fact that people smoked in meetings.

Today is Halloween and for the first time ever I was not busy trick or treating or passing out candy. Seeing pictures of everyone's kids dressed in costumes made me miss Riley. He's Captain America this year.

Fred and I had lunch with his childhood friend Ms. Zhang, who also happens to be his boss. We had some delicious congee followed by a walk at this state park that's famous for being the site that this military strategist lived. He was so good that the emperor personally seemed him out 3 times to recruit him.

Afterwards, Fred had to go to work so Ms. Zhang and another good friend of Fred's had dinner with me. Despite not speaking a common language, we still had lengthy conversations. One skill that I have enhanced during this trip is my communication - both verbal and nonverbal.

After dinner we decided to get foot massages. I've come to appreciate massages since I've been in China. Then another friend named Ms. Li joined for ktv or karaoke as we call it. Ms. Li, or Stacy, teaches English to children so she was able to act as an interpreter for everyone. Overall a pretty fun day with new people.

November 1

I can't believe it's November already and that I've been gone for a month. Some days feel fast and some slow. I guess thats just the nature of travel.

Fred had to leave for Wuhan early in the morning...a similar repeat of Shanghai where he left me his key. This time I would hand it to one of his friends when I leave Xiangyang.

Stacy was kind enough to show me around today. The weather was a bit cold and rainy but we still walked everywhere. I finally got to try the local specialty - spicy beef noodle soup and it was indeed spicy! We walked everywhere and Stacy shared the history of Confusing and how it used to be two cities that were separated by a river but now they are united as one city. Similar to Xi'an they have city walls and gates to keep out intruders. Additional they have a moat. We met up with Stacy's cousin Andie for lunch. Andie is a university student studying English. After lunch we went and got hair washes. It's quite popular in China. For 15 rmb you get a relaxing head massage and wash. The guy who dried my hair said that my hair was getting long and I would look better with a haircut so I went ahead and let him cut it.

November 2

Started the day with a hike up a mountain with Stacy and her boyfriend. I got to ride in Stacy's electric bike. Almost everyone has one because it's affordable and convenient while navigating the busy streets of China. I asked her if I could ride her bike and she laughed. It's quite fun. I felt like a kid riding it in the parking lot.

The hike was quite nice and the mountain air was a good change from the smog that I have grown accustomed to. At random times I would hear primal screams as we ventured up the mountain. I was told that it's a call of the wild thing for men and that if you scream, someone will respond back with a scream. So naturally I tried and of course I got a response back.

We met up with Ms. Zhang for lunch. She bought me some special tea as a gift. I tried to refuse but to no avail. They have all been so kind and generous to me. Ms. Zhang also happens to be Ann's cousin, who I met in Shanghai. For lunch we had turtle : ) so soft and delicious. We had also picked some wild flowers by the mountain during the hike and I was told that they make a good tea. We asked the restaurant to brew the flowers during lunch. The taste was a very pleasant bitterness!

in the evening, Stacy and her boyfriend took me to the train station. Despite my reassurance that I'm used to trains in China, Stacy still worried for my safety and personally escorted me to my sleeper on the train. Again, the kindness of new friends never ceases to amaze me.

I'm bound for a 17 hour train ride to Guangzhou. I have not been successful in contacting Uncle Chan, Uncle Yeung, nor Peter from my Beijing tour. They are all oh n Guangzhou now so hopefully we can meet up. I am looking forward to going back to the home of where my ancestors are from know Guangzhou.

Xian

October 27

I checked out of the hotel early in the morning to catch the fast train to Xi'an. The ride is about 5 hours and went by alright. I was quite tired since I barely slept the night before. I made friends with these four girls from England who are also backpacking across Asia. Always good to find other travelers when you are abroad. Safety in numbers! We made plans to go check out the Terra-cotta warriors tomorrow.  I had dinner and called it an early night.

October 28

Since I slept so early, I woke up early as well. I decided to explore Xi'an by foot. I checked out the historic Bell and Drum Towers. Both seemed pretty neat but I didn't feel like paying admission to go inside. 

The air quality in Xi'an looked and felt worse than Beijing. I had to put on my mask most days. The center of Xi'an is walled off on four sides with openings at the south, east, north and west gates. The bell tower is right in the center.

I also found the Muslim Quarter, which is an area filled with street vendors and merchants. The food that they sell differ from Beijing and you can find Goat meat everywhere.

After some walking, I caught the 603 bus to meet the girls at the railway station. Only I didn't know that there was a 603 bus that went oh inside the city walls and one outside. As you can predict, I went in the wrong one. It took me a while to realize that. I got off and luckily saw a subway station so I quickly figured out the transfer to the railway station. By this time I was late and I was thinking oh no this is a repeat of Japan when I couldn't find Eka in Janine. So I hauled ass and sprinted to our meeting spot Deco's only they weren't there. I decided to walk and find a place with Wi-Fi and as luck would have it, there was another Demo's and yep they were there!

it took a few tries before we found the right bus to Terra-cotta, which is about 40km from Xi'an. Honestly I did not know too much of the history behind the Terra-cotta warriors. After seeing the site with all the different warriors, chariots and horses, I went back home later to Wikipedia more about the history. Apparently there are really more buried statues that have not been unearthed.

October 29

the girls and I met up to go atop the city walls where you can hire bicycles. Within 90 minutes one can easily ride along the city walls. The view from above w as pretty cool and the ride was quite pleasant. With the exception of some meetup confusion at the end, the day went pretty smoothly.

After a quick nap in the afternoon, I went back to the Muslim quarter in the evening with this guy who I am sharing a dorm room with. I tried some steamed rice cake coated in rose jelly that was pretty delicious. We also split a bowl of some rich soup with tofu, mushrooms and some green leafy vegetable too.

Went to sleep early since I had to check out in the morning to leave Xi'an.

October 30

im still having trouble adapting to the squat toilets in China. Just feels awkward and a bit uncomfortable. I've been making the 15 minute walk to Starbucks every morning because they have a western toilet.

I checked out of the Shuyuan Hostel, advertised as the only warrior themed hostel in Xi'an, early to catch an 8:50 am train to XiangYang. The 12 hour train ride felt quite long! I tried to entertain myself and pass the time by napping, writing in this journal, listening to my iPod, and reading Super Fudge on my tablet. I must have read that book 30 times since childhood. 3 more hours to go. I'm going to XiangYang to see Fred and return his phone and key. 

Beijing

October 20

my old MBA classmate Joe was at the platform to pick me up in the morning. I was pleasantly suppose to be dropped off at my hotel by his personal driver. Good to see Joe doing well in Beijing and he looks much younger than he did at school.

The Kingwing hotel was a def treat after staying at hostels. Having my own personal bathroom was such a luxury.

I decided to check out the nightlife in Beijing by subway. The trouble with my station was that they had no personal maps to give nor did they speak English. Somehow I stumbled into an area that seemed touristy so I felt a little safer to explore...Hey it was my first day in Beijing and I had done zero research. Luckily I ran into a nice guy named Michael who pointed me in the right direction to various places. I found it funny that it was an American helping a lost Chinese in China.

There's an area called Houhai that's pretty neat where their are bars and clubs lined along this river, well more a stream if you ask me. The live music scene there reminded me a bit of Austin. Be careful in that area for pickpockets and guys trying to take you to the ladies of the night.

October 21

I have to admit that the Nexus tour that I'm on is pretty sweet. For about 200 bucks before tips and miscellaneous charges, you get 7 nights stay at the hotel, all meals, and a guided van that shuttle's you from 730 in the morning till 8 at night.

The tour group that I'm in only has 18 which is small and more intimate. You really do get to know everyone if you want. Our tour guide is a local Beijing who married a cantonese girl so he was able to lead our cantonese group. My group is probably 80% cantonese aussies. Thus far i have found aussies to be the friendliest on my travels. Theres a couple from sydney named lucinda and ricky. Lucinda "ah-yee" has been very helpful translating some cantonese to english for me. Theres also another sydney couple who are from vietnam just like me. We discovered that our families left vietnam around the same time in the late 70s. The guy is Sang "sook" and im not sure his wife's name but she told me to search quang on skype for her. They have 3 daughters younger than me who helped them setup skype and facebook accounts. Theres also a group of 4 from Perth who have been friendly. The guy retired from the singaporean air force and i shared with him how i used to deal military parts to the singaporean defense logistics in a past life. Theres also a family of 4 from indonesia in our group. The dad is in his 70s and suffered a stroke a few years back but its been his lifelong dream to visit china because his father was originally from china but left for indonesia at 15. This tour is quite difficult for him because theres a good amount of walking. His wife also requires assistance so luckily there two daughters are with them on the tour. Every tour group needs the wiseguy comedian. In our group we have the chinese version of  grumpy old men. Those two are always making wisecracks..which keeps things lively. Theres also a guy who sits behind me that everyone teases because our guide asked if anyone had a spare room key for him so he could park at the hotel for free and this guy offered him his key. So everyone jokes that the guide will pay him a special visit at night now haha. 

We visited tiananmen square and the forbidden city today. Ive seen pictures before but seeing it in person was quite a treat. The place is big - enough said! Lunch was nice with many delicious dishes and even the infamous peking duck was served. I like the family style concept when it comes to eating...reminds me of home growing up.  After lunch we were dropped off at this mall to shop...apparently tours get kickbacks. Its a knockoff heaven that also challenges your negotiation skills. Just for fun, i engaged in a bargaining session with this girl. She kept on slapping my shoulder everytime she felt i was low balling her so i started to playfully slap her back...which then turned into a slap fest...to outsiders it must have looked like a pattycake session.

We ended the tour by going to see  chinese acrobats. Man they are super talented! I saw people being tossed up and down, a girl who appeared to have no bones by the way she twisted her body in ways that even contortionist couldnt imagine, girls doing acrobatic tricks on bicycles, ball jugglers, umbrella spinning and much more.

It was quite a long but fun day. I feel like ive made so many new aunties in the group. I think they feel sorry for me being the only single on the tour and the youngest by far. They are always looking out for me to make sure i understood the guide and they keep sharing food with me. Time to rest up...another early morning tomorrow.

October 22

Slow day on the tour today. We drove over 2 hours to get to Tienjin and most of the day was consumed with shopping. At the silk road store we were pressured by this slick saleslady to buy silk bedding sets. Shes probably good enough to sell ice to eskimos.

In the evening, Merry and i went to explore houhai. We went into a bar where a live band played. Overall a good atmosphere in the bar.

October 23

We started the morning by visiting the tea shop where we sampled various teas. My favorite was this one that tasted like ginseng. We all ended up buying after multiple rounds of negotiations. Heres a tip for shopping tours, since there's a set time that you're at the shop, the best deals happen at the end because the sales people have quotas that they have to meet. Also consider grouping with others to get volume discounts.

The afternoon event was a treat as we got to see the Great Wall.  Seeing it in person is so different than in pictures. It's amazing to imagine the amount of time and laborers it took to construct the wall. I tried to climb to the top but we ran out of time. It can be very tiring and I can see how it can turn away invaders.  The tour group certainly had a fun and enjoyable time walking and taking photos.

I ended the evening with a relaxing legit massage after all the walking I had done in Japan and China. I slept like a baby!

I forget to mention that the strap on my backpack broke in Japan and one of the aunties was nice enough to help me sew it back on. I told her that I needed to learn to do it myself so she taught me. I spent the morning sitting in the back of the van ride sewing!

October 24

The highlight of the day was certainly the performance we saw at Oct Theater in Happy Valley. It was a first class performance with a very large production team and budget. One scene even had gushing water to simulate a flooding scene. Everyone was so impressed.

October 25

early morning drive to Chende to see the resort palace area for the emperor. It took 3 generations of emperors to build this resort that represented mini China with trees and mountains to the Northwest and water in the southeast. We also saw a temple area devoted to Gwan Gong who was a God of law and righteousness. According to Auntie Lucinda all the police stations in HK have pictures of Gwan Gong.

Some of us ended the evening by getting massages from the blind. It's quite popular in China and I must say they are really good at what they do and it only coated 40 rmb... about 7 dollars.

October 26

today we went to the Olympic Village area and saw the bird's nest and the swimming pool area. Afterwards we went to the jewelry shop and I saw the master at work. He used every scam in the world.

The evening found us back at the first massage place. I had the same girl and finally made the connection that say chuen in Cantonese is sichuan in English. It's widely known throughout China that Sichuan province is known for their beautiful landscapes and most beautiful women in china.

She has lived a very interesting life for only being 22. She left her husband in another province and relocated to Beijing just half a year ago by herself.        
I'm not sure what prompted me to exchange info with her but she's def someone I want to stay in touch with.

This pretty much concludes my Beijing tour and I do admit that's it been much better than I expected. The history and sites no doubt were interesting, but I think it was the people who made the trip memorable. The uncles gave me some relationship advice that actually translates well into English. In Cantonese it's daum dye sum sye pay fu how and it pretty much means the man should be brave, have a gentle heart, and thick skin. Along with that I will take with me something I learned from every member of the tour group. Theres a running joke that there will be a reunion at my wedding. It's funny that I have an adopted mom now from Sydney who has a daughter in Japan that she's brought up a couple of times! So long Beijing and onwards to Xi'an.

October 27

I checked out of the hotel early in the morning to catch the fast train to Xi'an. The ride is about 5 hours and went by alright. I was quite tired since I barely slept the night before. I made friends with these four girls from England who are also backpacking across Asia. Always good to find other travelers when you are abroad. Safety in numbers! We made plans to go check out the Terra-cotta warriors tomorrow.  I had dinner and called it an early night.

Shanghai II

October 16

another quiet day in Shanghai so I decided to check out their one mountain. The locals say it's more of a hill than a mountain though. I took the train but cant recall the stop nor the mountain. When I got off the train I couldn't locate any signs for the mountain so I just decided to head in one direction. Mind you this was a pretty rural area and I felt like a hitchhiker walking the streets. After walking what felt like forever, I still saw no signs of the mountain. I decided to end my search when I discovered a hotel. One of the best things to do in any foreign country if you're a backpacker is to find a fancy hotel. The facilities are always clean and theres always free wifi in the lobby. My thing is to always walk in with earplugs visible and to just start speaking english to myself so the staff thinks im having a business call and i can not be disturbed with questions such as whether im a guest there or not. In fact i went to the intercontinental hotel so often that they thought i was a guest. I even got plenty of concierge services too. Thank you Intercontinental Hotel for helping me out in Shanghai!

The rest of the day found me back at Yu Garden and back to the girl who spoke english. It just so happened that her shift was ending so she said she would show me around. Maybe i do have a lost puppy look...

Turns out her english name is Dream cuz apparently some guy once told her she was like a dream come true so she chose that as her name. Haha chinese cyrano. Anyways Dream was super friendly and asked me to follow her to her house so she  can change out of her work  clothes. I waited outside for her and she showed up with a banana and a chocolate bar for me. The kindness of strangers never ceases to amaze me.

October 17

I decided to check out Shanghai Library today but was disappointed that I was not able to enter any of the good sections because I didn't have proper library I'd. So I decided to go to a university nearby instead. I walked the campus for a bit and checked out some of the buildings. I might have disturbed a class in session with my squeaky shoes...all the students turned and look.

In the evening I met up with my high school friend Catherine for dinner. She had been living in Shanghai for the past 5 years. It was so good to see a familiar face from home and she still looked the same after 20 years! 

October 18

Didn't do too much during the day. Usual routine of going to the dumpling place and the Intercontinental Hotel. In the evening I met up with Stephanie again for dinner and we walked around town. She told me about this corner at People's Park where parents go with their kids and their CVs in an effort to do some modern day matchmaking. I asked her to take me but sadly we didn't see any exchanges take place.

October 19

I met up with Fred's friend Ann for brunch and she brought along her friend Lyric. Ann did a fantastic job of ordering various Shanghainese dishes. I think we had shuttle mushrooms, wonton noodle soup, meat medley platter, pan fried noodles, pig arms and I'm sure there was something else I forgot. Ann is pretty well traveled and had just returned from the states. I told her to visit again so I could return the hospitality. 

After lunch I went back to collect my things and headed to the train station for Beijing. I barely made it on time and there was a madhouse full of passengers. I h as d decided to book the 15 hour overnight train bc it was only 30 dollars. The other drawback is that you can't lie down and you're stuck on this hard seat that makes it very hard to sleep.  One thing that I did observe is that there are more tickets sold than their seats. It's not uncommon to see folks without a seat just squatting by the bathroom or along the aisles.

The people I sat with were pretty cool. There was this older Chinese couple who kept asking why I didn't speak mandarin...unfortunately since I couldn't speak mandarin, I couldn't respond. There was also a fellow near my age who spoke a little English. He shared with me his recent travels to shangrila and going to Lhasa. The pictures he showed me were breathtaking...shangrila is truly a parades. Next to him was a guy who had two boxes of live hairy crabs and he had to keep sprinkling water on them every few hours to keep them alive. I'll try to post a pic later.

I don't think I slept for more than 10 minutes a clip throughout the night. I couldn't find the ideal sleeping position on that hard seat without getting a neck cramp.

The hole in the floor toilets that everyone used was also an experience. While the hole was fairly large, people's aim appeared to be visibly poor. Enough about the train ride.

Shanghai I

October 12

I checked out of my capsule hotel bright and early to catch a train and bus to ibaraki airport. Oh i had my first anti-tattoo experience too in a bathhouse. I had heard from many that Japan's onsens were not tattoo friendly because of the cultural associations with the yakuza. I was in the middle of bathing when i saw many men staring at me...no it was not because they were impressed by my manhood! Soon after, a staff member approached me and said please leave...i said why and he said no tattoos allowed. Hrmmm....i even said no yakuza to deaf ears.

The trip to ibaraki was uneventful and i got there with time to spare. As i checked into Spring Airlines, I was told of the 15 kg weight limit and i was at 16. I then proceeded to stuff over 1 kg in my pockets...no im not just happy to see you, those are heavy locks in my pockets! I counted up my zen and managed to spend it all while leaving me 5 yens as souvenirs.

Onto China...about a 3 hour flight from Tokyo to Shanghai. The highlight of the flight was the group exercise led by the Spring Airline flight attendants. We did basic neck rolls and stretches to get our circulation going.

My old MBA friend, Fred, was due to pick me up. I was a bit worried that we wouldn't be able to find each other since it's a big airport and I didn't have a phone. After a few hiccups we found each other.  I can't believe that it's been 10 years since we started the MBA program and Chairman Fu still looks the same. The man does not look 40!

From there we entered Shanghai traffic. It must have taken us near 2 hours to get to Shanghai from the airport.  I am amazed at the number of people and cars in Shanghai. Additionally, honking and aggressive driving are the norm. Motor bikes have ultimate power in Shanghai to drive on the street and sidewalk and run reds. The way cars weave in between pedestrians is def a skill! We found our way to this restaurant that serves northeast Chinese style cuisine. The food was familiar, yet foreign and delicious at the same time. The best part was how cheap the food was. It's about 6 rmb to 1 dollar and we might have spent 20 bucks for 5 dishes! BTW in Japan it's 100 yen to the dollar.

Fred capped off the evening by showing me the Bund at night. The Bund is an area right by the river and surrounded by financial and historical buildings. There were so many tourists in that area at night time.

We then drove to Fred's flat in yangshupu district. It's a district that is in transition with many new upscale high-risk flats in development. What's interesting is that many of the locals still live in underdeveloped areas and sell food on the streets, while the rich factory owners from OK provinces outside Shanghai are moving into the luxury flats. It really is fascinating to see two worlds collide. 

We ended the evening by going to a local internet cafe at midnight so I can catch the Texas / OU game which was 11 am Texas time. What's unique about the cafe was not the numerous gamers dubbed homeboys there, but rather the scene itself. Everyone smokes and ashtrays do not exist. The floors and keyboards were sticky and filled with ash and it's not uncommon for people to spit on the floor either. I wasn't going to complain since I was able to watch the game...thank you first row sports! Texas beat OU BTW...hook'em! BTW I might have smoked and spat a few times that night too...when in Rome.

October 13

Woke up in the morning and made a run to the convenience store to get some detergent. After two weeks of travel I can tell you the two things I really appreciate and took for granted in the States are showers and washing machines. It's hard to describe the feeling of stepping into a nice hot shower or slipping into clean clothes...it's just a beautiful thing.

For lunch Fred took me to his in-law for lunch. We were fed a great meal of noodles, cauliflower, and pork. I would take home cooked meals over restaurants any day. Afterwards we went to this electronic store off century Ave to get my tablet fixed. The place was like a geek factory with four floors filled with vendors hawking apple products, various mobile phones and any electronics you can imagine. We managed to find a guy who would fix my tablet for 500 rmb or about 80 dollars. I wisely purchased a cover too. I'm still kicking myself for removing my other cover prior to the trip in an effort to save space. Damn!

For the rest of the day we did some sightseeing and had dinner at a cantonese restaurant. The food was pretty good. We had pigeon, beef and something else I forgot. The rest of the night was quiet since Fred went to sleep early since he was leaving the next day to go back to his hometown for work. I would essentially be housesitting. New country, new city, new residence, no prob....

October 14

Before Fred left he made a rough sketch of how to get to the subway station for me. Easy he said....easy for him to say since it's his town and the fact that he can read Chinese. Luckily after navigating through the tokyo subway system, Shanghai wasn't too bad. It's about a 15 minute walk from Fred's flat to yangshupu station. Near the station is a row of street vendors selling various food from xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) to baked scallion pancake.  I stopped at the xiaolongbao place and i couldnt believe how good it was and it was less than a dollar for 8...ftw! Every morning I would swing by that place for either xiaolongbao or huntun (small dumpling soup).

I later found my way to the Shanghai rail station to inquire about tickets to Beijing. Along the way I found a tourist center and decided to book a day tour for about 280 rmb.  The tour was OK and the only drawback was that it was in mandarin so I had no clue what the guide was saying. She decided to stick me with a family of 6 and told me to just follow them. Although that family didn't speak English, I'm very grateful of their attempts to help me out.

We started the tour at the Shanghai Museum and it was super rushed. Towards the end I was just doing driveby photos...oh well. After that we went up to the TVs Pearl which is a purple genie bottle looking building that has a spectacular view of Shanghai from the observation deck, which was transparent glass and a nightmare for those with a fear of heights. From there we took a boat down the huangpu river. They ended the tour by dropping us off in the bustling Chinatown area...I suppose that in China they just call it town. My new host family was always keeping a watchful eye on me to make sure I wasn't lost or left behind. Oh and they had smoke breaks every hour and kept offering to me. Damn peer pressure I thought I was done with that after middle school. Oh well..when in Rome...

October 15

I decided to go back to the Shanghai Museum and take my time with the art without being rushed. Of highlight are the Clark collection of French Impressionist art, the history of chinese currency, imperial stamps, calligraphy, jade collection, pottery and traditional clothing.

The gloomy dark weather outside was certainly affecting my mood. Along with the fact that my tablet was in the shop and I had no access to internet cafes really cut me off from the life that I left. For the first time on my trip, that lonely homesick feeling crept in and I questioned whether all this was a miscalculated mistake. The previous weeks had been manageable with almost daily calls and skype sessions with Riley but now i was truly alone. Shanghai, imo, can be a very unfriendly city and in contrast with the excessive politeness of Japan, the yelling, shoving and glares certainly felt magnified.

I ventured over to Yu Garden to try out some street food and check out the many shops targeting, or catering, to foreigners. I sampled a few things but nothing too memorable. Of highlight from the Garden was the hustle this orange seller tried to pull on me and this girl who sold grilled octopus because she was friendly and spoke English, which thus far was a rarity.

I capped off the evening by going back to the electronics guy to check on my tablet and luckily the parts had arrived and he was able to fix everything. After that i met this girl Stephanie from couchsurfing for dessert. It was a pleasant meeting with exchanges of American and Chinese cultures. Thus far I have been reluctant to surf a couch but really enjoy meeting new people.

Nara, Nikko and Hakone

October 8 will insert photos later when i find an sd card reader

i woke up around 5 to get ready for the day. Checked out of khoasan and headed to kyoto station to go to Nara for the morning. Deer is everywhere and they are tame and will walk right up to you. The highlight of trip was talking to this older japanese lady. Despite our language differences, we still managed to carry on a conversation for almost 45 minutes in Japanese. She said my Japanese was good but I think she was just being nice. I am sure to everyone around us, we were playing a great game of charade!

on the trip to Nara I met a French couple. Francois had a lifetime of wisdom in him and told me about his life now in retirement. He said he admired what I was doing and will follow my blog. I hope to one day visit him in the Alps!

Nara is a nice forest area filled with temples and deer. The deer all have their horns removed and are very people friendly. Next I took the train to Kobe in search of the legendary Kobe beef, also known as shigen. Unfortunately, I discovered that it was hard to find Kobe beef in Kobe. I was sent to another station and had black luck as well. Then I was told to go to Sannomiya. I walked up and down looking for shigen and I even had a piece of paper with shigen on it but no luck...I did find one place but it was closed. I walked in and talked to the guys working there. They told me that they open at 5. I pleaded with them and told them my train to kyoto was at 4 and how i searched everywhere for shigen. My persistence and desperation must have worked because they told me to wait while they discussed what to do. I saw them huddle up and then make a phone call. Then one guy came back and showed me the menu. Yes!!! The shigen that came out was nothing short of magnificent. The sweet and buttery meat created an orgasm in my mouth that left a lasting impression. I was so grateful that i bowed numerous times and took photos with the guys! 

Extra note on Kinkaku ...the golden pavilion contains relics of Buddah and is considered a world cultural heritage site.

Extra note on Nara...kasuga taishi shrine is lined with 2000 stone lanterns and thousands of bronze lanterns. There are thousands of deer because in the 8th century a God from kashima shrine rode in on a white deer. Since then the deer is respected as a messenger. They love shika senbei or deer crackers. They are friendly and even bow.

I just boarded a sleep train to aomori and this is a great experience! You are in a compartment of 2 bunk beds...I'm on top tonight. The trip is about twelve hours. There is a young Japanese couple below me exchanging small gifts. I think they are consummating a marriage on this train because I just saw them close the curtains and theRes lots of movement. Good for him!

October 9

Lately i have been losing track of the days of the week ever since my tablet got smashed and it doesnt help that i dont have a watch too. This journal has helped me keep my days straight. A couple of mornings ago i woke up in a confused stupor not knowing where i was. Train? Kyoto? Tokyo? Plane? It took me a moment to get my bearings. I imagine it only gets worse as i go further into my journey.

I spent the day in Aomori and thus far it has been my favorite city. The long train ride was a great experience and something i will never forget. I had a good night's rest and woke up before sunrise. I then spent the morning sitting by the window watching the gentle Japanese countryside calmly glide by. It was a nice reminder to me that Japan is more than just the bright lights of Tokyo.

What i like best of Aomori is that it is a hidden gem from foreigners. I believe i may have been the only tourist that day. Aomori and the neighboring towns are known for their apples and proudly boasts the reputation of being the apple capitol of japan. Everywhere you go, you will find stores that not only honor but revere the delicious fruit. There are all sorts of apple products and little trinkets. Aomori is also known for their abundance of delicious seafood since they are surrounded by a couple of seas. Adventurously i went straight to the seafood market to try whatever i can find. The market is fascinating and you will find tons of vendors selling various catch of the day. Im not sure what the english words are but i ate soyu suziko, hotate, hoya and ebi. All amazing with curious flavors from the sea. After stuffing myself i went and got me a fuji apple! I finished my day with some sightseeing by the harbor. The rain did put a damper on my walking since i was without an umbrella so i ducked into a nearby mall. Inside a man was doing a performance on an instrument that appeared to be a guitar but not. Nevertheless the sounds he made were beautiful! I ended Aomori by visiting the post office to send Riley a card about my travels thus far in Japan. Afterwards i found what the locals said was the best sapporo ramen shop in town and i was to try the miso curry milk ramen...which was getting to be very popular. It did not disappoint as i cleaned the bowl dry! Back to the train for an overnighter to tokyo where i will transfer to Nikko.

October 10

On the trip to Nikko I was fortunate to meet a lovely French girl named Angelique...or Angie for short. She spotted me out as a lost traveler right off the bat and let me follow her to Nikko. I must say it is so much more fun to explore a new place with someone...it allows you to share the experience and create new memories. We talked about France, America, Culinary Arts, and Korean Drama along the way. The only knock on Angie is that she does not like Lee Min Ho :) 

We explored the temples of Nikko and walked around the lake but unfortunately the weather was nasty and started raining hard. Nikko is a fairly picturesque place when the weather condition cooperates. We decided to head back to Tokyo early due to the weather. Angie took me to the Tokyo Metropolitian Govt building where you can go to the top floor and see all of Tokyo. It was a lovely view at night and I even found a shinkansen toy for Riley...win/win! We capped off the night by eating at this great sushi conveyor belt place and shared many great plates. Thank you Angie for a lovely day! She hopes to move to either Japan or Korea and I told her if she can be in Japan for the 2020 Olympics, I would def go back to Japan!

October 11

I checked into a capsule hotel for the evening and it's not really that bad, even if you are claustrophobic. Def worth the experience if you had never done it before. I will post pictures later. I ended up going to Hakone for the day to meet a couchsurfing friend named Eka from Indonesia. It is def hard to meet/coordinate with someone without a phone. We had made plans to meet in Odawara but could not find each other. The staff there later told us separately about how we tried to search for one another but always missed each other by an hour...very unfortunate. I made the best of the situation and took in the sights of Hakone. I boarded a cruise ship that went across Lake Ashi and then took the Roapway to Owakudani, which is known for their spectacular mountain view and the black eggs...which legend says adds 7 years to your life if you eat it...so i bought 5...they only come in sets of 5. Later, I took the Hakone Tozan Cablecar...not like SF at all, and then ended up doing the Tozan train back to Odawara and then to Tokyo. I ended the evening by meeting Trevor, another person I met from Couchsurfing. He's the host ambassador for Tokyo CS and was a perfect British Gentleman. We talked about a variety of things over beer and some snacks. Thank you Trevor for entertaining me that evening. I'm off to Shanghai tomorrow and will post more. さようなら Japan!!!!