Believe it or not, my time in Japan came to a close and I was set loose to embark on my dream trip through Asia: Casey's Asian Invasion. Ever since I came to Japan I started to envision my trip post JET. It is hard to believe that it has actually begun...and started out with a bang! I was sad to leave Japan. I consider myself the antithesis of Japanese culture, yet over the past 2 years have fallen in love with the country. It has changed me, and I have definitely changed Kabe. Only now is is starting to kick in that I will not be returning to Japan, that someone else is an ALT at Kabe Senior High School, and that someone else is sleeping on my futon. But, when one door closes another ... read more

Ubud For the next part of our trip Marc and I pulled ourselves from the coastline and headed into the center toward the cultural capital of the island, Ubud - a great town full of beautiful architecture, some swanky stores and topnotch cuisine, a huge outdoor market, surrounded by beautiful jungles. Ubud is famous for its art galleries and traditional Balinesian dances at night. Upon arrival via private taxi, we settled into a cute guest house, which for the life of me can't remember the name. It was a beautiful with little bungalows scattered in between the lush greenery of the locale. After, we set out to explore the market. I found some incredible silver jewelry and refined my bargaining skills whilst shopping for some wood serving spoons. After some shopping (Marc loves to shop like ... read more

Japan in the springtime is like stepping into Heaven. All over Japan cherry blossoms (sakura) are on display. As you wander the streets sakura petals fall from above. The bitter cold from winter has abated and people take to the streets and parks to meet with friends and admire the blossoms. The Japanese take full advantage of this magical time of year. Businesses, families, and friends participate in an activity called Hanami. This is sitting under the cherry trees and picnicking, usually washed down with a special spring brew or sake. It is by far my favorite time of year and the best time to visit Japan. Of course, the temples all over Japan are amazing by themselves, but when framed with cherry trees it is the icing on the cake. In addition to amazing sights, ... read more

When I first arrived in Japan I taught lessons about traveling since it is my passion in life. I told my students about all the incredible places I had been and intended to go, including places like living on a boat for a week in the countryside of England, eating the best baguettes in the world in the south of France, hiking the Swiss Alps, scuba diving in Mexico, drinking Czech beer in Prague, riding a camel in Tunisia, and wandering the canals and red light district of Amsterdam. As the year went on I boasted about hiking Fuji-san, riding a bicycle to Shikoku, and my desire to harvest rice. All these amazing things did nothing for my students. I soon realized that a) leaving Japan was not high on their priority lists and b) the ... read more

With only 4 days left, our trip was winding down, wanting to make the most of our precious time in Cambodia and trying to see as much as we could. The last leg of our trip took us to Sihanoukville for some beach time, Phnom Penh for some urban life, and finally one last wild night out with the boys in Saigon before heading back to Japan. Sihanoukville Jeff and I were determined to spend some time laying out and doing nothing on a beach- thus making us bound for Sihanoukville! Despite having a large coastline along the Gulf of Thailand, Cambodia only has one small area used as a beach resort, located 3 hours south of Phnom Penh. The main town there is Sihanoukille, with numerous beaches not far away. Although the beaches of Cambodia ... read more