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, [View Full Entry]

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At last! Jeff and I had reached the apex of our journey, Siem Reap, home to the famous Angkor Wat. Among all the places to go in Southeast Asia, visiting Angkor Wat was at the top of my to-see list. Angkor Wat lived up to all my expectations with its beauty and grandeur. Others may disagree with my opinion, in fact I am sure many do, due to the influx of tourists and expectations too high. I guess Jeff and I timed it right, meeting little crowds and felt as if we were the few lucky people to wander in and [View Full Entry]

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Our last destination in Vietnam before heading into Cambodia was the Mekong Delta. Much to my dismay, I had to accept that the easiest and cheapest way to see the Mekong is on a package tour. At $34 for 3 days/2 nights including breakfast, hotel, and taking us into Cambodia, you really couldn't beat the price. I will say though, you get what you pay for. In Saigon Pham Ngu Lao Road was lined with tour offices all offering the same tour for the same price. How to choose? Honestly it doesn't matter which tour company one chooses, because they all [View Full Entry]

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Monday morning Jeff and I crept out of Casa de Andrew and John not to wake the boys from their slumber. The place was a complete hole, and random neighbors were coming back to retrieve bowls and plates from the night festivities (take note of this comment for later). As bad as we felt leaving it a mess and as much fun as we were having in debaucherous Saigon, it was time to leave. The boys and the whole couchsurfing experience definitely made Saigon such a memorable place for us! Exhausted, wounded, and still on our high from an excellent [View Full Entry]

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December in Japan means incessant lights, snow, and best of all, time to travel! Jeff and I decided to continue our world tour and head to southern Vietnam and Cambodia for our winter vacation. Unlike last year’s trip to Thailand, NOTHING was planned. Beyond our flight and place to stay in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC and Saigon), we were going to take it as it comes. We ended up with a full non-stop itinerary and I wouldn’t change a moment of our trip. It was phenomenal! Read the next few blogs to see what adventures unfolded…. HCMC Jeff and I [View Full Entry]

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Most of my travels and blogs are anything but vacations. My trip to Hawaii was exactly what I needed- A VACATION!!! Trust me, there is no better place in the world to vacation than Hawaii. As a spoiled child I went to Hawaii every year (hey its my dad's favorite place!) and actually got sick of going to Hawaii. This was my first time there in 8 years. I forgot how much I love Hawaii. It is absolute Paradise. It all started last February when I decided to stay in Japan another year. I knew that I wanted to see my [View Full Entry]

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For the three-day weekend in early November I went on a road trip to Kyushu to hike and camp around Mt. Aso. In addition to hiking, we found ourselves onsening ALL the time. I had attempted to go to Mt. Aso and hike (I have a minor obsession with hiking) when I first got to Japan, yet came to a dead end because it is very hard to reach without a car. Don't worry to those that know me, I have no desire in my entire life to drive in Japan- I hate doing it in America! Since last year [View Full Entry]

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Munich is hailed for its incredible drinking festival, Oktoberfest, where beer is poured like water and parties abound in the streets. Although it is actually a misnomer because it is held in September. I have not been to this glorious festival, but my best friend from college and I always say how we will make it there one day, almost as if Munich is the Mecca and we are on our pilgrammage. Yet, many do not know how much the Japanese people can drink. I stayed in Hiroshima the whole month of October, and well, every weekend found myself...well...really drunk. Due [View Full Entry]

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I was sad to be headed back to Japan; my trip to America was just a little too short. Yet lucky me, I already had a slice of home (well kinda!) waiting for me in Osaka. My friend Kelle was in Japan coming to visit me! She is a slice of one of my many homes (Japan included, I now have 5 places I consider home). Kelle and I met spring 2005 ‘studying’ in Barcelona. We use the word studying loosely, as more time was spent living the high life in Barcelona with crazy senoras, endless supply of 2 euro [View Full Entry]

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I didn’t think I would be returning to America until after I was done with JET and my travels, meaning November 2007 (yikes!). Around June last year I was beginning to really miss home. I also had a special someone I wanted to visit back in Boston. What can I say….I caved. I was bound for the motherland. Maybe there is something in the water in Hiroshima left over from the a-bomb or something…because somehow I booked a flight not to California, but back to Boston to visit Misha (see HK and Philippines blogs), bringing the Southeast Asian romance to the [View Full Entry]

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