We were in Tokyo for five days and I could have spent the whole vacation there. Every corner there was something new to see or do. The shopping despite the reports of it being expensive are incorrect as there wassome great little shops to be had. While I have been here I have also assembled a list of things you should bring or purchase as soon as you land to make your life easier in Japan...and more comfortable. 1. Bring your own map book, as English maps are still hard to find when you need one. 2. Your humility as you [View Full Entry]

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Kamakura is about an hour southeast of Tokyo and is a quiet little city withstanding the hoards of pligrims that invade it to see the many temples that it holds. Dave and I were among them and found it spritually refreshing. The first one we visited was the biggest and most popular, Hachiman gu Tsurugaoka, built by Minamoto Yoritomo, the first Shogun in Kamakura in 1180s. It's got so much to see it really took our breath away. Kind of like Notre Dame, but with really scary statues of deities from Buddhism, and a lot of incense. We then head off [View Full Entry]

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Arrived in Tokyo from China on September 5th. Dave met me at the airport, he had just come in off his flight from Canada and desperate for a vacation. We headed to the hotel, a no frills business one that was clean and dirt cheap, and passed out for a day. After our recovery, we hit the temples in the area. Asakusa is very old, and has some great little nooks and crannies to explore. The main temple we went to was the Buddhist Senso-Ji. This was a very popular place with lots of locals. There was also a ton of [View Full Entry]

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Ok, the best part of all of Hong Kong happened today. The three of us: Brigit, Jack and I decided to go hiking. We had all had enough of the city and needed to get a bit dirty. Well, we got our wish. First was the walk to Hong Kong Park, where I found a statue devoted to a Canadian soldier who tried to defend Hong Kong from the invading Japanese. Next was the rise to the top of Victoria Peak on a tram going at a 45 degree angle which was fabulous. It was so grren and lush sort of [View Full Entry]

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I decided to hit Macau as well, and all I have to say is it's definely the Las Vegas of China. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century. After the Opium War in 1841, most of the foreign merchants in Macau left for Hong Kong, and took their business with them. Administered by Portugal until the handover in 1999, it was the oldest European colony in China. But this tiny island has bounced back into the mecca of gambling in the area, and is hoping to rival Las Vegas in less then five years as the centre of [View Full Entry]

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Now showing...Hong Kong. Well, sort of. I am staying at Mt. Davis Hostel on Hong Kong Island. It's on top of a peak, and there is no other way to get up the hill except for a hostel bus driven by a grumpy man who takes the turns at death defying speeds, as all amnner of animal and human jump out of the way to escape his wheels. But the view is worth the fear as it is the best thing I have ever seen. The pics from HK Island are from my hostel, views that would cost millions are only [View Full Entry]

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Today my two friends and I are off to the Shaanxi Museum to cut loose with some artifacts. This is my first museum trip in China since I hated the one in Beijing when I went in 2004. Wow, what a difference. I leaned a lot, got aching feet but felt like I made a real effort to understand where all the local pride in their province comes from. Shaanxi (and the city of Xi'an therein) are considered one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. Thirteen feudal dynasties established their capitals in this province during a span of more than 1,100 [View Full Entry]

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No longer in the lap of luxury, I have moved up stix to the old home of the 8th cohort in Xi'an, now called the Seven Sages youth hostel. It's clean and very primative, with a laid back attitude. Just my style. Already met two girls here from south of here, Yolanda and Thereese, who speak cantonese and a tiny bit of English and Mandarin. So we stutter a bit but are bonded in our love of a good giggle and Muslim food. We set off to see the Qin Tomb and the Terracotta warriors, a UNESCO world heritage site. The [View Full Entry]

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The train trip to Xi'an was 12 hours and very mellow. The lady in the hard sleeping cot below me kept trying to feed me, which was very sweet. A lot of my fellow travellers helped me along and assited me in finding a taxi. As usual, the driver had no idea where I wanted to go, or at least that is what he said to the train-taxi guard. The driver waited while I was wisked away to speak to a English speaking Chinese girl in an office. It's a bit scary because you're not sure if you can trust anyone [View Full Entry]

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The point in me going to Beijing was to see all the stuff I missed three years ago, so with that in mind, I explored more of the city itself, and felt a little woosy because of it. No one stays at home in Beijing, they love to go out, eat ,see friends, just hang out on the street corners. It's a massive sea of humanity, moving and flowing so much that as you sit and watch them, you feel like you're a bit sea sick, on land. My rememdy was beers with the guys I met at the hostel, specifically [View Full Entry]

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