Nanjing been inhabited for 5,000 years and has twice served as China's capitol during its history. This is the most modern city I feel I have been in since I got to China. As I get closer to Shanghai, the better things look. The metro system is brand new, there is an excellent shopping district, and new buildings are dotting the skyline all over the place. With over 5 million people, it is not a tiny place. There is even a new Olympic stadium here, although no Olympic events will be held here. Apparantly there are many Chinese cities which have [View Full Entry]

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China has a history of being forced to conceed certain areas of its land to colonial powers. Although many may be aware of British, French, and Japanese territories, I was suprised to learn that the Germans had a concession of land as well. Qindao is located on the East coast of China on the Yellow Sea across from Korea. It is a strategic location and is China's 4th largest port. Germany invaded the town in 1898 and established a naval port after 2 of their missionaries were murdered. They didn't hold it for long though. In 1914, the Japanese took over [View Full Entry]

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Although I didn't get a chance to climb Mt. Fuji, I knew there would be other mountain climbing opportunities on my trip. I wouldn't have to wait very long and a week into China, I found myself climbing Mt. Tai Shan. Tai Shan is the most revered of China's five sacred Taoist peaks. Emperors, Chairman Mao, and even Confucious himself has risen to the challenge of reaching its summit. It's said that if you climb Tai Shan you will live to be 100 years old. I'll let you know in 2078 if that's true or not. The mountain is 1545m above [View Full Entry]

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I don't think a trip to Japan would be complete without a visit to either Hiroshima or Nagasaki. The horror inflicted on those 2 cities have unquestionably changed the world we live in. Understanding what happened and why is an important lesson which probably doesn't get the attention it should. Both are cities that have hundreds of years of history, but will forever be remembered instead for single events which occured on August 6 and 9 of 1945. Since that time, the cities have rebuilt themselves and life has resumed normalcy, for those who were not affected anyway. Both cities have [View Full Entry]

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As usual, I am behind on my blogging, so I'm going to have to wrap up my Japan experience in this blog entry. I really enjoyed Japan, especially Tokyo. It is an amazing place that is full of energy and sights and sounds that are strange and wonderful. Everyone seems to be in a hurry and it is hard to work your way through a train station without seeing people running to or from their train. The girls must practice how to run in heels at a very early age. The people are very polite and more than willing to help [View Full Entry]

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One of the things I had wanted to do while visiting Japan was to attend a baseball game over here. There aren't too many countries outside of the US where baseball is as greatly appreciated and played. I hadn't been to a game in years and I was eager to see what the Japanese take on America's past-time might be like. Before I could decide on which team I would go see, a little good luck was blown my way. Matt and I were out in a pub in Nagoya after an event-filled day, which is another story all together, when [View Full Entry]

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Mount Fuji is probably one of the best known mountains in the world, so I couldn't go to Japan and not see it. On a clear day, you can see it from Tokyo if you go to an observation deck of one of their tall buildings. Clear days seem to be hard to come by, and I wanted a closer look anyway. My original idea was to climb to the summit and witness the sun rise over the top ofit. However, these dreams were dashed when I read my lonely planet. The climbing season is only from July to August. Climbing [View Full Entry]

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OK, I am way behind on the blogging, but since Matt, Carla, Rowan, and Nirav have arrived in Japan, I haven't had much time to blog. This will be a short one. This time of year is Cherry Blossom season in Japan. Around mid March to the end of April, the Cherry Blossom trees come into bloom all over Japan. They start blooming in the south and then work their way north. The cherry blossom (sakura) is Japan's unofficial national flower. It has been celebrated for many centuries and takes a very prominent position in Japanese culture. There are many dozens [View Full Entry]

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Heres a quick little blog entry from Japan. People in Japan are spoilt for choice. Be it in their electronics, noodle dishes, or their toilets. You can find different kinds of toilets throughout this great country. The traditional or "Japanese Style" is still pretty popular. This is where you exercise your thigh muscles and see how low you can go. They even have these on trains, but I wasn't about to test it out on a moving platform. I reckon I'll have to get used to these in China. Western toilets are everywhere and I've never been forced to choose, but [View Full Entry]

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The last part of my Australian journey was to take me to their 2 biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne. In between I would do a stop in the country's capital, Canberra. Sydney is a beautiful city. It is the most cosmopolitain place in Australia and felt more international then any of my previous stops up along the coast. It has what you would find in most major country's first cities; unique skyscraper architecture, international cuisine, a financial district, tons of shopping, an interesting history, and world class landmarks. However, Sydney probably hosts the most beautiful harbour I ha [View Full Entry]

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