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 around these temples. Angkor Wat was spectacular. Definitely ranks up there, if not surpassing the temples of Ayutthaya, the Vatican, and the temples of Kyoto. Our journey began early on New Year’s day. We zipped ... read more

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 Christmas, Jeff and I got on our bus bound for Dalat. It was a nice long 8 hour ride where we were able to recoup and plan out our next adventure. I was able to ... read more

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 family at some point. When my parents came in April, I said, 'hey, why don't we all meet in Hawaii for Thanksgiving?' My idea was very appealing, and a Lary Family Vacation was born. I ... read more

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 to the drunken debauchery of the annual Saijo Sake Festival, birthday parties, and Halloween, I hereby dub October 2006, Oktoberfest- Japenese style! A short blog to record (and try to remember) the fun times had ... read more

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 Western Hemisphere. Lucky me with parents that love me, they flew out to meet me as well, and I have a bunch of friends now in Boston, so I got to see more than just ... read more