WanderingWhy…

1. The smell of airline food makes your mouth water.
2. You are excited to find a fresh full size bar of soap in the shower.
3. You “steal” soap, shampoo, instant coffee, tea and sugar packets from your room.
4. Your backpack weighs half of what it did when you left home.
5. You have more recipes for Ramen noodles than your mom had for chicken.
6. You say thank you in another language when you are traveling in an English speaking country.
7. You will read an article about Brittany Spears-just because it’s in English.
8. Paying more than $3 for a meal seems exorbitant.
9. You sniff your clothes before putting them on.
10. You argue with your travel partner over important travel decisions like who should carry the bottle of sunscreen.

We have been in Vietnam a little over a week now. I have to say it is a bit of an adjustment after passing through the Asian gateway of Japan. If Japan has the purposeful, complex, calmness of classical music then I think of Vietnam as the body crushing, head banging, intense aggressive mosh pit that goes with hardcore music today.

Personally I love that stuff even if I am getting to be an old man nowadays. WD is trying to adjust seeing as that was never her scene. There are nearly 86 million people in this little country so personal space is a bit less than most westerners are used to.

We spent a few days in the capital of Hanoi and decided to make the trip up north to Sapa. Sapa is known for it’s hill tribes and nice cool beautiful mountain scenery. The Hmong people tried selling us their crafts and could be a bit aggressive at times… although I think it was just the language barrier. “Hello! you buy something?! You buy something from me?!” sounded more like a command than an offer. I thought they were nice enough if a bit persistent.

What makes Vietnam seem a bit intense is all the motorbikes. A tour guide told us there are nearly six million motorbikes in Hanoi alone. He explained they now have factories producing them here and there is a Chinese made bike that can be had for $400. He spoke of this very excitedly since motorbikes are now within financial reach of even some poor farm families. The bikes are not strictly for joy riding but are the new beast of burden for the Vietnamese. It’s amazing what the locals can do on these bikes. I’ve seen everything from full size hogs to big screen TV’s strapped to the back of them while the driver talks on his cell phone and carries two passengers while having a drink. Everything you would do while driving a car.

I thought we’d be run down in the streets when we first stepped out of our hotel. It’s noisy since the motorbike drivers all seem to hit the horn more than the gas, but really it’s pretty safe. They tend to drive a motorbike like we would a bicycle–just happy to be slowly motoring along and not having to pedal. So, crossing the street is nothing like Latin American where there seems to be some king of big prize if you run down a pedestrian.

I never had a motorcycle, dirt bike, or even a moped as a kid. My Dad was a police officer and saw to many kids get killed on them to allow his conscience any rest if I had one. Now that I’m a big bad rebellious old man I can do what I want–and dammit I was going to rent a motorbike.

WD was not hip to this great idea but I told her I was going and she was welcome to join me. Faced with the decision of more “You buy something!” or cruising the mountains on the back of my newly rented motorbike she caved. We set up a rental and walked back to the hotel to get some cash. As soon as we turned the corner we saw a local on a motorbike stop on the hill and fall over with the bike landing on top of him. “Grab the front and lift!” I told WD. The guy just laid on the ground smiling then got up patted me on the back and stumbled off into a building–Drunk!! at 11am.

I got the bike alone and went to fill it up with gas before picking WD up at the hotel. To my ignorance, I didn’t realize the bike was not automatic. Oh boy…. Travel is teaching me that I love being in over my head and not having a fucking clue. So, the owner gave me an extensive lesson that went like this:

“Uphill 1,2. Downhill 3,4″

“Uh… yeah. Okay. Maybe I’ll just take it for a practice spin around the parking lot” I said.

I drove to the far end of the lot and back. As I approached him after one lap he said “Okay! bye-bye!.”

I guess I passed my road test.

Out into the motorbike traffic I went in search of gas. What an absolute blast it is riding through the streets, although I have not fully mastered the horn–a very important part of driving for some reason. I stopped to pick up WD who was a real sport about the whole thing, amusing her over-sized kid of a husband.

We drove up into an area of the mountains know for it’s waterfalls. We stopped at the base of the first waterfall and started chatting with some other travelers also on motorbikes. They explained there were more falls further down the road and after several beers they were ready to explore. I started to notice a recurring theme. Drinking and Driving! Two great things that go better together?

Cruising the beautiful mountain scenery of northern Vietnam on a motorbike was one of my best days in the country so far. There is nothing like being open to all the glowing green terraced rice paddies and winding mountain paths. I’ll continue to work on my horn skills but I think I’ll skip the beers… well, at least until the day is over.

We never intended to go to Japan. I guess we didn’t think it was possible. I think we have been brainwashed to believe Japan is far too expensive for any mortal. Yes, it is if you buy the things that are imported and special. I saw a cantaloupe for $25, yet we had a sushi dinner for $15. In convenience stores you won’t find the mystery plastic wrapped substance we seem to call food but fresh rice cakes, a prepared meal, or sushi any of which can be had for less than $5. WD laughed at my endless grin as I filled my face at every opportunity.

Convenience is Japan. There are more vending machines then I have ever seen in my life, more than six million according to our guidebook. Water, green tea, and coffee are never more than a few steps away to keep the nation caffeinated and working hard–and work they do. We met a Japanese girl on the street our first night in Tokyo who helped us find our hotel and offered her friendship. Naoko works the normal 13 hours a day in Tokyo yet still found the time to take us, as well as our fellow traveler Gerald, to a local restaurant for dumplings and fielded all our ignorant questions about Japan.

Her kindness was not unusual but the norm in Japan. I have never witnessed such a wonderfully complex culture where help and kindness is expected from everyone, where saying the word “No” makes you look like a barbarian, where perfection is sought in every single little thing, where refinement is a never ending process, where people still respect tradition, and where elegance is taken to an art practiced by everyone. It all adds up to one of the most amazing places I have even been.

One of the highlights was a trip to the Tsukiji Fish Market. Action in the market starts around 5 am. A fish market early in the morning you say? I am probably out of my mind yes, but it really is worth the effort. I think the Japanese empty half the Pacific each morning and efficiently ship it all off. The amount and quality of the seafood is mind-blowing and as WD was happy to learn, there is hardly any smell!

Efficiency is another thing the Japanese have mastered. We were two minutes late for our 9:03 high speed train to Kyoto and missed it. So we had to wait 20 whole minutes for the next one. WD adds: no one talks on their cell phone on public transport, they text instead as not to disturb other passengers. No eating or drinking on the subway either…except my barbarian husband, how embarrassing!

I think the Japanese sense of order really appealed to WD’s type A personality. It could explain why leaving my socks on the bedroom floor at home is equivalent to a felony-just call me Cretan. WD adds: There are hardly any trash cans in Japan (even when the G8 summit is not going on and they are removed. read:good bomb hiding places). But Japan is so clean! You are expected to carry your trash home and sort it if you cannot find a recycle can.

We only stayed for six days in this incredible place and wished it could have been six months. Considering it was never part of the plan we were very thankful to have had a taste, however small. A year in Japan alone could be as fascinating as traveling the world-it is a world all its own.

Welcome to Vietnam, home to the national dish pho, which WS plans on eating plenty of. We are currently in Hanoi!  We would write more, but WS is currently eating.

As you read this blog, we are flying out of Tokyo and on to our next destination.

Ready for your hint? For bonus points, guess which of the Wanderers picked this hint?

Time for some cheap eats!

Post those guesses on the “comments” section of the website, and we will give you the answer when we get there! After WS is done eating…..

I am so excited to be in Japan. We never planned to come here since we didn’t think we’d have the means–I probably still don’t have the means but I’m here anyway.

I find myself fascinated by everything here. When we arrived at the airport I kept WD waiting while I amused myself with the high-tech hand-dryer.

WD got revenge on me later when I could not seem to get her out of the bathroom at our hotel. We wanted to get out and wander the neighborhood as soon as we dropped our bags but all I heard were giggles and screams of laughter coming through the bathroom door. “What the hell are you doing in there? Let’s go!” Nothing but more laughter.

Only later when I went in myself did I figure out what was going on. The space age toilet has an armrest with a control panel that resembles and airplane cockpit. I was looking for a seatbelt when I saw a button labeled “shower’ amongst all the Japanese writing. I thought “Maybe I can turn on the shower from here to speed up the daily three ‘S’ process?”

This curiosity suddenly vanished when I was hit in the back door by a surprisingly accurate jet of water. I quickly searched for the panic button before the mechanical arm with the scrub brush appeared to finish the job. Having escaped further molestation by the toilet I had time to reflect upon my experience with Japanese technology.

Who designed this ultra-hygienic bathroom of the future and why didn’t they think to include an electronic newspaper or digital TV? How did they design such an accurate stream of water? Are we all built that much alike or were volunteers and precise measurements involved? Did they actually sit around a board room and brainstorm design ideas for a high tech toilet? Were there diagrams shown in the meeting? I assume there were which explains why we don’t have this in the States–once Human Resources got a hold of these diagrams the project would be crushed and the pink slips would rein down on those responsible for such immoral pictures.

Shoot a straight guy in the ass with water and he goes off on a rant–sorry.

I’m not the only one curious about all this. WD was able to report back from the ladies room with this interesting newsreel:

What is that all about? A flushing noise? For modesty or inspiration? Ah, the things we are learning out here.

I leave you with this final picture of the control panel (there were even more options available).

Anyone else taken by all this?

On a trip to New Zealand a few years ago, I read “Memoirs of a Geisha” and loved it. Saw the movie too. So when we decided to come to Kyoto, Japan, I had the book in the back of my mind.

When we arrived at our guesthouse in Western Kyoto, we were given a map of the city. As I examined the map more closely, I saw the Gion area of Kyoto. Then I saw a little handwritten note “Geisha Area”. Ahh….just like looking for Matt Lauer in Buenos Aires, it was time to look for a Geisha.

I think I had some sort of fantasy Kyoto in my head from the movie, but when we got off the train in Central Kyoto, it looked like a big, big city to me. Sigh….. How would I find a Geisha in a city this size? As we headed towards Gion, it was shops, lights, and piped in Japanese music over your head. But as we crossed over a bridge, I looked to my right at an area that just looked different than the rest of Kyoto. “Let’s go down there” I said to the ever patient WS.

It turned out this was Gion. As we made our way into Gion, it was like another world. Narrow streets, ryokans, tea houses, lanterns….now this is what I had pictured. We started to get ourselves wonderfully lost down one of the alleyways when we heard yelling from the main street. We looked back to see people running. A Japanese woman passing us in traditional dress said “Maiko “. Now this meant nothing to us, but we thanked her, and headed into the commotion.

It turned out that the commotion was a Geisha Maiko, an apprentice in Gion we later learned. And the yelling running tourists were falling over themselves to get a photo. It was at that moment we learned of the Geisha-razzi. Tourists were stalking the area, looking for Geisha. All of a sudden, you would see people running in a direction with flashbulbs popping and sure enough, there would be some poor Geisha trying to walk to work.

It was insane!! And I soon got sucked into it myself. Please know I did not go tearing off after these women to take their photo, but if one passed close by, I was telling the cameraman (WS) he better get a good shot. We were Geisha spotting for a good two hours (it was a bit addictive).

I was mesmerized by these women. Their kimonos were like nothing I had ever seen. Their hair and makeup were perfect. And to me, they symbolized a beauty that I had never known. There is nothing in the US to compare them to as far as their job, and their whole demeanor screamed old world elegance to me. I really could not leave Gion.

Finally, it started to get dark, and the Geisha-razzi was starting to die down. I left the area (or more like WS dragged me from the area) smiling that this kind of beauty and tradition lives on.

To see more photos (until our server problem is resolved) click http://flickr.com/photos/wanderwhy/sets/

Scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef has been a dream of mine since I learned of the reef. This dream finally came true during our time in Australia, just not in the way I had dreamed it.

I naively envisioned sunny days, warm calm water, amazing visibility, and so many sea creatures around I would not be able to see my dive buddy next to me (please spare me the shark attacks and “Open Water” stories here). This was not exactly the case, although the trip was far from “Open Water.”

It’s the season for diving the GBR right now, so WD and I booked a trip over the internet ahead of time. It was expensive and a stretch on the budget but this was on our list of “must do’s” when we planned the trip. Only when we got into town did we see every tour shop selling our trip for half of what we paid–ouch! When we got on the boat, we realized they had upgraded our room which took some of the sting out of it.

The weather was about as shitty as you could hope for–sunny sometimes, but mostly cold and rough, rough conditions. I tried to get a refill on sea-sickness patches but they don’t seem to have them in Australia so we we doped up on Dramamine for the trip. The Dramamine barely held us together at times. When we were not in the water we were usually in our bunk trying not to get thrown out. Several times I would wake up in mid-air and hit the mattress.

On our first dive WD had trouble equalizing her ears and had to abort. On the second dive she decended with the divemaster and took her time getting down. I was glad she made it down for this dive, since we were there for to watch the giant potato cod feeding. This was the highlight of the diving the GBR, take a peek at these vids:

The cod reminded me of big dopey Labradors looking for food, the only thing missing was a tongue hanging out. When the feed was over they would stare at the food container, then at you, then back at the container. This made for some great pictures.

It was great but we were shivering cold by the time we were back on board–WD was frustrated and done for the day. The next dive was nothing special and the last dive was a night dive.

I’ve never been night diving–it was a bit of a rush. You really need to be comfortable in the water and know your gear and dive basics solid. It was black and I could not see anything but what my flashlight revealed. I tried to keep my imagination under control and not think about the sharks at night. If the beam died I would have saw pure blackness and been 40ft down… a real test to keep your head but thankfully there was no pop quiz. I can see why cave diving is addicting but I know now it is not for me.

I was glad WD opted out of this dive. Dive training is important and WD’s was pretty poor… she is not comfortable with the gear and basic techniques so it really ruined the diving experience for her. We went on the first dive together the next day and it went wrong. It was raining, the wind was whipping on the surface and the boat was swinging like a pendulum far from the drop in to descend on the bommie. We jumped in and swam on the surface exhausting ourselves trying to get to the marker. We tried descending while still breathing hard and WD had ear trouble again–combined with strong current, cold water, and her mask flooding because it was caught on her hoodie, panic started to set in on the rough surface.

WD said “Can you see if my tank is on all the way? I feel like I’m not getting enough air.” I almost touched it but remembered a few things: The divemasters always check your tank is open before you are allowed to jump in, people make simple mistakes like this when they panic, and what WD just said was the last thing a friend of mine said before he died SCUBA diving. I signaled the boat for a pickup and we were out of there. WD may never dive again after that experience.

Of course an hour later the sun peaked out and the conditions calmed a bit more. Better still, it was minke whale season and finally a whale appeared and circled the boat. Rules prohibit diving with the whales but you can get in and snorkel with them. I was lucky enough have it swim right underneath me but had to get out soon after for a scheduled dive… a dream come true. WD, having retired from diving, jumped in and had four sightings!

WD snorkeled the rest of the trip and the remaining dives I did were good but the highlights were over. But we did it–we dove the GBR!

Australia was one of the must see countries on our list. Like most Americans, we had naive visions of sunshine, beaches and surfing, kangaroos and koalas, SCUBA diving, and Fosters beer. We did find some of these things, although no self-respecting Aussie drinks Fosters-it is crap.

As we neared the end of our stay, we were on the lookout for some native Australian animals during our Wicked campervan adventure. I was really hoping we would see some Kangaroos but they were not next to the label:

We spent a night up the northern coast of Queensland in Cape Tribulation. The area is beautiful but mostly rainforest and beach so it’s not exactly Kangaroo territory. WD found a rainforest campground with some bush walks so we pulled in and dropped anchor.

Much to our surprise they had some tame Kangaroos in a pen. It was really great to finally see them although seeing animals in a cage feels like cheating to me now. The owner mentioned they fed them at 5 pm. We figured that would be fun to watch so we made sure we were at the pen on time. The owner appeared a few minutes later and asked if we would like to come inside.

Are you kidding? This took the experience to another level entirely. Petting kangaroos!! They are really soft and it made me feel a bit guilty about eating kangaroo steak at the Sounds of Silence Dinner-hey, WD ate some too.

Bush Wallaby

There were 2 “Roos” and 4 bush wallabies. The kangaroos were orphaned and hand raised. Kangaroos are often hit by cars and the joeys rescued and raised in captivity. These particular roos looked spoiled and happy-they would not be able to survive in the wild now. The bush wallabies are native to the area and were there for different reasons-one was actually rescued from a snake attack and had some scars from the experience.

WD wasn’t too sure about the roo at first. They sized each other up:

And this was the last thing WD saw before the KO!

But later they kissed and made up:

Welcome to Japan, where Hello Kitty was recently named the Ambassador of Tourism. We are currently in TOKYO!