It’s Over… I’m Going Home!

November 15, 2009 at 8:39 pm (Boynton Beach, Personal, Post-Travel)
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Well ladies and gents, this is it, my last blog post related to my travel. I’m running out of fresh material, and I’m feeling ready about tackling life back home. The travel bug is still in me, but it’s been eased into a dormant state… for now… I’ve had the time to vent, to get rid of my jet lag (whatever of it there was), and to prepare myself for an epic return! Haha!

So a couple of stats about my trip:

  • Number of countries visited: 4
  • Number of cities visited: 28
  • Number of bandannas lost: 4
  • Number of motorbike accidents: 2 (Although I wasn’t actually ON the bike for one of them. Nevertheless, the scooter still ended up in a ditch)
  • Number of times I avoided paying for ANY motorbike damage: 2
  • Number of times I thought I broke my camera: 3 (Both scooter accidents, and water damage when hiking the mountain on Koh Pangan, Thailand)
  • Number of times overcharged for products and/or services: WAY too many!
  • Number of missed ferry boats: 1
  • Cheapest beers: China – ~75 cents per beer (local)
  • Best massages: Thailand
  • Best metropolis: A tie between Chengdu, China and Bangkok, Thailand
  • Best rural village: Songpan, China
  • Best shopping: Bangkok, Thailand! Custom-tailored suits baby!
  • Best nightclub: Club 88, Chengdu, China
  • Best island: Koh Tao, Thailand
  • Best climate: No brainer: the paradise islands of Koh Tao. But, in a strange sense, the Thorung La Pass on the Annapurna Circuit is high up there too!
  • Best food: Hmm… really tough call between Japan and Thailand. I’ll just call it a tie!
  • Best girls: I’m going to have to go ahead and say Japan
  • Best boys: Thailand… I mean, they DO dress up like girls and can easily fool an untrained eye, which are NOT mine!
  • Nicest people: Japan
  • Best cultural experience: Nepal
  • Biggest culture shock: China
  • Best natural scenery: Nepal! Hands DOWN! I mean, Annapurna FTW!
  • Best man-made attraction: Rinnoji, Ryuku, and Chuzengi in Nikko, Japan

Hmm… maybe people can recommend a couple more categories in the comments here that I can later add on. As for this blog and Flickr, here’s what you guys delivered:

  • Total individual views: 8,722
  • Busiest month: July, all of you people slacking at work! Reader count dropped dramatically once September came around.
  • Posts: 104
  • Comments: 297
  • Flickr photo views: 11,956
  • Number of photos: 3,100 (Help me pick the top 100!!! Check them out here on my blog and on Flickr, here. Post a comment on the ones you think are the best!)
  • Number of videos: 29

Not too shabby if you ask me! Definitely a lot more reads than I was expecting, so thanks to all of my loyal readers!

I’m still set on the idea of going to work in Japan, but I’ll need something really creative to get me in there. It goes without saying that Japan is a country that I would definitely live in, Nepal is a country that I’d go back to over and over again to do some trekking, rafting, mountaineering, and so much more, I’d work in China temporarily, annnd I’d go back to Thailand to see what I missed, like the North, and then go chill out once again on the islands. Speaking of the islands (and ultimately scuba diving), I shopped around for some scuba diving here in Boynton Beach, Florida. The cheapest price: US$130 for TWO dives! Geez! That’s half of what I paid for my entire course in Thailand, and that was something like 6 dives! I didn’t bother going, considering the fact that, well, I’m broke! Flat broke! Damn traveling took all of my money away… But you know what? I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat! So instead, I went for a run across Boynton Beach, went for a swim in massive waves and tides (there’s a hurricane hitting Louisiana) that residents say they haven’t seen in a very long time, and just unwound in the nice, warm, sunny weather. Tomorrow, it’s golf time, and more beach time. I wouldn’t have any other way before going home!

I don’t want to stop writing this blog, it’s been a great part of this whole experience… but I’ll be cliché and say that life must go on, but this is something I have a lot of trouble letting go… I’m forcing words right now just so that this blog can keep going, and I think it’s pretty obvious. I’ll probably be coming back over and over again just to make some small updates just to satisfy my craving. I keep saying that I’m ready to go back home, but this will always be in the back of my mind, but it won’t make me sad, it’ll make me happy. I was fortunate to have these experiences, and I was a little depressed when I immediately got back home, but now I’m smiling!

I wish I had something bigger to go out on, but I feel as if I’ve already said everything that I had to say. Hell, some people might say that I said more than what I should have said, but like I’ve said before, I started writing this blog expecting to write about absolutely everything that came out of this trip, and that’s exactly what I tried to do. So, rather than force my content for this blog post, I’m going to cut it short and say one final goodbye to everyone (however, if you do need the urge to read about the travels of some of my fellow companions, you can check out Tony and Lindsay’s blog here or Max’s blog here). I can’t say it enough, I’ll never forget any of you, and once again, thank you. It won’t be long before I’m back on the road, and I hope to have all of my readers following me then as well. Give me about, say, one year! It’s only going to get better! Look forward to it as much as I am!

Sayonara, Bai-Bai, Sawatdee Krup, Namaste, Aurevoir… Goodbye… Actually, “see you later” is more like it!

-LL

P.S. To be continued…

4 Comments

What’s the Deal With North America? Geez…

November 11, 2009 at 7:11 am (Post-Travel, United States)
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I’m surprisingly not as jet lagged as I thought I would be. I’m tired, but not tired enough to go to sleep. Last night, after coming into the States, I immediately wanted to do one of two things: Go home, or go back to Japan. Why? The service I got here was sickening! It’s funny, throughout Asia, there’s the language barrier, but the staff genuinely wants to help you (or at least they make it seem as if they do). However, the minute I stepped on to the United 747 to Chicago, I was subject to an uncaring and despicable service. How the Hell did we end up getting accustomed to this crap? Rude tones and unpleasant characters. The flight crew would run down the aisle with trays of water, shouting “Water! Water!” and would sigh in annoyance if anyone would stop them to get the refreshment they were meant to disperse! I wasn’t in the mood for it, especially at the end of my trip where I would be flying for the next 17 hours after being on trains for 3.5 hours. I managed to subdue my escalating frustration by sleeping most of the way to Chicago, but unfortunately for me, America is full of sad and miserable people.

The border officer… what a character he was! After a 12 hour flight (with another five waiting), jet lagged to Hell, I really wasn’t in the mood for what was about to happen. In short, the border officer was using his oh-so ultimate power to threaten me about not letting me in the country since I didn’t have my paper tickets for my flight home on me. Arrogant prick… He went on and on with his insulting questions: “What were you doing in Japan, China, Thailand, and Nepal”, “Why would you even go there?”, “Are you traveling with a laptop?”, “Why would you take a laptop on a backpacking trip”, “How much money do you have?”, “If I brought you to buy a ticket home, you’d have the money to do that?”, “Why would you go on a trip without booking a return ticket? Weren’t you planning on going back home?”, “You have no intention to leave the United States do you?” (this one made me laugh because he asked this AFTER I told him that my plane ticket home was already booked),”What do your parents do?”, “Why do they spend the winter in Florida?”, “How do they manage to spend the winter in Florida?”, “Where did you get the money to finance your trip while being a student?”………. this crap went on for 20-25 minutes! Clearly, this man had the IQ of, let’s say, a turkey.Yeah, that works, they’re pretty dumb. It’s not as if this guy was being courteous or polite either. No! He was a straight up asshole getting off on his little border officer power trip, taking his frustration out on innocent travelers, just so that he can justify the meaning of his miserable life and feel like he’s making a difference in the world (I’m not making a generalization of all border officers, just this one… he’s the only one that ever gave me trouble)! It didn’t take long before my answers became sarcastic, blunt, and as friendly as his questions were. But hey, at least the guy was kind enough to give me a bit of advice before allowing me to enter the sacred land known as the United States of America. “Don’t forget your paper tickets next time, because most other border officers wouldn’t even let you into the country without them!” Yeah, thanks for doing me this huge favour… jerk… I NEVER had a return ticket, and NONE of the other countries I traveled to EVER gave me ANY trouble when I was coming in.

Ugh… I guess I’m a little irritable right now… I didn’t think coming home would be this hard. Right now, in Florida with my parents, I’m being smothered! I’m looking back at my whole trip, and I really can’t believe that it’s been five months! I still remember leaving Ottawa Airport as if it was yesterday… I still remember the dreams I had about waking up back home and being miserable! It’s funny, when I woke up this morning, it felt as though THAT was a dream, and I was desperately trying to wake up from it… Ugh, maybe it’s just the jet lag. I miss the world… How long will it take before I get over this thing? Will I ever? I need to come back home… see my friends… get my old life back…

-LL

P.S. What’s the deal with all the fat people in the States?! I mean… my GOD!

UPDATE: So a lot of my readers only look at the photos I put up on Facebook, therefore, you have only seen a FRACTION of my photos. You know, they’re all on Flickr here, but for your convenience, I’ll be putting them all up on Facebook, one city per day. Enjoy!

7 Comments

Where It All Began, It Shall Also End…

November 9, 2009 at 11:05 am (China, Japan, Nepal, Personal, Thailand)
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Well, this is it. I’m back at Narita Airport, where my entire trip began, and where it shall also end. I don’t know what to think, say, or feel! I know that this will all be part of what I call post-travel depression, but I know that, with time, I’ll get back to my old exciting lifestyle that I had back home. I’m only 23, I have loads of time left to travel and visit friends that I’ve made on this trip.

Looking at it now, things look to be promising when I go back home. I’m making a lot of options for myself so that I don’t end up stuck in limbo, waiting for something to happen. I’m going to continue studying Japanese with OJLS, I’m going to take a photography course (not that I want to make a career out of it, but something to do as a hobby), I will broaden my technical skills by teaching myself about Adobe CS4, and maybe go back to school, either to study law or to become better with numbers. I still have an interview with Interac Network when I get back, and if all fails back home, I may very well take the teachig position available in Japan. Like I said, I need to make some options…

Even though my trip ends today, this won’t be my last blog post. There are elements to discuss regarding a homecoming after 5 months of traveling abroad, and I want to share those feelings with you. I’ll try to keep the material as interesting as it was when I was on the road.

With this blog post, however, I want to say my goodbyes to everyone that have made my trip so grand. I can’t thank any of you enough for all that you have done for me. Goodbye Zin and Jumi, your hostel remains one of the highlights on this trip; Goodbye Pilar (David, Knut, Diogo, and Justin), I’ll see you all at the next flight competition; Goodbye Ella, Baimei, Sabrina, and Nancy, Sims’ would not have been the same without your sparkling personalities! Goodbye Sim and Maki, your hostel is on the top of my list, and your service and hospitality remains unmatched! Goodbye Daniel, your drive and motivation will surely lead you to success. Always work hard and aim high! Goodbye to everyone I met at Club 88 and Babi Club, thanks for ALL the free drinks! Haha! Goodbye Martin, I’ll pop in next time I’m in Japan. Goodbye PADI crew (Loes, Linda, Margheritta, Hannes, and David), best PADI crew of life! Goodbye Anne and Ning, thanks for the wild nights on Samui! Goodbye A, I will see you again one day. Goodbye Bovi, may your sadness only last a day as it had in the past. =P Goodbye Nozomi, think of me when you’re sailig around Antarctica! Goodbye Samita, thanks for making life in Kathmandu a little easier for me. Goodbye Pierre and Geneviève, Montreal’s not too far away, expect a pop-in! Goodbye Rob, thanks for the mind-busting strikes to the brain!

Now, there has to be some special shoutouts here. Maz, my first real travel friend. Our meeting was pure coincidence, seeing as how when we met, you were supposed to be trekking in the Japanese Alps, but we ended up meeting in a small Takayama Temple instead. I consider myself fortunate though, you’ve seen so much of the world and I’m glad to have been part of some of your adventures. You stuck with me through the best and worst: missing my boat to Shanghai, my unbelievable sickness on Tiger Leapig Gorge and pretty much all of Yunnan, etc. There’s so much, and it’s all been great. Good luck with your future, I’ll see you on the Gold Coast.

Max, what can I say. It’s always good to meet some fellow Canadians when traveling, and a privilage to meet one such as yourself. What haven’t we been through? Pain, diving, expensive dinners, nice suits, wild nights, improper dress (I.e. Sandals), frustrations, drama (oh, the god damned drama), but all of it makes for some solid memories that we’ll have to go over one day over a beer in the ski lodges of Kicking Horse! Count on it buddy!

Tony and Lindsay, geez… I’m completely speechless! Some of the funniest times on my trip were spent with you two. Honestly, is there such a thing as an unfunny British person?I’m going to miss the witty, sarcastic, and intellectual puns, jokes, and comments. Tony, you made me fall for soccer, which I shall forever call football. Lindsay, you put up with Tony and I’s shenanigans, when most other women would surely lose all hope and faith in men. Brokeback? Oh yeah, we went there! Haha! I can go on and on, but I have to save some stuff for the wedding speech! 😉 Good luck with eveything you two, I’ll see you both in July!

Finally, Megumi and the Okabe family in Nagoya, Japan. You took me in your home without even knowing me! Your hospitality was second to none, Akiko-san’s food was divine, and Nagoya ended up not sucking as much as I had originally thought! Megumi, thanks for everything. You ended up being not so boring and weird after all (well… Maybe still weird! =P). Don’t forget to say goodbye to Anko for me. As much as I WON’T miss her, she still provided some entertainment. Oh, I wasn’t able to tell you this in person, but I wanted you to know… I’m fucking Matt Damon!

This trip would not have been the same without all of you. So, one last time, thanks to all of you. You have been immortalized in my memory (and on this blog).

Time to fly… Sayonara, Bai-Bai, Sawatdee Krup, Namaste!

-LL

P.S. It’s almost time for my flight………… BACK THROUGH TIME!!!

4 Comments

All Healed Up and Ready to Go!

September 2, 2009 at 11:47 am (Chengdu, China, Dali, Japan, Reflections, Songpan, Thailand, Tiger Leaping Gorge)
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I’m finally leaving for Thailand today! I have to say that I’m really excited! Finally, a new country! Everyone says that it’ll be a huge relief after China. Everyone speaks English, warm weather (hopefully not too rainy though), elephants, and beaches! Oh man, the beaches! Scuba diving, ocean swimming, rock climbing, girl watching (you know, to make sure that they’re not lady-boys). Total R&R for a whole month. I can’t wait to pick an island and just chill out for days and days in my own private beach hut for $5 a night! True vacationing!

After a horrible 8 days of disgusting sickness, I’m finally back to my old self. Coincidentally, I started getting better the day I got my new bandana (it’s not a Buff, it’s a Heff… a Vicotry Heff!). That’s the power of the bandana; and to all you haters out there (A-A!), I’m still wearing it on my wrist (when it’s not on my head, which is most of the time). I can’t express how happy I am that: 1) I’m feeling 100% better (but I’ll still be taking my meds until they’re gone to make sure that the bastard is really gone) and 2) I didn’t contract any other diseases while I was in that hospital (knock on wood).

It’s too bad that I didn’t get to see much of Dali, but I did make an effort to go out and snap some photos (the link can be found in the last post), but I couldn’t make it far before having to run back to the hotel to… you know… no way was I going to do what I had to do in dirty public restroom (and pay for it too). So I walked around, people were asking to take photos with me, which I haven’t done in a while, I stepped in a pile of mud, washed my feet under water taps on the side of the road, saw some big colourful spiders, and that’s it. I really wanted to walk on the gate, go see Erhai Lake, maybe climb a mountain or two, but no way did I have enough energy to do that kind of stuff. Guess I’ll have to come back one day.

That’s another thing, I had a blast in China, but for the amount of time that I spent here, I don’t feel like I’ve done a lot. Unlike Japan, which I powered through almost 15 cities in 3 weeks, I did a month and a half in China and only did 8 cities, and one of them was just a hub city, so 7 cities really. Sure, transit from place to place took MUCH longer and was much more tiring (but the views were always magnificent), and simply getting around in China is way more tiring than in Japan (thanks to the lack of English and ENORMOUS cities; remember when I had to walk back to the hostel after I went out in Chengdu?), so I guess the extra time per city was needed, but I still wanted to do more. There are still two provinces that I wanted to see and haven’t, but I figure if I end up working in China, I’ll have the chance to go see them a little later. And by that time, it’ll be the low season, and therefore, fewer tourists. China is big! I can spend a lot more time here, but quite frankly, I’m totally ready for Thailand and I feel no disappointment about leaving the country earlier than anticipated. Except… I didn’t see Tibet. There have been so many mixed reviews about Tibet (mostly cost-value), but I think it’s something I have to see myself for the unique culture, beautiful scenery (especially outside of Lhasa), and the spirituality. Chengdu’s not too far from Tibet, so maybe once (if) I return there and finish my contract, I’ll take the time to go see it. It’s expensive, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.

A lot of things rushed through my head while I was in China, particularly with regards to what I was going to do after I finish travelling. Teach English so that I can learn the local language (either in China or Japan); Law school or start working right away and save Law school for a little later; Help with the expansion of a hostel in Kyoto; So many things and they’ve all been throwing me off my travels. I really don’t know why I can’t separate myself from those kinds of thoughts and just enjoy travelling in itself, everyone tells me that’s what I should be doing, but I can’t help it. I’m a weird guy… From now on, I’ll save those thoughts until after I finish travelling (or at least I’ll try to). One thing though, if I don’t end up taking the job in Chengdu, I feel as though I’ll be letting a lot of people down. All the people that were working at Sim’s Cozy Garden Hostel are looking forward to my return and hear about my adventures, the students I’ve met at Meten were all great and are already sending me e-mails (shout out to Daniel!), and everyone is following this very blog and enjoying the photos. It’s a big decision, and I hope they’ll back me up with whatever I decide to do.

China is a really beautiful country, but you need a strong will before coming here. Constantly haggling with shopkeepers, taxi drivers (ESPECIALLY taxi drivers), and pretty much everyone other than the hostels; the disgusting spitting, deep down from the gut, by men and women of all ages; the dirty streets; public urination; etc. Most South-East Asia travellers that I’ve met all say that China is the hardest country to get through in the world, but as much as I was disgusted and frustrated by some of the events I’ve gone through, I got used to most of it (except for the spitting), and it ended up being really interesting to observe from a Western perspective. You can study how China is all you want, but you really need to experience it first hand to really appreciate (or hate) it. I think it really made me stronger in a sense of tolerance and patience (the haggling, the constant line-cutting (who am I kidding, there are no lines in China), cheating taxi drivers, the thousands upon thousands of noisy and disrespectful tourists, the honking, and most of all, the God awful slow and restricted Internet! etc.); made me much more resourceful (I had to be considering the amount of times that I got lost, and simply surviving in general in a foreign country that DOESN’T speak English); made me much more sensitive to foreign cultures (the Western way is not universal); and expanded my knowledge of the world just a little bit more. I developed all of these much more than after I visited Japan. It’s very naive to think that these two countries are alike, because they are not, and couldn’t be any further apart. Japan, for starters, is way more developed, has a much better infrastructure, and has WAY more English and Western influence. It’s much easier to live in, period! I’m always looking for a challenge, and that’s why China was so rewarding, not only for its beautiful sights and sounds, but because it allowed me to improve my character so much. Although there have been hardships, they were all made up for in the end. Strangers will go out of their way to help you out (I have told many stories with regards to this); many will accept you as his/her friend immediately despite not being able to communicate with you (remember the photo session on Huashan?); The bus rides through Sichuan have sucked, really SUCKED (Songpan anyone?), but the destinations were absolutely stunning and worth the pain. The rural cultures are so friendly and hold so much Tibetan influence that it makes you feel as though you’ve completely left China. Even the language is different (well, the dialect anyways)! I figured that to really get a full Chinese cultural experience, you have to do both the rural and urban settings. Both are unique and have very little Western influence (except for Beijing and Shanghai). Hell, there’s no way you can experience Chinese culture without going to a solid nightclub like Club 88 in Chengdu! “Happy Birthday to YOU”! Haha!

So, what were my favourite places in China? Hands down, Songpan is my number 1. The mixture of cool air, friendly people (I won’t forget Emma’s Kitchen), amazing mountain scenery, hiking, horse trekking, Tibetan villages, etc. put this place on the top of my list. The people we met there helped make the memories even better as well, and our drunk guides served as good entertainment. Delicious foods and delicious drinks. Off-the-beaten-path and quiet, it was a great destination after the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu, and all the other big cities. It might not be the best place for everyone, but it was for me, for this entire trip so far even. I’m sure Tiger Leaping Gorge would’ve been up there as well if my health would have allowed me to complete the whole thing properly, but sadly, it didn’t, and therefore I can’t say that I enjoyed it too much. Same goes for Dali (but it was a very good place to recover in). If you missed my posts about Songpan, you can see them here.

Will Thailand provide the same kind of rewards? Probably not… Like I said, Thailand will be much easier to get through, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t have its own rewards to offer. I mean, Thailand is one of my most anticipated countries to visit, and everyone who has been there have nothing but good things to say about it, and that gets me more and more excited by the minute. A new beginning on my Journey!

Bai-bai China! I will see you again, but not yet!

-LL

P.S. First night in Bangkok is going to be WILD!!!

6 Comments

Here’s the New Plan

August 21, 2009 at 12:36 pm (Chengdu, China, On My Mind, Personal)
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Alright, so I’ve been flip-flopping on my ideas for a bit now, but here’s what I’m going to do. After lots of advice from friends (thank you), I’ve decided to not sign any contract right now. I’m going to finish travelling first, and then decide on what I want to do. In the meantime, I will brush up on my Japanese and/or Chinese so that maybe I can land a better job when I decide to get to work. Getting a job in China will be very easy, especially in Chengdu, but Japan will be a bit harder. Either way, I want to work in one of the countries to get some experience in a foreign culture.

However, in order to do that, I’m going to work part-time in China if I do choose to sign the contract. I added some numbers and it just makes WAY more sense. Consider this: a full-timer makes 9000 RMB per month (including the 1000 RMB housing allowance) and has to work 40 hours a week for a total of 160 hours per month. Add in 20% taxes for amounts above 4800 and my net income would be 8160 RMB. 8160 RMB ÷ 160 hours = 51 RMB per hour. For China, that’s really good pay. BUT! A part-time contract is usually 60 hours per month and 100RMB per hour and you still get the housing allowance. So, at 60 hours per month + housing allowance – 20% taxes for amounts over 4800 RMB = 6560 RMB net income per month. 1600 RMB (about $250) less per month, but 100 hours less per month! That means I’ll have way more time to learn the language, get the culture, make more friends, and Hell, if I want to work more, I can form my own classes within Meten and get a monthly bonus. And considering that the average Chinese teacher salary is 800-1200 RMB per month, I’ll STILL be living like a king, and I’ll STILL be able to save money. The only downside is that my schedule will be really volatile, but I’m ok with that, I’ll just have to be flexible. Yup, I think that’s a MUCH better idea. This was a quick decision, but it didn’t go without serious thought and consideration.

Anyways, this will wait until after I visit Thailand, Nepal, and maybe India. Until then, I’m going to enjoy the rest of my travels, and hopefully not run out of money. Ooooo so exciting when I have my things figured out!

Tomorrow I leave for Kunming at 3:30pm on a 19 hour train ride. It’ll be a great time to brush up on some Japanese and some Chinese, watch a couple of movies, catch up on my podcasts, reflect, and read. I might stay in Kunming for a night or two depending on when Max and Marianne will be in Lijiang.

Bai-bai!

-LL

P.S. What the Hell am I supposed to do with my new suit and shoes now? Oh, by the way, my D&G belt is already broken… Could it be that it wasn’t a REAL D&G belt? OMG! I paid $5.00 for that belt!!! That’s an entire day’s worth of food.

2 Comments

Guaranteed Job in China, or Take My Chances in Japan…

August 20, 2009 at 4:32 pm (China, On My Mind, Personal)
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Two posts in one day, I’m really conflicted. Truth is, I could really spend a little more time overseas, but my dillema is deciding on where to spend that extra time. Well, actually I know where I want to go, it’s whether or not I can find work there… Japan…

It’s a tough call, I did pass an initial screening for a posting in Japan with Interac Network, but the job wouldn’t start until March 2010, and that one would be for one year. If I can enhance my Japanese a little bit more (I’m pretty basic right now, I would need to get to a conversational level), it would open more doors for me and maybe allow me to get a job other than teaching, which would really be ideal. I got the Rosetta Stone Japanese Language lessons, which I here is a pretty good piece of software to learn every day language.

Don’t get me wrong, I love China, more specifically Chengdu. The employment contract I have is solid, allowing me to live like a king, I’ve made some pretty good friends here including some that speak good English and that will be able to help me settle in, but deep down, I want Japan.

Japan is much more stable, has a much better infrastructure (Internet anyone), it is absolutely safe, people are unbelievably nice, and I’d probably head to Osaka since I made friends nearby that area. Japan would be easier to adjust to, but that’s not necessarily good. I want a challenge and China would pose the bigger one. Whether I can successfully adjust to it remains to be seen. A lot of people I’ve spoken to say that 6 months in China won’t allow me to learn much of the language because it’s so damn hard. Other than that, I can’t foresee too many complications about my adjustment here.

Ugh… I’m going back and forth right now. Take a guaranteed job in China? Or take my chances in Japan? Or screw the whole thing, finish travelling and come back home?  What do you guys think?

Bai-bai

-LL

9 Comments

Conscience Shift

July 25, 2009 at 10:00 pm (Personal, Transit)
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I’ve now crossed into a different time zone. China is about 13 hours away and I’m feeling a little more excited now, but I’m still missing Japan… I’ve had a lot of time to think on this boat ride, and a lot of time to sleep. I’ve been doing a lot of sleeping on this boat, I slept 12 hours last night (woke up at noon) and slept again from 3:00pm-5:00pm. It felt good and definitely made up for the lack of sleep of the past week. I’m ready to start anew!

I’ve met some people today, a Czech named Martin who studied in Xian, China for 1 year, and Jesse, an American teaching English with the JET Programme in Japan. Today, two little girls kept staring at me. Was it because I was white? Was there something on my face? I wouldn’t know since they didn’t speak English, but luckily, Jesse spoke Japanese and later at night, as I walked in from outside and spotted the girls giggling again, Jesse found out why they had been looking at me all day… they wanted to know why my hair was so short! The mother had said they had been wanting to touch my hair all day, so I offered as I laughed, but they shied away. Cute. I’m glad to know that my hair is getting me so much attention! Haha! Getting a bit of socializing in my day made time go by a little quicker, in fact, the boat ride actually did go much quicker than I thought it would. Although it wasn’t all bad without the socializing, I spent a lot of my time outside. The sea breeze and fresh air did me good. I spent hours outside today, just staring out at the open waters and occasional passing ships, all whilst listening to my music. Late at night, after dinner and a few drinks with Martin at the karaoke bar (karaoke will apparently drive me insane in China), I went back outside. It was raining, but I didn’t mind. There’s something about the nothingness at night that’s so appealing. I was alone on the upper deck, and it wasn’t long before the rain stopped and the clouds cleared, opening up the sky to thousands of stars, the likes that I have not seen in a long time. Japan had been so bright that sights like this were a rarity, so I felt privileged to be able to get a glimpse at such a spectacle. I’ve never seen the stars from the sea like this, where no lights can obscure the view. Thousands of stars glowing beyond the horizon, and I just stood there looking up and around. I saw home, my friends and family, but I’m not ready to come back, not yet. My story is still being written, and whatever it is I’m looking for, I haven’t found it yet. I don’t exactly know what “it” is, but I know that I’ll know once I hear, see, or feel it.

I’m yearning for knowledge of the world, and though I’m getting it in limited doses, I feel that there’s so much more to learn. My stays in each destination may be too short. Maybe I should settle down in one particular location and take in as much as I can before moving on, but time is such a large factor…  At first, I thought this trip might have been too long, but as I go along, I’m thinking that this trip is too short. Everyone was right, a trip like this doesn’t cure the travel bug, it just adds fuel to the fire. If only I had more time and money, then who knows where I’d end up. I’m not saying that I don’t miss my home and that I’m not coming back, far from it, but I could definitely use more time. Continue learning Japanese, work in a rural area and really take in the culture, study Aikido,… as I move nomadically from place to place, I find out that there’s so much more that I want to do.

I guess, in a sense, that’s how I’ve changed so far. Before I came on this trip, I was determined to go on this journey, come back home, and start making some money. I was really career-oriented, but now I have new aspirations. If I could find a hybrid between the two, then my life would be set. This trip was simply supposed to be a break from work back home, but it’s turning out to be much more than that. I’m not exactly sure what that means for me specifically, or where my journey will take me now, but I’m getting eager to find out.

Time for sleep… Tomorrow I’ll be in China!

-LL

P.S. I can’t understand y’all!

P.P.S. You can get the photos of the boat ride here.

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