"Watch the hair fool!"
Capsule Hotel and Steaks in Kobe
3/30/2009 2:47:33 PM - Day 379 - Kobe, Japan
I have stayed in some small hotel rooms, but my Japanese capsule was by far the smallest!
We eat a lot of beef steaks in the United States and occasionally at some restaurants they would have "Kobe" beef steaks. Normally they were pretty expensive because not only are they imported from here in Kobe, Japan, but they are also delicious. When planning my itinerary I saw that Kobe was on the way to Osaka so I figured I might as well spend the weekend there, try some of this world famous steaks out at its source and indulge in another unique part of Japanese culture, a "capsule" hotel.
The capsule hotel I stayed at was named "Kobe Kua House" (Capsule Hotel Kobe Kua House Video Tour in Kobe, Japan). For those of you that don't know, a capsule hotel is a place where they stack these little compartments that are marginally larger than a coffin for people to sleep in. This seems to be a unique thing in Japan because I have never heard or come across anything like this anywhere else in the world. After staying in the capsule, I have to say that I didn't think it was bad at all, but then again, I am not the least bit claustrophobic. I actually thought it was nice and cozy.
When booking my capsule I got the "deluxe" one which included a tiny ass hallway where you could store your bag that was next to your capsule. I remember when I booked it thinking "damn, this is more expensive than staying at a nice hostel or cheap hotel" being about $26 for a normal capsule (same price as a hostel) or $46 for a deluxe capsule which is what I got. After staying there, I found out why. Besides the great location of this particular hotel, capsule hotels come with a lot of free amenities for its guests. Amongst other things, the number one draw at this particular capsule hotel was the "Onsen" or Japanese natural hot springs bath house that was free to use for guests.
This was my first time at an Onsen and it is quite a culture shock for us Westerners. First off, the Onsen is separated for males and females. Why? As I soon found out, it is because everyone in there is walking around butt ass naked. Also, they make use of Japanese style showers, which is also something I have heard about in Japan but never seen. A Japanese style shower is where along a wall are a bunch of shower heads at about waist level because when you use them you're sitting down. You have a mirror right in front of you and you sit there in this line of shower heads washing up while a bunch of other people are taking showers sitting down right next to you. This particular shower had like 15 shower heads in a row. Being naked in a bath house in Japan was a bit of a shock at first, but that's how they roll in Japan and I eventually got used to it.
As I am sitting there rinsing off, completely naked I see in the mirror behind me an old Japanese lady walk by. "What the fuck?! An old lady did not just walk by, right?" However an old lady did just walk by, I wasn't imagining it. She was actually cleaning the place up. All the Japanese guys didn't pay any attention to her at all. I soon found out that it is quite normal for old Japanese ladies who work there to come into the Onsen from time to time to clean the place up and check the temperatures of the mineral baths. It was quite the shocker at first but eventually I got somewhat used to the fact (but not completely) that I had my junk hanging out in front of old Japanese ladies in an Onsen, but once again, that is normal stuff here in Japan. Besides the shockers, the Onsen was really nice and had lots of natural thermal baths that I was able to relax in.
I made it a point to get some Kobe Beef while in Kobe and ended up at a nice Teppan style restaurant in the central area. The meal was delicious, but damn expensive. I really enjoyed the steak, it was fantastic. I have to say though that I have had better steaks in the United States. I think we are spoiled in the US when it comes to beef since we have so much of it. The Kobe beef steak was awesome though and definitely one of the better steaks I have had which says a lot for a beef eater such as myself.
One thing I am noticing when I am walking around Japan is some of the crazy haircuts some of the people have, normally young male adults and teenagers. They look like they are taking hair tips from Anime (Japanese cartoons) that they have out here (they also have them in the United States). Haircuts that are way over the top and styled, something like some of the more girly looking androgynous 80's male rock stars. Some of these guys look like they just walked out of an Anime cartoon. It's think it is a pretty cool trend to see. I also hear that if you really want to piss off and insult one of these Japanese guys, you mess up his hair. I can only imagine how an argument would escalate. First yelling, then shoving and finally a hair mess up and after that all hell breaks loose.
My next stop is Osaka. Until then, watch the hair!
|
Eat your heart out Top Ramen!
Atomic Hiroshima
3/27/2009 12:57:46 AM - Day 376 - Hiroshima, Japan
Standing in front of the "A-Bomb Dome" which is located almost directly underneath where the first atomic bomb to be used in war was detonated.
Japan and its people continue to amaze me. The culture here is so rich in history and coming to Hiroshima (Hiroshima, Japan Review and Information), I was able to see things about the past, and more importantly, recent history that shaped the face of the modern world. Also, the Japanese people continue to impress me with their level of politeness. I have never experienced anything like it. I can't walk into or out of a store without someone bowing to me and I really feel like an asshole when someone gives me the full on "karate" bow while I am only bowing my head in return. I feel like I should stop in my tracks and re-do my bow but then I think I would only exasperate the situation. I seriously can't imagine how it must be for some of these people who spend their entire day completely bowing to tons of random strangers. That's the culture over here though and I'm not complaining. I only find it very interesting.
If I could guess one thing that Hiroshima is most known for, it would be its misfortune of being the location of the first Atomic Bomb explosion in human history to be used in warfare back in World War II. Checking out the museums and memorials dedicated to the event once again, like Nagasaki, really bring to light how intense of an event took place. The saying "War is Hell" finds new literal meaning for the victims of an Atomic Bomb blast with temperatures reaching as high as 7,000 degrees Celsius at the initial explosion. I can only imagine how shocked the world was when it read the news about the first Atomic Bomb explosion. The museum here in Hiroshima was mostly un-biased (except for the latter half that only showed pictures and remains of children), just like the one in Nagasaki which I found admirable.
Some other places I checked out while here was the Hiroshima Castle and Miyajima Island which is called by Japan to be the location of one of "Japan's three most scenic places". Both were easily reached from my hostel "Hana Hostel" (Hana Hostel in Hiroshima, Japan Review) which was a five minute walk to Hiroshima Station. Hiroshima Castle was really cool to check out and it had some nice exhibits. Feudal Japan was a crazy place and the order that came out after the warring period of the 16th century is impressive. Miyajima is a huge tourist site and is reached by a short 30 minute train ride from Hiroshima station. It is a small island with a concentration of shops and restaurants (that have some of the best oysters ever) as well as a couple of Buddhist shrines. There are also wild deer running around the island that will walk right up to you looking for some kind of treat. The part that is supposed to be super scenic is the Itsukushima Shrine's Torii Gate that is partly submerged in water during high tide. You see a picture of it on almost every Japanese tourist brochure. It was a pretty nice site but I would imagine there are places in Japan that would beat it out to be one of "Japan's three most scenic places ".
I'm really liking Japanese food. It's pretty healthy and filling. The only downside is the price. Most of my meals consist of rice and noodles. Lots of meat with Ramen or stuffed rice balls amongst other things. Right now I am loving it, but I am sure that after some time I would begin to get sick of it. For now though it's great! Most people back home only know about sushi, and although I love sushi myself, I am learning there is a lot more to Japanese food than that.
I've still only been in Japan for a relatively short time so I am still getting acquainted with the culture and the people. For the most part, it has been a really fun place and the people have been fantastic. My next stop is Kobe where I plan on having a nice steak dinner. I am also staying in a "Capsule Hotel" which is hotel where you get a small compartment all of your own in a hive like structure. I've only heard of them existing in Japan and I am excited to stay in one!
|
Welcome to Japan
"Land of the Rising Sun"
3/23/2009 8:23:11 AM - Day 372 - Nagasaki, Japan
Enjoying a Japanese past time, drinking beer.
I've always wanted to go to Japan. Something about the culture that produced samurais, Shogunates, sushi and anime really drew me in. The more I read about Japanese culture, the more I was intrigued. On one hand you have a strict culture that is polite to the upmost degree giving honor the highest regard, while on the other they come up with some of the weirdest sexual fetishes on the planet along with ritual suicides and mystic Yakuza agents. Trying to understand Japanese culture I found it to be more complex than I had ever imagined, making it that much more intriguing.
I flew into Tokyo after a 10 1/2 hour flight from Los Angeles. Due to the time change I ended up losing an entire day. I was tired as hell but eventually made my way to my hotel named "Omori Tokyu Inn" (Omori Tokyu Inn in Tokyo, Japan Review) where I was able to settle down. I was only in Tokyo for a night before I would catch a flight to Nagasaki (Nagasaki, Japan city review and information). I decided to take a walk around. I had some great sushi at a surprisingly good price. One thing they do different over here is that they put the wasabi (hot green stuff) directly on the rice of the sushi instead of mixing it in with soy sauce in a dish. I also went to an arcade where I saw amongst other things, a Japanese teenage girl playing a video game while another girl who I assume was her friend was vigorously rubbing her butt like it was a car wax job while the two of them laughed up a storm. This went on for at least a minute or so and I honestly have no idea what the hell was going on.
The next morning I almost missed my flight to Nagasaki since the subway ride took twice as long as I was told. Luckily I barely made it on thanks to the help of the overly polite airline staff. Once at Nagasaki I was able to quickly make it to my hostel named the "Nagasaki International Hostel Akari"(Nagasaki International Hostel Akari Review in Nagasaki, Japan). This hostel ended up being pretty damn awesome with tons of Japanese character and ultra friendly staff.
I chose Nagasaki because as many of you probably know, it was the site of the second Atomic Bomb explosion during World War II and I wanted to visit some of the monuments to that in the city. Also, it is supposed to be one of the most picturesque cities in Japan being cradled by a river on one side and hills on the other along with a great mixture of Japanese, Chinese, Dutch and Portuguese architecture since for a long time during the isolationist period of Japan, Nagasaki was the only port open to foreigners.
The Atomic Bomb sites were pretty amazing. I especially liked the museum which gave a pretty un-biased look at the pain that Atomic Bomb caused. It really makes you look at comments made by some ignorant people when recklessly referring to dealings with enemy states with statements like "nuke the son of a bitch" a lot differently. On a brighter note, it has been almost 70 years since the bomb was dropped and trees are once again growing, flowers are blooming and life is going on just like normal making me think the possibility of a world ending nuclear fallout to be a lot less likely even if there was some type of nuclear holocaust.
Arriving on the start of a weekend I also hit up a couple of the bars in the area. I've come to learn that the one thing many Japanese people do (especially business men) besides working is drinking. They love some good beer over here! They also have a liquor pronounced (I don't know the English spelling) "Shochu" which you can drink with water. It is one ingredient away from being Rum, gets you wasted and doesn't give you a hangover. Sign me up! Going out is fun and allows you to see another side of Japanese culture. One thing they have a lot of over here in Nagasaki are "hostess" bars which are places that guys pay money to simply hangout and talk with a girl. I don't think it is anything sexual, just simply paying to hang out with hot girls. I suppose a lot of guys in the United States indirectly do a similar thing as well even though they may not realize it. It's called "bottle service". Whenever you walk into a bar here you definitely stick out being a "Gaijin" or foreigner. Typically though people are super polite and sometimes some of the braver/drunker ones will come up to you to chit-chat, on one hand probably curious about you and the other trying to practice their English.
I would have to say that the highlight of going out was when one night I was with a Japanese girl and an American teaching English in Japan who were both staying at my hostel when we happened to run into a Geisha. When we saw her time seemed to slow down. Everyone on the streets sort of stopped doing whatever it was they were doing to stare at the Geisha as she gracefully glided past us in full make-up, white face and all and dress. She had a presence about her that was unreal and commanded the attention of the entire vicinity that she was in. Both the Japanese girl and English teacher said they had never seen a Geisha and that we were very lucky to see one. I later found out that Nagasaki was one of the cities in Japan that had a long history of Geishas.
I was able to get somewhat more acquainted with Japanese culture while being here and have to say they are some of the most polite people in the world. Everyone is always bowing and saying hi to you whenever you walk into and leave a store. Hell, go to a small convenience store like "7/11" and as you leave after buying a bag of chips the cashier says "Thank you very much" and gives you a full on karate style bow. The level of politeness here is really nice and contagious. I find myself bowing and saying thank you now all the time because the last thing I want to look like is an asshole Gaijin. One weird thing I saw while here was some guy who was walking down the street balling his eyes out. I am not sure why. Another strange thing I saw was when I went out to dinner with a group of people from my hostel and some Japanese girl ran around the corner of the restaurant, slipped and ate shit right in front of the kitchen. The curtain in front of the kitchen quickly opened to a bewildered Japanese waiter who looked at her in surprise at which point she started whimpering and he just as quickly shut the curtain. I was about to get up to help her when she jumped back up and ran to a bathroom.
Now I am getting ready to catch the Shinkansen or "bullet train" to Hiroshima to continue my jaunt northward up the coast of Japan where I will finally end in Sapporo. Thus far my time here has been really enjoyable and Nagasaki has been a great start to this leg of my journey.
On a side note, after reading some tips on travel blog writing, I am going to try and make sure I update this BLOG much more often in order to keep the entries not only more frequent, but shorter.
|
"Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow"
Recharging Back Home
3/16/2009 6:07:03 PM - Day 365 - Orange County, California, United States
The start of a long "Sunday Funday" at Sharkeez in Huntinton Beach, Orange County.
For the pictures from San Diego, scroll down to the next BLOG entry
Coming home has been bittersweet. On one hand, it was amazing to see my friends and family all of which I care about deeply. On the other hand, it is going to be hard to leave this lifestyle, the comfort of home and everyone I care about again. On top of that, coming home always brings back a lot of memories, some of which are easier to remember than others. Now that it is almost time to leave again, I can honestly say that coming back to Southern California was a great idea. That last two weeks I was able to recharge my batteries so to speak, see my friends and family, get a new set of clothes and indulge in all the American culture that I missed so much on the road before I continue my visits to foreign countries by leaving for Japan tomorrow.
I flew from Mexico City to the Mexican border town of Tijuana since my family lives on the American side of the border in San Diego, California. At the airport in Tijuana I was able to get a bus that takes you directly to the American/Mexican border where you disembark straight into the immigration line. At the airport I nearly had one of the biggest mishaps of my trip when I left my entire passport wallet (with credit cards) on the desk in front of the bus ticketing window. As I was waiting outside to catch the bus a lady walked up to me who worked for the bus company and gave me back my wallet saying that I had left it at her window and that she was able to find me by looking at my passport photo. Talk about being lucky! There was also a lot of money in that wallet, and when I got it back all my cards and money was still in there. Instances like this make you realize that there are still plenty of good people in the world, even in a very rough city like Tijuana, Mexico. Once I arrived at the border, the American customs official looked at my passport, asked me why I did so much traveling and then told me to enjoy myself in America. The whole process to enter America after I arrived at the immigration counter took less than 30 seconds (this has me win a bet with an airport security guy I met on a plane to Guyana that it would be this short).
At the border it was a short cab ride back to my Dad's house where I was greeted by my dad and family. I was a little nervous coming back since I hadn't been home in so long but once I was finally home I felt completely relaxed and at ease and we had some dinner and caught up on the past year. The next night I visited my Mom and family (my parents are divorced) and had a great Taco dinner and we also spent plenty of time catching up on the last year. This is how things went for the past two weeks with my family. I did a ton of visiting because I had been gone for so long and missed everyone very much. It was fantastic, I was able to see a huge portion of my family and boy did I eat a ton of great food!
I spent my first weekend in town partying with friends of mine from San Diego. We watched the UFC cage fights at some bars and partied around the Downtown "Gaslamp" district of San Diego. I had a great time with everyone, got pretty drunk and it was nice to enjoy nights like this with my friends again. The following weekend I headed up to Orange County where I stayed with my friends Tyler and Chelsea at their humongous condo in Huntington Beach and caught up with all my friends in Orange County. In fact, a lot of my friends from San Diego came up to OC as well Saturday night and we all got sauced at my friend's bar "Johnny's Saloon" in Huntington Beach. It's really nice to know that my friends care enough to come out and spend some time with me while I was in town. We all had a blast and it was great catching up.
Spending time here in Southern California after a year on the road once again brought to light how lucky people are to live there. The weather was perfect, the streets were clean, it was safe to walk around after dark, people respected the rules of the road, etc., etc., etc. I could go on forever. I used to take a lot of things for granted about the lifestyle in America, and after being in a ton of third world countries, I have gained an appreciation for the privileged lifestyle in the United States and other first world countries.
It was a bit strange however getting back into the groove of life here in Southern California, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I thought re-adjusting to the culture here would have been much more difficult, but it proved not to be. I think the fact that I was only here for two weeks had a big impact on my mindset since I knew wasn't going to be here for the long haul. I knew that I was to be leaving again after two weeks making Southern California only another stop (and one amazing one at that) on my big trip making the re-adjustment to the culture only temporary and therefore not that difficult.
I'm a bit sad to leave again but at the same time somewhat excited. My original travel plan when I formulated it years ago was to travel for a year around the world and I have done that. Now, anything I see is only "icing on the cake" and therefore extra. My trip could end in five weeks when I come back from Japan or it could last for another year. It really depends on finances and my work. It is all up in the air and only time will tell. In either case, I've done what I set out to do so whether things wrap up in five weeks or a year, I'll be happy.
My next stop is Nagasaki, Japan and I leave tomorrow afternoon. Wish me luck!
|
It's always hard to leave this place!
San Diego Pictures
3/16/2009 6:04:43 PM - Day 365 - San Diego, California, United States
Hanging out with good friends back home in San Diego. Tony, Joel, myself, jeremy and then Reece making a stupid face.
Pictures from my time in San Diego. To read about it, scroll up one BLOG entry.
A slice of American culture for you all! American country line dancing at the "Double Deuce" bar in San Diego, Calfornia. Doesn't get much more "Ameican" than this!
|
|
I leave for home today
Mexico City Surprises
3/2/2009 9:12:41 AM - Day 351 - Mexico City, Mexico
In Mexico City at Zocalo Square with the Metropolitan Church in the background where contruction began in 1563.
Mexico City has been a much more enjoyable and safe place than I had imagined. It's funny how impressions one gets from the media can be a bit misleading due to the media's sensationalism, and Mexico City was definitely one of those places I had imagined to be really dangerous but the area I was in was surprisingly safe. Of course this city has its fair share of problems with one of the major ones being kidnappings, but like I said, the area I was in "Zona Roma" which is near the popular "Zona Rosa" area was very safe. I remember how surprised I was when the staff at my hostel "Bed and Breakfast Mexico" (Bed & Breakfast Mexico Hostel) told me that I could walk anywhere I wanted at night within the area. Walking around at night has been a luxury I haven't enjoyed in quite some time for the most part in South and Central America except in a couple of spots. Of course, I had been to some pretty dangerous places before this so maybe my perception of danger is now biased, and I know that Mexico City can be very dangerous in places, but where I was at, it was my experience that I felt very safe and comfortable there which wasn't at all what I was expecting.
I got into Mexico City at night and the first impression when I was in the airport was "damn there are a ton of Europeans here". I don't know if I happened to arrive at the same time as a bunch of flights from Europe but the place was packed full of Euros. Also, I had to wait in a long ass line to get my entry stamp from the immigration official. Being from San Diego, California, which is right on the border of Mexico, I have been to Mexico hundreds of times (literally) and have never had to deal with any immigration so it was a bit strange for me to do so at this point. However it made sense since we were at a major airport and not a land border crossing. The cool thing is that I got a stamp for Mexico which I doubt very many, if any of my friends back home have.
Of course while at the exit area a crooked cabbie tried to rip me off. Luckily I had asked my hostel by email before I had arrived what the going rate to the hostel should be which was 152 pesos which comes out to about $10. This guy approached me in the departure area of the airport with an official card and nametag saying he was a taxi asking me where I was going and when I told him, he checked a laminated and official looking card price-list in his pocket showing me that the price was 600 pesos. "Are you fucking crazy man, I know that isn't the price". He then said that it was but he was willing to cut it in half for me (which was still way over what my hostel told me). At this point I know something was fishy when a police officer walked up, asked me what I was talking to the guy for and told the guy to scram (he had already scurried off at this point) and led me to the official taxi desks near the baggage claim exits that I should have went to begin with. Here I got the official 152 peso rate. I have to say that some cabbies never cease to amaze me by how blatantly they try to rip off tourists.
I got in late the first night so decided to take it easy. The next day I walked around the Zona Roma area of the city as well as surrounding areas of the city along "Insurgentes Avenue" which is the longest avenue is Latin America. I have to say that I was very impressed by how clean and well run the city was, nothing like other border towns of Mexico that I have gone to which tend to be very dirty and run down. No, Mexico City was a very nice city to be in (at least the area I was at) and it definitely instilled a bit of pride in me towards my tiny amount of Mexican heritage. Another thing that I noticed was that the people here in Mexico City that I saw looked much more European than the Mexicans that I would see at the border towns which look much more indigenous (Indian blood) in general. Tons of teenagers were also dressed punk-rock or like they were in Led Zeppelin or something with long hair and crazy tight jeans. Needless to say, my first impressions of Mexico City weren't at all expected and Mexico City is nothing like the Mexican border towns that I am used to.
One thing that is somewhat the same though is the food! That first day after I walked around the city a bit I set a direct course for a taco shop that my Hostel recommended named "Restaurante Sonora" where I got some of the best tacos I've ever had! Back home I eat Mexican food all the time and love it! It had been so long since I had a good plate of Mexican Food (especially tacos) that I gorged myself on them. It was oh so good yet oh so filling…After a couple plates full of tacos I lurched back to my hostel, laid down to let all the tacos settle and ended up falling asleep only to wake up later that night still feeling groggy from all the tacos I ate! I lost the entire day! It was totally worth it though. In fact, I got up and went to eat some more tacos. I was in taco withdrawal and needed a fix. Another great thing was the prices on the food. I was getting five "street" tacos (the kind that you can eat in one or two bites) for $1! The guy who worked at my hostel told me you could find places that sold them for 8 for a $1! This was stupendous! Back home you might get 1 for a $1 which is fucking insane. Needless to say, my time in Mexico City was full of tacos.
After my taco coma I woke up right in time for "Tequila Night". My hostel, Bed & Breakfast Mexico has a tequila night every Saturday night where they give out a ton of free tequila. Reading about it online I thought it might be some kind of cheesy gimmick where you might end up only getting a couple free shots, but no sir-ree! Between seven of us they had one giant three liter bottle of Tequila and one smaller one. The staff at the hostel also had plenty of limes and salt for us! One thing I learned was that in Mexico City (not most other parts of Mexico) they put the salt on their lime instead of on their hands. Also for all you "tough" guys out there who say you don't "need" salt and limes, well that is how they do it here in Mexico and they invented the drink so if that's how they do it, that's how I am going to do it. I asked why they use so much salt in their drinks and the hostel owner made a very good point. The salt helps you to retain the alcohol by better absorbing it into your body and it also makes you pee a lot less. This made perfect sense considering how salt does make you retain whatever you drink. Needless to say I drank a ton that night and barely had to use the bathroom and definitely got a buzz quite quickly. This salt is ingenious! Get drunk faster and no need to use the bathroom.
After Tequila Night a group of us headed to a local Salsa Bar to mingle with the locals. It was a lot of fun but everyone dancing there was some type of professional Salsa dancer meaning that none of us from the hostel could do anything but stand there and watch since we weren't anywhere close to the club patron's level of Salsa. We all still had fun though and it was cool to see the locals tearing it up on the dance floor.
The next day I woke up quite late in the afternoon with what was luckily only a very mild hangover, especially considering the excess amounts of tequila I had slammed the night before. I was also still feeling completely stuffed because in my drunken tequila haze, another Tequila Night victim from New Zealand named Adam and I found our way to a taco stand and devoured a ton of them in a tequila induced eating frenzy. Seems that I can't escape those tacos, or is it the other way around? It was my last full day in Mexico City and I still hadn't seen any of its amazing sites! I budgeted a short amount of time here because to be honest, being my last stop before heading back home for two weeks (then I head off to Japan) I was super anxious to get back home so I cut Mexico City a bit short. Knowing this was my last full day here since I leave the following day in the afternoon, I roused myself, met up with the Kiwi Adam and we headed off to "Zocalo Square" which is the main square of Mexico City.
Getting over there was super easy since they have a very well run subway system available to use. Zocalo Square was really nice to hangout in. It is surrounded by the "Metropolitan Cathedral" where construction began in 1563, the National Palace and "Templo Mayor" or the "Main Temple" of the Aztecs of their capital "Tenochtitlan" which is now present day Mexico City. All the sites were super cool to check out and gave me a chance to see Mexican culture and history all the way back to the time of the Aztecs. The area around Zocalo Square is bustling with all kinds of people. Locals walking around and enjoying the weather, local Indians selling trinkets or doing some type of blessing ceremonies for locals and tourists, and of course tourists like myself.
I really enjoyed the weather in Mexico City. Being so close to home, I was back in the dry desert climate that I am so used to. No more humid jungle weather for me! Between South East Asia and Central/South America, I had been in humid jungle weather for months! It felt so good to be back in dry desert weather again and really made me feel like I was one step closer to being home.
At the end of the day at Zocalo Square I was just that, one step closer to being home. My final night for this first lap around the world I had a nice bottle of wine to myself and thought about all the amazing experience that I have been lucky enough to have this past year. Looking back at all the pictures I took, I was simply amazed that I had done all of these things on my own. I'm not trying to sound arrogant when I say this, but I am very proud of myself right now. I had a goal, travel around the world in a year, and I did just that and then some. It wasn't trouble-free in the slightest and there were many times that I wanted to go back home, but I did it and now that this day has finally come I can look back on all the hardships I faced with appreciation and a smile on my face.
After passing out (no tacos this time) I woke up this morning excited and anxious at the prospect that after almost a year on the road, I was finally going to be heading back home where I could see my friends and family. It's hard to express what it is like being on the road for so long and being away from home, but it suffice it to say, it isn't easy. It would be a lot easier if I could have settled in one place for awhile and make it a "home" of sorts, but I was always on the move and that definitely takes its toll on you mentally making travel on the go not for everyone. Here I am though, hours away from being home, hours away from being back with my friends and family, hours away from being in a setting that I know, one that makes me comfortable. I had a fantastic time here in Mexico City and I have to admit I am very surprised at how nice it was here and how friendly the people were, but I am ready to head home, and spending my last few days here in Mexico City was a great way to cap off one lap around the world.
Don't worry though, this trip isn't over yet! I am only going to be home for two weeks before I set off again to Japan! My original plan was to travel around the world in a year and I have done just that. Now at this point anything I see after is all an added bonus to my journey which means I don't know how long exactly I'll be going. Only time will tell (and finances) and in the meantime I'll be BLOGGING just like usual!
|