Last Hurrah

This past month has been crazy. If you include my trips to Korea and Okinawa, I was travelling for over a month and a half straight (with a few days of work here and returning to Kitakyushu here and there). August in particular was hectic--fun, but definitely exhausting. I have several blog posts and pictures I want to post, but for now at least, I'm going to give an overview of where I went.

7/13 Kitakyushu, Japan -> Busan, South Korea

7/14 Busan -> Boryeong, South Korea (by bus to Boryeong Mud Festival)

7/15 Boryeong -> Busan

7/17 Busan -> Kitakyushu

7/23 Kitakyushu -> Naha, Okinawa

7/27 Naha -> Kitakyushu

7/30 Kitakyushu (Kokura) -> Hiroshima, Japan

7/31 Hiroshima -> Tokyo, Japan

8/3 Tokyo -> Nikko, Japan -> Tokyo

8/5 Tokyo (Haneda) -> Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

8/7 KL -> Chiang Mai, Thailand

8/10 Chiang Mai -> Luang Prabang, Laos

8/12 LP -> 8/13 Vientiane, Laos (by bus)

8/14 Vientiane -> Siem Reap, Cambodia

8/17 Siem Reap -> Bangkok, Thailand (by bus)

8/19 Bangkok -> Surat Thani -> Ko Samui (airplane + ferry)

8/20 Ko Samui -> Ko Pha Ngan (ferry)

8/24 Ko Pha Ngan -> Surat Thani -> Bangkok (ferry + airplane)

8/26 Bangkok -> Singapore

8/27 Singapore -> Batam, Indonesia -> Singapore (ferry)

8/28 Singapore -> Penang, Malaysia (by bus)

8/30 Penang -> KL (by bus)

8/31 KL -> Tokyo (Haneda)

9/1 Tokyo (Narita) -> San Francisco, California, USA

Quick stats: 

• 8 countries
• 6 during the Southeast Asian trip, 4 new (3 for Thailand, Cambodia, Laos + 1 for day trip to Indonesia from Singapore)
• At immigration 26 times, 22 times in Southeast Asia
• Of those 22 times, 15 were unique immigration borders
• 14 flights (one layover to Siem Reap via Pakse, Laos), 10 during Southeast Asia trip
• Longest time with a friend: 11 days (Chiang Mai -> Siem Reap)
• Shortest time with a friend: 24 hours (Bangkok airport -> Ko Samui)
• Largest group: 8 total in Busan/Boryeong
• Solo trip: 8 days (starting Bangkok 8/25)
• Total Luggage: 1 backpack, 7-8kg. (New tourist shirt bought every laundry day.)

He came all the way from Fukuoka to spend 24 hours in Thailand.

Ramadan in KL

Picture this. In Japan, everyone is waiting for the itadakimasu before eating. It's a rule: no eating or drinking before everyone has been served and everyone has been seated. This is particularly done at family dinners (parties are similar, except instead of saying itadakimasu, people cheers with kampai before drinking and then eating).

Now still within Asia, go to Kuala Lumpur. Although by population Indonesia has a larger Muslim population, Malaysia is much more strict in practice. Unlike a family dinner every night in Japan, this kind of waiting for food happens once a year for the month of Ramadan. And unlike Japan where one sits around the family table and partakes in an itadakimasu, it's the entire city--blocks and whole neighborhoods of people who have fasted all day and come together to eat a true "break fast." Rows of tables shared with your friends, family, or coworkers, everyone with their own food. It's like a festival. Down the block, there are stalls of various food vendors selling everything Malaysia has to offer, from curries to biryani to grilled meats to even fried chicken.

So it's actually against the law to break one's fast. I failed. Needless to say, it was a good thing I'm not Muslim

Keep imagining. People have been served already. Their drinks have been poured, already condensing in their glass. Food has been selected and divided onto individual plates. Sauces are already in strategic locations throughout the table. Some have already poured their seasoning of choice on their dinner. And people are still waiting.

Little by little, the tables fill. Vendors start running out of their most popular items. Sunlight slowly is being replaced by twilight. And yet, everyone is still waiting.

This has gone on for hours. Vendors have been set up since 3pm. It's still only 6:30. You can see the growing anxiety as the time approaches. Forks and spoons are being grabbed by some, others wield their chopsticks. Some children and elderly people have sneak a few bites. But as a city, they are waiting.

And then, what I would imagine to be the most amazing sound in the world, chanting arises from the nearby mosque. It's time. Laughter and chatter is soon replaced by dishes being moved, drinks being slurped, and utensils clashing plates.

Kuala Lumpur, August 6, 2012

7:30pm. Simply amazing.

SCUBA in Okinawa

I'm not really a SCUBA diver. Or at least, I'm a recreational diver at best. I can even still tell you all the times I've dived. Discovery dive in Cairns, Australia (2005). Open water certification at Catalina Island, California (2007). The two fun dives in Nha Trang, Vietnam (2010). A dive in Boracay, Philippines (2011). And this past week, two more in Okinawa.

Okinawa: Japan's answer to Hawaii

That's it, so I don't have much to compare it to. Even so, I feel there's a huge difference. I'm not talking about visibility, weather, or fish. They were nice, but in a good location, that can be anywhere.

The biggest difference is the little things that our dive master did. It retained its Japanese-ness. Driving us to the dive spot, just the two of us. Providing a sports drink before, between, and after our dives. Then driving us to a separate place to shower and clean up before lunch--even providing a towel and 100 yen coins for the shower.


And at some point in our trip, a simple diving trip became a full on tour, with lunch at a famous Okinawan Soba house, pictures at Cape 万座毛, and a quick visit to another of the Ryukyu castle ruins, Zakimi.

To top it off--while everywhere else I've been to offers underwater pictures for a fee, sometimes an outrageous amount, our guide not only provide free pictures and plenty of photo ops underwater, but he even dropped off a CD of our photos with our filled out dive books for free the next morning in our hostel lobby.

This is called The Blue Lagoon... you can guess why

So although definitely the most expensive diving spot of my life, I was well worth my time and money. So if you have a license and happen to find yourself with a free day to spend in Okinawa, why not go for a dive?

What a Mess

Would I go back to the Boryeong Mud Festival again?

Not a chance.

The group I went with was great--so many jokes, laughs, and good stories. However, these could have occured anywhere, not just in Boryeong, so I stand by my word.

What made it so particularly awful?

I know I'm jaded after living in Japan for almost 2 years, but seeing how non-Koreans acted at that festival was downright shocking. Granted, it's not everyone. But it only takes a few really bad a-holes to ruin a whole experience.

The good:

-The group I went with. We had a great time despite the people we were surrounded by. Including before and after at Busan, they made me truly realize how lucky I am to have met them.

I'm surprised my camera survived the mud...

The bad:

-Everyone is drunk. This in itself is not a bad thing. However, by drunk, I mean messy drunk--sloppy, random hookups, passed out on the street, and puking everywhere. The amount of drunkards would put even Vegas to shame. Best (worst) example: drunk guy stripped down to his quite revealing underwear... at the highway rest stop. He didn't even make it to the festival.

The ugly:

-We were robbed. Our door was unlocked, and someone snuck in and stole 2 iPhones and the cash out of one of our wallets. It could have been worse (we could have lost everything), but it sucks. We should have been more careful, but it can be blamed on our Japanese naivete.

Overall:

-Yes, it's fun. It can be a good time. But considering the amount of times I was embarrassed to be a westerner in this part of South Korea, I think I'll skip next time.

Last Hurrah

More for my own reference, I've decided to post my upcoming travels for July and August. If you or anyone you know will be around, let me know! (Anything in italics is tentatively planned but not booked yet. Bold means it's paid for already.)

South Korea

• July 13, Busan
• July 14-15, Boryeong Mud Festival (via Daegu)
• July 15-17 Busan

Japan

• July 23-27, Naha, Okinawa
• July 27-29, Kitakyushu (Goodbye parties)
• July 29-August 5, travel through Japan on the way to Tokyo

Southeast Asia

• August 5, Tokyo - Kuala Lumpur
• August 7, Kuala Lumpur - Chiang Mai
• August 10, Chiang Mai - Luang Prabang
• August 12, Luang Prabang - Vientiane (bus)
• August 14, Vientiane - Siem Reap
• August 17, Siem Reap - Bangkok
• August 18 Onwards, ???
• August 31, Kuala Lumpur - Tokyo
• September 1, Tokyo - San Francisco!

Recommendations? What should I see? Eat? Go?