For eight days in Japan we never stopped and ran on little to no sleep.  It was all totally worth it; Japan rocked our world. But what goes up must come down and that’s exactly what happened when we arrived in Seoul. We were exhausted. We took the whole first day and did a whole lot of nothing as we wanted to re-charge our batteries for our friends, Peter and Debbie, who were also in Seoul, visiting from Seattle.

We stayed at Hotel Ibis which is located in the trendy Myeong-dong shopping district.  The area is full of department stores, cafes, bars, restaurants, and more beauty shops in a condensed square footage than I have ever seen.

I thought Japan was the rage in skin care…nope.  South Korea is the winner.  In fact it is the overall winner in beauty obsession beating out the US in terms of plastic surgeries per thousand people. Somewhere between 1/3 and 1/5 of all women have had some sort of plastic surgery with blepharoplasty being the most popular.  Blepharoplasty is double eye surgery which is done to make the eye look more Western.  It wasn’t uncommon to see women walking around in the open with bandages and bruises.

The majority of all cosmetic lines carry whitening products.  This is common in most Asian countries.  The whiter the skin, the better.  White skin epitomizes the ideal of beauty and wealth.  Burnt, dark skin meant that you were a farmer working under the sun. The lighter your skin the more access you will have to opportunity, men, jobs, and better treatment in general.  While traveling throughout Asia there were a handful of times when an Asian woman would rub my arm and say, “very beautiful” about my skin.  When I would reply, “you’re skin is beautiful,” I would always get a response back that included an aggressive head-shake in avid disagreement.  That would lead me to arguing back by saying, “yes, beautiful” and then we would end up both laughing at each other over our disagreement.

I spent some time researching the best Korean products and discovered they even have their own beauty awards called Soko Glam.  I also learned they have a ten step skin care routine that is done in the morning and evening.  I wasn’t ready for that kind of skin commitment, but I did pick up a number of products with my favorite being facial sheet masks.  The country has just about anything you could imagine in a facial sheet: avocado, tomato, greet tea, collagen, snake mucus, snake venom, bee pollen, placenta, etc.  There are entire stores dedicated to just facial sheets.

There are also entire streets with beauty stores lined up one after another.

There were products I had never seen, but felt compelled to indulge in.

After a day of rest and cosmetic tomfoolery in the hotel we met up with Peter and Debbie.

My Peter and Peter White were room-mates in college together at University of Washington.  Debbie and Peter were married a year before Peter and I—in Maui as well.  Debbie and I had hit it off years ago when we attended another mutual friends wedding (Sam and Lisa) and Peter and Peter were groomsmen.  This left us to get acquainted over the open bar.  It went swimmingly—as open bars tend to do.

Peter and Debbie had their vacation booked around the time we were planing on also being in South Korea so we were all thrilled when we realized we could make it work and be there together.  Sharing experiences like this with friends adds a drizzle of specialness to trips abroad.

The other great thing (amongst many) about having Peter and Debbie is that that they had both formerly lived in Seoul teaching English. Debbie is fluent in Korean making them the ultimate friends to be tagging along with in South Korea. This was especially nice for my Peter who is usually expending his energy trying to communicate and navigate around the new places we travel.

We were all really happy and full of giddy energy when we ran into Peter and Debbie at our meeting spot at the top of a subway staircase in Seoul. The plan was to walk over to Insadong and catch-up.

Insadong is the art and antique district of Seoul that exudes charm combined with an inviting vibe. Its a throw-back area that has tried to preserve the architecture and stylistic forms of traditional South Korea.  As such, traditional tea houses dot the neighborhood so we stopped into one for snacks, tea and welcomed air-conditioning.

We came up with a game plan for the next few days that would include a lot of hanging out.

After some tea we did a walking tour and continued to catch up.  We hadn’t seen them since our wedding over a year ago.  We made pit stops along the way to try some of the best street food including savory dumplings

And a block of french fries.  My favorite.

That night we indulged in what I was excited most for—Korean BBQ!

We headed out to the neighborhood of Sinchon and grabbed a table at a recommended and frequented spot of Debbie and Peter.  Sinchon was the neighborhood that my Peter visited Peter White over 5 years back when he was teaching English in Seoul so the memories started to flood back as they typically in these sorts of situations.  Peter and Debbie took care of us by doing all the ordering and cooking.  Not only was it delicious, but it made for a fun and interactive dining experience.

The other thing that made it fun—Soju.

Soju is considered South Korea’s most popular alcoholic drink.  Taking shots of it is the etiquette way of drinking it, but it tastes pretty bad so it is also ordered with beer to wash it down.  Also you are not to pour soju for yourself.  It is customary for someone else to pour it for you.  This becomes a fun game—whenever either Peters glass was empty they would of course be quick to filling each other back up.  They were thrilled to see each other and the Soju made the night exciting. What I didn’t realize at the time is that soju doesn’t taste strong but has a sneaky tendency to creep up on you. It also causes the worst hangovers. Ever.

After dinner we walked around Sinchon which really becomes electric at night with people and activity.  Walking around was entertainment enough.  The area offers a variety of activities: batting cages, carnival themed booths, clubs, bars, elaborate photo booths.  We found ourselves entertained and partaking in most of it.

After more soju and Korean beer we found ourselves at what else…a karaoke bar in Hondgae— the energetic, youth driven neighborhood of Seoul.

What makes karaoke in South Korean extra fun is that you have an entire room to yourselves.  Which is genius if you think about it because most of us can’t sing. But if we are in the privacy of just our friends we will tend to be more fearless.  We were joined by Debbie and Peter’s friend Jake who lives in Seoul and brought a delightful and fun energy to our group.  I think this picture does a good job of demonstrating the direction the night was going.

The night of karaoke was absolutely uninhibited hilarity.  We all thought we could sing like Christina Aguilera.  None of us could.  Well with the exception of Debbie, who came out of nowhere with quite a nice voice.  Debbie, I’m still impressed by that.  We were in that room for hours.  Jake would periodically leave for a beer or ice-cream run.  Like I said a delightful energy added to the group.   As the evening became later and later we eventually called it a night somewhere after 3am.

Fun fact about Peter.

He on a rare occasion had been known to do a little sleep walking.  This can also be brought out if there has been a little drinking involved.  Soju had done a number on all of us that night.  The story goes that Peter got up in the middle of the night and walked right out the door into the hallway.  At some point he became aware of his situation and attempted to find his way back to our room.  He stood outside the door knocking on it, only to have it answered by a Chinese man who had his entire family of five sleeping in one bed behind him.  Peter turned on his heels in his underwear and by the grace of God found his way back to our room.  Soju 1.  Peter 0.

The next morning Peter and I vowed to not make the same mistake with soju ever again.  I read up on this liquor and found so many warnings about the terrible hangovers it will cause.  I didn’t find anything however on inducing sleep walking.

The next day Peter and Debbie were again our tour guides and took us around to delicious restaurants and fun neighborhoods.  They introduced me to some of South Korea’s cuisine including Kimchi which is pickled cabbage – something that I truly enjoyed.

A highlight that night was when we headed over to Sinchon and the guys faced off in a series of ping-pong games and Debbie and I shopped for beauty products.  Debbie was such an asset while shopping since she can speak Korean.  Some bars or businesses offer ping-pong table for a small hourly fee.  Just another way one can be entertained in Seoul.  Of course the guys placed a bet on the winner with the victor being my Peter.  Peter White is still asking for rematch.

Our last day in Seoul we decided to go a different route and visit Seoul’s theme park— Everland.  The trip out there was a bit of an adventure as we opted to take the bus.

Stepping onto the grounds instilled a similar feel as visiting Disneyland does, with even a bit more of an added goffy-ness factor (pun intended).  South Koreans seem to adopt a light-hearted approach to recreational life that spilled over and effected us as tourists.  You can see below, Peter especially.

We spent the day getting our fill of rides.

Including some pretty serious roller coasters.  Even one with recommended precautions that we took seriously.

Others things we enjoyed along the way.

I particularly liked the basketball game we played, where like Debbie with her singing surprised us, I got to show off my maintained shooting skills.

Unique to this theme park when compared to Disneyland were things like camel rides.

A safari ride that included lions, tigers, and a bear dunking a basketball??

And entertaining line staff (watch below)

Before we left Peter White paid up on his lost ping pong battle and posted the below picture on Facebook.

We headed back to the city where the group had one last meal together before we all said our good-byes.  Obviously we selected Korean BBQ as our close out dinner.  Our friends again took care of us by carefully picking out the best items which we all throughly enjoyed.  We also had to close out with a little soju toast, but this time we were much more careful with the amount consumed.

Seoul was an absolute blast and wouldn’t have been nearly as fun without Peter, Debbie, and our new friend, Jake.  Thanks so much for including us on your vacation.  We are so grateful for friends like you.

Up next a long flight to Abu Dhabi via Etihad First Class.

As always much gratitude and love for following along.  See you in the Middle East.

We stopped for one last Kyoto meal.

At what point do I admit that this had become an addiction?

Osaka is the 3rd largest city in Japan.  The city offers an electric, good vibes energy.  It’s known for having friendly, funny, and welcoming locals. The trend in fashion is forward, hip, and experimental.  The culture is urban with a focus on food as it is known as the nation’s kitchen.  It’s a city that one is encouraged to eat your way through.  As if we hadn’t already been doing that.  It has a well established, vibrant night life with live music, arcades, clubs, bars, and some of the brightest and biggest neon signages in the country.

As we were walking from the train station to our hotel, we stumbled across this.

That is a beer vending machine.  Just sitting there…outside…on the side of the street.  I had heard about these vending machines and had been on the look out, but hadn’t found one in Tokyo or Kyoto.  I had given up hope that they really existed until Osaka delivered.  The concept alone tickled my funny bone and I really wanted to purchase one for the novelty of it.  More on that later.

We got checked in at Osaka Station Hotel where we had 3 beds in our room.  I don’t exactly know why, but I also found this funny which I think is a theme in Osaka.  There is a lightheartedness to the energy in Osaka.  I mean they have beer in vending machines.

Also located about 5 feet from our hotel door was this.

Yep, that’s a mini beer vending machine located steps from our door at the end of the hotel’s hallway.  This concept is much different from a minibar.  Way more fun!

Peter and I set out for some city exploration and to find some good food.

Peter was thrilled to find out that Osaka also had an Ichiran—our favorite cheap ramen spot in Tokyo.  Playing into our addiction, we decided to make this our first stop.

As we walked over, in the daylight, I could already get a sense of the positive energy, quirkiness, and absorbing architecture.

The ramen was the exact setup with partitioned off individual seats and really, really excellent noodles.

I had read about a special and famous Osaka cuisine called takoyaki or octopus balls.  And no it’s not octopus testicles, but rather fried and breaded octopus shaped in balls.  It is the rage and I considered a must try.  Peter had way overindulged on ramen with ordering a second helping of noodles for his broth— so he was out.

I waited in the long line in anticipation while wondering if this dish would be worth the hype.

I don’t know if Japan had already won me over with the sushi and ramen, but the verdict for me was that it was just alright.

Osaka really comes alive at night.  As the sunset, the neon lights began to radiate off the streets and the jovialness of the locals really started to shine.  Osaka becomes overly photogenic in the night sky.  Peter and I skipped around Dotonbori taking in the vibe and snapping photos.

The Glico running man sign is a landmark in Osaka and a popular tourist photo to capture.  Glico is a Japanese confectionary headquartered in Osaka.  The sign is modeled after a Filipino sprinter named Fortunato Catalon who after winning a big race had a beaming smile that made him well liked.

While walking around Peter and I found ourselves on the big screen in the center of it all as a TV show beamed down on the crowd.

Clearly looking like we don’t belong.

Adjacent to Dotonbori is Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade, an area full of stores which offer a myriad of just about any type of fashion out there.  I was thrilled.  Peter went on a hunt for Japanese soft-serve.

Shoppers go bananas in these stores.  I was walking around a drugstore that has an emphasis on beauty products.  I was picking up just a couple of things, but couldn’t help but notice most women were shopping like this.

I was sure to show Peter this picture so that he could see my shopping habits aren’t out of bounds.

After this we walked around the Umeda neighborhood in the Kitashinchi district.  Kitashinchi is ultra chic with tons of cozy restaurants and bars spliced together with….hostess clubs?

Peter and I dipped into one of the dim-lit, cozy bars and ordered a couple drinks.  As we sat there and chatted we both realized we wanted to do the same thing—go back to the hotel and buy vending machine beers.

We stopped at the vending machine outside the hotel and made our purchases.  Once again Japan delivers—the beers were ice-cold.  An absolute perfect temperature.  How do they do everything so efficiently and perfectly?

We retreated back to our room where we clinked our cold beers and marveled at what an exceptional trip we had in Japan.  After those beers were gone there were a couple more trips to the vending machine right outside our room.  How can you not take advantage of that? Peter would time me each trip to see how quickly I could do it.  It was always under a minute.  So our last night in Japan was spent getting drunk off super cold vending machine beers.  It was nothing short of a perfect close out.

The next morning we were heading to South Korea to meet up with our friends Peter and Debbie.

At the airport the next morning, I had one last sushi breakfast before saying my final good-bye to Japan.  Even airport sushi is on point.

There is so much to say about Japan, but to sum it up—I absolutely love this country.  I have never had so many unique experiences and even emotions brought out in one country alone.  Just as people had told me, it will feel so foreign, it certainly did, in all the right ways.

Peace out Japan.  See you again.  I hope.

Kyoto is the yin to Tokyo’s yang (similar to Peter being the yin to my yang).  It isn’t the bustling, sprawling , skyscraper metropolis that Tokyo is.  There is a zen, and calming energy that permeates throughout the city.  Instead of skyscrapers— it’s temples, shrines, and gardens.  There is an ease and lightness to Kyoto that I could feel instantaneously.

We arrived in Kyoto and checked into the Ritz Carlton.  We had decided to do one hotel “splurge” while we were in Japan and this was it.

Upon check-out Peter began to speak with the concierge about the peaceful energy and vibe that Kyoto emits.  It’s also so incredibly quiet which makes it very relaxing.  The concierge explained that the Japanese believe that since we as humans are mostly water, we should treat ourselves as such. Have you ever put a glass of water next to a load speaker? The vibration and sounds rattles the water nervously. The same happens to humans, 78% water, in big loud places— we’re rattled. Whether it’s in the street, restaurant, subway or airport, the courtesy of quiet is something we really loved and appreciated about Kyoto.

As we were getting settled in our room the hotel staffer relayed to us that our room overlooked a cemetery.  I’m an intrigued by the thought of ghosts so out of curiosity I asked her, “How many ghosts sightings?”  She relayed that none that she was aware of, but the Chinese are very superstitious and usually ask for a different room or go to a different hotel all together.  I slept with one eye open.

Our first night in Kyoto we were cross-eyed tired.  Our time in Tokyo was non-stop without much shut eye.  We took the night to relax, order room service, and catch up on our sleep.  I ain’t afraid of no ghost.

The next couple days were mapped out for temple hopping.  I had done all kinds of research on which ones to visit and what order so off we went.

We started our morning with a taxi ride to the Silver Pavilion.

The Silver Pavilion was built in 1492 as a retirement villa for Ashikaga Yoshimasa.  In 1490 is was converted to a zen temple following Yoshimasa’s death.  Contrary to the name it was never covered in silver.  The explanations for the name is that because it was modeled after the Golden Temple it needed a contrasting name and because at night when the moon reflects off the temple it gives off a silvery appearance.  The features include a sand garden, reflective pond, mossy hill side, and manicured trees.  All this make for a serene, peaceful, and certainly zen aura.  The oxygen there felt better and healthier to breath.  Peter and I took long, deep breaths—taking advantage of the spiritual air that filled our lungs.

Our next temple was reached by the inquisitively named “Philosopher’s Path.”  This is a stone path along a canal that is surrounded by cherry blossoms.  Unfortunately the cherry blossoms weren’t in bloom while we were there.  It is named Philosopher’s path because one the the greatest Japanese philosophers, Nishida Kitaro, use to meditate while walking this path on his daily commute to Kyoto University.  Peter and I attempted our best thinker/philosophical poses.  In my opinion Peter nailed it.

The path led us to Eikando or formally known as Zenrinji Temple, which turned out to be one of our favorites.  It’s not as popular or well known as some of the others which made for very few other tourists. With that came quietness which amplified the already dominating feeling of relaxation and peace.  Apparently during the leave changing months (October-Decmeber) this temple offers some of the best and colorful views making is really packed.  Outside of those months the temple offers a quiet oasis highlighted by the Hojo Pond. It was just about this time that Peter said he wanted our future home to have some Japanese design influences.

  From there we taxied over to the most popular temple in Kyoto—Kiyomizu-dera Temple. 

But, before exploring the temple we stopped for a green tea ice cream break and people watching.

Those people are obviously not real life geishas.  There are companies that will outfit people in geisha costumes and you can walk around Kyoto for a day dressed up as one.  Men can dress up as Samurais.  Obviously I was all for this idea.  Just for the pictures alone.  But the yin (Peter) to my yang admittedly shut it down. “Only guys who are in trouble with their girlfriends would so something like this,” he said.

This could have been Peter.

At the base of the temple I noticed a group of Japanese youth having a grand ole time taking pictures together so I imposed myself by asking if I could jump in a picture.  They graciously accepted with head nods and enthusiastic smiles.

See what I mean? How fun does that look?  Peter also took a picture on their camera.  When they looked at the result there was an eruption of laugher and cheer.  Those kids put a real solid pep in my step that day.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple which literally means “pure water temple” was not our favorite.  Being the most famous and popular comes with an obvious crowdedness that was almost unbearable.  It was built in 780 where the Otawa waterfall is located.  In 1994 it became an UNESCO world heritage site.

The Otowa waterfall offers 3 streams to drink from offering longevity, success in school, and a good love life.  It is frowned upon to drink from all three because this is perceived as being greedy.  Peter and I didn’t drink from any which means we are generous…I think.  Actually I don’t know.  I couldn’t find anything on that. We just didn’t want to wait in the massive line that wrapped around as far as the eye could see.

There is also a shrine dedicated to the deity of love and matchmaking —Jishu Shrine.  There is an area where two stones are located about 20 feet from each other.  If you can walk the distance with your eyes closed this will bring luck in finding love.  Lucky for us, we are all set in that area.

Afterwords we refueled with coffee at % Arabica which turned out to serve excellent coffee in a chilled out, hipster vibe atmosphere.

Our last shrine/temple for the day brought us to Fushimi Inari Shrine.  I loved this one!  This is an iconic location for its thousands of vermilion tori gates.  The gates straddle a number of trails that go through a forest and end at the sacred Mount Inari.  The shrine is dedicated to Inari, the God of rice.  Inari’s messengers are foxes which can be seen throughout the shrine.

The entrance to the trails are marked by thousands of tori gates that have all been donated.  On the backside is an inscription denoting who the donor is.  The cost is anywhere from 400,000 yen to a million.

How beautiful is this shrine? The further back the larger the dori gates become.

To make it all the way to the the summit of Mount Inari it takes anywhere from 2-3 hours.  We had already had a pretty packed day so decided to pass on the long trek.

We headed back to town and got dropped of in the Gion neighborhood which is the Geisha district.  My goal was to find a teahouse for a traditional tea ceremony. I had a place picked out that I had researched, but upon entering we were shooed away.  We decided to walk around and take in the vibe and sightsee.  I didn’t hold out any hope for seeing a Geisha in real life.  As we walked around Hanami-koji street, which is the most popular area we observed a number of people gathered together all holding large and impressive cameras.  It was like paparazzi style.  All of them waiting to catch a glimpse of the elusive geisha.

As we walked away from the scene we found ourselves alone on the street,  I said to Peter, “Oh the elusive geisha.”  Just as the words were uttered out of my mouth…there she was.  She magically appeared in a doorway and then proceeded to glide right in front of us in exactly the manner I would have imagined.  Geisha’s are walking pieces of art with their appearance, dress, demeanor, and movement.  It was though she was almost floating.  As I witnessed her perfection, a series of chills surged through my body.  This was the second time that Japan had inspired this type of reaction in me.  We had a brief moment of concern that if we walked too fast we would almost bump into her.  We slowed our pace and were able to watch her movements of sophistication combined with sheer elegance and beauty as she made her way into a car which then drove off.  The one minute it took for all of that to unfold left me thunderstruck.

Shortly after this occurred we walked past Gion corner which is where tourists can pay to watch a performance that includes a maiko dance.  It was another perfect timing moment as two geishas were walking into the building.  You can see in the picture below how they are treated like celebrities.  Look how excited the guy in the picture is after capturing a photo.  This moment was of course great, but it didn’t hold the weight and magnitude of when it was just Peter and I almost running into our geisha friend.

The only way to close out a day like that is with a bowl full of ramen or maybe just head for bed.  How do you top that?

We opted to try the burnt ramen at Gogyo.  Burnt ramen is made by scorching the miso or soy base in 300 degree lard.  Sounds un-appetizing right? Well contrary to how it sounds, it is delicious if a little rich and filling.

This is how they served sake which I kind of loved.

End of day 1.  We kept the same pace in Kyoto that we did in Tokyo.

Our next morning started with a trip to Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.  I was really excited for this because of all the pictures I had scene on Instagram.

We did realize fairly quickly that if you want that kind of shot you have to come early or be really good at photoshop.  This is the best we got.

Being there really is a treat with it’s stunning beauty and zen-energy that is exuded from those gift from nature — trees.

Located adjacent to the forest is Tenryuj Temple.  The temple is another Unesco Heritage Site and is highlighted by it’s Japanese koi pond.  It was designed by the lead monk of the temple who used the mountain scenery combined with elements of a Chinese legend of a koa that swam up a waterfall to become a dragon.  It has inspired gardens throughout Japan.  It was here that I said to Peter, “the Japanese really have it figured out when it comes to using the elements of natural beauty.”  This place is stunning.

After getting our fill of zen we strolled over to kochi-Sanso Villa for a tea break in the garden.  It was once the estate of the film actor Okochi Denjiro.

The break was nice, but what really got us going was the beautiful gardens that surround the property.  Thick, lush greenery that blanketed everything as far as the eyes could see.  Combine that with an all encompassing serene energy, this was a place I could have spent hours at.  Peter and I marveled that someone had lived here.  How would you ever feel stressed in a place like that?

During our walk we stumbled across a couple lookouts, one where we caught views of the the mountain side, valley and a little shrine across the way.

The other with charming city views.

Again this would be an ultra zen place to live.

We left the estate and were ready for some lunch, but were faced with the same problem in Tokyo—we couldn’t find a place to get money.  This left us with a pretty big problem because there was no ATM’s around the area we were in and we didn’t have enough cash to have a cab aimlessly drive us around while we tried to find one.  We considered hitching a ride from this guy.

Eventually after a good amount of hassle and another mini-mart lunch we finally found our way to money and our next stop – Kinkakuji or the Golden Pavilion.

This temple is breathtaking with it’s top two tiers dazzled in gold leaf.  The temple overlooks a large pond and is tucked in by vibrant green leafy trees.  The entire look is quite idyllic.  The architecture was modeled after Kitayama culture which was aristocratic and extravagant.  It had been destroyed many times with the last time in 1950 when a fanatic monk set fire to it.  It was rebuilt in 1955 and is the version that is seen today.

Our last stop of the day would bring us to Ryoanji Temple which holds Japan’s most famous rock garden.  The temple was originally an aristocrat’s villa that was converted to a zen temple in 1450.  The meaning behind the rock garden is unclear.  It is comprised of 15 rocks laid out in 5 small clusters on top of moss patches.  It is encouraged to go here and contemplate the meaning of the rock formation and therein life.

On the property is also a nice walking trail and lily pond where we spotted a couple of pure white ducks.  I’m not quite sure I even knew those existed.  The ducks are in so much zen that their feathers turn white.

For our last night in Kyoto we decided to indulge in another sushi dinner.  We took the recommendation of the hotel and booked a reservation at Ikkan.  We even decided to get a little gussied up for date night.

Ikkan was a wonderful choice.  It’s a small family run restaurant with a father/son team of sushi chefs.  We opted again for Omakase and left it in the hands of the chefs.  We had a similar experience as we did in Tokyo where we were given one at time mouth watering pieces of perfection from the sea.  It was pretty incredible how happy really good sushi made me.  We actually did discover that there is something with eating that much quality fish that can give you a feeling of being buzzed.  It’s referred to as sushi high.  There is a phrase in the urban dictionary, sushi drunk, which by definition is the happiest form of being drunk.  There is no doubt I felt it.  I was giddy afterwords and maybe explained why I got teary-eyed in Tokyo—I was sushi drunk.

With bellies full of sushi we headed back to the hotel where we decided to grab a nightcap.  We celebrated such a successful adventure with some fun drinks.  Peter went with single malt Japanese whiskey (when in Rome) and I ordered up a dirty vodka martini.  We toasted and felt gratitude in our hearts for a trip of a lifetime.

Our time in Japan was winding down.  In the morning we were heading to Osaka for the night and then off to South Korea.

Kyoto is one of those places that you can see a million pictures of and you can gather how beautiful it is, but there is an energy that compliments that beauty that I haven’t experienced anywhere else in the world.  The positive energy and zen waves that pump through the air in Kyoto is magical.  The use of natures magnificence coupled with tranquility will bring the most anxious to a peaceful state.  And if you’re lucky… a Geisha will level you with her charm and grace.

Thanks to our lovely family and friends that continue to stay with us on this journey.

XOXO

We did our usual spaghetti bolognese family dinners in the lobby of the Peninsula Hotel in Manila with Tod in our hearts and on our minds.

A few days later we said our good-byes for now to Andrew.  He was heading back to the US.   Peter and I were heading to our first place on our Japanese tour…Tokyo.  I was admittedly a little sad because we all had had such a fun time traveling and living in Bangkok together.  But I knew our crew would have more adventures in the future.

I was thrilled that Japan was our next stop.  I had heard so many wonderful things about the country.  I was particularly intrigued because a handful of people had told me how truly foreign it would feel.  I loved that.  The more challenging to the “comfort zone” the better.

Check out our flight there.

That definitely looks pretty different from a flight from LAX to just about anywhere in the US.

The moment we landed I couldn’t stop taking pictures.  I was like Peter “look at this vending machine.”

“Peter look at that taxi cab.  How cute is that?”

That look means ‘put the camera away, I’m trying to get us organized’.  I got that look a lot in Japan.  Why? Because there are so many things to take pictures of, but it’s really challenging finding your way around.  I was constantly taking photos while Peter was constantly trying to get us from point A to B.

Ultimately, Peter was able to maneuver us to our hotel that first night via Airport Express Train, thru Shinjuku Station and then into a taxi-queue to our hotel.  We were staying at the Citadines Shinjuku.  We checked in and immediately, fueled by the excitement of being in Tokyo, headed out to explore the neighborhood of Shinjuku.

Shinjuku provides some of the most electric energy in all of Tokyo.  Specifically the area of Kabukicho, the red light district, which is full of restaurants, bars, bright neon billboards, and… Love Hotels??

We strolled the streets while taking in the intoxicating energy surrounding us.

Our first night we were set on grabbing some ramen for dinner which proved to be super challenging.  We didn’t realize it at the time but withdrawing money from ATM’s as a foreigner is not so easy.  Especially late at night. Only ATM’s at 7-Eleven’s and Post Offices allow foreigners to take out money with foreign cards.  On top of this, none of the simple street-side restaurants accepted cards.  So we walked around aimlessly for a long time attempting to get money while simultaneously being turned away by every restaurant due to our lack of Japanese Yen.  Needless to say, this was pretty frustrating but at times comes the territory when traveling to new places.   We were hungry, irritated, and tired.

In the end we settled on Family Mart because they accepted our credit card.  Peter grabbed himself a cup of chili tomato instant noodle soup.  I picked out an assortment of sushi.  Japan even does good sushi in a minimart. We each grabbed a large Asahi beer and sat on the curb outside the store where we suddenly felt relaxed and laughed about our failed attempt to find money and food.  If you aren’t adaptable while traveling, you probably aren’t going to have a good time.

Just like that our attitude turned around.

The next day we started early to begin exploring some of the different neighborhoods in Tokyo.  We walked back to Shinjuku station which is the busiest in the world. The station is manic in a calm, quiet and organized way.  Four million people a day sift through carousels and trains in harmonious fashion.  Just being there is an experience in and of itself.  Peter assumed the subway maps were some sort of joke.

As always I was super impressed with Peter’s ability to tackle such a challenging task and decode what I considered indecipherable maps.  I’d be lost without him.  Literally and figuratively. Not only are there hundreds of stations in Tokyo, there are multiple train companies and tickets are not transferable. So you need to find where you are going (which is like finding a needle in a haystack on the map) and then figure out which company supplies the route and then determine the fare price. Finally, with ticket in hand, you must swiftly walk through the station to avoid getting trampled by the endless stream of movement of passengers walking, find the right train/color and hope you are going the right direction.  Needless to say, it’s a challenge finding ones way in Tokyo.

We started off in Yoyogi Park.  Since Tokyo is so crowded and housing is small, parks are known for hosting a myriad of activities and so of course – great for people watching.  Groups of people come to practice their hip hop routines, music talents, acting, fantasy fights, amongst other things.  Additionally the park has a quiet and peaceful side and is beautiful.

Next up we walked over to the neighboring area of Harajuku—known as the fashion center and culture for Japanese youth.  Which brings me to something I could not keep my eyes and camera off of—the FASHION.  Oh me oh my.  I have never seen anything like it.  It is a style that I think for the most part you can only pull off in Harajuku/Tokyo.  I absolutely LOVE how inhibited it is.  Anything goes.

The best for last.

While in Harajuku I did a bit of shopping at Toyu Plaza and came out with one important question —why can’t all retail sales people be like the Japanese?

It was the best shopping experience of my life.

The cutest and loveliest Japanese women helped me at each store.  I would pick something out to try on and then they would speak to me in the softest and sweetest tone.  I had know clue what they were saying because it was all in Japanese.  Think ‘Lost in Translation.’  I would shake my head yes and smile.  I would then be escorted to a dressing room where I was instructed with smiles, hand motions, and Japanese language to take off my shoes before entering the dressing room.  I would walk inside and try on the garment then be motioned to come out to show off what I was wearing.

The minute I walked outside the room I was generously given gasps of approval followed by the loveliest tone of language I have ever heard.  It was given with, what I felt, a genuine admiration.  Even if I didn’t purchase something they enthusiastically fond over, I wasn’t made to feel like I was making a mistake or letting them down.

Peter happened to walk up and watch from afar this scenario unravel and he too was taken by the loveliness that these women treated me with.  The whole experience was one of many highlights from our time in Tokyo. What fun.

Our next stop was one of the hipster neighborhoods of Tokyo —Nakameguro.  It is filled with charming cafes, bars, and restaurants.  It’s highlighted by its tree-lined river.

Although the highlight for us was that we finally got a bowl of ramen.  We spotted a restaurant that looked inviting and went for it.  The trick is that you have to order on your own from a vending machine outside the restaurant that is it entirely in Japanese. It spits you out a ticket which you then give to the cook in the restaurant

With our best efforts, we ordered, but weren’t exacly sure what was going to be delivered to our table.

Not to fear.  About 10 minutes later two bowls of deliciousness were brought to us which sparked a budding love with ramen.

Early evening we headed over to Shibuya crossing.  This iconic intersection is located right next to Shibuya station.  All street lights turn red at the same time bringing a halt to all traffic and then a flooding of pedestrians unravels from all directions.  It’s controlled chaos.  Right above the crossing is a Starbucks located on the second floor of the Tsutaya building.  It’s a perfect spot to observe from above.

Bonus for me, Shibuya 109, which is a multi level shopping center is located right at the crossing.  I popped in for some browsing and friendly saleswomen.  I also mistook a woman for a mannequin.  If I’m going to be honest, this happened a lot.  The Japanese having amazing skin.

Up next we headed to the neighborhood of Ginza.  Ginza is one of the most expensive and upscale neighborhoods in Tokyo.  You will find every high fashion, luxury brand store here and a cup of coffee will cost you $10.  We went there after sundown because it’s known for being photogenic at night due to all the neon lights and signs.  If I was a photographer, which I’m clearly not, we would have much better pictures.

After a bit of a bust in Ginza due to most things being closed by the time we got there, we headed back to the neighborhood we were staying in—Shinjuku.  Peter’s friend, Kim, who lives in Tokyo had recommended a ramen spot near our hotel by the name Ichiran.

Dining here, like many aspects of our time in Tokyo was a unique experience.

Like other ramen places there is the typical vending machine to order from.  Then you wait in a queue where you are handed a menu where you can then customize your noodles.

The seating chart is available on the wall in electronic form allowing the staff to have as little as interaction as possible.   Once we were taken back we realized that the seating design isn’t optimal for patron interaction as well.

Everyone is sat at an individual counter with partitions.  In order to receive your ramen you place the customized sheet on the edge of the counter until a mystery person comes by to pick it up.

A little while later we were delivered our ramen and a cold beer.  The ramen was to die for and the best we had on our entire trip.  The elusive dining experience made it even more memorable.

The next day we met up with Peter’s friend Kim.  We made plans to meet in the trendy neighborhood of Shimokitizawa at Bear Pond Espresso.  Kim is a delight and the two of us ended up talking non-stop which did not surprise Peter at all since he already knew our energies together would certainly get along. His only complaint was that he was over-powered by our collective girl-talk and couldn’t get a word in edge-wise.

One of the things I was really excited about in Japan was checking out the Japanese beauty products because it is all the rage in skin care.  I had done quite a bit of research and Kim knew of a nearby store that she and I could go explore.  Peter shook his head in despair at this notion, but off Kim and I went.

One of the best things I picked up that day were these facial sheet masks.

Kim then took us for lunch to get Soba noodles at an all Japanese restaurant.  No sort of English menu and not a place Peter and I could have figured out very easily.  So nice to have a local show us around.  With these dishes you are delivered broth with cold noodles then you place individual noodles via chopsticks inside the broth.  As per usual—delicious.

After several hours with Kim we were off to our next adventure.  We kept things moving in Tokyo.  There is so much to see.

We were finally on our way for a sushi dinner!

Surprisingly getting sushi in Japan isn’t as easy as you would think.  You can’t just walk up to a restaurant and hope for an open seat.  Sushi dining is a bit of a serious event.  A reservation is necessary because the sushi chef goes to Tsukiji Fish Market (the market that sources/export the world’s best sushi) that morning to prepare for that days reservations.  Sure you can go to places that are run with a conveyer belt, but true dining needs to be thought of ahead of time.  Also, sushi is pricey.  Oh and if you are a sushi roll lover, you won’t find that as regularly in Tokyo. This is the real traditional deal.

By recommendation we had made reservations in the Ebisu neighborhood at Matsue.  I was so excited I could barely contain myself when we walked up.  I was actually a bit nervous.  I felt like I was about to meet someone famous that I have a strong admiration for.

We were escorted to the sushi bar where we informed the chef we both wanted, “Omakase,” which in Japanese means —I’ll leave it up to you, or chef’s choice.

Peter and I sat there for the next hour or so and had delicious piece of fresh fish, one after the other, delivered to us in such excruciatingly perfect detail.  It was a bit intimidating because the chef would at times stop and wait for our reactions to gauge our palate.  Then adjust accordingly.  They take their profession so seriously and do it with such confidence and swagger.

I had a profound moment with a piece of toro or fatty tuna.

Sometimes while traveling or in life in general you have certain moments of perfection.  For me, it was sitting there in Tokyo with my husband eating my favorite cuisine.  I was living so much in that moment that when I ate the piece of sushi, which was the best I had ever had, it literally sent chills throughout my body and even brought a tear to my eye.  It was utter bliss.

Here are some of the other pieces of sushi we indulged in.

As if our day could get any better after that, our next stop was back in Shinjuku to attend a Robot Cabaret.

I honestly don’t know what to say about the show, because there is nothing quite like it.

Before the show even begins, sensory overload starts in the lounge area.

Here’s the lounge.

Here’s the lounge band who played hit songs from Maroon 5 and an amazing rendition of “Isn’t she lovely” by Stevie Wonder.

With my love of anything performance art related I was already in sheer joy before the show even began.

Next we were instructed to the basement where the robot cabaret takes place.  Everyone is filed in and shown to their assigned seats.

The show is kick started by taiko drumming performed by a group of women in rainbow wigs and sequin attire.

From then on out it was a frenzy of energy, lights, dancing, techno, and robots.  Mixed in were some dinosaurs, giant fembots, a woman eating snake.  Scarcely dressed women all attempt to fight off the oversize robots while dancing in heels.  There wasn’t a particular storyline to follow or a method to the madness.  We just sat back and took in the silliness, hilarity, and at times oddness of it all. Just another thing to love about Tokyo.

Check the box for yet another unique experience in Japan.  This country rocks.

We night capped it in the Golden Gai area.  Golden Gai is known for it’s nightlife and architecture.  It’s made up of six small alleys that are connected by narrow passageways comprised of 200 tiny shanty-like bars filled with an overabundance of character.  The architecture is significant because it represents what Tokyo use to look like.  It’s an area mainly for locals, but if you spot a bar with an English sign outside of it then it’s probably open to foreigners. Each of the small drinking dens seat anywhere from 6-10 people only. Some of the more famous establishments only allow regulars and entrance is granted by very selective bartenders. Our goal was to visit the public-friendly establishments.

We started with a drink at a bar named Albatross.  It had a quiet mystic feel with eccentric decor.  This included chandeliers, animal heads, crucifixes, and mirrors.  We quietly sipped our cocktails while feeling we had entered an ultra hipster Japanese zone.

Then were off to try out another place when we were waved in my a friendly bartender to am establishment that didn’t appear to have a name.  We attempted to speak with him in broken English and hand gestures which resulted in the bartender handing a cord to Peter.  Said cord was for his phone and connected to the surround sound so we could play DJ.  Peter of course slammed hip-hop.  We had the place to ourselves where we sat, smiled, and chatted about the past couple days of Tokyo exploration.  It had been busy and really, really fabulous.

The next afternoon we were taking the bullet train to Kyoto, but not before one last stop.

We woke up early and headed to Tsukiji Fish Market so we could experience straight-from-the-sea table sushi.  The market holds the worlds largest tuna auction which occurs daily before sunrise.  Over 1000 food establishments go there each morning to buy fresh fish.  A small number tourists are allowed to watch the auction but you have to get there around 3 AM to ensure a spot so we passed on that.

I had done a good amount of research on where to go and there were two restaurants that were highly reviewed, Daiwa and Dai.  We had out sights set on either one, but quickly realized after looking at the queues if you want to eat at either establishment you should probably get there around 5 AM.  Especially Dai; I just read on a blog that one person waited 3 hours after arriving at 5:20 AM.  We hadn’t received the memo so while Peter went looking for a Post Office to get money, I waited in a line at the restaurant next to Daiwa.  I mean all these places are getting the fish from the same place, right?

I can’t speak to the other top rated restaurants but we ended up at Yamazaki and it was incredible.  I’ve read that there is no need to queue for the more popular places and you won’t go wrong at any of the establishments in the market.  The reviews on TripAdvisor for Yamazaki are through the roof.

While here I selected from a menu my sushi choices by fish and quantity.  Peter and I both delighted in the toro with a few pieces each.  Sushi for breakfast—a fantastic idea.  So healthy and light and we were eating the freshest from the sea.  It was another one of those perfect travel moments.

After an extraordinary breakfast experience we headed over to the train station.  Our next destination was Kyoto where we would arrive by bullet train.

Tokyo remains one of my top favorite destinations in all of our travels.  When one place offers so many unique experiences at once, especially one that runs goosebumps throughout my body, it’s a place that will leave a lasting imprint.  It certainly did on me.  There were so many things I was taken with from the people to the food to the fashion to the mind blowing efficiency in which everything is run.  I can’t wait to go back.

And now I’m hungry for sushi…and ramen.

Thanks for reading!

Koh Ngai and Koh Mook are islands off the beaten backpacker trail.  Both islands are perfect if you are looking for a quiet, remote, and romantic getaway.  We could especially feel the isolation when we were traveling in early August as it was low season.   This almost gave us both islands to ourselves.  However, the other thing that low season can bring: Monsoons.

The day before we boarded our flight from Bangkok to Krabi where we would then take a long tail boat to Koh Ngai, we received the following message:

Dear Peter Fotheringham,

            We are looking forward to see you tomorrow:) Anyhow, our
team’s checked a weather forecast and found that there is an
opportunity to have a monsoon in this area during 5-10 Aug.
But, as usual we don’t  know if the forecast is right. At the
moment, the weather on the island is good, a bit cloudy, but
no rain, no wind

So with this is of situation, what we can plan for you are as
shown below:

Tomorrow: we will send a driver to waiting for you at the airport.

Plan 1.  If the weather is good, then he will drive you to the pier, take
a longtail boat to Koh Ngai as an original plan.

Plan 2.  If the weather is not good and seem like boat can not run the
whole day. You can discuss with a driver if you want him help you to find
a hotel in Trang.  Or if you want to go to stay somewhere on the beach
instead: Pakmeng beach or even Krabi, let’s discuss with a driver.

Peter and I weren’t sure what to expect when we landed but we kept our spirits positive.  At the airport I also took a quiet moment to say a prayer for good weather with Ronald McDonald.

We landed in Krabi where we were greeted by our driver and taken to the pier.  The weather was holding up!

We loaded our things on to the long tail boat (pictured below) and away we went.  Piece of cake.  Sun was shining down on our faces.

That’s the funny thing about monsoons — they come out of nowhere.

So the pep in our step, the smile on our faces — soon went away.  Within about 20 minutes the rain came and it came hard.  With that came pretty hefty waves.  I have a fear of waves and drowning so this was basically like living out my worst nightmare in real life.  People have asked if I ever felt scared while traveling — aside from a 7 foot tall Afrikaner grabbing my behind — this was it.

Water was coming at us from all sides over our little wooden boat in an angry sea.

I kept envisioning a wave hitting us and flipping the boat over.  We would collide with a wave and the front of the boat would go up and then come crashing down with a big thud.  This would cause me to fly out of my seat while I simultaneously gave out a muffled yelp.  I was literally terrified.  Other times the boat driver would allow the wave to hit us from the side flooding the boat which thankfully is porous enough for the water to easily drain out.

Usually I don’t get too shaken by things, but this time I couldn’t hide my fear.  All Peter had to do was look at my eyes.  This in turn of course stressed Peter out who kept trying to calm me and give me suggestions, such as “look out into the horizon.”  As if seeing the wave approaching would be better than closing me eyes while white knuckling it in my seat.  Neither worked.  Neither approach calmed me down.  At one point it all became so surreal that I actually thought I was in one of my nightmare dreams of drowning.  The physical shaking of my body told me otherwise.  For the next 40 minutes all I could do was bear down (like an Arizona Wildcat) and take it.  Koh Ngai in the distance continued to get bigger and bigger until we were finally there.

SURVIVORS!

Peter tried to tell me it wasn’t that bad but when we got to shore the lady who greeted us seemed very concerned.  I informed her that what we just did — crossing the Andaman Sea — was “scary and dangerous.”  She replied, “yes yes scary and dangerous.”  Peter defended his position by explaining to me that she didn’t understand what I was saying because she didn’t speak English.  He and I decided to agree to disagree on our individual perceptions on what just occurred.  Either way you can’t fake that kind of fear.

Update: After bringing up this story to Peter after I blogged about it.  He admitted, “No that was really scary.  I was worried that we might face the same situation a few days later so I needed to be nonchalant about it.”  Sometimes you never know what your significant other has going on in his mind.  Peter is always a few steps ahead with his strategic mind.

We checked in and got settled in our room at Coco Cottage. We were two of about eight guests on the entire island.

The next couple days we covered the bases as you do on a remote island.  We relaxed, ate a ton of Thai food, read, watched movies, and unwound.  I needed to after the near-death boat ride.

Koh Ngai offers a long strip of white sand beach with limestone cliffs and sparkling sea views.  We combed the beach as far as we could go in each direction.

After a couple days on Koh Ngai we were ready to move over to the neighboring island of Koh Mook.  Well until this happened.

A monsoon had decided to show up the day we were to take a boat transfer to Koh Mook.  Obviously no boats were running with that rainfall.  We were stormed in at Koh Ngai.  We were leaving for Bangkok in two days so at this point we weren’t sure if we would get there at all.  The hotel staff wasn’t exactly up to par as far as an attempt to get us over to Koh Mook.  ”No boats go” is all we could get out of them.

We were told that our resort on Koh Ngai would call over to the resort at Koh Mook, where we would be checking into the following morning, to have a boat sent.  They seemingly never called so Peter took it upon himself to charter the hotel boat from his cell-phone and pay the roaming fees. Miraculously, they said they would come get us the next morning. None of the fisherman who own boats would drive but the resort at Koh Mook assured Peter they’d be there.

Our boat showed up and we loaded up our things.  Then there was a stir amongst some of hotel staff who were shocked that we were able to secure a mode of transport. They wanted to get to the mainland and asked us if they could join our boat. Of course we obliged.

Than there was more stirring amongst some of the guests. The weather was about to turn and we needed to leave very soon to avoid another forming monsoon. We found out that some other guests at a neighboring resort, under the impression that no boats were available this day, wanted to hitch a ride once they saw our rescue boat. We nervously agreed as the small family packed their rooms. It took them about a half hour to pack. The monsoon was brewing even more and the staff on our boat showed signs of worry.

Than, out of nowhere, a French dude covered in tattoos and muscles struts over to the boat, chest puffed up as if he was about to jump into a cage fight and yelled, “Why can we not come with you?” Losing my patience I chimed in, “What do you mean? We’ve been waiting for everyone this whole time and telling everyone to join.” He quipped back, “ok, so now it’s fine?”  I was just about to fire back in utter irritation when Peter grabbed my knee and shook his head saying without words that it wasn’t worth it.  He was right.  We were all lost in translation trying to escape the island.  At a painfully slow pace the French dude, his wife and kid loaded their things but not before making a stink about the high-cost of the boat charter we were all sharing.

We made it to Koh Mook!

In the below pictures, chartered boat leaving with thankless Parisians on board.  But bonus we landed dry this time.

Since we had been rained in on Koh Ngai we only had one night on Koh Mook.  We checked in at the Sivalai Beach Resort and were decidedly pleased with the room and view.

If you are looking for a beach bungalow right on the sand with sea views at a great price, Koh Mook is your answer.  The other nice thing about Koh Mook is that it’s a bigger island than Koh Ngai so there’s a bit more variety.  The spa services were the first thing we booked.

We did a self-guided walking tour of the island which weaved through traditional Muslim fishing villages. We mazed through the island and witnessed all sorts of men and women doing various work.   Some were sorting fish, others working on long tail boats, and some villagers had opened restaurants due to the rise in tourism.

Late afternoon we relaxed back at the resort where we took our last day of islands life at a leisure pace before it was back to the city. Peter spent a lot of time on a hammock.

 That night it was a quick dinner at the hotel restaurant then a movie back at the room.  Our travels were about to pick up once again.  Knowing this, we took full advantage of the relaxed pace.

In the morning skies were essentially clear and we were all set to take off, this time, on a motorized speedboat back to shore.  On this excursion there was no excitement whatsoever (no monsoon or tatted angry man) which I was relieved and grateful for.

Up next: Back to Bangkok, quick work trip to Manila, then off to Japan.  I couldn’t wait for our adventure in Japan.  I had a feeling I was going to love it.

Much love and safety to you all. xoxo

For Peter it would be three days of long hours of learning, absorbing, and networking.  Because Peter has no real interest in shopping or clothes for that matter— I found myself forcing him to the mall before we left Bangkok to get him ready for his meetings.

When he left the first morning, I felt like it was the first day of school.  Who would he meet? Who would he eat lunch with? I even ironed his clothes.

Andrew joined us, because we can never shake that guy (kidding).  Peter was able to debrief and update Andrew after a long-day of meetings and networkings so the information could be cascading before forgotten.

On the day we arrived we checked into the Carlton Hotel, the location of the training, and that evening took a stroll to Clarke Quay.  We stopped at a restaurant along the water, RedDot, and had a nice quiet evening before Peter commenced his training.

During the days I did a good amount of sightseeing.  I did a ton of research and discovered many of the city’s highlights.  It felt like the old days of solo traveling where I would research and go explore places on my own.  Peter is very talented when it comes to navigational skills so I did miss him, but it was good for me to challenge myself again.

My first day I visited Little India where I grabbed a delicious lunch at a top rated spot, Banana Leaf Apolo.  Then I set out to explore the neighborhood.

I was lucky to visit the temple just when a “pooja” was starting.  A pooja is a ceremony to honor the Hindu deities led by a priest.  It consists of music, bells, chanting, and an electric energy the permeates throughout the temple walls.  It was a treat to witness. We had witnessed our last pooja in Varanasi, India.

Afterwords I dipped in and out of the stores which really were like the stalls that I had experienced in India a couple months earlier.

I did have one peculiar thing that occurred.  As I was walking around I had a young Indian man stop me to ask if I would take his picture in front of the tempe.  I obliged which then opened the door for him to begin a dialogue.  It started off innocent enough.

“Where are you from?”
“Why are you here?”
“Have you been to India?”

Then it turned creepy when he offered me a free massage.  I declined his generous but mainly odd and scary offer and went on my way.  I was reminded in that instance the strange things that can happen to females traveling on their own.  I wonder if that guys manages to beguile any women with that offer.

Next up I visited the cable cars that runs from Mount Faber to Sentosa Island.  It provided a nice aerial view of the city.

I did some walking around the Mount Faber stop and was able to gaze out into the skyline and take in the Singaporean skyscrapers.

Afterwords I headed back to the hotel to meet up with Andrew who had just flown in.  Just about everyone who I asked for recommendations when it came to dining in Singapore suggested Din Tai Fung for dumplings.  Andrew and I hit it up for dinner and neither one of us was disappointed.  So good!

Andrew’s friend Brendan has two close friends who live in Singapore — Greg and Lauren.  He had introduced us via Facebook and we had all made plans to meet up after dinner.  We met at a rooftop bar just around the corner from our hotel by the name Loof.

It was an immediate friendship between all of us.  It was as if we had all hung out many times before.  Just easy, fun, and funny with a lot in common.  There is something really remarkable about making friends overseas.  There is this instant connection because all of you are so far from home and your experiencing something unique together.  Meeting on a rooftop in Singapore adds a distinct element to a friendship.

Greg and Lauren were both so generous to offer their time to show us around the next couple days.

I started the next morning with them to a tour of the Botanical Gardens.  I no longer had to figure my way around.  They picked me up in their car from my hotel.  The gardens have a tranquil feel with some nice trail walks and variety of plants, trees, and people watching.

We were dressed a little more appropriately for hiking.

Next up we headed to brunch at a restaurant called Home.  This is where my fondness for Lauren really heightened to the next level.  And why is this? Because of her superb ordering skills.  She ordered the boldest item on the menu – the aptly named menage-a-trio of doughnuts which came three ways: cinnamon, maple bacon, and peanut butter and jelly.  And a side of curry fries.  And she is a yoga instructor that is phenomenal shape.  MAD RESPECT.

We later joined forces with Andrew and he made this peculiar activity suggestion: “Little India where we can get our fortune told be a parrot.” Having no clue what Andrew was talking about, we all acquiesced.  Apparently on the plane ride out to Singapore he read about this in an article.  Supposedly there is a parrot located in Little India that will point out tarot cards specific to a person.  The parrot owner can then read you your fortune.

As we searched the neighborhood we learned that the parrot has since been relocated to a different area in the city.  Sounding like a wild goose chase we threw in the towel.  Ever since then I can’t get that tarot card pointing parrot out of my mind and have been on the look-out ever since.

Greg and Lauren took off after that — possibly because they were concerned that Andrew might come up with more odd ideas — to get ready to meet up that evening.

Andrew and I with a little time to kill made a trip over to the well known and uber-photographed Super Tree Grove.  It’s known as looking like the world of Avatar.

From the Super Tree Grove there is a nice view of the other uber-photographed spot in Singapore— Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

That night we met up with Greg and Lauren for the National Day fireworks display.  Singapore was celebrating it’s 50th birthday.  We met at One Altitude which offers panoramic views of the city.

Luckily, after the fireworks display, Peter was able to join us and we all went out for a delicious Italian dinner at Trattoria Lafiandra.

We all talked about and hoped to meet up again.  Coincidently as I write this post we are all finding ourselves in Bangkok next week.  This time Brendan included.  Cannot wait.  I’ve been going back and forth with Lauren about various brunch spots and items that she might order.

The next day Andrew headed back to Bangkok.  Peter had his last day of training.  I took the opportunity to explore a bit more.

I did some research for a good lunch spot to try a Singaporean dish — Hainanese chicken rice.  It’s called “the national dish” of Singapore.  Figured it was a must try and found a highly reviewed place nearby called Zheng Swee Kee.  It was fine.  It was chicken with rice.  It was no menage-a-trio of doughnuts.  I already missed Lauren.

After that it was off to Chinatown.  At this point I was getting the hang of the MRT — the underground train system — which is how I got to Chinatown.

Chinatown was fun just to walk around in — the colors, energy, and people alone were enough to be entertained by.

Below are a plethora of serious chess games being battled out amongst non-smiling men.

My favorite stop in Chinatown was the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.  It was around this point in my travels what I was starting to read a good amount Buddhism and was growing a strong affinity towards the philosophy.  One of my favorite things to do is sit and meditate in a Buddhist Temple.  This one was particularly charming.  It contains four floors each offering a different experience of art and history.  I got lost in the world of spiritualism for awhile.  There was a room that told the story of Siddhārtha Gautama (Buddha) and all the different stages of his life.  I went though the room and read everything.

 Later Peter and I met up for dinner at the famous Raffles Hotel.  It was here that the invention of the Singapore Sling occurred at the Long Bar.

Instead of paying a premium price —$30— for a drink we don’t particularly care for, we opted to grab a couple pizzas in the courtyard area of the the hotel.

Peter was then off to his last engagement/drinks with Charles and all the people he had trained with over the past few days.

For my last evening I decided to check out the Super Tree Grove which is lit up my various colored lights at night.  I have to say the trees were quite different when compared to seeing them in daylight.  I was happy that I got to experience both.

The Marina Bay Sands Hotel also looks spectacular at night.

It’s a times like these that I really wished I was a better photographer.  Something to work on for the future.

For example this is what a talented photographer can do with the same subject.

To end the night I walked over to Marina Bay Sands Hotel and took the elevator all the way to the top and took a long hard look at the inspiring view before I met back up with Peter at our hotel.

The 3 days of training for Peter provided crucial insight and contacts that would place him on a secondary path in his career.  He has since then really honed the skills he acquired during that trip.  Six months later those training days have served him well and he is working harder than ever with reinvigorated excitement.  I’ve been really happy for him and it’s been such fun for me to watch it all unfold.

We left for Bangkok in the morning.  It was funny to see our reaction when we first got to Singapore.  We were both refreshed by the better air quality,  cleanliness,  organization of Singapore, but after a few days we felt ready to get back to the grittiness of Bangkok.  Singapore is a great city, but with it being so young, I didn’t feel a lot of depth and soul to it.  With that being said, I haven’t spent a ton of time there.  We have friends that absolutely love it.  But a part of my heart is perpetually in Bangkok.

Thanks as always for your support in reading about our journey around the globe.

Our very first night back we met up with Andrew and Brendan (at Sabai Jai Gai Yang on Ekamai) where we heard about their surf trip to the Maldives.  Additionally they regaled us with stories of late night Bangkok shenanigans.

Interesting factoid about ordering beer in Thailand.

They serve it to you over ice and sometimes with a straw. This might sound odd to a beer connoisseur, but Thailand is hot and humid and beer being served this way is a little bit of liquid heaven when you need to quench your thirst. There are dozens of explanations on why ice is served with beer that range from keeping beer cold, to getting two glasses out of one beer as the ice melts to water and elongates the drinking experience per beer in a country that is still developing and people are very conscientious of costs.

During our time we put together a motorcycle gang which was so elusive and exclusive that the actual gang members didn’t know they were a part of it.

One day Peter says to me, “I was hoping to get the motorcycle gang together and go explore new areas in the city.”

“Motorcycle gang, huh? Who’s in it?” I replied.

Peter, in a matter-of-fact tone, quipped, “You and Andrew” Neither one of us were aware of this.  In time the motorcycle gang became a reality and there’s even a name – JRCG.  I have no idea what that stands for and the guys won’t tell me besides the CG standing for “chopper gang.”  Chopper Gang is a hyperbole.  Scooter gang would be much more appropriate.

Inarguably the two most entertaining and fun people that came to Bangkok were Nick and Jacob.  They were coming in hot on their way to a wedding in Japan.  They went full throttle, head first into Bangkok.  It was so much fun to see Bangkok through the eyes of two people who were visiting for the first time and loved what they were seeing and experiencing.

Just going out to dinner with them and hearing about their take-down of Bangkok was mesmerizing and had all of us captivated/exhausted.

In less than a week they did and saw more than I think I have in all my times combined.  Here is just some of the following that we either heard about or experienced with them.

• Koh San Road where they mixed with backpackers from all over the world
• Tailor made suits for cheap
• Visited the Grand Palace
• Visited Wat Pho—one the worlds largest reclining Buddhas
• Ate the best Thai food
• Visited Soi Cowboy
• New Thai girlfriend who was invited and attended the Japanese wedding
• Possible lady boy situation?

These guys were AMAZING.  We would be so tired and at home for the night, but when we heard Nick and Jacob were going out we would force ourselves to meet up. It was probably the only time I have experienced FOMO (fear of missing out).  If these guys were out I didn’t want to miss is.  Thank you Nick and Jacob for providing us with endless amounts of entertainment and fun.  We are still talking about you guys 6 months later.

We also did some more normal things.  We saw our friend Preeti frequently.

Peter took me to Magic Mike XL.  #husbandoftheyear

We hung out with our friend Jostein and I was introduced to his girlfriend at the time, Guk.  Now they are expecting a little boy and are engaged.  It’s incredible how much can happen in 6 months.

We celebrated Andrew’s birthday with a great group of friends where we enjoyed some delicious Italian food at Peppina.  This night also marked my first experience with Bangkok flooding.  Ever since I have known Peter he has had a bit of a quirk with rain.  He seems to get fixated by thick, dark clouds and potential rain storms.  I realized why on this night.  If it rains hard for an extended period of time in Bangkok then flooding occurs.   This is because the city isn’t set up with a sophisticated drainage system.  When this happens you can get stuck for hours as traffic edges to a crawl— making catching a taxi impossible.  It flooded on this particular night.  Although, considering we were celebrating the birth of one of our most favorite people, it didn’t matter.

Here is an example of what those stressed induced clouds look like.

Pretty menacing right?

One day Peter, Andrew, and myself ventured out to see what life would be like outside of the Thong Lor bubble.  We decided to visit the Ari neighborhood.  In a nut shell there was a torrential downpour.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant, Casa Azul, where they were out of just about everything and the margaritas were no beuno.  Rain on me fine, run out of food fine, but bad margaritas??  I asked the waiter to take our picture and I think it really captures the essence of that day.

After dinner we threw in the towel and high-tailed in back to Thong Lor.  Lesson learned – never leave the Thong Lor bubble (kidding!)

Our time in Bangkok was starting to come to an end.  Mixed in with this last month however was a trip to Singapore.  Rather than breaking up our time in Bangkok with two different posts I included all of our time there.  My next post will be about our 5 days spent in Singapore.  Peter had procured an incredible business opportunity which was why we wound up in Singapore.

As always Bangkok was so much fun.  Andrew, Peter, and I especially had a riot of a time together and became really close.  Well Peter and Andrew were already really close, but I had now officially invaded/joined their bromance.  I feel so grateful that I enjoy Andrew as much as I do.  Peter and Andrew were travel partners before I came along.  Now many times, it’s the three of us.  We’re very lucky to be able to travel as much as we do together, be such good travel companions, and always have such a blast.  It’s not something any of us take for granted.

“We’re the three best friends that anyone could ever have.” —excerpt from the movie The Hangover 

Here are our feelings on leaving Bangkok.  Taken the night before we left.

As always thanks for reading about our world travels. XOXOXO

And happy Birthday to this gem of a human.

We managed to grab this almost rainbow-like sunset on our descent.

Nothing too bold occurred on this trip.

As usual we checked into one of our favorite hotels—The Peninsula.  Peter met with his staff during the days.  I hit the gym, blogged, and explored the nearby Greenbelts for window shopping and people watching.

We discovered a new favorite brunch spot within walking distance of our hotel, Wildflour Cafe and Bakery.  I always take great delight in finding a great place for brunch.  Because brunch is fun.

Is that baked macaroni and cheese in the above picture? Yep!

We also discovered a park with my name.  Basically an anomaly.  It’s the odd spelling. Peter never wants to take pictures but was incessant on this one.

We ate spaghetti bolognese in the lobby restaurant of the Peninsula. RIP Tod.

And Gelato.

Remember the aforementioned gym I was hitting? Good thing I was with all the eating we did while in Manila.

We bought facial sheet masks and beautified ourselves at night, in robes.

Our trip to Manila fell during the 4th of July so we wanted to do something really American.  Like beer bong and BBQ.  Instead we watched Terminator in 3D and hit up Chili’s afterwards.  The chips and salsa might not be American, but whatever it’s served bottomless and it’s so good.

One really pleasantly surprising thing that happened was that my blog began getting 300-400 hits per day.  I started this blog mainly for a keepsake to capture this unique time in our lives, and place for our friends and family to follow along if they wanted.  It’s certainly not an exorbitant amount of visitors, but I was still humbled and flattered by that number.   Especially as I write this really boring and uninformative post about Manila.

However it does get more exciting on our next adventure back to Bangkok where we are joined by Andrew.  He always adds elements of interesting, fun, and sometimes absurdity to our travels.

Sending good vibes to all you beautiful people.

Ironically enough just about everyone sang the same advice when it came to Bangkok, “Get in and get out.” In so many words people described it as crazy, dirty, polluted, hectic and overwhelming with not a lot to offer.  Maybe not the best place for a solo female traveler based off those descriptions.

Admittedly, the advice I received at first glance seemed accurate.  Judging a book by it’s cover, Bangkok did appear hectic and overwhelming.  I distinctly remember feeling like I had landed on a different planet.  But that’s what I loved about it.  Getting pushed out of my comfort zone.  That’s where the magic happens.  That’s where growth, learning, and change occurs.

After a while and once I scratched the surface of Bangkok, that first impression quickly dissipated.  Since then I have seemingly fell in love with it.  The heart and soul of Bangkok offers a calming, soothing, and zen-like energy.  Bangkok is an enigma like that.  Peter and I have talked about this quite a bit.

While in Bangkok we both feel calmer and less stressed.  When we go back home to Southern California our stress levels go up.  We find ourselves running around quicker and more intensely.  It’s the pace and energy of America vs Thailand.  I don’t want this to be confused with any sort of dislike for our home or that either one of us faces unmanageable stress in either place.  I absolutely love our lives in California and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world.  It’s just an honest observation of the differences we have felt in the two contrasting places.  I’m certainly not knocking the pace and energy of the US.  It’s that energy and pace that has created the invention of the light bulb, airplanes, television, industrial robots, the internet, Beyonce, rap music, and many other dope things.

That first trip to Bangkok, three years ago, was when I started to fall in love with Bangkok and for all intents and purposes with Peter too. The first time we ever really hung out was on that trip which only further solidifies my love for Bangkok.

Even though I have a strong affinity and affection for Bangkok, I still couldn’t see myself living here.  I’ve asked Peter many times, “How have you lived here for this many years?” He’s approaching 10 years since first arriving in Thailand. Whatever you resist, persists and I have come to know Bangkok as a second home.

This trip would have us staying for just about two months straight—the longest amount of time consecutively for me.  Although we did make two visas runs due to Thailand’s 30 day visa policy for tourists.

Life became a little more normalized.  We weren’t changing locations and beds every few days.  We checked in at the Pan Pacific on Thong Lor and made it a home.

During the week Peter would go to the Hive—a shared work space.  I did a TON of blogging.  I wrote a total of 31 posts during that time in Bangkok.  Mornings I would walk to Soi 38 and grab my favorite breakfast of fresh mango and coconut.

At night we would go to a nearby restaurant or order food in.  We would watch TV and get to bed early.  It felt great to slow down.

We frequented old and new spots: Desi Beats for Indian food with a nice rooftop bar, Suppanniga for tasty Thai, Wine Loft, Scene Space, Roast, Iron fairies, Tribeca, EmQuartier, etc.

Just downstairs from our hotel was a restaurant called Perfume Fragrance bar where we would go sit on the patio and listen to live music.  I started an undeniable love for passionfruit martinis here.  Sadly since then the bar has been relocated and a steak house has moved in.  Things change quickly in Bangkok.

There were a couple big highlights this trip.

I made some new friends.

On our last trip in Bangkok I had been introduced to Preeti, a friend of Andrew’s.  This time Andrew wasn’t around so I reached out to Preeti and we had some great fun going out to dinner, brunches, and as always having uninhibited girl talk.  Both of us being deeply spiritual we were able to engage in some really wonderful conversations.  Preeti is always fun, in a good mood, has a wicked sense of humor, and seems to be friends with EVERYONE.  Whenever we go out together at least 10 people come over and say hi.  People love her.  I learned why on this trip.

I also met the other Peter Fotheringham.

The story goes like this – about 9 years ago my Peter Fotheringham received a Facebook message asking him to join a group titled, “The Peter Fotheringham Appreciation Society.” It turns out the handler of this group, another Peter Fotheringham, was the proud owner of peter.fotheringham@gmail.com, an email address Peter had been painfully disappointed when finding out it was taken and was thus stuck with peter.ryan.fotheringham@gmail.com. In an unlikely turn of events, the two Peter Fotheringham’s realized they had some things in common – they both worked in Asia at some point in their life, were well traveled, found similar humor in things and around the same age. Then about four years ago, my Peter Fotheringham gets a note from the other Peter Fotheringham asking about shipping containers full of stuff into Bangkok. It turned out he had taken a job in Bangkok teaching English and would be moving for an extended contract. The two Peter Fotheringham’s would be neighbors. In Bangkok! They eventually met and have been entertained ever since by not only hanging out together but telling their unique story to anyone that will listen. Literally anyone.

So now I was getting my chance to meet the other Peter Fotheringham rounding out the surname crew to three.  I was almost a little shocked at how charming he was.  I know I shouldn’t have been with a name like that.  It really was uncanny and a bit bizarre at how simpatico they were and how much I also enjoyed him.  He reminded me of all the other good friends that Peter has.  He’s really smart, driven, hilarious, and so easy and enjoyable to be around.  How does a person meet online and then in person have that much chemistry?  I guess that’s why eHarmony works.

Introducing Peter Fotheringham.

Will the real Peter Fotheringham please stand up?

Over the course of our time in Bangkok we were able to see Peter and his girlfriend Myette (now fiance!) a handful of times.  Myette is also someone I immediately liked.

Shortly before we left Bangkok for just a quick stop in Manila, we joined Peter and Myette for their going away party.  They were both moving to Mexico City where they had procured teaching jobs.  They had a big group of friends gather at Cheap Charlie’s.  I’m not sure if I have heard a group of people saying nicer things about two people in my life.  It was so heart warming and from what I had already gathered from Peter and Myette, I wasn’t surprised.

During the party Peter and I stole them away for a quick moment and took them to a nearby Mexican restaurant for a shot of tequila.  We had to give them the proper Mexico send-off.

We knew we would see them again because when it comes to both Peter Fotheringham’s you never know where in the world they might pop up .  Foreshadowing.

Another special thing occurred during our time with Peter— he introduced us to the lovely, affable, and benevolent couple of Paron and Matt.  More to come on them on a later trip to Bangkok.

Peter and I were off to Manila for a quick work trip and then we would be back to our second home once again.

The morning we caught our flight I stopped in at a newsstand where I picked up the Glamour magazine that I was featured in.  I excitedly purchased it from the lady behind the counter and enthusiastically exclaimed to her, “that’s me, that’s me!”  She couldn’t have cared less.  I might as well have told her that I just watched paint dry.

Next: Manila for a brief work trip then back “home.”

Thanks as always for following along.

I was thrilled that our travels put us in Indonesia for our 1st anniversary celebration.

Indonesia is easily one of my favorite countries with it’s jaw-dropping natural beauty, perfect weather, good Hindu energy, and the generous kindness of the locals.

Peter felt that our first anniversary was a good time to stay at a resort-chain that he had been dreaming about for almost a decade – the elusive Aman resorts. The Aman resorts are an uber-luxury brand that brings minimalist decor into untouched natural settings in some of the most pristine places on the planet. The goal of the Aman brand, with its 30 resorts in 20 countries, is to create an environment of serenity in space, peace in design and service and elegance in understated decadence.  All resorts have less than 50 rooms and there are 4 staff assigned per guest making the service absolutely top notch. It’s really hard to get a job at an Aman resort – the people working on the grounds are at the top of their respective tourism field.

At the time the two Aman resorts in Bali —Amankila and Amandari— were offering a special that offered 2 nights at each property.  This was such a great opportunity to experience both word class resorts.  I felt so grateful and humbled to be celebrating our one year together at not one, but two Aman properties.  Is this real life?

A driver from the resort picked us up from Temple Lodge where we had been staying in Bingin Beach and brought us to our first Aman Resort—Amankila.

It’s located in East Bali on the Lombok Strait and takes advantage of the sea to set up one of the best pool settings known to man.  A three tiered infinity pool that offers dazzling sea views as far as your eyes can travel. This was one of the first features of the resort we were treated to and we were stupefied. The minimalism design is something we both very much love about the Amans.

At Aman resorts all rooms are privates villas which allows for a secluded and quiet environment.  We got checked in and were both deliriously happy with the accommodations.

On our first day we decided to explore the grounds and take advantage of all the resorts offerings.

We spent time dipping in the charming pools.

We had the staff drive us down to the beach via golf cart where we enjoyed some fresh coconuts and tasty food.

Both evenings we enjoyed the resorts ocean view restaurant over candlelight.  The food has a focus on fresh, organic, local products.  And the menu offered a list of good red wines! Something not always easy to come by while traveling in Bali.

Our second day was a little more of the same.  Pool lounging and relaxing combined with staff delivering cool towels and treats.  I wonder if that’s even a glimmer of how Beyonce gets treated while on vacation.

We were offered a traditional Balinese marriage blessing set for early evening.  Figuring a marriage blessing is always a good idea, we obliged.

Before the ceremony we were delivered clothing to change into.  Here’s what we were given.

Pretty outstanding right?

The ceremony is performed to purify and welcome good spirits.  We were escorted to an alter where were instructed to kneel while the blessing commenced.  During the ritual we were sprinkled with holy water, chanted sanskrit, offered fruit to the spirits, and lastly rice was placed on our foreheads for prosperity.  We enjoyed it.  Especially the enthusiasm and sincerity of the locals who took us through the blessing.

When we woke up on our third day it was officially our 1 year anniversary.  Happy Anniversary to us!  We had a beautifully planned out day.  It started with a healthy breakfast delivered to our room that we enjoyed on our terrace.  Then it was off to catch a morning boat cruise.

We enjoyed our day on the sea where we were able to snorkel, eat lunch, and enjoy the spectacular views.  We were joined by an extremely delightful couple from New York who were on their honeymoon and were “Aman junkies” themselves.  They only enhanced the day for us.

After a wonderful morning spent on the sea we were off to our next Aman resort—Amandari in Ubud.

It was a little over an hour of driving that would bring us to Amandari which is nestled in by thick jungle and rice paddy fields.  The property is designed as a traditional Balinese village and offers a zen like energy upon arrival.

This was our room.

This is how Peter felt about it.

I particularly liked the outdoor patio setting.

After getting settled in we gallivanted over to the spa which was set in a sanctuary of zen, filled with lily pods and positive vibes.  We both agreed afterwords that it was one of the best massages ever.

We retreated back to our room where we opened up a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and toasted to a very happy and successful first year of marriage and to many many more. Inarguably the best thing I ever did with my life was to convince Peter to marry me.

As we sat on the patio sipping our favorite champagne and reminiscing about our travels, I noticed that Peter had put on my favorite Dave Matthews Song—#41.  I thought this was especially sweet since Dave Matthews is my thing and always raises my spirits.  He then began to speak, “I put Dave Matthews on for a reason.  You’re anniversary present is tickets to go see Dave Matthews at the Gorge.” I was thunderstruck! My favorite band.  At a venue I had never been to, but had heard such marvelous things about.  This was such a perfect gift and I was thrilled, happy, grateful, and as always humbled by Peter’s thoughtfulness.

For Peter I had done a tone of research on his favorite city—Bangkok—and had put together an assortment of things for us to do together while we were there.  In a couple days we were leaving for Bangkok and we would be calling it home for the next couple of months.  It ended up being really fun and took us out of the comfort zone of things we fall back on doing while we are there.  And we discovered some new favorite spots.  Each of our gifts aligned with the tradition of paper being what is exchanged the first year.

We had made plans for a special dinner at the restaurant, but ended up deciding to order pizza from room service and watch the long version of our wedding video.  It was perfect.  We had saved the video to watch specially on our anniversary.  We drank champagne, ate delicious pizza, watched ourselves get married.  I cried.  The video brought us back to the magic and happiness of that day.

Our next day was our last at Amandari and Bali.  That morning we ventured off the property where we enjoyed a guided trek though the jungles and rice paddies of Ubud. Our guide is a local villager who has been working for and on the property ever since construction began in 1988.  He regaled us with stories of celebrities he has guided, including Julie Roberts while she was in Ubud filming.  It was a pleasant morning spent with an affable guide where we were able to better experience the charm of Ubud.

That afternoon we relaxed at the infinity pool which offers some of the most stunning and unique views I have ever had the pleasure to experience while lounging poolside.

We finished off our last night with a lovely quiet dinner at the resort restaurant.  When we arrived back to our room we were delighted to find a surprise in the bathroom.  They had drawn us a bath in our outdoor tub which included candles and flowers. Aman has reached cult-like status for many travelers for a reason.

And that was our close out on Bali.  It was off to Bangkok in the morning.

I am so humbled and grateful to go through and share life with Peter.  Here’s to one anniversary down and to as many as we can possibly fit into this lifetime.  Cheers!