I woke up to the sound of rain pouring on the palm leaf+ clay roof. The only thing I had planned for for the day was to get a tan. Just my luck. I had watched the sun rise with a slight cool breeze and a full moon as the waves beat the shore and the vietnamese locals did their fitness. Hard to believe that was just a few hours ago.

I had finally bit the bullet and rented a moto to drive from Hue to Hoi An. I really wanted to do it and the drive was so so worth it. Gorgeous coastline and perfect weather. I stopped by Elephant springs (waterfall) and Marble Mountain (caves) on the way. The previous two days in Hue were very unexciting. I caught up on sleep and work and got food poisoning, too. I hardly slept the night before I left hue as I was tossing up my dinner. Ugh. I’m surprised I survived so well on my 6 hour bike ride. My exhaustion and discomfort must have been evident. When I took the two steps into the hostel in Hoi An and the owner said, “this way to your bed. We can deal with checkin in after you have slept”. And that was my first moment with Momma Lyna.

This is the first place I have met other americans traveling and Lyna says that some how there are only girls here for the next couple days so we will have to have a girls night out.

Im just sitting here marveling at how the connection between people can happen so quickly and easily if you are open to it. I’ve hardly seen the city here because I was instantly apart of the interworkings of this homestay. Because it is the full moon they had a big lunch with all of their family and neighbors. They light incense and say prayers for their ancestors and the feast. I and another girl was invited to join in. I daren’t say no. Lots of food, lots of beer and a lot of “Mo hai bo yo!”. I was so detirmined to get a tan I packed myself up and headed to the beach. No such luck for sunshine and I was too late in the day for it anyway. I rode my bike around the city/ outside the city/ along the beach. It was was nice to explore and check out the area.

all 8 of us piled in a taxi and headed into the old quarter. Just as we get out of the taxi the rain starts. We made our way over to the river and bought our lanterns. The rain was coming harder now and the river was beginning to overflow. We made our wishes and placed our lanterns in the water. The current kept pushing them up against the little boats that were along the edge. The woman manning the boats helped us push them out to the middle of the river. It was quite the scene.. pouring rain, us without umbrellas trying to get the lanterns to actually float away and almost angelic like the boat ladies take over for us getting them in the right spot with each slow push of the paddle.

Lyna took is to a local restaurant where she had coordinated a prefix meal for us. I was still feeling very ill and was only able to nibble on things. We headed to Tiger Tiger afterwards for cocktails and shisha. The rain had stopped and the area was buzzing with travelers celebrating. We danced and danced. I bumped into the german girl I met in Ha Long Bay. I saw 4 of the crew from the Sapa Trek. I chase after the belgian girl I chatted with in Hanoi. Each one a mini reunion with laughter and hugs and I’m cracking up how I thought I would be traveling alone and here are new old friends as I go along.

“I would have enjoyed talking to you. You have a calm vibe around you. Confident, intelligent. Haha.. body language says a lot. Si si, eso es viajar.”

I was catching up on emails, sitting outside late after everyone had gone to bed. I had a long nap midday in recovery of the previous evenings festivities and am not tired just yet. Lyna’s brother brings out a bowl of ramen and I’m surprised as he hands it to me. He comes back with another and joins me. We sit there under the trees smiling and eating our noodles.

It was the day I needed to check out. Lyna made a sad sound and told me to stay longer. I wish, I truly wish! I’ve only 7 days left and only made it halfway! I had hopes of seeing Dalat, some beach town, Mecong Delta and of course Saigon. I’m feeling the pressure as well as exhaustion and am trying to debate where to go and how to get there. I turn down the 17 hour bus ride and booked a flight for that evening instead. A sweet british guy is checking in as Im checking out. We chat for a few and I invite him to grab lunch with me as I had had the best Banh mi the day before and I’m headed there again. We grab bikes and head into town. lunch, meandering, chatting, coffee, more meandering. It was nice to have an impromptu buddy for my last hours in Hoi An.

Lyna gives me the biggest hug and we almost tearfully say good bye. She gives me the sweetest parting well wishes. Bah.. I just love people.

The bus picks me up for the airport. I’m on the 7:30 flight and just so content I can’t help but be friendly with each person that gets in the bus as we make our round ups. Turns out im on the same flight as the dutch guy sitting next to me. We get on the plane and again, we have seats next to each other. I lose him at the airport before I could ask him if he wanted to share a taxi. I check in to my hostel in Saigon. I’m only there overnight as I’m headed back out on an early morning bus to Mui Ne to hopefully find my tan. I toss my bags at my bed and head out to find food. Walking towards me as make my way down the street, the dutch guy. We laugh and lament how we should have just shared a taxi. He invites me to join him at the noodle place his hostel recommended. We chatted and laughed for an hour comparing our last three weeks of travel/adventure. He was traveling the first two weeks with his girlfriend (damnit) through china and burma. Again, I’m so grateful for these random impromptu meetings and someone to share a meal and stories with. I’m eager to shower and sleep and so I bid him safe travels home.

:::::

Words collected lately::

it’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed is you.
– F. Scott Fitzgerald

But that’s the wonderful thing about foreign travel, suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most basic sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross the street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses.
– Bill Bryan

Single people want relationships, settled people wonder if they’re missing out on something, traveling types miss stability, stable ones are restless, old friends want new friends, new friends miss old friends, and basically almost everyone my age has some dangling worry trailing around after them everywhere that they’re somehow not doing everything, that what they’re doing is not altogether the right thing, that they are missing out. … Do not be ashamed. The doubt is natural, and everyone you know – yes, even that person – carries it sometimes too. Allow yourself to be peaceful. Allow yourself satisfaction in what you have. If you really don’t like it, allow yourself permission to make changes.
– Lillian Schneid

I let it go. It’s like swimming against the current. It exhausts you. After a while, whoever you are, you just have to let go, and the river brings you home.
– Joanne Harris

I enjoy controlled loneliness. I like wandering around the city alone. I’m not afraid of coming back to an empty flat and lying down in an empty bed. I’m afraid of having no one to miss, of having no one to love.
– Kuba Wojewódzki

We hopped on the motos and started to make our way out of town. I was riding on the back of guido’s since he had more space. I had my back pack on and foolishly had my phone in the open side pocket. We were in thick traffic at a light when I felt my pack move and I knew instantly someone was getting into it. I turned just in time to see the guy on the bike next to me pull my phone out of the pocket. I yelled and as he accelerated away I punched his arm. I was lucky enough that that caused him to drop the phone into the roadway. Without even thinking I jumped off the bike to retrieve it and jumped back on as the traffic moved around me. It all happened so fast I couldn’t believe it really happened except that my phone was dirty from the roadway. Guido wanted to go after the guy but I didn’t want to instigate anything further. We continued heading out of town as my pulse attempted to calm down and I waited for my hands to stop shaking. The boys were making jokes about me being a secret agent and were blown away at my reaction and the result of it.

We made a stop at a roadside stand for some water. We put on more sunscreen and continued on our way to Ba vi stopping every 45 mins or so to give our asses a break. It was so so hot out and we decided to grab food somewhere before heading to the national park down the road. We drove through the town until we found a place full of locals (always a good sign) and filed in to find a cool spot in the shade. The locals were happy to welcome us and we ordered our pho and some waters. I look over and two the the older men are laughing and trying to slyly snap a photo of us “foreigners” and we laugh and make peace signs/wave at the camera. That was the only encouragement they needed and next thing I know one has his arm around me and we are taking a selfie. I was laughing and played along until two minutes later we’ve taken 40 different poses and space between us is non existent. The boys think it’s funny and I’m over it at this point. They bring out the rice wine and we’re now doing shots with them and finally our food arrives. Guido speaks Vietnamese and the old guys are insisting we come back tonight and party all night with them. No chance I say and the boys agree, but they still think it’s hilarious. I wave apologetically at their (I think) wives and we pay our bill and move on.

Ba vi national park is LOVELY and we’ve come during the off season. We practically have the place to ourselves. We’re unsure of what exactly there is to see so just drive around stopping here and their to snap a few photos. One more side road before turning back and we take a side road that led further up mountain. We come into a clearing and we all audibly gasped at the sight of this old abandoned limestone church completely overgrown just tucked into the trees. Haha.. Such a chance finding as the park is huge and we’re all stoked at the discovery. We are glad to head back now as the sun is setting and we still have a 2 hour drive ahead of us.

Halfway back we Stopped off for a quick coffee at this families roadside shop. They were just sitting down for dinner and welcomed us in regardless. I managed to order through some charades I requested three coffees as they spoke no english. We drank our coffees slowly and chatted and then I remembered I had all those candies in my bag. I pulled them out and gave them around. Their baby had woken up and was so cute I grabbed the Polaroid. One with dad and baby. Another one with grandma and baby, then I motioned for everyone to jump in for a family/group shot. They were all so excited, dad even put a shirt on for the photo and smoothed down his hair in the mirror. Everyone was laughing. They were so grateful they refused to let us pay for our coffees and asked for us to visit again soon. All ten of them were at the door waving good bye as we drove away. I as best as possible tried to keep the massive grin off my face for sake of keeping the bugs out of my teeth as we drove away but I couldn’t help but laugh at this day and all the little things that had happened. Deep satisfaction hugged me and a small voice roaring in my ear saying ” you’re doing it right!!” as we made it back to Hanoi.

According to my hostel there was only one bus to Ninh Binh and it left at 6pm. That put me arriving at 9pm and I didn’t want to wait that long and miss out on seeing the place in the daytime. At this point I know their goal is to sell, not assist, and so I dug a little further and found out I can take a bus from Giap Ba bus station and that busses leave every hour.

I take a taxi to the station and the second I get out there is a guy yelling ninh Binh at me and motioning for me to follow. I instantly do t trust him but he is headed to the ticket office so I follow. My ticket cost 40,000 dong and the lady selling me the ticket is all smiles and motions for me to follow him. He leads me out to a bus and we put my big bag in the back. i climb on to three other people on a 25 person bus. I grab a seat and we sit there for 30 mins. I wonder if I should ask what time we’re leaving.. Another person arrives. I’m watching the station entrance as we sit there and I’m beginning to understand the process a little. Guys stand out near the entrance finding passengers hustling their bus. Even as we inch towards the exit of the station they are literally grabbing people and putting them on the bus. Slowly but surely every seat is being filled as we now circle the station. 40 mins later we are on the main road and the hustler for our bus is standing at the open door of the bus as we move yelling at people. We’ve now packed the aisle way 30+ people on board a few packages as well. I’m sharing my row with a pregnant woman. I realize now I’m fully vested in this new venture and I saw a small prayer. If my pack in the back of the bus is still there when (and if?) I arrive to ninh binh it may be a small miracle. I have my most precious belongings with me. It’s just clothes and toiletries in the back. Worst case scenario.. Well, a scenario would be I have to buy clothes and do without my creature comforts.

I offer a piece of candy to the pregnant lady beside me. She smiles and declines. We make a few stops (barely actually stopping) once we’ve exited the city and make a stop halfway to ninh to use the bathroom. I don’t leave the bus but a few people jump off quickly to buy food etc. the pregnant lady returns and offers me a share of her bread and rice rolls that have seseme seeds on the outside and either cooked egg or beans on the inside. It’s slightly warm and delicious.

We are arriving into town now and the bus is barely stopping to let people off here and there. there was no announcement or notification when we actually made it to the bus stop. I only realized it when I saw the sign outside the terminal and started yelling at the guy to get out and open the back to get my bag that hopefully was there. It was but the secod I stepped out I was mobbed by atleast three guys offring me a taxi. I knew I needed to find a phone to call my homestay so I headed inside to see if there was one I could use. No luck but one of the taxi drivers offers me his and he talks to them and then says he will take me for half he price. I didn;t know what else to do but since we already agreed on a price I figured I might as well. We head outside and he pulls up his moto. I start to protest since I have my big back pack and he insists that he can balance it in front of him. Ive seen worse at this point so I finally agree. again I am saying little prayers for my safety and for my trust in mankind that he will in fact take me to where I am supposed to go.

9 km bike ride later and weird roads through a tiny village outside of ninh binh I arrive as the sun is setting behind the limestone hills. i am welcomed by the staff to the palm/bamboo huts along the edge of a private lake. They have a pet goat, pig, little dog and all the staff are very very frindly. They have an english class for the local children every night at 5pm and ask me if I might be interested in teaching the following evening. They also have already seen my new ukelele sticking out of my bag and have excitedly asked me to play. Ny room is comfy and has a balcony oer the water with a hammock. I dump my things and head to their open air lobby to have dinner. The food here is amazing. I just can’t even.

My body has been freaking out since yesterday. I think the adreniline rush of the phone jacking caused too much stress and I am sick. My plan is to sleep and rest and let my body recover before the next location and adventure of Hue/Hoi An.

I arrived into Sapa and saw the view from my hostel and went straight to the reception desk and extended my stay extra two days. The mountains and valleys were just like the photos I had found an the vibe at the hostel was friendly and chill. I made friends with a finnish girl who had taken the mongolian expressway through russia/china down into asia and my eyes grew bigger as she told me about it. Fuck. I have to do this.
I settled into some food and a walk around the small mountain town and then spent the rest of the evening gettin to know the other travelers and comparing notes on locations to visit and how to get there. I meet about 10 new people a day. It’s always the same list of questions, “where you from, how long are you traveling, where did you go/where are you going?”.

We left early the next morning for our hike through the valley and I knew I had signed up for the longer trek but no one could really tell me what exactly the itinerary was. Our guide was a local and we were joined by a few of the woman from the black hmong tribe that live in the valley. They assisted us down the mountain in their sandals and packs and we struggled in our tennies and trainers over the rough unfamiliar terrain. My pockets were full of candies and I as glad I had the forethought to do this as we passed so many kids along the way. 24 km for the first day we started at 8:30am and arrived to our homestay at the top of a mountain around 5:30pm. My group I am with all met in Thailand and their paths kept overlapping so they booked this trek together. I was the odd man out and easily 8 years older. Our host family spoke almost no english but they thanked us for coming by doing shots of rice wine with each of us and shaking hands afterwards. They had prepared the most amazing dinner and joined us while we played drinking games the rest of the evening. I took polaroids of the kids and the mom went and got their traditional outfits out and get them dressed for one more. The morning was rough post drinking and had we known what we were in for on this day we may not have drank at all. 1.5 hours straight vertical climb up the side of the muddy rough path to the top of the mountain. My phone says it was 115 floors. I was cussing the last 10 minutes and every single one of us was soaked through from swet at the top. Once we got the the village on the other side we had another amazing meal and then van took us back to our hostel in SaPa. I was so beyond exhausted I lounged around the rest of the day. I even treated myself to a massage that was so odd that I can’t even.. hahaha…

I got back into Hanoi with the mindset that I would catch up on emails and prepare a few things for the next coming weeks. I showered, grabbed my note book and phone and set out of the hostel to find a quiet cafe somewhere. I heard my name being called and turned to find irish clark kent and a buddy sharing a beer at the bar I was passing. I joined them for one and told them about my trek and next thing I know we are headed to the next bar for another and a few other expats join us. It’s midnight now and the cops come and shut everything down. We head to a local bar called toms where they pulled down the garage doors and make it look like the place is closed as we have a few more beers and dance for a while. Danny and Guido invite me to join them on a ride in the morning. They want to get out of town for some fresh air and their is a national park called Ba Vi about 1.5 hour away. I happily accept and we agree to meet up in the morning and head out.

Just finished a 30 km hike through and over the Sapa valley and mountains. I’m so exhausted I can’t even type a proper caption. My eyes can’t contain everything I’ve seen.. Tiered rice patties, buffalo, local tribes and their villages, waterfalls, bamboo forests, ate bananas freshly picked from the trees, slept in a homestay on the floor, drank their homemade rice wine, gave polaroid photos to families, woke up to misty mountains, climbed bottom to top a mountain so tall the peak was in the clouds. So stunning. My legs are jello. My heart is full.

things –

Vietnamese night market vs Taiwan night market :: Taiwan for the win.

Ate dinner in an alley sitting at children’s size plastic tables and chairs. The people around me were all locals. Not a foreigner in sight. Ice for my warm beer and opted for a veggie bbq plate where I cook my food in front of me and assemble my own spring rolls. The food was good and I couldn’t help but laugh at the continued re adjustment of how a quality establishment is defined.

My time in Ha long was good. The views where stunning but I didn’t realize I signed up for a tourist trap tour and had the company of a bunch of old German men and and a young German couple that were complaining the whole time and only speaking German to each other. The tour took us to places where we should buy things and I’m tired of seeing things that are cultivated towards tourists.
Maybe that’s as good as it gets here? I want to dig a bit deeper. I’m going to a smaller town on Tuesday next week and then down to hoi an (crossing my fingers for good weather) and will continue my way south from there. Everyone at the hostel I meet is just doing the happy hour/ booze beach party / pub crawl. I didn’t come all the way here to get shit faced. I am so irritated today. I woke up to horrible news in Paris and I’m concerned for those I haven’t heard from yet. I’m on my next bus group to “hike” Sapa and half of the bus is old Chinese tourists and I’m thinking I was mislead in my tour description again.

I haven’t slept well since arriving (oh hostel life!) and I may just splurge on a hotel in Hoi an or nha trang.
I am so glad I packed as light as I did and I’m also really glad I shipped my jeans/sweater/scarf home from Taiwan. I do not need them here.

I am so showing my age! Oh how I have adjusted my version of travel and priorities! I may rent a moto once I get outside of Hanoi. No more of this tourist shit. Ugh. I miss my real camera. I miss my lipstick. I miss my 15 lbs lighter body. I’m really done complaining now. I just needed to remove those things from my mind.

Vietnam –

So incredibly overwhelmed.

Maybe because I chose a hostel in the old quarter as my beginning point. Like all touristic traps it’s a cluster fuck of people / Tourists plus those catering to the tourists. Not at all a glimpse of what is the real version of the culture.

I dumped my stuff on my bunk and after greeting the gals in my room I decided to check out the city. The roads are packed with people, buses, motos motos motos motos motos. In reality I probably walked less than a quarter of a mile… And it took me almost an hour to do so. I was starving and still unsure how to maneuver through the chaos so I ducked in a small shop and ordered a banh mi sandwich. I munched and peeked out the door as I did, almost is if to see it transform into a rhythm that made sense or that all of a sudden it had calmed down. I walked again around the area and since the blocks all felt the same I decided to head back to the hostel to get a map. I saw a two story bar with a balcony on my way and abandoned the idea of walking around until I had daylight to assist me and proceeded to pop in to claim my quiet perch with a view and a promise of beer. My seat was everything I hoped for and I found I wasn’t the only one that had the idea. I made a joke and unashamedly announced i was hiding to the tall Irish guy that looked like Clark Kent. He passed no judgement as he smoked his cigarette and gave me a smile. An hour, a beer and long conversation later I say good bye and laughing to myself. I’ll see him in the morning as he’s offered to drive me around the city on his moto to see the sights.

I share another beer with other internationals staying at the hostel. I’m amazed at how many of them have been traveling for months and months (or years) on end. Some teaching English, some just living on daddy’s dime. As much as I have in common with their wanderlust I also don’t. I do desire home and the challenge of making it in life. Most of these kids are just floating. I wonder how long they can last this way. I say that in both admiration/envy and judgement. I desire more than their version of life.

I roll out of bed the next morning and grab my cameras (iPhone/Om-d/polaroid). I know I need to “just walk” and explore before I loose my edge and get overwhelmed again, and so I set out. The old quarter is quite large and it reminds me of the medinas in Morocco. Busy, chaotic and everyone wanting to make money off of you.

I see two local girls in a coffee shop and I pop over to attempt to order a coffee. it takes three people to figure out what I’m ordering and we all share smiles and awkward laughs in the process. I get an iced coffee and it is great. I take in the morning chaos and a new girl shows up and greats me in english with a “good morning and how are you?” before long I am answering questions that she is translating for the other girls, “how old am I, am I married/boyfriend? traveling alone? what do I do back in California? ” I think she only understands half of what I say but we are smiling and laughing all the while. I bring out my polaroid and offer to take a photo of them and they happily oblige. Their smiles are huge as the photo develops in their hand and they pass it all around inspecting it. She disapears in the back and returns with mangos and starts pealing them and offers the slices to me. We munch our mangos and I remember I have candies I brought from the US in my bag and I dig out them out and share them around. We.re all sitting around these tiny plastic chairs chatting watching as the road gets busier with the waking morning. I finally decide it’s time to move on and say good bye to my new friends and head out to rendezvous with Danny Boy and the next adventure – Hanoi by moto.

About half way through the day I sort of realize the stupidity of climbing on the back of this moto. Maybe it was the intersections of 100’s of motos trying to get through the same light from 4 different directions. Add in the pedestrians somehow walking through the myrad of vehicles without batting an eye. So many opportunities for injury. we made a few stops at the larger sights, took a coffee (OMG SO GOOD!) walked around a gorgeous lake, got lost, got lost some more, criss crossed and asked for directions from three different people
(all of which gave us the wrong direction and all different).. my ass was numb and aching as we finally found the big lake and starting making our way around the edge of it as it started to rain. It’s warm out an the rain and breeze is welcome. We find a place at stop for beer. He smokes his ciggies and we talk about his plans for staying two years in Hanoi/Vietnam. He’s just arrived (3 weeks in) and is as kind as pie. Im guessing he was raised catholic and has mentioned his family a lot. I know he’s young.. and I hope that my being older doesn’t make this awkward. I try not to mention things that reference my 20’s or mention my other lifetimes. Not that it matters, he is being friendly, but not pushy or hitting on me. but, it’s not like a guy jus offers to take a girl around just for funsys. There is always the unasked question in the air of “could there be more?” and of course only if there is chemistry. More than anything it’s about the camradery, and seeing each other as the same or equal — and being older brakes that spell.

We stop for bananas, we stop for pho bo, we stop for double dragons at the top of the lake. We start to make our way back and the sun is setting and rush hour is beginning. The roads are slick now and we see a few turned over motos as the traffic backs up. I stopped watching where we are going because I would just react to what I saw and it just added to the stress in sure he was already feeling. We try to find the old quarter and ended up in the largest intersection instead. Literally a couple hundred motos crossing all at once. I don’t think I stopped say “omgomgomgomgomg” the entire way through which felt like an eternity. I got back to my hostel and we both exhaustedly agreed to a beer later and I passed out on my bed for an hour. More hostel friendliness and I meet up and grab dinner and beers with Danny boy. I slipped up and he asked the question.. I laughed and tried to blow it off.. But there was no way. Even hearing the words come out of my mouth I realize that I no longer belong in this window/phase of life that I’m currently am in. Except that I am and I don’t know what to do with it but embrace it. He responds as I suspected he would.. Shocked and said ” I thought you were 24! Like, my age! I didn’t realize you were so old!!”. I wince and half joking saying “hey now ..” with a laugh trying to recover. He try’s to take it back and throws a couple different things like ” I mean THAT age”.. It’s ok. My ego or feelings are already bruised.

I laugh with the comedy of it but I feel the rejection/judgement of it none the less.

Japan – final days

I think my health app said I walked 18 miles that day? Jessica and I grabbed dinner at hot pot/ Shabu shabu place with the most amazing meat I’ve ever eaten. EVER.
Turns out our lives had similar catalysts over the past few years but with different outcomes. When you find someone who knows and understands your journey the comraduary and conversation is affirming and comforting. You feel less alone in your pain and journey. We talked a lot of this over the next few days.
We visited a couple of the local shrines that were lovely and found a vintage/second hand shop where I bought the most beautiful robe/kimono. We walked around Tokyo and saw the main sites that were left to be seen. I feel that I hardly scratched the surface of Tokyo. and Japan for that matter. I loved it so much and I desperately would like to return and continue to explore (specifically the mountains!). My last night there a friend of a friend was in contact with me and arranged for to meet up. Dad and daughter both japanese and so I grabbed dinner with them. Turns out he is a professionally marathon runner and has ran over 160 marathons all over the world. We talked a great deal about this as it has been on my thoughts a lot more lately. I really think 2016 is the year for this for me… We shall see.

Heda Ryokan

I’m having trouble finding the words that aptly express my time in this place. I was there for less than 24 hours. Although what I felt within one hour of arriving didn’t leave me until I stepped back off the train in Mushima.

5 hours of travel time to get there. The JR ticket girl did her best to explain to me how to get there and then asked me “why” I was going to this obscure little town. I was doubting my decision when I finally made it to the bus and we started this windy 50 minute trip through the mountains. It wasn’t until we reached the peak and all of a sudden mount fuji’s peak was staring me in the face I decided the bus ride was worth it. As we started our descent into the port of Heda I got my first glance at it’s tiny cove hugged by small weathered buildings and small fishing vessels speckling the seafoam green ( i never understood the true meaning of the name for this color until now) water. My car sent from the Ryokan was waiting for me and the driver asked simply “Sarah-san?” And motioned to the car with a head nod and turn.

The very short drive to the other side of the port gave me the full view of this little town. As we drove past the marina I saw the perfectly framed view of the peak and I knew I would come back for this photo.

I had arrived in time for sunset and my favorite time of day. Dinner was scheduled for 6pm and so I had two hours to explore and enjoy the perfect fall weather. I walked along the beach through the marina and was greeted by a few locals enjoying the lazy Sunday afternoon. A small boat full of men pulls in and they carry their day’s catch ashore. An old woman hanging her peeled persimmons to dry on the same line share by her laundry. Two older woman stopped talking mid sentence to watch me pass and I greeted them with a “Kernichiwa” and a smile and they giggled and replied in kind. I sat on the sea wall taking it all in as couples walked hand in hand past me to the lighthouse. I was giddy and couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face. “Pinch me” and photo sent to my gfs back home.

Complimentary whiskey and ocean view in the lobby with the most comfortable chairs I’ve ever sat in. I look around and almost everyone (maybe 20 people total) is i the summer kimono that I saw in my closet. I go to the bus boy who speaks great english and ask him if I’m supposed to wear it. “It is as you like” he says and I press him and ask him what is normal. “yes, it is normal to wear it” and I happily bounce back to my room to get dressed. I feel a little silly when i see myself in my mirror but I’m loving it too. I can’t help laugh at myself with each new encounter with a custom I’m unsure how to maneuver through and I knew dinner would be so as well. I was grateful for the private cubicles that each party was allotted because I’m sure watching me try to eat would have been pure comedy. I was laughing my whole way through it anyhow and despite almost everything being outside my comfort zone I ate pretty much everything of the 12 courses that were served. (Except the things with eyes or mouths, they got quietly set aside).

After dinner I retired to the lobby for another hour and then decided to try the onsen out. It was inevitable and as much as I dislike the idea of being naked with a group I didn’t want to miss out on a cultural experience. I got to the ladies room and found it empty. I wasn’t expecting this and after a few minutes of trying to figure the place out and the lack of signage I could understand I picked up the phone for the lobby asking if the onsen was even open.. Thinking i had come after hours. I had expecting a room full of woman and when i found it empty i was relieved for the sake of privacy.. But then i realized i didn’t know what to do based on expecting to watch and copy others. The lobby sent a woman from the front desk to my embarrassed rescue as we determined to how and what do in the onsen. Again i laughed to myself at how they must be amused at this lost american.

I wake up to the sound of heavy rain out my window and my view confirms it. I dress and go back to the lobby for wifi and those cozy chairs to have a cup of coffee with my view. There is something so comforting about this moment. I really can’t find the words. It was peaceful. A sweet text from my dear momma d pushed me over the edge and happy tears fell down my cheeks.

My 7 course traditional breakfast is served in the same fashion as dinner was and while it was fun to sample all these things I found it too salty for a breakfast. I massacred the fried fish trying to debone it and then realized there was a simple trick to slipping the meat off. ::sigh::

I packed, said good by to my yakata and hopped the bus+train back to Yokusuka. It was rainy and cloudy so there were no views of the Fuji peak today. I again am grateful I had the fore thought to arrive early in the day before so I had that view during the daylight. More than grateful, it would have changed everything.

Taiwan –

I realize my back pack is just so insanely heavy I cant stand it. The good news is I’ve arrived to a warmer climate and I’m shedding more of my gifts in my bag. I’m going to try to ship my heavy stuff/sweater/jeans home and lighten my load as much as possible.

Taiwan is busy, a little dirtier (compared to Japan), and things seem a little less organized as well. I’m so glad I am here with Marissa and gladly hand over the “figuring it out” to her and just follow. I’m glad for the reprieve as I know Vietnam will be 3xs this. We grab dinner in Taipei and then finish the trek to Don Shuei where she is living and studying mandarin. The first thing I notice is the motos. They are everywhere. They second is how everyone is sharing the road… barely. Pedestrians, big trucks, buses and tons of motos everywhere. We walk through a little farming area and down her dark street and I wonder to myself what my rocklin/ suburb female friends would the raw visual aesthetics of this neighborhood and I am grateful that this too, (the neighborhood) is normal in the world.

In the morning we rent bikes and I am hit full on by the humidity and heat. We ride along the river and stop for some beef noodle soup which is both great and slightly scary based on the look of the place but was so so good. We sit and drink boba tea and catch up. This is my family. This is my dear friend. Oh how much I love that I have a heart such as hers even on this side of the world and I am so grateful for the paths my life is has intersected with and I feel fortunate to be able to lay claim to.
I have a work skype call so we wander back to the house and find a local coffee shop that she had heard of. By all my standards I am surprised and delighted to find excellent coffee/cappuccino here and the owner is so kind as well. My skype call is with a sweet couple in Dublin (although getting married in CA) we laugh at the ability of connection regardless of location. Afterwards we head to get more delicious food for dinner and then have our hair washed and styled at a local salon. I feel pampered in this moment and wonder why I never do this at home. I meet a lot of her friends and they are having an open mic night so we join in a bit. Someone has a banjoukelele and I am giddy. I really must buy one to play while in Vietnam. (I hope I can locate one… I am so close to being able to play a particular song…)