For years, I’ve been putting off going to Japan because I was afraid of how expensive it was going to be. The rumors I’d heard about the country’s high prices made me hesitant to go there. I have always loved Japanese culture and I knew any visit would involve gorging on sushi and ramen noodles, visits to lots of temples, and heavy train travel through the countryside. And the thought of how much that would cost made me constantly think, “I’ll wait [...]

There always seems to be a negative attitude among independent travelers about going on group tours. Many view tours as inauthentic travel, while others see nothing wrong with them. Personally, I like tours and am in the “group tours are fine” camp. My first trip overseas was on a tour to Costa Rica. There are some places in the world where you do have to go on a tour because it’s simply too hard or too complicated to go on [...]

Last month, I toured Japan for three weeks with G Adventures. As you know, I was very excited. I had high expectations for a country that I had for years dreamed about seeing. And, when you have high expectations, you can be easily disappointed. But Japan didn’t disappoint — it exceeded my expectations. I loved Japan. Loved it beyond anything I expected. The food, the people, the architecture, the culture- it was bliss. Just how much did I love it? [...]

I’ve dreamed of Kyoto and its thousands of temples for as long as I’ve dreamed of Japan. I love Japanese architecture and zen gardens. One day, when I own a home, my backyard will be designed as a Japanese zen garden, complete with pond, koi fish, rock garden, and little waterfall. On my recent visit to Japan with G Adventures, Kyoto was the only place I wanted to see as much as Tokyo. Though it rained (sometimes heavily) during my [...]

I can still remember the first time I heard about Thailand. I was around 15 and watching Hard Copy. It was one of those late afternoon “news” shows in the 1990s that focused on “hard” hitting journalism but were really a precursor to sites like TMZ. Hard Copy was doing an exposé on sex tourism in Thailand. The program showcased the Marines and old men who came to Thailand to buy the services of young, sometimes under-age girls (and boys). [...]

I’m currently in Japan on a G Adventures tour and I am loving every minute of it. Japan has far exceeded my expectations, though I am definitely not eating enough sushi. In 4 days, I’ve only had it twice. For someone so addicted to sushi, that just feels so wrong. I’ll be rectifying that soon enough though (tomorrow for lunch). Japan is a country with a fascinating culture and history so I thought I would share some of the interesting [...]

Next week, I’m going to Japan. It’s my first real visit there. I say “real visit” because back in 2004, on my way home from Thailand, my friend and I stopped in Tokyo for a long layover. After arriving at 6 a.m., we left the airport, saw the imperial palace, realized Tokyo in January is a lot colder than Thailand in January and camped out in a Starbucks until the sushi restaurants opened for lunch. After eating a luxurious sushi [...]

I know Monday’s post was a bit of a debbie downer but don’t worry, I am not done writing about travel – just being a permanent nomad. So in a complete 180 from Monday’s post, let’s talk about travel and my love of good Thai food. When I returned to Thailand a few weeks ago from being in Cambodia, I went on an eating binge. Cambodia, as much as I love it, doesn’t have a lot of great food. It’s [...]

Last week, I took my own advice about not wasting time and spent my last few days in Cambodia on Bamboo Island. I’m glad I did — it turned out to be the highlight of my trip and was my first glimpse into Khmer (Cambodian) culture. Bamboo Island is an hour off the coast, near the town of Sihanoukville (where I’ve been the last month). It’s a small island that you can cross in 10 minutes and has only two [...]

I didn’t make it to Angkor Wat this trip but I was there in 2007. I had hoped to go back – not because the ruins are different, or because I wanted to deal with the larger crowds. No, I just wanted to take pictures with a better camera. But since I didn’t get do that, I still wanted to show you the wonders and beauty that is Angkor Wat. Luckily, photos of it are timeless, even if the lenses [...]