Tokyo for New Years

I lived in Japan a few years back and consider Tokyo to be a home base of sorts.  My father and stepmom have an apartment  in the outskirts of the city, so I find myself doing extended layovers here on most of my adventures to Asia.  This time I met up with my dear friend Lauren, who had never been to the city before.  We had a lot of fun visiting some of my favorite places in the city and checking out her list of recommendations from friends.  

Tokyo on a clear day, if you are lucky you will be able to see Mount Fuji.  Unfortunately, this view from the Mori museum room is facing Tokyo Tower and not the direction of Fuji.  It wouldn't matter though, it was too overcast to see Fuji on that day.

On this trip, I was obsessed with finding old school Japanese snack shops, which led us on a treasure hunt through the side streets of Tokyo.  This place is called Takemura and it has been around since the 1930s, they specialize in ice cream sweets like the anmitsu pictured above.  Super yummy!

Sake is my favorite drink in Japan.  Their whiskey is good and so is the Chu-hi, but on a cold winter day there is nothing I'd prefer than a bottle of hot sake.

Sake is my favorite drink in Japan.  Their whiskey is good and so is the Chu-hi, but on a cold winter day there is nothing I'd prefer than a bottle of hot sake.

New Year's Day, we visited a local shrine to get our blessings and pick out our fortunes.  If you hate your fortune you can fold it up and tie it a tree then try again.  Luckily, I got a great fortune!

New Year's Day, we visited a local shrine to get our blessings and pick out our fortunes.  If you hate your fortune you can fold it up and tie it a tree then try again.  Luckily, I got a great fortune!

Lauren wanted to visit the Robot Restaurant, which I was unfamiliar with, but I'm so glad we went.  It was an epic event of color, light, lasers, dancing girls and of course Robots.  

Lauren wanted to visit the Robot Restaurant, which I was unfamiliar with, but I'm so glad we went.  It was an epic event of color, light, lasers, dancing girls and of course Robots.  

My favorite thing in Japan, besides the toys and the food, and the overall cuteness of everything, are the amazing metro signs that are changed monthly....the danger is palpable in some of these examples!

Happy New Year Tokyo.  We spent our New Years eve at an expat party with embassy and military folks.  The theme was Carnival and they gave everyone masks to wear.

One night in Bangkok (well it was actually two)

Before heading to Myanmar and later Tokyo, my mother and I met up in Bangkok for a night on either end of our trip.  We've both spent many nights in this city over the years, but it's been almost a decade since we were here together.  Bangkok is one of the best places to dive into Asian culture, it is crazy busy, a little intense, and very different from anything in the US.  Our first night in Bangkok we stayed in Chinatown at the Shanghai Mansion, a neighborhood that I had not visited before, but I'm so happy we went.  The streets were alive until the early hours of the morning, the food was delicious, and because it was so busy it felt safe to wander around alone at night while I worked off my jet-lag.  On our trip back from Myanmar we spent the night at the Shangri-la, in a neighborhood filled with expats and embassies.  It was a quieter night in Bangkok but after our adventures in Myanmar it was much needed.

The lobby of the Shanghai Mansion Hotel in Bangkok's Chinatown, was so much fun.  The faux colonial hotel reminded me of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion of Penang.  

Anyone want a bottle of fresh pomegranate juice?

I have a special love for the street markets in Asia.  There is something amazing about piles of dried fish in a dark shop, somewhere off the main road.

Sunset on the Chao Phraya river as seen from my hotel balcony.  Sometimes the quiet nights in Bangkok are the best ones.

The road to Mandalay and the rest of Myanmar

I inherited my adventurous spirit and insatiable curiosity from my mother.  The fact that she's in her seventies, hasn't stopped her from visiting the places that spark her interest.  Which is how we found ourselves touring the sights of Myanmar over the 2015 Christmas holidays.   Our trip was way too short, only 10 days long, I think we both fell in love with the people we met and the stories we heard,  and have no choice but to go back.

Places visited: Yangon, Bago, Twante, Bagan and Mandalay

Must sees: Shwedagon Paya at dusk, Bagan from a hot air balloon at sunrise, The Mustache Brothers show in Mandalay, afternoon tea at any of the local teahouses, and a day trip to the pottery village of Twante without a guide (the fun is negotiating directions with the locals).

Every morning in most cities, towns, and villages a steady stream of nuns and monks can be seen collecting their daily alms (food) from the townspeople. 

Most meals in Myanmar begin with this snack tray.  In it there are nuts, legumes, and fermented tea leaves...I like to mix them together to make a sort of chex mix salad. One of the things I miss most about Myanmar are the salads.  The curries they served were mild but greasy.  The salads were a mixture of greens (mostly shredded green papaya) nuts, and other herbs.  

A random travel book, from a travel book shop led me to this store in Yangon.  To find it, our guide took us through back alleys and a maze of tiny shop owners, until we found this family run store that specializes in textiles from the indigenous tribes.  Both my mother and I went nuts buying scarves and purses and jewelry.  Some of my most favorite accessories have come from tiny, stores and markets found in back alleys of a developing country in the middle of nowhere.

The hustle near the U-bein bridge is real and most of the folks I met had enough hyphenates to put any LA ingenue to shame.  I spent quite a bit of time talking to a boat taxi driver-baker-farmer-coffeeshop owner.  Everyday he wakes up at dawn to tend to his fields and crops.  His wife take the produce to market to sell, while he bakes the bread and opens his small coffee shop, when his wife comes back from the market she takes over the coffee shop, while he takes his boat out to the famous teak bridge, with the hopes of getting hired by tourists to paddle them across the lake.  After a few hours, he returns to the shop to work for a few more hours before returning to the bridge close to sunset with the hopes of getting hired again by tourists, at sunset he can charge a little more money for the ride.  

Potters in their workshop in the village of Twante.  

Intricately folded paper offerings for sale at the temple.  They will be burned as a blessing and gifts for the deceased..

Intricately folded paper offerings for sale at the temple.  They will be burned as a blessing and gifts for the deceased..

In Bagan, we visited a monastic school to deliver school supplies to the children.  This is a group of 6 year olds learning their numbers and beginning arithmetic at that school.  We also visited a local volunteer library, where we donated a bunch of children's books.  The librarian was the most incredible woman, she not only set up a library and reading program for the local children (all donation based) but in order to make money she also teaches English classes to locals and cooking classes to tourists that she meets at the nearby hostels. 

The best view of Bagan is from a hot air balloon at sunrise.  It's fun to watch the town awaken, the shepherds leading their sheep and cows to the pasture, the monks and nuns in search of alms, and the farmers tending to their crops.  It's a quiet morning, as there are very few motorized vehicles at that hour.

I found this girl near the teak temple in Mandalay, the markings on her face are the remnants of thanaka root which is fashionable in Myanmar.  The root supposedly acts as a sunblock, moisturizer, and stops aging.  I put it on the back of one of my hands for a portion of the trip, and I agree it definitely lives up to the hype.  My one hand was felt smooth like it had sat in a paraffin bath for a month.

Farmers sowing seeds along the banks for the Irwaddy river outside of Yangon.

The Shwedagon Paya at sunset is a site to behold.  There are few photos that can even begin to do it justice.  The giant golden pagoda reflects light everywhere, it's a beacon that can be seen from miles away around the city of Yangon.

Monkey Dancing in Guatemala

Thanksgiving in Guatemala?  Yes, I think that's a brilliant idea!  So Ilir, Stef and I packed our bags and hot-footed it out of town for a grand adventure in Guatemala. In Antigua, we roasted marshmallows on an active volcano for our Thanksgiving feast, which doesn't sound filling, but afterwards we treated ourselves to the most delicious ice cream before running off to meet up with our new friends at the Whiskey Den...when you are on vacation, who dares to judge?  In Tikal, we watched the sunrise from the top of an ancient ruin, surrounded by the rain forest canopy and sounds of howler monkeys in the jungle below.  At Lake Atitlan we hired a boat to take us across the lake so we could visit some of the local towns and hunt down gorgeous textiles.  And in Guatemala City our gypsy cab dodged chicken busses to get us to the airport in time for our flight back home.  It's always an adventure when you travel with Ilir, Stef and I were just along for the ride.

Places visited: Guatemala City, Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Tikal

Antigua was my favorite town in Guatemala.  The cobblestone streets, the ex-pat scene, the colonial hotels and restaurants, I could easily spend a few months hiding out in this little town and working on Spanish.

Chicken buses are everywhere in Guatemala, they are actually the main mode of transportation.  I love how bad-ass some of them look, like the by product of a one night stand between a semi and a school bus.

Ice Cream was one of our favorite parts of Antigua.  Although, we loved that tiny hole in the wall place called Sobremesa, I couldn't help but photograph this cute little cart. 

A few from the dock of Lake Atitlan.

In Lake Atitlan we found a women's coop that made the loveliest textiles.  

Sunrise from on top of a temple ruin.  In the distance you can see a few of the other temples begin to take shape above the cloud line.  The sound of the waking howler monkeys made us feel as if we were in Jurassic Park.

A view of one of the Tikal temples in daylight.  The advantage of arriving in the park at sunrise is that the area is practically empty for the first few hours of daylight, so it's easy to imagine what it was like hundreds of years ago.