Kuala Lumpur

I left Indonesia at just the right time as earthquakes started shaking Lombok and parts of Bali. I landed in Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital of Malaysia, with its contrasting modern skyline, colonial buildings, mosques, and temples. 

Malaysians love both shopping and eating, but before I got to any if that, I strolled through the many parks and made a stop at the KL Bird Park with its impressive hornbill collection.

Malaysia is a multicultural peninsula influenced by Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures. This is certainly evident in its amazing array of culinary offerings. Street food and hawker's stalls are everywhere and shouldn't be missed! 

As if I didn't eat enough chili crab, stingray, oyster omelette, frog legs, etc. I'm headed to George Town, Malaysia's food capital! 

From Lombok to Flores

After a few days relaxing in Senggigi, I joined Perama Tour's Hunting Komodo by Camera trip from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, Flores, Indonesia. After visiting a few villages on Lombok, we boarded a 95 ft Phinisi style boat for our two night adventure.

The boat was comfortable, while certainly not fancy. Next time I would opt for something air conditioning, so I could get a little sleep. The on board cook provided simple, but delicious Indonesian fare. I was one of only three native english-speakers on the boat, so I listened to a lot of german and indonesian for the three days.

The trip stopped at Satonda Island for hiking and snorkeling, Kilo Beach for roasted corn and sunset, and the Pink Beach with its pink colored sand before reaching Komodo Island. 

Komodo National Park is the home of the rare Komodo Dragon. The park includes three major islands, Komodo, Rinca, and Padar, and numerous smaller islands. At least, 2,500 komodos live in the area and can grow to 10 ft weighing up to 150 lbs. There bite is considered venomous. This was the closest thing I've found to visiting Jurassic Park.

Finally, we arrived in Labuan Bajo where i spent a few days laying in the A/C and enjoying the surprisingly good italian fare.

Its time to bid farewell to Indonesia for now as I head to Malaysia. 

Senggigi, Lombok

After bidding adieu to Skylar, I took a 15 minute speedboat to the main island of Lombok, Indonesia and was transferred to Senggigi for a few days of R&R before boarding a three day cruise to the Komodo islands. Activities included eating, drinking beer, pedicures, sunsets, and netflix by the beach.

Next up is fighting the dragons! 

Gili Islands, Lombok

The Gili Islands are an archipelago of three islands located off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia. After a two hour fast boat ride through the rough waters off the coast of Bali, we landed on Gili Trawangan (Gili T), the largest of the three. Gili T is a tourist destination known for great diving/snorkeling, no motorized traffic (horse and buggy), and beautiful sunsets.  

After a day of biking to beaches and bars, we decided to do a snorkeling trip to hopefully spot some turtles. We were pleasantly surprised to find that turtles are plentiful and very approachable! 

After two fun filled weeks with Skylar, it was time to say goodbye to him and head back on the road solo.

Ubud, Bali

Ubud, Bali is located in the jungle uplands of Bali. Think Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love...

Ubud is known for terraced rice fields, monkey forests, Hindu temples, and Anthony Bourdain's favorite suckling pig.

Bali is amazing, but time to leave the traffic behind for isla d paradise of Gili Trawangan.

Seminyak, Bali

After a four hour flight from Bangkok, I ended up south of the equator in Bali, Indonesia and headed straight to Seminyak Beach. Skylar met me for beaching, boogy boarding, and fun in the sun.

We also toured some of the southern island's more popular tourist spots like Padang Padang Beach and famous Hindu temples.

While we did attend a surf school, there is fortunately no evidence to show...we'll stick to hanging out at beach clubs!

After relaxing for a week, we're headed to Ubud in 'Eat, Pray, Love'-style. 

Chiang Rai

Chiang Rai is a city in northern Thailand near the Myanmar and Laos boarders and currently known for the twelve footballers and coach found deep in a flooded cave. Not a very touristy town, Chiang Rai is home to the White Temple and Black House as well as my favorite thai dish, khao soi. 

Khao soi is a delicious spicy noodle soup with pork or chicken common to Northern Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. 

After almost a full month in Thailand, I'm headed southeast to Bali for some beach time and, hopefully, drier weather

Pai

Pai is a town located four hours north of Chiang Mai on the Pai river. It has become and enclave for hippies and backpackers. There isn't anything particularly culturally rich about Pai, so the thing to do is to break out your best tank top and man bun and rent a motorbike and visit the jungle, hot springs, and waterfalls. Remember to drive on the left and watch out for elephants on the road!

Make sure you take plenty of bug spray on the 5 hour hike to Mae Yen Waterfall...its very bugy! 

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand located in the mountainous northern region. It was founded in 1296 as the capital of the independent Lana Kingdom until 1558. Arriving here was a welcome change from the bustling metropolis; Bangkok. Must do activites include sampling Northern Thai cusine, hiking to waterfalls, Thai cooking class, and visiting elephants (No riding!).

And when you miss you mother and chicken wings, you can find a nice Thai lady to bring you some...

Off to Pai!

Bangkok and Ayutthaya

Well, after three and a half weeks traveling Japan, China, and Hong Kong with friends, I finally landed in Bangkok by myself. It was a strange feeling being alone for the first time in a while, so I decided some street food would ease my concerns. Staying in the Silom neighborhood, I headed just a few blocks north to the Patpong Night Market for some pad thai and beer.

The next morning I started walking for a sweltering tour of the Grand Palace, Wat Phra, Khao San Road, and Chinatown. 

To take a little break from another big city, I decided to take a train an hour and a half to Ayutthaya, the capital of the Kingdom of Siam from 1350 to 1767. The old city sits on an 'island' surrounded by three rivers and contains ruins of palaces, Buddhist temples, monistaries, and statues along with delicious river prawns and softshell crabs.

After a few relaxing nights, I headed back to Bangkok to regroup and start planning my next few adventures in Northern Thailand. Activities included shopping at the mall, a movie or two, rooftop pool, and, of course, great food. I got a great taste of Royal Thai cuisine at the Blue Elephant! I would recommend it as a great intro to Thailand. 

My final full day in Bangkok, I took a tour out of the city to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. It's a pretty touristy trip, but I did enjoy the fast boat ride through the canals.

I'm excited to head north to Chiang Mai!

Hong Kong

It was finally time for us to leave China and head to Hong Kong, which was a quick flight from Guilin.  Unfortunately it's typhoon season, and the forecast showed rain for the 4 days we had there. The one thing the rain cannot ruin is dim sum! Chicken feet, ribs, and steamed buns...oh my!

We were also able to catch a break in the storm to take the trolley up to Victoria Peak for a view of the scrapper-line city. 

We also managed another three Michelin starred lunch at Bo Innovation...a truly amazing experience! 

Our final day in Hong Kong was sunny, so we were able to take the cable car up to the giant Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island. 

It's time to say goodbye to Max and start 'flying solo'...next stop: Bangkok! 

Guilin

Guilin is a city in southern China located on the Li River with breathtaking views of its karst hills. We traveled to Guilin to partake in a Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo. While we did get some rain, the peaks did not disappoint.

The mountains also boast many large caves. The Reed Flute Cave is a more popular one.

Guilin is also know for roast goose, and Chun Ji Roast Goose Restaurant prepares some of the best around...I'll take credit as being a distant relative of the Chun Ji family!

TRAVEL TIP: Don't let your taxi driver take credit for a tourist attraction you are already going to, and if he only knows 'hello' in English, walk away quickly!

Shanghai

Our first domestic flight in China took us to Shanghai, China's biggest city and financial hub. Upon arrival we found Taikang Dumpling for the soup dumplings I have heard so much about. They did not disappoint!

The next morning we took a stroll along the Bund for a look at the Shanghai Tower, the second tallest building in the world. 

Then we headed to T'ang Court at The Langham Hotel for a three Michelin star lunch. From the roast goose and flaming lobster to the bird's nest soup, it was everything we'd hoped!

It was a quick trip to Shanghai, so I'll definitely be back! Off to Guilin.

Xi'an

Xi'an is appoximstely 5.5 hours from Beijing via bullet train. The city has over 3,000 years of history including 1,100 years as the capital city of ancient dynasties and the eastern terminal point of the silk road. 

We arrived on May 30th, checked into the dated but well located Grand Noble Hotel, and set out for Three Sisters Dumplings. Another hole in the wall find, they offer several types of dumplings along with countless other dishes. 

We strolled home through the busy nightlife, but turned in early for the 7:30am pickup for our China Highlights Terracotta Army tour. 

The Terracotta Army, also known as the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, is an underground collection of thousands of lifesize sculptures produced to guard the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210 BCE).

We had a fantastic lunch including middle eastern influenced dishes, which is due to Xi'an's connection to the middle east via the Silk Road. The day ended up with a relaxing bike ride along the ancient city wall.

On to Shanghia! 

Beijing

I arrived in Beijing on the afternoon of May 27th. Other than sheer size, the first extremes you notice as you enter the city proper are the heat, smog, and traffic. Max met me at the Novotel Peace Hotel in the city center a few hours later, and we were ready for our first tastes of China. Max's chinese grad school friend, Felix, picked us up and took us to Dadong Roast Duck Restaraunt, famous for Peking duck among other delicious dishes including Kung Pao Chicken (the real stuff!), spareribs, eggplant, soup, etc.

Both exhausted, we passed out as soon as we returned to the hotel because we had to wake up early for a trip to the Great Wall. Our China Highlights tour picked us up promptly at 7am and transported us to Simatai West portion of the wall where we snaked along the mountain ridges through crumbling watchtowers to Jinshanling. Our fabulous hike ended with a delicious lunch, which included Kung Pao chicken...I sensed a theme and was perfectly ok with it. 

Exhausted that evening, we napped too long and woke up at 10pm with room service as our only real dinner option...a poor decision.

The next day was dedicated to sights in Beijing including visits to the Forbiden City and Tiananmen Square with about a million of our closest asian friends...

Since we had to eat duck one last time, we found Liqun Roast Duck, a hole in the wall restaurant offering amazing duck meals with sides including duck livers, spicy shredded duck wing, and a few vegies. This place is a must!

With bellies full of duck, we took it easy on dinner and when to the National Center for Performing Arts fir a backstage tour with Max's friend Felix...its such a cool building!

Next stop - Xi'an for dumplings and terracotta soldiers!

Kanazawa and Toyama

We left Kyoto and headed for the Sea of Japan. First stop was Kanazawa, which boast some of the best seafood on the world. Omicho Market has some of the biggest and most delicious oysters I've ever had among other delicacies. 

We strolled they Edo-era samurai streets and houses and eventually ended up at the Orient Brewery for a traditional snack of microbrews and bacon. 

Toyama is a 30 minute train ride from Kanazawa and is a smaller coastal town with views of the snow-capped Tateyama mountains. It is much more low key than our other stops and gave us an opportunity for much needed Udon noodles, karaoke, and a soak in the Onsen bath! 

See you in China!

Kyoto

Kyoto, the once capital of Japan, is famous for temples and shrines, beautify gardens, and unique Japanese traditions. After an early night on Monday, May 21st, we woke up hungry and in search of a traditional Japanese breakfast. Lucky, we stumbled bumbled upon Kishin Kitchen.

With full bellies, we set off in search of temples, which you can't help but fall smack into everywhere in Kyoto. The hard part is picking which ones to see. 

After miles of walking through temples, it was time to sample some street food and matcha-made products.

The following day was rainy, which was unfortunate because we had planned a few side trips outside of Kyoto. The first was to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest.

A stop of Arashiyama would not be complete without visiting the Arashiyama Monkey Park to feed the wild Macaque monkeys. 

We then proceeded to Nara, another old capital of Japan, to feed the free roaming deer among the many temples.

Back in waterlogged Kyoto, we finished out trip with at raditional Kyoto kaiseki dinner at Gion Manzara.

Headed up to sample the amazing seafood on the sea of Japan next!

Hakone

Hakone is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and is located ~100 km or 30 minutes outside of Tokyo via Shinkansen. Its famous for its hot springs, lush forests, and views of Mt. Fuji across Lake Ashinoko. We stayed at the Hakone Hotel, which is dated but offered an amazing view from the room.

After a winding bus trip up in the mountains, we found the Tenzan Tohji-kyo onsen. An onsen is a traditional Japanese hot spring and the bathing facilities and inns surrounding them. Its a very different and naked experience...for obvious reasons, no photos are allowed. You can learn more at OnsenJapan.Net.

I'll spare you the details of dinner since every restaurant in the entire tourist town seemed closed by 7 on a Sunday, but we were forced to order a room service meal of "mixed pizza", "spaghetti of the day", and "fries"...

The following day included a workout, pirate ship tour of the lake, and a much needed meal of delicious ramen and udon.

Next stop...Kyoto.

Tokyo

We arrived in Tokyo on Thursday, May 17, took the Narita Express into the city, and settled into the Hotel Gracery Shinjuku. We then met up with my friend Young and his (very) soon to be wife, Yuka, for an amazing sushi dinner at Shimon in Ginza. 

The next day was filled with crazy Tokyo tourist musts including cotton candy larger than your head in Harajuku, the Kawaii Moster Cafe, the Vampire Cafe, a cat cafe, and the Robot Restaurant.

The Robot Restaurant is a must!

Saturday, May 19 was wedding day at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, and Christina and I dressed in our best for the wedding and to sing A Whole New World for the bride and groom at the reception. 

Finally, we wrapped up Tokyo with a great breakfast of savory and sweet souffle pancakes at A Happy Pancake before heading to Hakone. 

We'll be back on Saturday, Tokyo!

The time has come...

Well, the time has finally come! I've left my job, sold most of my earthly possessions, closed my last musical, said difficult farewells, and packed my life into a backpack.  First stop - Tokyo for the wedding of one of my best college friends with the best friend a guy could ask for...the incomparable Christina Jane!