thehostelwitness

Stewart Island Photoset

Stewart Island is perhaps the most idyllic sea-side community I had the fortune of traveling through in my journeys. And by idyllic, I mean small and quaint. Your grandparents would love it there. Except when its raining.

Stewart Island/Rakiura track photoset

Brisbane Photoset

Pretty much all post-card shots of the city, I remember not really feeling up to taking pictures. The Seahawks had just been crushed by the Packers in the playoffs, making my 21 hour bus ride to the city to catch the game pretty much ridiculous.

Still, the city grew on me and eventually I found some really cool places to visit - sans camera, naturalich.

Brisbane Photoset

Falling in love again with Seattle

God, summer in Seattle. Ocean-blue skies, mid-80s temps, and smiles on the face of everyone you walk by. Has it really been 2 years?

These past two weeks back "home" have been amazing, book-ended with a fireworks fourth of July and a great backpacking trip to Stafford Creek. In between, reunions, drinks, and hugs. It does take some adjustment, of course - visiting parents is quite a different experience than trying to find a clean bunk in a new town - but in a lot of ways, its been the same. I'm not working, I'm trying to re-familiarize myself with everything, and I have to master the public transportation system. Walking through Seattle my first week, I was so confused with all of the new building projects that have gone up, I even became lost!

Whats been the most fulfilling part about returning has been all the interest that my past years' travels have generated among my family and friends. They have really become part of this trip and I find myself sharing stories that they've already read about through this blog. The biggest change has been before, when friends inquire as to future plans its always, "so do you have any plans?" or "what are you doing this summer?". Now, the question is, "so what's next?" or "how long are you going to stick around?". The sense of support I've received from everyone has been nothing short of astounding.

Even better has been seeing a brave couple of friends take the same plunge into their own travel adventures and trading stories with them. Jenn Tesch, my friend from NYC (who I met up with in New Zealand), has wrapped up a two month Europe trip and flies into South America in just a couple of days. Cynthia, a fellow traveller from Colorado, took the plunge and started traveling solo and has had some great adventures come of it. Her blog is here.

My plans have always been to return to Seattle and hopefully, stave off work for a couple more months and do something I've always wanted to do - enjoy this town during the best season of the year. Watching the 4th of July fireworks over a rain-free sky in Seattle was a great way to kick start it. I've got some great things planned and hope to keep this space updated with those tales as they come, at least until the travels start again. Hopefully soon.

In the meantime, some local pics from the Stafford Creek Trail, located in Cle Elum, WA. John, Jayson, and Jessica were all able to clear some time to setup what became my first backpacking trip of the summer.

Stafford Creek Photoset

Photos from ZotsandBoo.com

Tokyo photoset

There's no other city - in my humble opinion - that looks better photographed in black and white than Tokyo. That, and it was gray skies pretty much the whole time, but you get what you get.



Tokyo Photoset

Vietnam Photoset

I have to say, hands down, that Vietnam is the most photogenic country I have ever visited. The views were just spectacular and heart stopping. Its worth the hassle to visit, people!

Vietnam Photoset

Sushi breakfast in Tokyo

It never quite gets dark in Tokyo. Even after a 40 minute subway ride, the sky is still full-moon bright, the light seeming to always be rising low in the distance, as if to hint that dawn is just a few minutes away. Its 10pm.

I was born in Okinawa and later lived not too far away from where I am now - Japan is the place where my journey started and so it seemed an appropriate place to wrap up this particular trip. I don't remember much about Japan, other than whats in pictures. I can tell you that I lived here twice, first at Okinawa AFB and then after a trip stateside, returned to Yakota on the main island. My dad taught me the game of baseball in Japan, but instead of growing up rooting for the Mariners or the Dodgers, my team was the Seibu Lions. I was told that I grew up bilingual - for a six year old - and spoke Japanese when I moved to Washington, but without classmates who spoke it, I quickly forgot it all. I remember that the department stores had amusement parks on top of the roofs and I remember seeing Mt. Fuji in the distance as I sat by the window in a train.

That's about it. So when I saw that a flight back to Seattle from Vietnam would take me through Tokyo, I decided to extend the layover to a few days so I could get reaquainted with my birth country.

The hotel I had booked was located in the Ueno district, northeast of the city center. My room is fantastic - a traditional Japanese guest room, with one very small TV, 3 Tatami mats, and a folded up futon in the corner. When its time for bed, the futon takes up the entire length of the room. I love it.

With only 2 full days of the city to see, there isn't much of an itinerary beyond trying to fit in as much of this city as I possibly can. I visited Shibuya Crossing, the Times Square of Tokyo, home to the famous video walls and the world's busiest intersection. I strolled through Ueno park, home to Tokyo's great museums. Asakusa was another great sight, with tons of market vendors and designer clothings hawking their wares, right up to the steps of the famous Senso-ji Temple.

On the second day, I headed down to the fish market for a sushi breakfast. Really, you can't get much fresher than a sushi breakfast in the Tokyo fish market. I found a little cafe and proved true the idiom, that the sushi really does taste better here. Not to mention the rice, the noodles, the tempura, etc. I found it funny that one sushi place would be nearly empty, while right next door the line snaked out the door. The fish all came from the same place, right across the road!

Afterwards, I spent my day wandering through the Roppongi district, headed over to the Imperial Palace for pictures, then to Harajuku to gawk at the shoppers. Finally, at nightfall, I headed over to the Tokyo Dome to catch a baseball game. On tonight's slate, a cross town rivalry between the Yomuiri Giants and the Yakult Swallows.

I was so excited to see this game - I've always been impressed by the passion of Japanese fans with their chants, flags, and drums and this game didn't dissapoint. Even the pro shop was fun - you could get a customized jersey right there and had I the Yen, I would have bought one for Dave, just to see him wear the #0 "Martin Swallows" jersey. Alas.

Japanese baseball isn't too different from American, but there is one major way in which the former stands out from the latter. No, its not the durability of pitchers, coaching styles of managers, or even length of the season (though these are important). Its this:

There were hundreds of beer vendors like this - all cute girls dressed in uniforms matching the beer they were selling. Its because of these girls, as well as the game and the fans, that the game passed in a blur, with me sitting with a dumb grin on my face.
 

Kind of like my time here in Tokyo.