Noodle soup - Need I say more?

Almost there - aka No Godzilla!

I am sitting in Narita International Airport, totally unable to upload any of my photos from Japan today as the internet devices here (100 yen / 10 mins) have no USB ports. There is a gold card lounge, but I will not be taking advantage of their services nor pricing.

The flights went smooth as silk, but now I have Malaysian Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur to stress over, lol. Slept for the first half and had a little cat nap in the second half. Am now well transitioned to the time differential between here and home. Reversing this on the way back and jet lag will be all but non-existant, I am sure.

Went out tonight into Narita to a noodle house and had a ramen soup with tempura shrimp, seaweed and smoked daikon radish (some spinach in there too). It was SOOOOO awesome! Certainly better than what we call ramen soups back home. :)

But, to my great dismay, counter to all evidence I've seen my whole life, there was no appearance by Godzilla. Oh, but there is a typoon on the way, as I found out on the place - makes landfall sometime tomorrow. I think my flight in was at the good time; between a volcano erupting and a typhoon coming ashore.

Still ... Godzilla would have been awesome to see :p More from KL, including photos ... off to check in through customs and await the last leg of this flight. And then there is only like 10 more flights to worry about in the coming two weeks :p Ciao!

And here it is at last...

Sleep cycle fucked up, mind's all abuzz and scant hours away from starting the two day voyage over the Pacific to Japan and points thereafter; Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia. Everything is pretty much packed and ready to go, last minute additions notwithstanding. Hard to believe that once again, I am bound overseas to Asia - to a place that has always held magic and wonder for me. A place to remember who I once was and who I am now. Almost could say it's the one place where I finish my walkabouts, finally meeting the person I've become in the intervening years.

Waxing poetic at the moment does nothing to diminish the excitement - does nothing to diminish the stress either. But things really are different now - more so than they have been, for longer than I can remember. I don't go with a heavy heart carrying sorrows uncounted. I go with optimism for the future and for the joys and happiness that life can offer you when you are open to all possibilities. I no longer dread going abroad and finding aspects of myself that I didn't know were there, that I don't like. And more importantly, I don't dread the return as I once did of old. Things simply are no longer the same. The ties that once bound me to that part of my story are no more. No more.

And so dear readers, I go, once again, out onto the great blue marble, entranced by all the wonders I am sure to encounter. The adventure is in discovering the unknown and there is magic out there.

Three days ... just three little days.

Just three days to go until this is my first real view of Japan at Narita Intl Airport. With almost 6 hours of layover, I will definitely be leaving the airport to take the subway to the town of Narita, 10 minutes away, to have supper and take in some sights of the Naritasan-ji Temple before returning to check in for my last flight leg to Kuala Lumpur. I am soooooo pumped, it's literally beyond words. I imagine a table full of goodies and gorging like a complete glutton. And really, why would it not be that way - I travel for food more than for most other reasons. :) Now to make it through the next few days... HURRY UP FRIDAY!

I have to be insane, really...

Well, the universe has smiled upon me today - I came across a VERY cheap flight from Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap, Cambodia and just couldn't say no to it. $150 return to KUL/REP. And with Angkor Wat just 10 minutes from everything in Siem Reap, it's going to be amazing! :) Hostels are cheap, private rooms at less than $20 for two nights. Yeah, there is the entry and exit fees to pay, but its only like $40 - I can live with that for a chance to walk Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. And that's all I plan to do - soak up the atmosphere of these pristine places of engineering marvels.

So that makes four countries during a two week trip to Asia now: Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Japan. Really wish I had a third week to space this stuff out, but I've done the amazing race before and will again without hesitation. My heart is pumping and my camera is getting itchy. Cannot wait for next week to get here so I can get on that big ole jet airliner. :)

Soon, but not soon enough!

Two weeks to go!

Been some time since last update - life getting hectic these last few weeks, it happens. But yes, coming into the home stretch before departure! Have everything in place for my travels overseas; hotels, flights, all of the good stuff. Still have a few small items to take care of before leaving for Asia - power adapters being on the top of that list.

Finally upgraded from my aging bridge camera (Fuji Finepix s5200) to a full DSLR (Canon T3). Granted, I have only the kit lens and a zoom lens for now, but the quality is miles ahead of the Fuji. The 55-250mm lens takes some seriously great shots and with it being image stabilized, there isn't much need for a tripod, save for long exposure shots (Shibuya comes to mind). While not new for most travelers, having to sport a DSLR is a new thing for me - more to carry in my mind, means more to manage while navigating new places. Still, I really like what it can do and the clarity of the images. I took it out into the countryside this weekend and managed to get a feel for it - ISO, shutter speed and aperture all in varied use situations.

Great Heron

The heron photo was taken with a 55mm - 250mm IS lens. Likely the best photo I took all weekend, and if that photo came out looking like that in a completely overcast sky, I have no doubts that I will have some awesome photos to share once I get back home.

Just a little of two weeks to go. Stressed? Not really... excited as all hell is more like it. Okay, Japan is stressing me out, but only due to my limited window of available time to see so many amazing things. My one wish, coupled with having this new camera, is that the sky is clear all day when I am in Tokyo - there is nothing I'd like more than to see Mt.Fuji from up on high and get an amazing photo of it, looming in the distance over the buildings of Tokyo. I guess we shall see that which we shall see.

These excitements and uncertainties - this is why I love to travel.

Gotta love cheap flights!

This morning, I booked my flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore - all for the low low price of $55 Canadian! Of course, it has a restriction - no luggage, only a carry-on. Still, can't beat that anywhere in Canada, that is for sure.

So I land in KL, spend the night with friends and then jet out to Singapore the next day for two full days / nights, leaving early on the morning of the third day. And with the 1 hour flight time, I will be back in KL by 10:00 or so with loads of time to make it to the train station and hop on a train heading for Ipoh and Penang - for a two days stint. After that, it's all Kuala Lumpur with my friend with a possible trip out of town for the weekend to see Kuala Selangar and Sekinchan. And that seems like an awesome weekend to be honest - a large nature preserve (my camera will be happy), rice paddies, a fishing village and a beach, all in one weekend. :)

The last five days in and around KL, seeing the mosques, markets, Batu Caves, Zoo, etc will be a blast too - as will having Thanksgiving dinner in Malaysia!

Tokyo follows for two days and then it will be back home and back to work next day - Im nuts! LOL!