BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

Although I only spent one night in Brisbane, I had a great time and made the best of the time that I had... I walked around the city a lot and took some pictures and had some Smoothie's from this really good Smoothie shop on Queen's Street, which is the big tourist area and main drag, and I also walked down to the water and along the boardwalk... At night, my friend Amanda's friend, Dan, met me at my hostel at about 7:45pm and took me out on the town... We went out for dinner and then we went bar hopping to a few bars... Unfortunately we couldn't go to one bar in particular because I didn't bring my passport with me, and with tightened security at the door, they are supposed to ask for ID... I stayed out as late as my body could manage after not having had enough sleep the night before because of the overnight flight from Hong Kong to Brisbane and arriving with a bit of a headache, but overall, I'm fine and having an AMAZING TIME and unforgettable experiences!!! Australia is AWESOME and sooooooo beautiful!!!!!!

Australian Immigration & Customs

Wow!!! Australian immigration and customs was quite an experience...When I got up to the immigration counter, they told me that they couldn't find my visa at first in the system (since I had done it online) and then they realized that it was because I had forgotten to put my middle name on the form when I signed up online...A woman then took my passport and had to go and input the change into the system...Then I overheard this woman getting interrogated by the immigration officers because she and her husband had gone through immigration separately...It was hard for this woman to understand what she was being asked because she didn't appear to speak much English...After I picked up my bag, a man asked me for my passport and started asking me more questions...Then when you go through customs, you have to put your bags on a conveyer belt to go through more security...Since I had been in India, they made me take off my shoes to see if they had any sand or anything on them because they don't want things like that coming into Australia...Quite an interesting beginning, but now I am at my hostel in Brisbane, the sun is shining, and it's about 80 degrees outside!!!!!!!!!! What a life!!!!!!!

Showered with Presents by the Japanese

The Japanese are known to enjoy present giving as well as receiving... Last night while I was organizing my suitcase, Yuko yelled for me from the other room telling me that her uncle was at her house to see me... I went into the living room immediately and he handed me an envelope that included hard copies of photos that he had taken when we went to see the volcano and castle on Sunday and also a wrapped present that was a picture frame... Then Yuko's mother, Takako, gave me a bracelet, and this morning when Yuko and I were on the bus going to the airport, Yuko gave me a bookmark... They were all very thoughtful and sweet, and of course I told them that anytime that they want to come to Boston, they have a place to stay!!! :) Now I am in the Hong Kong airport with a long layover waiting for my flight to leave for Brisbane, Australia tonight at 11:30pm!!! Off to explore yet another continent!!!

FUKUOKA, JAPAN--The onsen (Hot Springs)

On Tuesday morning, Yuko and I got on a train and then a bus to go to a famous area where they are known for their onsen (hot springs) about 3 hours or so from where Yuko lives... It was a great experience for me because I had never been to hot springs and at this one, we had to be naked to get in the water but the men and women are in separate areas so it wasn't as bad... Hehehehe!!! We went in the onsen three times while we were in this little village... Once was soon after we arrived, then after dinner we had a private one outside, and the last time was this morning just before breakfast and before we checked out... I also had to wear a yukata, which is Japanese clothing...You had to wear it to meals as well as to the onsen area and even to sleep... Our room was a typical Japanese style room with thin mattresses on the floor with comforters as our blankets... Mealtime was an experience, especially breakfast, because I am used to having toast and coffee, but breakfast is the Japanese's most important meal, so they have things like fish and lettuce and tea for breakfast... I tried a little of it, minus the fish, but then I had to resort back to coffee... It was a great experience and I would definitely do it again although at first, I have to admit, that I was a little nervous because this was all new to me... This trip is all about new experiences and getting to know new cultures, so it was good that I was able to experience the Japanese way of doing things too, right??? :)

FUKUOKA, JAPAN--The Shrine

On Monday, Yuko and I went to see this famous shrine, Dazaifu Tenmangu, in Fukuoka that was about one hour from where Yuko lives by train...It is a very beautiful shrine and it has a pond outside of it as well...For those of you who know my family, you will also know Mickey, who is our pet turtle, and he has managed to find his way to Japan because there was a whole pond full of Mickey's at the shrine... Hehehe!!! :) It made me feel right at home!!! After we were done seeing the shrine, we picked a piece of paper out of a box which is said to tell your fortune for the next year...Mine was very good and had a very good outlook on how this year will be for me...This news made me very happy considering that I am travelling around the world alone for the most part, and so far things have been going great for me despite some MINOR mishaps, so I guess that means that my fortune is true!!! I'm sure that things will continue to run smoothly!!!

Japanese Vocabulary!!!!

I have been in Japan for two days already, and I have been having some Japanese classes from my friend's family in Fukuoka!!! Hehehe!!! Below is what I have learned!!! :)

Arigato= Thank You
Do itashimashite= Your Welcome
Onegai= Please
Moshi Moshi= Hello (Phone)
Ohayo= Good Morning
Konnichiwa= Hello/Good Afternoon
Konbanwa= Good Evening
Oyasumi= Good Night
Sayonara= Good Bye
Kanpai= Cheers
Hai= Yes
Iie= No
Oishii= Yummy/Tasty/Delicious
Kekkodesu= No Thank You
Onegai Shimasu= Yes Please (Polite Way)

FUKUOKA, JAPAN--Volcano and Castle

Today was a very fun day that started at about 9:45am when Yuko's uncle came to pick us up to go on a road trip for the day!!! We went to Mt. Aso, which is the largest Volcano in the world and only 90 days out of the year,　they allow you to actually go and get close to the volcano, which was smoking today, but after waiting for a little while, the security allowed us to go in to view it up close...After we went to Mt. Aso, we went to see a very beautiful castle in Kumamoto, which is a little outside of Fukuoka or as Yuko's brother, Osamu, calls it, it's in the "prefixture" of Fukuoka!!! Then we drove back to Yuko's house which is about one hour from the castle!!! Tomorrow we are off to see a temple and then on Tuesday to the onsen until Wednesday when we will come back to Yuko's house in Fukuoka to spend my last night in Japan!!!

Flight CX510 from Hong Kong to Fukuoka, Japan

The flight from Hong Kong to Fukuoka was quite a flight!!! The actual flight wasn't that long but we flew via Taipei which added on some time... We landed in Taipei at about 4:50pm, and I just stayed on the plane because it was just a stop over dropping people off and boarding new passengers in Taipei... In the meantime, the airport crew cleaned the plane to get it prepared for the new passengers to board... From Hong Kong to Taipei there was a woman sitting next to me and a man on the aisle who both got off the plane in Taipei... In Taipei, there was another woman sitting next to me but she ended up switching seats with this other man since he was with his girlfriend/wife and baby and allowed them to sit together... The flight went great until the end!!! The baby boy was extremely cute but I was reminded very quickly of why I don't have children yet when we were about to arrive in Fukuoka... I was reading my book, "The Bookseller of Kabul," when suddenly I was suddenly covered with apple juice from the baby's bottle... I was soaked on my right leg primarily but also on my shirt and a little on my sweater and my book got a little wet as well... That was the start of my stay in Japan which has been going amazing so far with my friend, Yuko, who I have not seen in about 5 years, and her mother and brother are both SOOO SWEET!!! Catching up on 5 years of lost time!!!

HONG KONG--Lantau Island Tour

Today I went on my second tour which was of Lancau Island which is also part of the Hong Kong area...This tour was even better than yesterday's despite the early morning rising...The tour consisted of the Avenue of the Stars, another fishing village, another temple, a ferry ride across, the BIG BUDDHA (currently the largest in the world although we were told that India is trying to build one that is about 6 times the size of this one--My brother and I both can agree, I think, that it will probably take at least about 20 years for the Indians to build something that size because they work sooooo slowly), and finally we took the cable car down to the bottom...Dad, I'm sure that you would have loved the ferry ride and the cable car ride down as they both went by the International Airport, which they say has the most flights coming in and flying out on a daily basis (about every 3 minutes they say)...What an amazing day!!! I met some great people on each of these tours and made some new connections in various other parts of the world!!! I have been staying with my friend and her parents in THE PEAK for two days and checked into a hostel in Mt. Davis yesterday since she had to go to China on business for a couple of days but will be back with her tomorrow to spend my last night... Hong Kong is an amazing city!!! Off to Fukuoka, Japan on Friday to see YUKO!!!

HONG KONG--Hong Kong Island Tour

Hong Kong is an extreme change from being in India...Much higher class and barely ANY beggars and hardly any honking, which is heaven after having had spent 2 weeks surrounded by it...I'm sure that my brother can understand!!! On Tuesday I went on the afternoon Hong Kong Island Tour which started out by going to a temple...The Chinese light incense inside of the temples because when you make a wish their idea is that the flames will go up to the God's to make your wish come true...After that we went on the Tram which took us all the way up to THE PEAK, which is the richest place in Hong Kong and also where Jackie Chan has a house...His house is right up the hill from where my friend lives...Then we continued on to the fishing village and took a boat ride around to see how the less fortunate live...Our final stop was Stanley Market, which is an outside market that sells all sorts of clothing, fruits, souvenirs, etc...Very good beginning to my visit to Hong Kong!!!

INCREDIBLE !NDIA (JAIPUR)

Wednesday, our first full day in Jaipur, was our relaxation day although at night we decided to go out into town for dinner...As we stepped out of the gates from our hotel, there were some Tuk Tuk's waiting and two men started walking up to us. We ended up taking the ride from one of them who drove us to Niros Restaurant where we had dinner. He waited for us outside of the restaurant because according to him, it was a slow night, when it was probably actually because we paid him better than what he normally would get on a given night. On Thursday, we woke up and again he was waiting outside of the gate to Jas Vilas, our hotel...He drove us to see all of the major sights in Jaipur until we were tired and had enough for one day. On Friday, again we ran into him at the gate to our hotel and he drove us to see the Monkey Temple, which was the only place that we had not seen on Thursday. There were monkeys all around the Temple, hence the name. Tomorrow, Saturday, we head back to Delhi via bus and then on Sunday I am on to my next adventure, HONG KONG, and my brother is returning to Dubai!!!

Agra--Taj Mahal

On Monday morning, we woke up at about 5am although we didn't end up leaving the house until about 6:45am (we were supposed to leave at about 5:45) to go to Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal...The same driver ended up taking us there...It took us about 3 hours to get to Agra and about 4 hours to get back...In first world countries it shouldn't have taken that long but since the roads aren't the best in India, it took a bit longer...The Taj Mahal is an amazing building that attracts tourists year round...We ended up taking a camel carriage back to the parking lot after seeing the Taj Mahal...A little boy jumped on as we were trotting along and when we got back to the parking lot, I asked them if someone could take a picture of us, and they told me to hop on the camel for the little boy to take a picture of me...After we were finished with the Taj Mahal, the driver took us to see some other attractions about 40km from Agra...It has been great to see various different parts of India as they are all different and interesting!!!

Crazy Delhi Bed & Breakfast

How do I begin to explain the Bed & Breakfast situation in Delhi??? I guess that the main thing is that the father in the family is CRAZY!!!! There were some good parts to the experience, but basically he tried to control us and treat us like children while we were there...Let me rephrase that...He DID control us and treat us like HIS children... Poor kids!!! Hahaha!!!!! The good thing about that experience was that if it wasn't for him telling us what to see and getting his driver to take us around then we probably wouldn't have seen as much of Delhi as we did since the Bed & Breakfast wasn't as central as the hotel in Mumbai...After the fact, we also believe that he overcharged us a little bit, but at least we are out of there now!!! On our way to the bus station (parking lot) yesterday, he took us to this South Indian Vegetarian Restaurant for breakfast and somewhat forced us to try these various dishes when neither of us are big breakfast people..We finally put our foot down and said NO!!! A little awkward that he would take his "guests" out to breakfast...Also, he kept on repeating when we were at his house that he never charges guests for alcohol...We think that the reason why he doesn't charge is so that his guests will hang out with him...Hahaha!!! We also did meet some very nice people while we were there...The first night there was a French woman and a Pakistani man...Then the second and third night there was a family from India...The last night we were all alone with him!!! All VERY nice, and the crazy hosts wife was very nice, so he was the only crazy one...:) They also had a dog, named Whiskey, who somehow I managed to make friends with by the end!!! He mentioned to us on day one that both of his boys had arranged marriages and he had hoped that they would have stayed close to him so that the women would have children, which is what he dreamed of when his two boys got married, and he could see them often... It turns out that one of the boys moved to San Francisco and the other one lives in another part of Delhi...The daughter still lives at home...I don't want to sound negative but no wonder why the boys moved out...Hahaha!!! It was quite an experience and if India is exhausting, imagine how that experience was for 4 days!!!!!! We are in Jaipur now (arrived yesterday afternoon after a 6 1/2 hour bus ride) and that's why we are taking a day of "rest" today!!!

INCREDIBLE !NDIA (DELHI)

Sorry for the long delay in postings but it has been hard for me to get to a good internet until now...Delhi is much different than Mumbai!!! There are many more green areas in Delhi and it isn't as much of a "city" as Mumbai was but we really liked it a lot despite the lack of sleep that we got from our Bed and Breakfast because of the noise of the cars passing by on the street...We had a great driver who took us to the main places to see in Delhi such as the Red Fort, some temples, mosques, tombs, gardens, etc. Overall, India is a VERY exhausting place so we have been going to sleep quite early...We love India and it is a great place to visit however it does get tiring when beggars are all over you because you are a tourist (meaning $$$ to them), whether you are sitting in the car at a traffic light or walking along the street, taxi drivers attacking you just as you step off a bus, or rickshaw (3-wheeled bicycle) drivers standing in your way as you are getting out of the car wanting you to hop on...As you can see from one of the photos, the colors of the burqas and saris (Indian womens clothing) are beautiful...India is a very poor country for the most part but very rich in some other ways as the photos show...