Flying into Berlin began the European leg of the part duex. I had started out here back in September and it only seemed apropos to end the trip on the same continent. Europe has a sense of familiarity to me unlike the other places I visited. Europe’s culture has so many similarities to that of the states, so I feel pretty comfortable and at home there. The other ideal part, I knew a lot of people around Europe. Isn’t this one of the best parts about traveling? You meet a variety of people along the way, from all walks of life. Julia and I met a ton of Europeans all around the globe.  Starting in Berlin kicked off my unofficial “Who can I visit in Europe? tour.”

The first friend that I visited was a gal named Nora who I had met almost three summers ago while hiking Machu Picchu. Nora and I stayed in contact over the years, and she had always extended the invitation for me to visit her in Berlin. I’d been there before (almost a decade ago) and I was eager to get back. People rave about Berlin. The culture, music scene, night life, history.  I was ready to see it again.

I spent 4 days in Berlin and enjoy my time immensely. At the risk of sounding incredibly basic over here, Berlin has been through so much and it shows. Of course we all know this–World War II, The Berlin Wall, The Iron Curtain, but once you dig a little deeper and see the layers upon layers that have come from these harrowing times, it’s a true testament that the city and people are still functioning let alone being vibrant, cultured and bustling.

I was talking with Nora and some of her friends one night. Everyone was chatting about  Germany and the overall vibe of the country. I had told them about a Norwegian guy I met along my travels who told me “Germans have no sense of humor.” Being nearly 1/2 German I took a bit of offense to the statement, but foolishly let him continue. He proceed to tell me about how he was in the military and had met some German soldiers during his duty. At one point during basic training, the guys were all heading to shower after a day of training and this Norwegian guy turned to the German guys and said “Wait, I gotta go get my gas mask before I go in there with you.” He thought he was hilarious and roared with laughter recounting this memory.

In the midst of talking history, politics and culture, I mentioned this experience to Nora and her friends. Their response was sobering.   “Maybe Germans have no sense of humor but that’s because we don’t think anything about that story is funny. There is nothing funny about the sad times of our nation. What the people went through.  What the country endured.  We still feel it today.  We aren’t allowed to be patriotic of our country. We have to walk a fine line with being proud to be German.  If we are too proud of Germany or too patriotic, then we get label Nazis.”

They then asked me a question. “When do you think we are “allowed” to be patriotic and proud?” My mind ran through a Rolodex of ideas. . .Oktoberfest? German food? Lederhosens? The polka? Finally it dawned on me.  “During the World Cup?” I answered.  “Exactly,” was the response.  “We are allowed to be proud of Germany when it concerns futbol.”

I spent the rest of the week exploring the city by foot and bike (lent to me graciously by my host Nora,) visiting cultural sites both modern and years ago.  I was lucky enough to be there on May 1st, Laborer’s Day , which is a public holiday celebrated by one huge outdoor party.  Prost Berlin.  Thanks for having me.

On this little year long adventure of mine, I’ve flown Emirates airlines twice and loved every second. . . as much as one can really enjoy air travel.  For some reason Julia and I found Emirates to have the cheapest flights both from Australia to Asia and again from Asia to Europe.  We met people who told us that because Emirates is based out of Dubai they have access to loads of cheap oil (fuel) and can therefore still make a profit off prices lower than their competitors.

Either way, this airline is just the best.  Warm hand towels on arrival, great food (yes, really,) all the free alcohol your little heart and altitude suppressed body desires (yes! really!), and tons of in-flight entertainment. Plus neither flight was crowded so we were able to really stretch out.  I’ve said it once but it bears repeating, I’ll take a 7-10 international flight over a 4-6 hour domestic one any day.

Emirates, you do it right.  If you ever need someone to review/blog about your business or 1st class flight amenities please let me know.  My schedule is wide open!

And here are 11 reasons why:

*Everyone is SUPER friendly.  I’m not sure people always feel like being friendly but regardless the country’s friendliness is through the roof.  Whether you are buying groceries, asking for directions or talking to someone on the street, the people are so smiley, kind and warm.

*The word for “yes” in Japanese is “hai” pronounced “hi.” Walking around it just sounds like everyone is greeting one another. I found it to be wonderful but confusing.
Me: “Excuse me sir?”
Stranger: “Hai.”
Me: “Oh hi. Um, is this the right direction for the Himeji castle?”
Stranger:”Hai.”
Me: “Oh hi. I mean, okay great thanks.”
Stranger: Hai.”

*Sushi! Duh!

*No one steals. This was told to us early on, but it didn’t change our behaviors much.  I have a purse that I keep strapped across me mostly at all times.  It was quite entertaining though to see how much trust this culture puts in one another.  A very common way to save a seat at a coffee shop, was to  put all one’s most trusted valuables on the seat (I’m talking a stuffed wallet on top of an iPhone, on top of a Mac Book pro) and walking away for 10-15 minutes, completely trusting that all the items would be exactly where they were left.  It just boggled my mind.  Women would leave huge purses in the Starbucks at the mall, walk out, and go to the bathroom down the hall.  It was unbelievable to me because I have been on such high alert with my possessions for so many months.

*Speaking of money, people take credit cards.  I don’t mean to belabor a point on the whole money thing,  but it’s so incredibly nice when traveling to have a country that takes credit cards.  Most times I have cash on me when traveling, but sometimes using a card is necessary.  When Julia and I were in China we stopped at a Dairy Queen for ice cream.  Neither of us had money, but I told her I was sure they took a card because they were a large establishment.  We order, got the goods, went to pay, and the cashier shook her head.  Sorry no cards.  I was so annoyed. I left fuming. Julia said “Wow, you need to calm down.”  Ha ha sisters.  They know how to talk you off a ledge.  I was mostly put off because I wanted ice cream but also because it was the principle of the matter!  You are Dairy Queen, a chain, you should take a credit card!!  Mom and Pop shops?  No. I get it.  Those stores have to pay a fee with card transactions and for the little places it’s most likely not worth it.  But chains, yes.  You are a huge corporation.  Take the darn card.  Japan takes the card.

* The convenience store food is super delicious.  Sure it’s not the best Japanese food you’ll ever have, but for about $3 you can get a delicious bento box (the brown paper bag lunch of Asia) or yummy sushi rolls.  It’s affordable and delicious!

*Things work.  They just do.  Trains are on time, ATMs always dispense money, trash is conveniently separated (recycling, non-receyling, liquid, paper,) even the way food is wrapped is thought out (pull this tab, which opens this sealed packaged with minimal effort.)  Things just work.

*You know when you walk into a sushi place in the states and the chefs behind the counter all greet you?  I thought that was just a thing they did at sushi places.  No, this is a Japanese thing.  You walk into any restaurant, bar, store, or even gas station for that matter and everyone greets you by yelling out some type of hello and welcome.  Sure, they may not lift their eyes up from the shelf they are stocking or the money they are counting, but it’s still just so cute.  Japanese shoppers seem to totally ignore it when it happens, opting to continuing going about their usual business.  Me? I gave a big smile and a wave like these people were my best friends.

*The toilets.  The toilets in Japan are unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.  They are have everything.  Some standard accessories on your average toilet may included: heated seats, music (yes, I’m serious,) water spray of varying degrees, and automatic seat sanitizer.  Unfortunately, everything is written in Japanese, so it can be a bit of Russian roulette when pressing buttons.  Or as Julia said one day after exiting the toilet, “The heated seat was nice, but I do feel a bit violated.”  I didn’t ask for more details.

*School children.  They may, in FACT, be THE cutest things ever.

Japan, I loved you.

It’s a beauty.

Staying with my friend, my days slipped away from me a bit.  I was traveling all over the place, but ultimately had to be back in Tokyo because that is where I was flying out.  I wanted to take a day trip to Mount Fuji to see it up close and personal.  Hiking the mountain is only available during the summer months so my timing was off, but I still wanted to get closer.

I started looking into tours towards the end of my stay with my friend and quickly realized that most things were sold out.  I was so bummed!  Instead, I  found the Fuji Shibazakura Festival in Lake Kawaguchiko.  When I began to map out the best route for getting from my friend’s house, to the festival, back to Tokyo I  realized that it was a little trickier than I had originally imagined with my reduced number of days. It was a ‘take this train here, switch lines there, transfer to the bus route, not many hostels available, total time approximately 7 hours there and back’ situation.

I began to make every excuse in the book for not going, “It’s too complicated. I can see Mount Fuji from the train ride from Okayama to Tokyo.  It’s not that big of a deal.”  And so on.  Finally, it hit me like a ton of bricks.  I was in Japan.  I was going to regret it if I didn’t go see Mount Fuji.

So I did.

I arrived to Lake Kawaguchiko just as the sun was setting.   I dropped my bags off at the hostel without even checking in and ran about a mile to the edge of town to get my shot.

I need to constantly remind myself to just do things.  Stop over-thinking.  Get on the train, change the bus line, travel all day and go.  In the end, I’ll only regret the things I didn’t do.

After Tokyo, Julia was heading to Europe and I was visiting a friend of mine who was teaching English in Japan.  It was so sad to say goodbye to Julia.  We had such a fun time together over these past 3 months, and I will always be grateful to her for making this experience so wonderful and fun.

My friend was living in Okayama and was central to many things in the country.  I decided to buy the Japan Rail (JR) pass and use her home as a base for traveling around.  A quick note on the JR pass.  This thing is just invaluable.  The easiest and most convenient way to get around the country is on the Shinkansen or bullet train.  The JR pass is only available to non-residents (as a way to boost tourism,) and it’s just the best.  It is quite expensive but unlike other rail passes (I’m looking at your Euro-rail) it does not regulate the number of times you use the pass.  7, 14 or 21 days, unlimited use!  Unbelievable.  I used this thing to zip all over the country, most days heading back to my friend’s house by nighttime.  Day trips made incredible easy all thanks to the wonderful JR pass.

Day Trip 1: Kyoto

Day Trip 2: Arashiyama

Day Trip 3: Hiroshima

Day Trip 4: Miyajima

Day Trip 5:  Art Island

Day 6: Himeji

Tuk-tuks rule the road in Southeast Asia.  Forget being transported in the lap of luxury or even a normal car for that matter, tuk-tuks are typically a motorized rickshaw.  Not always the safest way to get around, but sometimes (mostly) the only option other than walking.  Tuk-tuks were in almost every country  visited in Asia and they vary greatly by region.

Thailand: These guys are the kings of ‘kick-backs.’  You are looking for a ride to the local temple? Be prepared to make 3-4 stops along the way.  Jewelry store, tailor shop, tourist agency, random temple under construction that charges $3 to get inside. . . . It can all be a bit of scam if you’re not careful.  By the end of our time in Thailand, Julia and I would set a price with the driver and then say “No stops.”  The driver would say “No stops?” And we would respond “Only here (pointing to our destination on the map.) No stops.” Then we were off.

Cambodia:  Nicest tuk-tuk drivers.  We really didn’t use many tuk-tuks while in Cambodia, but the couple we rode were so nice.  The tuk-tuk themselves were the most comfortable too.  Cushioned seats, cold water in an ice chest under the seat (for the longer tours around the temple ruins) and individual names emblazoned on the sides.

These guys have the tours around Siem Reap down to a science.  Drop the tourists off at the temples, then hang out for a couple of hours with each other.  Some even have hammocks hung inside the tuk-tuk to catch up on beauty sleep after delivering the tourists to the obligatory sunrise at Angkor Wat.  Our guy in Siem Reap was Mr. Nang.  He was a true gem.  He spent the day driving us around to different ruins, telling us where to go, and offering us cold water when the Cambodian sun was beating down.

Siem Reap is a very walkable city and that is what we did on most days.  Although we didn’t use the tuk-tuks,  we were constantly offered them.  When walking along the street it’s all you hear.  You have to give these guys credit (and yes it is mostly men) because they are really trying to hook you in.  “Tuk-tuk lady? Where you go?” We would smile and say ‘no thank you,” and then it would be “How about tomorrow?  What you planning for tomorrow?  Need tuk-tuk.”  One after another “Tuk-tuk lady?” “Tuk-tuk ride?” “How ’bout tuk-tuk?”  The best was when they would beep and wave at us from across the street and yell “tuk-tuk lady?”  One night we were walking home and the usual chorus of “tuk-tuk? tuk-tuk? tuk-tuk?” rang in our ears.  We were almost to our hotel when one guy leaned my way “Lady, you want tuk-tuk? Marijuana? Cocaine?”  Yikes. I picked up the walking pace.

Vietnam: We didn’t ride in many tuk-tuks while in Vietnam.  These carts were typically non-mororized. The men pushed the carts on bikes.  To Julia and I this just felt like a bit much.

China: The tuk-tuks in China we didn’t even ride.  We had heard horror stories before getting to China about the safety (or lack thereof) of these things.  First of all, they are basically steel death traps and I’m not convinced two full-grown tall-ish American women could fit inside.  Second, many people told us that even if a price is negotiated before the ride, it is often reneged half way through.  Something along the lines of agreeing to 30RMB (around $5 before the trip starts) and when you arrive near the destination the price is changed to 300RMB.  Sure you can refuse to pay but things can often get dicey and dangerous quickly.  Julia and I decided to leave it to our very own reliable tuk-tuk service, our good old fashion strong legs and feet.

The last tuk-tuks I saw were in Japan.  These rickshaw contraptions seemed to be more for show than actual use.  I saw them mostly in towns that catered to tourists look for traditional Japanese culture.  They were push by sheer body might. I had to give it to these guys and girls.  They would haul people around by first walking and then picking up speed to a run.  It was very impressive.  Again, I didn’t partake because I never needed to.  I preferred to wave and take pictures of them.

Japan loves dogs.  Over the top, unapologetically loves them.  One day in Tokyo we stumbled upon this festival.  At first we thought it was some sort of holiday or special occasion but we quickly realized that no, it was just a celebration of dogs.

Continuing with our tradition of staying with friends on the road and being incredibly spoiled by them, we spent a week in Tokyo with Julia’s best friend’s family.  Julia and this friend went to grade school and high school together.  About 2 years ago her friend’s family moved to Tokyo.  Her father manages a Naval hotel in Tokyo.  The typical guest at the hotel is either retired military, or sponsored by a current military personal to stay there.  It is considered an active military base, so Julia and I had to be “approved” to stay there.

What a treat it was to stay with this family!  After being on the road for months it was so nice to have comforts from home and being that this place is considered “US soil” it afforded us all the things we longed for!   This family was just too good to us.

They showed us around the city, took us to their favorite restaurants, and just made us feel right at home.  It was really perfect.  I feel so blessed to have had so many people “taking care” of us on the road.  It’s amazing.

During our visit we saw the beauty of cherry blossom season, drank tea as part of a traditional tea ceremony, visited temples and saw the hustle and bustle of downtown Tokyo.

Shibuya in the daylight.

On one of our first nights in Japan, our friends took us for sushi.  It was like I had waiting my whole life for that moment-real, authentic, Japanese sushi.  We went to a small, little place near our friend’s house in Tokyo.  The menu was only in Japanese, but it didn’t matter because we ate whatever was freshly prepared for us by the owner (restaurant owner, chef and local community leader.) Honestly, I couldn’t even say what most of the food was but it was all delicious and unlike anything I had ever had before.  When I asked him how long he had been creating sushi delicacies he told us “75 years.”  He is 79.

We also met up with another friend in Tokyo.  This story is a true 6-degrees of separation.  Long story short: two years ago, my parents were in Disney World in Florida.  They were at the Japanese restaurant in Epcot.   Somehow Frank and Maggie started talking to the waitress there and telling her about their hometown in Pennsylvania.  My parents told her if she ever wanted to visit the east coast, she is welcomed to visit them.  Being the adventurous person that she is, she and her friend planned a trip for the following week!  She only spent a couple of days at my parents place, but apparently she saw all the sites of our small town.  She lives in Tokyo, so Julia and I ended up spending time with her.  It was a full circle moment!