Flashback from Penang, Malaysia

Sometimes I wonder what Singapore was like 50 years ago before it became the "Zurich of Southeast Asia."  Well, I think Penang, Malaysia is the answer.  I went on a solo trip three weekends ago and finally post-processed my photos.  Check them out.

Sapa, Vietnam Revisited

If you ever have a chance to visit a hill station in Asia, you won't regret it.  Last weekend, Alan & I spent 5 days in Sapa, Vietnam.  Basically, you fly into Hanoi, take a 10 hour overnight train and then end up in paradise.

We trekked two days (about 5 hours each day) and stayed at an amazing eco-lodge

Check out some of my favorite photos of the landscape from my trip...

The Kids of Sapa (Round 2)

I have a "thing" for photographing children while traveling.  I think it's because they are cute, fun and okay with being photographed.  Luckily, I'm a normal-ish (albeit very tall) looking girl, so I don't really scare any parents.

Here's a few more kids I photographed in Sapa (previous photos here).  This time, all the photos are in b&w.  In my opinion, all the kids look like they are going on some great adventure.

The Kids of Sapa

While trekking around Sapa, Vietnam last weekend, we ran into the cutest kids in one of the villages.  Alan gave them stickers (such a proud Canadian), which led to more and more kids magically appearing.

Check out some adorableness below.

[Mental Health Break] Wanderlust

This video makes me want to jump on the next plane (and I just got back from vacation yesterday).  

How about you?

Tokyo Cool

When I applied for my first passport 10 years ago, the thought of traveling around Asia seems far-fetched, at best.  It was so far away.  So foreign.

I couldn't really imagine what exotic places like Thailand or Vietnam looked like.  smelled like.  felt like.

Well, now, I've been.  

They are beautiful and amazing in their own right, but more familiar than expected.  I can hear "Call Me Maybe" on the radio and pick up Doritos at the local 7/11.  While globalization has its strengths (yes, there are actually a few good things, not just sweatshops & Mcdonald's chains), it's not about preserving a unique culture and identity.

Countries and cities are starting to blend together, becoming more beige as the years pass.

Except for Japan.  

Out of all the places I've visited, Japan has one of the most unique cultures, with only less developed places like Mongolia, Bhutan and Burma in the running.

It's incredibly insular -- 98.5% of the population is ethnically Japanese & 99% speak Japanese as their first (and often only) language.  They've created their own rich civilization with artifacts that I've never experienced before, ranging from the beautiful (like this & this) to the weird (like this & this).  Plus, they have some incredible toilets (yes, seat warmers aren't just for cars). 

Even their obsession with "Americana" is truly different (honestly, I wish America was more like the Japanese take on it).

Basically, what I'm trying to say is Japan is really (fucking) cool.  

Do go sometime & check out my photos below.

PS - There's still Carly Rae in Japan, but at least it's confined to private room karakoe.

And now for some color....

Made in China

Source: photopin

Last night, I post-processed the remaining photos from our trans-siberian journey last month.

I have amnesia.  

It takes awhile for me to recall the negative parts of the trip -- the poor service at our hotel in Harbin (serves us right for using points to stay at the Holiday Inn), the fender-bender accident on ice in route to the Terracota Warriers (it looked like our car was in a pinball machine on ice) or the night we sadly ate fast-food ramen in defeat of finding something more local.  

I only truly remember the good things.  

The joy of being free.  Seeing a new place.  Feeling young.

One of my favorite thinkers, Alain de Botton, wrote a book on the Art of Travel.  He said:

“The twenty-four-hour diner, the station waiting room and the motel are sanctuaries for those who have, for noble reasons, failed to find a home in the ordinary world, sanctuaries for those whom Baudelaire might have dignified with the honorific 'poets'.”  - Alain de Botton

These photos are my home.  Enjoy a few final images from Beijing, Xian and Harbin.