In April, my sweetie (Cherie) and I are taking a 2-week trip to Southeast Asia! This will be the deepest south I’ve ever been in Asia and I couldn’t be more excited. First, we’ll visit Singapore which was said to be a crown jewel in the British empire in its hay-day; there’s bound to be many similarities with Hong Kong I’d wager. With the peaceful coexistence of three major ethnic groups – Malaysian, Indian and Chinese, this city state will undoubtedly provide us with amazing food, brilliant architecture, and world-class hospitality.

From Singapore we travel to Jakarta, Indonesia where Cherie grew up. This will be the first majority-Muslim country for me to visit and I’m very curious about the stories from its past and present. Once we’ve visited Cherie’s parents’ house, and drunk our fill of avocado smoothies, we’ll venture out to the special region of Yokyakarta. Known as the ‘cradle of civilization’ to the Javanese, this is where multiple UNESCO world heritage sites are located, including Prambanan and Borobudur Temples.

Finally, we’ll spend the last 1/3 of our trip in Bali, an island well-known for its beautiful landscapes and spirituality. Tripadvisor rated it best island of Asia in 2016. We’ll go rafting, ride elephants, and play with monkeys. And finish off the trip with a surprise… stay tuned!

Here’s our general itinerary and some of the things we’re hoping to get to. If you have recommendations for us, please let me know.

UPDATE: We have already completed the trip. It was amazing!

April 29th – May 1: Fly from Boston to Dubai to Singapore.

May 1 – 3: Visit Cherie’s family in Singapore and go sightseeing.

May 3 – 5: Visit Jakarta and see where Cherie grew up.

May 5 – 7: Swing by Yokyakarta to visit ancient temples and explore local villages.

May 7 – 12: Bali!  Beaches, wildlife, and glorious food.

May 12 – May 13: Return to Singapore and prepare for our flight back to Boston.

With flight out there taking about 24 hours, we are definitely trying to squeeze in as much as possible. I cannot wait to experience Southeast Asia for the first time!

For the second year in a row, Beijing Capital International Airport ranked number two in the list of the world’s busiest airports, handling 83.7 million passengers last year and securing its position as the airport with the highest level of flight activity in Asia. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport remains on top with 94.4 million travellers due to it being a major port for domestic flights and a popular connection to destinations in Europe and South America.

Beijing Capital International Airport charges ahead of Tokyo-Haneda (68.9 million) and London Heathrow (72.3 million), UK’s busiest airport and third busiest in Europe overall. Europe’s busy airports list also consists of London’s Gatwick Airport as it continues to expand in various areas from parking options to possibly building a second runway in the near future.

Although the double-digit growth in passenger traffic from previous years indicated that Beijing could close the gap on Atlanta, analysts were surprised to find out that Beijing only saw a 2.9 percent increase in 2014.

Unfortunately, the title doesn’t result in anything really positive for Beijing considering that their airport has been deemed inefficient in terms of time-efficiency. In 2013, BCIA was named the world’s most delayed airport and up until today still maintains that reputation along with other airports across the mainland. In findings compiled by an American-based firm that studies air travel around the globe, it was discovered Chinese airlines and airports were the worst in time inconsistencies, with all the airports in question having less than 40 percent of their flights leaving on time. A big part of these delays is due to flights being centralised to the capital as well as the major cities like Hangzhou, Shanghai and Guangzhou, leading to long queues at check-in counters and immigrations.

The Beijinger suggests that you might want to take the train if you’re travelling domestically to avoid huge crowds, crazy lines, and any airport anxiety. If you’re travelling internationally, make sure you leave for the airport early but don’t expect to board on time.

After a nice relaxing visit at the Omata’s we had one last big stop on our list – hike an active volcano. Mt. Aso, or Aso San, is known for being a temperamental hot spot that has been smoking for years. At its peak, Nakadake crater, there are about 8 inner craters and a small lake of boiling hot, blue water. The crater is off limits but there are zones outside the most toxic spot with a cable car taking visitors to its edge. Unluckily for us, Nakadake was misbehaving as recently as March, causing the closest safe zone (1 KM around the crater) to be closed off. That, combined with super foggy conditions, made our visit to Aso a somewhat disappointing one.

But before leaving the town of Aso however, we got a chance to ride a classical scenic train that wraps around the southern valley of the mountain. Between the quaint towns of Tateno and Takamori, this hour-long “tour” gave us a glimpse at the communities that live so close to this active volcano.

After Aso, Jake and I were starting to feel a little beat, so we booked a room at a much more comfortable hotel than we had been staying in over the last 2 weeks. We took one last Shinkansen train from Kumamoto to Fukuoka the day before leaving Japan. And if we knew how awesome Fukuoka would be we probably would have scheduled more time there!

Fukuoka is the fifth largest city in Japan population-wise, with a unique blend of Japanese and foreign cultures. The city is known for its warmer weather, fantastic ramen, and beautiful women. But what I noticed most about this city was the Korean and broader European influences on their local cuisine. There was more variety and spice in the dishes than anywhere else in Japan. (It did surprise me how much I started to miss Korean and Chinese food…)

While winding down the trip in Fukuoka, Jake and I made sure to get one last important food tasted: Japanese beef. Although Kobe beef is the most famous internationally, Japan has many regions that produce amazing cuts of meat. After getting wicked over-charged at one executive restaurant (they charged $15-40 per 100g and we had to cook it!) we finally found a smaller local establishment run by a hip chef near the clubbing district. We ordered 4 plates of Japanese beef and he cooked them up so perfectly, I don’t think I’ll ever taste beef like that again. ($12 per 100g, cooked, totally worth it.) Along with the beef we ordered a local sake the traditional way – poured in a shot glass in a wooden box, filled to the brim.

And that was how we ended our trip in Japan – food, drinks, and sleep! We had an amazing trip and will definitely have another adventure somewhere else together soon. And as with all of my experiences in Asia I’ll never live life quite the same as before.

The Omatas welcomed us into their home as guests and showed us the most amazing hospitality. Having known Jun and Rika for years in China, and also tutored their kids, I had always promised I would visit their neck of the woods in South-Western Japan. Since this was an opportunity to do that I made sure that our itinerary included a visit to Oita and Beppu, the hot springs capital of Japan.

Across Beppu you’ll find white plumes of steam rising from cracks in the Earth. On our only full day together, Jun and Rika brought us to various jigoku or “hells” in Japanese. These hells were far too hot to swim in but we’re beautiful occurrences in nature. The sea hell was blue and the bloody hell was red. Other hells were different colors, including a white one.

After visiting the hells and having lunch, we went to a hot spring with the whole family. These hot springs, or onsen in Japanese, are heated naturally and provide endless amounts of hot bath water. Similar to the island hot spring, our muscles thanked us for this much needed relaxation.

The Omata’s generosity knew few limits because after onsen we were treated to a very authentic sushi dinner with the family. Not only did we pig out on sushi but we ate a variety of other sushi-like dishes: Pork slices on rice, egg omelet rolls, fish eggs in seaweed, and even straight up sashimi.

Our stay at the omata’s will never be forgotten, especially the kind reception shown to us by Rika’s parents who lived next door. They welcomed us with open arms, praised my teaching of their grandkids while in China and sent us off with parting gifts. The only thing that might have topped their kindness would be Rikas breakfasts! Both mornings at their home we were surprised by omelets, toast, fruit, sausages, juice, and coffee! After a week of backpacker breakfasts this was a much needed (and appreciated) change.

We thank the Omata’s for being awesome hosts and welcome them to Boston and New Mexico when they visit the US!

72 kilometers by bike, in 10 hours. This was the middle point of our journey through Japan. Actually, Jake and I had planned on more hiking and biking than we actually did, but this ride was almost more than we had bargained for!

The bike path starts in Hiroshima prefecture, spanning 6 tiny islands and massive suspension bridges, ending in Imabari city on the island of Shikoku. In order to do it all, we rented 2 bikes for 2 days and stayed at a hot spring beach hostel. Covered by orange and lemon groves, Innoshima was probably the most remote of our entire trip. And we sampled the oranges too as we rode through the little towns nestled in these islands. (See a pic below for the entire route.)

With heavy packs on our backs, we still managed to locate the hostel on day one and get a well-deserved hot spring bath to soothe our aching muscles. I honestly don’t know if we could have finished cycling the other 3 islands the next day if we didn’t have that chance for some deep relaxation.

The next morning we had a very ambitious itinerary. Finish biking the rest of the path (5 hours), hop on a train at noon to Yawatahama port (3 hours), and then take a ferry to Beppu (3 hours). Luckily my good friends, the Omata family, were at Beppu ferry terminal waiting for us. We made it there around 8pm, after starting our bike ride at 7:30am. Exhausted, and ready to die, my dear friends picked us up and brought us to their home in the mountains of Oita.

We all have learned about Hiroshima and Nagasaki at some point in History class. But nothing prepares you for what we were about to experience in this city. As I got off the train in downtown Hiroshima I was a little overcome with sorrow. I had never felt a sense of national guilt before. It must be similar to how Germans recall World War II. And you only know what that’s like when you ’round the corner….. and see it – the Atomic Bomb Dome.

This singular structure, with rubble and bricks left in tact, is a visceral reminder of the devastation the Japanese people suffered at the end of World War II. It represents how hundreds of thousands of lives were changed in an instant. The museum, which was packed on a Tuesday, is raw and very emotional. Tattered clothes, melted skin, fused panes of glass, and stories from survivors made the experience all the more heartbreaking.

Outside the museum was a memorial which paid tribute to students who died in Hiroshima. For some reason the kids were on demolition teams after the city had been bombed a number of times. And although the exhibits mentioned that the atomic bomb killed Koreans held has slaves, American POWs, and others, there were many that focused on the 6,000+ students who died that day. Perhaps this brought a more innocent light to the subject? I wasn’t sure…

The rest of Hiroshima is much like a typical 3rd tier city. Shops, restaurants, bars, and historical sites. The floating Torri of Miyajima was actually our 2nd major stop of the day and we were able to enjoy it through the rainy, chilly weather. Pre-modern descriptions of the place tell us that commoners were never granted access to this holy island. But if you wanted to visit the island you would need to row your boat through the floating Torii. When the tide is high, the gate appears to be floating in the water and is one of the most photographed sites in Japan today.

We also had Hiroshimayaki that night and watched baseball at a bar.

Himeji Castle, or the white heron, was first built in the 1500s. It has survived 48 transfers of power (both peaceful and not) as well as a bombing by America. Somehow this amazing structure managed to survive after two duds hit it in World War II. (A footnote a British couple made sure to bring to my attention…)

The morning after we arrived from Yamazaki, we lined up to get tickets to visit the white heron. Since we were there early we were given a special ticket. We would be 2 of the first thousand people to visit the main keep that day! This made the visit so much more worth it and I suggest all who go to Himeji to line up by 8am to seize this rare opportunity. To be honest, the main keep alone was worth the price of admission. 

But the moment that will stay with me as long as the amazing views of the castle, courtyard, and lookouts, would have to be the opening of the gates. With hundreds of people in line at 9am, a man took a stick to a large taiko (drum) and moments later… BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, we were let in through the gates!

There was a surge of people pushing up towards the ticket windows. (Because of this we could tell that not everyone was Japanese…) Since we were at the very front of the line it was like the castle was opened up just for us. No one except the volunteers were there. It was like this ancient structure was renovated just for us to come see it.

Once we had our fill of the views, and rain, we gathered our things and headed toward Hiroshima by bullet train.

You could be forgiven if you thought that we had had enough history lessons after 4 days in Tokyo and Kyoto. But on day 5 we visited Nara, and this was really historical Japan. Only Japan can claim that their first “permanent” national capital was set up in 710 AD. Prior to setting up this ancient capital, says the Lonely Planet guide, Shintoism brought with it the belief that when a new emperor reigned, the capital must also be moved. (Continuing to rule where a past regent died was a bad omen, to say the least.)

In Nara, a park encapsulates the ancient sites of where this first capital was born. The largest Buddha sculpture I have ever seen was on display at the Todai-ji temple. Surrounding it was multiple holy buildings, gates, and pagodas. It was truly a magnificent slice of history that is being proudly preserved for the coming generations to enjoy.

I would be remissed to leave out the most playful and people-friendly wild deer which greet visitors around these historical sites. For $1.50 I got to share “biscuits” with these awesome animals. And when I wasn’t looking, my map got bitten twice! The 1200 deer that romp around the area are a major highlight of this park. I should actually say “town” because they would occasionally walk around the bus stops, enter shops, and pose for photos along the paths. 

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With the weather staying a bit chillier than expected, Jake and I decided we should try to make a brief afternoon stop at Yamazaki. This town is home to arguably the best single-malt whisky in the world, and they have the medals to prove it! Suntory, made known to Western audiences in the movie Lost in Translation, tells their story in the museum they house onsite at their most famous whisky distillery. Sadly, we couldn’t get in the tour when we arrived because they were booked solid that day. But when life gives you rye, you’ve gotta make whisky!

We ended up in the self-guided Suntory museum which ended at their Whisky Library, a open space which contained shelves of various whiskies produced around the world, by various makers since the 1980s. The best vintages were kept on a large shelf next to a retired whisky still. As part of the library there was a whisky bar with varying makes, colors, and prices. All were served without ice at the 15 ML line of their classy drinking glasses. Some whiskies were $5 a drink, some were $20, and a few were $40…

We spent that rainy afternoon in the Yamazaki distillery trying various vintages, mostly labelled, and some not. That was the beautiful part – we got to try stuff from the walls of the library! (A luxury you certainly have to pay for.) When we were about finished, an older Japanese man came up to us and asked us where we were from. He couldn’t speak much English, but he did say Thank You – thank you for coming to Japan, learning about his culture, and appreciating their fine whisky!

In the rain and chilly air, with warm Yamazaki in our bellies, Jake and I made our 3rd stop of the day – Himeji, home of the oldest surviving castle in Japan and the most beautiful piece of living feudalism I’ve ever seen…

Modernity collided peacefully with past twice that day. The first occurred when we took the Shinkansen train lightening speeds over to this majestic, classically Japanese city. The second was when we (finally) found this anachronism we were to call home for the next couple days.

After getting help from a couple of locals, we were able to locate the house we rented by entering the correct padlock code on the old wooden sliding door. (See pics below) When we got in, the first thing Jake (an electrician) noticed was how the electrical wiring was set up. The wires were exposed and running along the walls around the living spaces. It was almost like a race track the way the lines were run from the circuit breaker to the light fixtures and back. This is how the original electrical systems were installed most developed countries.

This house taught us more than a vocational lesson – we got to experience first hand how a typical Japanese might have lived since the 1950s. Aside from the heated toilet seat, not much else was modernized. The tatami floors in the living room and bedroom were a good-enough replacement for chairs and beds. We rolled out our beds at night and rolled them back up in the morning. The walls of the interior rooms were mostly paper and wood. The bedroom wall to the outside was also a kind of sliding door, making the nights a little chillier than we expected. And all sounds from the neighbors’ homes could be heard through the walls without any effort. Finally, the skylights provided enough light to serve as a natural alarm clock in the morning.

There was no escaping this community wrapped around us. For better or worse, we would be inextricably part to the environment we were living in – no TV, no internet, and no privacy. It was in Kyoto that I understood what it means to live peacefully in a community. There was no shutting out your neighbors or the natural world.

After about 24 hours of domestic and international flying, Jake (my cousin) and I arrived in Narita Airport just before everything closed. Luckily the high you get from descending into a city of lights such as Tokyo gave us the boost we needed to start figuring out how to secure our JR rail passes, exchange money at a bank, and catch the last NEX train to the city. Groggy and half awake, we dragged ourselves threw the turnstiles and into the first of many trains we would ride.

In a flash we arrived in downtown Tokyo. A little video game chime alerted us to the fact that we had made it to the Shinjuku district. But by the time we got off the train we had realized our first setback – Jake’s cell phone had grown legs and went missing… With the jet lag, eyeing our bags, and countless other things to keep track of, it wasn’t hard to imagine that something was going to go wrong at our first destination. We chalked the loss up to bad luck and carried on.

That night we had many firsts. One in particular was staying at capsule hotel. Not a new concept in Japan but it has certainly become more acceptable in recent years. It’s often used by professionals who go out drinking with their coworkers passed the last train departure and then need a cheap place to catch a few winks. Just imagine an oversized chest of drawers with pillows and blankets, then you’ll have a good idea of what a capsule hotel is like. It was a tight fit but since we were backpackers on a budget we thought, why not try it?

On day two we heard that Japan is such a kind and helpful place that it’s possible the train station’s lost and found might be able to locate Jake’s phone. We were skeptical but not ready to just assume the worst had happened. So that morning we went to Tokyo station on a mission – to see how helpful the Japanese system actually is.

We located the lost and found office in the basement level of Tokyo station, where two older Japanese men were accepting requests similar to ours. The line wasn’t very long but once we got to the front of it, the line started getting longer…

Neither Jake nor I could speak a useful lick of Japanese, but I could read Chinese and this helped us to some degree. I filled in the lost and found form and presented it to one of the near-retirees. Shortly after confirming some basic info about Jake’s phone, the attendant called a translator service. The gentle voice on the other side of the phone spoke amazing English and proceeded to take down more details about the phone. She then asked us to return the receiver to the attendant.

After a minute or two we got some good news; a phone matching our description was found on our exact train the previous night! After confirming a few other details we were able to get his phone sent to any address in Japan for a $10 delivery fee. So, we had it sent to our hotel in Mt. Aso where we planned to stay a week later. Things were starting to look up!

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Tokyo was full of surprises that day (and night!), especially when we got to the Robot Restaurant in Kabuki-cho. This has to be the hottest, quirkiest, most talked-about “robotic kabuki/cabaret” show in Japan, or even across Asia at the moment. The entrance was covered with candids of stars who have come to see this bizarre mix of parade floats, sexy drummers, robot boxing, and giant snake slaying – with an intermission in which a girl served beer from a jet pack! Check out Anthony Bourdain’s clip of his visit there. It’s so much cooler than you imagine!

Since a friend suggested we see this show I thought we couldn’t afford to miss it, and I bought tickets a few weeks in advance. Luckily I got them while I was still in Boston and we were able to catch the 3rd of 4 sold-out shows that night. Nothing could have topped it and we made sure to keep that momentum going into the days ahead.