This page includes a day-by-day summary of my odyssey. I wrote these entries the night of the date specified.
Day before trip
I am so excited to go to Japan! I've been conversing with my Japanese pen-pal Yoko Onosaki for a couple of years now, and lately we have become very close. We exchanged presents at our birthdays and our simple postcards have turned into elaborate and descriptive five page letters. Two months ago, Yoko invited me to stay with her in Tokyo! While I'm there she said she would personally give me a tour of the country from a native's point of view. No tourist traps or bus tours for me.
Tomorrow I am to catch the United Airlines 875 to Narita Airport from Sea-Tac at 12:30 PM. When I am there, I am supposed to take the Narita Express Train to Tokyo, where Yoko will meet me. I've gone over tomorrow's schedule so many times I don't know if I'll ever be able to forget it! I am so excited, I just hope I can get some sleep!
Day 1
I am in Japan! This afternoon I took the Narita Express Train to Tokyo, as I was supposed to, and met Yoko for the first time! I had an extreme case of culture shock when I landed. I knew I was in Japan when the airport workers came out to the tarmac and bowed to the passengers on the plane. The transportation is amazing, the trains of the country can take you almost anywhere, and a speed of up to 186 miles/ 300 km per hour! Yoko came to pick me up at the Shibuya train station in Tokyo, the most popular area for tourists in the city.
It is now March, and the weather here is fairly warm. Yoko tells me the cherry blossoms will bloom later this month, and it is not a sight to miss. It gets really hot and humid here in the Summer, which is why I decided to visit Yoko at this time of the year.
When I had unpacked at Yoko's house in the outskirts of Tokyo, we decided to go to dinner and hang out in the city's Ginza shopping precinct. Against my wishes, we ate at a pizza restaurant, although I wanted some authentic Japanese food. Our trip to "Pizza Studio" will be one of the most memorable events of my trip. It turned out that I was going to get some somewhat authentic food after all. Yoko ordered for me, which was my first mistake. When this monstrosity
came to our table, I was taken aback by the sight and smell, but I then I just assumed it was a vegetarian pizza. I was wrong. I found this out when I took my first bite. I asked Yoko what this abomination of Italian food was, and she answered Seafood Pizza. But not seafood by my Western civilization standards, this was Japanese seafood, i.e. shrimp, squid and tuna, topped off with mayonnaise, of course. Yoko then showed me the menu and read the description to me as "The Ideal Taste of Seafood and Mayonnaise!". I didn't add the exclamation point, it was actually in the menu.
After dinner, we went to a video arcade to play Dance Dance Revolution, a popular game in which a virtual character follows the dance steps you make a dancing platform. On the way there, I noticed all of the buildings appeared to be new. Later on, Yoko told me the city has been rebuilt many times, including earthquakes, such as the one in 1923, when the city was modeled after European cities, and again after the destruction of World War II, when the city became an industrial center. Also, the bid for the 1964 Olympics and the booming economy of the 1980's rejuvenated the city.
Also, I soon found out that Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world to live in, and visit. My "large" (American small) Coke at dinner cost almost five dollars! Tomorrow I am going to Ueno-koen park. We went past it today, and it looks amazing. Yoko told me that is filled with temples, museums, and is good example of Japanese landscaping. Sometimes Yoko sounds like she is reading from a brochure, but I can't blame her for being proud of her amazing home of Japan.
Day 10
10 days have passed, and Yoko and I have grown much closer. We have so many things in common! She is like a female, Japanese-speaking version of me!
Living in Tokyo is very Hectic, so we have decided to go to the hot springs together in Kyoto to relax. Kyoto doesn't have any hot springs, but it does have heated mineral springs, with minerals such as Radium to improve your skin and speed up the healing of wounds.
Kyoto was Japan's capitol from 794 to 1868, when the government moved to Tokyo. Because of this, there are a lot of historical and cultural attractions, also, Kyoto was spared in World War II, while Tokyo and Osaka were destroyed. Also, the grand Kyoto Imperial Palace is located here, and, since I was a foreigner, I got permission to enter within a day. When I was walking through the palace gates, I ran into Ayumi Hamasaki and almost knocked her down. Apparently, she is some pop star, because Yoko was reprimanding me, telling me I should watch where I put my big ugly feet, evan though I almost ran down three people in the subway station without saying a word to me. Also, Ayumi was going through the palace with two photographers, scouting out locations for her new music video. After finally apologizing to her, Ayumi told me I had a "fresh new look" that would be perfect for her video, and asked me to accompany her to Tahiti to shoot the video. I was a little unsure at first, but then decided to go because 1: I got to be in a music video, and 2: Yoko and I could get a FREE vacation in TAHITI along the way. Who could turn that offer down?!
After lunch and a traditional tea ceremony at the ryokan (Japanese-style inn) we were staying at, Ayumi called to tell us to pack our bags and be expected to fly into Beijing the next day to sign contracts with her record company. Yoko thought it would be smart to use bikes as our transportation in Kyoto, because of the bad traffic and parking fines of US$140. She forgot that there are also restrictions on bikes. When we walked out of the lobby and to the sidewalk in front, we realized our bikes were gone because we parked in one of many restricted parking zones in the downtown area. Our bikes were impounded, and we ended up running to take the train out of Kyoto to get to the airport on time.
Day 12
Yoko and I had a very hard time finding our way to Ayumi's record company. Yoko spoke some Mandarin and wrote down some characters meaning "Imperial Records", the name of Ayumi's record company. The cab driver mistook this for Imperial Palace, and we ended up at the Forbidden City. It turns out that Beijing covers eight counties and is 6,552 square miles, with a population of close to 12 million people. This is more than twice the population of my home state of Washington.
China is fairly cheap to visit, but Yoko and I were always charge the foreigner prices. These ranged from paying an extra dollar for a cup of noodles to paying six times the normal amount for a bus ticket. Yoko and I found it was best to take the subway, because the buses overcrowded and more trouble than they were worth, and we had to rely on Yoko's fluency in Mandarin to get to the right location in a taxi.
On our walk from the subway to Imperial Records Plaza, I picked up a stray Pug I named Qi-Fu. He was fat, stinky, and ugly, but he got us a delicious free meal of traditionally spicy Sichuan cuisine and directions to the plaza from a restaurant owner who had fond childhood memories of his pet Pug. Is Qi-Fu a good luck charm?...
When we finally got to Ayumi, we were feeling what the Portuguese must have felt when they landed in China in 1516, which was the thought that China is a huge country, and how it would be smart and profitable to set up trade here. Will my appearance in a music video enable me to have a prosperous future? Only time will tell, and having Qi-Fu for good luck probably won't hurt either.
But I may never see Fu-Qi again, because Yoko could see that I wouldn't be spending a lot of time with her after I went to Tahiti, so I left Qi-Fu in her care and she walked out of Ayumi's office and left for Tokyo that minute. With Qi-Fu missing, will bad luck befall on me?
Day 14
Today I arrived in Papeete, Tahiti. What a difference from the bright lights of Japan and China! Papeete is on Tahiti, the largest and most populated island in the French Polynesian Island Chain. Here, Ayumi, her crew, and I stocked up on fresh fruits and vegetables in the city's Marché du Papeete (literally Market of Papeete, French class has paid off!) and then went to the waterfront to hop on our private yacht to a remote island we are going to shoot the video on.
The location was a secluded beach on the island of Bora Bora. This island is considered by some the most beautiful island in the Pacific.There are beautifully lush volcanic peaks, and the whole island is covered in green plants and palm trees, and is encircled by white sandy beaches and huge, crystal clear lagoons. To get around this island, we used horses and 4x4's, very different from Tahiti's bus system, le truck.
The French Polynesia is very expensive, as everything must be imported and there are heavy taxes on almost every item. This is why Ayumi's crew shared food and trucks with the crew of a movie starring the one and only, object of my affection, gorgeous Zhang Ziyi. What are the odds of my idol being on the same island in the French Polynesia as me!? She also gave me some acting tips, but I just played along, pretending I was a bad actor so I could spend time with her. Oh yeah, and I was also just pretending to be a bad singer and dancer in the music video for the sing 'Unite".
Day 23
The music video is finished! Today I am in Sydney to publicize Ayumi's new song. It will start playing in Asia in less than a week. I enjoyed acting and singing, and it was a good learning experience, but what I really want to do is direct. I think I may have left a lasting impression on Zhang, and hopefully she'll recommend me as an actor in one of her future films.
Sydney looks like they just took a beautiful cosmopolitan city and plopped it down on an evan more beautiful tropical island. Sydney is Australia's oldest settlement, and is where British prisoners were sent when the jails in England became overcrowded. Today I finally realized that my trip has turned into something more than just a mere vacation. I am alone in Australia, and, in one month, have traveled through Japan, China, the French Polynesia, and Australia. Not only did I travel to all of these place, but I did so in style and with Asian celebrities.
After almost three weeks on an intercontinental journey, my clothes have seen more than their share of wear. Because I had money from Ayumi's video, I decided to go shopping. I took the ferry across the spectacular Sydney Harbour, and along the way I saw the well-known Sydney Opera House. I was surprised at the city's somewhat low prices, and particularly surprised at the large number of people who already recognized me from the music video.
In a couple of days I am going to head to the Outback, see some kangaroos, do the whole "Australia" thing, and then maybe I'll go back home.
Day 27
I am now immersed in the stark beauty of the Australian Outback. The only major attractions here are Ayers Rock and the only city worth mentioning is Alice Springs. Otherwise, this place is pretty much, stark. Kangaroos and animals that can survive the heat and lack of water live here. Aborigines, the native people of Australia, still call this area home.
Alice Springs is a town of about 20,000 people and is connected to the country by road and rail. Before these, camels would bring items into the city. Ayers Rock is also in the heart of the Outback, and is a sacred site of pilgrimage for the Aboriginals. I'm pretty tired now, so instead of describing it, I'm just going to say it is a big rock in the desert. You know, I'm really tireddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
Day 29
This morning I woke up in a strange hotel room in Delhi, India. My Icelandic-French cousin, Selma Bjornsdottir-Bouleau, had been in the Outback and discovered me unconscious near Ayers Rock. She is doing a piece on travel to the Pacific for the Icelandic newspaper Morgunbladid. You know, I read about how dreams were important to the natives of Australia, maybe this is just a dream, or a coincidence? I can't think anymore.
My hotel is in New Delhi, which is basically just a London-like looking town in the middle of sweltering India. Well, not the middle, it's further to the North. New Delhi was modeled after a British city when India was a British colony and New Delhi is part of Delhi.
I won't be staying here for much longer, as Selma has just been advised to go to her next destination because of the possible war between India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir. You may want to reconsider going, also.
India is, just like everywhere else on my journey, a cheap place to visit. However, exchanging money was a huge hassle. Selma and I waited in line for what seemed like an eternity to exchange money. And it didn't help that Selma was exchanging Icelandic Krona instead of U.S. money, either.
Mumbai/Bombay
India has a huge number of Hindu followers, and the country is very spiritual. The religion is very intriguing and is a part of every facet of life. I researched further and found that since I wasn't born into the Hindu religion, I can never become Hindu. So much for that. I guess I won't be seeing spiritual salvation anytime soon. Sigh.
Day 31
I am still tagging along with Selma on her journey throughout Asia, and her next stop is Hanoi, Vietnam. We are both excited to go here to use our French speaking skills, as Vietnam was a French colony until France left in 1954. Today, Vietnam is one of the few communist countries remaining.
When I was walking through Hanoi, I could really tell I was a celebrity. Everyone was calling at me, "Tu es l'homme dans le vidéo!", or you're that guy in the video. I got more free meals than you could shake a stick at! But that didn't really matter, as Vietnam is also very affordable to visit.
I was begging to go to Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon, to learn about the Vietnam War, but Selma said it is not in her schedule. However, Hanoi is still a very exciting city. Vietnamese coffee is very strong and sweet, and all of the food is chock full of flavors and spices. But I couldn't stay in a cafe for a very long time, as I was bombarded by Vietnamese teenage girls and adults asking for autographs, saying it was for their children. Yeah right.
Day 36
Today I arrived in Cambodia with Selma. We are at the ancient city of Angkor, which is home to many beautiful temples. It seemed like everywhere we went there were warnings of landmines. There were some violent outbreaks today also, which I am told happen every once in a while. This has been happening since the U.S. bombed Cambodia to eradicate Vietnamese communist camps, but, in reality, it only pushed the leftist military group, the Khmer Rouge, into the country's interior. This group killed millions of Cambodians, especially the educated and wealthy.
In prehistoric Cambodia, Cambodians lived on houses on stilts and ate fish and rice, which is the basic lifestyle of a modern Cambodian. There are also empty beaches dotting the country. And almost no tourists.
Do you remember this temple from Tomb Raider?
When we were in Angkor, we met Carmen Sanchez, a Chilean movie director creating the Spanish version of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. She saw how popular I was and asked me to do a cameo role in the movie and to help her speak in French to the Cambodians. In return, I got a ride to her home country of Chile.
Day 40
This morning I arrived in Santiago, Chile and was surprised at the diversity of the residents. Santiago de Chile is a powerful city in South America, and has the largest number of European residents in South America. Carmen informs me that prices have risen recently due to inflation, and that Chile used to be very inexpensive. Now it is just average in terms of money and costs.
Chile is very mountainous and has a beautiful coastline on the Pacific. Santiago is also very lovely, although the Spanish grid pattern of the city has created traffic congestion and pollution. Also adding to the pollution are the mines in Northern Chile.
It has now been 40 days, and I am no where close to home. I have finally decided to make it a priority to get home. Has anyone remembered that this started out as a trip to Japan? I have! I decided to take one of the country's efficient buses to Colombia to see Chile while I have the chance. I am going to plan my trip home in Colombia.
Carmen kissed me on each cheek, I got out of her car, and she pulled away as I walked toward the front door of the bus station.
Day 49
This morning the bus I was riding dropped me off in downtown Bogota, Colombia. This country is unsafe right now, as President Andres Pastrana cut off peace negotiations with the Marxist rebel organization FARC. Civilians and tourists have been caught in the crossfire. The city was very hectic, and I somehow ended up at a public market. Here, Pablo Ferdinando was selling a small portion of his coffee crop. I bought some coffee beans, thinking to bring them home because they would be much cheaper and fresher than those sold at Starbucks. I ended up talking to Pablo and he said he would gladly give me a ride on his shipment truck to Panama City if I helped out at his plantation.
For the next couple of days, I helped harvest the coffee beans. Pablo's plantation is located in the mountainous, tropical forests of the country. I traveled around the country on bus or taxi, when there was a road, and I used chivas, old fashioned wooden buses, as transport around the backroads and plantation roads. Colombia is extremely easy on the wallet, and I paid virtually nothing for delicious meals.
A chiva I used
After working for a couple of days, Pablo gave me a ride on his shipment truck to Panama, where he exports his coffee via the Panama Canal. I was hoping to somehow catch a ride on one of the passing cruise ships or yachts, hoping people would take pity on me.
Day 56
Will I EVER get home?! I am now in Panama at the Panama Canal trying desperately to get a ride out on one of the passing ships. I meet Jesus Flores, an owner of a yacht heading to El Salvador and Acapulco. It's not Seattle, but it will do. He stays in Panama City for a day, repairing his yacht.
Jesus tells me that Panama is a little less safe since the handover of the canal. But Panama City is safe, just not at night he says. Otherwise, Panama is postcard-perfect! The small country is covered in tropical rainforests and its oceans are filled with colorful fish. The country of Panama was first created with the U.S. proposition of building a canal to bring together the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Since then, Panama has had a fairly good economy.
Panama City is a thriving economic center, and it has a good reason to be this way, as it sits on the Panama Canal, one of the most important waterways in the world. Jesus tells me to hop on the boat, and to be ready for beautiful El Salvador. I need a vacation!
Day 61
I arrived in a war torn San Salvador, El Salvador.
Shopping is very easy here, as the U.S. dollar is the legal currency of the country. Meals and lodging are more expensive here than in neighboring countries, but it is still cheap by American standards ($15 for top-end lodging).
The country also has a war torn past, with a horribly violent civil war in the 1980's. Now it is a fairly quiet, small country of mountains and farms in Central America.
Day 68
Acapulco! I am this much closer (I am holding my thumb and index finger together to symbolize small) to home! I have finally reached a somewhat clean, touristy area! White sand beaches, HIGH-RISE hotels, nightlife (I'm not old enough to get into a club, but nightlife symbolizes a big city) and people that speak fluent English, and the most amazing part of this city, there are Americans here!
It is now Spring Break, which means in is MTV Spring Break, which means MTV Japan Spring Break. MTV Japan's cameramen and TV personalities learned I was here from the hotel registries and have been interviewing me, asking me questions about Ayumi, and asking me to dance ever since I arrived. Between interviews, I can relax in the city.
Things are slightly cheaper than in America, which helps, since my Ayumi money is running low. I can travel by taxi and bus in Acapulco, and have been offered limo rides from MTV Japan. I take them just for the air conditioning, because it is boiling outside.
I have decided that this is it. I am going home. I bought some souvenirs of traditional molas, or art created by layering pieces of cloth and revealing certain colors and areas, and then headed to MTV Japan. I told them I would open for several shows and fill in for dancers if I got a plane ride to Seattle. It was a deal! I am on the plane tomorrow morning!
My Homecoming
I am home in Seattle, after a 68 day trip. No one noticed I was gone, I didn't even get picked up at the airport. I rode the bus. I came home. What should have been a happy time for me wasn't that at all. I turned on the TV. MTV and MTV2 showed no sign of me or Ayumi, or our cribs. And to top it all off, I ruined a friendship with Yoko.
But then, as I walked into my room, I found Yoko holding Qi-Fu, and she asked me if we could continue our meeting and tour Seattle, since I left so abruptly before. How could I say no?
How do I know if she is only talking to me because I am a celebrity? Or is this all still a dream? Am I still unconscious in the shadow of Ayers Rock?
