Trip Itinerary: June 24-July 2: Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima) July 2-July 13: China (Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong) July 13-17: Thailand (Phuket) July 17-20: Taiwan July 21-30: Italy (Rome, Amalfi Coast) August 1-13: Spain (All Over)

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Hey all....I just realized they post these in the opposite order. Start from the bottom and work your way up and some of the captions will make more sense.

-bw

Shawn and The Women

Shawn takes some time to pose with a few ladies in downtown Tokyo. Nora, next to Shawn, is a friend from Austin and now works in Tokyo. She's been gracious enough to let us stay at her apartment and has been a great hostess!

We Can Oblige

Megan gets her horns up with partygoers in Tokyo.

Just Following the Rules

Japenese bars are very good about giving barhoppers precise instructions on the expected behavior.

Yum Yum

Shawn, Megan and I lost our guide in Tokyo for a night and were forced to eat at a restaraunt ourselves. Unfortunatley the menu didn't have English or pictures so we let our waitress order for us and this is what she brought out........it ended up being vegetables and cow stomach.

Needless to say I at a lot of rice that night.

Cos kids

Shawn and I take a pic with of the "cos" (short for costume) kids that dress up then come hang out in a random intersection. We're still not sure why they do this, but it's pretty bizarre.

Shinjuku Intersections

The intersections in Tokyo are crazy. A lot of people and a lot of lights.

Sleepy Time

Naps are common during the day for workers all over Japan. This pic was taken at 2 pm at a Starbucks on a Monday. Definitely I habit I could pick up in a few months.

Bush Basher

We found a prayer from another Texan. It may take more than a Shinto priest to have this happen.

Prayer Cards

People from all over the world leave prayers at the Meiji Ju shrine. Each week, Shinto priests prayer over these cards then burn them.

Meiji Shrine

Me and Megan purify our hands and mouth before entering the Meiji-Ju Shrine. This shrine honors the Emperor that opened up Japan's culture to Western influence.

I Won't Tell You What they Do with These

Fish heads at the market.

Fish Anyone

Tokyo's fish market is filled with energy on a daily basis. Here's a picture of one of the runners.

Old McDonald Would be Proud

Japan even honors the animals that died in the war. This is a statue of a dog, horse and pigeon at the War Dead Shrine.

Shrine to the War Dead

Here is a picture of a shrine honoring the Japanese dead from WWII. The Emperor's family still honors the many Japense that died in the war, including numerous war criminals. Obviously, this has caused some diplomatic tensions for Japan.

A Japanese Icon

Megan and Shawn arriving in Tokyo's airport. Starbucks are pretty much everywhere, which helps our caffeine addictions.

For those that don't know, Shawn and Megan are both friends from business school.

Konichiwa, Sumimasen and Arrigato!

Hey everyone. I have arrived in Tokyo and have been having a blast over the past 3 days. I've even learned a little Japanese (Hello, Excuse Me, - which I use a ton, and Thank you).

So far, we've mostly been sightseeing and walking a lot. The following pics will highlight some of the more interesting things we've done so far.

Tomorrow, we'll take a train to Kyoto, the first capital of Japan, and Hiroshima. It should be an intereting next 3 days.

Monday, June 12, 2006

The Trip of a Lifetime

Off I go..........it's hard to believe I'll be starting my 51 day journey soon in Tokyo. I honestly have no idea what to expect out of the next couple months, but I fully expect this time to be life changing.

Through the duration of my trip, I'll be sure to post pictures and journal a few things that will describe the pictures. I promise they won't be too long, but they'll allow everyone the chance to follow my travels at their leisure. Also, my itinerary is posted above so everyone can see where I am at a certain date.

I hope you'll find my posts and my pics entertaining and enjoyable. Also, feel free to add your own postings if you want to say hey or just to mock me.

Thanks for reading and have a great summer!