Confused, Amazed, and Lost in Tokyo.

When a country is so polite that it gives you shivers down your spine, that's when you know that you've landed somewhere special.

I left Tokyo more intrigued than before I arrived; I stopped trying to understand the everyday life of a Tokyoite and instead just strapped myself in and enjoyed the ride.

And what a fascinating ride it was.

I've been left amazed in previous travels from witnessing how some of the poorest people in the world carry on with perseverance and a smile no matter what hardships they face; but leaving the prosperous nation of Japan it's a different kind of smack up side the head.

The level of respect I witnessed being given to the rule of law, to tourists, and in the everyday life of the Japanese people just made my jaw drop. From the 7-11 clerk who backs up one step to perform a complete bow to each and every patron, to the teenager who waits on a deserted side street for the signal to turn green before he even thinks about crossing.

I heard one horn honk in the 5 days I was there, the whole street turned and looked towards a somewhat embarrassed driver. How dare he!

I leave still curious about a few things in this country (manga and pachinko included) but I leave clear as day on one point; the world could definitely learn a few lessons on politeness from Japan.....including myself.

Sayonara Tokyo, until next time!

A familiar feeling.

Just over a year ago I ended an adventure of a life time, an adventure that took on a life of its own and spanned months longer than I could have ever hoped and dreamed.

I came back with a set of short term objectives I wanted to complete, some to do with my personal life and some to do with my career. All in all I'd consider this past year a resounding success...yet the bite from the travel bug hasn't quite stopped itching.

I've come to grips with the fact that this so called 'travel bug' isn't some ailment that simply goes away with time. Musicians don't get over their 'musical instrument' bug, nor do baseball players lose their 'sports bug'.

A burning passion towards a thing that you love doing isn't something that one should suppress, especially if it makes you as happy as travelling does to me.

Life's on hold again, at least at home anyways.

Nepal is first on the list with a short stop in Tokyo.

I can hardly sit still :)