asia

All Asia-bound travelers need some guidance before tackling the largest and most populous continent on Earth.

Voyage Into Vietnam
Stepping into the airplane, I was nervous and yet could barely contain my excitement. I had been in plenty of planes before, but this one was different. Barely a year ago I had decided to take the plunge and booked a trip to Vietnam. I didn’t know what to expect. I know my family was nervous. I was for that matter. I had quite a few layovers; one in Vancouver, Narita, and finally Hanoi. It was difficult to navigate some of the airports, and I found myself going through customs and then back through security when I missed the turn for transfers. 😂 The heat and humidity is the first thing that hits you as you exit the airport, however. And then the sounds. The motorbikes, the language... it was all so intimidating. There are most definitely lanes on the larger roads and freeways, but they merely seem to be suggestions. Like an anxious crowd at Disneyland, motorbikes and cars weave in and out of each other, go up on the sidewalk, honk, and rush past the dizzying lights. It was truly a sight to behold. We were almost hit head on by a fairly large cargo truck, but I’m still here to tell the tale.
By Kayla Bloom7 years ago in Wander
Soaking in the Awesome
Ah! School is almost starting, and I'm already having trouble keeping up with writing about my life. Well, we left off on Friday, so on Saturday, I woke up at roughly 5AM right when the sun began to rise. Noticing that I had absolutely no food and not feeling comfortable enough with my lack-of-Japanese to go to a restaurant, I decided to bike to the grocery store, which was roughly half a mile to one mile from my residence. The smaller streets here have barely enough width space for one car and one bike, yet they are still two-way streets. In addition, there are really any sidewalks on the smaller streets, so I took my time getting to the grocery store to be safe and to not accidentally hit any pedestrians, which apparently happens more often than you would think (probably close to the number of pedestrians getting hit by bikes at ASU or bikes getting hit by cars). At the grocery store, EVERYTHING is in Japanese. Unless you have seen the packaging or food before, it is a hard guess of what an item is. Also, fruits and vegetables are so expensive; it makes it difficult for me to justify buying healthy food. And when I say expensive, I mean a small one ounce box of blueberries costs three dollars. Yeah, I know right?! In Japan (like every other country aside from the United States), you have to purchase plastic bags if you do not bring your own reusable bag. I love that Japan does this, along with a few other environmental initiatives like So-Dai-Gomi.
By An Tran7 years ago in Wander
Feeling Good
And just like that, my first week in Japan has past. This week was been nothing short of incredible. Backtracking, I don't remember too much of what had happened on Wednesday, my second full day in Himeji, but I attended my first community lesson at the Shirasagi residence on Thursday. The Shirasagi residence is where the other assistant teaching assistants (ALTs), JETs, and I live. It is currently summer holiday, but even on holiday or break season, teachers still go to school. In our case, instead of going to school, we teach community lessons at our place of residence. The lesson topics spans far and wide according to our individual interests. There is usually one primary teacher who teaches the lesson of their interest while the other teachers assist in facilitation of English language speaking at each table, and these lessons are taught twice a day during the weekdays. Going back to my first experience of a community lesson, I coincidentally sat in on a community lesson about product design (just when I thought I had gotten away from the torturous product design and development process engrained by the infamous ASU BME program). The teacher, Kevin, is an industrial engineering graduate from South Africa; he's a very nice fellow and has a twin brother, also an industrial engineering graduate, teaching in Sapporo, Japan. The lesson, context wise, was exactly as I remembered the product design process to be. The facilitation part of the lesson was interesting. While I have facilitated conversation on various topics in the past, facilitating conversation for the sole purpose of practicing a language was a bit different. The community members were very polite, and they spoke English well enough to communicate their thoughts. Most community members were a part of the older generation, but there are instances of younger students (possibly a daughter or son of a community member). Because my contract does not start until September 3, I do not need to attend these community lessons, but attending them beforehand made me less anxious to teach and facilitate future lessons and helped me get acquainted with the members themselves.
By An Tran7 years ago in Wander
A Trip to Japan: A Guide for the First Timer
I came to the conclusion that I wanted to make a guide for navigating the fast-paced, exuberant, and often times peculiar world of Japan after my visit in May of 2018. It was not my first time stepping foot in the country, but it was the first time I visited Honshu, the most populous island. I traveled to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto with four of my friends, with only one of us being fluent in Japanese. For anyone who's thinking about visiting Japan, has previously been, or is just plain curious, here's my take on the trip.
By joanna liu7 years ago in Wander
Fresh Off the Plane
I still can't believe that I'm in Japan! Everything feels so surreal. Today is my first full day in Japan. I woke up at 4 o'clock, and having slept six hours, I was ready to start my day. The sun had yet to rise, but because I wanted a fresh start here in Japan, I decided to begin with a new sleep schedule. Thus, during the four hours I had before meeting Mr. Kamata (my supervisor) to got to the bank to do more paperwork, I unpacked all my belongings, exercised, showered, read parts of a couple books, and wrote this post. Being told that there were no affordable, decent weight lifting gyms in Japan, I brought Casey's pull-up bar that hangs on door frames. However, because Japan's doors are slightly wider and protrudes from the walls less, the pull-up bar is basically useless to me. Thus, I was forced to improvise. For today's exercise, I jump roped (yes, I FINALLY used the jump rope I bought three years ago) for cardio, and afterwards, I did sets of regular pushups and sit-ups until the total reps equaled 75 for each exercise. Afterwards, I proceeded to shower and do the laundry that I hadn't gotten a chance to do while I was in Arizona. Thankfully, most of the machines are either intuitive on how to use them or have English notes indicating what each buttons does. Thus, doing laundry was fairly straightforward; there is only a washing machine, so when the clothes were done washing, I took them to the outside patio and hung them on racks. Lucky for me, I had moved into an apartment that was fully furnished, buying all the furniture and household items from the past teacher who lived here.
By An Tran7 years ago in Wander
28 Days in Nepal
Namaste, (The Divine In Me Bows To The Divine In You). This was the word that regardless of the inter-continental language barrier, got us through our 28-day expedition in Nepal. Our school presented us with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity 18 months before our proposed departure date and myself along with nine others snatched up the chance to go to this beautiful country. We fund-raised the required amount to pay for our expenses (flights, kit, vaccinations, food, accommodation, trekking permits etc) and after a highly-anticipated wait, on the 10th July we set off for Nepal.
By Kieron Parkinson7 years ago in Wander
The Aftermath: Thailand (Part 2)
This stage of my journey begins (for anecdotal purposes) in the queue for passport control in Bangkok, Thailand. I had planned to meet a friend who had been travelling for the previous six months. We worked together back in the UK and are pretty good mates. Though as everyone knows, they say holidays with friends are the ultimate test of friendship. And this certainly was.
By Kirstyn Brook7 years ago in Wander
Mini Guide to Vacationing in Phuket
If you need a reason to travel to and explore the glorious Phuket, well, there sure are many more than just one. The most infamous party island in Thailand has a lot to offer – starting with great weather, friendly people, the amazing food; and you will be surprised with how many more hidden gems are there, waiting for you to explore, and all of this - without breaking a bank.
By Victoria Lim8 years ago in Wander
2 Friends in Tokyo...
I remember always fast-walking through the tunnels of the Paris subway, plunging into a run, slowing down, then sprinting out and twirling to avoid unnecessary contacts as I ended up fast-walking again. Once in front of the metro doors, I would shamelessly elbow people, looking straight ahead and very high above my nose like the truly disdainful Parisian I was. I sometimes wondered why people made such a fuss about French elegance, it was nothing more than a quick recipe of three: never care, always be in a hurry, and above all never queue!
By The European Experiment8 years ago in Wander
Ancient Civilization Within a Modern World
First some advice prior to departing your hometown; If you happen to be a social media addict like myself make sure and download a VPN so that while in China you can access your social media. Also, I would advise you look into downloading a translator app for your phone so that communication will be made a lot easier.
By Charmaine Harris Dunn8 years ago in Wander
Top 4 Places to Visit in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is not a place you want to skip when visiting Vietnam. The culture, food and people make this city a unique and exciting destination for all tourists. The sheer size and chaos of the city make it hard to choose the top locations to maximize your time. With this list you can explore the best this city has to offer based on your travel interests. The list has been broken down by top market, museum, pagoda and day trip.
By Amy Yes8 years ago in Wander
The Flying Kind
Ella Mason remembered how the world looked from the plane window thirty thousand feet above Korea’s capital. Looking back, she supposed she would always remember how the city lights had been carved into the darkness, running like veins. A low hum drifted through the dim light of the cabin. She remembered how the sound and the air coming from the vents above her head pressed into her skin. She was a small thing and the cold was beginning to reach her bones, it felt. Only, she wished that was the only thing that sent a shiver down her spine.
By Charlotte Humphrey8 years ago in Wander