TOKYO!!!!

I interrupt this long radio silence to announce that I'm in Tokyo, Japan for a couple of weeks decompressing from life and visiting Far East traveler and fellow blogger Mikka. I've been here since Wednesday and apart from vicious jet lag and the disorientation that comes from being more or less illiterate things have been pretty awesome.

Top 5 Things I Love About Japan

1. This is the land of cute. Seriously, this place is adorable; from the cherubic like toys to the legions of happy schoolchildren in navy uniforms to the desserts.

2. It's scrupulously clean. For a city larger than New York that's shocking. Even the public restrooms at the train stations are shiny.

3. FOOD. We've had sushi with fish so alarmingly fresh looking we've been afraid to try it. I'm in love with real ramen, and there are some great Hawaiian restaurants here too. Tomorrow I'm getting up crazy early to go to the Tsukiji Fish Market to see some of the freshest fish in the world

4. The hi-tech toilets. Heated seat? Bidet? A little music maybe?

5. Karaoke in Shinjuku. Need I say more?

Top 5 3 Things I Don't Love About Japan

1. The subway crush. You haven't been on a crowded subway until you've been on the Keio line headed towards Shinjuku station at rush hour. And they're not shy about pushing. The weirdest thing is that it's all silent. Nobody gets mad. No-one shouts. In fact cell phone use is prohibited and you are likely to get shushed for talking loudly.

2. $$$ or should I say ¥¥¥. While some things like conveyer belt sushi are very inexpensive, other things like going to bars ($5 table charge BEFORE you drink), taking taxis ($7 flag-down charge), and getting to the maritime museum from Kichijoji ($7 each way) are ridiculous.

3. The smoking. Smoking is still a big part of bar and restaurant culture here and there are very few places were smoking is banned.

Considering I couldn't think of 5 things I don't love I think I'm ahead. Yesterday I ventured out of the city to Hakone which is near Mount Fuji. It was very beautiful but cold and foggy, and despite the fact that I was right there I didn't actually see the mountain up close. So I, like your, have to console myself with this stock image:

Oh well. But there will be original pictures later and hopefully video of my further adventures. We are headed to Kyoto this weekend to get a taste of old Japan via overnight bus. In the meantime I have to figure out how to get to Tokyo Bay and learn about the history of the shipping industry in Japan.

More later!

Hanoi Lenora Pt. 1

Hello all! Here I am in Hanoi crashing with world traveler and former fellow budget-foodie Mikka.

This trip is a series of firsts for me, first time in Asia, first time on the back of a motorbike, first communist country. The flight was long and slightly surreal. Crossing the International Dateline means that I lost an entire day, last Thursday to be exact so I spent the first 2 days feeling pretty disoriented. Conversely when I go back I will leave at 11:20 pm on Sunday, and arrive in L.A. at 9:20 pm, also on Sunday. I learned about this way back in elementary school, but I still feel that this should violate some kind of law of physics.

When I arrived I was immediately accosted by a group of teenagers who wanted to take a picture with me. Somewhere in this city a bunch of fresh-faced Vietnamese kids are laughing at the panicked sweaty frizzy-haired American clutching at her bags. Mikka informs me that this is pretty common as foreigners still attract a lot of attention. This is also why they stare a lot. Once you get accustomed to it, it's fairly easy to ignore it.

The first thing that struck me about Hanoi was how completely moterbikes outnumber cars as the primary form of transportation. I could probably devote a lot of blog space to motorbike culture here since it's so much a part of getting used to the rhythm of the city. They've even replaced cyclos, which are now mostly a tourist attraction'

The second thing that struck me is how young people are. Walking or riding around it seems that most of the people out and about are between the ages 0f 17 and 25 zipping along on vespas and bikes, managing cafes, out in front of shops, eating bowls of pha. It gives the city a kind of bouncy high energy feel. The guidebook says that this is sort of a commercial renaissance period for Vietnam and also the longest sustained period of peace since the 80's. That may be oversimplifying things a bit, but the atmosphere is definitely upbeat. There's a lot of commercial activity and a lot of construction.

It's pretty hot and humid but no worse than Chicago or New York in the summers. After it rains the air is fresh and cool for several hours which is wonderful after a long day of picking your way through narrow streets looking at silk and silver and baskets of dragonfruit.

We spent Friday and Saturday exploring the Old Quarter before heading out to Halong Bay on Sunday. More about this later when I can post pictures and video.

TBC...

Brooklyn to Chicago

A reenactment in 1 minute.

Spencer:"Lenora, you must choose a lane."

Spencer: "Wow New York's really pretty when you're leaving it behind.

Me: "Kali's throwing up."

Me. "What's that smell?" (Smell proves to be cat poop in the crate)

Spencer: "What do they mean by blue detour?" (20 minutes later) "Hmmm, I guess it means scenic route that takes you back to where you started."

Spencer: (after being stuck in construction traffic for 30 minutes)"Bored now! I have to pinch you."

Me:"No touching!"

Me:"Are we still in Pennsylvania?"

Spencer: "Your turn to drive."

Me: (after 2 hours night driving on mountain roads) Twitch.

Spencer: Give me the keys.

Cats:(while being smuggled into hotel room)"Yowl!" which is cat for, "Let me out of here so I can pee on something you love."*

Spencer; Wow! Ohio is really boring.

(at this point Spencer falls asleep while I concentrate on not killing us before we get to Chicago)

Me: Chicago!!

Spencer: (observing the madness that is the Chicago Skyway toll) "This is insane!"

The End (Well for me at any rate. Spencer still had 2 days worth of driving ahead of him which aren't work documenting here as the cats had little to offer in terms of conversation other than "meow!" Which I can only assume means, "Why do you hate us!")

*This turned out to be an empty threat but I still submit that it was a credible one.

I Heart _______

I've been wondering lately if I'll ever come to love New York in that intense defiant way that seems to characterize die hard New Yorkers. This is a city that simultaneously shocks and awes you with its amazingness and alienates you with its open wounds. It's not exactly easy to love a place that resists intimacy.

Right now, I'm sitting with my bags packed waiting for my cab to take me to the airport so I can run away to the desert for a week. If I don't leave now, I may turn into a puddle of nerves. Yet, I always miss New York more than I expect to when I leave. I miss weird things like the subway and the Greek Coffee cups and the confidence of always having really good sushi within reach. I walk too fast for other cities now. My luck is such that today the weather finally shaped up so being outside is no longer painful. And now I'm leaving. Oh well.