Moron Mansion, Melbourne

I love Melbourne. I hate the people.

Every moment of every interaction with every person here is an argument for the extinction of the human race.

Seagulls biding their time

In no particular order:

Tokyo is an anagram of Kyoto

The bullet train was fast and uneventful (though I finished reading The Color Purple). I arrived in the afternoon and checked into a hostel that had the most hoops I’ve ever had to jump through - talk to the front desk person to get the WiFi password to download an app to take a photo of my passport to get a QR code to scan at a kiosk to get a printout ticket for my room number and keycard which then the front desk person checked and directed me to my room. Also, this hostel was so afraid of shoe goblins that one was not allowed to leave the front mat until shoes were off and ill-fitting slippers were on. On that last point, once I realized the workers popped out of their hole infrequently, I just started going barefoot.

More Osaka! Solo this time.

After a whirlwind of a time traveling with Mikey (and given some running around with my host in Kobe before that) it was time to chill out for a bit. I didn’t do a whole ton of stuff over the next few days in Osaka other than hunting down tasty, cheap, or otherwise interesting restaurants. I went to a Couchsurfing meetup one night that turned out to be an English language learning class in disguise, though I made a few friends. I did some writing and some reading (oh, I need to update my BOOK LIST at some point) and a whole lot of snoozing. It didn’t help that the weather was a little less nice than I’d hoped, which meant a lot of time lounging in the hostel kitchen.

One of my friends from the Couchsurfing meetup helped me buy a ticket for the bullet train to Tokyo though, had I to plan this all over again, I probably would have made arrangements in a few cities along the way (Nagoya, somewhere around Mt. Fuji, Yokohama, etc.) and taken local trains. It wouldn’t have been about the money, but rather the adventure and getting outside of the big cities.

Overall I had an absolute blast in Osaka and would go back in an instant. I really felt cozy and it was easy to make friends and do interesting things - and there was just enough chaos to make it fun.

Pics for Japan can be found via this link.

Osaka & Kyoto: the Mikey Chronicles

If I did this the way I hope, Mikey’s account has already been posted on this blog. I should probably reread that before I type this up… (I won’t)

Months earlier, I passed some of my travel planning fatigue off on Mikey and asked him to do what booking and planning was necessary - I trusted his judgement (and I needed a break from trying to research places on my phone). We met up in a bookstore (how appropriate for two introverts) on the first of April and I almost didn’t recognize him, as his hair was the longest I’d seen it. It was a nice reunion and we started exploring the area shortly thereafter.

Japan: Mikey's Take

[Authored, as you may have guessed, by Mikey]

Hi, I'm Special American Guest #3. For several months, Simon the Stalwart had been gently trying to persuade me to meet him somewhere in SE Asia. Where? I chose Japan. And eventually I capitulated, and we decided on the week the cherry blossoms were supposed to blossom.

So I was set for the longest trip I'd traveled with anyone except family - 5 full days in Osaka and Kyoto. The day before leaving, for the first time, I fasted 16 hours to reset my internal clock. And, for the first time, I successfully adjusted to Japan Standard Time.

✈️✈️✈️

Dear Basketball (2017) - no, wait, wrong Kobe

Related only to the title - I actually watched that as part of a screening of Academy Award Nominated Animated Shorts with Dan (yes, Dan from a bunch of other entries on this blog).

Before I could meet up with Mikey I had a few days to kill. Directionless, I went to Kobe (of Kobe Beef fame), as that’s where I was able to find a couchsurfing host.

What a fuckin’ fantastic time!

The Thrilla in Manila (an unavoidable title)

I finally made it to Manila for a stay that could be counted in more than mere hours. “Avoid Manila, it’s ugly.” “Get out of Manila, it’s dangerous!” Phooey! I fuckin’ loved Manila.

Under the advice of a Philly friend, I stopped by a spot known for its flavored beer and waited for my next Couchsurfing host to get done with his work. It was a nice spot, if a bit pricey, and I made some friends (and wrote a poem).

My host was a decent dude who was, I think it’s fair to say, ‘enthusiastic’ about Japan. He was located a bit south of Manila, in Muntinlupa, a place I’d specifically searched in the hopes that I would be able to meet up with a couple people from Vietnam who wanted to hike up the volcano. Alas, after a late rendezvous, I was in no shape to hike a volcano, and had to call off that particular expedition.

The Spanish Fly

Please excuse the chronological hiccup.

Waiting in line to check my bag for the flight from Manila to El Nido (technically Puerto Princesa), an older woman (60s or 70s) kept standing much too close to me. I would inch forward and, when she noticed, she would inch forward as well. While this invasion of personal space was annoying, it wasn’t the end of the world - what really made the whole thing truly annoying for me was that she, oblivious to her surroundings, would turn to talk to her husband and, in the process, hit me in the back with her bag. I stayed silent and did my best to rearrange my position in line without making a fuss, but it was a constant struggle of dodging her unwitting attacks.

I, being who I am, never brought it up and wouldn’t be making this post had the incident been limited to the hour or so we stood in line.

Angeles City! Angeles City!

(Title to be read with "Spatula City" from UHF in mind.)

A city! Hallelujah! Someplace I could pound some pavement and see buildings with more than one room. Someplace that had a library! Call me an angel, 'cause I was in heaven.

In Coron, I remembered that Couchsurfing existed. I had gotten used to meeting up with people in hostels or staying with friends and hadn't really been traveling "solo" since, well, Thailand. My host in (well, near) Angeles City was fantastic and really helped point me in some good directions and had me try some great food. Oh, and he had a pool, which was a great way to cool off.

Hittin' the Dusty Trail (Manila 2 and the Islands)

As is my usual, I'm a few weeks removed from the events contained herein, so expect that type of post. That said, I wrote up a piece for a contest that's a little more timely. Also, of course, my poems (on the other blog) usually capture my feelings a bit more "in the moment" than these posts.

Getting back to the rumble of Manila made my heart swell. I found a nice little capsule hotel on a block where I ended up spending $4 - $1 for a shave, $1 for dinner, and $2 for beer. I would have stayed there for a few nights, but I was in a rush - I was meeting a girl I had met in Georgetown (Penang), Malaysia in El Nido.