Cambodia

While it was snowing in Japan, Aonghus and I were sweating and drinking mango shakes on the beach. I HEART Cambodia.

Taipei

Irish Paul was on our flight to Taipei! He took us to eat at the night market. Beyond the fruit and and pig parts, Taipei was way lame. How can Taipei have the capacity to build the tallest building in the world, but not have the insight to build a single bar. They don't sell booze anywhere except the convenient store. This was okay for me as I quit drinking, but it made for 2 grumpy Irishmen. Taipei--Worst.City.Ever.

my backyard

Although I live right next to the ocean, I rarely see it. Mostly I see boring buildings and concrete with the obligatory temple or shrine scattered about. I also see Mount Adachi, quietly guarding KitaKyushu. We climbed it as we needed our nature fix and as we had not yet gone momiji (Japanese maple leaves) viewing, as is our autumnal duty as residents of Japan. From Adachi we could see the ocean, the city, and the autumn leaves.

fukusai-ji

Fukusai-ji, in Nagasaki, might win the award for the coolest thing I've seen in Japan. It's a crazy space age Zen temple that was orginally built in 1628, destroyed on August 9th, 1945, and then rebuilt in 1979. It houses the world's third largest Foucault pendulum that starts in the goddess Kannon's head and ends in the temple basement. Everything about it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy as we (the temple and I) are about the same age. It has a cool nerdy scientist meets the cast of Free to Be You and Me kind of vibe. Plus, the woman that looks after it is totally crazy in two languages, which is rad. She is def my new fave.