One Year After my Asia trip (and completely out of my comfort zone)

My first time going to Asia was probably the most culture shock I have ever been but also the most awakened. I never really expected to go this far so soon but my mom and I together managed to make it from Seoul to Singapore .... all in 2 weeks.

I was very curious when we planned this because it was a trip completely different from anything we were used to. I was excited to go but I also had no clue what to expect at all. We intended to go to Vietnam on this trip but finding out at the airport that we needed a visa took us on a crazy turn. We got our flight changed to Seoul because we did not need a visa and completely changed our itinerary around.

When we got off the plane in Seoul I felt normal in the airport then when we got near our hotel into the heart of Seoul I remember being shocked but also a little overstimulated. There was a protest going on for north korea and there were so many people out with so many shops open and little stands with everything lit up everywhere. And mind you this was at like 11 or 12 at night. Me being me, I begged my mom to go out and see what was going on and everywhere you looked there was something and it was all bright and busy which was just so different from home.

The next day we went to this little old village and it was honestly super cute with all of the snow around. We also went to see the Jogyesa temple and this was for sure a trip full of many temple adventures. We tried the food where it looks like a coin with cheese inside and is fried on the outside which was really good and it was here when I first tried tanghulu which is fruit on a stick covered in a boiled sugar syrup and it is so freaking good I get it anytime it

crosses my path. We went to a really cool arts show this night too! They had also done something where they lit up the Ghangdeokgung Palace at night as little show and we ended up passing by this and stopping to watch. It was some type of festival because there was also water lanterns lit up all down their river that you could walk and see as a little show. There was so much to do in South korea and it was honestly such a great intro to Asia and had some of the kindest people. And also lotte world and the lotte world tower was quite cool which we saw before leaving the next day!

After this we ended up going to Japan. We stayed near Shibuya station but I will say this is where it really hit us that we were really the only non asian looking people around and I mean that in a nice way. There were just no other tourists like us around and we stood out like such a sore thumb compared to everyone else and it was

shocking as we were in the first days of our trip but it is something you get more used to as the days go on.

Japan was by far one of the coolest places I have ever seen and I was so beyond excited to see the Hichiko statue that was near the train station because I had remember reading the story of him as a kid in middle school and it in a way touched my heart in a way I always remember that he had a statue in Japan. We got some of the best 3D coffee here and also went to a really cool temple called the Meiji Jingu temple. We got to get little wish trinkets given out from monks that you can buy for good fortune and good wishes. My absolute favorite

thing we got to see was the pagoda at the Senso-ji temple. There are a few temples, a pagoda, and a strip of market type shopping all in this area and it was just jaw-dropping to see for the first time.

Japan had so many little drink vending machines and gumball machines with little blind bags in them which I am literally such a sucker for and get reeled into buying every single time. It is just a place like no other because of these and especially because of the 7/11s. I had got a nigiri and a strawberry and whipped cream sandwhich as well as some other little random snacks to try for dinner one night. In the US gas station food is usually low quality and kind of gross but seriously the 7/11s in Japan are top of the line and everything you can pick so so delicious.

We then went to Shinjuku which is a pretty popping area at night and it had a little screen with a video that would switch of this cat and there was also a godzilla head sticking out from one of the high rises. I tried the viral egg that splits open on top of rice, I liked it but it was definitely interesting.

We then went on a tour of Mount Fuji the next day and things really did come full circle. We did not mean to end up in Japan on this trip with our little visa incident I mentioned before we kind of had no choice but to keep moving and go here. What came full circle to me is that I have

all these 5 below posters on my ceiling at home and Mount Fuji happened to be one of them right above my bed. I would look at this poster all the time never really knowing what it was of until I went here and it hit me that maybe I was meant to randomly end up in Japan and love every minute. We went to some mountain villages and in a ski lift up the mountain and it was so beautiful. I loved adding this to the trip and I am so glad to have made it here, although I did have to pee in a bathroom that was just kind of a hole in the ground that you squatted in before we got down the mountain.

Our next big destination was Thailand which I also loved so much. We first ended up in Bangkok which I was a little nervous about when we got off the plane. It at first looked really run down and I felt a bit unsafe but I eventually grew to see how cool it really was. This is probably the country we saw the most temples in. We went to the Wat ratchanatdaram which is a big series of temples you can walk through with a lot of golden detailing which was very pretty. You do have to take your shoes off inside of the temples too which is interesting. We saw some monks walking which was crazy to me. By far the best temples I have ever seen were at the Wat Phra Kaew, they were golden with gorgeous colorful tiling and they were huge! At another temple we got to ring a gong and even see a buddha laying down. The buddha is very big in all of the temples over there. We also got to ride in a tuk tuk to a night market which is an experience in itself. These night markets are like no other and since going I would never ever turn down a bustling night market.

After Bangkok we headed to Phuket which is different form the city and is completely beach and Islands. Here we went to a weekend market which was the biggest market I have ever been to and the biggets I think I will ever have gone to.

I got adidas sambas for $30 and everything there was so cheap. It is for sure the best place to shop around the world. The market felt endless. We took a tour of the Phi Phi islands when we were there and it was stunning in every way with the brightest blue waters. We got to snorkle and shop around a bit. Still one of my most favorite experiences to this day was here in Phuket at the elephant sanctuary where we got to feed the elephants, go in a mud bath with them, and even shower with them. It was insane!!

We went shopping before heading to Singapore and I want to share my advice from this story I did not know if I should share. Whatever you do just do not eat the whole cookie. Whatever you do. I will just let you in on a little secret I ate the whole cookie, the whole edible cookie bought in Phuket before getting on the plane. I ate half after 30 minutes and thought, well I dont feel anything I will just eat some more and then I ended up eating more until I finished the whole thing. Lets just say I was blasted in the airport I was freaking out in my head and I ate all the souvenir 7/11 food I got in Japan before the flight. then I bought food at the airport but I did sleep like a baby on the plane. Whatever you do just do not eat the whole cookie because freaking out in an airport in Thailand I can tell you right now is just not it, its not everything you hoped and more.

So then we got to singapore, our last stop on this asia adventure. It was one of the cleanest and greenest looking places I have been to so far. the streets looked like you could literally eat off of them. There was not as much to do here as everywhere else but the botanical garden was a hit I'll say. We got dinner and drinks by the water since there was a river which was nice. I remember we went to little india and it was raining and I was holding a bag and slipped on the ground like I was in a cartoon where the character slips on a banana peel. That was rough and the bag broke open and everything fell on the ground in the middle of the street. We still made the best of it though and we ended up seeing these really cool lit up trees, you could go up in an elevator and walk across this path to all of them while a light show went on in the air.

My takeways from the trip are first off just do not eat that whole cookie do not do it!!! Also the street food is really good do not be scared of it because everyone makes it seem scary but it never made me sick and was actually great. The public transport was the best in Japan and one of the best ways to get around. Flying from country to country is definitely the best route as well.

We really did not meet very many tourists like us besides europeans and other travelers who lived in Asia. That is always something to keep in mind, you might feel a little lonely and out of place but you are not. The people in all of these countries were so friendly and I can say my perspective was greatly changed by their culture, people, and religion. The locals were kind and accepting in temples and they taught you things and presented really relatable life aspects in all of their temples and monuments. These people keep busy and they live fast pace but important lives. They have a culture full of thanks and I almost got used to the fact that people bow to you when saying thank you. I found it unique and kind of peaceful after getting used to it. These small parts of their culture that seem small from home were so big and next level eye opening for me. It is something you need to experience to fully grasp.

Much of their map systems are not soley on google maps so it is easier to get lost if you are not careful. We never ended up getting lost or having many language barrier issues but it was something that was noticeable. Everything is in different symbols and people around you are only speaking in a different language 99% of the time. Half of this trip did not go as planned from the beginning but it turned out to be so great the way we pivotted. The cookie did not go as planned either but thats just a different issue honestly.

i think from this trip I grew to be kinder and a lot more thankful when I went home. I smiled and complimented people more and I took their kind enviornment home with me. I took the thanks that they give so often and the lessons on temple walls with me because they were very versitile no matter what you believe in. Things like "good deeds will accompany you to the hereafter" and "the wicked get their strengths from looking for faults in other people" also "do things for the benefits of others". It just completely changed how I thought and even changed the steryotypes I had always heard that surrounded these people at home. I got to see these people and their culture for what it really is and it was not just something I had only heard about anymore.

What I notice looking back at this a year later is that this completely changed my path travel wise, it made me think farther and think bigger. It made it more possible that I could really go anywhere on this earth and explore. Everytime I look back on this trip I am reminded how grateful I am and how much it had taught me. It changed the trajectory of my life in the best ways but it also gave me a lot more courage to step out of my comfort zone. If you are willing to embrace different cultures and different people it could change your world as you see it too. But just rememeber not to eat the whole cookie!!!