7/10/25/37

 

There we are: day 1 of our trip. Now, as I write this, it's our very last day of the international part of our trip. Tomorrow, we fly into LA and spend five days there. We then fly home on Tuesday, March 14th. For all intents and purposes, though, this journey has ended, and I've been so excited to write this post.

What does the title represent? Well, see the below list:

We traveled for 7 months.

We visited 10 countries.

We took 25 flights.

We stayed in 37 unique places (not counting sleeping in airports).

This was a before and after moment in our lives. Do you know the moments I'm talking about? It's those moments in our lives that could be a flash or could last several months or even years, but whenever you emerge from them, you're changed. Well, this trip around the world is definitely a before and after. 

As a family, we saw the best and worst of each other, and we emerged still a strong family unit. We consistently had to tolerate and uplift each other. We shared very intimate spaces, and we saw more of each other than any family should have to see. But, we persevered. 

For those who know us well, you know this trip has been in the works for many years. We've been planning this for the "perfect" time for Sila, which now I realize was a few years back. Folks, for those who have young kids and say you need to wait until the child is older to travel, oh my god, don't. Freaking go when they are young and content with staying near you and playing with rocks. The MANY trips we took with Sila prior to this one was so easy. So easy. Little kids are easy; pre-teens are not. Thankfully, though, he made it around the world with us. Conan almost left him in the streets of Tokyo today, but I told him we can't leave our child. Like I said, we're a team, holding each other up when the other can't.

I recently told Conan this might be the hardest thing I've ever done. He was a little surprised and named a few things that might be harder: losing my father at 16, going to graduate school, raising a child. Initially, I laughed and agreed that those things were probably harder than that, but now I don't know. I think before--through all those events--I was surviving. I was going through the motions without much awareness to the most important element: me. This trip, I kept me front and center and tried to face each and every emotion that came up, which was freaking hard. 

My absolute favorite part of travel is the clean slate it creates when I return. All obligations, habits, and everything else has been wiped clean. I get to start over, and I am SO excited to do so. Each time I take a trip like this, I'm older and hopefully a bit wiser. I'm definitely not a stagnant being, so the excitement of getting to start fresh again is exhilarating. My only hope is that I do more with it than I've done in the past. 

So, friends, if you're still following me, I'm going to ask you a favor. Instead of asking me, "what was your favorite country?" (which, by the way, is an impossible question to answer...how do you compare a country that offers the Serengeti to one who holds the Colosseum? You don't), could you please ask me something different? It doesn't have to be deep. Heck, one of my FAVORITE pre-trip questions was this: "what shoes are you bringing on this trip?" (shout out to you, Meg!). So you don't need to go deep and philosophical...just maybe be creative?

Conan and I were just talking about how one of the hardest things about coming back is that no one will really get it. No one will understand the highlights or the troubles. It will be a few questions, and life moves on. That makes sense and is fine. We know this trip was for the three of us, and we'll always carry the memories in the fabric of our family. But, if you should feel inclined and even perhaps be inspired by what we've done, ask us anything you'd like. We'll bare all. It was a beautiful and brutal adventure, one that we now own. 

Aquarium, Food, Kyoto, and Plum Blossoms

 

Well, after a long-hard cold spell, we're beginning to finally warm up and see some sunshine. Have mercy. I think I could die without the sun. Anyway, we are finishing up our LAST week of our travels. Crazy. I'll post a few more entries before this epic trip is wrapped up, but wanted to document a bit of what we've been doing this last week.

On another rainy day, we decided to head to the (as proclaimed) "worlds largest" aquarium. I have yet to confirm this, but in the vane of my accounting friend, Gabriela, it would do me justice to "trust but verify." Regardless of its world status, the aquarium was pretty cool. The majority of it revolves around one huge tank, where the walkway spirals around it and goes level by level down into the deep sea abyss (an exaggeration, obviously).

One huge benefit of having our own place is that we don't have to rely on finding food for each.and.every.meal (which can be exhausting). Conan's been making his scrumptious concoctions, and Sila's mastering his honeymoon egg dish. I'm joyously receiving each meal. We also found a pretty dope sushi conveyor belt restaurant. Yes, sushi just comes by on a conveyor belt and you grab what you want! Crazy cool. You can also order special cuts of things, but the conveyor belt is the way to go.

After obsessively checking the weather, I rallied the boys to head to Kyoto for the warmest day we would experience: high of 59. Kyoto is the place where if you imagine (stereotypically) Japan in your head, Kyoto is it. There are women walking around in geisha outfits and temples abound. We rented some bikes and hit the town.

Lastly, plum blossoms are in full bloom (a precursor to cherry blossoms, I guess) and are beautiful. Sila and I got to see some in the nearby botanical gardens, and the three of us got to see them at the Osaka Castle a few days ago. I never knew what the big deal was until I've seen them up close and personal. Enjoy, friends, and see you all soon!

Osaka, Japan

 

My first impression of Japan was quiet...and cold! After spending 3 1/2 months in SouthEast Asia--and especially Vietnam, with the excessive honking they like to do--Japan felt so very quiet. Everything and everyone is quiet. And we, the Americans, are so loud. We practically yell each and every time we speak, but the Japanese seem to communicate in very soft tones; ones that are nearly impossible for loud Americans.

Anyway, we've officially been in Japan for a week, and overall, it was the perfect country to end our around-the-world trip. It's the perfect step up from our typical developing-country circuit, and it provides a nice level of comfort to transition us back to the good ole' US of A.

We ended up in Osaka because it was one of the only places where I could find a two bedroom Airbnb for under $100. Thankfully, we nailed it. We are in the suburbs of Osaka, the second largest city in Japan. There is an absolutely beautiful park less than a 10-minute walk away, complete with basketball hoops and a 30-minute walking loop. Within this park, there is also a botanical garden and a history museum. Think Central Park, just smaller. The plum blossoms are also beginning to bloom, so that's pretty rad, too. We'll be here another week-and-a-half before we jet off to Tokyo for 3, very expensive, nights. However, that will be our very last stop before returning home, and as you know, we are ready!

Since we've been here, we've established a nice routine of self care (exercising, meditating, journaling, and organizing) and have visited the park multiple times, the botanical garden and history museum, have figured out how to navigate the metro and the grocery store, and even attended Universal Studios, Japan (which was very much like hell on earth with about a 1/3 of the people dressed identical and walking around in very unique hats and headbands--see pictures below; Conan and I think we made a huge mistake visiting, but I think Sila thinks differently; see his eventual blog!). 

Okay, so now for our challenges. As I write this, Sila is screaming and crying because we made him do laundry (and challenge himself to figure things out). So is he still breaking down? Yup. Is he learning resilience? Hell, yeah...or so we think. He's either going to be broken forever as a result of this trip OR learn a hell of a lot of resilience. Right now it's a coin toss, for sure. 

Also, this is the first country (in a collective of 50), where absolutely no one speaks English and nothing is in English. It's kind of crazy (to clarify--by NO means do I expect them to speak English; our experience has just been that pretty most everywhere, people speak English). It's kind of fun and challenging (and exhausting!) to figure out every aspect of every move here, but we're making do. And they seem to have an obsession with yams. Look at the flyer below--what do you suppose this is for? A yam giveaway? There was a man handing this out on the street corner.

Last thing is how cold it is here. While we each have two pairs of pants (mind you, light/spring-type pants) and one puff jacket, it's not quite enough for highs of mid-40s and lows of 30s. Thankfully, we have some good sunshine days, which makes a difference. Next week should be upper 50s, too, which is exciting. 

So there you go, folks. Japan living. We have two weeks from today, so we can't wait to see all of your smiling faces!!!