Travel

   Travelling has always been a great love of mine. I have been having this love affair with travelling as long as I can put two sentences together.

   It would take a long post to go back to my first series of travels but lately, I have been enjoying the "results' of my travels. I come from Southeast Asia and I travel domestically via plane or even by long drives. I travel alone or with friends and with the much younger generation members of my family. But most of all I love to see new places and meet new people with R. We love to try new food and shop for the best of everything that we think we might like. He is the best travel companion ever, hands-down.

   The travels I make here coming from the mountains are just locally of course, I take 2 hour drives to see friends from either side of the island or cross a small strait to visit another set of friends nearby. I f I fly domestically it is also to see friends from highschool, south of the island I am in. Usually I am with "Sister' when I do this trips. I love the idea of packing, believe it or not. And to be able to function with less than what I am accustomed to at the comfort of my own home. Travelling reminds me that I do not need 20 shades of eyeshadow or three colors of foundation for my makeup kit. I travel light as much as I can. And I do, I can do it. I like the fact that travelling is one way for me to "roughing" it.

   I am a people person, R can attest to that. I smile and talk to everyone. I mean EVERYONE!! I love engaging people in conversations and that broadens my understanding of the world. I love the interaction. The shock in some people's eyes when I tell them, I am not what they think I am, nationality-wise. I get a kick out of debinking their thoughts about where I come from. The smile and glee people bring me is way more than the giggle I elicit from them when they say "Oh, really! I thought you are from (name of country), You dont look like you are from there." Being in a new place always allows me to find out some character me in that I don't know I had in me. I learn and I love learning new things about other people and most especially about myself.

    I love the inconvenience that travel presents me. I see it as a challenge to my constitution as a person and as a woman. I never turn my back on any challenge. I try to make do with what I have and if I forgot something, hey, it is always a good reason to shop!

    Food, is another advantage of travelling. Trying new things and tasting new flavors teaches my palate the variety life in other countries have to offer me. I love eating good food. Bonus points when it is organic and delicious. I just exercise the calories off when I get back home.

   Lately, I travelled to the Golden State for family reasons, since they are on both sides of the pond, I revisit old haunts that I know I like what they dish out and since there are favorite places and cuisines I like, I visit and visit time and time again when I am there. And when it was time to go back home, I passed by Tokyo, Narita Airport, I liked the idea of a short break before another long flight home.

   Tokyo airport is a place I love to spend a couple of hours in. I love the food in there and the shops, so this time I am posting photos of my short stint at the Narita airport. I walked and walked in there before my connecting flight home.

   Enjoy!

Remember what Henry Miller said, "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." True!

 At the Los Angeles airport gate, boarding JAL...

Miso Kitchen at the Narita Airport...I promised R, no ramen for me. I just had a glass of soda.

The restroom was very clean. On the arm of the toilet seat is a control panel, it plays music. No kidding!
Travelling is a good thing. There are only so many things you can learn in the classroom. The world can teach you more when you step out of your home, so much more than you can ever imagine. Travel when you can and take someone you love with you.