Where Did I Go After South Korea?

I'm back home in America and you know what that means?

Good wifi and a laptop! 

While those things were pretty easy to do without while traveling, it did make keeping up a blog nearly impossible for the last few months. While I enjoyed the break away from this blog, I'm glad to be back. In the future, I'll be writing posts about my favorite cities and just some funny/embarrassing/interesting stories from my trip.

Why am I dressed up? Where am I? Who am I with? I'll tell you all about this beautiful national park and more in a later post.

But today, I'll be doing none of that.

The last blog I wrote was about Japan. After Japan, I made my way to Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and Myanmar (Burma). From the day I left Korea, the trip was a total of 3 and a half months (102 days). I had a lot of great experiences, ate fantastic food, met amazing people, and learned more about different cultures. I absolutely can't wait to travel again. So without further delay, here's some information about the entirety of my trip:

In Japan I... 

      - went to 8 cities in 14 days.

      - traveled with my older brother, Ben.

      - rode on the bullet train 5 times.

      - ate 1 million pieces* of sushi

      - played with deer in Nara and on Miyajima Island  

      - woke up before dawn to witness the famous Tsukiji tuna auction

View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint

In Taiwan I...

      - went to 8 cities and 4 townships** in 18 days.

      - traveled solo (it was great!)

      - drove a scooter for the first time along the coast in Kenting National Park 

      - visited night markets, beaches, rice fields, hot springs and lakes

      - biked the entirety of Sun Moon Lake, considered by CNN as one of the top 10 bike routes in the       world (Travel CNN 10 Best Cycling Routes)

View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint

In Hong Kong I...

     - explored the city for 9 days.

     - visited 3 outlying islands for day trips

     - traveled by myself but met up with a friend I hadn't seen in 4 years towards the end.

     - couchsurfed for the first time and had a great experience 

     - had a beer at Ozone, one of the highest bars in the world, situated on the 118th floor of the Ritz-          Carlton. 

In China I...

      - went to 16 cities in 48 days.

      - traveled with Will, an Australian and Lukas, an Austrian (slightly confusing when they                     introduced themselves). 

      - hiked and camped on the Great Wall

      - saw thousands* of pandas in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

      - had people ask to take my photo once or twice***

      - saw the Terracotta Army, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, The Bund, and             most of the other top destination that Lonely Planet recommends. 

View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint

In Myanmar I...

      -went to 10 cities/towns in 22 days. 

      - traveled with Lukas.

      - rode on the back of a motorcycle/scooter a billion* times.

      - volunteered and taught an English class in Yangon. 

      - saw hot air balloons take off during sunrise over the pagodas in Bagan.

      - witnessed a human powered ferris wheel

      - took part in the Taunggyi Fire Balloon Festival (more on that in a future post)

View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint

Again, this trip was really fantastic and I look forward to sharing more about each country in the future.

Peace!

*Number may be exaggerated

**A township is a division of a county 

***So. Many. Pictures.