Recently I took a mixed group of diplomats, aid workers and tourists on a hiking trip to Kosovo‘s most remote region, Dragash. Not only is the area the focus of my upcoming first guidebook (The Mountains of Dragash, Kosovo: Hiking and Nature Tourism Guide) but is now the area where I’m working for the United Nations to develop a rural tourism strategy for the Municipality.

How to Take Stunning Travel Photos With your Iphone

The trip and guidebook are secondary to my true secret, how I use the Iphone to take amazing photos. OK, OK, I think they are amazing anyway. While I’m also guilty of lugging around a proper camera, many of my most beautiful shots come from my easy to pocket Iphone.

I use a photographic technique (is it a technique if it is an app?) called High Dynamic Range (HDR) which takes photos at varying light levels and merges them together. The effects can be stunning and with a simple App called TrueHDR ($1.99) all the processing work is done for you. Of course you still need to frame, pick beautiful views, and keep a steady hand. Dragash, Kosovo really is this beautiful, but with a little help it’s possible to draw out the wild beauty of the area even further.

Enjoy the photo essay and leave your best travel photography tip in the comments below.

Our beautiful camp site at the base of a 2 river canyon system

 The hiking guide will be available soon, and for FREE! Check back soon for details.

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Dragash Kosovo Backcountry HDR Photo Trip is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

See, Japan is not all about modesty and Samurai! Japan accepts quite a bit of eccentric freedom.

It is hard not to drool cliches when writing about Japan these days, especially when talking about the eclectic youth culture located in Harajuku, Tokyo. Just about every guidebook (this site included 10 Free Things to Do in Tokyo) recommends “people gawking” along the Jingu Bridge where you can usually catch Japan’s insanely strange youth fashion. You’ll find everything from Lolita to goth, french maids with a sweet spot for fake blood, to cross dressing little bow peeps.

At times the Jingu Bridge area just next to Harajuku station feels a bit contrived, teenagers dressed up waiting to have their picture taken by photographers, hoping to land in a fashion magazine. Don’t get me wrong, it is fun to gawk, and if you are headed to Meiji Shrine you have to pass over the bridge anyway (this is another must see in Tokyo). But if you are looking for a slightly more authentic creative spirit continue past the bridge towards Yoyogi Park.

Travel Tip: Your best chance at premium gawking is on a Sunday when most people are out on the bridge and running around Yoyogi Park (yes, rebellious youth have to work and go to school on the weekdays too).

Map of Harajuku, Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park

To get to Yoyogi park, just cross the Jingu Bridge and instead of turning right into the Meiji Shrine with the large, beautiful, shaded, wooden torii gate, take a left and follow the sidewalk around the corner to the right. You’ll see the Harajuku entrance to the park right in front of you along with some delicious street food vendors!

Do you like these maps? Let me know if you find these helpful and I will try to include more detailed instructions on retracing my wanderings for those who want to follow along.

Guide to Yoyogi Park Tokyo

Yoyogi Gyoen (park) is Tokyo’s largest and has a number of wonderful wooded areas that will make you forget about city life for a short while. The park comes into its own on Sundays when groups gather from all over Tokyo to meet and share their mutual interest in just about anything you can think of. This includes everything from skateboarding, to freestyle cycling, African drum circles, dance troupes, cross dressing senior citizens, bird watchers, musicians, jugglers, martial arts and students practicing for upcoming plays.

For me this is where the excitement of the Japanese culture is on display best. You will still get outrageous fashions of the young and bored. But what you will get more of is the Japanese predilection for forming groups and trying to perfect a certain task. It doesn’t matter what that task is, what matters is being part of the group and progressively getting better (or trying to).

Click the Video Below to Watch My Day in Yoyogi

So while most guidebooks will tell you to come and witness “crazy” Japanese society, I’d challenge you to come and witness “normal” Japanese society. Sunday is a time for groups to gather, for creativity to be let loose, and for people to polish their stones with a singular conviction. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dancing elf, a cross-dressing little bow peep, or a juggler. They are all welcome in Yoyogi, they are all involved in the same cultural experiment, just expressed differently at times.

Once your done in Yoyogi don’t forget to take a walk around the Meiji Jingu grounds for a more subdued expression of Japanese culture. Once you are calm you’ll be ready to shop for the crazy costumes in Harajuku’s back streets and especially along the always crowded Takeshita Street, just across the street from the train station.

What do you think? Are the Japanese youth in Yoyogi creative or conformists? Is this a must see for a visitor to Tokyo?

Experience Tokyo’s Creative Youth Culture in Yoyogi Park is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

Anyone who says you can't have it all is more worried about what they don't have and that you might end up with more than them.

Recently a number of people have written me to ask EXACTLY how I have been able to travel the world for the past 12 years. After reading a friend’s wonderful post explaining in detail how he has traveled for over 10 years as well at Wandering Earl (yes, people with Wandering names have to stick together) I decided to post my own account.

For those of you who don’t know my background, I left the US in 1998 to visit Japan. Coming from a middle class family, it was my first time on an airplane and I was 21 years old! Over 40 countries (I’m sure I’ll forget to mention a few below) and various different jobs later I’m still on the road, now with my wife and my recently born son.

WARNING: This is a long post.  For word nerds, it is exactly 2,382 words long. For time nerds, it will take the average reader 15 minutes to read and 10 more seconds to understand. Proceed carefully as you will not get this time back. You can of course just read the headlines in about 3 minutes if you don’t want to understand anything that I spent so long writing.

For the regular readers out there I thought I had already told you how, especially in:

5 Steps to World Travel and Getting Paid to Do What you Love

or maybe in 3 Strategies to Help you Succeed and Travel the World. Still not convinced that I’m not trying to hide anything, then check out How to Manage Uncertainty—Don’t where I lay out 7 steps to help you travel and live free of worry.

We Want the Dirty Details including Money Money Money…Money!

But I also know that it can be difficult to relate to such a life sitting behind a pile of bills, late payments, and screaming kids demanding your attention.  I was sitting in my hometown bar a few years ago reminiscing with a buddy about the countries he visited me in. A hard drinking, hard working local took exception:

“Who the fuck do you think you are? Stop lying, no one could have been to so many places. What are you 30 years old? [I was 28] Get the fuck outta hea (that’s New Englander for “here”)

My sister was bar tending that night and told him to quite down. Drunk Dave turned quiet, grabbed his beer tighter and just repeated softly “it’s just not possible”.

Well it is possible, but I’ll be honest, it does require a number of sacrifices, leaps of faith, and the ability to go against the collective wisdom of just about everyone you know and love.

I try not to speak too much about money here on Todd’s Wanderings, since I do like to keep some privacy to myself (most of the bad things I have thought and done in my life qualify). But in this post (and probably the only time) I’m willing to open up about my non-blogging finances and show you just how little you really need to travel the world. As you will see, you can do it while heavily in debt, you don’t need nearly as much as you think, and long-term travel doesn’t have to equal abject poverty. In fact, due to lower costs of living, beneficial tax breaks, and a personal desire for simplicity and lack of acquiring “things” I think I have led a higher quality of life outside of the US than I could have if I stayed (wars and bombing raids included).

1998- Study Abroad in Osaka, Japan

In 1998 I was all set to go on my university’s study abroad program to Japan. At the last minute it was canceled as there were only 2 people signed up. Undeterred the two of us created our own program, found a school to enter and arranged everything ourselves. I was a poor collage student, paying for my school all on my own through student loans and scholarship. I had saved roughly $1,000 for extra expenses (yes, I worked during college). That was not nearly enough, but as a first time traveler what the hell did I know.

Luckily, as we organized the whole trip ourselves I had to pay the tuition upon arrival. Japan is a cash society so I carried $12,000 in traveler checks (yeah that is a lot of $100 checks!) with me on the plane. As I flew over the Pacific Ocean for the first time the exchange rates went crazy and when I landed I didn’t need all $12,000 to pay for school and was able to use the savings to live and travel.

I also cashed in a $1,000 in inheritance to pay for the 900 mile, 88 temple walking pilgrimage I went on after school ended. Life has never been the same since.

Counties Visited: Japan and Jamaica (yes, spring break called)

Money Saved: Nope. Maybe your expectations are too high for me.

Balance Sheet: Still sinking in student loan debt

1999-2001 Shiga, Japan- JET Program

I was lucky and graduated university with only $30,000 in debt. Yes, that’s a lot but that is also how much my private university cost per year!

After graduation I got a job as an assistant language teacher with the JET Program in Japan. This was a fantastic first job and I earned roughly $36,000 per year. I got 20 days of paid vacation, left work at 4 pm everyday, and didn’t have to work in the summer time. I spent all of my money traveling around South East Asia, and exploring Japan.

Counties Visited: Japan, Spain, Vietnam, and Thailand

Money Saved: $0

Balance Sheet: Still sinking in student loan debt

2001 Peru, Parent’s Attic, Chiba-Japan- Private English School

After 2 years in Japan I was looking for a change and returned to the US. I didn’t have a job so I moved back in with my parents and lived in my old room. Despite not have much money in savings I headed down to Peru for a few weeks to hike the Inca trail and explore the Andes Mountains.

Deciding it was better to be working abroad than unemployed in the US I found another job teaching in Japan for about $30,000 a year and moved to Chiba (near Tokyo).  Living near Tokyo was tough but I stilled traveled and managed not to save any money. I kept paying the minimum on my student loans and saving money for travel.

Countries Visited: USA, Peru, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore and Thailand

Money Saved: $0

Balance Sheet: How long can I keep treading water before I drown?

2002-2004 Shiga, Japan- Elementary School English Teacher

Unfortunately, I had to admit that being broke and living near a big city like Tokyo was just not fun.  So, I called in some contacts and found a new job back in my old area of Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Getting back to the Japanese countryside was great as was the return to my JET salary of $36,000 a year.  Money and free time still went to paying for jaunts to South East Asia as well as slow travel around Japan.

Countries Visited: Thailand, Myanmar, South Korea

Money Saved: $9,000

Balance Sheet: Getting smaller. $20,000 still in the hole.

2004-2006 Graduate School in Boston, Thailand and Japan (yes again)

Five years after graduating I was out in the world but making the exact amount of money as when I started. I was also chained to a job and was only able to travel during vacations. Plus, teaching English might be great for some people, but it was decidedly not my passion. It was time to make a change. I got into graduate school for International Relations and moved to Boston.

I visited Japan (yes, an ex-girlfriend) over winter vacation, broke up and then for the summer between year 1 and 2 I got an internship in Thailand. I lived in Bangkok for 2 months, toured the country, visited Cambodia again, and then headed back to Japan for 1 month to walk the Shikoku Pilgrimage again. I paid for it with a $2,000 grant and with a work for shelter and travel agreement with the NGO where I volunteered.

I paid for 2 years of graduate school the only way I could, I took out massive amounts of loans (private and government subsidized), blew through my $9,000, worked part-time, and maxed out credit cards. In the end I decided I would rather live the life I wanted and owe money than be miserable with a mortgage

Countries Visited: USA, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Canada, Las Vegas (trust me it’s like another country)

Money Saved: Ha!

Balance Sheet: took a beating- $100,000 in debt (Credit Cards and Student Loans)

2006 San Francisco, Timor Leste (East Timor)- Intern, Governance and Conflict Consultant

Life is serious business filled with nice hats and big glasses

When you are $100,000 in debt, what is the smart thing to do? I did the opposite and took another internship, this time in the expensive city of San Francisco for 3 months. I was paid exactly $3,000 to keep me alive and slightly breathing. I cobbled together a string of couch surfing and sublet agreements and slept in 5 different houses over the 3 months. I even managed to drive the length of route 1, party in La Jolla for the 4^th of July, and enjoy Big Sur on the way back.

The phone rang one day, 1 week before my contract was up, and I was offered a 1 month assignment in Timor Leste (yes, the number “one” seems to be important here).  I said yes without the slightest hesitation, dropped a bag and flew out a few days later with no intention of returning. I lived in Timor for 6 months, traveled the country, and explored Bali and the rest Indonesia.

Oh, by the way, Timor Leste was when I first created Todd’s Wanderings!

Countries Visited: Timor Leste, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Singapore

Money Saved: Just glad I was able to start eating again

Balance Sheet: Still $100,000 over my head.

2007-2009 Sri Lanka (the civil war years)- Human Rights Advocate

With a few months of experience under my belt in my new profession I followed a girl (now my wife) to Sri Lanka right when the civil war was starting back up. It took me about 3 months to find a job, but I found one, worked my ass off as a human rights advocate, and eventually turned it into a Country Director position. The NGO had no idea that I was going to do that, but it just shows what you can accomplish if you try something new.

During this time we enjoyed the hell out of Sri Lanka and I got to start enjoying traveling for work and adding fun to the end of each trip. It is an amazing thing to get paid to travel! I also set the stage for my debt reduction and retirement savings plan. Read the post How to Manage Uncertainty—Don’t to see my strategies here. Basically, I cashed in some investments and paid off my credit cards, rolled the monthly interest savings into my student loan payments, started saving for retirement, an eventual house, travel, and food when I had a chance.

I started off earning $38,000/year and left making about $47,000 a year. But with no taxes and low cost of living, life was good.

Countries visited: Sri Lanka, Maldives, India, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Switzerland, England, Japan, Dubai, USA

Money Saved: Probably about $15,000 over 2 years

Balance Sheet: Owed about $89,000. I was beginning to learn to how to swim.

2009-2011 Kosovo- Consultant, Peacebuilding, Rural Tourism

The war finally ended and it was time to move on. We did the only sensible thing and my wife and I packed up and moved the Balkans. She took a job with the UN and I started consulting. When consulting work dried up I landed a job working for the United Nations in the divided town of Mitrovica in Kosovo, and moonlighted pro bono writing a hiking guide to southern Kosovo. Yes, this was the beginning of combining my travel writing with development work.

Let’s just say working for the UN in a non-family duty station (yes, I had my family with me) is very good for the bank account. This part of my life is a bit too fresh to share all the details with you but you’ll get an idea in the overview at the end of this section.

Between the UN, consulting, and having a baby boy in Japan I did quite a bit of traveling these 2 years. I am also a firm believer in saving money when it is available so I kept my normal lifestyle and socked the savings into paying off debt, saving for a house and…you guessed it… traveling.

Countries visited: Singapore, Timor Leste, Sri Lanka, Austria, Kosovo, Turkey, Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Croatia, Slovenia, England, Netherlands, Jordan, USA, Japan, Maldives, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Italy

Money Saved: $40,000

Balance Sheet: Owed about $56,000 in student loans. All private loans with high interest rates have been paid off, I never carry credit card debt, and the rest of the loans are at a low 3.25% interest so they get the minimum payment for life and the savings will go into investments.

You don’t have to be rich, or poor, to Travel the World

I don’t expect you to run out and mirror my life. But I hope that you realize that traveling the world is a decision that you have to continually make. Sometimes you will have money, other times you won’t. That is the nature of having a freer life. But it can be done. I’m still doing it, my wife is doing it with me, and now our son has joined the party. Besides the travel aspect we are doing the type of work we love and getting paid for it.

In terms of my blogging money I earn about $1,000 or more a month. Most of this goes back into the business in one form or another. I have plans to implement a new strategy that will hopefully expand this income but even if it doesn’t I’m quite happy with it and the additional security it brings me and my family. My goals for my website and writing endeavors are to provide for my family when we don’t have other jobs, eventually replace our current income, and continue to prove we can get paid to do the things we love.

Never underestimate the value of living in a cheap country, or following your dreams!

What are your secrets for traveling the world?

How I Paid for 12 Years of Continuous Travel is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

This post is by Kay, who writes the K’s Kitchen section of Todd’s Wanderings. She also happens to be Todd’s lovely wife!

Only the Japanese can turn a meat loaf into a gourmet dish!

First of all, I have to apologize for my looong absence from K’s Kitchen. Here is my excuse…I was on bed rest from February to June due to some complications for my pregnancy and I couldn’t use use the computer much. The good news is that (A) our son was born in good health 4 weeks ago; and (B) K’s kitchen is back now

Today, I would like to introduce you to a ‘Japanese Western Food’ called ‘Hambagu’. Basically this is a dish made from ground beef and is similar to a rounded meatloaf or a salisbury streak. This dish originates from ‘Tartar Steak’ in Germany. It is not known exactly when this dish arrived at Japan but it’s sometime during Meiji Era (1868-1912) that similar dishes started to appear. In fact, beef was not common prior to this period in Japan. Since the 1950s, Hambagu (yes this is a very Japanese way to pronounce Hamburg) has become really popular as a home dish and its popularity continues today.

According to my husband (who is American and is familiar with the Japanese culture), the uniqueness of Hambagu in Japan as a foreigner is that this dish can be an expensive and posh dish and an economical dish at the same time. (Todd here: I mean seriously, who would serve a meatloaf at a five star restaurant!)

The recipe that I am introducing to you today is my mom’s special recipe (again!). The particular point for this recipe is that you bake the dish in an oven, while we normally only use a frying pan to cook it in Japan. This way, the juicy taste of the meat will remain. Enjoy this Japanese Western Food!!

Hambagu Ingredients (for 4 people)

Ground Beef: 240g

Ground Pork: 160g

Bread Crumbs: 60g

Milk: 100cc

Egg: 1

Salt: 1/2 teaspoon

Pepper, Nutmeg: a pinch or two each

Sauce

Sherry (alcohol) 3 Tablespoons (if not available, you can also substitute with whisky or brandy)

Ketchup: 3 Tablespoons

Worcestershire Sauce: 1.5 Tablespoons

Chicken broth: 3 Tablespoons

Mustard: 1 Tablespoon

Mushrooms- sliced finely (as much as your like to cover each patty)

How to cook Japanese Hambagu (cooking/preparation time: 45-50 mins)

(1)   Chop onions finely, sauté, and cool them down.

(2)   Soak the bread crumbs in milk

The Pate, trust me it gets better looking as the cooking continues

(3)   Put onions, bread crumbs in milk, salt, pepper, eggs, and nutmeg in a bowl and mix them.

(4)   Add ground beef and pork into the bowl and mix well with the ingredients in (3). Divide the pate into four.

(5)   Throw each piece from right to left hand to get rid of air in the pate and make a rectangular shape with 2 cm thickness. Push the middle part to make a dent.

(6)   Put 1.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil into the frying pan, heat it up, and fry the outside of the pate for 2-3 minutes to brown them.

(7)   Put vegetable oil onto the oven pan, put the hamburg pate, and bake them for about 13 min with 220 C.

(8)   Take out the hambagu patties from the pan, remove grease from the pan, and collect the remaining meat essence into a small pot.

(9)   Sauté mushrooms and put into (8), add the ingredients for sauce, and heat up until it boils. Serve the hamburg with the sauce on top.

You can also serve a side vegetable dish such as carrots grasse or sautéd beans, as you like.

What do you think? Have the Japanese perfected the meatloaf?

Japanese Hambagu Recipe (Japanese Gourmet Hamburger Patty? WOW) is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

In Japan, UNESCO World Heritage Sites are extremely popular and there is even a weekly travel show dedicated to showcasing sites from all over the world. The United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aims (among an incredibly long list of other duties) to designate and help to protect cultural or natural sites that show “outstanding universal value.” “Sekai isan” or World Heritage Sites, are so popular that Japanese tour companies do a steady business developing mass tours all around the world as well as within Japan itself.

While many people of heard about World Heritage Sites, I was shocked to discover while researching for this article that despite the large sums of money invested to win World Heritage status, and then the vasts amounts of sums needed to protect and maintain those sites (with of course some funds made available from UNESCO) that there is very little interest on the internet for Heritage Sites in Japan.

As little as 170 people per month, GLOBALLY,  actively search for information in English on Japan’s World Heritage Sites. While the marketing value of making the list seems to be quite high, there does not seem to be a subsequent push by the ordinary tourist to find information on them over the internet. Compare this low search level with “Japan Sex” which comes in at 201,000/month and you see what the heritage of the world is up against. Yes, I somehow was able to weave “sex” into a World Heritage post

Despite the lack of knowledge on World Heritage Sites, Japan is filled with them (relative to other countries) and boasts some impressive and incredibly preserved sites.

Travel to Japan’s World Heritage Sites

If you are planning a visit to Japan, you can hardly go wrong by including a few of Japan’s 16 World Heritage Sites in your itinerary. To help you out, and because I know you are not going to search for them on your own, here they are. I have been to over half of these and can’t wait to visit the rest. They are grouped by region starting north to south and include the 2 new additions that were just added in June 2011!

Cultural UNESCO Sites

Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land

New to the list in 2011, Hiraizumi, in Iwate Prefecture boasts a long history of beautiful temples that rivaled the size of Kyoto back in the 12th Century. The area comprises five sites, including the sacred Mount Kinkeisan. The sites boast the remnants of  government offices dating from the 11th and 12th centuries when Hiraizumi was the administrative center of the northern realm of Japan. The realm was based on the cosmology of Pure Land Buddhism, which spread to Japan in the 8th century. It represented the pure land of Buddha that people aspire to after death, a type of enlightened realm. The highlights of the area include Chuson-ji Temple, with its spectacular Konjikido golden hall, Motsu-ji Temple, and the former garden of Kanjizaio-in Temple which is representative of a combination of indigenous Japanese nature worship and Shintoism and Pure Land Buddhism that developed a type of garden design unique to Japan.

Shrines and Temples of Nikko

The shrines and temples of Nikko have long been associated with the wealth and power of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and together with the beautiful surrounding nature illustrate the architectural style of the Edo period. The mountains of Nikko were first worshiped as a sacred Shinto area and in the 8th century the first Buddhist building was built. The area highlights the unique nature of Japanese religious centers blending nature worship with adapted Buddhist principles. One of the main highlights is Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu’s grand, elaborately (gaudy?) decorated mausoleum – the Toshogu – that was built in the mid 17th century. Watch out for the monkeys that are known to terrorize the town and the visitors alike.

Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama

Located in a mountainous regions in Gifu Prefecture (Shirakawa-go) and Toyama Prefecture (Gokayama) are cut off from the rest of Japan. These villages have Gassho-style houses with their steeply pitched thatched roofs that were designed to protect from the massive amounts of snow dumped on the area each winter by moisture extending from the Sea of Japan and are the only examples of their kind in Japan. The resident lived off of the cultivation of mulberry trees and the rearing of silkworms. It is difficult to find a more rural traditional lifestyle in Japan.

Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities)

Yes, this is three cities in one and the monuments are shared between Kyoto Prefecture and my former home Shiga Prefecture. With so many amazing historical temples and shrines in the area it would have been impossible to grant them all UNESCO status individually. If you manage to hit all of these temples and shrines then you are way ahead of the most tourists who spend a few days seeing just a few of these sites. The full list includes:

• Kamigamo Shrine (Kamowakeikazuchi-jinja)
• Shimogamo Shrine (Kamomioya-jinja)
• To-ji Temple (Kyouougokoku-ji), Minami-ku Kyoto-city
• Kiyomizu Temple (Kiyomizu-dera)
• Enryaku-ji Temple, Otsu-city
• Daigo-ji Temple, Fushimi-ku Kyoto-city
• Ninna-ji Temple, Ukyo-ku Kyoto-city
• Byodoin Temple, Uji-city
• Ujigami-jinja Shrine, Uji-city
• Kozan-ji Temple, Ukyo-ku Kyoto-city
• Saiho-ji Temple, Sakyo-ku Kyoto-city
• Tenryu-ji Temple, Ukyo-ku Kyoto-city
• Kinkaku-ji Temple (Rokuon-ji), Kita-ku Kyoto-city
• Ginkaku-ji Temple (Jisho-ji), Sakyo-ku Kyoto-city
• Ryouan-ji Temple, Ukyo-ku Kyoto-city
• Hongan-ji Temple, Shimogyo-ku Kyoto-city
• Nijojo Castle, Kyoto-city

And yes, I have been to them all!!!

Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area, Nara Prefecture

With around 48 Buddhist monuments in the Horyu-ji area, in Nara Prefecture, you could spend a whole day taking photographs. A number of them date from the late 7th or early 8th century, including the Hyoru-ji gate, main hall and pagoda, making them the oldest surviving wooden buildings in the world. These masterpieces of wooden architecture illustrate the adaptation of Chinese Buddhist architecture and layout to Japanese culture, as well as the with the introduction of Buddhism to Japan from China through the Korean peninsula.

Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara

Like Kyoto, there are so many sites in Ancient Nara that one can spend a few days trying to discover all of the UNESCO sites. Japan’s capital from 710-784, it is a classic site that every visitor should see. Stop to pet the free roaming deer located throughout the city and the park, visit Todai-ji the world’s largest wooden building housing Japan’s largest statue of the Buddha, or marvel at Kofuku-ji’s 5 story pagoda. Don’t forget to walk along the paths in the surrounding hills and discover centuries of stone statues and Buddhist symbols.

Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range

Set in the remote and dense forests of the Kii Mountains three ancient sacred sites- Yoshino and Omine, Kumano Sanzan, and Koyasan, reflect the inter-linkages between the native nature based worship of Shinto, and Buddhism which arrived from China and Korea. The sites are linked to the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto along pilgrimage routes that are still used today for hiking and ascetic disciple. The natural landscapes and the sites themselves have a long and well documented tradition of use and pilgrimage for over 1,200 years. The rugged mountains raising from 1,000-2,000 meters and the natural beauty of the area, which was once thought to have been the origin of the Japanese Shinto Gods, are still visited by millions of people each year. Each of the sites are worth a visit but are spread out quite a bit. Koyasan is the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism, a form of esoteric Buddhism and its founder Kobodaishi is one of the great Japanese historical figures. He is also the founder of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

Approaching a small Shinto Shrine in the Kii Mountains

Yoshino and Omine is the northern-most site near to Nara. The Yoshino or northern part of the site was the most important sacred mountain in Japan by the 10th century and was the object of mountain worship, Shinto, in the 7th and 8th centuries. Later in the 8th century it became one of the prime sacred places for the Shugen sect of ascetic Buddhism, and the Omine in the southern part of the site was also known for its harsh mountain ascetic rituals and particular fusion of Shinto and Buddhism.

Kumano Sanzan is the furthest south and has three main shrines, and two temples, connected by a pilgrims’ route. The site also reflects the Shinto and Shugen sect of Shinto-Buddhism and the wooden architecture is considered some of the best in Japan.

Himeji-jo

This is possibly Japan’s best preserved and most beautiful castle. The castle site includes 83 buildings with highly developed systems of defense and and creative means of protection dating from the beginning of the Shogun period. The original castle was built in the 14th century and the existing castle was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1580. It was further enlarged 30 years later by Ikeda Terumasa. This is one of those sites that is a must see for any visitor to Japan.

Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape

The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in Shimane Prefecture in the south east of Japan’s main island, Honshu, is a mountainous area reaching 600 meters cut through by deep river valleys featuring the archaeological remains of large-scale mines, smelting and refining sites and mining settlements worked between the 16th and 20th centuries. The mines produced most of silver and gold in south-east Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries with shipping routes to China and the Korean peninsula. The site includes fortresses, a number of temples that catered to the short life expectancy of silver miners of the time, and three port towns Tomogaura, Okidomari and Yunotsu, from where the ore was shipped.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)

This used to be the Industrial Promotion Hall, but after being at the hypocenter of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 the partially standing remains are now a reminder of the world’s first atomic attack. It was the only building in the area to survive the blast and has been kept in its original state by the city of Hiroshima. Each year on August 6th, services are held at the dome in remembrance and a moment of silence is observed. The Dome stands opposite of the Peace Memorial Park.

Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

The island of Itsukushima, in the Seto inland sea, has been a sacred place for Shintoism since the earliest times. The shrines main torii gates, better know as the “floating shrine,” rises out of the the ocean during high tide and is one of the enduring images of Japan. The first shrine buildings were around the 6th century with the present shrine being erected in the 12th century. The shrine plays on the contrasts in color and form between mountains and sea and is a remarkable illustration of Japan’s sense of beauty which highlights the balance between nature and humans.

Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, Okinawa Prefecture

The Ryukyu Kingdom in Okinawa served as the economic and cultural hub between Japan, China, Korea and the rest of south-east Asia for several centuries. The area is dotted with fortresses and castles with the main attraction being Shuri-jo a castle with a particularly Chinese flavor to it. The castle was the seat of power in the area from the 15th century to 1879 when Okinawa was taken under full control by the Japanese government. Unfortunately the castle was almost fully destroyed during WWII and the current building is a reconstruction.

Natural UNESCO Sites

Shiretoko

If Hokkaido is often refereed to as the most American area in Japan with it’s wide open spaces then Shiretoko must be the Alaska of Japan.The Shiretoko Peninsula in north eastern Hokkaido is a remote, untouched wilderness accessible only by boat or a long trekking expedition. The Peninsula is 65 km long and 25 km wide, houses a number of rare plant and animal life and is home to the world’s highest number of brown bears. The site is globally important for threatened seabirds and migratory birds and for marine mammals including Steller’s sea lion. Good luck getting there!

Shirakami-Sanchi

Located in Akita Prefecture in northern Honshu the area consists mainly of virgin Siebold’s beech forests that once spread all over Northern Japan. Black bears inhabit the area and a traditional faith ceremony and traditional bear hunting still takes place from time to time. The beech forest is almost entirely undisturbed with few access trails or man-made facilities. There is occasional use by bear hunters but in general the area is protected and has a buffer zone around it.

Ogasawara Islands

One of two new Heritage sites listed in 2011 the beautiful topical islands of Ogasawara are technically a part of Tokyo but are located over 1,000 km to the south and consist of over 30 islands. Often call the Galapagos of Asia the islands have never physically been attached to any other part of Japan leaving the flora and fauna millions of the years to evolve into distinct species, including the Bonin Flying Fox. About 2,500 residents live on the islands which can only be reach by a 25 1/2 hour ferry ride from Tokyo. The surrounding ocean is home to an abundance of sea life and is an ideal place to watch Humpback and Sperm whales.

Yakushima

This island located just to the South of Kyushu, Japan’s southern most main island, is a wonderland of ancient cedar trees and an abundance of plant species with over 1,900 recorded. The massive Yaku-sugi, are endemic to the island transforming the island into enchanting land. Combined with the monkeys, and sparking blue waters around the island it is impossible not feel in awe of the natural wonders.

If you want to find out more detailed information on any of the above sites you can visit the UNESCO page for Japan.

What do you think? Are World Heritage Sites a must when you visit Japan, or are there better ways to spend your time?

This post is a part of the J-Festa July blog carnival. To join in check out the guidelines.

Photo Credits 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Guide to UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

It’s hard to know what is on and off the beaten path these days. Most travelers get their information from the Internet (yes, including you right now) in a way that was never possible before with regular guidebooks. But with the proliferation of information is there still a beaten path? Or are we all beating down the grass as we wander freely here and there depending on the whims of a Google search?

Yes, it really is this beautiful!

Whatever the answer is, for most people Albania as a country is off the beaten path and is just starting to open up to tourism. Travel to the northern mountain regions, where the fastest way to travel is by lake ferry, or by foot, and you can be pretty sure you are off the beaten path. I heard about the Komani Lake Ferry in Kosovo and decided to give it a try. It is by far one of the most beautiful, and gritty ferry rides I have experienced. In fact I’d even call it a classic boat journey that most people should experience at least once in their lives. The journey is not made easy for tourists as it caters to residents and traders traveling down to the coastal areas. But it will by far be the highlight of your trip to Albania. The bonus is that you can easily combine this with a hike in Northern Albania, or a trip to or from Kosovo. These are all places most people would consider off the beaten track, although to be honest there were plenty of tourists sitting ride beside my wife and I!

Riding the Ferry on Albania’s Komani Lake

Komani lake was Albania first major hydro electric project in 1970 and helped the country not only become a net exporter of energy, but also created an amazing winding system river system of turquoise waters, staggering cliffs, and remnants of a life cut out of a savage land where journeys are measured in days rather than hours. There are no cities or towns along the ride, only solitary houses

The Komani Ferry is large enough to carry 50 cars, and scores more passengers. It travels only 2 times a day and leaves from the western side from the town of Komani (kind of near Shkodra) at 10 am and earlier from the eastern side from Bregluma (near the small town of Fierza) at 8 am. The ferry may depart or arrive half an hour earlier than suggested as the above schedule is not fixed!

Um...psst...your tie is a bit short...

The timing means that it’s impossible to take the ferry south in the morning and then have time to explore and return on the same day. But the magic of the lake is the ride itself and can be combined with any number of other activities, from visiting the castle town of Shkodra, to hiking the remote mountain passed from Valbona to Thethi.

We drove 5 hours from Pristina on a Friday down to Shkodra on the new highway and in the morning took the ferry back towards Kosovo. Unless you have massive amounts of time, a car is a necessity on this trip due to the lack of public transportation and the remoteness of the ferry terminal itself. In fact, the last 20 km to the western ferry port took nearly 1-½ hours due the rugged road conditions. You will definitely want a 4-wheel drive vehicle for this trip.

Don’t miss the Komani Ferry!

Start the day early and arrive at least an 2 hours before the ferry is scheduled to depart if you are driving a car. The parking area on the western end is just past the damn and you need to travel through a hand carved tunnel to reach the small port area. There is not a lot of room to park here (they charge you for this too! but only 50 lek) so it’s best to get there early and have a coffee while you wait. There are a few small shops along the water. You can also buy drinks and snacks on the ferry, and it’s wonderful to watch the organized chaos surrounding the loading and unloading.

The ferry usually departs a little late as the last inches of space are negotiated to fit as many cars and buses on as possible. There are also smaller boats available for hire and many people use them to move into the mountains in the summer for the harvest. Life in the region is harsh, and money and resources are hard to come by. Many families will toil on their land for the 3 months to earn 20-50 Euros and stock up their food for the winter.

Beer and Cows, this guy has the market covered!

The ferry ride itself lasts about 2 ½ hours and travels through stunningly remote areas, along steep cliffs and mountains that give the Accursed Mountains their name (an area so remote and harsh it could only have been created by the devil). This is one of those experiences that are slowly fading from our hyper connected and efficient world. It’s a place where trade and sweat still have a caloric value and you can feel the worth of your ticket (400 lek per person and 1200 lek per square meter of car…don’t worry they will calculate it for you). All in all I was very happy to experience the trip, and would recommend it to anyone with the time and spirit. Combine the trip with a more in depth travel to the Balkans and you’ll be sure to leave wondering what the hell CNN and BBC are going on about. The region and its people are lovely, and you’ll be hard pressed to find more genuine locals and landscapes.

Have you been to Albania? Would you go? Where did you go off the beaten track recently?

Off Track on the Northern Albanian Komani Lake is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

Ok, so this is not the exact photo of that night

Three to one. Three soldiers, to me. An ex-girlfriend on my arm, scared. How did I get myself into this situation? More importantly, how did I get myself out of it?

When we are kids we all have dreams of being the karate kid. No, not being lanky and whiny (I didn’t have to dream about that part), but being the guy who fights the bullies in the bar…and wins of course. In the summer of 2002 I had my own karate kid moment in Tokyo, Japan. I know, a very cool setting for the story.

Yes, it seems I jumped straight to Part 2 rather than training on the beach in California with a small Japanese guy who can act really really well. Despite not being in Okinawa, I still managed to find a group of US Soldiers. Note, I really respect all US military personnel and thank you from the bottom of my heart. Although, sometimes a few jerks slip through the recruiters

The Break Up

Fresh off of a break up, I decided I needed a night on the town. My relationship was one of those overly complicated emotional roller coasters where the girl’s ideal ending of the relationship was mutual suicide. Yeah…I really need to blow off some steam, especially after our last talk, “I think we want different things. I’m not ready to get married.”

“I never wanted to get married. I just want to be with you for the rest of my life.” We had been dating for 2 months. The water was boiling, the steam whistled, it was time to take the pot off the stove.

A Night on the Town in Tokyo

Dance Dance Revolution!

In Tokyo the options are endless, so I gathered a group of friends and we hit the clubs in Roppongi with the aim to drink and dance the frustration out. Clubs in Tokyo rage all night and after bar hopping in some seedy, sweaty, overly packed clubs in Roppongi we headed down the hill to the more refined, upmarket area of Azabu Juban to find a club where we could dance until the first trains started at the crack of dawn.

It was 1 am and this was our last stop for the night, a dark, smoky sweaty club filled with well dressed 20 somethings. Past 2 am there was no getting back in, you stayed until you were forced to greet the morning sun. We wove our way through the crowds, grabbing shots and beer along the way until we hit the dance floor, beads of sweat flying to the beat of underground Japanese house music. The bass beat deep into our souls, it cleared our minds just as the booze erased the past. Only now existed. The beat, the rhythm, the…why was she staring at me? Through the haze I could see a girl at the bar, looking at me with an intensity you don’t ignore when you’re drunk and looking to forget the world.

Reality is a Bitch

I staggered over, preparing my first clever remark (“hello”) and…smack….I walked right into a wall. The wall of reality. I could now see the girl closely and who was it but my ex-girlfriend. Thirty three fucking million people in Tokyo, 23 city Wards, and thousands of bars and we choose the same one. I don’t want to bore you with the details of our conversation. You know how they go. We rehash the break up, she cries. We rehash why we can’t be together, she cries. I try to be polite but firm, I cry. She tries to emotionally black mail me. Good times.

We are sitting on stools, facing each other when suddenly three heavily muscled white guys, heads shaved, walk up. All were wearing t-shirts that were 3 sizes to small. Maybe they were better at working out than shopping. The leader takes her hand kisses it and says, “You’re the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.” He turns to me “you get the fuck out of here.” He turns back to her. She turns to me with frightened eyes.

Beat the War Drums

Amazingly, as if out of a movie, his two buddies stand behind him staring threateningly at me, cracking their knuckles. I tried not to laugh. The pressure was building and if I couldn’t dance to blow it off then how about a good fight? I was pretty sure I could take 2 of the cocky soldiers, but the third might have been a problem. What to do? My ex was looking scared, and she had no idea what was going on. Time to man up.

“Where are you from?”

“Fuck you. Get out of here before I kill you.” Cracking knuckles danced to the bass pulsing from the dance floor.

He tried to turn back to her. I kept his attention and his lips away from her hand. “Look, I’m here with her.” I kept my voice low and polite, he kept his loud.

“We’re going to beat the shit out of you if you don’t get the fuck out of here.” Why was he talking so slow? “We’re fucking in the army and you’re fucking nothing.”

I turned to face him further. He stepped closer to me. His buddies stepped up. I stayed seated. “If you don’t stop swearing in front of my friend you’ll have to leave.” Calm, controlled. I shouldn’t have been, but I was.

How you Beat 3 Guys at Once

“Yeah, fuck you! What the fuck are you going to do about it.” He released her hand. That’s what I had been waiting for. I raised my hand slowly, high over my head, and extended two fingers. Did I mention I know, Karate, Aikido and few other arts? No? Well, here we go. I extended my index and middle finger and…made a “come here motion.” The boys seemed confused.

Within seconds five extremely large Japanese bouncers descended on the group, wrapping the soldiers up in tight grips. “Throw them out,” I said in polite but firm Japanese.

From the corner of my eye I had seen the bouncers getting more and more tense during the conversation. Three in morning and the guys would never find anywhere else that would let them in. They would be stuck on the streets until the first trains started.

The bounces started dragging the guys out when the leader lunged for me. He got low and began to plead. “I’m sorry. I”m sorry. We were just joking man. It’s cool, we’re sorry.”

“Fuck you.” They got hauled out of the club. My heart pounded to the rhythm of the music. The club gyrated along oblivious to our drama. A bouncer returned with two warm yellow towels for us to clean our hands, to help wipe away the distastefulness of the situation and the unwanted kiss.

Moral of the Story…Nah, It’s Just a Good Story

The girl and I didn’t work out, but that’s no surprise. But I had my Karate Kid Moment. I like to think that Mr. Miyagi would be proud that I didn’t resort to fighting. “Todo-san, you have strooong Karate.” Sometimes you don’t have a choice but to fight, but in most instances there is always a safer way out.

Stay tuned for more alcohol induced judgement impaired situations in future posts. Like how I found myself in a penthouse with the head of Sri Lanka’s mafia and an empty bottle of scotch, and a sleepy Chinese prostitute. But that’s another story…

Have you ever felt unsafe while traveling? How did you handle it?

Photo Credit 1, 2

My Karate Kid Moment: Bar Fight in Japan is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

I guess I can share the credit with Lonely Planet

Today I’m really excited to announce the launching of my first ever book. Not only is this my first book, but it is done in partnership with Lonely Planet, it is FREE, and it features 39 other co-authors who happen to be some of the best travel bloggers around.

Around the World with 40 Lonely Planet Bloggers has been my baby for the past year, from conception, to design. I was the project manager for the book and I poured a lot of blood and sweat into it over the past year. I think I also lost a little more hair as well. The ultimate aim of the book is to provide you, the reader, with a tour of not only the world, but also a vetted list of professional travel blogs to help inspire you and your next trip.

The concept is simple, put 40 long term experienced travel bloggers together, shake, stir in Internet, cameras, temples, exotic wildlife, a healthy dose of adventure, oceans, sunsets, dancing, and passports and see what pops out. The result is the first ever Lonely Planet Blogsherpa Photo E-book that explores our beautiful world from street level through the eyes of travel bloggers.

As a part of Lonely Planet’s Blogsherpa program, my articles have been syndicated on LP and to their readership. However, with the launch of this book, the sherpies (as we call ourselves) got together to produce the book from the bottom up. It reflects how we see the world, how we travel, and our dreams of sharing our experiences as widely as possible.

I could go on and on describing the book, but it’s better if you just dive right into the 88 pages of color, excitement and passion for travel that jumps out at the reader. Don’t forget to visit the other bloggers through the book!

Sign up Below to Get the E-Book sent to you

This book also marks the beginning of my e-mail newsletter and the e-book is my thank you for following me. To get the e-book simply sign up in the form below and I’ll e-mail you the download link to the book. In addition you’ll get infrequent updates from me on what’s new here on Todd’s Wanderings and in my wider life.

I take your trust very seriously and promise not to overwhelm you will crap. You’ll get updates from me on new posts every few weeks on only things that I think you will appreciate along with the odd update whenever something major happens that I think you’ll find value in (running for president, climbing Mount Everest, my role in overthrowing dictators, or the publishing of my next book).

A Free Lonely Planet Book Just for You is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

This post is part of the Blog4Japan campaign helping to raise donations for the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. Please share it and considering donating to one of the worthy local Japanese organizations responding to the disaster.

This year will mark a different type of cherry blossom season. Usually each year as these transient beauties reveal themselves to the country the Japanese gather together with friends, family, and coworkers and party under the blossoms in a custom called hanami. It is by far my favorite activity in Japan, eating delicious food and drinking into the wee hours of the night celebrating life and beauty that we all know will fade shortly after. In fact it’s the short time period that makes us appreciate the beauty all the more.

In the wake of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami the cherry blossom parties will be understandably subdued. But I also think that they cheery blossoms offer us a time to reflect on life, the tsunami and what is important to us and how we can help. As the cherry blossoms are just opening around the country here are my favorite viewing places in Tokyo and Kyoto. If you are nearby I urge you to go and still celebrate life and beauty. If your planning to take a trip to Japan, I urge you to keep to your schedule and see for yourself all the beauty Japan has to offer.

Cherry Blossom Viewing in Tokyo

Ueno Park during cherry blossom season

There are three main areas of Tokyo that I’d recommend viewing the cherry blossoms. The first is Ueno Park, perhaps Tokyo’s most well known cherry blossom destination and thus the most crowded. If you are looking to avoid the crowds this is certainly not the place to be. But if you want it lively, and filled with music, families and temples within walking distance than Ueno is the place to be.

Shinjuku Gyoen

Our next stop is Shinjuku Gyoen (park) where the vast variety of cherry trees helps to ensure blossoms opening throughout the season. The large open areas ensure spots for those wanting to picnic. However, there are not that may spaces underneath the trees themselves. One tree not to miss is the beautiful weeping cherry tree, Yaebeni Shidarezakura.

Our last top is the Sumida Park which is a nice cherry tree lined walkway along the Sumida River in Asakusa, home to famous Senso-ji Temple. This is a nice relaxing area where you can stroll under the cherry blossoms. It is less crowded than Ueno but still has a nice historical feel to it. Across the river is the Asahi Beer company with its curious golden monument on top of the building. You can also see the ongoing construction to Tokyo’s latest and tallest broadcasting, restaurant and viewing tower the Tokyo Sky Tree.

Cherry Blossom Viewing in Kyoto

It is hard to improve on the beauty and elegance of Kyoto. But when the cheery blossoms appear in the Spring and when the leaves change in the Fall the city comes alive even further wrapped in natural colors that only accentuate the traditional buildings and quietly manicured gardens. Kyoto is full of cherry trees but here are some of my favorite areas.

Old Cherry Tree in Maruyama Park

No cherry blossom experience is complete in Kyoto without a visit to Maruyama Park, and its stately old weeping cherry tree that is lit up at night. This is a popular place so if you are planning on having an evening party here you best stake out a spot early in the morning. Companies usually send their junior employees to claim their spot early. Sitting in the park all days sounds like a nice day of work! You can access the area through Yasaka Shrine, which sits at the eastern end of Shijo-dori in the Gion District.

If you are looking to contemplate life during a stroll than the Philosophers Path (哲学の道, Tetsugaku no michi) should be your next stop on your cherry blossom viewing odyssey. This cherry tree lined stone path in the northern section of Higashiyama area is quiet and is a good place to beat the crowds. However, space for picnicking is limited so it’s best for a stroll or to incorporate as part of your walking tour through the area.

Get your inner philosopher a kick start with a little beauty to contemplate

Finally, get a bird’s eye view of the city and the forest of cherry blossom trees surrounding Kiyomizu Temple. Besides the temple being one of Kyoto’s most beautiful and most famous, it has an incredible wooden deck that trusts outs into a sea of blossoms. This spot will be one of your photographic highlights so make sure you head later in the day when you have nice soft light.

Have you been on a hanmi? Where else would you recommend for viewing the cherry blossoms?

Photo Credits 1, 2, 3, 4

Cherry Blossom Viewing in Japan is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

We watched the horror unfold live on the television after the quake

This page is dedicated to helping the survivors of the Friday 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan by channeling international donations to local efforts.

The earthquake and tsunami have caused extensive and severe damage in Northeastern Japan, over 9,500 people have been confirmed dead and another 16,000 are missing, and millions more affected by lack of electricity, water and transportation.

The images of the destruction and suffering have shocked the world. However, with the World Bank reporting over 300 billion USD in damages and families torn apart there is a need for everyone to help both financially and emotionally.

A few weeks ago I posted about my Experience During the Japan Earthquake and made a plea to my readers to spread the word about helping Japan recover. My wife is from Tokyo and we are both professional aid and recovery workers with the United Nations. We have seen the recovery phase of the 2004 Tsunami up close and we know there is a tremendous need to not only raise donations but to make sure those funds are used responsibly and are in the hands of organizations with not only technical expertise but also local knowledge.

How You Can Help

A lot of people around the world want to help and have been donating to various international organizations (mainly the American Red Cross). I think this is great and with the money being transferred to the Japanese Red Cross this money will be used well. However, we also believe there is a need to donate funds directly to local Japanese organizations and NGOs that don’t have access to this type of fund raising. There are also many scams out there trying to benefit from this horrible disaster. We know that language barriers and lack of knowledge can also prevent people from donating to the right place. As such we have put together a list of Japanese Organizations that we know, trust and recommend to channel your donations to.

If you are unable to donate we ask that you Share this Page with your friends, family and coworkers through e-mail, facebook, twitter or any other outlet you can think of. The more people who see this page the greater the donations will be.

If you are blogger, or have your own website. Please see the Blog4Japan page to learn how you can utilize this appeal on your own site and help us reach even more people.

Japanese Organizations We Trust

Please consider donating to one or more of these organizations. All are local Japanese organizations and we have found the English Pages for you. Even a small amount like $10 is useful, but we hope you donate more!

Peace Winds Japan is one of the largest Japanese organizations providing humanitarian relief such as food, clothing, fuel and medical supplies to the affected areas. You can Donate Here.

JEN is a well known NGO dedicated to restoring a self-supporting livelihood both economically and mentally to those who have been stricken with hardship due to conflicts and disasters. They are currently supporting emergency relief items such as food, woman’s hygienic items, clothes and other essentials to the survivors of the Japan Tsunami. You can Donate Here.

Save the Children has been working in Japan for over 25 years. Their American partner is now collecting donations for them in English (which eliminates any credit card exchange charges. They have set up multiple child-friendly spaces  in evacuation centers in Sendai City where displaced families are staying. They are also starting their  long-term recovery plans to restore education and child care in communities ravaged by the disasters. You can get information on activities and Donate Here.

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is donating food and essential items to the survivors of the tsunami. They also keep a well maintained English blog of their activities in Japan for the tsunami which you can Follow Here. You can Donate Here.

The Japan Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning is taking donations for their response to the tsunami that will focus on the reproductive health needs of women and mothers in affected areas. You can Donate Here.

The Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA Japan) team is delivering essential medical services through mobile clinics and delivering relief goods to the nursing homes and schools (evacuation shelters) in Aoba and Miyagino Wards. You can Donate Here.

OXFAM Japan is working with two partners in Japan on providing support to those on the margins of society who might otherwise have difficulty accessing emergency relief. One group is assisting mothers and babies and the other is providing information to non-Japanese speakers living in Japan. You can Donate Here.

Habitat For Humanity Japan is still assessing the situation but will be involved in the reconstruction of housing once the emergency period ends. This is one of the most vital aspects of recovery and the homeless will need a lot of help to put their lives back together. You can Donate Here.

The Institute for Cultural Affairs Japan (ICA) is still assessing the situation but is accepting donations. You can Donate Here.

All of these are worthy organizations to support and  you can match your own personal interests to the organization that you think will work the best on what you want to support. Even if you are unable to donate please pass this on through social media, word of mouth or even in print. I have waived all rights to this post so please feel free to copy and reproduce any part of it for the good of the Japanese people.

If you do want to reproduce this please see the Blog4Japan page where you can find out more details.

Thank you from my family and friends who have been affected by this terrible disaster.

How to Help Japan’s Earthquake and Tsunami Survivors by giving to Japanese Organizations is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

The Japanese Earthquake

We watched the horror unfold live on the television after the quake

On Friday 11 March 2011 just before 3:00 pm the largest earthquake in Japanese recorded history hit with a magnitude of 9.0. I was in Tokyo at the time visiting my wife’s family. As I sat at the kitchen table, happily posting pictures of Japan on Facebook, the room began to shake. The quake started small, but with a sudden jolt. When the shaking didn’t stop I started to worry as the large cabinet rattled at my back and the light above me began to swing violently.

I moved to the middle of the room, away from anything that could fall on me. The preparation drills tell you to get under a table, put a cushion over your head, and open the door to make sure you have a way out if the house collapses. You are also supposed to shut off the gas to prevent a fire. Too many tasks during a singularly frightening and dangerous moment. All I knew was that I didn’t feel safe in the house with its paper thin walls and ceilings. I knew that that my wife and I needed to get out of the house, but first we had to put on our shoes, a frustrating secondary step when you’re trying to flee a house.

We hit the road outside as the earth shifted beneath our feet, rolling in what felt like waves. Cars were stopped in the road and our neighbors came rushing out to join us. Many crouched low to the ground trying to find some sort of stability as the earth rocked like a ship hit by a torpedo. I tried to find the safest place and realized, in the Tokyo suburban sprawl that houses 33 million people, nowhere was truly safe. Above us the sky was blackened, not by smoke but by a cat’s cradle of swinging electrical lines. Inside, outside, it didn’t matter. Nowhere was really safe.

The quake lasted for almost 3 minutes. That is a very long time when the earth is moving under your feet. The country was hit with aftershocks reaching 7.0 that would have been massive if not compared to the original.

Alarm bells rang, the TV beeped and binged as tsunami warnings flooded the airwaves. In a country used to earthquakes this was something different. Lifetime residents of Tokyo remarked how it was the biggest they had ever felt, and we weren’t even at the center of the quake.

The Tsunami

In Northern Japan, in Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures, the devastation was only just beginning. Soon after the first quake hit, while we sat glued to the T.V., our family gathered together, we watched in horror as a 10 meter tsunami destroyed the East Coast. Cars, buses and ships crashed into each other. Entire towns were swept away, houses ablaze as the tsunami waters flooded rivers and jumped dikes. We watch helplessly as Japanese news helicopters showed us live the wall of water advancing, overtaking unsuspecting people as they fled in their cars.

We sat, we watched, and we shook as more aftershocks hit one after the other.

We were fortunate. Our family and friends were safe, if not all with us due to the complete shutdown of Tokyo’s train system which trapped millions of people in the city. I was to fly out and return to Kosovo on Saturday. I felt helpless having to leave when the need was so great. As an aid worker I spend my life jumping from one crisis to the next. Now I was leaving this crisis and my family behind.

I am writing this from an overburdened Narita Airport on a Sunday, feeling sick to my stomach at leaving my wife behind. As another earthquake hits us in the airport the steady shaking sends a women next to me into a panic and she tries to flee into multiple walls of people, each waiting to get to a check-in counter. Her husband is the only one to leave his line, he gently pulls her back, her face swollen from the frightened sobs that rack her body.

Journey Across Tokyo

No way into the trainstations in Tokyo

My journey across Tokyo was like a post apocalyptic movie. It took me 8 hours to navigate the labyrinth of closed train lines, bloated stations, and swollen streets. Millions of people waited in patient lines, pressing into stations that had no outlet. People littered the hallways of the city’s underground shopping malls, sleeping, hugging and crying.

Throughout it all I was immensely impressed by the calmness of Japanese crowds, the straightness of the lines and the lack of pushing, shoving and anger that might have affected crowds in any other city in the world. The police funneled people to keep waves of people moving where they could.

When I finally got on a train moving towards the airport (3 train lines later) we were packed in like sardines. Picture Tokyo at rush hour, times 3, plus luggage. Except for the occasional outburst everyone bore the pain and inconvenience with remarkable stoicism during the grueling 3 hour ride. I of course missed my flight, but had my wife and family helping me to rebook as I concentrated on getting closer to the airport.

How you Can Help

Despite the trouble, and the fear of the past day, it was nothing compared to what the people of Northern Japan are going through. My heart goes out to the families of those who died in Tokyo (at the time of writing) and the nearly 1,500 dead in the North. Homes and families have been ripped apart and I’m flying away. While I can’t help physically I can help with my words, with my blog and with my network of development professionals and online publishers.

To this end I am organizing an ongoing Blog for Japan Event that will raise money for the victims of this devastating tsunami. My wife is looking for a worthy Japanese organization that non-Japanese might not know about and may have difficulty donating to.

In the coming weeks we will identify an organization (or a few) and we will promote a donation link through our blogs and online contacts. If you are interested in getting involved writing a blog post, sharing posts with friends, or just donating please sign up to the e-mail contact form below. This will allow me to send an e-mail to you when preparations are set and let you know how you can participate, donate or help pass the message along. This e-mail list will not be shared with anyone and will only be used during this short time to help raise much needed funds for the recovery of Northern Japan.

All of the money we raise will go directly to helping the victims of the quake and tsunami. We will let you know when we have found the appropriate organization(s) to donate to. We would appreciate you sending this story to others who might be interested in helping as well.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan at the this trying time.

My Experience During the Japan Earthquake is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

In the last article we explored the Japanese trend of visiting “Power Spots,” areas where you can gather invisible energy. Whether you believe in Power Spots or not the act of visiting specific places to gain a certain type of benefit is a long held practice in Japan. Temples, shrines and hot springs are the most commonly visited. Natural areas are usually associated with one of them and are where visitors focus their prayers when venturing out into rural Japan.

Much of what people ask for are physical rewards. While I’m not sure praying for wealth is the best use of your time, there are thousands of places all over Japan that cater to physical and spiritual improvements. If you are heading to Japan and you have issues with health, love, and money, need to pass an exam, could use a bit of healing, or just want to get rid of some evil, you might as well try out these spots and see if they really work. Feel free to let us know what happens

These are all well established areas which specialize in helping with a variety of subjects. Well, maybe help is not the right word, but they allow you to wish on their property…usually for free. While most of the shrines or temples are popular in their own areas, I have tried to pick non-mainstream spots so you don’t have to suffer through a bland recommendation of Mt. Fuji or the temples in Nara. If they don’t work and you want your money back I suggest visiting the Money Power Spots.

There are many more in Japan and these are but a few examples. Whether they actually work or not, they are worth the visit for their cultural and architectural beauty alone.

Love

Hmmm, he seems to be walking away alone

Ikuta Jinja (shrine) in Kobe is the place to be if you are looking to find love. It is also one of the oldest Shrines in Japan at just shy of 2000 years. The Japanese seem to have love on their minds and one Power Spot book I looked at had double the number of Love spots than any other category. The Kami (god) for art was enshrined here in 201 leading to the popularity of the shrine. Write your love wish on the heart shaped ema (wishing boards) and pray for ti to be fulfilled as the god of Art seems to take a romantic view to his duties.

Health

Bungui Toge (pass) in Nagano Prefecture is a patch of forest known for its healing energy. A Chinese “energy specialist” found this place in 1995 and it appears it does not having a magnetic field allowing energy to flow freer here than other places on earth. The lack of magnetic interference has visitors reporting positive effects on their mental and physical health. Of course this could also be from hiking into the words and sitting quietly in the clean air! In fact its is so special there are no pictures of it…

Money

I thought this was a cheesy tourist attraction at first. Turns out its 400 years old.

Shikoku may seem like an odd place to find money as it is the least developed of Japan’s four main islands. But the gigantic sand coin Zenigata Sunae in Kagawa Prefecture has been dishing out money luck since 1633.

It is said the sand sculpture will make you happy and bring you wealth just by looking at it. The local people created it in 1633 when Ikoma Takatoshi, who belonged to the Marugame group, came to visit. Just by looking at it you will have good health, live long and won’t have any problems with money. Sounds like a good deal to me.

Healing

Kuki Jinja (literally Air Shrine) in Yamagata Prefecture is a bit out of the way, and a bit off the crazy mysticism chart, but maybe it has to do with the clean air going to the priests’ heads.

The shrine was established to thank Air. There is no actual shrine here. Instead you are supposed to walk through a monument keeping the image of the five elements that make up the universe, water, fire, earth, wood, and gold in your mind. If you do this then the air shrine will appear to you. There is no gate or roof but a mirrored panel resting on the ground surrounded by woods, and which reflects the sky, trees and people. To pray you bow twice, clap four times and the repeat the seasons (winter, summer, spring, and autumn) in your mind while making specific hand gestures while thanking air and nature.

Work and Study

Get lost in this other worldly experience

Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto would be one of my top suggestions whether you want to pass a test or not. Thousands of red tori gates create a confusing maze through the paths of this hillside that contains over 30,000 shrines. Stay into the evening and you are guaranteed to find a bit of spirituality as you get lost amongst the fox gods. If you are looking to pass a test or do better at work don’t forget to throw some coins in front of the many shrines.

Banish Evil

If you are on an emergency visit to Japan to get rid of some evil your best bet is the enormous Narita San, Shinsho-ji temple just a short train ride from the Narita Airport. Founded in 940 by Kanchō Daisōjō, a disciple of the famous Kobo Daishi, and is dedicated to Fudomyoo, a deity of the fire, who is believed to drive out evil spirits. Just be careful, the temple attracts over 10 million visitors a year, that’s a lot of evil floating around waiting to be expelled.

Getting there and Away

All of these spots are spread out all over Japan. If you are serious about visiting them first find flights to Japan. After that your best bet is to buy a Japan Rail Pass that will allow you to ride the bullet trains for a set period of time allowing your zip around the country in no time. The pass also lets you ride on local trains (then only kinds that reach these remotes areas).

What do you think? Is it better to find love at the temple or the bar?

Photo Credit 1, 2, 3, 4

Find Love, Good Health, Wealth and High Test Scores in Japan is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

Hiking above the clouds for sunrise on Mt Fuji

Gain Energy, Luck and Happiness through Travel to Power Spots

Want to get married, become rich, get rid of a little evil, or do away with that ugly wart? It’s as simple as visiting a Power Spot. One the biggest trends in Japan last year was the rise of Power Spots, and any type of travel associated with them. Power Spots are supposedly any place where you can receive invisible energy that can help you achieve all your life’s dreams, whether they be material or spiritual. This is of course not a new concept in Japan, as the Japanese have ascribed specific powers to temples and shrines for thousands of years. Shinto beliefs also stress a spiritual aspect to nature,  inhabited by millions of gods.

What is new is the packaging of all such Power Spots into one large mixture of your favorite spiritual energy dogmas. A little Feng Shui here, a dash of Qigong there, a handful of Shinto and a healthy does of eccentric hazy Japanese mysticism that has a long, if somewhat hidden history in Japan.

Power Spot Craze

Book shelves groan from the weight of Power Spot guide books (volumes 1-10 of course) and every travel agent I pass is selling Power Spot tours to Petra, the Grand Canyon and Machu Pichu. There are Yama Girl Clubs (women hikers) who gather to hike into the remote areas most Power Spots can be found, such as Mount Fuji, Mount Osore in Aomori, the high mountains in Wakayama and Nara, and countless other places. Judging by the popularity of the craze, Japanese tour companies must have visited all the Power Spots associated with wealth and prosperity.

Of course, I am not as cynical as I may sound. Most people don’t know that I have a spiritual side, and I’m a huge fan of deriving spiritual value from a combination of nature and symbolism. In fact this passion led me to walk the Shikoku Pilgrimage. While the idea of “gathering energy” at Power Spots, first proposed by a self -proclaimed psychic named Kiyota Masuaki, sounds a bit far fetched I have to admit I like the idea. I also have to say up front that I believe in this type of energy, partly from my own meditation but also through my practice of Aikido.

Deeper Understanding Of Power Spots

According to one Power Spot guidebook author, Power Spots are like the world’s acupuncture points where the energy flows close to the surface. To be healthy and successful humans need to carry this energy throughout their whole bodies like blood. Those who visit Power Spots not only gain the benefits themselves but also send this energy to family, or the office (how Japanese) without noticing. This might be a very small trivial amount of energy, but that power keeps being sent and poured into those environments. In this way the entire energy keeps going up.

The guru also claims that by going to the power spots yourself, you share that energy with those surrounding you and are able to share the happiness. By having this kind of notion in our minds we are able to boost your own ability to carry more energy.

Now that we have a better understanding of what Power Spots are, you probably want to know WHERE they are. I have you covered. Stop back in for Part 2 in this series and I’ll reveal the top Power Stops in Japan for Love, Money, Healing, Health, Work/Study, and Getting Rid of Evil (no not your mother-in-law).

What do you think? Are Power Spots real or just a way to take advantage of the depressed, anxious, or bored?

Photo Credit

Power Spots: Japanese Spiritual and Travel Craze is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

The city of Boston is one of my “second” homes. From historical battle fields, to Irish pubs, a mix of colonial and modern architecture, the fusion of blue collar values and lofty academics leaves me feeling relaxed and welcomed. The city is smaller than most capital cities and boasts a host of unique neighborhoods. It’s more intimate than it’s rival New York, and  it’s easy to escape for those dreaming of New England sea coast villages or the mountain wilderness of New Hampshire and Vermont.

Boston is where my mother’s family is from, where I went to school, it’s where all of my best friends live, it’s my first stop during any trip home, and it’s one of those places you could spend years exploring and never really figure it all out.

Bostonians are proud and loyal, with good reason. The city can lay claim to the nation’s oldest public park, first public library, first subway system, the first public school and as you will see everywhere the key role the city and its loyalists played in the American Revolution. I get asked over and over where to go and what to do in Boston. Here are 5 Uniquely Bostonian things you should do on your next visit to Boston.

The Freedom Trail

This is perhaps the most quintessential Boston tourist activity you can do. However, just because it’s popular doesn’t mean its not worth it. The Freedom Trail is a walking introduction to Colonial Revolutionary Boston. The trial brings walkers on a tour through the historic past of the city, covering 16 colonial sites over the course of 2-3 hours. The sites are connected by a red brick path serving as a guide through the city. At over 2.5 miles the trail combines museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond.

You can take a self-guided tour or one of the many tours available through the Boston Common Visitors Center at 148 Tremont Street or the Bostix Booth located at Faneuil Hall. I prefer to walk, but you can also take trolleys that allow you to get on and off.

Oh, and stick around Faneuil Hall for some historic touristy shopping. Don’t forget to stop by my uncle’s bar, The Ames Plow Tavern for a beer and a reminder of what the area used to be like when it was an agricultural marketplace. Have a look at the bar and you’ll see pictures of my great grandfather and his blacksmith shop.

Catch a Red Sox Game

Fenway park is not only the oldest baseball park in the United States, but the Boston Red Sox are the best baseball team. Well, OK, I might be slightly biased, but it is hard to imagin coming to Boston and not experiencing a night at Fenway. The fans are loyal (when we win), loud (all the time), and the sausages and beer are excellent (if overpriced). During and after the games is when you will get to the heart and soul of any Bostonian. Buy a ticket well in advance as games are almost always sold out, or test your luck with the scalpers lining the road to the stadium.

At the very least park yourself on a bar stool at one of the thousands of bars across the city during a game and you will see what true passion, and bitterness is all about.

North End

The North End is Boston’s oldest residential neighborhood with people living there since the 1630s. The area has gone through many face lifts and demographic shifts, from the wealthiest segment of Boston, to the first community of freed slaves, to mostly Irish, to a major Jewish center, and finally in the 20th century the center of the Italian American Community. If you are hungry this small 1/2 square mile area boasts over 100 small authentic Italian restaurants.

Your walk along the Freedom Trial will take you through the North End, so don’t forget to save room for Italian cannoli, a tour through the Old North Church and Paul Revere’s House.

Drink Beer

Beer, check. Beer, check. Beeeer, chick. bRRRR, hick...up

Ok, to be fair I would give this advice anywhere in the world. But Boston sports two of my favorite small scale breweries, Samuel Adams and Harpoon. These two classic American Breweries will have you laughing in the face of anyone who tries to convince you that American Beer taste like water. Rich in flavor, and steeped in history they will also knock you on your ass if you drink too many.

The Samuel Adams Brewery offers a tours with a tasting afterward for a suggested donation of $2. Tours run weekdays and weekends but fill up quickly and tickets are only available in person.  Harpoon Brewery has a free tasting on Weekdays and a $5 Weekend tour with a tasting afterward.

Eat Seafood

Nothing quite says New England cuisine like a large helping of seafood. From fresh lobsters, to New England Clam Chowder (psst that’s the white one), to raw oysters, you can not leave Boston without diving into the Atlantic ocean. You will find no end to places to eat lobster, which come boiled or steamed, with a fashionable plastic bib, drawn butter for dipping, a nutcracker for the claws and a pick for the legs. Eating lobster can be an expensive proposition and they are sold by the pound with market prices changing everyday. Personally, I’m a clam chowder and crab cake kind of a guy.

There are too many great fresh seafood restaurants to name them all. While my favorites are simple shacks in the small coastal towns near Boston, if you are in the city you can’t go wrong with Legal Sea Foods. Go to the one near Long Wharf and you can stroll along the water before or after dinner and watch the seals for free just outside of the Boston Aquarium.

Of course there is plenty of truly unique Bostonian adventures to be had in this culturally packed little city. We would love to hear your own recommendations.

Photo Credit 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

5 Unique Things to Do in Boston is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

Don't feel pressured to take my Survey....

Hi readers, this is a different type of post. I’m not going to tell you anything, I’m actively resisting the urge to teach, amuse with my banjo twanging wit (whoops), or captivate you with my snarky satirical surprisingly smooth storytelling (damn it!).

I want to know what you think! I want to know what you most enjoy about Todd’s Wanderings and what you want more of. I’m here to indulge your whims (not really), answer your questions (if I can), and leave you feeling refreshed and energetic after exploring the world. In short, I want to you to take my Todd’s Wanderings Survey to Beat all Polls (click the link or see below). Sounds exciting and contentious, doesn’t it!

Help Make Todd’s Wanderings (more?) Awesome

On a more serious note, this is very important. With your help I’m planning to change Todd’s Wanderings into a Purple Cow. I want to stand out in the travel writing, adventure seeking, love my life it hurts blogging community. I want you to be itching to see what is going on here, desperate like a monkey addicted to crack bananas to implement by lifestyle strategies, and the hero of the bar as you conveniently (wink wink) replace my name with yours and enthrall the other drunks around you with tales of adventure and lust from around the world.

New Blog Movie Trailer for Todd’s Wanderings

Because I know that surveys can be boring here is the latest movie for Todd’s Wanderings. You can take the survey after you watch it. Hopefully it will put you in a good mood before you take the survey

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0qisYNaE_c

Take the Survey (it only takes 2 minutes)

(scroll up and down, use the arrow keys to move, or just hit the Tab key to move the survey down)

Explore the World Your Way: TWs Feedback Survey and VIDEO is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

This is where I grew up...It is possible to live and work in beautiful places.

It’s difficult to imagine our perfect life. It is surprisingly harder than one would think at first. If you had the chance, could you do it? Could you design your perfect life? Lifestyle Design is a term created by Tim Ferris in his wildly popular The 4 Hour Work Week. I had never actually heard any about the Lifestyle Design World when I started blogging here at Todd’s Wanderings, even though I had already Designed my perfect life. The funny thing about designing your perfect life, is that it’s a non stop process, you are never done.

Freedom of  Time and Freedom of Location

I came to the conclusion during my Shikoku Pilgrimage that my ideal life was one of freedom, where I was free to engage in my passions, and following my interests. That led me to San Francisco, then Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka and currently Kosovo. I love my job as a conflict resolution and development worker. But I’m also now finding my passion in writing, blogging, and general entrepreneurship. I’ve decided that I want an even higher level of freedom than I currently have. I want to keep working in development but I want to be free to choose the projects and my hours. I had a taste of this before I took my current job, when I was consulting. I’ve also decided that I want freedom of location. I want to be free to live anywhere I want, to reside in Bali, visit my wife’s family in Japan, and spend extended amounts of time with my family in the US.

I could live here a few months every year!

Impossible you say? Only the rich could afford such a life? I disagree. True, it takes more financial freedom than most people enjoy, but it’s not impossible. Nothing is impossible. Well that’s not true, it would be impossible for me to listen to Lady Gaga for 24 hours straight.

Do What you Love

Many people assume that my current lifestyle is impossible. It’s not, and I’m living proof. I also like to take my own advice that we should Do What we Love and Love What we Do. I’m planning a manifesto on this concept that I will share with you in the near future. The overriding message is that you should be doing things in life that energize you and that fulfill you. But at times, on our road to our perfect life, we are sometimes forced to spend time doing things that are less than ideal. Even when were a this stage we can find something to love about our work and thus learn to be happy no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

My Secret Logical Weapon in Lifestyle Design

Last week my wife and I were dreaming about where we would go after Kosovo. This got us thinking about our perfect life, where we would like to live and  what we would like to do. Defining your ideal life is a powerful thing, because once you glimpse it, its difficult to let it go. As I thought more and more about my ideal life (yes, I will tell you what it is soon), I realized I had the tool to plan it all out.

In International Development we plan programs to change the way society interacts, to increase employment, to bolster the rule of law, and to convince waring parties to move to peace. This requires not only sophisticated levels of planning, but also ways to measure the impact of our work, or how we can prove that we were successful. To plan, and to evaluate we use something called a logical framework (one of the most hated and misunderstood tools in development!).

I’m a program designer and manager, it should be easy to use the same skills in designing my own ideal life.

Logical Frameworks and Designing your Life

Numerous books have been written on logical frameworks and how to use them correctly in development. However, I may be the first person to adapt this tool to the planning of our own lives (no, I have not even tried to research if I am or not). The concept is straight forward and the framework helps us to break down complex social engineering into…well…logical steps that are connected to each other. The progression builds from Actions (the things we do) to Outcomes (the things that result from the actions) to Goals (the ultimate thing we want). Each step is verifiable by Indicators that help us to know when we have achieved something.

Step 1- Define your ultimate Goal. What do you want to achieve? What is your perfect life?

Step 2- Define the Outcomes that allow you to reach your goal. What are the components in your life that will let you live the life you set out in the Goal above.

Step 3- Define the Actions needed to achieve each Outcome.

The important thing about planning with the Logical Framework is that you start from the top, from your ultimate goal, and then design the steps that lead there. Often in life we start at the actions, doing something just because it’s what we know, or is easy. By flipping the design process around we can more clearly see the steps we need to take.

Step 4- Include Indicators that prove you accomplished each step above. For the actions, it is a simple as where they done or not. For Outcomes it is a bit more tricky. If your Outcome is “work for myself” the indicator might be “Business registered, and earning x% of income per year.” The indicators for your ultimate Goal can be even more difficult to measure. But if your Goal is to Travel the World you indicator might be “X number of countries visited”.

So What is my Perfect Lifestyle?

If you read the first few paragraphs, and didn’t just skip down to the pretty diagram you’ll know that I want freedom of time and freedom of location that involves the ability to write, blog, be an unconventional businessman, and to continue with my development and conflict resolution career. Sounds greedy doesn’t it

Here is a simplified version of what I created for myself. The Goals and Outcomes are the originals but the Actions have been simplified to fit into the post!

This is a simplified version of a Logical Framework. But this is exactly what I have design for myself.

If you want to design your own Lifestyle you can download my Lifestyle Design Logical Framework Template. If you like this approach or find it useful, a huge thanks in advance for sharing, linking on facebook, tweeting or applying any other type of social media magic.

These are my plans. Want to bet if I will make them happen? Uh? I’m confident that I can. The hardest step in determining your perfect life is not designing the actions. It’s finding out where you want to end up, and knowing that once you get there you might like to walk someplace else  in the future.

What are your goals? Where do you want to be? Let us know what your plans are!

Photo Credit 1, 2

Lifestyle Design the Logical Way is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

You don't need much to travel...although you might want to keep your wits and stay off the road

It is no secret by now that I travel a lot. In fact last year, in 2010,  I visited 16 countries. All this while having a full time job, an insane amount of school loans that I pay each month, and while saving money for retirement, emergencies (such as not having a job) and the inevitable death of my laptop. I like to eat every once in a while as well.

Recently someone challenged my lifestyle and said it must be made up for the internet, or I must be rich and have a trust fund.I know, I know you are either thinking “How could anyone be so mean to Todd?”; or you fall into the other (and probably larger section of my readers) and are yelling: “It’s about F**#(&g time. I’m surprised Todd doesn’t get more hate mail!”

Sorry to disappoint this naysayer, but the truth is that I’m just a normal guy, working my way around the world. I am in the enviable position of having my work pay for a lot of my travel. But whether I’m traveling with work, (writing or international development) or using my own hard earned cash, I LOVE to save money. It helps me travel longer, to more places, and it somehow makes me appreciate what I buy even more knowing that I got a great deal.

Secret to Traveling Cheap? It’s Just Takes Time and Research

The secrets of traveling for cheap, or at least not paying the most, are very simple and easy to put into practice by anyone. Over the past 11 years I have survived on $20, $30, $40 and when I want to splurge $50 a day. Of course it depends on where you are traveling to, yes, some places are more expensive than others, but for me it all comes down to INFORMATION. Do your planning early, get the right information, and you’ll be able to find the best deals for the money you have.

How to Find “Cheap” Flights

I don’t really know if there is such a thing as cheap flights anymore. But I am thrilled when I can find a 22 hour flight that costs less than $1,000. I fly a lot, and the first step is finding out when seats are least expensive. This means digging into the internet and using flight comparison search engines. I usually start with Kayak, as it aggregates the most flight search aggregators and typically I can find cheaper deals on it than on the homepages of the airlines themselves.

My Three Step Process includes. 1) Searching on Kayak 2) Checking the airline’s home page just to be sure I have the cheapest price 3) Search for all discount airlines (like EasyJet, or AirAisia) that fly out of my destination to see if I can find anything cheaper.

How to Find “Cheap” Hotels

After flights, accommodation can be the most expensive part of your journey. Personally, I have moved beyond staying in hostels and now enjoy medium priced hotels. But no matter what your budget is it pays to know prices BEFORE you land at your destination. Typically I will not book more than one night accommodation before I arrive as I know that I can usually find better deals in country than on the internet. But I do like the peace of mind of having a safe, clean and easy place to sleep the first night I arrive. I reviewed Hotel Calculator earlier and I have started using it as one of my information gathering methods.

After I have a list of the cheapest places, then I typically book one night and after I arrive I spend the next day or so looking around for cheaper options. There is usually always something around. Kayak also as a pretty decent hotel search function.

Use Miles to Get Free Tickets or Nights in Hotels

If you travel as often as I do you can rack up a lot of frequent flyer miles that help pay for more free travel. But even if you aren’t able to get up in the air as much as I am you still have an option. One of my blogging and travel heroes, Chirs Guillebeau, has just launched a new travel club called Travel Hacking Cartel.

Travel Hacking involves, among other things, finding “back-door” ways to earn reward points (usually Frequent Flyer Miles) for free or extremely cheap. You then redeem these points for ridiculously cheap airfare to pretty much wherever you want to go. Chris’s Travel Hacking Cartel aims to “democratize low-cost travel” by sending out alerts whenever there is an extraordinary opportunity for travel hacking. He is running a special until February first where you can test out the system for just $1 for a 14 day trial. I signed up and am finding it useful.

A World Guide to Traveling on Just $50 per Day

If you are looking for even greater detail on how you can travel the world for cheap, then I recommend Nomadic Matt’s newly released guide: How to Travel the World for 50 USD. The book details how Matt has saved money over his past 4 years of travel for everything from food, to accommodation, to flights, to group tours. It’s a nice starters guide to saving money on the road, making the most of your cash, and even gives $700 worth of travel discounts to help get you started.

I like Matt and his budget travel site is widely popular for a reason, this book is just one of them.

There you go, a few of my Not So Secret Strategies for saving money while I travel. They seem pretty normal right? Its because they are. There is no magic wand or silver bullet to traveling on the cheap. Everyone you need is right at your fingertips. You just have to be willing to put in a bit of time and energy to make sure you don’t get ripped off, or spend to much.

What are your money saving tips for travel? Let us know in the comments section.

(Note: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that I get a few bucks if you use them or buy through them.  With that in mind, I only recommend products on this blog that I have used myself and fully stand behind.)

Photo Credit

How I Save Money and Travel Cheaply-Not So Secret Strategies is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

What did I do to make these sheep so angry? I must have looked at the leader's wife too long!

I”m bring this post back to remind you, you only have until Monday 31 January to enter and vote!

Win a $50 or a $25 Itunes Gift Card for your funniest photo and laugh out loud captions

It’s time to start the New Year with a…LAUGH! I love a good laugh, I love laughing at myself, I love others laughing at me (OK well maybe not that one). I LOVE making other people laugh. Keeping all this in mind I have decided to host Todd’s Wanderings’ very first Photo Contest with real, actual prizes Yes, this is why we skipped the weekly travel contest this time around.

The contest will take place on my Facebook fanpage. It will have two parts, the submission of photos and a second round of captions. Yup, that means you have two chances to win!

Contest Details

• Theme: Compromising Travel Photo. This is any photo that suggests a compromising position, throws it in our faces or in general makes us laugh.
• Prizes- The winner of the funniest photo will win a $50 Itunes Gift Card

The winner of the funniest caption will win a $25 Itunes Gift Card

Please Note: you must have an actual e-mail address to win this. What, do you think I’m going to ship this from Kosovo?

The Rules…(yes sometimes even I follow rules)

Photo Contest

• Photo entries must be uploaded to our Facebook fanpage wall…http://www.facebook.com/toddswanderings…by midnight EST 31st January 2011

• You are allowed one entry per person per week.
• Photos MUST be in support of the theme: Compromising Travel Photo (i.e. it should be funny, or at least really really embarrassing…).
• By the end of January the the Top 5 that get the most “LIKES” (from any place the picture is posted on my FB site, but no double counting!) will move to the next stage of the Competition.
• Any inappropriate images will be removed (i.e nudity, hate images, poor taste, yup my discretion on this one)
• You are responsible for the image rights, only use your own images and you must have the rights to show others (especially if they are doing something stupid!)

Caption Contest

• The Top 5 photos will be open up for anyone to write a caption that makes us laugh even more.
• Captions must be written in the comment section of the respective photo by midnight EST 15th February 2011.
• You are allowed one caption per photo per week.

The winner of the photo contest will be choosen from the number of likes in the Finalist album (ending EST 15th February 2011). I will choose the funniest caption. What? Don’t you trust me!

How To Enter…

Photo

• Visit my fanpage at: http://www.facebook.com/toddswanderings
• Become a fan if you aren’t already.
• Go to our wall and click on “Photo”, then “Upload a Photo”, then in the description area write “Compromising Photo Contest” and include a max 2-3 line snappy description. Make us laugh and you might move on!
• Click “Share”

Caption

• Visit my fanpage at: http://www.facebook.com/toddswanderings
• Become a fan if you aren’t already.
• Go to the 5 Finalists Compromising Photo Competition Album (when it is live of course)
• Click a photo and write a comment
• Click “Share” (psst it’s on the left side menu)
  

Each week I will organize the photos into an consolidated album and share them in a post for your viewing and laughing.

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Compromising Travel Photo Contest- Win a $50 Itunes Gift Card is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

Are bribes necessary sometimes?

If you travel long enough eventually you face the dilemma of how and when, or even if to bribe. But before we get into the nitty gritty of corruption I want to state right off the bat that corruption, the giving and taking of bribes, is an insidious practice that destroys the very fabric of the rule of law in countries and the trust between citizens and those elected to positions of authority.

Now that I’ve sounded off on my public service announcement let’s have a discussion about the realities of travel in potentially unsafe areas, in countries where the rule of law is loosely followed, and situations where it is in your interest to hand over $20, not because it doesn’t do any harm (it does) but because that $20 could save your skin.

Shake Down by Local Cops

The year was 2008 and I was traveling through Indonesia with my best friend. We were on the Island of Lombok after spending the past 4 days on the Gili Islands, paradise on earth, and beyond the reach of local law enforcement. I was living in Timor Leste during a time a lawlessness and my perceptions on danger was skewed…enough said. We were flying down the Lombok coast in our rented Jimmny on our way to a hidden reef. Twenty kilometers over the speed limit and suddenly we were caught in a police trap. A motorcycle cop waved us over and with his cheap Tom Cruise aviator sunglasses, leaned in and said, “Drivers license and papers.”

I handed him my American drivers license. It was all I needed to show to the rental company. OK, “company,” might be going to far. It was all the random guy on the street asked for when I handed him my money.

“No, give me your International Drivers License.” Shit.

“I don’t have one. But the license you’re holding is international.” He didn’t look happy, he put the license in his pocket and told us to follow him. He sped off at double the speed I had originally been caught for. Five minutes later we reached a small converted bus stop where the chief of police was hanging out with 7 other officers. It was converted into the local shake down station. The cop explained the matter to his boss, stepped aside and the chief, with a big belly and even bigger aviator sunglasses waved us in.

The Negotiation

We sat, the chief sat, the other 8 cops stood close to use, surrounding us, compressing us. “You broke the law. You need an international drivers license to drive in Indonesia.” I tried to explain that I thought my license was OK as the rental company only asked for that. It didn’t work.

“We will need your passports and then you can see a judge after the weekend to pay your fine. ” We didn’t have 2 days to wait, as our flight was leaving soon. He had us. Shit.

We talked back and forth for a little while until we came to that point. The point of silence where someone was expected to say something. We both knew what that something was…the bribe. I had never offered a bribe before, but as a negotiation specialist I knew exactly what was happening. I was not going to offer him money, that could very quickly go down a very dark and dangerous path.

“So, is there any way to settle this without having to wait until Monday?” I put the burden on him.

“Well, if you trust me I’m sure we could work it out for you. You could pay me the fine and I’ll appear in court for you. Twenty dollars.”

The truth is that I had no choice. I broke the law (maybe, I had no idea what Indonesian law said about this), and I had a time pressure to make my flight. He had us and there wasn’t anything I could do about it without more information.

The Deal

Everyone was tense. The cops all had big guns. I had a mask and snorkel. I was nervous. My buddy was nervous. “OK, that sounds fair. I trust you’ll pay for me. Thanks for the help.” Everyone relaxed. The cops, expecting a cut of the bribe broke out into smiles. Jokes flowed and slaps on the back echoed out of the shack. The only problem was we had no agreement, nothing to show for our bribe. We were on vacation and our plans for the day were ruined. I decided to take a chance.

“Just so I can be clear. How long will this 20 dollars last? I mean, we are headed down the coast and we might get stopped again.”

The chief leaned forward, I sweated. “I’m on duty until 6 pm, be back at your hotel and off the roads by then.” I smiled sweetly and handed over my $20. To our surprise the motorcycle cop jumped on his bike and led us down the road for the next 20 minutes, waving to other cops, smiling at his profit, until we reached another check point. Our situation was explained and we were given a pass for the rest of the day.

We swam, it was fun. We returned to our hotel and booked our boat off Lombok for the next morning cutting our trip short by one day. Corruption cost us $20 but it cost the economy of Lombok two tourists and a promise never to go back.

Shake Down by the Cops in Sri Lanka

I was driving back from the airport after dropping off my now wife. We were leaving Sri Lanka after 3 years and she was off first. I was around the corner from my home when a police officer, walking casually down the street, waved me over. He asked for my license and registration. I had a local license, yes, I do learn my lessons. But the registration was a different matter, it was expired. I had no idea it was expired as I was borrowing the car from a friend. She also had no idea.

“That’s a $100 spot fine.” The skinny cop said, his brown uniform wrinkled from a day’s work under the muggy tropical sun.

I smiled. “You mean you want me to pay you?” He nodded. “Sure, I replied, but I’ll need a receipt.” He paled and tried to recover.

“I can’t give you a receipt. I’ll have to confiscate your license and you’ll have to pay at the court. It will take weeks to sort out. ” I smiled. He frowned.

“OK, that’s fine. Give me the fine and take my license.” He straightened his back and frowned further, probably wondering what went wrong. He grumbled, handed me my license back and walked away without another word.

Unfortunately for him I worked in the legal sector and knew my rights. He was not a traffic cop, and couldn’t give out tickets. I knew it, he didn’t know I knew it. I had learned my lessons well. Don’t drive in a foreign country without knowing the laws.

Guides looking for bigger tips

I stood on the side of a cliff, a thousand feet in the air at one of Sri Lanka’s world heritage sites, Sigyria, admiring frescoes painted onto the rocks over a thousand years ago. The paintings are protected by ropes blocking access. It was an honor system as no guards where around. I looked to my left searching for my guest from Japan, it was his first trip to Sri Lanka and he wasn’t used to the loose rules.

I found him. He was with our guide BEHIND the ropes taking pictures with a flash despite a “do not enter” sign and an equally large “no photographs” image. I pulled him over and asked him to stop. In response he answered innocently that the guide had said it was OK if he gave him a $1 tip. He didn’t have the money I had to lend it to him. This pissed me off and I chastised the guide for taking advantage. The guide got upset, I got upset, and the guide lost any chance of getting a final tip.

I hate it when guides threaten the places that provide them with jobs just to earn a few more dollars. I equally hate tourists breaking the rules because they can. Yes, this includes me and my first cop story as well.

3 Rules to Not Paying Bribes

I have only paid a bribe that one time in 11 years of wandering. I can’t promise I won’t have to pay one in the future but I have learned these three rules to minimize the chances:

1. Know the laws. The more information you have the better position you are in to resist the fear that can lead to a bribe.
2. Never give a bribe to someone just to gain a free or exclusive benefit. You end up contributing to the ruin of that which you came to see in the first place.
3. Don’t put yourself in a compromising situation to begin with. Follow the laws, avoid driving when you can, and put the burden of responsibility on locals who understand the situation better.

Have you ever given a bribe? When do you think its OK? Share your stories below?

Photo Credit

When to Bribe, How to Bribe, Do you Bribe? is a post from: Todd's Wanderings

Death and Adventure in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

By the end of this story a number of people will be dead.

The compact dirty white van left the tourist choked streets of Hanoi, Vietnam’s French Quarter early in the morning. We were a group of 10 strangers bound together by our desire to see the turquoise beauty of Ha Long Bay, and its breathtaking limestone islands thrusting out of the waters. We were also cheap, backpackers looking to save money but desperate to spend 3 days living on a boat, cruising the pearl culturing backwaters of Vietnam’s UNESCO World Heritage site, and exploring the natural caves dotting the area. Sixty eight dollars was a lot to us for two nights on the boat, three meals a day, and an English guide. Sixty eight dollars almost cost all of us our lives.

What you get for 68 Dollars

Seagulls screeched as the van jerked to a stop at the crowded fishing port near Halong City. The harbor was oddly full, tourists milling around watching the sea, the sky and the ever increasing number of groups ruining each others once in a lifetime trip. “Wait right here and I’ll see what’s happening.” Our guide jumped out of the van leaving us to sweat with the air conditioning turned off.

Twenty minutes later and he was back. He pulled open the sliding door with a forced smile. “I’m not sure if we’ll be able to leave today,” he confessed. Before he could get another word out the van erupted from the back as two French girls started yelling.

“What do you mean?” They never gave him a chance to answer. “We paid good money for this trip and I’m not getting screwed by you.” The other members of the group looked away embarrassed.

The guide blushed. Or was it the heat? “There is a hurricane moving up the coast and we are not sure if it will turn off into the ocean or make landfall here in Ha Long. Until we know we can’t risk getting out on the water.” That made perfect sense to me and the rest of the group. We got out to stretch our legs without complaint. The salt air scrubbed away some of the bitterness we felt at flying halfway around the world to be stopped at the water’s edge.

“We paid for this trip!” The blond French girl, dressed in dirty fisherman pants continued to yelled. “You will take us on our trip,” the other French girl demanded. The guide shrugged his shoulders helplessly. It wasn’t his call, his company was only hiring the boat and the captain said no.

The longer we waited the more frustrated the crowd became. The French girls led charge after charge whipping up the fervor of the other tourist groups, demanding to get on the ocean while the sun was still low. Our first destination was supposed to a massive cave used as a military hospital during the Vietnam war to protect the injured from constant air attacks by the US forces. The guides and the boat captains looked like they needed the shelter from the verbal bombs being thrown at them. Threats of being fired, losing their tips, curses and accusations of being cheated launched with laser accuracy.

The Journey Begins

Our guide returned from the front lines as the rest of us relaxed on the wooden dock. Movement in the other groups meant something was happening. Decisions had been made.

“The hurricane is moving out to sea so we can go.” The French girls grumbled that the delay was pointless. “But the captain doesn’t want to risk going to the main cave. We’ve decided to take a different route and see another, smaller cave. The area has better protection in case the storm reverses direction.”

“WHAT. Are you fuckn’ kiddn’ us. We paid for the Cave and we are going to the Cave.” The rest of us were fed up with the tantrums and agreed to vote on it. The French girls pouted and yelled when they lost. I’m from an island on the ocean and you don’t question the captain, even if he is a small Vietnamese fisherman. The French girls started to yell at him too when we reached our two story wooden cruising boat. He yelled back happily before slamming the the cabin’s door shut.

“He says the water from here to the hospital cave is too open.” It was clear he had also said something less polite about the French girls.

I wish I had not been so relaxed and shy back then. I might have questioned the sensibility of going to sea with a hurricane off shore. I was sure our guide was just mistranslating as no one would get near a boat if an actual hurricane was close enough to shore. Right? Plus, I had paid 68 dollars.

Ten boats set out from the harbor. Seven towards the main cave and two others joined us for the ride to the smaller, less spectacular cave. The sky was overcast but nothing to hint a hurricane was a just off shore. The waters were a bit choppy but I’d been in worse.

Stunning limestone cliffs burst out of deep green as we sailed through narrow channels. Standing on the top deck I never felt so alive, so enchanted by the stunning force of nature that at once eroded the surrounding bluffs and fed the greedy green ocean more limestone to maintain its jade coloring. The wind whipped through my hair as I posed for a photo, a majestic grouping of islands and cliffs behind me. The sudden shock on my friend’s face told me something was wrong seconds before a warning bell sounded throughout the ship. I spun around and and saw in horror as a massive wall of mist, rain, wind and power come pounding through a narrow gap between island and straight for us. The hurricane had shifted and it was upon us without any notice.

Battle to Save the Boat and our Lives

The shrieking of the French girls were drowned by the high winds as the boat erupted in organized chaos. The crew couldn’t speak English and yet we all knew what to do. The main cabin was made of glass windows and doors. We had less than a minute to lock everything down before the storm hit and we all pitched in, fastening locks, shutting doors. We battened down the hatches. After closing the front main glass door my friend Rob and I stared wide eyed as a side door began banging around as the waves picked up height and uncertainty. We ran together, the storm chasing us.

We reach the door together….BAM, the storm hit, knocking the boat steeply to the side. The world slowed down and we watched in horror, slow motion horror as the the door swung violently closed shattering the glass directly onto us as we desperately turned our heads and shielded our eyes. We were both only wearing bathing suits and a thousand glass daggers tore through our skin and spread like a minefield around our feet. Grabbing each other and the now glassless door for support we tried in vain to stay still as the storm pounded the boat rocking it from side to side. Torrents of rain streamed through the gap preventing us from getting a firm hold as our bare feet slipped across thousands of tiny shards of glass.

Blood steamed down our bodies. We gritted our teeth and bore it, riding the waves, pitches, and glass for the next twenty minutes. The storm ended as quickly as it started as an eerie calm fell across the jade waters. Rob and I were alive. The whole crew was alive. The captain kept us from hitting the surrounding cliffs, the hull wasn’t pierced. We were alive. We turned to see how everyone else was doing and stared into 8 faces of shock and pain. Rob and I didn’t understand until we started walking towards them and pain exploded across our bodies all at once.

A Dinner Celebration and a Time for Mourning

Rob had taken the worst of the glass spray and had a 6 inch piece of glass embedded in his left foot. We both had hundreds of cuts all over our bodies and our feet were so sliced that we couldn’t walk without falling in pain. The others, no longer tourists, but friends, survivors rushed to help us. It took over an hour for our friends to pick the glass out of our skin, and then disinfect our wounds. But we had survived. The specter of death didn’t do anything to mellow the French girls’ moods and we suffered through a tirade longer than the the storm and more painful.

“Haven’t you ever cleaned a wound?” one girl chastised the guide. “We are NOT giving you a tip” the other girl assured.

Rob and I groaned and that sent them into another tirade of insults, threats and irrelevant chatter. “Shut up and be glad your alive,” Rob said softly. Maybe it was the glass dagger being taken out of his foot or the shard being removed a hair’s breath from my eye that convinced them to remain quiet.

Bandaged, dressed in clean clothes a few hours later we relived the story under the shining stars, thanking the beautiful breeze that caressed our skin. Sixty eight dollars didn’t buy a fancy dinner but the rice and vegetables tasted like heaven, along with the beer that had survived the day too. Suddenly, a second boat pulled up to ours and a large bellied man jumped on board carrying a large bucket. He paid us no attention and walked straight to the steering room. He was the owner of the boat. He used to be the owner of a boating company. The bucket was full of crabs for the crew that had saved his last boat. He didn’t even look at us.

Our guide rushed to the celebration. He came back slowly, deep in thought. “The boats what went to the Cave didn’t make it. The storm caught them in open waters and capsized all of the all of the boats. Everyone is dead. The owner is here to thank the captain for saving his last boat.” The owner never looked at us as he left.

Aftermath

Almost 70 people died* that day and we only survived because we were on the right boat, 3 of 10 that decided to go the other direction. We drank our beer in silence and paid our respects. A few days later when we returned to the mainland we all rushed to the internet to tell our parents and loved ones we had survived. They all asked why we wouldn’t be! The outside world never learned of the deaths, or the news wires never picked up the stories.

Two months later Rob was playing softball and a ligament in his foot snapped. It turns out the glass dagger cut the ligament so that only a thread remained. I still have a few scars as well, but we made it out alive. This was the first time I almost died and I have respected the winds of fate and happenstance ever since. Live your life to its fullest, don’t complain about hard working folks doing their best to survive, treat each other with kindness, be happy. You never know when you will be among the seven other boats.

*Post script. While researching the details for this story I found an obscure BBC news report that quotes government sources saying 3 tourists (1 Thai and 2 Indians) died along with 2 crew members during the storm. My death estimates come from witnesses and other tourists from nearby boats who gave estimates from 20-100 dead. It is still unclear how many people actually died.

Photo Credit

The First Time I Almost Died-Ha Long Bay, Vietnam is a post from: Todd's Wanderings