new Zealand

We are traveling the South Island of New Zealand as our last leg of the trip. This will be my last post until I’m home. We have already visited many cities. We have 18 days left. It’s pretty here. We have been hiking and trying to wind down before we get back to work! This trip has been fun, tiring, and rewarding. All the things I have learned along the way will always stick with me. I hope you have enjoyed following along!

Singapore

What a great city! The area encompasses the size of Chicago and they have an interesting take on controlling traffic. You have to pay a tax around 126,000 dollars just to own the certificate to drive a car not to mention buy the car, which has a mark up of up to 300 percent. They also cap how many licenses they allow further marking up the prices. The goal is to have public transit within a ten minute walk of everyone’s home in so many years. Public transit was amazing and cheap. The city is very expensive so I’m glad we only stayed for 8 days.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala, Lumpur was an interesting experience. A very busy city filled with such a mix of diverse people. The weather was warm and it rained most days in the afternoon. This really has the feel of being in Southeast Asia. Tiny shops and hawker stalls galore.

Georgetown, Malaysia

We next flew to Georgetown Malaysia. This is a major city on the island of Penang in Malaysia known as a foodie paradise. A perfect place for me and Jason. They have a huge mix of people living in one area and it’s reflected in the food. You can get Chinese, Thai, Malay, and Indian food at so many places including hawker stalls which are such a novel concept. We saw monkeys, flower species, reptiles, and plants of all kinds. It is hot here like Charleston and I can’t complain because I hate the cold! I love spicy food so this area of the world is right up my alley!

Langkawi, Malaysia

We stayed five nights on the island of Langkawi to start our journey in Malaysia. This is a laid back island with decent beaches and nightlife. We had Chinese and Malaysian food which began getting our taste buds ready for delicious flavorful spicy foods. The people were very friendly and the rules nothing like in Japan. I kind of like that though. Everything has a south east Asia vibe and is not fancy but full of character.

Kagoshima, Japan

We are in our second to last city in Japan known as Kagoshima. This is our southern most city in our quest to go from north to South in Japan in almost two months. Sakurajima is the volcano in Kagoshima that is one of the most active in Japan. It billows smoke out day and night. We took a ferry over and walked the island observing this interesting volcano. We went to the aquarium and ate the local food and drink. The amount of different ramen we have had is amazing on this trip. This area is known for volcanic ash pottery and etched glass products dating back many years.

Uwijima, Japan

We took a train two hours to the little town of Uwijima. We went to see a castle, learn about the towns prosperous history in wax production/dealing and saw a restored Edo period area of homes. We also saw a beautiful garden. Good day trip on a cold day with hail along the way on the train.

Matsuyama, Japan

Matsuyama is a city of around 500,000 people. We went there to see a castle and try the oranges. Beni Madonna oranges are amazing. Pictured above, they are only in season one month a year and we were so lucky to try these jelly like sweet oranges. The best of my lifetime so far. The castle was the only intact complex we have seen so far and it was beautiful. Next up is the small town of Uwijima.

Kochi, Japan

Next we were off to Kochi, Japan. Inhabited by around 320,000 people this city has a different vibe than the rest of Japan. Warmer and very far south on the water this city was so pretty and the people were spunky. We visited the castle, stumbled upon fields of flowers, and ate seared bonito tuna over rice. The tuna was so good if you like sushi. We also went to the botanical gardens and visited a Sunday market where I scored some bizen ware from a local potter. We will continue to move south until our time in Japan is up. Time flies.

Naoshima Island, Japan

We spent a day visiting Naoshima, which is an art island attracting many tourists located in the Seto sea inlet. The island itself is beautiful and we electric biked all over. The island is full of art museums and outdoor sculptures you can explore. The city was in decline back in the 80’s so several people decided to make it an art island to draw tourists and art lovers.

Bitchu-Matsuyama castle

Located in Takahashi, Japan this castle is the oldest surviving castle and the only mountaintop castle of Japan’s twelve surviving castles. There was barely anyone up at the castle because you have to hike to it straight uphill for about 30 minutes from town. The views were amazing and the castle itself was fun to walk through. Almost like we had the place to ourselves. Still a couple more castles to see before we leave Japan.

Okayama, Japan

We spent five days in Okayama to take some day trips and explore the gardens here. The population of this city is around 700,000. The gardens here are called the Korakuen gardens. This garden is one of three great gardens of Japan. It is 300 years old and boasts all kinds of eye catching features. We also walked past one of the rebuilt castles, went and saw Godzilla at the theater, and tried Chiya beef, which is this regions version of wagyu. Ready to set off to a new city tomorrow!

Nagoya and Seto, Japan

We spent two quick days in Nagoya, which was to busy for me! The town has a population of 2.5 million.We took a day trip to Seto town so I could see one of the old kilns and gather information on pottery in the region. I learned so much information about the different types of Japanese pottery.

Takayama, Japan

We visited Takayama for two days. This city has a population of 88,000 and lies in the mountainous region of the Gifu prefecture. This city is known for its preservation of Edo period homes. We stayed in a renovated old home in the city center area. There is a park called Hida we walked to that has thirty structures from Gifu set up on acreage like it’s a actual town. We went to an actual Gifu town last time we were in Japan, so this time we decided to check out this place. It was nice and very informative. I love thatched roofs also.

Matsumoto,Japan

We spent two days in Matsumoto, Japan so we could see the castle. We walked inside and strolled the town. We also has some great curry from a random lady and her mothers shop. Actually this shop had my favorite curry yet!

Nagano, Japan

The capital of Nagano prefecture is the city of Nagano, which boasts a population of around 365,000 people. This city once hosted the Winter Olympics as it’s surrounded by tall mountain peaks and has a harsh winter with many months of snow dumping on the region. A perfect place for the winter olympics! We visited shrines, went on day trips to mountains, and hiked for hours in the Japanese alps. I was surprised by the amount of bear bells people used. There is a couple more days before winter approaches, but we enjoyed the Fall foliage before the snow starts dumping. This region is known for apples, wine, and chesnuts. We tried them all. Also I figured out that I cannot do slideshows on my blog, so I have updated all the photos. The slideshow kept putting pictures in the wrong city randomly. All is fixed now.

niigata, Japan

We spent several days in Niigata, a port town
made up of almost 800,000 residents. While there we went to the aquarium, which highlighted local ecosystems in the area. The city is located on the Sea of Japan and is very diverse as far as what lives in their waters. We also went to the Northern Cultural Museum, a former grounds to Japanese royalty. The garden and grounds were so beautiful. We also visited a sake brewery that is over 250 years old and learned about the process used to create sake, along with the types, and did a tasting. We took a day trip to Murakami, a town known for a long history of riches that relate to salmon. This town was small and the people that lived there were so humble and welcoming. Upon viewing the artificial river where the salmon swim upstream three golden eagles greeted us closely and we watched them hunt things from the river. How do we get around without a car you ask? Trains and buses. They are great in Japan.

Morioka, japan

Morioka is a town of around 300,000 people located in the Iwate prefecture in Japan. We picked this city for its history regarding samurai culture. We visited many sites including an out of town trip to a samurai village. We also ate chestnut desserts and soba noodles,which they are known for in this region. The city was a nice size. Not crowded. We also ate jajamen, noodles with meat miso mixed and eaten then you crack an egg and the chef fills the bowl with broth essentially making an egg drop soup. So good!

Hakodate, japan

Hakodate was the first port city in Japan open to foreign trade in the mid 1800’s. Located on the island of Hokkaido, this city has around 250,000 residents. We ate many types of foods popular in this region, went to an onsen/hot spring hotel out of town for a night, and took a day trip to Otaro, Japan. Otaro is known for glass blowing and music box making. The town was quiet and we enjoyed mingling with the locals. We will be taking the high speed train ,Shinkansen, to the next island through and underwater tunnel. Next stop Morioka, Japan.

Sapporo, japan

There’s something about Japan that stole my heart years ago when we visited and I know what it is. The culture in Japan is so much different than the U.S. The people are polite, follow rules, are for the good of the whole group and not themself. They have amazing food, are so kind, are quiet, don’t leave trash anywhere, and they also can shop. You won’t find any homeless people or people begging here and everything is so organized. A far cry from where I have been. Each place has its own quirks. We also went to an onsen/ hot springs hotel one night, which was an experience. My pictures have not been downloading on my blog correctly, so I have been posting on my Facebook and Instagram stories also until I fix them. Next stop Hakodate, Japan.

Vienna, Austria

We had a layover for two days in Vienna, Austria before heading to Sapporo. This city is opulent and beautiful. We walked the streets and tried the food. We also stumbled upon a huge Octoberfest celebration and beer hall where everyone was celebrating with beer and eating huge pieces of pork. This city was so expensive compared to where we have been so two days was just enough! Of course unless we win the lottery, then I’m coming back for a bit.

Athens, Greece

We spent five days in Athens, Greece as a stop on our way to Japan. We walked and ate our way through this bustling city. We viewed the Parthenon from a distance after hiking a hill in the neighborhood we were staying in. All the neighborhoods have their own character and we loved the one we were staying in called Koukaki. This area is not overly touristed and has some great independent artist stores. We also ate lots of mezzo plates and seafood. This was a great city. Do I need to visit again, no, but it was fun.

Skopelos, Greece

From Thessloniki , Greece we went to a town called Volos to catch a ferry. The bus took six hours instead of two because this region just suffered biblical flooding. We had to drive around Mt. Olympus and ended up having to drive through some hard hit areas. It was thirteen days after these floods and some of the places were really in shambles. We then caught a ferry to the island of Skopelos, Greece. We avoided the well known islands like Santorini because we knew they would be crowded. This place is amazing. Good food, good people, on the water, beautiful beaches, and laid back. Plus it’s shoulder season so it’s quiet along with perfect weather. You should put this place on your must visits!

Mt.olympus, greece

We took a day trip to Mt.Olympus and the ruins of Dion. We hiked up for about 45 minutes to get good views from the mountain. The weather was great and it was not to busy.

Thessloniki, Greece

We spent several days in Thessloniki, Greece which is known for it’s food scene. It was a bustling city among ancient ruins. There would be a playgrounds next to ruins. Buildings were being built around found ruins. The city was very nice with great food, shopping, and of course sightseeing. The city is a port so it lies on the water. We loved it! And yes, everything is graffiti laced in every place we have been so far up to about six feet.

Tirana, Albania
Korce, Albania
​Berat, Albania
​Lake Ohrid, albania

We finished up our time in Albania by staying in the big city of Tirana. This is a nice city where we went to museums and bunkers that taught about the realities of communism. It’s crazy to think they were shut out from the world until 1991. We took a day trip to Berat to meet up with my in laws and tour the old town and fortress. Lastly we went to Korce. This is not a town where tourists frequent and we thought going there would give us a taste of how locals lived. It was a nice town and everyone was friendly. We then took a bus across the border to Greece. We have taken many across border buses at this point, but this was the most interesting and not in a good way. We were ready for Greece after eight hours on the bus.

Plav,Montnegro
shkodër, Albania
Theth, albania

We have traveled to several cities in the past couple of weeks. First, we visited Plav, a little mountain town in Montenegro that has amazing hiking in the Accursed mountains. This region along with North Albania seems to be a place that we are encountering before tourists of all kinds find out about it. In a couple of years this place will be built up, but for now it’s quiet and peaceful. We then did a stop over in Podgorica, the capital of a Montenegro. This town is not much to write about. Basically a small area with hip bars and lots of shopping. Then we took a bus to Shkoder, Albania. This town is so cute and there are few tourists. We walked around with all the locals and saw how they live. Next we went to Theth, Albania. This town is isolated and surrounded by the beautiful Albanian Alps. They used to have a gravel road the last 30 mins into town, but paved it about a year ago so now it’s more accessible to people who want to visit. Typically you needed a four wheel drive to come here. We stayed with a local family at their bed and breakfast. They were so hospitable and cooked great food. We also hiked around and enjoyed the scenery.

Zablijak, Montenegro

Zablijak, Montenegro is a small town of around 1700 people. It is known for skiing and hiking. We enjoyed the change of pace from the crowds of people, along with the cooler temperatures. We hiked in the Durmitor National Park and did some local lake hikes. This area is beautiful and apparently snow covered 6 months of the year per the locals. When we were there no snow was anywhere to be found (phew) and the lakes were beginning to dry up to start the cycle all over again.

Kotor, Montenegro

We traveled to Kotor, Montenegro after visiting Dubrovnik. We took a bus and crossed the border with our passports. It only took one and half hours to go through immigration, which was a new experience. Normally we fly, so crossing by bus was different. Upon arrival we noticed the calm of Croatia turn a little more feisty. This reminds me of being in Italy many years ago. We hiked to the top of a mountain and got beautiful views of the bay of Kotor. We ate our way through meat trays and bought some new items from the farmers market. This place is beautiful, but I wish people would do better about picking up trash and cigarette butts. They make the beauty look a bit grungy. The people were very friendly and we enjoyed our time here.

dubrovnik, Croatia

We spent one day in Dubrovnik, Croatia on our way to Kotor, Montenegro. It was very hilly and the old town was nice, despite it being a busy travel season. I recommend going in the off season.

korcula, Croatia

Korcula, Croatia is amazing. This island is the six largest island in the Adriatic Sea and did not feel bombarded with vacationers. We swam each day in the crystal clear water on many different pebble beaches. Some new foods we tried were pag cheese, which is a new favorite of mine. We also tried Posip and Grk wine grown on this island at two local wineries. The wineries are much more laid back here than in California. Posip was my favorite wine. This town seems like something out of a fairytale.

Solta, croatia

Split was very busy so we took a boat ride over to a smaller town called Solta. Within the island there are several towns. We enjoyed the laid back feeling of this area and tried several excellent seafood dishes. Squid ink cuttlefish risotto, smoked tuna salad, sardines in olive oil and sea brim with vegetables are the food images above. We also got to see how local people live in Croatia.

Split, croatia

Split, Croatia was beautiful and busy. Located on the Adriatic Sea, this is the second largest city in Croatia. We spent many hours walking around and enjoying the scenery. This area was very popular with tourists. Since it was so busy we opted to take a day trip to a smaller island known as Solta. More on that to come. We found a great local honey on this trip. They are known for having honey that has antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties.

Zagreb, Croatia

The first part of our trip was a visit to Zagreb, Croatia. This city is the capital of Croatia and the largest city. We traveled around to many noted locations and tried several local foods. We also cooked at home after visiting the local farmers market. The lasagna looking dishes in the images above are known as strukli. They come in savory and sweet flavors. It’s like a mochi lasagna noodle with a cottage cheese/flavor filling topped with a creamy cheese sauce. We also tried a bean soup with smoked sausage known as Grah. Croatia is known for their local smoked meats and this dish is one way they highlight these meats. Lastly, we spent a day at the contemporary art museum and enjoyed viewing regional pieces of art. Zagreb was a very relaxed city and the people were extremely friendly. On to our next destination!