Scooter mania...

When hanging out in the islands of Thailand, having a motor bike or a scooter  is almost essential. Yes, being an island, everything is mostly within walking distance. The markets are all 5-10 minutes away and the beaches are the same. But with a motor bike, you can see more of the islands in less amounts of time. 

Having adventures with a scooter gang adds a whole new dimension of island traveling. The sound of everyone around you, mostly new friends, revving their tiny little scooter engines is the cutest/manliest thing you have ever heard. Plus the rush of riding down the road with an entourage is incredible. The wind rushing over your face while you all search the treetops for monkeys is quite amusing. We all get the airport look. But, I would be careful because you never know when that car will come around the bend and be driving in your lane. 

The Thai massage...

The whole world knows that Thailand has incredible massages. They twist and turn your body into positions you normally couldn't attain yourself. So what would a trip to Thailand be without a massage? Challenge accepted. 

Mauro and I go to a super fancy place that gives you little slippers to wear throughout the intricate and maze like mansion. We get to our rooms and split, one per room. Inside, there is a table, a shower, a chair and counter with a bunch of items for he masseuse. This is where she warms up the oils. 

After showering and putting on a mesh banana hammock, she comes back into the room and starts to give me a head massage. This was the most bizarre head massage I have ever gotten. My noggin was literally being slapped like djembe. She moved all throughout my head and neck in a slapping and squeezing frenzy. 

Then it was to the table. I started on my stomach and was truly underwhelmed by what was to come. There was no stretching and there was no power or order to her massage. It was a random act of putting slight pressure on different back and leg muscles. When I turned over, it was more or less the same. Because of this I had noted to get a second opinion. It was s true disappointment to what my expectations were. 

Meat on a stick...

Bangkok, sin city of the world where anything goes. From ping pong shows to prostitutes a price can be bargained. But why is the spotlight mainly focused on the red light district of this historical and kind city? Filling the streets on carts and folding tables is the iconic food of Thailand. 

Green papaya being muddled with peanuts and coconut palm sugar stands next to grandmothers frying spring rolls and vegetable fritters. The sweet and spicy air currents play at your nostrils while pork, chicken and squid are grilled over red hot coals. It is truly amazing what these cooks can do with the bare minimum space and equipment. 

Of all the carts and stands that line the streets in Silom, my favorite by far are the women with one wok and a few sauces and spices. With the speed of the flash and the muscle memory of a master, she fries some garlic pepper and onion together until the aroma smacks your nose. Then comes the morning glory, beans and chicken with the sauces, spices ad basil to come quickly after. She composes a perfect symphony in under 3 minutes and does it with one pot, one utensil and about 4 square feet. 

Side note...

Travelling the world solo, you see historical artifacts, cultural dynasties and national pride. It is the unfortunate truth that as you see these incredible sights throughout different countries, they all seem to have the same meaning in a different language. This is not to say that one is any less important or beautiful than the other; if anything it makes you appreciate each detail in a different manner. Once this begins to happen, you as a traveler begin to realize that it is the people you travel with that makes the memory what it is. The connections made between like minded internationals will form life long bonds because of that one night you had in that province of the incredible country. Each day, we meet people who are on the search for a new experience and new interactions. With that, we get new companions to share meals and drinks with. That, for me, is the the most important part. sharing unknown food with new friends.

In the words of Afroman, Goodmorning...

Of all the adventures, mishaps, stories and connections made in Japan, there is only one that I was looking forward to the most. Tsukiji Market, the largest fish market in the world, takes place every day except for Sundays, hamdling a total amount of approximately 6 billion US dollars a year. That is correct, a 6 with 000,000,000 at the end. There is so much history that runs through the warehouses and streets around the market. Many people don't realize that this market was not originally in Tsukiji, and it wasn't always named Tsukiji.

The First fish market, located by the Nihomboshi bridge in the Edo canal was destroyed by an earthquake in September, 1923. The market was then relocated to the Tsukiji district and is where the world goes to buy their top line tuna everyday.

The excitement in the air was overwhelmed by the aroma of grilled fish, dried seafood and boiling bones. Every corner turned into a whirling frenzy of pushing crowds and pushcarts. There was not enough room to stand up straight if you were over 5'7" and you were forced to turn sideways to walk. The best part was watching all of the tourists look at some products with total disgust or confusion. There is such a diverse inventory of dried fish, seaweed, squids, seafoods and even sweets. Shops were exploding out of their store fronts with cooking utensils and chinaware. To say it is an amazing market is the largest understatement ever said. If you find yourself in japan at all in your lifetime, this is a MUST SEE.

Yakitori alley...

Have you ever heard of the stupid American charge? Most countries will have a small fee to eat and/or drink for foreigners; especially the American tourist. Whilst on Mauros first night in japan, we went to a yakitori restaurant in Shinjuku. Little did we know there was a charge, otoshi, where it is a state wide charge to drink in a restaurant. So, we decide not to pay that "small charge" of 800 yen and pay only for our food. Not 30 seconds after walking out of the restaurant and onto the street, the entire restaurant staff surrounds us with smiles, politely asking us to please pay the mandatory fee. We decided it was for the best to comply with the staff as to not get arrested. At least we learned our lesson about that!

To follow, we stumbled upon the actual yakitori alley. Our hearing was taken over by the sound of meats sizzling over red hot coals and our nose was swarming with caramelizing sugars and charred chicken hearts. Inside these hallway like restaurants, there are people from all corners of the world chowing down on this age old delicacy of Japan. We finally come to a decision of where to eat and right in front of us is a sign that says, "otoshi, mandatory charge to drink". Mauro and I both looked at each other and laughed. Our very recent escapade turned out to be a stupid American idea. From then on, we had no issue of paying the drinking charge.

Once we made our decisions to eat chicken hearts, pig tongue, liver, gizzard and kidney, we gorged our gullets with the ancient delicacies. Each one of the skewers were just as flavorful as the last and all cooked to perfection. We could not have made a better decision of where to get yakitori. It was well worth the adventures and it proved to be a pretty great story. "How we almost got arrested in Tokyo".

Ramenya...

Ramen. The chewy noodle that makes a perfect nest for a soft yolked egg and succulent roast pork to lay next to crunchy bamboo and delicate, crispy nori. All of this is gently swimming in a clean golden broth that is packed with so much flavor but not overpowering. Every single bite that you take will send shivers down your spine to your toes. 

As you close your eyes, you can taste the distinct levels of flavor running circles around your palate. You even have the option to add some spice or tang if you are up for the challenge. This is the perfect bowl of ramen in my eyes. Outstanding down to the last drop.