My First Time (Traveling Alone) + Brunei update #2

I’m a big believer in the saying, by Paulo Coelho, that ‘Travel is never a matter of money but of courage’. It takes, of course money, but also a lot of courage to travel alone and initially I didn’t want to. It was 2011, I had recently returned to Japan after the earthquake and we had a break coming up, The plan was to travel to Cambodia with Christian but I didn’t have enough time left in my passport to get the visa, and I wouldn’t be getting a new passport until returning to New Zealand in August. So, I decided to travel to places in Japan that I’d been wanting to go to. Osaka, the island of Okinawa, and the cultural hotspot of Nikko. I fortunately knew a great travel agent who helped me with booking the flights and trains I’d need to take on the trip.

When I was 16 years old I had spent a year on exchange in a high school in Osaka, I would be catching up with an old host-sister and seeing the sights of Osaka again. In Okinawa I wanted to visit the famous red castle and enjoy relaxing on a tropical island, and in Nikko it would be all about the food and culture, especially anything to do with Yuba which I’ll explain later.

I started my trip by making the best decision ever, to stay at CaminoRo Guesthouse in Shin-Osaka, which, unfortunately, is no longer in business, run by a lovely Japanese couple. The first evening I pretty much had the place to myself as I made dinner and watched the Royal Wedding (William and Kate’s). The next day I declared it a no rush, no stress, do what I want, sort of day so I read for four hours (bliss!) then went out to explore the city. I revisited a lot of places and relived a whole year with my host sister as we walked around the zoo. Reconnecting with people while traveling is awesome, as is making new friends, whom I met at the places I stayed.

(Photos: Osaka Castle, the Glico running man in Dotombori Canal district, and Osaka Tennoji Zoo)

Next up was Okinawa, the furthest south I’d ever been in Japan. I had no idea what I was in for but I knew I wanted some beach time in there somewhere! As I said earlier, I made some new friends at the hostel in Naha, the capital city, and I joined them for a beach day and some night-time sightseeing. I also made sure I had some time to explore on my own. Being free to choose how your day will go is half the fun of traveling alone. Naha was beautiful and I enjoyed learning more about a different side of the Japanese culture. They definitely live by island time, which made it very relaxing to be there! If you’re ever in Okinawa make sure to walk down Kokusai Dori or visit the gardens, which are beautiful. Watch out for the Habu snakes, which they like to turn into sake!

(Photos: The Gardens, Habu Snake Sake, Okinawa Shiri Castle, a meal with hostel friends)

I had a great time in Okinawa but I still had one more stop to make before heading home. Nikko, a historical place where culture meets nature. Nikko is the doorway to the Nikko national park where you’ll find Toshogu, a shrine, and the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who I’d learnt about in history classes when I was 16. I felt quieter while in Nikko, I kept mostly to myself and enjoyed the cooler temperatures of the surrounding forests. Another thing to enjoy in Nikko is Yuba! It may not sound delicious once you know what it is, but trust me, I had to restrain myself from buying all the yuba treats I could! Yuba is basically tofu skin which is made by skimming the film off the top of boiling soy milk, then dried. If you like tofu, you’re sure to like this as well!

(Photos: Rice paddies on the way to Nikko, cultural sites of Nikko, in and around the National park, Yuba pudding and Fried Nikko Yuba Manju, with red bean paste)

Well, there we have it, I had stepped out of my comfort zone and completed my solo adventures, brought to you by the letter ‘O’ where I learned to be happy traveling alone, met crazy, weird, and wonderful people, and did what I felt like! If you have the chance, be brave, and venture out into the wild by yourself. This experience has definitely shown me that I am capable of anything and given me an appreciation of traveling and sharing experiences with the people I love. It’s ok to be alone sometimes too, though!

Brunei update #2

Life in Brunei is chugging along nicely, I’ve joined a writers’ group which I’m really excited about. Our second meeting is next week, I’m looking forward to bouncing ideas off everyone. The house is feeling more like a home, we’ve put frames on the walls, bought a car, and we’re getting the guest bedroom ready for when my parents visit in September. I’ve also been applying to some online teaching jobs and have my first interview this week, fingers crossed for that! In the mean time I’m excited for this Wednesday! We have a long weekend coming up so we’re visiting the nearby island of Labuan, where I’m doing a yoga retreat for 3 days. I’m happy I’ll have some family time there too.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, and as always, enjoy the adventure!