Last month I hopped on a jet and set out for East Asia for a week. I’ve been wanting to visit that part of the world for a long time, so when a cheap flight popped up on the radar I jumped on it.

This trip enabled me to complete my grand quest to get a Star Alliance Gold membership by flying over 40,000 miles in 2 years. This was my 16th trip so far and once again I had a blast. I don’t think it’s the destination but the journey and your attitude that matters. I’ve changed quite a bit since I began traveling, and I’m much happier for it.

Some things I noticed while over there:

• Everyone kept staring at me (and my travel buddies) but I’ve never met a more polite bunch of people (and I’m Canadian! We’re supposed to be very polite).
• It’s quite strange being a foreigner there, more so than in other countries. After a while you’re quite surprised when you see someone like you.
• I’d heard that Japan would be extremely expensive, but that’s not really true. I spent very little money while over there by hitting up hostels and convenience stores. How much cash you fork over is really upto you. Taiwan was much cheaper than Japan anyway.
• Japanese women are gorgeous in general (but I’ve only seen this in their home territory).
• Japan is extremely advanced (loved those bullet trains) while maintaining its culture at the same time. I found all of it very fascinating.

I’m going back someday. Plus now I can actually hold chopsticks properly.