A nomad in Asia - AKA 4.5 weeks

I've been trying to settle my restless mind over the past couple of days and it has been close to impossible.  Having leapt off the plane on Thursday, so joyous to be home in Taipei, it has been non-stop craziness ever since my return from four and a half weeks in Asia.  I've finally had the chance to sort through 2500+ photos, read through my scribbles in my travel journal and collect my thoughts on how I want to convey to all of you my amazing 33 day journey.

The Petronas Towers, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia - The Malaysian government built these towers then sell it to $1.2 billion to Petronas.  Cha-ching.

For those of you who don't know, I spent two weeks in China and Tibet with my dad, my uncle and 20 other Taiwanese tourists, a week in Vietnam, a week in Singapore and four days in Malaysia.  Each of these destinations offered a different taste of Asia, and interesting learnings on life, history, culture and most importantly, food.  In a nutshell:

Tibet was serene but guarded.
Vietnam was chaotic but laid back.
Singapore was perfection but orchestrated.
Malaysia was cultured but lacked focus.

Near Gongar, Tibet - A country with spectacular visuals that would make any artist salivate at the opportunity for inspiration.

I plan on posting my experiences in four parts - each country gets its own volume of collective blogs, and each country has my observances of culture, people and personal revelations.  In a sense, I had a series of Eat, Pray, Love moments that allowed me to appreciate why I made the decision to take the year off.  In each of these "chapters," not only will include funny and fascinating tidbits of each of the destinations, but also a self-discovery insight, an "aha!" moment if you will, and also the song that best matched with my mood that day.  (Thank God for my iPod - it came in handy when trying to find the right songs to match my experiences.

Beautiful Halong Bay, Vietnam - This rock is famous and is featured on their 20,000 Dong (20,000 Viet Dong is equal to $1USD.)

Here's an overview of what you can have to look forward to (Note: as I continue to update, each of these chapters will have a link to their corresponding blog entry once it has been written.):

Volume I - Tibet, China - Patience is a Virtue AKA 7 Days (x2) in Tibet

Chapter I - The Great Chinese Building Boom - Xining, China
Chapter II - The Lhasa Express - A Day with the Train
Chapter III - Lhasa - Temples, Incense, Praying...Oh my!
Chapter IV - Me and my Dad (pt. 2)
Chapter V - Five Days in a 4x4 - Off to Everest Base Camp
Chapter VI - Going, going... Gonggar
Chapter VII - On the other end of the spectrum, Shanghai

Near Gonggar, Tibet - First Palace (aptly named as it was the first palace in Tibet) which overlooks the fertile Lhasa valley below.

Volume II - Vietnam - Organic Chaos AKA Good Morning Vietnam!

Chapter I - Hanoi, the crazy Asian cousin of romantic Europe
Chapter II - Majestic Halong Bay
Chapter III - Beach Bum in Nha Trang
Chapter IV - Saigon pt 1 - Mekong Delta and CuChi Tunnels
Chapter V - Saigon pt 2 - Vietnam's history and Vietnam's healing

St. James' Cathedral in Hanoi, Vietnam

Volume III - Singapore - Perfectly Wrapped AKA One Hot Sweaty Mess

Chapter I - Museum Visits for the Culture and Air Conditioning
Chapter II - Advertising People Love Drinking...ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
Chapter III - Malls, Malls, Malls
Chapter IV - A Day at the Zoo - Hello inner 5 year old child
Chapter V - Relaxation - Food, Pools and Partying

The Singapore Skyline

Volume IV - Malaysia - Many Worlds in a Peninsula AKA Rain, Rain, Go Away

Chapter 1 - Kuala Lampur - Big City, Big Stomach
Chapter 2 - Malacca - Not a Swear Word
Chapter 3 - Wrapping Up a Whirlwind

Little Amsterdam Channel, Malacca, Malaysia

So I hope you'll come on this digital journey with me as I revisit all of my favourite memories and I hope you'll enjoy my commentary and insights.