Images of East Asia

I saw similarities in landscapes and architectures between Korea and Japan.  Especially old Korean architectures, such as temples, looked familiar to me.  Many temples in other Asian countries looked more extravagant to me than those in both Korea and Japan.  Therefore, I was not intrigued with sights as much as shopping sprees in Korea.  I saw many cosmetic shops and clothing stores on street and in the underground.  In addition, a shopping complex building offers a 24-hour shopping opportunity.  Moreover, I was impressed that many Korean people, especially in tourist spots, can speak very good Japanese.  In fact, one of the shop clerks insisted on speaking Japanese when I spoke to her in English.  I usually got appreciated by clerks in other countries when they found out that they could communicate with me in English.  It was the first time for me to be asked to speak Japanese overseas instead of English.

Many guidebooks (still) suggest that it is the most cost-effective to travel from Japan to Taiwan via a package tour instead of a self-planned tour.  So, I took my second-time overseas package tour to visit Taiwan.  It was cheap and easy, but I regretted it.  The tour was planned to present as many shopping opportunities as possible.  I had to go through three duty free shops for three days.  That was too much.  In addition, I was upset that hours in the National Palace Museum were set too short.  I could watch notable items such as the Jadeite Cabbage and the Meat-shaped Stone.  However, I felt too rushed to indulge myself in watching treasures at the museum.  Because of this trip, I realize that I am mature or independent enough to travel freely as I like. 

It was my first solo journey in Asia.  Prior to Hong Kong, I visited the United States by myself, but I could speak English.  In addition, I had a host family there.  I was a bit worried about traveling Hong Kong alone because I knew nobody there and could not speak Cantonese, which I still cannot.  At that time, I also heard that some Japanese tourists were kidnapped near harbors of Hong Kong.  I was half excited but half anxious about the upcoming adventure on a flight.  However, my anxiety disappeared after I met locals and tourists who kindly helped me.  I had a wonderful time in Hong Kong.  In addition, I was lucky to have someone from Hong Kong show me around Macao.  However, my anxiety reappeared at a casino in Macao when I saw gamblers looking too serious or sometimes crazy.  Casinos at that time were not as beautiful as they are now.  It was quite an experience!