Name that Market...

We're home!  And I am wide awake at 4:00 AM thanks to jet lag... sigh.

I've been spending my jet lagged AM hours looking at pictures.  Some of my favorites are of the various markets we encountered on our trip.

See if you can match the countries (Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan) to the pictures that correspond below (one country is featured twice): 

Market #1

Market #2

Market #3

Market #4

Market #5

Market #6

Sayonara

Getting on a plane in a few hours and headed back to reality.

Tokyo clues explained.

If you are a film buff or an 80s music buff, you probably figured out our final location was Tokyo... I guess I was in more of pop culture mood (rather than a history/politics mood) when I wrote the last set of clues.
We made a point to watch the Oscar-winning "Lost in Translation" again recently in anticipation of our visit to Tokyo.  Sausalito was the cliche-jazz band that performed in Park Hyatt's New York Bar in the movie (and you may recall that Bill Murray's character ends up hooking up with the lead singer).
Thanks to a promotion from signing up for a Hyatt credit card, we are actually staying at the Park Hyatt.  I am pretty sure we are about the only people to check in to this hotel ever with backpacks for luggage and arriving on foot after walking 10 minutes from the train station.
I also can't help but think of karaoke and  two of the best karaoke songs of all time when I think of Tokyo... The Vapor's "Turning Japanese" and the Styx "Mr. Roboto" (from the "Kilroy Was Here" album).  Hopefully we'll get a chance to do karaoke when we are in Japan... but unfortunately, I don't have the masterful skills necessary to pull off either of those songs.

Tokyo

Thanks to my friend Kaz, an English teacher at a high school in Tokyo, we had an amazing day in yesterday and even more exciting things planned for today, including a trip on the bullet train and a Japanese fireworks festival.

Final clue

We have arrived to our last destination.  Here is one last picture clue to go along with the other pop culture themed clues.  Think movie posters.

Destination nine clues

This is our final destination...

SAUSALITO GIGS HERE
VAPORS FAV CITY
KILROY'S BEST

Elvis sighting

Spotted Elvis last night outside a British pub in the Wan Chai neighborhood in Hong Kong. 

Hong Kong clues explained

If you guessed Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China, as our 9th destination, you were correct!  This is another one of our "less than 24 hour connections" that we are permitted under the rules of our airline ticket. so unfortunately we won't have long to check out this awesome city.

According the UN and the WHO, Hong Kong has the longest life expectancy of any country in the world at 83 years.

Perhaps Hong Kong's most recognizable countryman to Americans is Jackie Chan, star of such films as "Rush Hour" and the 2010 "Karate Kid" remake.  Chan also did the voice for Master Monkey in "Kung Fu Panda" and "Kung Fu Panda 2".

So what does it mean to be a "Special Administrative Region of China"?  I'm not sure I understand all the nuances, but a few key things I do know are:

• Hong Kong was a British colony for about 150 years, and in 1997 was "given back" to China.
• Hong Kong is allowed to enter into their own international and economic agreements.  For instance, Americans don't need a visa to visit Hong Kong, but they do for the rest of China (that helped with making our decision to stop here and not Beijing or Shanghai, where we'd have to pay $150 for the visa).
• The amount of sovereignty that Hong Kong has from Beijing (location of the central Chinese government, controlled by the Chinese Communist Party) is a source of debate and controversy.  There were recent protests in Hong Kong over the appointment of a new executive for the city by Beijing that the people of Hong Kong believe represent Beijing's interests and not their own.

Destination eight clues

Here we go again...

HOME OF RUSH HOUR
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER
RHYME TIME

One Man Wolfpack

Had a drink at the Hangover 2 bar... But didn't get any facial tattoos or see any smoking monkeys last night.

Bangkok

After 15 (surpisingly enjoyable) hours on a train (thanks to a funny group of young Dutch tourists) we have arrived in Bangkok. 

Bangkok clues explained

After a loooooong train ride, we have arrived in Bangkok!

Bangkok was given the distinction of the World's Hottest City by the World Metereological Association.  Pretty sure that wasn't what Buster Poindexter was singing about in his song "Hot, Hot, Hot"... but it is fitting nonetheless.

There have been major political protests in Bangkok in recent years, particularly in 2009 and 2010, by the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, more commonly referred to as the "red shirts".  I am all about free speech, but I'm definitely not trying to cause any trouble, so to play it safe I'll make sure I avoid wearing a Manchester United jersey or any other red shirts during my stay.

Stu, Phil, Alan, Doug, Teddy, and Mr. Chow (or the Wolfpack as Alan likes to call it) had some pretty zany times in Bangkok in the film "Hangover 2."

Destination seven clues

Here's some information on our next location:

TOPIC OF BUSTER POINTDEXTER SONG?
NOT WEARING MY MANCHESTER UNITED JERSEY
WOLFPACK HANGOUT

Bath time

Chiang Mai, Thailand

If you guessed Chang Mai, Thailand as our sixth destination, you were correct!

Ascot, Bow, and Bolo are types of neckTIES... a little homonym humor there... TIE... THAI... lol.

The elephant is to Thailand as the eagle is to America. I'm not sure if the Thais know Dumbo (the 1941 Disney film and popular ride at Disneyland) ,Babar (from children's literature), and Horton (Dr. Seuss's character who "heard a who"), but they do love them some elephants.

And in the 13th to 18th centuries Northern Thailand was known as the Kingdom of Lanna. Chang Mai is the largest city in Northern Thailand and a major tourist area.

Yesterday we "adopted an elephant for a day"... Which meant we paid more money than the other elephant tours to be reassured that we were going with the only company that treats the elephants really well.  Not sure if that was true, but I enjoyed giving my elephant a bath.  Marshall was worried about bacteria from the elephant poop, so I don't think he enjoyed it as much.

Where in the world are the (Kenny) Rogers (Roasters)?

Apparently in Malaysia...  Along with A&W and Auntie Anne's pretzels. 

Destination Six Clues

our next location...
ASCOT, BOW, AND BOLO,
HORTON, BABAR, AND DUMBO,
LAND OF LANNA...

Kuala Lumpur clue explanation

If you guessed Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as our 5th destination, you were correct!
Kuala Lumpur literally means "muddy estuary" in Malay.
Kuala Lumpur is well known for the Petronas Towers, which Matt Lauer visited during his trip KL in 2010.  At the time of its completion in 1999 was the world's tallest building at 452 meters... today it is 3rd or 4th.  Honestly, I learned way more than I wanted to about records regarding tallest buildings when I tried to look this up... apparently the Sears/Willis Tower in Chicago was actually taller if you counted the antennae and had more floors, but the Petronas Towers were considered taller because antennae don't count, but the spires at the top of Petronas do.  Anyway, it all seems like a moot point when you consider the building that opened last year in Dubai (Burj Khalifa) is almost DOUBLE the height at 830 meters!
Perhaps the person from Malaysia that is most recognizable to Americans is actress Michelle Yeoh, of "Crouching Tiger, Hiden Dragon" fame.  (According to Wikipedia... so take it for what it's worth) she was also a former Miss Malaysia, in People's 50 Most Beautiful People issue in 1997, and the voice of the soothsayer in Kung Fu Panda 2..

Kuala Lumpur