Last week I expedited my passport in 24 hours so I could fly to Tokyo for the weekend! I had so much fun, I extended the trip to a week :) More on that next week!
I didn't think renewing my passport would come with so many emotions. The photo in my old passport is from 10 years ago.
Snapped 10 years ago. I'd like to think I still look the same :)
I remember that day well. That morning I became a US citizen somewhere in Brooklyn, NY. I was working as an assistant at Good Morning America, Emmitt Smith was on DWTS and I had just pitched a segment the show liked that they would later cover...Surfing Santas!
As I flip through and touch the pages of my old passport, I also remember how my sister was alive when I got all these stamps. In her final weeks she told me "I wish I had more time to travel." Heartbreaking...I wish we had more time to travel together, more time for everything really. So the rest of my year has been spent traveling to places for her. In the last month I’ve been to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and just wrapped a whirlwind trip to Tokyo!
While Tokyo wasn’t on her list, as I rode my bike around the city’s alleyways and bustling streets (which don’t have bike lanes by the way so its extra fun!) I imagined her sitting on the handlebars, discovering this magical city with me. Being in Tokyo reminded me of how much I love all of Asia, as different as the cities are from each other. I know if I had a chance to tell my sister how magical Tokyo is, it would have made it on her list.
One of the places that was on her list was Thailand and it's on my mind after this recent Asian adventure. She lived in the elephant pants I brought back for her my last 2 trips...so this Friday let’s flashback to the land of smiles. She loved this video and so hopefully you’ll dig it too…
Next week on the blog, Tokyo!!! From a real life acid trip without actually being on acid to stripping down at an Onsen...stay tuned, more adventures to come! Can’t wait for where my new passport will take me!