day 4 in tokyo: private tour guide (asakusa, senso-ji temple, ueno, ginza), amazing sukiyaki at iman bekkhan, best sushi ever and drinks at golden gai

(Tokyo, Japan).

The best pancake treat ever - why doesn't the 7-elevens in the U.S. have this magical treat???

I woke up to very heavy rains which was a bit depressing.  But I was quickly cheered up by my 7-eleven pancake breakfast.  I don't know how they make these things but they are amazing!  There's literally butter and maple syrup hidden inside these pancakes, and even though they are obviously pre-packaged, they are shockingly and addictively tasty!  (I think I had 5 of them during my trip this time and I was wanting more...)  My husband didn't believe how good they were until I forced him to taste one, and then he kept trying to eat my pancakes - argh.

yangon drinks: wines

The wine display at Governor's Residence.

In one of those "who knew" moments, Mr. Sazy Rock and I ended up doing an impromptu Burmese wine tasting at the Belmond Governor's Residence in a tony part of Yangon. I am unsure about the state of the Burmese wine industry but it appears that they are definitely trying to establish a premiere one in Southeast Asia.

The wines we tried were all from grapes grown in Myanmar's Shan state. I was told that the area is cooler due to its elevation and that grapes are grown at over 1,000 meters above sea level. It also appears that French and German winemakers, along with locals, have had a hand in developing the wines.

travel zen on friday: the first christmas tree

Happy Christmas, everyone! Do you know where the first Christmas tree was erected?

restaurant review: sushisho masa in tokyo - best sushi i've ever had!

(Tokyo, Japan).

The chef's selection of the day's catch.

I absolutely love sushi and I've been lucky to try a lot of great sushi places.  Some places I've been to before and enjoyed include Urasawa, Hama Sushi (in Little Tokyo), Sushi Gen, Sugarfish, Nozawa Bar, Nobu, Matsuhisa and Echigo in Los Angeles; Sushi Yasuda and Jewel Bako in New York; and Sukiyabashi Jiro in Roppongi Hills ... However in my recent trip to Tokyo, the place that rose above them all was Sushisho Masa in Tokyo.  

yangon drinks: cocktails

Gimlet from the Strand Hotel.

In my short but memorable time in Yangon in November 2015, I did not see any discernible cocktail bar scene. I'd like to say it was a robust scene as what we found in Japan in February 2015, but alas, I cannot. We did, however, find a few watering holes in the city. 

To be honest, I was a bit wary about cocktail drinking because I was unsure about the purity of the water used to make ice. For the most part, I drank a lot of Myanmar beers but, I did go for a cocktail (or three) at reputable establishments.

First, we visited the Strand Hotel. I am told that the hotel was once owned by the same folks who owned the iconic Raffles Hotel in Singapore and the E&O Hotel in Penang, Malaysia. As an aside, I felt a sense of closure now that I have drank at all three iconic hotel bars (the dreadful Singapore Sling at the Raffles and a refreshing Gin & Tonic at the E&O). 

travel zen on friday: bourbon street in new orleans

New Orleans - you'll always have a special place in my heart.  See you soon!

day 3 in tokyo: shibuya crossing, hachiko, yoyogi mark, meiji shrine, tenmatsu tempura and ebisu yocoho

(Tokyo, Japan).  On our first full day in Tokyo I was a bit ambitious and had a jam-packed schedule!  
 

Yummy Westin Tokyo breakfast buffet.

I was obviously still suffering from jetlag and decided to work out at 5am with all the other zombie-like travelers in the Westin Tokyo gym.  Then I replenished myself at the hotel breakfast buffet with some tasty congee, eggs and green juice.  Somewhat energized, we walked through the Yebisu Garden Place to the Ebisu station where we bought our SUICA cards (a reloadable card for public transportation and vending machines in Tokyo) and took a quick subway ride to Shibuya.

Yebisu Garden Place - there are lots of restaurants, shops, including Mitsukoshi Department store, and a beer museum.  Yebisu (or Ebisu) is a premium beer in Japan.

sazy rock's top 10 tastes of 2015

The tuna auction in Tokyo, Japan.

I have spent most of 2015 traveling to eat in Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Thailand, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), and in 20 states in the United States. In fact, after this post goes live, I will be off to Israel and Jordan. Although a few bites have been disappointing, for the most part, it has been a very delicious year (and I suspect will continue to be delicious during the remaining two weeks of 2015).

A memorable lobster dish from Azurmendi in Bilbao, Spain from 2014.
Yes, I still think fondly of this dish to this day.

I've been fortunate to eat an array of food from so many different parts of the world - some I have written about (click on the name and city of the restaurant to get the link to the post) and some I have not. Although I could easily list more than the 10 below, I had to force myself to be disciplined. My list could also change tomorrow. 

travel zen on friday: bagan pagoda

The Ayeyarwady River cuts through the country before it splinters off in the South. The pagodas of Bagan look amazing amidst its still waters. Happy Friday, everyone!

Sunset in Bagan.

gift ideas for a female traveler

I've been on lots of trips and there are a few things I rely on heavily when I'm on the go.  As Christmas is coming upon us quickly, I thought I would list some of my favorites, which would make lovely gifts for the (female) traveler in your life. 

yangon eats: lahpet, balachaung and so much more

Fried fish with balachaung.

I must admit that I did not really know much about Burmese cuisine. Prior to our trip, I've only eaten at a Burmese restaurant once. Now, after returning from our trip, although I cannot say that I am an expert, I can definitely say that I am an enthusiastic supporter of the local cuisine.

Our first stop was Yangon, a big city that is likely the entry point to the country for most people. Mr. Sazy Rock and I would like to say we ate everything but we only had two stomachs between us. We tried though. We really did.

Below are my top tastes that are absolutely worth a looooooooong journey from the US:

travel zen on friday: kyoto imperial palace

A very zen bike rider on the grounds of the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

Tip!  While the grounds are open to the public, advance reservations are required to enter the compound and buildings.  Reservations can be made online or at the Imperial Agency Office.

hotel review: westin tokyo on starwood points!

(Tokyo, Japan).  I was fortunate enough to have hoarded enough Starwood points to get 9 nights at the Westin Tokyo for free!  And on top of that, as a Starwood Gold member, I got free Wi-Fi (approximately $13 USD per day) and an upgrade to a larger room with a gorgeous city view.  (The lesson here is to maximize your rewards points - whatever they may be.)

The front of the hotel.

Obviously getting all this for free was AWESOME, but how was our actual experience?

the latest on cash machines (atm's) in myanmar

The Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

Prior to my recent visit to Myanmar (aka Burma), many websites strongly advised travelers to bring crisp dollar bills because of the lack of ATMs (or automatic teller machines) in the country. For many skittish travelers wary of carrying around large sums of cash, I have good news!

travel zen on friday: alaskan beaver

This beautiful Beaver plane holds about 8 people including the pilot and co-pilot. Alaskans told me that one in 6 people in the state fly planes like this.

A Beaver.

days 1 and 2: lax to tokyo on singapore airlines and dinner at coco curry

(Tokyo, Japan).  I had been planning this two-week trip for over 9 months and when it finally was time to depart, I was super excited!  The last time I was in Japan was 9 years ago with my mom, but I knew this would be very different trip with my husband.  As usual, the trip was planned around our meals.  Our basic plan was to eat our way through Tokyo and then Kyoto.  Instead of trying to do two big blogs on Tokyo and Kyoto, I will try to break it up day by day.  For special meals and attractions, I will also do more specific reviews.

Day 1:  Our nonstop flight was scheduled to depart around 4pm.  We got there around 2pm since it was an international flight but we cleared check-in and luggage pretty quickly.  Per our normal practice (or shall we call it tradition now?), we enjoyed a glass or two of wine at Vino Volo.  (Tip - we learned that you can actually buy a bottle of wine at Vino Volo and carry it onto the plane.  You have to finish the bottle on the plane before it lands but how hard is that on a 12 hour flight?)

top sights to visit in the baltics to see remnants of the ussr

As a child of the 80s, I remember more than Aquanet, Jelly shoes and acid-washed jeans. I also distinctly remember the fall of the USSR. You know, that giant of a country that once had a cold war with the US. If, like me, you hold some kind of weird fascination for the former USSR, you're probably aware that the Baltics (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) were made part of the USSR.

Although many traces of the USSR have been scrubbed as much as possible in the Baltics, some people have been trying to preserve some sites to provide a painful but useful reminder to not repeat mistakes of the past.

These sites are a perfect reminder of that painful period in the Baltics.

travel zen on friday: meiji shrine in tokyo, japan - did we stumble on a marriage ceremony?

Meiji Shrine - Tokyo, Japan.

Best of luck to the happy couple!

paris airbnb review

(Paris, France).  I absolutely adored the small studio apartment we rented while in the Montmartre area of Paris.  The location could not be beat!  

• It was located on a charming little alleyway literally a few steps from the Abbesses metro stop and from the main shopping area in Montmartre.  
• There are tons of great bars and restaurants nearby (our favorites were the lovely bistro La Cave Gourmand, about 30 steps away, and the high-end chicken restaurant Le Coq Rico which was about a 7 minute walk away towards the Sacre Couer).

While small, the studio was well-designed and we didn't feel cramped at all.  The room was cheery, bright and clean and the pull-out sofa bed was surprisingly comfortable, but a bit squeaky.  The kitchen/dining area was small but very user-friendly.  The kitchen had olive oil, coffee, tea, sugar, seasonings and cooking utensils, so we were able to cook a bit.  The bathroom was modern and recently renovated and the shower had very good water pressure.

While we found it charming to be in an old building with tiny courtyards and narrow staircases, I should note that there is no elevator and no air conditioning.  We had to carry our luggage up a narrow flight of stairs.  But the heat wasn't really a problem even though it was in the 80's - we opened the window to let the breeze in and there was a super strong fan that aired out the entire space.

The coordinator - Sabe - was very pleasant and responsive.  Her English was excellent and she met us when we arrived to show us around.  The outer door and the courtyard door had keypads so you can get in with the passcodes.  However, the apartment itself still has an old-fashioned key so it is still necessary to pick up the key from Sabe.

Overall we really enjoyed the Montmartre area and were glad we stayed in a local apartment instead of a hotel.  We were able to pick up croissants and fruit and other snacks nearby.   

I would definitely stay here again!

lessons from road tripping usa

Washington, DC.

Recently, Mr. Sazy Rock and I embarked on an extended road trip across the USA to promote a new book called, Fed, White, and Blue, one man's journey to American citizenship through the prism of food. We were on the road for three and a half months and the trip took us through 20 states plus the nation's capital, Washington, DC. We did break up our trip into segments with short breaks in between segments to take care of other business back home or elsewhere. It was an incredible journey.

What lessons did I learn from that trip?



1.     Americans are nice. Sure, nine out of the 15 cities on a recently released list of "unfriendliest cities" in the world are in the US. My experience, however, has taught me that, when it boils down to it, Americans are friendly, hospitable and kind (and I'm not just saying that because I am one). Mr. SR and I have met many strangers who opened their homes to us, or have shared meals with us. I'm happy to say they are now our friends. But, even when Americans are not being friendly, they are still nice about it; in the South, when someone tells you "bless your heart," that usually means he or she is not thinking highly of you.

2.     The United States really is that beautiful. I can honestly say that the US is as beautiful and diverse as many other countries I have visited around the world. From the sandy beaches in Cape Cod, MA to the historical cities of Winston-Salem, NC to the vineyards of Willamette Valley, OR to the beautiful art deco buildings in Detroit, MI, to everything else in between, the US can easily compete with the best of them.

Provincetown in Cape Cod, MA.

Salem, OR.

Willamette Valley, OR.

3.     Detroit is such an underrated city. Despite getting a lot of press about hard times in the city, I found that the city still boasts beautiful buildings, nice people, and good food (yes, good food -- see, for example, Chartreuse and hot dogs).

Detroit, MI.

4.     Small towns are well worth a stop. From the BBQ options in Lockhart, TX, to the pulled pork in Marianna, AR, to the picturesque town of Fairhope, AL, to the friendly people in Mansfield, OH and Saxapahaw, NC, to much, much more, small towns may provide not only much needed respite from the monotonous drive but also much needed nourishment for the stomach, the eyes, and the soul.

Fairhope, AL.

5.     Visitor Centers have funny signs. If you like to take pictures of those road side signs that welcome people to a new state, don't stop on the side of the road. It is dangerous. Most states (although not all - I'm looking at you: Oregon and Washington border on the I-5) have visitor centers that have those "Welcome to (name of state)" signs where you can take pictures safely. They are usually located one or two exits from the border. Plus, stopping at a visitor center provides an opportunity to use the facilities.

6.     Renting a car through Costcotravel.com is usually cheaper than renting through other sites. Make sure you comparison shop, but, if you have Costco membership, it pays to also check out their website for car rental prices. Only once did I find other consolidator sites to have cheaper rental rates than those I found at Costcotravel.com. Plus, with Costco, we did not have to pay in advance and they automatically included an additional driver in the price.

A sunflower at Love Apple Farms in Santa Cruz, CA.

7.     Save money by using your home car insurance policy. Check with your car insurer but mine covered rental cars so I did not have to pay extra for car insurance. Plus, the credit card you use to pay for the rental might also cover you.

8.     Highways are more picturesque than freeways. Yes, the interstate roads are the quickest routes from Point A to Point B but highways generally have better views. 

A wildflower in Austin, TX.

9.     California is huge. It's easy to say California is huge when seeing it on a map, but quite different when actually driving it. On my way back from Seattle, WA, I planned on breaking up the journey back to Los Angeles, CA. But, I decided last minute to drive all the way home without hardly any stops. Only about five hours of that 17 plus hour journey was driving from Seattle through Oregon to the northern tip of California. The rest of that driving time was all California driving. (And, that time only included up to Los Angeles; it did not include driving all the way to the southern tip of California to the Mexican border.) Or, maybe the lesson here is that I am insane.

Mt. Shasta in Northern California.

10.    Most states have better roads than Los Angeles. What is up with that? From Nevada to Arkansas to Mississippi, Los Angeles' freeways (I'm looking at you: 10 Freeway) have more potholes than most of them.



What do you enjoy most about road trips?

travel zen on friday: turnagain arm, alaska

An Athabascan native told me that the name of this body of water is called "Turnagain" because when Captain Cook turned this way, he found that it was a dead end so he kept on "turning again."

Turnagain Arm

berlin airbnb review

(Berlin, Germany).  Normally I would not use airbnb on my very first trip to a foreign city unless I have relatives or friends who live there who can show me around and provide local information.  I find it easier for my first time anywhere foreign to have the benefit of a concierge's assistance in getting my bearings in a new place.  Once I have a sense of the area then staying at an airbnb apartment (as opposed to a hotel) is not only more economical but probably preferred since I like cooking breakfast when I travel.

However, on my very first trip to Berlin, I did not heed my own advice mainly because my husband had just visited the city.  We decided to get an apartment via airbnb but our first choices on location were all unavailable so we compromised and got an apartment in a residential area, about a 15-20 minute walk from where we wanted to be.  (My husband had claimed it was a 5 minute walk, but alas it was not.)

So how was our Berlin airbnb experience?

restaurant review: pecan lodge in dallas for some bbq

Pecan Lodge.

Texans take their BBQ seriously. In fact, some of the best brisket and sausages I have had were in Lockhart, TX. So, on a recent trip to Dallas, the hubby and I decided to check out Dallas 'Q at Pecan Lodge. 

travel zen on friday: east side gallery (a section of the original berlin wall turned into an art installation)

East Side Gallery - an international memorial for freedom.  It's free and while you are here you can try some Currywurst (next to the Pirate statue - who knew there were pirates in Berlin?).

reichstag building in berlin - reasons to come

(Berlin, Germany).  The Reichstag is a historical parliamentary building with a 360 degree view of Berlin.  While I normally don't feel compelled to visit every famous tower when I travel and pay exorbitant fees to see a view (e.g., Eiffel Tower, Taipei 101, Tokyo Skytree, etc.), I actually enjoyed coming here.

Why?

restaurant review: posh in phoenix

The entrance to Posh.

On a recent trip to Phoenix, Mr. Sazy Rock and I met some friends and business associates at an "improvisational" restaurant called, Posh, located in the suburb of Scottsdale. During the dinner, the hubster shared a tidbit about where the word "posh" came from. He said it was based on an acronym for "port out, starboard home," which referred to the lodging preferences of rich folks who traveled between England and India. Whether that is true or not is up for debate, but the story is a plausible one.

As for the restaurant itself, below are my thoughts.

travel zen on friday: portage lake, alaska

Portage lake was created from glacial water - Portage Glacier. Thirty years ago, there was no lake... just a massive glacier.

wine bar review: l'avant comptoir in paris

(Paris, France).  L'Avant Comptoir was a lovely wine and tapas bar in the St. German-des-pres area and was a perfect place to grab a casual lunch or refreshment after a day of shopping and/or sightseeing in the area.  The tripadvisor reviews were consistently great - see here.

Some quick tips:

traveling the baltics with ecolines

How easy is it to travel around the Baltics? Very.

A comfortable journey.

Obviously, one can fly between the main hubs (e.g., Vilnius to Tallinn). Although that is a quicker way to travel, a cheaper but still comfortable way to go is via bus. Ecolines is a company that provides seamless travel in the Baltics region. 

travel zen on friday: sacre coeur (night and day)

The views of Paris from this lovely church are gorgeous day or night.  Nearby there is a touristy area filled with restaurants, shops and street vendors and artists.  Yes, it's very touristy but super fun and worth the visit.  Just watch out for pickpockets!

restaurant review: l'as du falafel (aka the best falafel i've ever had)

Don't worry - the lines move quickly...

(Paris, France).  Before I went to Paris this summer, I asked around for food recommendations and got several enthusiastic messages about L'as du Falafel.  It was relatively close to Notre Dame and the Centre Pompidou, so we decided to check it out while we were in the area.

Was it worthy of all the glowing recommendations?

flying out of bgy? visit bergamo

Bergamo.

Many travelers who use budget airlines, such as Ryanair, fly in and out of BGY (Bergamo airport) on their way in or out of Milan. In the process, many of them skip Bergamo, a small and quaint town in its own right. 

Bergamo