A Guy from Leeds

As I was wondering the streets of Tokyo on Monday, I met a guy from Leeds, UK.  It started with him asking me for directions.  Then we started a conversation along the way as we were walking in the same direction. 

He said he had a 6-month adventure in Asia.  He spent some time in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philipines, then two weeks in Hong Kong, 2 months in mainland China.  He actually went to Shaolin Temple to learn Chinese martial arts.  From there, he came to Japan.  He would end his trip in Japan, and flying back to UK on 8 Dec.

I am always very amazed by the westerners' ability to go for long trips.  It is not the first time that I heard some guy is going for a 6-month trip, 1-year trip around the world.  How do they do it?  All that money, how did they come up with so much money?  And in the Leeds' guy's case, he just graduated from university.

Another interesting point is the fact that he spent his entire trip in Asia.  In the past, most people would like to go to countries such as Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, etc.  If the Leeds guy is any indication, there might be a shift in people's perceptions. 

Anyway, it is always fun to meet different people when you travel.  New perspectives of the world around you.