49 hours in Tokyo

As a finally to the trip, I decided to stop in Tokyo on my way back home. I actually have some Japanese who live friends here, so it worked out great. The funny part is that I am only here for exactly 49 hours, and I'm currently on hour 44! It has been crazy stop. Everything that SE Asia has been, tokyo is the oppostite. Crowded, clean, modern and expensive! In Laos, a 9.5 hour VIP bus trip cost $11.50, including lunch! Here, the train from the airport to downtown cost $29, nothing included! My friends have a new baby and a very small place, so I took advantage of the opportunity and stayed at a capsule hotel! Nothing beats sleeping in a tube! For $43 dollars I got a hole in the wall with that was 3' x 3' x 6', cable tv, radio, clock and access to a public bath (not 7 year boy with me this time!). The biggest trouble was that I am 6'2"! You wouldn't think 2 inches would make much a difference, but it does! It was quite an experince! Tokyo is everything you would think it to be, crazy big, neon everywhere, gaint buildings and the people have an obsession with fasion that is unlike anything I've ever seen. I will post some pictures of the hotel and Tokyo soon. Now it's finally time to head back home. One last LONG plane ride across the pacific, customs and immigration in San Fransico and I will at long last be able to sleep in my own bed again. I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to being able to speak to people in English, and to have them understand! And to eat green chile! Stay tuned as I have a bunch of pictures from the trip and a couple more interesting stories to post.