Oh my god its over!! I'm home, and i'm now an unemployed bum and not a globe trotter, didn't the past 9 months go ridicoulously fast? What am i gonna do now? Looking forward to seeing everyone if i haven't seen you already so i can bore you in person about my trip but here goes for the final couple of weeks of my blog which i presumed only my mum would read, but it seems others have read it too so thank you readers,

Spent a couple of days in Yokohama, which is the second largest city in Japan, but it actually is now joined up to Tokyo making it the same city really and incidently the largest city in the whole wide world!! I didn't it expect much going by my guidebook but it was in fact a real pretty city on the harbourfront with lots of skyscrapers and japans tallest building which i went up in the worlds fastest lifts (I saw the Guiness book of records certificate on the wall) for great views over the bay the city and as far as Tokyo and you could see a bit of mount Fuji too despite being near on 100kms away. Also had a wicked Chinatown with lovely chinese food at japanese prices and all the smells of hong kong and china, mmmmmmmm. Seen a couple of baseball games in korea and japan and decided to go and see the Yokohama baystars here and sat in a stadium for near on 4 hours in uncovered seating getting soaked as it rained the whole time. It was a bit of a dull game until the 9th innings and then it made it all worthwhile with the crowd that gradually gets louder as the night goes on as the acohol flows and witnessing the home side coming from behind to hit a home run right at the death, high fives and hugs all around from the japanese delighted to share their feelings with the white westerner who doesn't really know whats going on!!

So the final destintion and 10 days in Tokyo which everyone raves about, for the first few days i didn't really get what the fuss was about but towards the end it hit me with some real cool events. Spent 4 or 5 days of my time there doing normal sightseeing stuff like looking at tall buildings, going parks, museums, restaurants, cafes, looking at stuff, temples and shrines, walking around, etc which was good then i ws luckily enough to go and spend the day watching Sumo wrestling. Wow what a stupid yet cool sport. 2 guys with huge man boobs come out do a little jig, slap there legs and throw some salt then try and push the other guy out of a ring and often into the front row of the crowd!! Spent a whole day there and defo an experience i won't forget. The morning is when the lower ranks compete and only tourists go then as the day goes on the standard gradually improves and the japanese crowds turn up and shout and jeer. The 2 best guys were actually a mongolian and a bulgarian which i was surprised about thinking it was an exclusive to japanese event, which it mostly is.

I then spent 2 days at the 2 Tokyo disneyland parks and oh my god if you thought tokyo was busy this place was in a different league. With queues for the most popular rides like Space mountain, tower of terror, etc going past the 4 hour 20 minute mark i only went on the less popular rides never queueing more than an hour or so. Got to see all the shows tho which for me is what the magical world of disney is all about, didn't get me photo with the cast members tho, 3 and a half hour queue for meet mickey i think and wasn't so keen on the shorter queue for Lilo (or was it stitch?).

Went to a few of the best museums in Asia in my opinion in the edo Tokyo museum which charts the history of Tokyo back from when it was called Edo and rose from a small fishing village to the capital of japan and then onto modern day tokyo and through the war to the biggest place on earth, and then the national museum of emerging science and innovation where i spent a few hours, the highlight being the "ASIMO" show in which japans most famous robot does a little show, funniest 10 minutes ever - you know he can walk, run, dance, talk, kick a ball, climb stairs, basically all the important functions of everday life, i think it was meant to be funny i couldn't help laughing tho think japan are quite keen on the serious future of robots in soceity!! Went to a couple of company shrowrooms (they were free) in sony and toyota which were both wicked and got to see latest products and play on games, etc, could have taken a toyota for a test drive if i had an international driving licence but i had to settle for the wicked simulators.

However the highlight of my time in japan wa undoubtly watching football, and you may say i can and do do that anywhere but in japan the crowds are frigging awesome, definetly the loudest i've ever been to. FC Tokyo were at home the 2 weekends i was in the city so got to see a pulsating 0-0 draw against Gamba Osaka and then a fantastic 3-2 victory over Jubilo Iwata with my new japanese team (sorry Nagoya Grampus 8) scoring in the 3rd minute of injury time to win, don't think i've ever been so happy about a goal since david platt in Italia 90!! The signature tune of FC Tokyo was "You'll Never walk alone" and the Kop could learn a thing or to about singing from the japs with therescarfs held aloft. Also went to a rugby game in Tokyo and that was also real good and of a much better standard than expected.

13 hours on a plane to get home which went real fast watching 5 films incuding 3 dumb american comedies and 2 Eric Cantona films and then met by my emotional mum and nan at the airport.

I think thats about it!! I hope people have enjoyed reading the blog and who knows maybe in the not to distant future i may have another opportunity to write another travel blog (think a homelife blog might be a tad dull!). I probably get lots of questions like where was my favourite list so have produced the folllowing list:

Favourite places:

1) China (fricking incredible cities and countryside)
2) Namibia (looked like a different planet)
3) Hong Kong (2nd best city in world and for a small country has everything)
4) India (food and sights amazing)
5) South Africa (awesome scenery)
6) Nepal (beautiful mountains)
7) Lesotho (only 2 days here but 2 of the best days of trip)
8) Botswana (Okavango delta was inredible)
9) Japan (think i expected too much based on other peoples opinion but still good)
10) Malawi (what a lake)
11) Tanzania (best safari in Africa - Ngorogoro crater, and Zanzibar)
12) South Korea (linteresting place)
13) Macau (gamble, gamble, gamble)
14) Zambia (nice place but tour leader didn't know what to do with us here so dumped us at a big lake)
15) Zimbabwe (only half a day here but victori falls so pretty special)
16) Kenya (a day spent in an overpriced hotel nervous about my impending adventure)
17) United Arab Emirates (1 night feeling s*** in a hostel followed by 5 nights feeling s*** in a prison like hospital)

bye bye

THOMAS SEAMAN