I love Asia. 100%. I have traveled to and worked in Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong and have adored every last minute of my time spent there. And I am counting down the days until my son turns 3, because that is when I am whisking him and my husband off for a tour of the Golden Triangle.

My first trip to Asia was when I first started modeling. I got picked up by an agency in Portland and within 3 weeks had landed a 2 month contract to work in Taipei. I had lived in Europe as a student and visited family in Hungary on several occasions so going overseas was nothing new to me. But I was in for a surprise. A shock ot the senses....in a good way! Landing in Taipei I was picked up and driven to the hotel where I would live with a handful of other models for 8 weeks. On the drive into town I stared in wonder at the magnificent temples and buildings, at the assault to my eyes of neon lights in Chinese script that could put all the glitter of Las Vegas to shame. I was in awe. My experiences in Japan, Korea and Hong Kong were the same. In Japan I worked in Osaka and Tokyo, In Korea I stayed in Seoul. All magnificent, energy filled cities.....so full of life and bustle that I never had a chance to feel bored.

I was always treated royally while in Asia. My bookers were always kind and accomodating. They watched over us like mother hens and took us to all of our castings making sure we would not have to struggle with the language barrier too much. They made sure we had enough money for food and entertainment (not to mention shopping which is an art form in much of Asia). My clients were always professional although I would work incredibly long hours, especially in Taiwan, but I was always well fed, had someone standing next to me with a bottle of water should I get thirsty, and was showered with compliments...some pretty funny considering that phrases don't always translate very well from Chinese, Japanese, etc. into English. The magazines and catalogs I shot for were beautifully executed, and honestly, I have never had more amazing hair and make-up done than in Taiwan. It is an art form there.

During my free time, my roomates and I would get to explore the cities by foot or public transportation. We got to taste incredible albeit sometimes strange food from little streetside stands. We'd find Night Markets to go shopping in and people watch. The Shih-Lin Nightmarket in Taipei is one of my favorites. You can find EVERYTHINg there and for ridiculously cheap. We would purposefully "get lost" and end up stumbling opon snake blood ceremonies, or some little tucked away Buddhist shrine. In Japan we would go to Harajaku and check out all the local Japanese fashion which ranges from the traditional to the outrageous, or hang out in the VIP's of clubs like Tokyo's Lexington Queen (their smaller yet as notorious version of Studio 54) sipping Sing Slings and watching the likes of Justin Timberlake & Leo DiCaprio pick up on underage models.

I have found that the poeple in the Asian countries that I have spent time in are open, generous and friendly. Although more often than not my friends and I would stick out like sore thumbs, what with our light hair and eyes, we were never stared at or treated as if we were "different". I miss Asia....a lot. I miss the kindness of the people, the high energy of the cities, the beauty of their temples and parks, the food, the nightlife, the shopping (after all I am a girl!). I miss the feeling of being somewhere steeped in so much ancient history you cannot even begin to put your mind around it all. I miss the friends that I made there, both native and non. I miss how safe I always felt even while walking alone at night in the middle of cities overwhelmingly populated. I just plain miss it.

So if any of you have any plans to travel to Asia, or are just thinking of a possible exotic destiantion....be it for work or pleasure....take it from me, check out any of these countries I have mentioned and you will not be disappointed. Taiwan is at the top of my list, but all are to be equally enjoyed. And maybe I'll see ya there, eating dumplings from a cart or buying a handcrafted wooden Buddha in a quaint incense infused shop. It's as magical as it sounds.