Have you done any traveling in Asia? Or perhaps you even live in an Asian country. In either case, what was your experience like? Where did you go? For how long? What was the food like? What were the people like? Did you take lots of pictures? If so, let's see them! If there are any specific places you'd recommend, please do.

More importantly, let's talk logistics. How did you manage your trip? Did you participate in one of those canned packages where you sat on a bus in a group of vacationers visiting all the typical sites? That is exactly the opposite of my idea of a great Asian vacation. I'd most love to be able to somehow hire a trustworthy local to be our guide/translator to explore the real beauty and wonderment of the foreign land. The place I'd probably most love to spend time visiting would have to be The Land of the Rising Sun. (That's Japan.)

The only place in Asia I've ever been is Vietnam for a couple of weeks around Tết (Lunar New Year) a few years back now. My beautiful wife and I flew from LAX through Taipei into Saigon. We split our trip between some really amazing countryside towns and the fast-paced city streets of Saigon. We had a rented (and air conditioned!) van with friendly driver for the breadth of the trip who also took us out to semi-distant locales, spanning as far west as the border with Cambodia to the beaches of the east coast, but always remaining in and around the Saigon to Mekong Delta region of the country. The most enjoyable part of the trip for me was meeting and spending lots of time with my wife's wonderful family and seeing the towns and schools in which she spent her youth.

I can't wait until we head back to that part of the world. With any luck, Japan will be our next Asian destination, and soon.