Alan and I had a lot of wonderful experiences in Asia, 
many of which were surprisingly pleasant 
(such as green tea ice cream),
a few that we pretty much all disliked (such as silkworms), 
and many that were very different but turned out well 
even though they weren’t at all what we were expecting!
I was constantly struck by the beauty of South Korea 
and the immaculately manicured cities in Japan. 
Just for fun, I wrote a few haikus commemorating some of the cultural surprises.
On Asian Restrooms (Yes, this is a bathroom…in the Seoul Tower) 
Such fancy bathrooms! 
Soap on bars 
and heated seats, 
But—don’t stand on them!
(In some rural areas, you squat over a hole in the floor. Twenty-two years ago,
I rode a train where the toilet was a hole in the floor emptying onto the track! Times have really changed since then! Now some restrooms are ultra modern, with music, heated seats, and several types of special wash and dry options!!)
On Asian Cuisine 
The food looked so strange 
I was afraid I would not 
Like it, but I did!
On Asia’s Beautiful Flowers 
Flowers overhead, 
Underfoot 
and all around. 
Asian majesty.
On Pets 
Everywhere you go 
There are pampered pets in tow 
Like happy children.
“But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:34; may we embrace each other all over the world, even in areas where others seem strange!).
