Today marks the end of our adventure in East Asia! While we have enjoyed every moment of our crazy pilgrimage, it was kind of a relief to wake up and pack our bags for the last time. We eventually said our final goodbye to our frequently visited 7-Eleven and headed to the airport. After weeks of constantly using public transportation, it is going to be very strange going home to Iowa and not using it at all! We had a long 15-hour flight ahead of us, but thanks to the changes in time zones our flight was technically under 40-minutes. Luckily long naps on the plane combined with unlimited movies and cup noodles made the trip home go by very quickly. Chicago welcomed us with -50 degree weather that made us all want to hop onto the plane and go back to Lamma Island’s sunny beach! Thankfully our time walking through the snow on Mt. Koya helped remind us of what we knew was waiting for us at home. Due to it being too dangerous to travel back to Luther this afternoon, we got to stay in our thirteenth hotel and then leave tomorrow for home. It is safe to say that a majority of us enjoyed pizza for the first time in a long time tonight for dinner!

Over the past month, we have traveled by plane, train, bus, ferry, cable car, and most often our own legs! This was truly an amazing pilgrimage as we traveled to twelve different hotels and experienced the three different cultures of Hong Kong, China, and Japan (four if you count our short layover in Busan, South Korea!) From our first silent meal at the Tsz Tin Monastery in Hong Kong to our snowy mountain pilgrimage on Mt. Koya, each stop on our journey brought a new surprise. This course has been packed full of visits to monasteries, temples, and museums that have allowed us to dive into the topics of Buddhism, dark tourism, and mass atrocity. Each of these experiences has brought us closer to history and customs that we have only been able to read about. As we tackled squatty potties, unknown foods, and public baths, the level of mystery present in each day of our January term was so exciting. The opportunity to be immersed in cultures so different from our own has been an unforgettable experience and a lot of us have definitely caught the travel bug!