Qatu Qatsi!: It's a Big Post!

Whenever I visit my hometown to see my family, I also visit a family friend I have known since I was a child. And before we started on this journey, I made sure to visit him before leaving. He was very excited for the adventures that awaited us and wanted to follow our travels. Only problem was that he did not have a computer, so I promised to mail him a postcard wherever our journey would take us.

I have always loved mail. Knowing that someone was thinking of you and would take the time to send a card or letter has (and still does) thrill me. I find it a little sad that people do not do it as much, if at all anymore. I do email, but I still mail cards (birthday and thank you) to my family and friends. There is just something about opening up your mailbox and seeing something that isn't a bill or junk. I rarely receive any mail anymore, but it has not stopped me from telling someone, "I'm thinking about you".

Japan

Malaysia

Vietnam

Spain - I really like this one!

Spain

I am happy to say that to date, I have kept my promise to my dear friend and for me, it has added to my experience. Cards are easy to find, postcards are not. And just like cards, you need to find the right one to send. The most interesting part though has been finding stamps and a mailbox or post office. Depending on where you are staying, if you ask the hotel front desk or concierge, they can mail it for you (you of course would pay the postage). At times though, this service is not available and the hunt begins! As a result, I really started to notice the all but soon to be forgotten mailbox and found something new and interesting to photograph! I also learned a few interesting things along the way:

In Japan, you can buy stamps at 7-Eleven or if you visit the post office, be sure to take a number to get service. They are very friendly.
In South Korea, they have the highest internet capacity in the world and thus people rarely if ever send any mail it seems. I did not find a single postcard or mailbox in Seoul, and the only post office I saw was at Incheon Airport just as I was leaving! How did I get around this one? I wrote a letter on hotel letterhead and mailed it from the airport!
Myanmar was tricky. We bought postcards from a girl selling them at one of the temples we were visiting but then I could not find a post office or mailbox. There was a "post office" at the airport in Mandalay but when I asked for stamps they said no (but there was a mailbox!). In this case, I saved my postcards and mailed then the next day from Thailand.
In Hong Kong you can buy postcards and postage (and mail them) from the Sky100 Observation Deck. So I wrote my postcard while looking out at the city from above.
In Taipei you can also buy postcards (and postage) from the Taipei 101 building plus mail them! Again, I wrote my postcard while sitting high above the city!