{"id":3445,"date":"2026-03-30T11:20:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T15:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/?p=3445"},"modified":"2026-08-09T20:03:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T00:03:37","slug":"k-is-for-keepsakes-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/30\/k-is-for-keepsakes-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"“K” is for Keepsakes (Asia)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Go on vacation and it is likely you will come home with some special keepsake. \u00a0A great souvenir should transport you back over and over in time, to the memories made in a location.\u00a0 There is a great expression, \u201ctake only memories and leave only footprints\u201d.\u00a0 This statement is perfect in its simplicity, when experiencing a natural area but visiting interesting locations and exploring unique cultures, warrant gathering items which help us to remember.\u00a0 Like many, we came home with treasures to add to our home.\u00a0 Some cost a lot, others cost nothing. Space, weight and budget may dictate what item or items are worthy of our making their way home in our suitcases, so let me tell you about a few of our favorite things to collect.<\/p>\n

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A sunset in Vietnam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are so many keepsakes which cost little to nothing. It will come as no surprise that my number one souvenir will always be my pictures<\/u> and my written words<\/u>. My first suggestion for travelers is to take as many photos as possible, while allowing yourself to be fully immersed in your experience. There is a saying, \u201cif you don\u2019t have a picture of it, it never happened\u201d. \u00a0You can always delete photos which don\u2019t turn out well, but you can not recreate those special moments, which show how you have spent your days and who you shared your time with.\u00a0 My official photo count for this 30+ day adventure is over 10,000 pictures! These days, cell phones make taking pictures easy. \u00a0You will never regret reliving the memories through your photos and stories.<\/p>\n

I will delete many of these images but a few hundred photos will become priceless treasures. \u00a0These will be added to our digital photo frame at home (our number one treasure in our house), allowing us to relive our experiences over and over, initiating conversations, as we reminisce.\u00a0 \u00a0Our 4 year old grandson especially enjoys the photos on the frame and often makes up his own stories about our pictures, while telling us he has “been there”.\u00a0 We love fueling his imagination and we hope to inspire his dreams of visiting these exotic locations for himself one day.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it is not \u201cwhat\u201d we collect in our travels that we consider a souvenir, but the stories we gather along the way.\u00a0 Photos become a documentation of how you are spending your time but a photo rarely stands alone without an explanation.\u00a0 \u00a0Alan and I are always playing the ABC game, so we are often looking for unique activities and adventures to experience.\u00a0 In the past, we have designed ABC adventures around using different modes of transportation, visiting cities and tasting various alcohol laden drinks along the abc trail.\u00a0 We even completed an airport art adventure, using the alphabet as our guide!\u00a0 Our photos often reflect the goofiness we get up to, as we try to document each letter under our selected theme.\u00a0 \u00a0We are both trying to get better at selfies!<\/p>\n

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“Us” at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you think of a camera as a way to capture your story visually your creativity will naturally flow,\u00a0 I am the designated photographer for our family.\u00a0 I still don’t consider myself a great photographer but I am pretty good at documenting our lives.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t always this way.\u00a0 When I met Alan, he was the one exploring photography but once kids came, I became passionate about capturing them on film, scrapbooking and story telling, which meant I spent more time behind the lens than in front of it.\u00a0 Alan and I are always together, we are a team and most of our photos represent that but I also want my children and grandchildren to have photos of each of us as separate and unique individuals. \u00a0If you are the photographer, remember to step out from behind the camera occasionally.\u00a0 You are part of the story too!<\/p>\n

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Exploring Chinese Gardens in Singapore<\/p>\n

This brings me to my next souvenir freebie.\u00a0 A journal <\/u>costs nothing to keep. \u00a0A few sentences about the things you ate, the people you met, the weather and the experiences you had, will be great memory joggers as you revisit your moments. \u00a0You can use the notes feature on your phone, an app or good old pen and paper.\u00a0 The most important\u00a0 thing is to write down some details.\u00a0 This is the only way I would ever remember that every student in Hong Kong is required to choose an English name for themselves.\u00a0 This tidbit certainly makes my writing more interesting but it also offers more depth to the photos we take.<\/p>\n

Memorabilia <\/u>is also something easy to acquire.\u00a0 While in Japan, I spent a few minutes learning to write my name in calligraphy.\u00a0 I may frame this work of art but if I don\u2019t, I will always remember how fun it was to learn.\u00a0 On several of our Japanese excursions, we also learned the art of origami folding.\u00a0 We made Mount Fuji and a Samurai helmet.\u00a0 One of our tour guides also gifted us a tiny, folded, origami heron.\u00a0 \u00a0These are small treasures which were also documented by photos but if I choose to keep the items, they can easily be added to scrapbooks or journals.\u00a0 Another favorite piece of memorabilia was an entry ticket to the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan.\u00a0 It is beautifully written calligraphy which offers a wish for family safety and safe travels. \u00a0This is worthy of space among my story telling. \u00a0Currency can also be a form of memorabilia.\u00a0 While in Vietnam, we were millionaires as we carried 9 million Dong, the equivalent to a little less than $350!<\/p>\n

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Learning to write in Japanese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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My name in Japanese<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Samurai origami<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Our entrance ticket to the Golden Pavilion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let’s explore some of our inexpensive keepsakes, these were all conscious purchases.\u00a0 My first rule for myself when collecting keepsakes is that a souvenir can\u2019t take up space in a junk drawer, only to be donated to charity in a couple of years\u2026you know the kinds of trinkets I mean. With so much mass produced \u201cstuff\u201d, we have to be selective about what to give space and weight to in our luggage.<\/p>\n

The first is the simple postcard<\/u>.\u00a0 I try to write as many as possible while on our adventures.\u00a0 Hand written notes to friends and family are quickly becoming a lost art.\u00a0 Getting up to 30 cards written and in the mail, when you only have a single day in a country, is an adventure in itself and content for a different blog post. The adventures which have been created around\u00a0 first finding a postcard, writing them, then getting stamps and finding a mail box are story worthy.\u00a0 I mailed a card from each city we visited to our 7 year old granddaughters,\u00a0 first grade class, so they could follow our adventures. \u00a0The teacher turned these into a lesson by having each child draw a photo from their favorite location and tell us what they had learned.\u00a0\u00a0 This by far became my favorite keepsake\u2026like I said, it\u2019s the stories which are the real meaning of keepsakes and I can only imagine how wonderful it will be for our granddaughters classmates to get these tiny works of art and their own stories back at their graduation.\u00a0\u00a0 I also take time to write postcards to myself.\u00a0\u00a0 Since I know the post person is sure to read it,\u00a0 I usually try to put something funny on the back, regarding our adventures.\u00a0 So far she has never commented but I like to imagine the joy she gets when she realizes I am really talking to her.\u00a0 \u00a0When I get home, I attach my postcards \u00a0to a ring which gives me a mini diary of the things we have done. The best thing about postcards is that many areas are restricted for photos but often there is a postcard from a professional and the pictures are always better than anything I could take.\u00a0 Besides, if I lose my pictures, these are great backups.\u00a0 Sometimes I will buy a postcard as mini pieces of art.\u00a0 Framed, these can be quite beautiful.<\/p>\n

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Postcards sent to myself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cruisers are notorious collectors of magnets<\/u>.\u00a0 They are a small and inexpensive item, \u00a0which generally decorate the cabin doors and sadly they are often stolen from said doors. \u00a0We collect magnets in a different way.\u00a0 Instead of gathering magnets from each location, I have personal magnets made for each of our cruises.\u00a0 These tiny wooden ships represent the ship we sailed on, the dates and locations we traveled to.\u00a0 I keep them on the magnetic walls of our cabin when we sail and on display in our home when we are there.\u00a0 I never realized how much joy a tiny collection could bring.\u00a0 Every time I pass the ships, I am reminded how fortunate we have been to be able to travel and I am filled with gratitude at the opportunity.<\/p>\n

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Our custom made cruise magnets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I have also always collected Christmas ornaments<\/u> from the places we visit. Now that the kids have left home, our tree has become travel themed.\u00a0 This is another of those adventures worthy of its own story, especially in countries which don\u2019t celebrate the Christian holiday.\u00a0 It has become quite the experience to find a meaningful and tiny item which can be repurposed as an ornament. \u00a0Ornaments do not need to be typically Christmas themed to earn a spot on our tree!\u00a0 On this trip I repurposed a bookmark from Taiwan to become an ornament. \u00a0I chose a Kokeshi doll which represents friendship or love from Japan and I also bought a tiny Daruma figure which is a Japanese good luck charm, to help us realize our dearest wish.<\/p>\n

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New Christmas ornaments<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cosmetics, toiletries, creams, lotions, soaps etc<\/u> are other small items which can easily be tucked in a corner of luggage.\u00a0 Of course I had to pick up these tiny containers of Tiger Balm, while in Singapore.<\/p>\n

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Tiger Balm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This brings me to our next category of keepsakes which are slightly more expensive and bulky.\u00a0 The first is home decor<\/u>. Alan and I are really not collectors of anything specific.\u00a0 We are also seriously trying to downsize, so Alan\u2019s first question anytime I want to add something large is always, \u201cwhere are you going to put it\u201d?\u00a0\u00a0 Our home decor<\/u>has always had a global influence but most of the pieces came through the now defunct Pier One store and have never really meant anything.\u00a0 Our current travel adventures are now taking us to the exotic places we have only dreamed of discovering, giving us opportunities to gather really unique and meaningful items, the kind we want to talk about.<\/p>\n

On long trips, we must also pace our spending. \u00a0On this journey, we would be visiting 7 countries and many interesting cities, each with their own cultural specialties. \u00a0I had to decide if I wanted one really unique piece from Asia, or different items from each country.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0My first keepsake was acquired at the beginning of our journey, in Chinatown, located in Singapore.\u00a0 This was our first destination. My treasure was a beautiful vase,inside a vase.\u00a0 It is hand painted from the inside, using tiny brushes. It was expensive, heavy and was going to require hand carrying home. It was going to be awkward, as it was very fragile and could only be taken in hand luggage but it was something I just had to have.\u00a0 The artist is no longer alive, so these pieces are fairly difficult to find.\u00a0 I decided if this was the only piece I ended up bringing back, it would be a wonderful addition to our home. Fortunately I didn\u2019t blow all of our souvenir budget!<\/p>\n

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Hand painted vase<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Clothing<\/u> can\u00a0 also be a wonderful souvenir . Our next destination was Thailand.\u00a0 I had already made up my mind that I was coming home with a pair of elephant pants, because I hadn\u2019t brought any home the last time we were there and I had always regretted it.\u00a0 Elephant clothing is likely mass produced for tourists.\u00a0 Business was certainly brisk in the shop where I picked mine up.\u00a0 Any male or female trying to enter the Grand Palace in shorts, dresses above the knee etc, were required to purchase a pair\u2026 guaranteed sales! Colors and patterns are so varied, there is no limit to the combinations available. \u00a0There were dresses, short sets and shirts with elephant prints, but by far the elephant pants, with their billowing legs and elasticated ankles are the hot commodity. \u00a0It was humorous trying to find a pair of Asian sized pants, to fit a 6ft 6in man from our tour group. \u00a0Stories are what keepsakes are all about and as I wear the breezy pants in our 90 degree days, I am instantly transported back to the joy I experienced in this wonderful country and the many friends we made while traveling and yes, we saw the elephants!<\/p>\n

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Elephant pants<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By the time we hit Vietnam, I was reminding myself to look for smallish items, since we were already close to our weight limit.\u00a0 Jewelry<\/u> tucks in nicely in almost any suitcase.\u00a0 At a specialized craft market, I found a pretty, hand crafted, \u00a0pearl necklace to bring home.<\/p>\n

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Pearls<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lately we have also been looking for local art<\/u> to bring home. \u00a0\u00a0Vietnam was a smorgasbord of opportunities. We opted for three art pieces from this country.\u00a0 Each item represents a craft style, unique to the areas we visited.\u00a0 Lacquerware is a real specialty in Ho Chi Minh city .\u00a0 As shells and paint are meticulously laid between seven layers of lacquer, it can take months to complete a single picture.\u00a0 We chose a small picture of two birds (we called them lovebirds) to commemorate our trip.\u00a0 Our second item came from the craft village in Na Trang.\u00a0 Sand art is not unique to Vietnam, but I have never seen two photos created at the same time, on opposite sides of an acrylic block!\u00a0 In Hoi An, I picked up a wooden carving of a dragon. The local artist sat among his carving tools in a tiny shop no bigger than a shed. He wrapped my purchase in a Vietnamese newspaper which could have been a collectible in itself. \u00a0\u00a0In Hong Kong I found two special gallery shops as the Stanley Market.\u00a0 The first was a tiny shop filled with beautiful stamps carved from stone.\u00a0 I chose a foo dog.\u00a0 These mythical lions represent power, prosperity and protection.\u00a0 Within a half hour, the stamp master had engraved my name and personal Chinese \u201cchop\u201d into the bottom of my stone. This treasure is an art piece in itself, but also a nod to my writing, as I begin to put my own \u201cstamp\u201d on things.\u00a0 From another quiet gallery, tucked way at the back of the Stanley market\u00a0 we found a shop selling unique pressed paper art and framed artifacts.\u00a0 This is how I ended up with an antique silver phoenix hair comb, encased in a shadowbox frame.\u00a0 With the single word, \u201chappiness\u201d. It seemed indicative of all which we experienced on this journey. \u00a0The Chinese phoenix, or Fenghuang, set atop the haircomb,\u00a0 was often given to symbolize a happy marriage.<\/p>\n

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Artists at work<\/p>\n

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Our “lovebird” lacquer art.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The artist making my sand art painting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Front side of the painting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Back side of the painting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Here’s the one I couldn’t afford. It is about 3 feet across!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Wooden carving<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Antique phoenix haircomb\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Chinese “chop” with my name<\/p>\n

As we reached our final country of Japan,\u00a0 I was really beginning to worry about space and weight in our suitcases.\u00a0 We had now purchased several fragile items.\u00a0 What I had most hoped to represent with my keepsakes was the customs and culture of each country<\/u>.\u00a0 When we sailed down the Yoshina River, \u00a0through the Iya Valley, we saw these colorful, fish shaped windsocks being flown across the Oboke Gorge.\u00a0 Families fly them in a celebration held on May 5th<\/sup>, to represent family and wish for their children to grow up strong, brave and healthy, just like the determined carp, swimming upstream.\u00a0 These are called koinobori, or carp streamers. \u00a0They have a permanent display at the gorge. \u00a0I loved what they represent and knew that they would soon decorate my own dock, at home.\u00a0 These were the last items packed into our suitcase.<\/p>\n

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Koinobori streamers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Every room in my home is quietly telling the stories about our lives.\u00a0 Our stories have changed from our frugal beginnings as newlyweds, to parents, to grandparents and now to world traveling retirees.\u00a0 The items we collect are a reflection of us.\u00a0 Items don\u2019t have to be branded, or expensive to earn a position in our home.\u00a0 They don\u2019t have to be particularly significant to anyone but us.\u00a0 \u00a0The word souvenir comes from the French verb \u201csouvenir\u201d which means to remember.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Go on vacation and it is likely you will come home with some special keepsake. \u00a0A great souvenir should transport you back over and over in time, to the memories made in a location.\u00a0 There is a great expression, \u201ctake only memories and leave only footprints\u201d.\u00a0 This statement is perfect in its simplicity, when experiencing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,18,20,384,386,382,385,387,67,383],"tags":[119,415,151,411,410,225,408,412,413,414,409],"class_list":["post-3445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures","category-world-adventures","category-asia","category-blog","category-china","category-japan","category-singapore","category-taiwan","category-thailand","category-tips","category-vietnam","tag-art","tag-christmas-ornaments","tag-clothing","tag-decor","tag-jewelry","tag-journal","tag-keepsakes","tag-memoribilia","tag-photos","tag-postcards","tag-souvenirs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3445"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3696,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3445\/revisions\/3696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}