Knowing that River Plate had qualified for it by winning the Copa Libertadores, I coincided my return to Japan with the FIFA Club World Cup. Watching them face FC Barcelona also meant I got another chance to see Lionel Messi.
I enjoyed so much my 3 weeks in Japan during the summer of 2015 that I decided to return and work at a hostel in Osaka at the end of that year. With my intention of possibly opening my own hostel in the future, this gave me an opportunity to really find out how things work behind the scenes.
After the Malaysian MotoGP, I made quick stops in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, and Malacca, a picturesque city on the west coast. I found KL to be much more modern than I expected. In many areas it is similar to Singapore. The prices are much cheaper thought, as alcohol is about 1/3 of the cost compared to its more expensive neighbor.
One of my favorite activities during this long trip has been attending sporting events around the world. About a month after attending the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, I had the chance to go to my first live MotoGP race in Sepang, Malaysia.