We took some public buses to the Elephant refuge nearby. We rode an elephant - it was a rough ride.
We didn't get to steer the elephant ourselves - there was a guy up front who would nudge the elephant's ears with his feet, speak to it and occasionally hit it with a stick with a metal point.
We could have paid for a one hour ride, but half an hour was too long anyway (I checked my watch about 3 times on the trek). You can also take care of an elephant for half a day, which looks like fun, but we were happy just to see the elephants.
Tomorrow we are heading to Phuket (poo-get). It is more of a beachy town down south, so we should get some more tans and hopefully less burns.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Currently in Chiang Mai
Currently we are in Chaing Mai and are enjoying it very much. Discount Tuk Tuks, inexpensive massages and restaurants make it even funner.
Today we spent the whole day taking Thai cooking lessons.
Today we spent the whole day taking Thai cooking lessons.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
A couple days in Bangkok
We arrived from Macau, took the bus into town and both our eyes were stinging. We think the stinging is from the air pollution, but fortunately the stinging has stopped.
The first night we checked in and went down to the Patpong night market.
The sidewalks were filled with people getting ready, unloading bags and boxes into their stands. So we were a little early. We were also early for the go-go bars: there the there were empty bars except for small groups of girls putting on makeup.
Yesterday morning we got up and had a full day in Bankgok.
We had breakfast at the hostel, and tried to get a taxi to the Grand Palace downtown. Fortunately there were two taxis outside of the hostel. Unfortunately they refused to use the meter in the taxi and wanted to negotiate a price. We had asked the hostel clerk how much a taxi should cost and she said about 80 baht. The cab drivers wanted 320 baht. Then they wanted 200 baht and finally they wanted 120 baht. We weren't really trying to negotiate, we just wanted them to use the meter, and while repeating that, they just kept lowering the prices. Figuring we might find a more honest taxi we headed up the street.
We went up the block and found a nice guy who suggested we take a tuk tuk for only 20baht to the ferries and take a ferry. For 20 baht, we figured we couldn't go wrong. The tuk tuk was pretty fun - no seatbelts in a crazy bumpy ride. The tuk tuk dropped us off at a ferry terminal but it looked like they only had tours - tours for 750 baht. So it turns out we escaped the negotiated price scheme of the taxi drivers to the overpriced ferry rides. We were only going downtown to the Grand Palace and, as we found out later, a boat downtown costs 17 baht.
At the ferry terminal there were two girls from Denmark who looked like they were trying to catch a ferry as well. They told us that the guys there wouldn't let them get onto a boat without purchasing a tour. So we decided to go and split a cab. And together we did that, and got a ride to downtown for 70 baht (for all 4 of us).
When we arrived at the Grand Palace we were not at the correct entrance, but a guy came and told us that because it was Sunday morning the monks are in in prayer until 2pm, after which the Grand Palace is free. He showed us pictures of his family and pictures of him as a monk and told us to only trust Tuk Tuk drivers in uniform. He gave us some tips where we could take tuk tuks for 20 baht and then come back.
We decided to just have a walk and sure enough the the grand palace was open, so we had a look inside. I had to rent some pants because I was wearing shorts.
The first night we checked in and went down to the Patpong night market.
The sidewalks were filled with people getting ready, unloading bags and boxes into their stands. So we were a little early. We were also early for the go-go bars: there the there were empty bars except for small groups of girls putting on makeup.
Yesterday morning we got up and had a full day in Bankgok.
We had breakfast at the hostel, and tried to get a taxi to the Grand Palace downtown. Fortunately there were two taxis outside of the hostel. Unfortunately they refused to use the meter in the taxi and wanted to negotiate a price. We had asked the hostel clerk how much a taxi should cost and she said about 80 baht. The cab drivers wanted 320 baht. Then they wanted 200 baht and finally they wanted 120 baht. We weren't really trying to negotiate, we just wanted them to use the meter, and while repeating that, they just kept lowering the prices. Figuring we might find a more honest taxi we headed up the street.
We went up the block and found a nice guy who suggested we take a tuk tuk for only 20baht to the ferries and take a ferry. For 20 baht, we figured we couldn't go wrong. The tuk tuk was pretty fun - no seatbelts in a crazy bumpy ride. The tuk tuk dropped us off at a ferry terminal but it looked like they only had tours - tours for 750 baht. So it turns out we escaped the negotiated price scheme of the taxi drivers to the overpriced ferry rides. We were only going downtown to the Grand Palace and, as we found out later, a boat downtown costs 17 baht.
At the ferry terminal there were two girls from Denmark who looked like they were trying to catch a ferry as well. They told us that the guys there wouldn't let them get onto a boat without purchasing a tour. So we decided to go and split a cab. And together we did that, and got a ride to downtown for 70 baht (for all 4 of us).
When we arrived at the Grand Palace we were not at the correct entrance, but a guy came and told us that because it was Sunday morning the monks are in in prayer until 2pm, after which the Grand Palace is free. He showed us pictures of his family and pictures of him as a monk and told us to only trust Tuk Tuk drivers in uniform. He gave us some tips where we could take tuk tuks for 20 baht and then come back.
We decided to just have a walk and sure enough the the grand palace was open, so we had a look inside. I had to rent some pants because I was wearing shorts.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
In Macau
Kim and I arrived yesterday. The line up at customs was insane, it was like a football field full of people lining up at 10 or so counters. It took about an hour to get through - fortunately it was not too hot.
The hotel is extremely big - what can you expect if it has canals running through the second floor. We did make an effort to leave the hotel and check out the town.
The town square looks very European. Lisbon (in Portugal) has these huge squares and there is a small version of that here. Also the architecture of the catholic buildings also looks very Portugese. And yesterday I heard a guy speaking Portugese.
Most signs are in Chinese, Portugese and English. By far though, Macau is a Chinese city.
Back at the Casino/Hotel, Kim won big at Blackjack!
The hotel is extremely big - what can you expect if it has canals running through the second floor. We did make an effort to leave the hotel and check out the town.
The town square looks very European. Lisbon (in Portugal) has these huge squares and there is a small version of that here. Also the architecture of the catholic buildings also looks very Portugese. And yesterday I heard a guy speaking Portugese.
Most signs are in Chinese, Portugese and English. By far though, Macau is a Chinese city.
Back at the Casino/Hotel, Kim won big at Blackjack!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Last couple days in Hong Kong
The last couple days in Hong Kong have been a bit weird. Or too normal. We went to a movie yesterday and a theme park today, so that's too normal.
We have been eating alot of chinese though so that's different. By coincidence we have had lunch twice in a couple posh restaurants. The type of restaurant where they put the napkins down for you, pull your chair for you, give you fine china and two pairs of chopsticks. But despite all the poshyness lunch for two people was only 42 dollars. Actually, that $42 sounds expensive for lunch. But have you ever been at a restaurant trying to recount how much money is still in your wallet because you might be 'in trouble'. These places give you the sense that 'you might be in trouble' so when the cheque comes and it's only $42 then it seems like a really good deal. e.g. One hostess came to my table to ask for my name so she would know how I should be addressed (Mr. Payne).
Anywhoo, we have been through many neighbourhoods in Hong Kong. We were in Mok Kong yesterday which had some really cool markets. Markets with pans of fish, still alive waiting to be bought, turtles stacked in cages, chickens available to be slaughtered, eels wriggling in buckets, frogs stacked in a big box. We didn't touch that, but there was a guy slaughtering and skinning pineapples so we bought one of those.
We also revisited the Tsim Tsia neighbourhood in Kowloon which we didn't like the first night we were there. It wasn't that bad - I think at the time it was an emotional shock and we may have taken one of the more sketchier paths there that night.
Tomorrow we are heading to Macau, which according to the Hong Kong and Macau Lonely Planet, exceeded Las Vegas last year as being the casino central of the world. There are Las Vegas hotels like Wynn, MGM and the Venetian there. We are going to stay at the Venetian because, after reflection, I figured thats where I wanted to go - I think Macau is going to be Hong Kong's vegas and the Venetion is pretty Vegas to me. Before deciding on that hotel, I tried to ask several agents at the ferry terminal which hotel currently has the best deal going - but they couldn't understand what I was asking. What I mean was, I wanted to know which hotel, say, would normally cost $1000 a night that might have a $100 a night special going on. They didn't understand what I was asking. I know it's a complicated question - but I still hoped I could get an answer.
I also had an ambition to take a helicopter from H. We were pretty close actually to booking one, but then I read the fine print.
We have been eating alot of chinese though so that's different. By coincidence we have had lunch twice in a couple posh restaurants. The type of restaurant where they put the napkins down for you, pull your chair for you, give you fine china and two pairs of chopsticks. But despite all the poshyness lunch for two people was only 42 dollars. Actually, that $42 sounds expensive for lunch. But have you ever been at a restaurant trying to recount how much money is still in your wallet because you might be 'in trouble'. These places give you the sense that 'you might be in trouble' so when the cheque comes and it's only $42 then it seems like a really good deal. e.g. One hostess came to my table to ask for my name so she would know how I should be addressed (Mr. Payne).
Anywhoo, we have been through many neighbourhoods in Hong Kong. We were in Mok Kong yesterday which had some really cool markets. Markets with pans of fish, still alive waiting to be bought, turtles stacked in cages, chickens available to be slaughtered, eels wriggling in buckets, frogs stacked in a big box. We didn't touch that, but there was a guy slaughtering and skinning pineapples so we bought one of those.
We also revisited the Tsim Tsia neighbourhood in Kowloon which we didn't like the first night we were there. It wasn't that bad - I think at the time it was an emotional shock and we may have taken one of the more sketchier paths there that night.
Tomorrow we are heading to Macau, which according to the Hong Kong and Macau Lonely Planet, exceeded Las Vegas last year as being the casino central of the world. There are Las Vegas hotels like Wynn, MGM and the Venetian there. We are going to stay at the Venetian because, after reflection, I figured thats where I wanted to go - I think Macau is going to be Hong Kong's vegas and the Venetion is pretty Vegas to me. Before deciding on that hotel, I tried to ask several agents at the ferry terminal which hotel currently has the best deal going - but they couldn't understand what I was asking. What I mean was, I wanted to know which hotel, say, would normally cost $1000 a night that might have a $100 a night special going on. They didn't understand what I was asking. I know it's a complicated question - but I still hoped I could get an answer.
I also had an ambition to take a helicopter from H. We were pretty close actually to booking one, but then I read the fine print.
Monday, July 21, 2008
In Hong Kong
Kim and I got into Hong Kong last night. We flew in from Nagoya, arrived at the airport and took a shuttle and a bus to our hostel in Kowloon. I did my research so we were looking forward to a double room with bath for 3 days. The luxury here is that the room was private, the bathroom was private and the best part - we would be in the same location for 3 days which makes everything easier.
Coming into Kowloon was a bit of a shock. The driver seemed to be going in circles as he zigzagged down the one way streets. It was a free shuttle (or at least free in the sense that it came with the passes we bought) so he wouldn't be doing this to increase our fare.
But we were more shocked by how multi cultural Hong Kong and especially Kowloon is. Remeber we are coming from Japan where we were often the only non-Japanese in sight (not an exaggeration). The first thing we did was walk by a group of about 20 Africans (speaking in their language), then we walked through a gauntlet of East Indians selling watches, then an English beggar who was spewing insults at pretty much everyone (our 'insult' was "oh, ok you are white", so I guess you can go)". Persians, Chinese, Americans, Canadians are here too. Last night we ate near some people from Spain who were incredibly rude. Of course I could be wrong about exactly where these people were coming from, my point is that there are lots of different people. But I guess that's not my only point. I suspect that there is alot of illegal immigration as well.
Our hostel is in the Miramar Mansion on Nathan St. (the hostel is called New Garden Hostel.). But it's not a mansion in the richy rich sense of the word. Maybe it is a mansion in the 'it's big' sense of the word. It was a 'souk' style building, 16 stories high, with maybe 100 rooms on each floor, with a big central open area. You need to picture a building that used to be white, but is now obscured with mold, dripping water, and wires - some with laundry some without. I'm sure I've seen this sort of thing in some modern action movies. Or possibly the idea of the 'projects' might have the same vibe. To add to the image you, you need to add that each floor had only one elevator to service it - so there were often lines, monitored on the main floor by security guards.
Anywhoo, we decided this morning to bail on our booking. I had already paid, but really we weren't going to be comfortable here or enjoy staying. From a security sense the place is a fire trap plus there are enough sketchy characters loitering around the place that it wouldn't be too hard to imagine someone (not in our secured area, but in the general area) being knifed. Not only that, but the beds were really really hard.
We are now happy at the Central Park Hotel. In the matter of hours, tripadvisor.com and a visa card we have gone from a grotty, hope I live through the night place to a nice executive room on the 22nd floor with tinted glass showers, designer bowl sink overlooking the park with a view of the harbour.
Tonight we going to ride a gondola up to the 'peak' which is the highest point in hong kong to have a look at the city. Tomorrow we are going to watch Batman at the
super modern AMC pacific place theatre
Coming into Kowloon was a bit of a shock. The driver seemed to be going in circles as he zigzagged down the one way streets. It was a free shuttle (or at least free in the sense that it came with the passes we bought) so he wouldn't be doing this to increase our fare.
But we were more shocked by how multi cultural Hong Kong and especially Kowloon is. Remeber we are coming from Japan where we were often the only non-Japanese in sight (not an exaggeration). The first thing we did was walk by a group of about 20 Africans (speaking in their language), then we walked through a gauntlet of East Indians selling watches, then an English beggar who was spewing insults at pretty much everyone (our 'insult' was "oh, ok you are white", so I guess you can go)". Persians, Chinese, Americans, Canadians are here too. Last night we ate near some people from Spain who were incredibly rude. Of course I could be wrong about exactly where these people were coming from, my point is that there are lots of different people. But I guess that's not my only point. I suspect that there is alot of illegal immigration as well.
Our hostel is in the Miramar Mansion on Nathan St. (the hostel is called New Garden Hostel.). But it's not a mansion in the richy rich sense of the word. Maybe it is a mansion in the 'it's big' sense of the word. It was a 'souk' style building, 16 stories high, with maybe 100 rooms on each floor, with a big central open area. You need to picture a building that used to be white, but is now obscured with mold, dripping water, and wires - some with laundry some without. I'm sure I've seen this sort of thing in some modern action movies. Or possibly the idea of the 'projects' might have the same vibe. To add to the image you, you need to add that each floor had only one elevator to service it - so there were often lines, monitored on the main floor by security guards.
Anywhoo, we decided this morning to bail on our booking. I had already paid, but really we weren't going to be comfortable here or enjoy staying. From a security sense the place is a fire trap plus there are enough sketchy characters loitering around the place that it wouldn't be too hard to imagine someone (not in our secured area, but in the general area) being knifed. Not only that, but the beds were really really hard.
We are now happy at the Central Park Hotel. In the matter of hours, tripadvisor.com and a visa card we have gone from a grotty, hope I live through the night place to a nice executive room on the 22nd floor with tinted glass showers, designer bowl sink overlooking the park with a view of the harbour.
Tonight we going to ride a gondola up to the 'peak' which is the highest point in hong kong to have a look at the city. Tomorrow we are going to watch Batman at the
super modern AMC pacific place theatre
Saturday, July 19, 2008
at the Nagoya airport...
Kim and I are currently at the Nagoya airport waiting for our plane to Hong Kong. We have about an hour before we board, so I thought I'd update this blog.
I booked the flight from Nagoya because it was cheaper and I figured we would get to see another city before leaving.Actually, until a couple days ago, I had forgotten that I had booked the flight out of Nagoya and thought we were leaving Narita in Tokyo. Not that it mattered much because we checked in time to make sure we went to the right place.
We up super early this morning because I thought we would try and visit the Robot Museum in Nagoya. Unfortunately, when we got there a guy told us that it was closed. I think he meant that it was closed permanantly. Oh well, no robots for me.
I did have sushi for lunch though, and here they did give me wasabi with my sushi (it's been about 50% - whether or not sushi comes with wasabi). The sushi was ok, it had barbequeue eel which for me is hit and miss and today it was a miss.
So we are boarding in about an hour - the things I haven't posted about are Kyoto and Kobe.
Kyoto is the cultural capital of Japan. It is packed with temples, though it is also very urban. If you look at any pictures of Kyoto, they always show the temples so you might get the idea that it is only gardens and temples. Rather it is gardens and temples on the outskirts of a very urban city. Kyoto also has some pedestrian only covered malls which Kim and I both enjoy.
Because Kyoto is super close to Kobe, we decided to take a short trip to Kobe to splurge on a Kobe steak dinner. The kobe beef is super marbled (Have a look at this picture -see how much fat there is!). The whole dinner was prepared in front of us by our own chef. We also bought a bottle of wine which made it all fun. For me, I found it to be too rich to enjoy as a steak. More to be enjoyed in small quantities as a delicacy.
Of the cities we visited (Osaka, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Kobe, Tokyo again, Nagoya) our favourite was Osaka. This is because we had alot of fun on the market street ordering ramen from a machine, getting photos in a photo booth, visiting our first temple and discovering our first Manga Kissa (called Popeye's). The same things exist in all of the other cities, so it's hard to tell if we just liked it more because it was our first time or if the Osaka market streets were more fun.
So, that leaves 30 minutes till we board the plane to Hong Kong. Woo woo!
I booked the flight from Nagoya because it was cheaper and I figured we would get to see another city before leaving.Actually, until a couple days ago, I had forgotten that I had booked the flight out of Nagoya and thought we were leaving Narita in Tokyo. Not that it mattered much because we checked in time to make sure we went to the right place.
We up super early this morning because I thought we would try and visit the Robot Museum in Nagoya. Unfortunately, when we got there a guy told us that it was closed. I think he meant that it was closed permanantly. Oh well, no robots for me.
I did have sushi for lunch though, and here they did give me wasabi with my sushi (it's been about 50% - whether or not sushi comes with wasabi). The sushi was ok, it had barbequeue eel which for me is hit and miss and today it was a miss.
So we are boarding in about an hour - the things I haven't posted about are Kyoto and Kobe.
Kyoto is the cultural capital of Japan. It is packed with temples, though it is also very urban. If you look at any pictures of Kyoto, they always show the temples so you might get the idea that it is only gardens and temples. Rather it is gardens and temples on the outskirts of a very urban city. Kyoto also has some pedestrian only covered malls which Kim and I both enjoy.
Because Kyoto is super close to Kobe, we decided to take a short trip to Kobe to splurge on a Kobe steak dinner. The kobe beef is super marbled (Have a look at this picture -see how much fat there is!). The whole dinner was prepared in front of us by our own chef. We also bought a bottle of wine which made it all fun. For me, I found it to be too rich to enjoy as a steak. More to be enjoyed in small quantities as a delicacy.
Of the cities we visited (Osaka, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Kobe, Tokyo again, Nagoya) our favourite was Osaka. This is because we had alot of fun on the market street ordering ramen from a machine, getting photos in a photo booth, visiting our first temple and discovering our first Manga Kissa (called Popeye's). The same things exist in all of the other cities, so it's hard to tell if we just liked it more because it was our first time or if the Osaka market streets were more fun.
So, that leaves 30 minutes till we board the plane to Hong Kong. Woo woo!
Friday, July 18, 2008
Hiroshima
After Mt. Fuji, Kim and I visited Hiroshima, which is down the south west tip of Japan - so it was a bit hotter than Tokyo or the Mt Fuji area.
Heat has been an ongoing battle or characteristic of our trip. Drinking lots of fluids is made easy by the fact that every block or two has a vending machine selling water, cold drinks and cold coffee. Because Kim was burned we borrowed an umbrella from the hostel/hotel/ryokan that we were staying at. She felt silly at first, but less silly when we counted and 1 in 3 women walk around with umbrellas in the sun there.
Ryokans are japanese style hotels. We have stayed at four or five now and what they have in common is that as soon as you enter the hotel, you must take off your shoes and wear slippers or walk around in socks. The rooms are super small and the main area of the room is covered with a tatami mat. Our bedding is thin mattresses with a duvet on top. The first thing we do when we go into the rooms is try and figure out the airconditioner because usually the rooms are about 32 degrees Celcius inside. Going to the bathroom requires putting on your normal slippers, then switching to bathroom slippers that are kept in the bathroom and then switching back when you are done.
At the ryokan in Hiroshima we met a french girl who was waiting for her brother. There seems to be lots of french tourists in Japan. She came with us a bit to see some of the Hiroshima monuments to the war and the atomic bombing. The trams have automated announcements in Japanese and in English. It is really weird to hear, in the middle of an urban city, an announcement like 'next stop, atomic bomb dome'
The atomic bomb dome is a monument which is the remains of the theatre which was about 600m from the epicentre of the bomb. There are lots and lots of monuments in this area.
There is also a peace memorial museum which shows the before and after impacts of the bomb. Touring the museum, both Kim and I felt a bit sick to the stomach.
Interestingly, the displays suggested that there were more political and scientific reasons for using the bomb than military ones.
On the political side, the displays suggested that the U.S. was looking for more leverage post war vs the Soviets. This leverage was to come from two ways: 1. by demonstrating the weapon and 2. by shutting the Russians out of the victory over the Japanese.
On the scientific side, the displays demonstrated that bombings of Hiroshima were deliberatly curtailed prior to the atomic ones so that the impact of the bomb could be measured. On the other hand several scientists that developed the bomb were specifically against using the bomb. i.e. the Szilard petition
On the military side, there is a wikipedia site which debates the bombings. Citing this site, if 1946 United States Strategic Bombing Survey, and military leaders like Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, Nimitz, William D Leahy and others felt it was militarily unnecessary then I think it was militarily unnecessary.
Really, the bomb shouldn't have been used and should have been used first as a negotiation tool. There are references which show this option was considered at the time: e.g. e.g. Memorandum by Ralph A. Bard, Undersecretary of the Navy, to Secretary of War Stimson, June 27, 1945
Heat has been an ongoing battle or characteristic of our trip. Drinking lots of fluids is made easy by the fact that every block or two has a vending machine selling water, cold drinks and cold coffee. Because Kim was burned we borrowed an umbrella from the hostel/hotel/ryokan that we were staying at. She felt silly at first, but less silly when we counted and 1 in 3 women walk around with umbrellas in the sun there.
Ryokans are japanese style hotels. We have stayed at four or five now and what they have in common is that as soon as you enter the hotel, you must take off your shoes and wear slippers or walk around in socks. The rooms are super small and the main area of the room is covered with a tatami mat. Our bedding is thin mattresses with a duvet on top. The first thing we do when we go into the rooms is try and figure out the airconditioner because usually the rooms are about 32 degrees Celcius inside. Going to the bathroom requires putting on your normal slippers, then switching to bathroom slippers that are kept in the bathroom and then switching back when you are done.
At the ryokan in Hiroshima we met a french girl who was waiting for her brother. There seems to be lots of french tourists in Japan. She came with us a bit to see some of the Hiroshima monuments to the war and the atomic bombing. The trams have automated announcements in Japanese and in English. It is really weird to hear, in the middle of an urban city, an announcement like 'next stop, atomic bomb dome'
The atomic bomb dome is a monument which is the remains of the theatre which was about 600m from the epicentre of the bomb. There are lots and lots of monuments in this area.
There is also a peace memorial museum which shows the before and after impacts of the bomb. Touring the museum, both Kim and I felt a bit sick to the stomach.
Interestingly, the displays suggested that there were more political and scientific reasons for using the bomb than military ones.
On the political side, the displays suggested that the U.S. was looking for more leverage post war vs the Soviets. This leverage was to come from two ways: 1. by demonstrating the weapon and 2. by shutting the Russians out of the victory over the Japanese.
On the scientific side, the displays demonstrated that bombings of Hiroshima were deliberatly curtailed prior to the atomic ones so that the impact of the bomb could be measured. On the other hand several scientists that developed the bomb were specifically against using the bomb. i.e. the Szilard petition
On the military side, there is a wikipedia site which debates the bombings. Citing this site, if 1946 United States Strategic Bombing Survey, and military leaders like Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, Nimitz, William D Leahy and others felt it was militarily unnecessary then I think it was militarily unnecessary.
Really, the bomb shouldn't have been used and should have been used first as a negotiation tool. There are references which show this option was considered at the time: e.g. e.g. Memorandum by Ralph A. Bard, Undersecretary of the Navy, to Secretary of War Stimson, June 27, 1945
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Mount Fuji
Kim and I visited Mount Fuji - you know the snowcapped mountain that is iconic of Japan.
We took a couple trains there, booked a couple nights in a hostel (we couldnt get a private room so we shared a room with a guy from slovakia and a girl one night, and the slovakian and a guy that came in for only 10 minutes the second night).
I don't know why climbing mountains is so tempting. Its actually quite painful - especially for me - my knees get super sore on the way down. When I climbed Mt Sinai a couple years ago I twisted my ankle so was hobbling around for a week. Not to smart for a traveller as hobbling is both more difficult and sort of embarrassing.
But can you not climb the mountain?
What I mean is --- If you are near a mountain and all the other travellers are doing it, don't you actually >have< to climb the mountain? Like if you get sore knees, really you should not come within 10 miles of a mountain or you will be compelled to climb it... Can you go to the base of Mt Fuji and not suffer for it?
So anyway, we did climb the mountain and we got terribly sunburnt. I took a picture of Kim's sunburn (its on her treemo site). Since that picture our burns have turned into blistered burns (from the sweat trying to escape through burnt skin and is starting to peel). Plus my left knee was sore for two days.
But at least I didn't twist an ankle.
We took a couple trains there, booked a couple nights in a hostel (we couldnt get a private room so we shared a room with a guy from slovakia and a girl one night, and the slovakian and a guy that came in for only 10 minutes the second night).
I don't know why climbing mountains is so tempting. Its actually quite painful - especially for me - my knees get super sore on the way down. When I climbed Mt Sinai a couple years ago I twisted my ankle so was hobbling around for a week. Not to smart for a traveller as hobbling is both more difficult and sort of embarrassing.
But can you not climb the mountain?
What I mean is --- If you are near a mountain and all the other travellers are doing it, don't you actually >have< to climb the mountain? Like if you get sore knees, really you should not come within 10 miles of a mountain or you will be compelled to climb it... Can you go to the base of Mt Fuji and not suffer for it?
So anyway, we did climb the mountain and we got terribly sunburnt. I took a picture of Kim's sunburn (its on her treemo site). Since that picture our burns have turned into blistered burns (from the sweat trying to escape through burnt skin and is starting to peel). Plus my left knee was sore for two days.
But at least I didn't twist an ankle.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
stuff I haven't seen yet.
No, I haven't seen any Sumo wrestlers, DDR dance screens on the side of buildings, Samuris, underpants in vending machines or ninjas.
Yet.
Yet.
sushi comparo
I have only had sushi twice since being here. Kim likes sushi, but has a limit of like 6 pieces, so I'll get more experience later this week.
From my limited experience so far, what I have learned is that sushi restaurants are usually stand alone. In Canada, usually there is a mix of options at the same restaurnts. But here if you are going for sushi, you are in for sushi.
The sushi itself is similar enough to what we have in Vancouver. Based on what I've seen so far, on Nigiri sushi, the rice beds are smaller and rounder than what we have at home. For Maki sushi, the sushi chefs roll them individually using precut seaweed sheets instead of rolling and cutting. There is more wasabi in the sushi than at home, which make sense, because of the 'shocking' discovery that they do not give you wasabi. That's right - no wasabi for you to mix with your sushi. Just soya sauce and the wasabi the chef already put in the sushi.
To continue the Vancouver comparo, there is more variety here. Lots of different octopussy things and other things that I honestly don't know what they are.
I did venture out and had a random one called 'natto', which, was super super hard for me to swallow. The plate came with three pieces, but I was only able to swallow one, flushed down with the water and tea I had left.
Only 2 seconds ago I googled natto and it turns out to be fermented soya beans which is according to wikipedia also popular as breakfast. If I knew that at the time, it would have been better to appreciate. Instead I was left with my imagination who suggested that it might possibly be chunks of regurgitated fish stomachs in a poison brine.
From my limited experience so far, what I have learned is that sushi restaurants are usually stand alone. In Canada, usually there is a mix of options at the same restaurnts. But here if you are going for sushi, you are in for sushi.
The sushi itself is similar enough to what we have in Vancouver. Based on what I've seen so far, on Nigiri sushi, the rice beds are smaller and rounder than what we have at home. For Maki sushi, the sushi chefs roll them individually using precut seaweed sheets instead of rolling and cutting. There is more wasabi in the sushi than at home, which make sense, because of the 'shocking' discovery that they do not give you wasabi. That's right - no wasabi for you to mix with your sushi. Just soya sauce and the wasabi the chef already put in the sushi.
To continue the Vancouver comparo, there is more variety here. Lots of different octopussy things and other things that I honestly don't know what they are.
I did venture out and had a random one called 'natto', which, was super super hard for me to swallow. The plate came with three pieces, but I was only able to swallow one, flushed down with the water and tea I had left.
Only 2 seconds ago I googled natto and it turns out to be fermented soya beans which is according to wikipedia also popular as breakfast. If I knew that at the time, it would have been better to appreciate. Instead I was left with my imagination who suggested that it might possibly be chunks of regurgitated fish stomachs in a poison brine.
Interacting with Japanese
In general, we don't interact with Japanese people that much, outside of purchasing things, because - well - we don't speak Japanese.
But, so far, vagually speaking, they ignore us. Not ignore in a bad way, but I mean, they don't pay any attention to us, unless we talk to them. At which point they are as helpful and polite as can be.
In purchasing things, generally we just point and gesture how many of each we want. This morning I had a 'croque monsieur' and Kim had a bagel, we both had lattes. So we just pointed to my croque and then pointed to me, then Kim did the same for the bagel, and then gave the "2" sign for the lattes. Then they said the price, which we read off of the cash register, handed them the money, took the change and we say some variation of "domo", "domo arigato", or "domo arigato gozea mast".
Today we were looking for a ramen restaurant. Kim likes ramen and yakisoba, fyi. Anyway we went into one place and inside the girl was cleaning the floor. We didn't know how to ask or gesture for when it was open. Then the cook came out to try her luck with us and gestured that they were closed. We pointed to the ramen and said that was what we were looking for. She invited us in. So I suspect they opened the restaurant, just for us for that time to give us ramen. Honestly I don't know. Maybe they were being super nice, maybe they were just confused and were open the whole time, or maybe they just saw that if they gave us some ramen, then the whole confusion would be over.
But, so far, vagually speaking, they ignore us. Not ignore in a bad way, but I mean, they don't pay any attention to us, unless we talk to them. At which point they are as helpful and polite as can be.
In purchasing things, generally we just point and gesture how many of each we want. This morning I had a 'croque monsieur' and Kim had a bagel, we both had lattes. So we just pointed to my croque and then pointed to me, then Kim did the same for the bagel, and then gave the "2" sign for the lattes. Then they said the price, which we read off of the cash register, handed them the money, took the change and we say some variation of "domo", "domo arigato", or "domo arigato gozea mast".
Today we were looking for a ramen restaurant. Kim likes ramen and yakisoba, fyi. Anyway we went into one place and inside the girl was cleaning the floor. We didn't know how to ask or gesture for when it was open. Then the cook came out to try her luck with us and gestured that they were closed. We pointed to the ramen and said that was what we were looking for. She invited us in. So I suspect they opened the restaurant, just for us for that time to give us ramen. Honestly I don't know. Maybe they were being super nice, maybe they were just confused and were open the whole time, or maybe they just saw that if they gave us some ramen, then the whole confusion would be over.
Pachinco parlors and Arcades
There are tons and tons of Arcades and Pachinco parlors. Several sponsored by well known brands like Sega and Taito.
The pachinco seems to be an obsession by lots of Japanese. It doesn't make any sense to us at all. I put in a 100 yen ($1) and Kim tried to play. She turned a knob and there were lots of silver balls bouncing around and eventually, after like 200 balls, we were out of balls and the game was over. I think you can make money playing this, but we didn't.
There are also slot machines and betting machines. There is a table top betting machine about the size of a large pool table where horses on magnets run around the table and people will bet on the races. I would have tried it but I did not understand the writing. Again, I presume you can make money on this.
Video game wise, what is interesting is that the arcades are on multi-levels. With girl games on the lower levels and more 'boy' games on higher levels. By girl games, I mean little photo booths where you can take pictures and paste icons (Kim and I tried this). And there are crane fishing games where you can try and grab teddy bears and drop them into a chute using the crane. By boy games, I mean shooting games, fighting games. Also on these levels are some real-time strategy games and also some 'group soccer games'. By group soccer I mean that there was a whole room dedicated to a single game and about 6 stations where each player had a set of consoles to manage their part.
I keep checking out game places as well as "manga kissa" places. I forget if I mentioned magna kissa already - but they are awesome internet cafes where you can have private massage chairs or a couch, or a flat area, or a regular area, and then have free access to movies, comics and games, drinks and ice cream to play for an hourly rate. Actually I'm sure I have written about this before, but I still like them, even if they aren't 'that far in the future'. By that I mean there aren't moving sidewalks or robots or hover cars. But there are more advanced video games, internet cafes and vending machines.
The pachinco seems to be an obsession by lots of Japanese. It doesn't make any sense to us at all. I put in a 100 yen ($1) and Kim tried to play. She turned a knob and there were lots of silver balls bouncing around and eventually, after like 200 balls, we were out of balls and the game was over. I think you can make money playing this, but we didn't.
There are also slot machines and betting machines. There is a table top betting machine about the size of a large pool table where horses on magnets run around the table and people will bet on the races. I would have tried it but I did not understand the writing. Again, I presume you can make money on this.
Video game wise, what is interesting is that the arcades are on multi-levels. With girl games on the lower levels and more 'boy' games on higher levels. By girl games, I mean little photo booths where you can take pictures and paste icons (Kim and I tried this). And there are crane fishing games where you can try and grab teddy bears and drop them into a chute using the crane. By boy games, I mean shooting games, fighting games. Also on these levels are some real-time strategy games and also some 'group soccer games'. By group soccer I mean that there was a whole room dedicated to a single game and about 6 stations where each player had a set of consoles to manage their part.
I keep checking out game places as well as "manga kissa" places. I forget if I mentioned magna kissa already - but they are awesome internet cafes where you can have private massage chairs or a couch, or a flat area, or a regular area, and then have free access to movies, comics and games, drinks and ice cream to play for an hourly rate. Actually I'm sure I have written about this before, but I still like them, even if they aren't 'that far in the future'. By that I mean there aren't moving sidewalks or robots or hover cars. But there are more advanced video games, internet cafes and vending machines.
Puppy Hotel is not for Puppies
While wandering through some of the pedestrian alleys in Osaka, we saw this hotel down the hill that had lots of little puppy statues on the outside.
A hotel with puppie statues? Yep!
I had heard that in ultra urban areas, people will really pander their pets. I had also heard of pet-coops were people could share the joy and care of a pet - so I wondered if this was one of those places.
Was the hotel for puppies? Nope!
Outside the hotel, there were pictures of the rooms. All modern, people sized rooms. One that showcased a room with a built in hot tub in a gazebo style bathroom. But the most interesting part is that the prices were for either "Rest" or "Stay". Haha. We had found a love hotel. "Rest" is for short love. Stay is for, presumably, long love. And the puppies are, obviously, for puppy love.
Being the curious types we decided to check out the super-deluxe, multi floored, hot-tub in the gazebo, penthouse room. We went in.
There was no one inside the lobby. There was a computer and a touch screen, so I pressed the buttons until I got a piece of paper that came out: "601" and some japanese writing. So we had just made our reservation....
We walked up the stairs and into the room where there was a vending machine. Being Japan - where everything is vending machines (Many ramen restaurants work by you buying a ticket from a vending machine on the outside, and then you hand the people inside the ticket it prints) - the vending machine is presumably where we were to pay.
So we tried to pay. Another thing is that Japanese vending machines (like the subway ones anyway) want money before they awaken. So I put in 1000 yen ($10) and pressed the buttons. The machine then asked for 26700 more yen! What???? $267 more dollars? Ok, this was a bit more than we wanted to pay.
The idea was just to check out the place and the culture not to have secret expensive getaway. $267 was a bit out of our budget. So we were going to leave. $10 was lost but we had the experience.
But the machine: Locked...down...the...doors.
What I mean is that we were completely trapped in this room. There was no way out of the room, and so far no human contact at all. All we had was a locked door and a machine asking for $267 more dollars.
It can be tense when you are locked in a Japanese room with no way out and a machine wanting alot more money than you intended.
We pressed all of the buttons over and over and about 15 minutes later the machine gave us the option to pay $35 dollars. We paid it. The machine unlocked the door.
So, like what did we buy for the now $45 dollars? Was the room ours? Was that it? What were we supposed to do now???
While discussing this, the machine >dutifully< LOCKED...US...IN...AGAIN!
Were we smart to get locked into a room twice? Costing $10, now $45, with a machine hungry for $267?
It might not seem that smart of us to have got locked into this room twice. But we did spend $45 dollars at this point so I >assumed< we must have had bought >something<. We just weren't sure what.
Fortunately at this point the phone in the room rang (I had poked at the phone before, but it didn't make sense before). The voice on the other side said: "You ALREADY PAID". I said, "Yes I paid. We wanted to just buy Rest but the machine wanted $267 dollars".
He said: "just dial 9 in an hour and we'll let you out."
So clearly, now, we realized that it is normal for the machine to lock you in the room, and then you are supposed to pay when you leave and there is a short grace period before it locks you into the room again. This info was not in our guide book.
So, eventually, we called the 9 and got them to let us out. Because this wasn't the normal way, we ended up talking to two maids though the door and one person on the phone to get the door unlocked. They did not know how to do this exactly. The irony to this whole situation is that these systems are specifically setup so that you see 0 people when going into and out of these love nests.
In fact, there are two video displays which show the outside street so you can see who is on the street to decide when to make your discreet exit.
For us, though, on this mission, we did learned new things but got like 1/10 for being "discreet".
A hotel with puppie statues? Yep!
I had heard that in ultra urban areas, people will really pander their pets. I had also heard of pet-coops were people could share the joy and care of a pet - so I wondered if this was one of those places.
Was the hotel for puppies? Nope!
Outside the hotel, there were pictures of the rooms. All modern, people sized rooms. One that showcased a room with a built in hot tub in a gazebo style bathroom. But the most interesting part is that the prices were for either "Rest" or "Stay". Haha. We had found a love hotel. "Rest" is for short love. Stay is for, presumably, long love. And the puppies are, obviously, for puppy love.
Being the curious types we decided to check out the super-deluxe, multi floored, hot-tub in the gazebo, penthouse room. We went in.
There was no one inside the lobby. There was a computer and a touch screen, so I pressed the buttons until I got a piece of paper that came out: "601" and some japanese writing. So we had just made our reservation....
We walked up the stairs and into the room where there was a vending machine. Being Japan - where everything is vending machines (Many ramen restaurants work by you buying a ticket from a vending machine on the outside, and then you hand the people inside the ticket it prints) - the vending machine is presumably where we were to pay.
So we tried to pay. Another thing is that Japanese vending machines (like the subway ones anyway) want money before they awaken. So I put in 1000 yen ($10) and pressed the buttons. The machine then asked for 26700 more yen! What???? $267 more dollars? Ok, this was a bit more than we wanted to pay.
The idea was just to check out the place and the culture not to have secret expensive getaway. $267 was a bit out of our budget. So we were going to leave. $10 was lost but we had the experience.
But the machine: Locked...down...the...doors.
What I mean is that we were completely trapped in this room. There was no way out of the room, and so far no human contact at all. All we had was a locked door and a machine asking for $267 more dollars.
It can be tense when you are locked in a Japanese room with no way out and a machine wanting alot more money than you intended.
We pressed all of the buttons over and over and about 15 minutes later the machine gave us the option to pay $35 dollars. We paid it. The machine unlocked the door.
So, like what did we buy for the now $45 dollars? Was the room ours? Was that it? What were we supposed to do now???
While discussing this, the machine >dutifully< LOCKED...US...IN...AGAIN!
Were we smart to get locked into a room twice? Costing $10, now $45, with a machine hungry for $267?
It might not seem that smart of us to have got locked into this room twice. But we did spend $45 dollars at this point so I >assumed< we must have had bought >something<. We just weren't sure what.
Fortunately at this point the phone in the room rang (I had poked at the phone before, but it didn't make sense before). The voice on the other side said: "You ALREADY PAID". I said, "Yes I paid. We wanted to just buy Rest but the machine wanted $267 dollars".
He said: "just dial 9 in an hour and we'll let you out."
So clearly, now, we realized that it is normal for the machine to lock you in the room, and then you are supposed to pay when you leave and there is a short grace period before it locks you into the room again. This info was not in our guide book.
So, eventually, we called the 9 and got them to let us out. Because this wasn't the normal way, we ended up talking to two maids though the door and one person on the phone to get the door unlocked. They did not know how to do this exactly. The irony to this whole situation is that these systems are specifically setup so that you see 0 people when going into and out of these love nests.
In fact, there are two video displays which show the outside street so you can see who is on the street to decide when to make your discreet exit.
For us, though, on this mission, we did learned new things but got like 1/10 for being "discreet".
Thursday, July 10, 2008
In Tokyo
So we have been in Tokyo now for a couple days. So far it has not been what I expected: It is a big huge city, much like New York or London - which I expected. But I guess I also expected more neon, more futuristic buildings, more futuristic things.
Compared to Osaka, Tokyo has alot more foreigners. In Osaka it was common for Kim and I to be the only gaijin around. In Tokyo there is an established foreigner community, so for example, it did not seem that weird that we went to an Irish pub tended by a real Irish man last night.
The Tokyo metro system is disorganized - there are 3 separate overlapping systems the JR lines, the tokyo metro lines and another other (toijin?) lines which all use different tickets. Its not a big deal, we are getting better at it - I guess the reason I bring it up is that it is something that makes getting around more difficult than it needs to be. For example, we had to buy 3 separate tickets this morning to get to the Indian embassy, where Kim has submitted her passport for a Visa.
Regarding Kim's visa, it should be ready by next friday when we are back in Tokyo.
BTW, Kim is also keeping a blog, featuring pictures at www.kimberlywarnes.com which has stories from her perspective. Also, if you want more pictures than her blog then you can also check out Kims Treemo channel
Compared to Osaka, Tokyo has alot more foreigners. In Osaka it was common for Kim and I to be the only gaijin around. In Tokyo there is an established foreigner community, so for example, it did not seem that weird that we went to an Irish pub tended by a real Irish man last night.
The Tokyo metro system is disorganized - there are 3 separate overlapping systems the JR lines, the tokyo metro lines and another other (toijin?) lines which all use different tickets. Its not a big deal, we are getting better at it - I guess the reason I bring it up is that it is something that makes getting around more difficult than it needs to be. For example, we had to buy 3 separate tickets this morning to get to the Indian embassy, where Kim has submitted her passport for a Visa.
Regarding Kim's visa, it should be ready by next friday when we are back in Tokyo.
BTW, Kim is also keeping a blog, featuring pictures at www.kimberlywarnes.com which has stories from her perspective. Also, if you want more pictures than her blog then you can also check out Kims Treemo channel
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
hello from osaka japan
Kim and I got here last night. First impressions are that it - Osaka anyway - is more industrial and served by tons of rail ways which reminds me of England. For some reason I expected that everything would be super modern and there would be no rust. There is lots of rust. Also, in getting from the Airport to Osaka the train passed through lots of small (backyard sized) rice paddies which was different.
But the weather is much warmer and humid and England - reminds me of central america - We are getting used to being sweaty all the time outside (all indoor locations are air conditioned)
So - so far it is a tropical England.
We managed to make our way using the trains from the airport to get to our hostel and went for dinner last night. We ended up at a japanese restaurant, which I chose because it looked clean and open - but after ordering we realized that it was sort of like a Japanese Denny's. I had a combo meal of pumpkin soup, and meatloaf on rice. Kim had a tastier combo of rice, teriaki fish, fried chicken and miso soup.
Today we got up early (before 7) because we are still a little out of sync with the time difference. We took a train and then a subway downtown (Osaka) and found some of the entertainment districts. Before this, we went to Mr. Donut for a donut and coffee, but after we ended up at a Starbucks because Ms. CoffySnoot wanted another one ;). Since then we walked around and took a picture of a temple, the access was closed so we took a picture from the outside, but the caretaker came by and let us walk around the statues/tombstones. Lots of buddhas and alot of buddhas wearing worn, red, bibs.
We went down the entertainment district and took some pictures in one of those girly picture booths where you can put hearts and other decorations.
So right now, we are both in Popeye's media cafe sitting on massage chairs playing with the internet (Kim is uploading pictures). The media cafe has different kinds of booths for different kinds of uses. Ours has massage chairs, others have just normal chairs, some have a sofa, and some have flat/bed type accomodations. The outer walls are lined with comic books, the air is stale smoke. Because it is still early in the day, there are probably only 5 other people in here.
But the weather is much warmer and humid and England - reminds me of central america - We are getting used to being sweaty all the time outside (all indoor locations are air conditioned)
So - so far it is a tropical England.
We managed to make our way using the trains from the airport to get to our hostel and went for dinner last night. We ended up at a japanese restaurant, which I chose because it looked clean and open - but after ordering we realized that it was sort of like a Japanese Denny's. I had a combo meal of pumpkin soup, and meatloaf on rice. Kim had a tastier combo of rice, teriaki fish, fried chicken and miso soup.
Today we got up early (before 7) because we are still a little out of sync with the time difference. We took a train and then a subway downtown (Osaka) and found some of the entertainment districts. Before this, we went to Mr. Donut for a donut and coffee, but after we ended up at a Starbucks because Ms. CoffySnoot wanted another one ;). Since then we walked around and took a picture of a temple, the access was closed so we took a picture from the outside, but the caretaker came by and let us walk around the statues/tombstones. Lots of buddhas and alot of buddhas wearing worn, red, bibs.
We went down the entertainment district and took some pictures in one of those girly picture booths where you can put hearts and other decorations.
So right now, we are both in Popeye's media cafe sitting on massage chairs playing with the internet (Kim is uploading pictures). The media cafe has different kinds of booths for different kinds of uses. Ours has massage chairs, others have just normal chairs, some have a sofa, and some have flat/bed type accomodations. The outer walls are lined with comic books, the air is stale smoke. Because it is still early in the day, there are probably only 5 other people in here.
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