Japan trip in April

I've been meaning to write this entry for a long time. But for some reason I kept on postponing. Anyway, the Japan trip was in April this year. 

This was literally what's in my bag. Pardon the granny panties. I travel light. Heck, i didn't even bother to bring camera. Therefore, all the photos here were taken only by my iphone.

Our first stop was Kyoto. 3 words. Plain, simple, boring.

The 4th trip to Japan, I finally made it to Ghibili Museum. Tickets were 'mission impossible' to get. They were almost like the urban legend. Impossible but still attainable.

Those who watched Laputa would definitely recognized this.

The 2nd day fell on my birthday. We went to Disneyland. All i can say is it was a wrong move. At least, it was for me. My sister was pretty excited. Well, i thought i'd be excited too but i don't. Probably because i grew up and all i saw was the monstrosity of capitalism and it's slaves.

Anyway, next we headed to Hiroshima. One thing that struck me about Hiroshima is that the people there are actually really REALLY nice.


A-bomb dome.

 Morning stroll in Hiroshima.

The next day we went to Osaka for the final leg in our journey. And the first thing we do once we arrived was to feast on..

...king crab!!! I'm allergic but it was worth it. To this day the grill crab still haunt my dreams.

 On our last day in Japan, i went to Tsurumi-ryokuji park. Alone. My sister prefer shopping than park strolling.

The park is so big that i have to stop a few times to relieve my feet and pretend on feeding the birds.

 Beautiful isn't it?

I almost believe that i was going through some enchanted forest. Like those in fairy tales.

 I tell you, Japanese does make the best park.

Harbin Winter Vacation

Earlier this month I flew to Harbin with my sister. Why? I, myself have no idea. On a fine day, the temperature would be around -22 degree Celsius. Not that it feels less colder. There's no such thing as taking a stroll down the avenue. I can only walk for 10 minutes before rushing to any shops that I can find and pretending to be interested in the items they're selling. And you have to keep your hands (already in gloves) in your pockets all the time. Once I did the mistake of buying a souvenir and I had no choice but to hand carry it to the hotel. It was the worst 15 minutes of my life.

When you're done with the Ice & Snow Festival, you can either take the cable car or walk across the frozen Songhua river on foot. Choose the later. It's so much fun. And it's free.

 Moonwalk on Songhua river, checked!

I think the highlight of this trip is the visit to the Siberian Tiger Preserved. The picture doesn't do them justice. They are so big that if you put your arms around their belly, your fingers won't be able to meet.

The best time to visit is when the feeding time. Not because they fights for food. It's because the noises they made. It's unnerving to hear them roar and growls.

A white tiger.

 I forgot what the name of this creature is.

 This is a Liger. Lion + Tiger = Liger.

Jaguar. I don't know if that's a frozen drools or just his whiskers. But he's sure looks funny with that.

I only manage to take a few photos because as I have said before, it's a torture to take your hands out of your pockets (where it's nice and warm).

I'm suppose to keep this secret but I won't be able to move on with life so long I keep this to myself. So here it is. Ready? I didn't visit the Ice Festival. The one with colorful lights at night. I know. It's the biggest flops in the history of holiday vacation. Who missed the Eiffel Tower when they're in Paris? Who missed the Ice Festival when they go to Harbin? Apparently, I do.

Why?

Because it's freaking -35 degree Celsius in there!

Manila trip

I just got back from Manila today. It was 5 days and 4 nights trip. And the trip sucks big time. I was travelling with a friend who brought her 1 year old infant to the trip. So, naturally, the baby cried during the entire trip. Even when napping or sleeping she would cry every 15 freaking minutes. Every time she got hold of something (dirty) and you tried to take it away from her, she would start throwing tantrums. It was MENTAL! I think I've suffered some bleeding in my ears.

So, everyday during the 5 days trip, we would go out at 10 am and come back to our hotel before 12 pm, just because she decided what the adults do was not fun enough for her. We were stuck in our hotel room all the time. Never once during the entire trip we eat anything but from a room service. Our bathroom reeks of overnight diapers. I think everyday the housekeeping staff must be dreading to clean our room.

So, yeah, to sum it all, a baby ruined my trip.

Osaka - Kyoto Trip

Last week i was in Osaka with Mr, Mum and my Auntie. It was quite a trip i tell you. Why? Here is why;

The first time i went to Osaka in April 2012, someone by the name of Mr. Park went looking for me at the hotel on the very first day i arrived. Then, this year April 2013 i went to Osaka again, i was greeted by a Japan police detective the moment i stepped out of customs. He asked for our passport and looked like he jotted some notes in his little book. Did not check our luggage though. Asked the standard immigration questions. And he speaks fluent Bahasa! How weird is that? In the end he let us go and help us with the ticket dispenser machine.

Day 2 in Osaka. 5.33 am i was woken up by a loud alarm sound. The first thought come to my mind was "We're under attack. North Korea finally did it!" It took me a while to realise that the alarm was coming from my phone and we were actually in the middle of an earthquake. Everything was shaking. The wardrobe, hangers, lamps, everything. I stayed put on the bed. After awhile the shaking stop. But i still can feel the building swaying. I notice the water in the bottle was still and not moving, but when i stand up i cannot stand still. My body swayed from side to side. Then i realised that everything in the building including the water in the bottle must be in sync swaying along the building. 3rd time visiting Japan, i finally had the taste of 6.0 magnitude earthquake. You know what they say, 3rd time's a charm.



After the earthquake incident, our trip resumed it's schedule as planned. We went to Universal Studio but turned back before we can reached the ticket booths. Why? Because it was madness! The crowd was crazy packed. Never in my life i've seen that much people in one place. Anyway, instead of going to Universal Studio, we went shopping at the longest shopping arcade in Japan (probably). I tell you, it's almost 3km long! Well, the shopping was mostly by my Mum and Aunt. Mr and i had another place in mind. We went to eat the giant Red King Crab! It was heavenly. A heaven with a price indeed. Turned out i'm allergic to crab meat. It's already more than a week after that King Crab and my thighs are still itchy.



Our last day in Japan, i suggested that we should try to board the bullet train (Shinkansen) to Kyoto. From Osaka to Kyoto, it only takes 14 minutes by bullet train! That's like me driving from home to work in a traffic jam. It was super fast! The only thing that i don't like about the Shinkansen that it had a weird unpleasant smells inside the car.



I finally got to check off Kiyomizudera Temple from my bucket list!

Seoul..

to me is easy peasy.

Yep. I know this may sound strange but i kind of like Seoul more than Tokyo. The American lady i met on my trip to Seoul frowned when i made that statement. But the truth is i like the fact that Seoul is a little bit rough and vulgar compared to Tokyo. It makes me feel that i fit in just right.

So, here are some of the photos i took during the trip. Enjoy.

 

I got my eyes on the horse head bell and cute girls key chain.

 

Autumn madness.

 

Men of my dream.

 

I decided to skip half of the wax museum as soon as i saw that 'thing' in the above picture.

Love sick disease.

Loveland. Use your imagination.

Pampas grass at Sangumburi Crater.

Sunrise Peak. There are approximately 500 steps to the peak. And the 500 steps start halfway. You still can't see the steps in the above photo. And to me, i wouldn't call that steps cause it's more like a platform to me. So the story is, i gave up halfway.

Nanta cooking! Seriously the show is so funny. I laughed until i cried.

I give up..

planning my trip to Seoul.

I always hear people say that Tokyo's subway is one of the most complicated in the world. But hold on, have you seen Seoul's subway map? Seoul's maybe less colorful and less crowded than Tokyo's but if you looked at it a little longer, 5 seconds maybe, i'm sure migraine will hit you in no time.

Nowadays, you don't have to worry about not having to be able to read Koreans cause the map is readily translated into roman letters for your ease. But the thing about the translation is that they use too much vowels. Just by looking at their places name enough to make me go crossed eyes.

For example, Gwangheungchang, Gyeongbokgung, Bupyeongsamgeori, Gwangmyeongsageori, Gwanghwamun.

Do you see what i mean?

Mabul Island

So, last month i went on a business-leisure trip with Mr to Semporna. It was a total of 4 days trip. The 1st day was all about getting there and settling in. The journey from Sandakan to Semporna roughly about half a day. The 2nd day we're there, it was all about work. It was already 3pm when we finished our work and only then the fun began. We booked a day trip tour to Mabul Island with Uncle Chang. As for me i find the price is quite reasonable. We paid RM 132.00 per person for a whole day in Mabul Island. That price include boat transfer, jetty fee, snorkeling gear, transfer to 3 snorkeling locations, breakfast, lunch and unforgettable memories.

Off we went to snorkeling on the 3rd day. So our journey began when the speed boat leave for Mabul Island at 8.00 am. I was excited and skeptical at the same time. I don't want to get my hope high cause i don't want to be disappointed later. But then, the island did really met my expectation. Well, see for your self. They say a picture say a thousand words. No editing done on these photos.

If you know me, then you must know that i don't know how to swim. So you must understand that the vast sea terrifies me, so much. But then the idea of snorkeling was so appealing. I never snorkel in my whole life before! So with the assurance from the tour staffs and guides that non-swimmer can easily snorkel with life jacket on, i jumped into the sea with glee. 

And i sank. 

And almost drown. 

Thank god for the guide watchful eyes. Yes, it was embarrassing. I mean who got drowned when using life jacket?

I admit that my first mistake is to jump from the boat. I should have get into the water slowly and adjust. Well if you asked me, i blame the french lady who made the example of first jumping from the boat. She jumped without any life jacket on, then she float while putting on her snorkel and mask, still floating she bend over to wear her fins as of she's tying her shoestring on a sidewalk and then off she go and disappear from my view like a fish. She makes it look so damn easy!

So, on my first dive i still stayed underwater. I mean i still get to snorkel. Only that i just snorkel around the DRIFTING boat, while holding onto the boat's rope. I still get to see some corals, starfish, and small fishes. It was not that sad. Stay with me cause my story does get better.

Each snorkeling session is about 45 minutes. After the first session we went back to the shelter and rest for one hour. Then we were brought to another snorkeling location near Kapalai Island. This time the boat parked at a deeper location. So it was just blue green all around and i cannot see anything by swimming around the boat alone. You have to swim about 10 meters in order to get to the reef. So i resigned. I went up the boat, sat quietly and watched others.

But then, the thing about the guide is that they wont rest easy as long as you are not in the water. They took their turns in every 5 minutes asking why you are not in the water. First i told them that it's too deep and i'm afraid of the unknown deep. Later my answer was that the reef is too far and i cannot swim even with life jacket on. Then they offered to take me to the reef. But i still hesitate and say that i just want to stay on the boat and dry up. And then they throw their killer lines..

"But there are turtles.."

"Really? In there?"

"Yes"

"Can you actually see them?"

"Yes"

"Okay then, let's go there. And i want both the life jacket and life ring this time"

In the end i was glad that the guides never give up on me. The above photo is my 4th turtle sighting and was taken while we were still on a boat to our 3rd dive.

Our fun day finally end at 5pm.

And that night i slept through the whole night.

Spent and sated.

Road Trip!

Going on a road trip with Mr today! We're going on a 3 days business trip to Semporna. Well, for me it's 40% business and 60% is leisure. While we're there i planned on getting on a boat to see the Sipadan, Kapalai and Mabul islands. Especially, Sipadan. One's journey will not be completed until one checked Sipadan Island out of the list.

So, i was packing my bag at 6.00 am this morning and it reminded me of the feeling when i'm travelling. Like asking myself 60 times whether i need to bring another pair of jeans, or should i pack the whole toiletries. I missed that rush mixed with anxiety feelings.

Yes, i know it's hardly a month since my last trip but you know these kind of things can be addictive. No wonder September feels so slow moving. My next trip would be in November, so my guess is that October will be painfully slow as well.

Anyway, did you hear that Airasia got Free Seats promotion again? It's quite a bargain if you asked me. But my problem is that i haven't figured out my next year's trip plan. So it seems that this time, i'm gonna have to pass.

to Brisbane and back

So last month i went to Brisbane, Australia.

And for me, there is just one word to describe Brisbane, and that is LOVELY.

I think it's the first time in the history of my life that i actually went out all day when travelling. And when i say 'all day' that means i left the hotel at 9am only to return again at 10pm. One thing for sure is that i did a lot of walking that day (i think). I could easily spend an hour or two at a bookstore. Not once i ventured in the clothing shops. I'm really not anyone ideal shopping buddy cause i don't like spending too much time browsing for clothes. I usually know what i want, so shopping for clothes with me usually will take no more than 7 minutes. Yeah, i know. Both my mum and my sister also hate me for that.

Another half of my time in Brisbane i think i spent on being lost. That's another thing about me, i'm really not good in directions. Seriously, 90% of the time i would pick the wrong direction. Every time i'm on a junction or crossroad, i always have the tendency to choose to go to the road on the right hand side. Okay, let me correct that, i don't tend to, in fact i will always choose the road on my right. Even if there's a little voice inside my head telling me that the right way could be wrong, i would still carry on to the right. It's like i'm programmed to do just that. So getting lost is just one of my traits. Let's just say that is how i roll.

All in all, Brisbane is going to be in one of my favorite cities. Heck, i say Brisbane had me at the Immigration Officer's hello.

Cherry Blooming Trip part 1

Day 1

So, after a series of unfortunate events, i finally made it to Osaka in one piece. Safe and sound. It was my birthday when i set foot in Osaka. I was staying in Hotel Monterey Grasmere which is very near to the shopping district. From afar i can see the hotel name on top of the building and yet i spent at least an hour circling the same area trying to find the hotel entrance, which located at the 22nd floor.

After checked in i straight away hit the bed. I haven't had any sleep from the day before and it was very unusual of me not to sleep during the flight. The flight from KL to Osaka takes about 6 hours and i did not fall asleep once. Strange, right? And another strange thing happened after i checked in, when i'm about to dozed off the phone rang and the receptionist told me that a guy named Mr. Park was looking for me. I asked the receptionist what does the guy want and the she told me that she have no idea (of course right, she was just conveying a message). Then i told her that i've just arrived and i didn't know anybody in Osaka, and no one know that i'm in Osaka except my family. Then i let her deal with the guy herself.

I woke up at noon and start walking around the hotel area. Guided by the iphone map i arrived in Shinsaibashi. One of the longest shopping arcade i ever walked. Was is tiring? Hell, yes it was tiring. I almost thought that people could die from too much walking. Was it fun? It was so-so. It was fun in the beginning, but the more i walked the more bored i became. It's all fashion stores all the way. I think my mum can spend a week here. I didn't even finished walking the whole arcade. I turned back the moment i saw the  LV building. It was just too depressing to go further. Everyone is so fashionable. And everyone is so pretty. Even a grandma was fashionable than me. And there is no way in thousand years that i could ever complete with the mothers at Shinsaibashi.

But it was not all bad for me. I did find some stores that i like. 2 to be exact. One is the antique books shop and another is the fabric shop. Aside from old japanese books, the antique book store is also selling old paintings. This is the thing that draws me in. I could spend hours in a place like this. When i started looking at the paintings the shop owner straight away come to me and give me a chair. How convenient is that? In the end, i bought 2 woodblock paintings. I only buy things that speak to me.

One of my loot.

Day 2

The day for hanami. And also the day the North Korea expected to launch their rocket. But if i were to die today, i wont have any regret cause i have seen the sakura bloom. O, i tell you, the sight simply amazing, spectacular, magnificent, mind blowing and etc! The moment i set foot in Osaka Castle Park, i thought i've stepped in some kind of fairytale world, cause everything was in soft pink colour! Not only that the place itself is romantic but it is also drawing you to be romantic as well. I could have said "yes" to any proposal in this place. When i was here, i did saw 3 couples taking their pre-wedding photos. And never in my entire life i ever see guys so excited just as much as i am about pink flower. That's the power of sakura blooming.

More sakura trees ahead. This is just the entrance of the pinkish madness.

Day 3

I thought of visiting Hyogo or Kyoto today but i cancelled because i actually don't really care about fulfilling my itinerary. Call it lazy or rebellious, i just don't care. This was supposed to be my leisure trip. So, Kyoto can wait till next time.

So instead, i decided to visit Kinokuniya book store at Umeda. So i splurge a bit. There's nothing wrong with that right?

Part 2 of my blabbering will be posted once i go back home. Or sooner if i'm bored. Or maybe a bit late if i'm busy.