Filed under: East of the sun
For those of you who tuned into the blog whilst Neil and I were in NZ and Japan will know that Neil is not a lover of trains….so, some of you may wonder why he has agreed to spend two weeks travelling through Malaysia and Thailand by train….
Well, after a discussion today, it would appear that Neil hadn’t really thought about how many trains this journey would involve….so I thought I had better come clean. I admitted to the fact that we would probably spend more nights asleep on train bunks than we would stay in a stationary bed in the two weeks away…..the face said it all. The romantic notion of train travel lost on my other half, although, to be fair, I really should have remembered following on from the mammoth train trek to Fuji-san…..
Things though are starting to come together, despite the difficulty in making train bookings, I’ve managed to secure a first class cabin for our introduction to night time train travel, hostels are booked, and most importantly our elephant trek and thai cookery course are all sorted….as you all know, I love my food and I was not missing out on a cookery opportunity!!
So for now, that’s all the news, once the itinerary is sorted I will let you all know, just so you can appreciate how much mileage we will be covering in those two weeks…
Filed under: East of the sun
This time last year I was typing my final blog before leaving the country, bags were packed, tickets had been checked and I was facing 6 months with the smallest of wardrobes - I couldn’t wait.
So now Neil and I have been home for 7 months we are planning the next adventure – this time to the cultural crossroads of Malaysia and Thailand. A flight with Air Asia will see us land in Kuala Lumpar – a city that appears to have every cultural influence possible and I can not wait to get lost in the streets packed with street hawkers and night bazaars.
And then we’re off – taking advantage of overnight sleeper trains to travel northbound – final destination Chiang Mai. First stop Penang – and in search of the restaurant that Rick Stein recently endorsed on his latest foodie series!
Beyond that the trip is merely ideas, a growing to do list, with a two week timeframe – and really it comes down to making the most of the Malaysia/Thai railway timetable – so watch this space. And if anyone has any “must see” places – let me know - and we’ll see what we can do!
Over and out for now!
Filed under: Japan
I don’t really know where to start with Tokyo – it’s a complex place. It’s like mini cities within the city, the urban sprawl personified…..
Neil and I had 3 full days to explore with the use of the JR Yamanote line (free on the rail pass), that runs in a circle around the city (its a full hour to make the complete circuit).
We eased into Tokyo gently, heading into the Imperial Palace Gardens for a stroll, playing with the technology on display at the Sony Building in Ginza (think 5th Avenue NYC) and heading out to Roppongi to look at the Roppongi Hills complex. It had this huge statue spider outside of it and I thought it looked rather funky – and it offered a good view over towards to the Tokyo Tower, which is just a replica Eiffel Tower with a few extra centiremetres thrown on the top for good measure!!
On day 2 our first stop was Shinjuku (entertainment and sky scraper district) to make use of the free observation floor in the Met Government Building. Sadly the morning we ventured up was dull and overcast so Mt Fuji couldn’t be seen in the distance, but it did give us the chance to appreciate the density of the city, block after block of buildings, railway tracks going this way and that, expressways heading out of the city and the odd splash of greenery in the form of parks or gardens. Now we hadn’t planned to stop at the Meiji Jinga shrine – but after getting a little lost we stumbled across it and a traditional wedding, which was lovely to see! In contrast to the kimono clad bride and pristine dressed relatives we then visited the “costume play gang” – teens dressed up in all bizarre outfits, offering free hugs and generally drawing attention to themselves. They are indeed an attraction in themselves – they even have an association!!
It was then a stroll around the shops in Harajuku – heading in the direction of Shibuya and to my mind one of the most recognisable Tokyo sights – hundreds of people at the scramble intersection, a surge of humanity as the lights change to green on the crossings! I had gotten a picture which in my mind summed this up – but sadly our memory card decided to format itself and the pictures are lost….so for those of you who are not familiar with this sight – watch Lost In Translation!
Now for someone who isn’t a lover of fish I seem to have a bit of an obsession with fish markets, and as Tokyo has one of the largest in the world it was only a matter of time before we visited. So that was the start to Monday, followed by a trip to the arcades and an afternoon out across Tokyo Bay (queue replica Statue of Liberty)….and then it hit us, the following day was our last day – and it had to be special.
Now Sumo might not be everyone’s cup of tea – I appreciate overweight men in nappies isn’t easy on the eye, but its so much more than just the fight. Neil and I really enjoyed the whole experience, and it was followed by one of the most peculiar moments we had the whole trip – a visit to a Maid Cafe. It is what it says it is, a cafe, run by maids, (basically young women dressed in maid outfits) and generally frequented by Japanese men wanting to look but not touch! But it was the quirky and bizarre that made this trip – and sumo maid Tokyo (thanks Neil for the clever use of words!!)
Filed under: Japan
Pagoda at Koya-San
The amazing thing about the JR network is that you can get from one place to the other in next to no time – unless that is you want to get to see Mt Fuji close up……
Our first stop of the week was Nara, to see the largest wooden building in Japan, housing the largest Buddha. The temple was very grand, and Buddha very impressive, however I managed to injure myself trying to fit through the gap in a very large post which is supposed to be the same size as one of the Buddhas nostrils. It is said that if you can fit through you will have enlightenment….hmm, well I miss out hey?
Osaka was our first jaunt out from Nara, it was an interesting city, with some funky neon night scapes and lots of shopping arcardes, pachinko parlours and octopus ball stands….no, I have not ventured there, my stomach is not that brave!!!
Koyo-san was a picture perfect snowy day trip….involving numerous trains, and one of our longest journeys to date, but well worth it. The area is a sacred Buddhist complex of temples and a beautiful cemetery called Okunoin. Neil and I have never been so cold in our lives, but we managed to get some awesome pictures!!!
And then things got complicated, getting to Kawaguchiko to see the National Embelem – Mt Fuji. Leaving Nara we started our journey of 6 train trips, I kid you not, 6 changes to make – but for most of the trip we could see Mt Fuji it was such a perfect blue sky, Neil taking numerous pictures just incase the cloud came in. Which it didn’t and we made it up to the observation station – and spent a few hours chilling out in the sunshine, taking in the view and eating hot dogs from a self service vending machine…the other items on offer were chips, dim sum and noodles. Fantastic!
It was then off to Tokyo again, via a stop in Yokohama, where we watched the sunset over the harbour before ducking into Chinatown for our tea…We also found the best supermarket here, with proper bread – and other recognisable goodies. Oh how I can’t wait to have some fruit and veg – the land of convenience is doing nothing for my waistline!!
I think we had done a tally prior to getting back to Tokyo and we had taken something like 30 odd trains, yes I admit not helped by me getting us lost or staying on a train past our stop – but never the less it’s a lot of trains. What a shame I’m not a train spotter!!
Filed under: Japan
Snow Monkey
So I left off with Neil’s promise to head out to the outdoor onsen in Yudanaka, I can confirm that on a very cold, snowy winters evening we headed out from the warmth of the ryokan to our private outdoor onsen (hot spring bath). It was beautiful as the sun slipped away and all the lights of the local towns lit up in the valley below us, surprisingly we were very warm outdoors – the water was scorching hot, and the indoor sauna, well, I can’t imagine hell even gets that warm!!!
It did round off a perfect day though – we had spent the afternoon in the snow monkey park, perfect powder, snow falling and monkeys lazing around in their own onsen – it was magical…..
We left the snow and hit the culture vulture city of Kyoto, with its beautiful temples, shrines and oh my god, real life geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha) – they were fabulous, waddling down the Ponto-cho alley in full kimono….I was in awe!!!
What came as the big surprise of the week though was Hiroshima, with its beautiful Peace Memorial Gardens, the sombre atmosphere at the A-Bomb Dome and the hectic nightlife around the Okiyinama eateries (sort of a pizza/pancake/noodle combo). Neil and I even ventured into the karaoke booths, were I, oh yes I, tone deaf burton sang her little heart out to the likes of “Iris” (well it had to be done) and if I dare to admit it, “I’m a barbie girl”…..Oh yes, I also learnt origami, and made paper cranes and a butterfly at the hostel we were staying at – lets just say Neil had to be very patient with me!!
We day tripped to Mayijima from Hiroshima, this island houses the floating shrine and tori gate that is one of the most photographed views in all of Japan….it didn’t let us down, perfect views out to the floating gate, the deer wandering around and lovely little maple leaf shaped cakes filled with chocolate and cream for us to munch on (lots of shops give away tasters….yummy).
From Hiroshima we head to Nara – will keep you posted of our travels!
Filed under: Japan
Traditional Japanese New Years Breakfast
So neil and i made it to the land of the rising sun, jet lagged and with motion sickness (that was me), we arrived in Tokyo…this was just a brief stop before heading to Hakuba for our New Year on the piste.
As we arrived in Echoland, the white stuff was falling and made for a perfect day on the piste the following day. Sadly the conditions deteriorated, but I did learn some new things, getting big air (about an inch off the ground) and how to ollie……
Anyway, so far Japan has been a real eye opener in a good way – heated loo seats, polite and helpful people and interesting food items. Neil and I are still not sure what we ate for our traditional Japanese breakfast on New Years day – and I dont think either of us are in a rush to know either…….
Today we leave Hakuba and head to Yudanaka, to hopefully see the snow monkeys, and maybe if we are brave enough an open air onsen (bath). Neil tells me he is brave enough to go, even if I dont – will keep you posted on that one!!
Filed under: new zealand
So, after 5 weeks of apple thinning it was all over on Friday afternoon and yesterday Neil and I got back into backpacker mode and dug out our rucksacks and got packing.
Today we left Te Kohanga Lodge (home for the last 5 weeks) and headed back to the big city of Auckland to sort out last minute bits and bobs for Japan (we will be there this time next week – argh!!) and to have our lazy kiwi Christmas on the beach at Waiheke….weather permitting!! I’m doing a snowdance for Japan so lets just hope the weather doesn’t get confused and we see snow on Christmas Day!! Now I wonder what the odds are on that??
It’s strange to think that after all this time in NZ we are down to our final week…how things have changed. Winter to Summer. Two islands, two very different experiences. Playtime to work. And what really makes it feel like it’s been a while is the thought that we have been here long enough to hear two singles released from both Katy Perry and Pink!! I am actually compiling a soundtrack to our time in NZ – I’m just glad that in the closing weeks The Killers and Kings of Leon have graced the airwaves otherwise it may have been a little pop plastic sountrack!!
Anyway – hope you all have a lovely Christmas and New Year. I will do my upmost to get something on the blog in Japan… If not, as soon as i’m home I’ll put a little overview and some pics!! But for now I will leave you with a pic taken last night, after a few beers – and with our lovely Chilean room mates Sebastian and Marcela.
Filed under: new zealand
Just to let you all know, Neil and I managed to get ourselves some work to get us through to our kiwi Christmas….working in the apple orchards in sunny Hawkes Bay!
We are now heading into our fourth week of apple thinning, basically just taking off small and bad apples from trees and getting paid for the privelage. The mercury has hit the 30′s this week and it’s really hotting up now summer is on the way!
For those of you who would like to indulge in a little kiwi christmas, head off to Waitrose and pick up some Monteith’s beer – or make some red wine with strawberries (chop strawberries small, add lots of red wine, chill – and enjoy!!) – I have a feeling Neil and I will indulge in both over Christmas!
Filed under: new zealand
First and foremost, apologies in the delay – it’s been a bizarre few weeks (so i’ll keep it brief).
I left off after the mammoth drive, and from happily returning our little Jusy rental Neil and I headed to Auckland, a city which we surprisingly found ourselves liking. We enjoyed the little markets (and the cheap food on offer), the waterfront, the buzz of the city – and the views from the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, The Sky Tower.
However Auckland doesn’t have to be all city lights and noise, and we took a trip over to Rangitoto Island, NZ’s youngest volcano (no longer active we are told – but still something niggles at the back of your mind) – and completed the summit walk. This offered some lovely views back over to Auckland and all it’s city glory.
After the shambles that was the road trip, we decided to really take some time out and head over to Waiheke Island, 40 minutes by ferry from the Auckland Ferry Terminal. It feels a million miles apart though, the hourly bus service that meets the ferry, the lack of emergency sirens and the general slower pace to life. Neil and I stayed over on Waiheke for 3 days, just lazing out on the beach when the weather permitted (getting very sunburnt legs – Laura, not Neil) and when it didn’t we spent our time booking an apartment for Christmas. Overcast afternoons really aren’t that good for the bank balance!!
So with our decision to stay for Christmas we now had a lot of arranging to do when we got back to the real world in Auckland, changing flights, booking JR Rail Passes – and the hard task of trying to find a job…..This is where things started to get a little out of hand.
Hours trawling the internet and making calls to vineyards, agencies and the like did nothing for moral as all we heard where the same words “maybe call back next week” or “nothing at the moment”. So it was time to hit the sweeties and make ourselves feel better…….and then it all seemed to slip into place. A job came up on a backpacker website, kiwi flower picking, starting that weeked, up in the Northland – the only place Neil and I still needed to visit. Perfecto…..but how wrong could we be.
We headed for Kerikeri, and settled into Honeheke Lodge, the work that was due to start at the weekend had now been put back til Tuesday and to top things off the backpackers we were staying at had a party, outside of our room that lasted until 6am. I just knew that wasn’t for me…..so, Neil and I headed to a new backpackers, which just happened to be in the middle of nowhere.
The Valley has been an art centre, healing retreat, every hippy hangout you can think of, and now, it’s being turned into a backpackers. They also had work Kiwiflower picking, which had also been put back, this time until Wednesday…..so, it was agreed that we would work for our accomodation until the work started. Can you imagine, Neil and I, out in the open air, digging, painting, cleaning out spa pools – well you name it, we did it!! We met some interesting characters up in the Valley, and in hindsight, maybe this was part of the real adventure, when things don’t work out quite as planned and how you get around the problems.
We did finally get to pick some kiwi flowers, I won’t even tell you how much we got paid for our nine hour day, because it’s just laughable…well you can only laugh or you’d have to cry!!
For now though we are apple thinning, down in Hastings, I have a feeling that I will never want to see another apple again in my life after this – but at least it’s paying minimum wage and keeping us ticking over to get that down under Christmas on the beach that we want!! Waiheke Island here we come!
Filed under: new zealand
So, flying around the North Island and spending a lot of money “doing stuff”, Neil and I decided to get out and about and see some of what the north had to offer. The guidebook steered us in the direction of Coromandal Peninsula, around the Bay of Plenty and along the East Cape. But I’ll hold my hands up now and say this road trip was far from what we were after. I’ll just give a brief overview of where we went and some of the highlights!!
Our little Jucy rental was collected at Auckland Airport, and surprise, surprise, it was raining…..and it rained most of the way to Thames along the Pacific Coast Highway (which if we’re honest NZ, does not hug the Pacific Coast at all!!).
With severe weather warnings over night, the walk we had anticipated carrying out was off the cards, I heard the possibility of fords and was not taking a chance with the Jucy lunchbox car – and we opted for a walk closer to Thames. It turned out to be the most bizarre walk we have done since arriving in NZ, spending most of it walking through cobwebs and then worrying about where the spider was…….We arrived in Whitianga, a little down hearted with more bad weather on the way, so headed out to the one attraction that we did want to see. Cathedral Coves – this was all very impressive, and I have to say with the stormy skies rolling in off the Ocean made for some nice photography!
Now, day 3 – we stopped at a market where Neil and I taste tested numerous jams, chutneys and the likes, never ones to turn down some free food! We arrived in Tauranga and ventured to the hot salt pools to chill out, relax and keep reassuring ourselves that this road trip would improve.
So, day 4, we did manage to make the summit of Mt Manganui (a bump in the road in comparison to some climbs we have done), but it did offer some nice views along the Bay of Plenty and was a good way to stretch the legs before a mammoth day of driving. After a brief stop in Whakatane to look at a statue out in the water we continued our travels on to Tiki Tiki, half way around the East Cape. The rain set in for the day, as did the constant road works, dropping us down in speed from 100km to 30km, the journey was never ending. So much so that when we got to the East Cape lighthouse neither Neil or I could be bothered climbing the 700 odd steps to the top – something that I think both of us now regret, but at the time we just could not face!
Labour Day (bank holiday Monday to you and me) brought some nice weather and we managed to get out and have a stroll along some beaches, but with more driving to do, we could never hang around for long! We had a wander (and an ice cream) in Gisborne, this is where Captain Cook first landed in New Zealand and there is a statue to commemorate this – although the statue was modelled on an Italian Explorer – oops! Our last stop on the East Cape was Wairoa where we stayed for the night before heading back inland!
Heading back to Taupo down the Geothermal Highway we stretched our legs at a small lake, but nothing more, just more driving…..and even more rain if I remember correctly. So I’m sure you get the idea, that this was far from perfect, and far from the seeing the North – most of the time we couldn’t see for rain, but we did see something fairly spectacular before getting the car back to Auckland.
Waitomo Glowworm Caves, hundreds and thousands of glow worms, lighting up the cave. We were taken on a little raft around the wet cave, with nothing more than the glow of the worms to light the way. It was spectacular, and I have to say really worth the lengthy de-tour around the North Island to see!
Aftet the mammoth road trip it was off to the City of Sails…..we will update you next week with our adventures
