Konnichiwa Japan!!

Heyyy...I'm back!! I know it's been awhile since my last update and if anyone even noticed, I actually closed my blog while I was away to avoid stalkers. :p In fact, I took about 5 weeks off work from March to April for two main reasons...one was to go on a family vacation in Japan, and the other reason was to go on a 'secret mission' (as described by my boss), which I'm not allowed to disclose yet. :p Somehow, both my planned & unplanned vacation coincidentally fall around the same time causing me to be away from work for about two months (in total)...good or bad timing I'm not sure...but I'm thankful that my boss and colleagues were very supportive and helped out with my work while I was away. And yes, I had to take unpaid leave and this is definitely not a good timing to be m-i-a from work, but my view is "nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity...when an opportunity comes you grab it coz some opportunities don't come by twice."

Anyway, our Japan trip ended more than a month ago but I haven't got time to blog about it over the past month so I'm hoping to get it done before I begin my next journey. :p  This was a self-planned trip so I'm gonna proudly say that I was the 'planner' for this entire journey...haha! Took me quite a lot of time working on the entire detailed itinerary but I enjoy doing this kinda crap so I'm happy with my accomplishment...lol! Aight, enough of self-praise (=no praise)...enjoy the photos! =) Warning: Long post ahead!

21 March 2012 (Wed): Pg - KL - Osaka - Kyoto

Took an overnight flight that we booked on Airasia few months back to Osaka. Honestly, the flight wasn't very comfortable and I didn't get much sleep on board. For long-haul AA flight, I'll try to avoid night flights the next time. Our flight arrived Kansai Airport slightly ahead of schedule and we managed to beat the crowd and get out of the airport fairly quickly using our 'kiasu' skill...lol!  

First things first, we went to the airport travel desk to purchase our 2-day Kansai Thru Pass that allowed us to travel on any non-JR trains and buses around Kansai area (including Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Kobe, etc). Transportation is expensive in Japan so this pass was quite worth it for us as our hotel was in Osaka and we planned to travel to Kyoto for 2 days.

Traveling around in Japan is very convenient but it could be quite difficult for people who can't read Japanese. I did a whole lot of homework especially for the best way to travel around and thanks to hyperdia.com, I was able to work out exactly which train, station, time and duration for every place that we wanted to go...kinda insane but it worked out perfect coz we didn't get lost at all!!

Stopped by a shop at the metro station for some gyoza for breakfast...it's great to have something hot to eat when the weather is so chilly!!

Arrived Shin Osaka Sunny Stone hotel...our 2-nights base in Osaka/Kyoto. Hotels in Japan are really small...just enough space to walk to the bed but they are all very clean though. 

Time to head out for some sightseeing after dropping off our luggages at the hotel. Trains make it so convenient to travel anywhere around Japan. My 'homework' comes in handy in  to navigate around the complicated routes. =)

Guess what we had for our first meal in Kyoto??

Oyishi!! 

As if navigating the train route is not challenging enough...we challenged the bus routes...lol!! :p No choice coz Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) was kinda out of the way and the best way to get there was by bus.

Successfully made our way to Kinkakuji! It was actually not that complicated la...I was just exaggerating. :p

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of temples but this temple is one of the famous tourist attractions in Kyoto so I decided to go there to get some nice photos..haha! :p

Of course we all gotta get into the photos...lol!!

Took the train again to go to Arashiyama...we traveled on all sorts of different train lines. One thing we noticed was that Japanese are very quiet in trains and it's actually rude to talk on the phone in the trains. 

Arashiyama district is known for its scenery...but the main reason we came was for the bamboo forest.

Tenryuji Temple...we only took photos from the outside.

Lucky us...we saw some 'real' Geisha along the streets! =) 

After several detours, we finally arrived at the bamboo forest!! It's so pretty!!

I know self praise = no praise but I love this pic of bro that I took...very artistic huh!! :p

Wanted to take some jumpshots with the cool bamboo backdrop behind by bro can never take a good jumpshot of me...I tried almost 20 attempts till my muscle was aching and he still haven't got a perfect one. =.= WeyShin is still the best camera girl...haha!!

The bamboo forest is really pretty...we don't see this in Malaysia so pardon me if I'm a bit 'sam pat'...lol!!

We arrived about a week before the cherry blossom season starts so we were excited just to see some trees blossoming. :p

Sunset along Togetsukyo Bridge with the Oi River & Arashiyama mountains in the background. 

Dinner somewhere around Namba station...more Udon and Soba...woohoo!! 

22 March 2012 (Thurs): Kyoto

Traveled by train from Osaka to Kyoto again the next morning for our second day of sightseeing in Kyoto. 

Our first attraction for the day - Fushimi Inari Shrine...you'll find out why I wanted to visit this place later. :p

Everything around this Shrine is orange...very striking.

There were lotsa students on school trips visiting the temples...good way to educate them to appreciate their own culture. =)

Yup...this was what attracted me to come visit this shrine...haha! If we had more time, I would spend a whole lot of time posing around here...lol!!

Us being crazy fooling around again. :p

Initially I didn't plan to go into Nijo castle but bro wanted to hear 'the floor that makes the bird-chirping sound' so we bought tickets to go in. 

We weren't allowed to take pics in the castle but well at least we got to see some sakuras.

Nishiki Food Market

Udons for lunch again...me likey...haha! 

Next stop...Kiyomizu Dera...another temple on a hill. Had to hike some to reach the temple but there were lotsa shops along the way to distract us. :p

The temple and its surrounding.

Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka slopes...love the feel of walking along this slope.

Gion Geisha district...a trip to Kyoto would not be complete without visiting the Gion district. This area is famous for geisha but it depends on luck to actually see Geishas along the street. We saw a geisha but she was walking so quickly that I didn't manage to get a pic of her.

23 March 2012 (Fri): Takayama & Shirakawago

Checked out of our hotel in Osaka early the next morning to catch a train to Takayama. It was pouring in the morning and we couldn't get a cab so we ended up walking 20 minutes in the rain to the train station. We arrived the train platform 5 minutes before the train departs...we were so close to missing it!

I wanted to take the Wide View Hida Direct Express from Osaka to Takayama because I've read comments about the nice scenery along the 4-hours train ride. But the rain totally ruined our view. =.=

Hida Takayama Washington Hotel Plaza. Usual routine...dropped our bags at the hotel before starting our sightseeing. This hotel is very strategically located right across the train and bus station. The rooms are also nice and clean. =)

Our main destination in Takayama was Shirakawago, a small town an hour away from Takayama. We were rushing to catch the bus and had no time for lunch so the vending machine was a life-saver...haha! I'm really impressed with this machine...it serves hot food! 

 We got on the bus not knowing that we would be greeted by this winter scenery...and I thought it was spring already??? What a pleasant surprise! =)

So glad that we made this trip here...absolutely worth it! I really thought everything would be brown-ish by now coz winter is over but coz Shirakawago is located in the mountains so the temperature was only 2 celcius when we were there.

I'm easily attracted by nice sceneries and this is what attracted me to this UNESCO World Heritage Site. This place is pretty when it's either all white or all green...so winter and summer would be a good time to visit. 

As you can see, the design of the houses is quite special. In winter, the roofs are all covered in snow too.  

It was raining, cold and so freakin' windy...I was so under-dressed for this weather.

Rivers and mountains always make good backdrop for pics. =) Sorry that we had to ruin the nice scenery with our green raincoat...lol!

Love all these wooden houses!

This is a close-up of the one of the houses that we saw from the viewing point above. 

After the vending machine lunch that we had, we decided to get something better...bbq chicken for dinner. =)

24 March 2012 (Sat): Takayama - Tokyo Shinjuku

Our itinerary for the next morning was to walk around Takayama town before catching our bus to Tokyo in the afternoon. Above is the Historical Government House and Jinya-mae morning market.

We then went for a little hike to Shiroyama Park...nothing interesting though.

Some random shots as we walk around Takayama town.

Before leaving Takayama, we had another round of vending-machine lunch box...we almost tried everything they had in that machine...lol!! :p

I didn't mention earlier, we almost bought the 7-day JR rail pass but decided not to after working out the math that it would be cheaper for us to use different modes of transport to travel around. Based on my survey, it was more economical and convenient to travel by bus to some places but all the websites to book tickets are in Japanese so we had to ask our high school friend who's working in Tokyo to help us with it. Thanks YouYang for helping us with all the bus tickets! =) 

The journey from Takayama to Tokyo turned out to be a pleasant surprise too. I wanted to take a nap during the 6-hour bus ride but the sceneries kept me awake. We were back in winter again...haha!! 

What a great timing for our bus to stop for toilet break...it was snowing!!! Yes I know we are very 'sam pat' again...you gotta understand that we live in a country with only one season! 

So glad that we took this bus...hehe! =)

First glimpse of Mt Fuji..more to come!!

Arrived Tokyo Shinjuku around 8pm. We decided to call it a day after dinner coz it was already late. Tokyo was just a quick overnight stop for us because we were saving it for the last 2 days.

Shinjuku was very happening and crowded on a Saturday night...I didn't really like it though. 

A trip to Japan would not be complete without staying at a capsule hotel...haha! It's not really that cheap but just for the experience. The Shinjuku Kuyakusho-mae Capsule Hotel is only for guys so bro and dad stayed there while me and mom stayed in Sunlite Shinjuku Hotel. 

25 March 2012 (Sun): Tokyo Shinjuku - Lake Kawaguchi (Mt Fuji)

Beautiful weather on a Sunday morning in Shinjuku!

Went back to the Shinjuku bus station to catch our bus to Lake Kawaguchi. The journey took about 2 hours.

Finally arrived at Kawaguchiko station...lucky us we bumped into our cute friend...Hello Kitty! :p

Lunch time!

Our accommodation in Mt Fuji...K's House Mt Fuji. We got ourselves a 3-person suite with attached bathroom. This hostel is very cosy, clean and nice! Love it!!

Lake Kawaguchi was within walking distance from our hostel...we were very lucky coz the weather was lovely. The scenery around the lake is absolutely stunning! Most people go to Hakone to see Mt Fuji but I would recommend Lake Kawaguchi.

Took the Kachi-kachi Ropeway to Mt Tenjo for an aerial view of the lake.

It's not easy to get a clear view of the entire Mt Fuji. We waited for quite some time for all the clouds to clear just to get a perfect picture of this mountain!

You have no idea how many pictures we took of the mountain! As I was editing all these pictures, I realized they all look the same...why the heck did I take so many pics then?? 

Best thing about coming up Mt Tenjo is that we got to see both Mt Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi...both equally stunning. =)

Both of us rented bikes from the hostel and went wandering around the lake to catch the sunset.

The sky is so clear but too bad the wind was kinda strong so couldn't really see a clear reflection of the mountain on the lake.

Beautiful!!!

We were busy taking pics until it got dark...lol!

Prepared dinner ourselves at the hostel kitchen.

26 March 2012 (Mon): Goodbye Japan! 

Our original plan was to tour around Tokyo for the last 3 days of our trip which was supposed to end on 28th but unfortunately, me and bro had to give up Tokyo this trip and fly out earlier to another city for our 'special mission'. We forfeited our tickets back to Malaysia and bought another ticket last minute which costed us a bomb...haha! So mom and dad toured around Tokyo themselves for the last 3 days. I guess we'll just have to save Tokyo for the next time then. :p

Had lunch at a special ramen place before heading to Narita airport. All those toilet paper holders caught my attention...good idea huh...lol!

Sayonara Japan!! Hello to another exciting journey!!

Just to share my 'masterpiece'...haha!! I'm such an auditor...lol!!

Oh I even worked out an expense report....hahahaha!! :p

That's all for now. Finally completed this long post. Thanks for scrolling! I'm currently using the free wifi at JFK Terminal 5 before I head elsewhere to look for a better place to spend the night in this airport before catching my next flight tomorrow morning. 

More reasons to travel...

Nothing much going on lately and I haven't got anything new to update so this post is just to share two interesting articles that I read lately. Of course, I'm not the one who wrote these (duhh...I'm not good in writing), but I absolutely share the same thoughts...definitely worth pondering! :p "To travel is to take a journey into yourself." — Danny Kaye


人一定要旅行， 尤其是女孩子。一个女孩子见识很重要，你见多了，自然就会心胸豁达，视野宽广，会影响到你对很多事情的看法。旅行让人见多识广，对女孩子来说更是如此，它会让自己更有信心，不会在物质世界里迷失方向。


人生是一条有无限多岔口的长路，永远在不停地做选择。选择什么专业，做什么工作，和谁做伴侣...每一个选择都影响深远，不同的选择也必定造就完全不一样的人生。不要频频回首自怨，如果当初如何如何，现在就不会怎样怎样...每一个岔口的选择其实没有真正的好与坏，人生就是自己独一无二的创作，我唯一的我。


儿时，幸福是一件宝物；长大之后，幸福是一种状态。然后有一天，我们才发现，幸福既不是宝物，也不是状态，幸福是一种领悟。


一个人只有在一个状态下是确定正在成长的，那就是不舒服的时候！人一定要到陌生的世界和环境下才会深刻地体会到自我的感受，那时无依无靠的你所表现的是最原始的本能！人与人之间若有等级之别，我们可以借由旅行来了解自己的等级！而人与人之间确实也有等级之别，我们管不了别人的低级，但我们却可以提升自己的等级。到时当遇见低等的认识，你会发出心一笑的声音，摇摇头地露出笑容，微笑看待那些事物，因为你知道你的等级已经成长了！而看到那些低等的东西也已经觉得微不足道的微笑了。

今年的你走过了哪些地方，学会了什么？还是今年的你计划去那边走走，让自己学会些什么？这个世界很大，很精彩，但我们每天的生活只局限在一个小圈圈里，能学到的，能感受到的，能遭遇到的都有限！

我们常说一个人还年轻的时候心胸狭窄是因为他所见识到的还很少，而随着我们成长之后却变成欣赏懂得很多，见识很广的人！因为从那些人的口中及眼里，我们能学到很多很多！如果喜欢上一个人，没有前进，甚至比自己一个人的时候还要倒退，那么你还在执著什么？喜欢上他并没有让你变得更好，不是吗？不如大步前进，走自己的路，因为这世界上只有你自己，可以让自己过得更好！甚至不用依赖谁，寄托谁！因为你未必出类拔萃，但你肯定与众不同！

傻孩子，拎起行囊，勇敢地走着自己真正该走的路！也许当下真的知道哪个方向是正确的，但是时间在将来一定会把你以往一点一滴的零碎拼凑成一个完整的解答，届时你会发现遭遇到的一切就是造就成未来那个与众不同的你！

By: 白色裂痕‧闇的意念

_________________________________________________________________

Date a girl who travels. Date a girl who would rather save up for out of town trips or day trips than buy new shoes or clothes. She may not look like a fashion plate, but behind that tanned and freckled face from all the days out in the sun, lies a mind that can take you places and an open heart that will take you for what you are, not for what you can be.

Date a girl who travels. You’ll recognize her by the backpack she always carries. She won’t be carrying a dainty handbag; where will she put her travel journal, her pens, and the LED flashlight that’s always attached to her bag’s zipper? In a small purse, how can she bring the small coil of travel string, the wet tissues, the box of cracker, and the bottle of water she’s always ready with, just in case something happens and she can’t go home yet?

Yes, a girl who travels knows that anytime, anything can happen and she just has to be prepared with it. Nothing takes her by surprise; she takes everything with equanimity, knowing that such things are always a part of life. She’s reliable and dependable, traits that she’s learned while on the road.

You’ll also recognize a girl who travels by the fact that she’s always amazed at the world around her, no matter if she’s in her home town or in a place that’s totally new. She sees beauty all around her, not just the ones featured in travel guides or shown in postcards. A girl who travels has developed a deeper appreciation for life. She won’t judge you, or pressure you to do things you don’t want to do. She knows too much about the importance of identity and self-efficacy, and she will appreciate all the more if you won’t pretend to be who you’re not.

You can lie to a girl who travels and make mistakes, and you can also be as idiosyncratic as you can be. Trust me, she has seen so much worse in her travels, and knows firsthand the vagaries of human nature.

Date a girl who travels, because when you’re with her, you’ll realize that even though she’s napped at a temple in Angkor Wat, went boating down the Mekong Delta, ran by the streets of Saigon, or went skinny-dipping in the caves in the Philippines, she still retains that humility that is the mark of a real traveler. She knows she’s been to a lot of places, but she’s humbled by the fact that the world is still a big place and she’s only seen a small part of it. Seeing this in her can make you feel all right with yourself too; there’s no need for you to do more, to be more. What you are is enough.

When you meet a girl who travels, ask her where she’s been and what she’s going to do next. She will appreciate your interest, and if you’re lucky, she may even invite you to join her. When she does, do. Nothing bonds people better than traveling. On your trips, you will both see each other’s best and worst characteristics, and you can then decide whether she’s worth fighting for.

It’s easy enough to date a girl who travels. She won’t want expensive gifts; you can buy her (or both of you) cheap tickets to Thailand for the weekend, and she’ll be more than happy to take you to the longest wooden bridge in the country. You don’t even have to go overseas; you can take her out on day trips, caving or hiking, or treat her to a full body massage.

You can also buy her the little things that she keeps forgetting to buy for herself; that carabiner that will attach her backpack to her seat so that she will feel easier about sleeping on her bus trip, or a backpack cover, a small alarm clock, a  money belt, or maybe another sarong that will replace the one she lost in China.

She won’t mind if you get lost on your way to a date. She knows that oftentimes, the journey is more important than the destination. She will help you see the lighter side of things. She’ll walk along with you, not behind you, pointing out the interesting bits of things you’ll see on the way. Before long, you’ll realize that yes, the journey has been more memorable than the destination that you’ve planned to take her to.

Is a girl who travels worth it? Yes, she is. So when you find her, keep her. Don’t lose her with your insecurities and doubts. Because when she says she loves you, she really does. After all, she’s seen so many things, met so many people, and if she had chosen you, better grab that opportunity and thank the gods that you were lucky enough she’s chosen you and not that bloke she met while watching the sun rise in Angkor Wat, or while whitewater rafting in the Padas Gorge in Sabah.

If she says she loves you, she must have seen something in you, something that can always call her back from her travels, something that can anchor her to the world in the way that she wants to after weeks and months of being on the road.

Date a girl who travels. Make her feel safe, warm, and secure. Make her believe that no matter where she goes, and however long she’s gone, you’ll always be there for her, the one that she can call home.

Find a girl who travels. Date her, love her, and marry her, and your world will never be the same again.

By: Solitary Wanderer

Daydreaming

This post is absolutely random. I was too bored so started browsing around Yahoo!Travel to day-dream for some travel destinations...lol! Keeping my passion alive okay. :P Anyway, going through the many lists of "World's-Most/Best" reminds me of how fortunate I am to have had the opportunities to step foot in so many amazing places...incredible gratitude. =)

World's Best Cities - Most Dynamic Vacation-Worthy Places

1.Bangkok  2.Florence  3.Rome  4.New York  5.Istanbul  6.Cape Town  7.Siem Reap  8.Sydney  9.Barcelona  10.Paris  (7/10)

World's Most-Visited Tourist Attractions - Embrace The Wisdom of Crowds

1.Times Square(NYC)  2.Central Park(NYC)  3.Union Station(DC)  4.Las Vegas Strip  5.Niagara Falls  6.Grand Central Terminal(NYC)  7.Quincy Market(Boston)  8.Disneyworld(Orlando)  9.Disneyland(California)  10.Grand Bazaar(Istanbul)  (9/10) 

World's Most Popular Landmarks - Iconic Landmarks

1.Statue of Liberty  2.Empire State Building  3.Golden Gate Bridge  4.Eiffel Tower  5.Big Ben  6.Colosseum  7.Millenium Park Chicago  8.St. Peter's Basilica  9.Swiss Re Building London  10.The High Line NYC  (8/10)

World's Best Airlines - Life's A Journey, Not A Destination

1.Singapore Airlines  2.Emirates  3.Etihad  4.Air New Zealand  5.Virgin America  6.Virgin Atlantic 7.Cathay Pacific  8.All Nippon Airways  9.Korean Air  10.Thai Airways  (4/10)

Usher in the Dragon Year!

Seems like we just welcomed the new year not too long ago...now it's time of the year again to welcome Chinese New Year! As compared to last year, work is not as hectic this time around and I also managed to do most of my new year shopping in Shanghai. =) CNY falls on Mon and Tues this year, and we were asked to take 2 days off work (to avoid charging time on the job)...kinda waste of my leave. :P Even though I had 2 extra days of holiday, I was on cny-lazy-mode...stayed home most of the time and enjoyed being a homebody. 

This CNY, I also offered to host an exchange student (Thea) from Germany and share how we celebrate this 'ang ang' festive season in Malaysia. Main reason I volunteered to host was because I was fortunate enough to receive warm hospitality when I was an exchange student in the States and I would like to take this opportunity to give back by doing my small part in sharing our Malaysian hospitality. =) This is the 2nd consecutive year that we've hosted 'ang moh' for cny, let's see if this trend continues next year...haha!! :p

Pre-CNY 'lou sang' with Dell team on the last day of work before the holidays.

Jan 21 (Sat): Georgetown Heritage Tour

Brought Thea for a walking tour around Georgetown Heritage zone. Thanks to the hot weather...we almost got barbequed. :p

Jan 22 (Sun): Chinese New Year's Eve 除夕夜

Reunion dinner with the family at Vistana hotel. Pretty good that we had a room for ourselves. This year's reunion dinner treat was on 4 of us who are already working. =)

Chinese New Year = feasting season (we eat all day and night) :p

Group picture with all sorts of combination. :p This year we're missing 2 cousins...one in UK and one in Taiwan.

Once in a year...of course gotta take more pictures. :p

Was supposed to stay home and play mahjong after the dinner but we ended up somewhere else. =.=

Jan 23 (Mon): First Day of CNY 大年初一

Usual routine...paternal relatives gather at 姑妈's house for lunch. Last year we were all wearing England jerseys that I got from UK, this year we're all in traditional clothes that I got from Shanghai...hahaha! :p

All paternal relatives at our house...this year only one cousin absent. It's pretty interesting to see the exact same kinda group picture year after year. :p

Continuing with my task as a host...quick detour to Batu Feringghi.

Last stop for the first day...grandaunt's house.

Jan 24 (Tues): 2nd Day of CNY 大年初二

House-hopped to 6 houses.

Ended the day with a yummy dinner treat by aunt. =)

Jan 25 (Wed): 3rd Day of CNY 大年初三

Aunt's lunch treat with free lion dance. =) Told ya...CNY is all about eating! :p