The first, best thing about Bangkok.

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The first, the best thing about Bangkok is my friend Bryan lives there! Everyone should have a friend in Bangkok! (Never mind that he doesn't remember meeting me… At his wedding and hasn't seen me since!). Bryan had just accepted a job with the US Embassy and moved to Bangkok a month before I arrived. How lucky for me! My flight from Tokyo arrived at 11pm and because of his Embassy job, Bryan was able to meet me at my gate as I exited the plane! Do you remember the good ol days when you could be accompanied right up to your gate? What a luxury.

I had a rest day to do laundry and eat street food, then Bryan graciously hired Sam to take me around Bangkok in his taxi. Here's what we did the first day.

1- The train track market.

This was 45 minutes outside of Bangkok. The booths must be pulled in 8 times a day as the train wizzes by. Here is a photo of me, on the tracks.

There were lots of interesting food booths at the market. Many types of seafood.

This machine processes coconut into a flour-like substance.

What you will not see is a photo of the train. It wouldn't arrive for 30-45 minutes and Sam was not interested in waiting that long when there was so much else to see. Ok. Moving on

2- Longboat to the floating market

We hired a longboat for the outrageous sum of $55 US to take us to the 'authentic' floating markets, as opposed to the ones set up for the tourists, closer to Bangkok. The ride throught the channels was fun. The longtails are powered by automobile engines and are very loud.

Behind me you can see the canoes full of goods for the shoppers. It was fun to order mango with sticky rice and have it delivered in a net from the river.
This tiny primate was so cute! He belongs to friends of Sam so I paid 100 Baht to have my photo taken with him. They said he is very spoiled at home and so he is naughty and likes to bite fingers. This is not my finger in the photo… I did not want a rabies shot.
The monkey thought my necklace looked tasty and he tried to eat it. Naughty monkey.
After the floating markets we took the longboat back to the dock and headed to the resort for lunch. I experienced my first Thai toilet. You flush with the bucket & hope you can pee without getting any on your shoes.
3- Rose Garden Resort.
I had requested Pad Thai for lunch. This was absolutely the tastiest Pad Thai! Later, I learn that Pad Thai is a tourist dish and local people are much more likely to order fish and rice. The riverside restaurant at the Rose Garden Resort was classy but not too expensive.

The resort is famous for their Cultural show- so I (re:Bryan) shelled out 600 Baht ($18 us) for an hour long show of history, dancing, music and mui Thai fighting. It was a very interesting show. Here they show dancing through bamboo poles that are whacked and slid together. (Troy and I did the same with a group of Vietnamese people in Sapa!)

Mui Thai fights are popular entertainment here and I was glad to see one that was just pretend. The fight was so exactly correographed that Sam would tell me to make sure to watch for this next move or the next silly thing the trainer did to rally the 'losing' fighter. Sam saw this show often with his tourists.

The last dance, they ask the audience to join in. Luckily, the dance is easy and mostly involves some hand waving.

There was a 15 minute elephant show after the dance. The elephants showed us how they dragged logs.

4- Giant pagoda

I had been requesting to stop at one of the giant, shiny temples that we were passing along the highway but Sam refused. He would only take me to the BEST temples, the OLDEST temples! Not these showy, new temples that I was seeing. “Is the best OK for you?” he would ask.

Yeah, this was OK. My very first temple! Soon, I drew the attention of the 'Tourist Police' and we had to have our photo taken together.

The temple was the oldest in Bangkok and very interesting. It had many statues of Buddha, in many different positions or 'mudras'. I upset Sam by suggesting that the mudra of Buddha with his hands outstretched and fingers turned down should be called, 'Keyboard Buddha”. (Sorry, no photo- Sam seemed a bit upset by my joke…)

Sam told me that Chinese merchant ships would come into port with these heavy statues as balast.

 

All in all, it was a nice day and I arrived back to Bangkok just before the crush of rush hour traffic. The next day, Bryan and I would both go out to sightsee with Sam!

 

 

 

Sayonara, Japan.

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I left Kyoto determined to get more than a glimpse at Mt. Fuji. I didnt need to climb it- especially after Mt. Ontake had erupted earlier in the week. I just wanted to see Fuji. So, I hopped on the Shinkensen for a few hours, transfered to a tram to head up into the mountains near Hakone.

I arrive in Gora after dark and found my hostel (Hakone Tent) and had some dinner.

This was a traditional Ryoken, so my dorm room had a woven tatami floor and futon mattresses for beds.

It also had an Onsen, which is like a natural hot tub. I had a lovely soak before bed and slept so soundly.

My hostel also had a turntable… in the kitchen.

In the morning, I got the 8am bus from Gora to Hakone to catch an early glimpse of Mt. Fuji.

I had a nice walk along Lake Ashi…

…and stopped off at a forest temple.

Then, I got down to business- where is that big ol Mountain hiding? Is it by this pirate sihp?

Hmm, couldn’t find it. Must walk further… yay! I found the viewpoint park!

Well, shoot. Mt. Fuji is just behind those clouds somewhere. It should look like this.

The viewing house did have a cool 1930’s light fixture…

and a manicured shrub that looked like a pile of stones.

I had a 6pm flight out of Tokyo and so I give up the hunt for Mt. Fuji and head back to the bus station. The tram up had cost me $7US, so I figured the bus must be cheaper… plus, the map showed the bus traveling a more direct route back to the Shinkensen. So I made the obvious choice and jumped on the bus.

I spent a long time in the front of this bus and figured out what all this is for. The orange/white machine dispenses tickets with a # on them- you take a ticket when you get on the bus & then you follow a chart to tell you how much to pay at your destination.

The next machine scans people’s bus cards. When you get off the bus, you use the next block of machines.

The one with the red arrow is where you pay your fare. But first, you put your tiny ticket into the front of the machine.

Anyway, I finally got to the Shinkensen station via bus and made it out to Narita airport with time to spare! I had a United club pass and enjoyed my last few hours in Japan eating free snacks and drinks in the airport lounge.

The next time the wheels touch the ground, I’ll be in Bangkok, Thailand! Sayonara, Japan!

 

 

City of the red gates: Fushimi Inari and ‘writing my hope’

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Travel Date:  9/29/2015
When I travel, it seems that there is never enough time in one place. 3 days in Kyoto made me feel this acutely. This is my last day in Kyoto. This afternoon I’ll catch the Shinkensen towards Tokyo but I’ve got time for one more stop; Fushimi Inari’s famous red gates.

Inari is just 2 stops from Kyoto on the local train so its quick and easy to get to. I head off to Kyoto station by bus. Then, I leave my heavy bag at the train station- for $4-5 you can get a locker or check your bag into the bag storage on the lower level. Next, I hop on the local train and head out.

The site is directly across from the train station- 15 minutes after I leave Kyoto, I’m walking up a corridor proudly flanked by 50+ of these TripAdvisor signs.

Now the fun begins! So many red gates!

There is a big hill to walk up. All lined with gates!

Don’t worry, old ladies with canes can make it up- so can you!

I took a side trip to check out some memorials where the locals leave offerings for their ancestors.

Maybe I got too far off track because once I got to the top there was no gate. Just an old billboard frame & a view of the city. No matter. On the way back down I found wonderful sights like Buddah’s mother & kittens!

I ducked off the path again and found it. A four foot high stone temple covered with white fox figurines.

And also a place for ‘Writing Your Hope’. I have seen many of these places in the temples of Japan and they usually instruct the worshiper to light a candle for luck or good fortune or love or health. Some are very specific; safe traveling, good exams, happy attitude, etc. But this one was wide open, what did I hope for?

Immediately, I knew my hope. You might know it too.
It is no secret that I hope to meet a kind + clever man.
It was clear, this temple knew my hope as well.
All of the tiny papers tied along the fence had hopes like mine.
I didn’t have time to read them all – but I didn’t need to.
The ones I read were meant for me. It was unusual that they were in English.
I looked around to located the stack of papers, but couldn’t find them.

Instead, I left a small offering and took one of the tiny fox figurines in a bowl nearby.

They had a little string on them, like cell phone charms.

Writing my hope, Fushimi – Inari.

 

Oh, Deer! Nara.

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I was really enjoying Kyoto, but I was told that Nara was a 'must-see'! So, off I go to see the 3rd largest Japanese Buddha and pet some deer. I was not disappointed!

The best part was watching the deer being fed small, round crackers by little, nervous children. The deer were the size of med-large dogs and were eye to eye with the 3 year olds (who are easily intimidated into giving up their crackers.)

The walk from the train station to the Buddha sends you down a street full of touristy shops- I stopped for a red bean mochi cookie. The town is chocked full of tourists, both foreign & local. Everybody is in a snapping photos.

New friends & a lovely pagoda.

The deer are everywhere.

This giant wood structure houses the Buddha image and is actually 1/3 the size of the original, which burnt down at least twice.

Step over the threshold and there he is! Buddha! There is a pleasant aroma of incense and wood. There is also a hoard of people being directed around the Buddha.

The building is supported by giant wooden posts. People were lined up to crawl through this one (does anybody know why?)

They direct you around the back of the Buddha and out the front of the building, so you see Buddha from his left side as well.

Buddha is impressive, but other than a row of souvenir shops, there isn't much else to see… So back out to the deer.

So cute & tiny, even this momma deer has spots.

Deer Selfies!
After a bit more wandering I find a field of deer and this cool statue.
Then, I make my way back to the trainand head back to Kyoto.

Thanks Nara, you were lovely!

 

Biking around Kyoto

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Biking is so fun! I paid $7 US to rent a bike from my hostel. The first thing I noticed was that it doesn’t take much to deter a Japanese bike thief. Most of the bikes had a short, thin chain through the back wheel. My lock was a crecent, built into the back of the bike frame and just slid through the back wheel and locked. No one locked their bikes TO anything. Just put up your giant kickstand, slide the lock into place and off you go!

(Kid-carrying bike photo for Hillary Mull!)

Umbrella holster!
I rode 10 minutes up the street when I spotted a lovely temple gate and headed in for a look around.
The Yakasa Temple grounds cover such a large area (and there was so much going on!) that I stayed for 2 hours and ended up having lunch there! (Ymmmm, Squidballs!)

There were vendors selling coins (I bought a few), TWO weddings going on and in the back there was a temple up on the hill that offered a great view of the city.

Wedding #1 – the girl with the golden forehead is a ceremonial dancer.
There were many guests and attendants at this elaborate wedding. The guests all wore black.
The woman helping the bride also attended to the bride in the 2nd wedding.
Wedding #2- Just a simple affair.
This guy makes some stellar Squidballs!
This is the last known photo of Joey- who was lost in a last minute stand-off with airport security.
I ended up checking a bag to keep my tiny (but too pointy) scissors, but lost Joey in the shuffle. 😦

While I was eating my Squidballs this lovely man approached me to ask if I was from Vietnam…

He just wanted to practice his English & show me his ‘study guides’. Exibit 1- The lyrics to the ‘What a Feeling’ from Flashdance. Exhibit 2- ‘What did you expect from Mardi Gras?’ Uhhh…

Next, I peddled around the Imperial Palace grounds, the wide ‘roads’ are all gravel so people stick to one thin trail where the gravel has been compacted by bike tires. It’s pretty hot but there are lots of little, shady spots to explore. I found a children’s playground, a bunch of bird photographers & an outdoor library full of nature books!

The day is half over! Off I go to the Golden Palace! After you buy your ticket, you just follow the crowd around the lake and back out again. Luckily, the weather was perfect & the sun was reflecting off the palace. It went by so fast that I just went through again. No charge.

 
There is a Phoenix on top!

I treated myself to some Red Bean ice cream & biked back to the hostel. As soon I walked in the door, I heard a cheery voice asking in anyone wanted to go out for dinner. I sure did! A few of us walked downtown to a Conveyor Belt Sushi restaurant! There were little touch screens to choose your sushi, then they showed you a photo of it when they put it on the conveyor in the kitchen so you are paying attention when it comes around.

I was sooo tuckered out! Back to my Santiago Hostel for a shower & a sleep!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrogato, Kyoto!

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My second morning in Tokyo I had to catch the bullet train to Kyoto. Jana and I had a bit of time to grab some breakfast and see the palace before. American breakfast is notoriously hard to come by in Japan. Luckily, we found a Dean & Deluca and had some fantastic quiche!

The palace is a big walled compound so we didn't get to see much. The shadow of this carefully manicured tree was my favorite. The rest of it looked something like this..big walls and a moat.

Off to the train station to speed across the country!

(Side note: Ron told me a funny story about safety testing the Shinkensen. Japan asked Boeing how they ensured that the glass in the cockpit could withstand an in-air collision with a bird. Boeing sent them the specs for a cannon that fired chickens at the front of the planes in their testing facility. Japan built the cannon, did some tests, broke all the windshields, redesigned the windshields and did more tests. They were unable to make a winshield that could pass the Boeing test. When they called Boeing to ask for advice, they seemed to be doing everything perfectly. After repeated tests and another phone call they discovered that Japan had been using frozen chickens.)

The train ride is smooth & fast, soon enough I'm wandering the streets of Kyoto looking for my hostel. I pass ladies in Kimonos, ancient temples and more 7-11s than I've seen since the 90's.

I get a bit lost on the way to the hostel, which is not surprising. I have no internet and I'm working off a screenshot from Google Maps and an address. I approach a group of ladies and they chat to eachother encouragingly when I point to the pin on the map and show them the address. I finally get to the hostel… I had walked right past it. I have to leave my shoes at the door and bunks have curtains around them.

Goodnight, Kyoto!

 

 

 

A peek into the lives of service workers in SE Asia.

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The constant barrage of tuktuk drivers shouting out, “Tuktuk, Lady?!” combined with the “1 Dollar! 1 Dollar!” pleas of the street beggars is overwhelming. Everyone here is hustling. Because they have to. Because if they ask, you might say yes and they will have money for food that day. But this story isn't about them, this is the story of a lovely girl named KimLeng*.

In Cambodia, Kate and I met KimLeng who was proud to have a job as a hotel concierge. She booked tours and transport for the guests and showed them to their rooms. The average night's stay for a guest was $80. That is also the monthly salary that the hotel pays KimLeng. Let me say that a different way: KimLeng works 50+ hours a week for $20/week. Egad. (Policemen make $50/month!) Besides working 6 days a week (10-12 hr days) KimLeng is likely to be fired for calling in sick because there are 10 people clambering for her job.

KimLeng's father drives a tuktuk and her mother runs a shop but their family of 7 relies on her consistent income. KimLeng is also studying Hotel Management & English and every night she spends at least 3 hours attending classes & doing school work before going to bed at midnight. She gets up at 5am to set up the shop with her mother before work. Her walk to/from work is 45min.

This girl is working HARD to support her family. The same as many other people I know, all around the world. Keep up the good work, people. We're all in this together.

 

*Kate's friend, Kyrie, suggested that we meet up with KimLeng. Kyrie's family has been sponsoring KimLeng's high school and college education and have made many visits to Siem Reap to see her.

 

 

Signs, signs, everywhere the signs: Japan edition

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Happy Fall! Here are some of the entertaining signs that caught my eye while traveling in Japan.
I didn't know the Japanese had Boy Scouts! That sure looks fun.
All campers must remember to put out their fires.
 

What to do if you drop your hat on the train tracks.

Seen at Senso-ji temple: where you should be careful about where you hang your laundry.

Do you want to experience the coldest water available? It's AMAZING!

I mean, seriously amazing.

OOOH!!!! TOO COLD!! TOO COLD!!!!

If you're not into freezing water, then maybe you're into sweat? (This is an electrolyte drink.)

This sign made ME sweat! Seriously, this is the subway map? Eek.

Feeling hungry? Follow Snoopy to your table!

The deer in Nara love the round crackers that the tourists feed them.

But you have to be careful around the deer, they are 'wild' animals after all!

“Who? Me?!?”

This sign is pretty self explanatory. Don't get drunk or a teenager will post photos of you.

The only thing worse than public drunkenness is MONKIES! They are so naughty.

One of the things that separates us from the monkies… or not.

I hope you enjoyed this little sign tour together!

 

 

 

Konichiwa, Japan!

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The first time I called Delta to work out the details of my trip, I asked if there was a possibility of staying in Japan for a few days. I was informed that any layover longer than 24 hours would cost more Skymiles than I had. The second time I called, I asked again and heard, “Sure, how long would you like to say?”

What started off as a layover, has turned into a love affair!

You may recall, I spent my first 2 nights in a Tokyo capsule hotel in the Shinjuku area.

On my very first morning, I met an American and invited her to breakfast … later we find out that she is friends with my little sister! Jana flew into Tokyo to meet up with her husband who has taken a JET position teaching English in a rural Japanese village. Even better, Jana has a friend, Brent, who is a guide on Mt. Fuji and he’s taken the day off to show her around… would I like to come? YES!

We visited a local temple and Brent taught us how to use the fountains to purify ourselves before going into the temple. (Use the ladel to rinse your left hand, then right hand, then mouth.)

Gates to the Senso-Ji Temple and market.
For $1 you could get your fortune (Omikuji) at the temple by shaking a stick out of a wooden box, then matching the symbol to the drawer full of paper fortunes. My fortunes: The lost article will be found later. The person you wait for comes late. Building a house and removal are both good, but a half fortune. To start a trip is all right. Marriage of any kind and new employment are both half fortune and gets better later.

We stop at the everything store: Don Quijote to buy a snack and check out the strange food, like Matcha KitKats or seaweed flavored potato chips.

Next, we take a Tokyo Canal tour, ending up at a tea house in Hamarikyu gardens.

It was a very hot and humid day, but the rain arrived while we were enjoying out matcha and cooled things off.

Matcha is made by grinding up tea leaves and stirring it into hot water… I’m more of an Earl Grey fan.

We rode the train out to Kagurazaka for dinner & a Shinto Shrine. The shine was much smaller than expected but dinner made up for it. The waiters wore paper hats and aprons like a 50’s diner but you ordered your meal from a vending machine! Yummy dinner for $3!

Joey orders for me and appreciates my tempura/noodle bowl.

On the way back to the capsule hotel we wandered through the entertainment district to pass by the Robot Restaurant. It cost $60 for dinner and a show- which involved scantily clad women operating these robots and other such nonsense- all accompanied by super loud music and a million flashing lights. Yikes.

Back to the hotel. I was beat and tomorrow I’d take my first ride on the bullet train!

I’ll leave you with a lovely painting from the ceiling of this morning’s temple. Her skirt reminds me of something Gustaf Klimt would paint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All about Umbrellas.

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The Japanese love umbrellas. They love the tall, clear ones with hooked handles. The love the paper sun parasols. They love tiny umbrellas that look like Geisha and fit in your purse. They also love not getting direct sun exposure. So, despite the weather being nearly perfect, I saw plenty of umbrellas in Japan this week.

The Japanese are a very conscientious bunch. They have the good of the nation to keep in mind. For example, when they feel a cold coming on, they wear face masks to keep their germs to themselves. It follows that they do not want to inconvenience other people with their soggy umbrellas.

Umbrella Condoms: The thing that first caught my eye, was what Brent referrs to as ‘Umbrella Condoms’. There are machines outside of stores to slide your umbrella in the top and pull it out the side with a plastic bag on it.

Umbrella Lockers: In this scenario, you lock your umbrella up outside the store.

 

Umbrella Shaking Area: This handy device was spotted outside City Hall and has a tray under it to catch the water that falls off your umbrella when you shake it back and forth.

As much as the Japanese love umbrellas, they seem to lack an American appreciation for SOAP. Yes, handsoap. They do not provide it in the bathrooms! The Japanese ladies I’ve seen quickly rinse their hands and head out. No soap, no paper towels… its pretty amazing that I haven’t gotten sick yet.