...and spending everything i've saved for the last two and a half years on all seven continents!

27 March 2012

Japan, What's Not To Love?


Everyone-especially the man with samples-was super nice!

On account of matching flight dates with UW’s spring break, Japan, unfortunately, was a 48-hour whirlwind. On the upside, it was a fantastic two days eating amazing food and spending time with my aunt. :)

Before I arrived in Tokorozawa, just outside of Tokyo, I had big plans for my time in Japan. I wanted to see all the places I remember loving the only other time I have visited – in April 2007. I stopped in Japan for a week during my Spring 2007 Semester at Sea and I remember being utterly charmed by how delightful everything was. I loved that the train was packed with a bunch of men in black suits during rush hour and that my (tall and awesome) friend Leah, dressed in her bright pink sweatshirt, was caught in the middle of them. I loved that the man I asked for directions didn’t understand me when I said, “Excuse me, could you tell me where the baseball stadium is?” But when I said “base-uh-ball-ooh,” breaking up the word baseball and saying it slowly, he understood me perfectly and pointed me on my way. I loved that when I attended a Giants game in Tokyo, I got my beer filled while sitting in my seat by a girl carrying a keg on her back. I also loved that this devious sushi chef concealed a pea-sized amount of wasabi under the best nigiri I’d ever had in my life. After getting over this dying sensation from the wasabi, I had a chance to really appreciate this mindnumbingly delicious seared baby octopus. I didn’t see it this last time in Japan, and I haven’t found it anywhere else, so I will definitely be back for it someday, hopefully soon...

These were much more fun this time around!

This time, I arrived in Japan pretty exhausted because I lost a night and the better part of a day flying from Perth to Singapore on Tiger Airways and then switching to United for my flight from Singapore to Tokyo. I had to take three different trains to get from Narita to Tokorozawa and for half of my 2.5 hour journey, I had my 40lb pack weighing down on me while being squished in the rush hour crowd. Good times. I was picked up soon after arriving in Tokorozawa by Tante June and her friend Catherine. Thus, the eating began.

Tante June and Me

Homemade sukiyaki for dinner along with sashimi, assorted salads, and fried oysters and tofu:

Great dinner! I cracked a raw egg into my bowl to start and spooned non-boiling soup on top. Good thing the egg was fresh :)

The next day, after a random breakfast of a surprisingly tasty fish-egg sandwich, an avocado, an orange, and a macha latte, we went to lunch!

Tabehodai or viking is what they call all-you-can-eat meals. This was the first buffet I’d been to that I just wasn’t quite sure what to do. I didn’t know which sauces went with which foods and which foods you could just place on your wooden plate, and which needed their own little bowls. Oh Japan…



Keeping good company in Tokorozawa :)

I thought I’d have this day to myself to explore downtown Tokyo and perhaps even pop into SBI’s Tokyo office. (SBI = Strategic Business Insights = my former employer) Unfortunately, I didn’t even get anywhere close to central Tokyo. Instead, my aunt and her friends took me to Odaiba to see, of all things, a Statue of Liberty. I had actually been to Odaiba before, but somehow either missed or had no recollection of seeing the statue. I remember crossing the very same bridge with my friends, however, and walking on the beach avoiding dead jellyfish. It’s a bit as if I’ve missed seeing Times Square in New York City not having had the chance to make it to Shinjuku in Tokyo. Then again, I’ve been to New York plenty of times where Times Square wasn’t even an afterthought...

Statue of Liberty & the Rainbow Bridge, Odaiba

In addition to the random Statue of Liberty in Odaiba, I got to see a beautiful sunset and cherry blossoms! I had heard it had been a cold winter and that I was too early for the sakuras. I think we may have found some of the first for the season, certainly the first that my aunt and her friends had seen, so they were just as excited as I was.

1st cherry blossoms of the season!

After a trip to Daiso, we had Dinner #1: Sashimi! (Note: Daiso is pretty much the best store ever! Everything is 100 Yen and compared to the products in our dollar stores at home, things here are high quality with a delightful Japanese influence!)

The roe (fish eggs) was so fresh that I really enjoyed it (I find it gross in the US…) and the scallop (hotate) was fantastic. I didn’t get to try anything new like fish sperm sashimi or crab sashimi, but that’ll be for next time :)

While we were grilling our post-sashimi squid, an earthquake struck. Apparently it was 6.1 in magnitude, but because it was off the coast, we only felt a 4 or 5. I remember feeling no fear, just slight amusement at how long the shaking went on! I had time to register that an earthquake was happening, marvel at the shaking, glance up at the lights swinging above me, and wonder when I’d be able to eat my squid. (Probably not the best response in an emergency situation...) People in the restaurant were quick to shut off all the gas burners and then once the shaking stopped, every other person was on their cell phone. (Eating soon resumed and the squid was awesome!)

Dinner #2: Ramen

I probably didn’t need a whole one to myself after Dinner #1, but it was really, really good ramen! Not bad for about 650 Yen (~$8). I can't say I'm enough of a ramen connoisseur that I can really appreciate the difference between authentic ramen and instant noodles, but it was good stuff nonetheless.

For breakfast the next morning, Tante June made me an amazing okonomiyaki – my first, in fact. Okonomiyaki is like a savory pancake with seafood and vegetables mixed into a batter; it is pan-fried. You drizzle special okonomiyaki sauce over the top and then sprinkle katsobushi (dried cuttlefish?) on top. Delicious!

Lunch, and my last meal in Japan: Tempura. Three months ago, when I asked Tante June about her favorite place to eat, she named this tempura place. I was skeptical because I pretty much only eat tempura when I can strip the ebi (shrimp) of its batter. But this tempura was incredible! I don’t know how they make it so good, but it was the best tempura I’ve ever had and probably ever will have…

After lunch, Tante June and Catherine put me on a limousine bus bound for the Narita International Airport. I was extremely sad to leave Japan.... I loved getting to spend time with Tante June and her friends and beyond that, I just love Japan! What’s not to love? My visit was way too short and getting back here is high on my future travel list.

Up Next: My Heart and Seoul

12 March 2012

G'day Mates!


View from the 37th floor of the Verve

My last week in Australia started in Melbourne and ended in Perth, but more importantly, my last week in Australia was a week among friends (mates!). :) Even planning my visit to Melbourne was very exciting because I was headed to a city where I knew quite a few people - I almost needed my Google Calendar! (I haven’t had a use for it in the last year and I’ll admit, I’ve dearly missed poring over my calendar and making plans with friends…) :)

Heather & Adam at the Moroccan Soup Bar

I arrived late (~1am) at Heather’s house in Melbourne and it wasn’t until I realized I couldn’t stop smiling that it had been more than six months since our farewell in Dahab. Heather was my favorite person on the Oasis Overland truck and I'm so happy I got to visit her at home! I spent four nights with Heather and (her boyfriend) Adam in their beautiful Northcote house.... They live the way I want to live when I move back to the US. Not only have I acquired a recipe for the best chicken ever, but we also enjoyed a few happy hours, surprisingly good vegetarian food at the Moroccan Soup Bar, delicious homemade spring rolls, and a fabulous meat extravaganza at Vlado’s. (Note: They don’t really do happy hours in Australia the way they do in America.... Happy hour in Australia generally appears to mean that drinks cost the same, it’s just that the bar is more crowded with people coming from work!)

Heather, Adam, Ewan & I @ Vlado's

Heather and Adam took me out for an early birthday celebration where in four courses at Vlado’s, three of them were meat!! The first course was a pretty stellar pork and beef sausage, the second course was a smorgasbord of four different meats, the third course was a massive filet mignon, and the final course was a dessert of ice cream and strawberries. Amazing! Heather and Adam are coming to the US next year – I can’t wait to see them again and get the chance to spoil them in Seattle :)

Federation Square

Cute school children @ Federation Square

While they were at work, I took the opportunity to explore quite a bit of Melbourne. I spent one day walking from hip and artsy St. Kilda to the colored boxes at Brighton Beach, and most other days wandering the many beautiful gardens and cool museums in Melbourne.

Brighton Beach - Colored Boxes

The Immigration Museum had a “Child Migrants” exhibit depicting the plight of thousands of children who were sent away from England to work in and populate Australia. Both England and Australia have issued formal apologies to these people who suffered harsh conditions, abuse, estrangement, and more. I had no idea! The Melbourne Museum has a lot of cool exhibits where you can learn about anything from dinosaurs to digestion. My favorite exhibit was the bug room and getting a close-up look at live huntsman spiders and red back spiders that couldn’t get to me!


Blender Lane

I saw a lot of nice artwork by local street artists on Blender Lane and paintings from bigger name artists like Monet and J.M.W. Turner at the NGV International and Ian Potter Museum. I discovered that I’m not too fussed about aboriginal art, though some of the colors are nice I guess.

Melbourne Arts Center - Super swanky inside!

I also happened to do a tour of parliament that was surprisingly awesome! Unlike the parliament tour I took in New Zealand, we got to sit in the members’ chairs and really learn about what goes on in Victoria. One definite must-see is the State Library of Victoria (SLV) - it's open to the public and just beautiful!

La Trobe Reading Room - State Library of Victoria

Wandering through Melbourne, I realized it’s true what they say about Melbourne being a city to live in, not be a tourist in. There’s an entire culture and attitude to immerse yourself in and it’s more about spending time at cafes/bars, relaxing in one of the city’s gardens, and spending an entire day enjoying a festival or museum than checking off a list of top spots. I’m very happy I had friends to experience Melbourne with :)

Heather, Seona, and I @ Trunk

Just before the meat extravaganza, I was able to meet up with Seona, a girl I met a year ago in Bolivia; she was at that soccer game with Oliver and me. It is amazing how different people look from when they are traveling and when they live in the real world… I would not have recognized this tall, pretty blonde girl if she hadn’t come up to me and given me a hug!

The Toomey's @ their Verve apartment

The day after the meat extravangaza, I got to spend some time with the Toomey’s! Megan and Kelly (from my Antarctica trip) had recently moved to Melbourne. The three of us, along with not Heather, but her brother (Ewan) and sister (Jeanne), went to the footy. The Sydney Swans just barely lost in an exciting pre-season NAB cup game. Ewan bought us all pies so that we could have the quintessential footy experience: Watching the footy with a beer in one hand and a (meat) pie in the other. Footy is exciting! The sport reminds me of a combination of football, rugby, and basketball and the guys look super hardcore tackling each other with no padding whatsoever! There is apparently a moment when everyone yells “ball!” but I never got that right… Ben and Sarah from Brisbane joined us after the footy to form this incredibly random group of people spending a fun Friday night together.

Ben, Sarah, and I

The last people I got to see in Melbourne were my cousin Siung Siung and his wife Shierly. If you can recall that first wedding I went to in Indonesia, they were the ones who got married (January 2011). Now, Shierly is very, very pregnant!

Siung Siung & Shierly at the Crown Casino

We had great “Thailand food” for dinner, a nice wander around the Crown Entertainment Complex, and then hung out at home watching The Fast and the Furious 5! They were super excited about the movie and I actually had a lot of fun watching it :)

I flew into Perth with exactly two days and one night to see as much of the city as possible. Success! Ryoka picked me up and took me for some sightseeing before her boyfriend Ben took us girls out for the best breakfast I had in Australia!

Ben & Ryoka

Breakfast at Pizzaca - Amazing!!!

I met Ryoka and Ben about six years ago in Lithuania; they were traveling the world (and actually inspired my travels!) while I was on vacation during my semester abroad in Moscow. We basically spent one night together celebrating Ben’s birthday in Lithuania so even though I am pretty much a stranger to them, they were incredibly kind to me. We were out all day Sunday burning our tongues at the Chili Festival, exploring Cottesloe Beach, swimming at Brighton Beach, and having dinner at their Scarborough home.

I found out Mandy and Lee from my Africa truck were back from their travels and also living in Perth! Really random, but when we finally got in touch, we figured out that they were also staying in Scarborough about a 10 minute walk from Ryoka’s house!! So I spent my last meal before flying to Japan with Ben, Ryoka, Mandy, and Lee eating burgers on the beach. Perth is absolutely beautiful and I wish I hadn’t rushed through; it is a city I could see myself living in and at the very least, visit again and again. I can still hear Mandy laughing about my hardcore style of traveling and how fast I move from one place to the next. It’s fitting though because as I write this, I’ve already “done” Japan and am waiting to catch my flight to Korea. :)

Mandy & Lee

Next up: My “Homeland” – Japan!

04 March 2012

Kiwiland

Note on Kiwis: New Zealanders refer to themselves as Kiwis, after the native, endangered, and flightless kiwi (bird.) Kiwis as we know them - the fruit - are always referred to here as kiwifruit. Kiwifruit is expensive - often $5.99/kg; I tried one and it was surprisingly different from kiwis back home. The flesh was lighter in color and the fruit was a different kind of sweet, almost honey-like - pretty delicious :)


Auckland: Auckland is the “city of sails” and the former capital of New Zealand. Because accommodation was cheaper here than in any other city I was visiting, I stayed four nights – the longest hostel stay of my traveling career I think. I stayed at the YHA Auckland International and it was pretty amazing although I admit my standards have fallen tremendously after some of the hostels I stayed in in Australia. This one had no cockroaches crawling the walls of the kitchen or dorm rooms (win!)…. It was actually the cleanest hostel I’ve stayed in with great facilities and a massive kitchen. As for Auckland itself, I was not impressed the first few days I was there. Basically, the weather was like the weather in Seattle and it felt wrong to be spending time in rainy, crappy weather by myself when I could have been doing the same thing with Theo...

So I was mad at Auckland for the rain, wind, and not-so-impressive sights. To do anything worthwhile, it seemed you had to pay $100+ for a tour. I was really missing Sydney at this point because it was so easy (and cheap enough) to be a tourist there. In Auckland for example, the Waitakere Ranges are supposed to be beautiful with 250km of hiking trails. However, the closest public transportation will get you is 6kms away from the start of any trail so by the time you start the hike, you are already exhausted; tours were starting from $150…. I spent a lot of my time wandering Queen St., the waterfront, and the city’s parks and gardens. The Auckland War Memorial Museum was one of the highlights because it has something for everyone including Maori history, earthquake simulations, ecosystems of New Zealand, and a “Weird and Wonderful” exhibit that lets you get an up-close view of different (dead) bugs. (I found the bug part super fascinating!) I had the chance to reunite with the first of my truckmates from Africa – Matt! Together, we enjoyed the first sunshine I’d seen in New Zealand and fish and chips beachside in Mission Bay :)

On Pronunciation: New Zealand has its own special way of pronouncing things. I remember when I first met Matt and his wife Jen, they said “Gin” for Jen so I thought her name was Gin for the longest time. According to Matt, we had our fish and chips with “tar-tier” sauce lol Spellings and emphases can be difficult too: “Waitakere,” is why-TAK-uh-ree as opposed to why-tuh-KEE-ree like I thought. With Maori words, the “wh” is pronounced with an f sound so the name Whakarewarewa is “FUCK-uh-ray-wuh-ray-wuh.” Very confusing, but fun :) Kiwis also like to use the word "as" like we use "hella": cheap-as, sweet-as, smart-as, etc...

Rugby: Thanks to Oliver, I got to see my first rugby match: Blues v. Crusaders! I met Oliver in Bolivia – he was there for my first soccer game and now my first rugby experience. It was so exciting! The city provides free buses and trains to and from select matches – really nice! Oliver got us great tickets (!) that would be similar to 40-yard-line seats at a football game; we were close to the field too! I researched rugby rules and though I can’t say I understand everything, I was able to identify a scrum, ruck, and maul. Sometimes it still looks to me like the guys are just continually crashing into each other, but I definitely appreciate the sport more. The atmosphere is amusingly civilized too because if you hear young guys shouting anything remotely obscene or booing even, some of the older people start lecturing them about there being “no need for such language.” This was the kickoff game to the rugby season after the New Zealand All Blacks had won the 2011 Rugby World Cup and although the team I was rooting for (Blues) just barely lost, it was a really, really great night! Thanks, Oliver!

Waitomo: Stopped in Waitomo for an hour (literally) en route to Rotorua. I was off to see the famous glow worm caves! In the light of day, you can see thin strands dangling from the ceiling and in the dark, you basically look up in this pitch-black cave and see thousands of tiny lights. It was like getting to see a beautiful starry sky in the middle of the day – no Southern Cross or Milky Way though :)

Rotorua: They say that “Rotorua Stinks.” It is, in fact, one of the few places in the world you can get away with passing gas with no one being the wiser. It is a very thermally active area with tons of geysers, hot springs, and bubbling mud pools.

Walking around the Kuirau Park, Lake Rotorua , and the Government Gardens, I felt really happy… it was just so beautiful and peaceful (despite the occasional whiff of sulfur…)

Government Gardens

Tamaki Village: At the Tamaki Village near Rotorua, you can experience a taste of Maori culture.

They shuttle 100+ people over to the village each night, perform a welcoming ceremony (wherein the chief of the village throws down a peace challenge to the visiting ‘chief’), show you traditional games, weaving, and carvings, perform songs and a haka, and prepare a hangi feast.

Hangi: First Plate (my second plate was even more full...)

Hangi is a traditional meal cooked under the ground and the entire reason I wanted to visit the Tamaki Village. It was an opportunity to try hangi, New Zealand lamb, and the famous pavlova dessert! The lamb was surprisingly delicious – I think because it had earthy hangi flavors instead of gamey flavors. Pavlova is a cake made almost exclusively of egg-whites and sugar – it’s like a meringue, but even more rich and sweet. Kiwis and Aussies like to debate about where the dessert originated.

On Food: Fish and chips are widely popular in both Australia and New Zealand… having tried them numerous times, I can’t say they are especially good, they’re just regular fish and chips as far as I'm concerned; you can probably find better at Red’s in San Francisco :) Sushi has been fun in New Zealand though because a lot of places do takeaway sushi where you select what you want starting at $1 per piece. The pieces are pretty huge and well packed with fresh fish. Generally, it is expensive to eat out in New Zealand and I’ve been cooking often for fear of paying a lot for food and being disappointed with it. In Wellington, for example, I had the worst Indian food ever – my $18 curry tasted like tomato soup. :( Though I’ve been craving a burrito, I haven’t been able to bring myself to pay $18 for one so I ended up buying all the ingredients and making my own (for 5 meals) :)

Sweets: The other day I discovered the ice cream flavors “hokey pokey,” “goody goody gumdrops,” and “candy floss”: Hokey pokey is vanilla ice cream with bits of caramel in it – pretty good; Candy floss is kind of cotton-candy flavored – weird; Goody goody gumdrops, though, is basically bubblegum ice cream without the annoying bubblegum – it’s amazing!!! Mrs. Higgins is their version of Mrs. Fields – Mrs. Fields is way better! L&P (Lemon and Paeroa) is their famous soda – it’s like a carbonated lemon soda that’s nice while drinking, but has a funky aftertaste that gives you bad breath after.

Huka Falls, Taupo

Taupo: I took a bus from Rotorua into Taupo. Lake Taupo is massive and in total kilometers, is about the size of Singapore. The drive from Waitomo to Rotorua and Rotorua to Lake Taupo were incredible btw. New Zealand is blessed with so much beautiful scenery pretty much any direction you look. In Taupo, I walked to the famous Huka Falls and had a nice wander around town; I used the city as my base for doing the Tongariro Crossing.

Tongariro National Park: In the Tongariro National Park, you can do the famous 19.4km Tongariro Crossing, reputed to be one of the top ten day hikes in the world. It is a one way hike starting at one end of the park and finishing at the other. You see a ton of different landscapes as you hike up the devil’s staircase, stare in awe at Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings, pass amazing lakes and mountains, and finish with a walk through a forest.

In the end, it was a good day and a good hike, though during parts of it, I was miserable... so miserable I almost would have rather been at work writing a viewpoints on RFID... almost. I discovered that my hydration pack doesn’t work – it leaks. When I picked it up off the floor of the bus, there was a puddle there. The water had soaked through the pack so when wearing it, I had a cold spot on my back. I didn’t have gloves or a hat, not knowing that it would be freezing(-2 to -5 degrees with windchill). At one point, my hands were like ice from dealing with the hydration pack, the wind was trying to knock me down blowing 50+km/hour, volcanic grit was flying in my face, and I was cursing my Buddy who had recommended the hike to me. I kept walking though and then suddenly it dawned on me how happy I felt: I had just had a brownie, the sun was getting warm, and everywhere I looked it was incredibly beautiful. Overall good hike, I’d do it again – just better prepared next time.

Wellington: To do the Tongariro Crossing, I got up around 5am… hiked fairly quickly (5 ½ hours)… and then caught a bus that night at 1am to Wellington. I slept horribly on the bus, arriving in town around 6:30am. I was exhausted all that day, but it was a good one spent with another friend from my Africa trip: Gary! I think we may have talked more this day than the entire time on the truck, but Gary was so kind as to show me the famous Te Papa museum and the view from Mt. Victoria, take me on an amazing drive down the coast to the red rocks, and introduce me to his very nice aunt. Thanks Gary! Despite being so cold and windy, I liked Wellington – there was a lot to see and do and it was a very walk-able city, rated #4 best city to visit according to Lonely Planet. :)

Driving along the Esplanade with Gary... (also got to see it from the other side on the ferry!)

Cook Strait: Rough. I don’t get seasick, I just fall asleep if the boat is rocking too much. So I got on the Interislander ferry with every intention of enjoying the scenery around me, but I woke up to discover that I’d been asleep for two hours. The seas were really rough getting out of Wellington with waves as high as nine meters. Coming in to Picton though, things calmed down and it was just beautiful entering the Marlborough Sounds. There was a pod of dolphins to escort us in too, awesome!

Picton: Nothing here except that it’s the gateway to the Marlborough Sounds and has a nice hostel (Sequoia Lodge) that does nightly free chocolate pudding and ice cream :)

Apparently it's too early for snow... (Kaikoura coast)

Kaikoura: The town is famous for whale watching/dolphin trips but the weather was pretty dire when I was here. Expensive boat trip in the cold? Not this time. I found out though that crayfish is famous here and thought I might try some. I thought that crayfish were those small little shrimp-like things… turns out, that’s crawfish. Crayfish is actually rock lobster, and therefore really expensive! Discouraged at the ridiculously high prices I saw in town, I thought I might have to give it a miss. But, I found out that there’s a seafood bbq place about 45 minutes away on foot that does half-crayfish. When I got there, the lady let me pick my crayfish (whole) and split it for me. It was amazing! By far, the nicest meal I’ve had in New Zealand: (and not too bad for rock lobster at $27.50)

Christchurch: I had heard that there’s nothing to do in Christchurch other than see the damage from the earthquakes in 2011. True.

Foreigners and locals alike stood watching demolitions and peering into fenced-off, deserted areas. Many of the stores have set themselves up in containers while the buildings are being evaluated for their safety/retrotfitted for earthquake safety - this might have been the coolest thing I saw in Christchurch:

I'm not sure I'd like the city even if all the main attractions weren't closed off.... It was cold and windy and I spent the majority of my time using the free internet at the library. (As a whole in New Zealand, I actually spent a lot of time visiting botanic gardens (free and beautiful) and city libraries ([usually] free internet)) :)

Basically I had two weeks in New Zealand and it was not nearly enough time (and a $32/day budget is not nearly enough money) to really enjoy yourself here. That said, I did what I could in the time I had and I think I made the most of it. :) Unlike Australia, where there were things I definitely wanted to do, I had no idea what was in store for me in New Zealand other than adventure activities (skydiving, bungy jumping, jetboating, etc…) that I had no interest in. (I’ve already been skydiving [once] and bungy jumping [three times].) When I did research on New Zealand, I made this list of places that all looked amazing. But, when I figured out how much it would cost to do them all, I had to cut out about half of the places in the interest of time and budget. I’ve seen several highlights of the North Island but pretty much none of the South Island which is said to be the best part. I’d like to come back to dedicate a lot of time to the South Island and all the places I missed. I also need a travel buddy willing to rent a car with me and drive on the wrong side of the road. :) The scenery I Did see was absolutely stunning and I’m very excited to get to see the rest someday. New Zealand, I’ll be back.

Waitomo River

(every body of water I saw had light colors that were especially stunning in the sunshine.... I like the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean, but this is so much prettier!)

*Sorry this was so long, but it was my entire two-week New Zealand experience.

Up next: A week in Australia with friends!!!