Cherry Blossoms, Sushi, and Samurais - Springtime in Japan

Interesting Fact: Tokyo has 35 million people, granting it the world's most populous metropolitan area but has one of the lowest crime rates in the world!

Our anniversary has come once again, and what better way to celebrate it than to take a wonderful week and a half long vacation to a new destination. After postponing our first trip (due to the tsunami last in March 2011), we were finally able to make it to the ever captivating country of Japan.

Saturday morning we flew from KL to Tokyo (Haneda), 6 hour 45 min on Air Asia; got in at 11:30 pm and walked 2 km after taking a bus ride from the airport to Shinjuku for $50 USD for both of us. Subway closed, so we had to walk. Great weather and cool evening. Stayed at JAL City Yotsuya Tokyo

Sunday – first day in Tokyo, went to the Shinjuku Gyeon (gardens) to see beautifully landscaped gardens right in the middle of the city; traditional Japanese ponds and lots of cherry blossoms still in bloom. Golden Palace,

Monday – Tried to go visit the Tsujiki fish market; largest fish market in the world, but it was closed due to a national holiday (the whole week was a holiday)

Tuesday  - 3^rd day in Tokyo where we woke up and caught early train 7:30 to Mount Fuji. Stayed in traditional Japanese Onsen (bed and breakfast type place) that has a natural hot spring that comes from the mountains in the B&B. Traditional ryoken style tatami mats and pallet type bedding on the floor (no bedding) room about a foot longer than Kaes stretched all the way out. Exhausted when we got there and it was raining, so we took a nap. Woke up and had about 5 hours to walk across the bridge and around Lake Kawaguchi to look at the view of Mt. Fuji. Had a nice lunch, stopped for ice cream, and then had an early dinner from some pastries we picked up at the bakery. I tried to get in the Onsen, but it was ridiculously hot and almost unbearable (I really even enjoy hot water) I can now say I have tried the traditional route, but will most likely stick to “normal” hotel rooms in the future.

Wednesday morning we decided to leave Mt. Fuji early after it had rained all morning. After getting back to Tokyo we had to catch the next high speed Shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto (2 hour 45 min - back in the same direction we came from) It was still drizzling a bit in Kyoto, but we were able to use rain gear and walk around the town find the best sushi dinner with largest and freshest pieces of tuna we have ever had. 

Happy Anniversary to us!!! Thursday was our 4 year anniversary that we spent in Kyoto. It was a really nice day where we went to 

Friday – headed back to Tokyo at 3 pm; stayed at Hundred Stay serviced apartments and hotel in Okuba that was 1 minute walking distance to the train station. Got upgraded and had very nice room with comfy bed and large bathroom. Best hotel we stayed at in whole trip of Japan.

Saturday – Full day where we went in search of a Samurai Sword (insert pic) and went back to Atakusa on the north east side of Tokyo in a traditional old town and found a sword.

Overall, we had a very memorable 4 year anniversary trip. I knew that I would really enjoy seeing Japan and its beautiful countryside, but was quite surprised at how friendly the people were, the cleanliness of the largest city in the world, and the sheer beauty of the countryside.

Kim & Kelly Go to Thailand - Our Girl's Weekend Getaway to Koh Lipe, Thailand

My friend from work (and we knew each other from Houston) Kelly, and I, decided to take a girl’s only trip to Koh Lipe, Thailand to get away for a MUCH needed weekend of rest and relaxation.

Thursday after work we flew 50 minutes to Langkawi, on the west coast of Malaysia, where we stayed the night. Friday morning, we went to the Telaga Harbor Ferry Terminal to catch a 9:30 ferry to Koh Lipe, Thailand. While waiting for our ferry, we got to see these precious monkeys eating their breakfast. I couldn't believe how many there were and how they didn’t seem to be bothered by humans coming close to take a picture.

Telaga Harbor Ferry Terminal

Langkawi Yacht Club

Look at the tiny baby!

Are you looking at me!?!?

On the ferry heading to Thailand

 We arrived in Koh Lipe at 9:30 am (they are an hour behind our time in Malaysia) and were amazed at how beautiful of an island could be so close to KL! Overall, it took about 1 ½ hours to get to Koh Lipe from Kuala Lumpur.

Immigration in a small little hut on the beach :)

Our home for the weekend was at Sita Beach Resort & Spa, a beautiful hotel right on the water of the pristine Pattaya beach on the south side of the island. 

The entrance to our resort

The water and sand couldn't get more perfect

We decided to first walk around the town and see what it had to offer We didn't realize that it was Thailand’s New Year’s celebration, and there were many kids and even adults, running around with water guns spraying anyone in their paths as well as painted the faces of passers-by with white chalk (at least I am assuming that was what it was!!!) We had a delicious local lunch of Thai green curry, pad thai, and Chang beer all for $9/USD. After lunch, we decided to take advantage of the many massage places in town and had an hour full body massage for $10 USD! Kelly and I were so relaxed and enjoyed having no real agenda. As the day progressed, we decided to sit on the beach people watching and marvelling at the breathtaking sunset.

Paradise

Sunset on the beach

Saturday morning we woke up and had a wonderful full buffet breakfast at the resort, then decided to enjoy the quiet beach and get some sun. The water was so clear and there weren’t many people around, so it was perfect for us to lie out and enjoy the peace and quiet. After another delicious local Thai lunch at the resort, we had to indulge in more massages. We were so relaxed after an hour massage; we both agreed that we should stay longer for an hour foot massage.

Kelly quenching her thirst with a cold Chang beer

Beer, massage, and vacation...

The small town

After our massage, we ventured further into the island and stumbled upon quite an interesting bar called OMG! Bar. They played good music and had some big screen TVs to show a football (soccer) match that attracted quite a few people. We hung around for a few beers and enjoyed the comical people that came into the bar. One couple in particular could not keep their hands off each other, even while sitting at the bar!

The weird couple at the bar that couldn't keep their hands off each other...

After a few beers, it was time for dinner and we opted for a small, but delicious looking pizza stand that was busy every time we passed by. It smelled wonderful and was even a bonus since they served real pepperoni (we don’t get much pork in KL as it is a Muslim country) If we had known how great it was, we probably would have eaten there every meal just to get great tasting (real) pizza!!!

The day had been long and with both of us getting more sun that we had planned, we watched the sunset over the beach and headed in for an early night.

Sunday we woke up early and decided to try and get an earlier ferry back as we were both pretty tired and burnt. Our flight wasn’t until 11 pm that night, but luckily we were able to catch an earlier flight home so we would get in at a reasonable time to start the work week on Monday.


Overall, we had a wonderful, relaxing weekend. It was exactly what we had hoped for and cannot wait for our next opportunity to return for another visit!

Visit to Perth

Kaes and I were fortunate to be able to go back to Perth over the weekend for a visit with some great friends. Kaes flew in on Tuesday for meetings during the week, and I flew after work on Thursday night.

Friday night, we met up at Little Creatures to watch the sunset and enjoy the great food and even better beer. Here is a picture below of several of my old soccer buddies that came out.


Jels, Mel and Frank



Danni and I



Danni, Me and Nicole

Diana, Marty and Jels (will have to show this pic on her wedding day!)

Saturday, I met up with my friend Lucy and her sweet baby girl Taylor for coffee before we checked out of the hotel. Kaes and I drove around Fremantle and Cottesloe taking more pictures to help remember our wonderful time there.


The park in front of the Esplanade hotel in Fremantle



Old Fremantle streets

 We stopped to have a picnic lunch under the shade to admire the white sand and blue water of Cottesloe beach.
 

Fremantle train station

 

Cottesloe Beach



Sculpture display on Cottesloe Beach



Leeuwin Sailboat


Saturday night, we stayed with Sam and Nicole. It was great to catch up with them, and we all gathered around for some great food and laughter.
 

Nicole and I working on the stuffed jalapenos

The gorgeous weather, beautiful beaches, and wonderful friends make us really miss Perth. Our weekend was much needed and it was great to see some dear friends that we have met along the way. We both created some great friendships and loved the easy, laid-back lifestyle that attracts so many people to the beautiful city.



Indiana Tea Room on Cottesloe Beach

Hong Kong & Vegas of the East

Destination: Hong Kong & Macau, Special Administrative Republic, China

Date: February 3-7, 2012 – Prophet Muhammed’s Birthday (6^th) and Thaipusam(7^th); both public holidays

Getting there: Air Asia – 3 hours 45 minute fight from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong; 1 hour ferry ride from Hong Kong to Macau

Where we stayed: Cosmo Hotel Mongkok, Kowloon – small, but clean, affordable and in close proximity to MTR (Olympic) station

Time spent: 4 nights, 4 full days (1 day in Macau)

Currency: $1 HKD = ~$7.75 USD

Things to know before you go: The Octopus card is a great card to purchase ($50 HKD refundable deposit) if you are going to spend more than a few days in Hong Kong and is used on all MTR (train) stations, buses, and can be used at many convenient stores and fast food restaurants. Very handy to have and use to travel in between the islands and throughout the city.

Our first trip to Hong Kong was a nice change to cooler weather (55 - 60˚F) away from the “winter” months of KL where we have been seeing 85-90˚F. We decided to go for a 4-day weekend and left after work on Friday evening and stayed through the two public holidays on Monday and Tuesday. Friday night was a late night by the time we arrived and checked into our hotel, so we were ready to crash for the night and start our site seeing the next day.

Saturday morning I planned for us to tour around the sites closer to our hotel, so we went to New Territories area of Hong Kong to the Po Fook Hill Cemetery and hiked straight up a hill to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. It is said that there are actually closer to thirteen thousand buddhas, all with different faces and expressions!!!

After the Ten Thousand Buddhas monastery, we decided to head north to the (very local) Tai Po market for lunch. We ended up finding something to eat, but it was so local that we were only able to convey what we wanted by pointing, smiling, and hoping for the best ;) It hit the spot and turned out okay. After lunch, we took the MTR back down to Kowloon area to walk down Tsim Sha Tsui where there are cheap restaurants, local shopping and markets.

Victoria Peak, or The Peak, is the highest peak in Hong Kong with a beautiful view of the city skyline on the edge of Victoria Harbour. I had planned for us to try and arrive in time to take the 120 - year old railway, the Peak Tram, up in time to watch the sundown and the city lights as they come on lighting up the sky. It was very windy and chilly, but a romantic way to end our wonderful first day.

Our second day in Hong Kong, we started the day off watching part of the Standard Charter Hong Kong marathon. The next site we were anxious to see was the Tian Tan Buddha, or most commonly known as Big Buddha and the Po Lin (Precious Lotus) Monastery. We were not able to ride the Ngong Ping 360 cable car up to the Big Buddha but were able to reach it up in the mountain via a bus. For a small entry fee of $3.50 USD, we were able to walk up to Big Buddha and were given an ice cream and bottled water at the end of our tour. Big Buddha is on Lantau island and shows such a beautiful and more serene side of Hong Kong.

Big Buddha was definitely an incredible site, being the largest sitting bronzed Buddha in the world. After we got back to town, we watched a laser light show over Victoria Harbour, then got a little taste of home with a delicious dinner at Outback Steakhouse to end the night.

The next day was our last full day in Hong Kong, so we decided to take a 1-hour ferry ride (via First Ferry - $20 USD each per way) over to explore Macau. Macau is known as the Las Vegas of Asia for its glamorous hotels,  casinos (a favorite pastime of the Chinese) and plenty of shopping.

Macau was a former Portuguese colony, both the first and last European colony in China. Like Hong Kong, Macau is a SAR (Special Administrative Republic) of China and Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover in December 1999. The Basic Law of Macau stipulates that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer.

The SAR means that China is responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, and immigration policy. According to The World Factbook, Macau has the second highest life expectancy in the world with an average of 84.36 years.

MGM Macau - Fortune Dragon of Spring

Portuguese inspired cobblestone Senado (Senate) Square in Macau

Kaes and I in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral

Our last day half day, we decided to take the MTR over to the financial district and walk through Hong Kong Park. They day was clear and crisp and we picked up some lunch and headed over for a picnic in the park. Kaes just got a new 100mm macro lens and tried it out for a close up on these little guys warming themselves in the sun.

Our delicious and relaxing picnic in the park was a perfect end to our long weekend getaway to Hong Kong and Macau. 

You can view the rest of the pictures at the following link
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3214728854676.2152660.1459951651&type=3&l=e512311434