Travel Blog Posts
June 15th 2007
Woke early to enjoy the onsen before breakfast! I met an Australian lady at the onsen. It’s her 2nd time staying at this traditional Ryokan which has charmed her and left wonderful memories when she 1st visited it years ago with her husband. Now, they are back with their daughters who are about my age! She had actually woken at 5am to come to the onsen and this made us lazy bums who only managed to crawl out of bed at 7am. Haha… What a relaxing way to start the day! We would love to stay longer in the onsen but we have arranged for breakfast to be served at 8am. Ryokan breakfast was an interesting affair once again! Though not as WOW as the dinner, the dishes were yummy too! Especially the half-boiled egg, ... read more
June 8th 2007
Despite the rain, we decided to leave Hakone early in order to be able to explore our next destination, Shimoda! Instead of taking the bus through the winding mountain road which will take about an hour plus to reach Odawara, we chose the more comfortable train ride. Back to Gora where we bought more souvenirs and local specialties and caught a train to Odawara. Initial plan was to explore the vibrant Odawara town center but we decided against it when we found out that the next train will be 2hrs later! As we were expecting a long train ride, we rushed to buy our bento sets before boarding the train bound for Izu Peninsula. Japanese bento sets aren’t just attractive in their packaging, but very delicious too. Dear chose a bento with pork slices marinated ... read more
Exploring Hakone and Wonderful Outdoor Onsen experience!
Published: June 5th 2007Asia » Japan » Kanagawa » Hakone
June 5th 2007
Day 3, 2nd day in Hakone, and packed day ahead. Anticipation ran high as we took off in search of the heavenly sushi from Kappei-zushi, which was highly recommended by Lonely Planet! Wow! Rice topped with salmon sashimi was so finger-licking good! Thick slices of salmon melt instantly in your mouth with an aroma that screams freshness! Next, we had an assortment of sushi. The sushi rice was firm enough to be held up by the chopsticks but yet melts in your mouth immediately, grain by grain! Compared to the sushi available in Singapore, the sushi we have tasted in Japan are much more fragrant! Maybe it is due to the fresh ingredients used are prepare by the chef with loving tender care! One of our favorite has to be the egg sushi (Tamago), deserving ... read more
In search of Fuji San and heavenly Onsen experience
Published: June 2nd 2007Asia » Japan » Kanagawa » Hakone
June 2nd 2007
As Kimi Ryokan doesn’t serve breakfast, we gotta go hunt for our 1st meal of the day around the neighbourhood. Walked around the neighbourhood at abt 8 plus in the morning but the eateries which were opened were limited. For our first morning in Japan, we tried their Japanese breakfast set at one of the 24hr chain restaurant. Based on the plastics food models, we purchased 1 of the breakfast set via the coupon machine. Being funky and adventurous us, we tried the salmon, natto set. We were kinda lost when they included raw egg in the breakfast set served. Dear gamely decided to seek advice from a local who was enjoying his western style breakfast at the table next to us. He guided us to beat up the egg before mixing it into the ... read more
June 2nd 2007
Who are we? He: The one who gets dragged around with a hungry stomach by his dear who wants to check out all the eateries nearby b4 deciding where to have their meals. She: The one who everything also wanna try but don't wanna "fu zhe ren"... She says: 14th May 2007!! The long awaited Japan trip! I have always wanted to visit the land of the rising sun! Maybe it was due to those childhood cartoons, popular Japanese drama serials or even the “too-pretty-to-be-eaten” candies, chocolates, mochi… Japan is the country which I have always dreamt about visiting, but somehow it was deemed too far-fetched to be realized as we all thought the standard of living was too expensive for students like us. But lucky us, we’ve got free air tixs on United Airlines! ... read more
June 16th 2006
Finding the Edale YHA was indeed a challenge. From the train station, thru the small town, crossing the fields (avoiding sheep dung) and taking in the sight, all around me was beauty...except I have been walking for the past 40 minutes looking for my accomodation! And having a spoilt compass and no map didnt help...only the general sense of direction kept me walking and believing. Luckily the hostel didnt disappoint too much, except for the terrible location, the staff, food and lodging was great! Armed with a map (and a spolit compass), I set off to explore the mountains at 3 pm. Although called "The Peak District", there wasnt much of pointed mountain tops, compared to Lake District. The name "Peak" actually comes from the early inhabitants of the place. Had a good walk in the ... read more
June 13th 2006
Just back from Lake District! A 3D2N trip, tiring but very rewarding! Stayed at this hostel call Ambleside Backpackers, and our room was filled with two other pairs of couples, Lisa and Brad, Jess and Michael, who were totally helpful and fun loving people! Thanks folks for the great time together! The highlight of the trip was when me and shan decided to challenge The Fairfield Horseshoe circuit on the second day. Its a trek thats near the lake district, relatively straightforward (in good weather) and the views were awesome! The tougher part was actually finding the way up, and the coming down was really terrible for my poor knees...I was totally enjoying my trek up, the view from the top, even before getting to the top, was spendid! The trek had a wonderful view of ... read more
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