While in Hiroshima, we spent a day at Miyajima, one of Japan's three most scenic views. It is most famous for Itsukushima Shrine, which, together with its large wooden torii (gate), stands in the ocean during high tide. Deer move around the island freely, and so do monkeys on top of Misen, the island's highest mountain. We visited two out of Japan's three most scenic places (nihon sankei) during this trip. The three most scenic places, selected several centuries ago, consist of Matsushima, Miyajima and Amanohashidate. ... read more

Today is the second time I had a meeting with my Japanese penpal at Hashimoto Station. We met at the same place during my last trip to Tokyo a few years ago. The weather was really bad this time, gloomy with rain that seemed to last for ages. We had drinks and did some catching up at a foodcourt in the shopping mall next to the station. Foodcourts are slowly creeping into Japanese culture. ... read more

向往到漫天飞雪的国度去游玩已经好久了。前几年到哈尔滨，气温都降到零下40度，就是不降雪，真是扫兴。这次来到北海道，终于如愿以尝，天天都在雪花纷飞的日子中度过。北海道的雪，象棉花糖，白白的雪花从天上飘下，漂亮极了。不过，在函馆也遇上暴风雪，行走得好辛苦，雨伞根本招架不住。 Snowfall, snowing days ... that was what we wanted to see and experience for ourselves when we decided to head for Hokkaido. Fluffy snow falling from the sky, snow storm, blizzard ... Well, we have seen them all in Hokkaido. In fact, it snowed everyday the week we were there. How amazing. It was indeed a memorable holiday for us, who came from a tropical island near the equator. Our Hokkaido tour started from Hakodate, after spending 2 days in Sendai and Matsushima. Itinerary: 2 Dec : Arrived in Hakodate 函館 in the afternoon - Mt Hakodate-yama for the night view 3 Dec : Morning Market - Walk around bay area, old warehouses shopping mall - JR Train to Sapporo 札幌 - Sapporo old Hokkaido government building - Odori Avenue Park 4 Dec : Ota ... read more

Having been to Terelj last year, we did not plan to come here again, but to catch an overnight train from UB to Beijing. We didn't realise that the train departing from UB today was the Siberia line, and pre-booking was impossible. After much trying by Puujee, he still couldn't get the tickets for us. So we were left with the only choice, i.e. to take a flight to Beijing. And since we were to take a plane, we can afford one more day in Mongolia, and the natural choice was of course to head to Terelj. Terelj is the best place to relax after 2 weeks of travelling the rugged terrain of the country. It is not very far from Ulaan Bataar, about an hour's drive. Terelj is a place of magnificent scenery, with vast ... read more

We arrived at the Khorgo Terkhiin Tsaagan Nuur National Park quite late last night and checked into Khorgo Camp. The camp is located in the northern valley of Khorgo volcano mountain. I remembered having our dinner past midnight. Meal times in Mongolia were unpredictable due to the long distance travelled and uneven terrain. The norm was 3pm for lunch and 9pm for dinner, since the sun set at 10-11pm! In the morning, we went for a hike at the extinct Khorgo volcano mountain. One could imagine the massive volcano eruption that took place (don't know when). The whole mountain was covered with blackish rocks with lots of holes. ... read more