Nippon Adventure: Accommodations and Transportations

I've been planning this trip way before my second semester began, hoping I won't need much distraction with the plannings. Most importantly, I wanted to do this trip independently where I'm not obligated by a secondary voice.

Even though I've been to Japan before, I planned to travel from west to east starting from Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Osaka, Kyoto and finally to Tokyo. I booked a direct SIA flight using my partial mileage redemption to reach Japan via Fukuoka and depart from Narita. It was quite costly but less trouble of transit or wasted traveling time if I were to fly in-out from 1 city. 

I've managed a night stay at Fukuoka, 2 nights at Hiroshima with a day trip to Miyajima, 2 nights in Osaka with a day trip to Kyoto and lastly 2 nights in Tokyo. I stayed at Hana Hostel (a sister brand to J-Hoppers which I had a pleasant stay previously at Osaka) for both Fukuoka and Hiroshima, APA Hotel Namba-Shinsaibashi for Osaka, and Hotel Wing International Shinjuku. 

Like previously, I purchased the national JR pass to travel around Japan freely. The 7-day pass can only be purchase outside of Japan and it cost around SGD340 for unlimited rides on the JR city buses, trains and Shinkansen (bullet train).

Fukuoka:

Hana Hostel Fukuoka is located 2 subway stops from Hakata Station and situated along a shopping arcade Nakasuka. It wasn't difficult searching the place but it's at the very opposite end of the arcade from the subway station. There are plenty of diners along the arcade but not Starbucks hence I had to resort to Starbucks beverages from convenient stores. There is also a superb Thai massage parlor where I had the best Thai massage ever (even outdid the original Thai massage from Thailand itself).

Since I was in Fukuoka for a day, I opt for a 8 bed mixed dormitory. Everyone was pleasant but reserved by staying in their own bunk bed with the blind down. Each bunk is huge enough for a comfortable stay with an individual dresser to store personal belongings. The atmosphere is quite cozy with the wooden interiors.

Since JR isn't the main line in Fukuoka, I delayed changing my JR pass by a day (staying for a total of 8 days). There are a couple of private line which the pass does not covers. However, I gotten the Green Loop bus service which loops around the city to major attractions. The drawback is the 30mins intervals. Most of the time, I was wasting my time waiting for the bus as the places I'm going are far apart. I did walk to some places after checking in and over-utilizing the worth of the Green Loop pass because the last few places were within walking distance.

Hiroshima/Miyajima:

I continued my stay with Hana Hostel Hiroshima for the next 2 nights. I wanted a bit more privacy so I booked a single en-suite Japanese style room which feels more likely room during my ryokan stay. The room is meant for 2-3 people stay but I had it all to myself. The hostel location is only 5mins walk from the Hiroshima station but food around the area is quite scarce.

I was blown by the coziness of both Hana Hostels where the keepers took notice of you even when the place was fully-booked. They remembered our conversations about planned itinerary and asked whether I enjoyed the places I went whenever I returned back to the hostel. Truly amazing services.

Hiroshima is another city which JR is not the prominent transportation. A local tram line operates around the city and cost only ¥150 1-way within the city limits. The main attractions are all within walking distance hence a tram ride was sufficient. I did walk to every location on the first day and uses the tram by the second day.

My second day in Hiroshima was a day trip to Miyajima. This is when I utilized my JR pass for the train and ferry ride. It's only 40 mins away from Hiroshima.

Osaka/Kyoto:

I wanted to further my stay with Hana Hostel which is conveniently located within Namba but I managed to find a business hotel APA Hotel which is at a similar price of SGD60. The hotel provides better amenities and is just a few minutes walk to Shinsaibashi/Dotonbori for a quick shopping/eateries. 

Osaka has a few JR lines connecting to many locations however getting to Namba requires a transit. I had to use the private subway line for a direct route to Shin-Osaka whenever I have my luggage on. Getting to Kansai Airport or Rinku premium outlet is also covered by the JR pass. Same goes for traveling to Kobe and Kyoto which is an hour away by public train and roughly 20mins by express.

Kyoto has a scarce JR line but plenty of other private lines. Getting around Kyoto is still easy.

Tokyo:

Back in 2010, I stayed in a Khaosan Hostel at Asakusa which was quite inaccessible. Many of the hostels in Tokyo are quite inaccessible as well hence I decided to stay in a hotel instead especially one that is easily accessible by JR line and to Narita Express. After much research, I booked Hotel Wing International Shinjuku which is less than 10mins walk from JR Shinjuku. 

However, I had a bad experience in this hotel. Firstly, it's situated within Shinjuku red light district which is quite sleazy. I got touted for sex. The hotel also had a centralized heating system which unable guest to set the temperature in the room. It's either the heater is on or off. I requested some assistance to keep the room ventilated and the staff provided me with a fan. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with the fan as I saw some guest on the same floor who opened their room to allow the alleyway air conditioning into the room.

Getting around Tokyo was easy as JR line runs throughout many parts of the city. Some attractions are within walking distance or a transfer to a private line. There many JR station and the main stations such as Shibuya and Shinjuku are quite huge. Eventhough I commute to Shinjuku daily, I ended up towards different exit every single time due to the human traffic flow and the vastness of the station.

Generally, this solo adventure was more laid back eventhough I planned a lot. Accomadations weren't a letdown except for Tokyo and moving about was easy. I however would preferably return to Osaka than Tokyo as it is less congested. I can also revisit Kyoto and Hiroshima and can even venture to Kobe and Nara. Maybe I could plan a summer in Japan soon. 

Next few entries would be my adventures around Japan. Stay tuned.

Missing

It has been far too long since my last post which was my Bali Ignorance day entry back in late April. Nothing special happened after that period. 

Basically, I was involved in my exams after the trip, followed by non-stop of work. My school results weren't as bad as I expected so I headed on to a full 4 modules a semester. Boy, I foreseen the expected coming. I struggled with school and work from then on. There were a couple of group assignments and I was amazed that I managed to find good team members. 

Work was also quite tedious as I got promoted from planning assistant to supervisor. There was a hike in responsibilities which I struggled to juggle with school. That period wasn't the best time for me but I managed to set things to a better motion as time went by.

Another exam came and I was too delighted for what came next, my trip to Japan. No matter how sucky life gets, there are always something great to look forward to. It may or may not be relevant to the situation but it somehow eases the tension. 

Oh, did I say that I'm seeing someone? That'll be another story for another day then.

Ignorance Trip: Bali (25-28 April)

Wow! It has been 3 months since my last entry. I've been tied up with school which started great and slowly progresses to my death.  I had to plan for a trip during my study period and at a great timing too, it falls on my birthday week. Due to leave shortage (all thanks to my trip to Beijing and a planned winter trip), I had to keep it short. 

Initially planned for a destination for summer retreat, a friend can't make firm confirmation hence I had to proceed without him to Bali. I wasn't fond of Bali because it was quite mainstream (people hated me for that) but since I planned my ritual solo birthday trip, I swallowed my pride and just went. Apparently, my buddy who wasn't fond of Bali too decided to crash. There were tons of argument between us about crashing my "Ignorance Trip" but great buddies still agreed to share.

From an initial plan of luxurious trip flying by SIA and a villa stay, I had to scrap all luxurious plans to flying by Jetstar and staying in a 4 Star hotel just to save some cash for the 2 of us. It wasn't a waste as it was sufficient, so I had to admit having my buddy is cheaper.

Grand Mega Resort and Spa is 10 mins away from the airport and 5 mins away from Kuta beach but the massive traffic jam delays up to an hour and 30 mins journey respectively. The hotel is inexpensive with great facilities such as a sufficient sized pool for laps, gym and most importantly spa. The deluxe room is spacious with an open bathroom and a tub with a television. The spa retreat was quite inexpensive too but the masseuse was fantastic. An advise, don't do your spa with a friend in the same room as the masseuse tend to chat with each other which is quite distracting for your moment of tranquillity. 

Grand Mega is situated across the DFS Galleria and adjacent to several outlet stores. Since there wasn't any itinerary planned for day 1, we wandered around the hotel vicinity and ended shopping for some beach wear. 

We have a friend who established a warong (food stall) in Bali and decides to look for her. We got lost searching her warong on day one, all thanks to the direction provided by the map app but we managed to get to her shop the day after. It was a simple establishment and we were happy for her venture.

We decides to check the much boast about Kuta beach. It was a long stretch of coastline with huge waves and surfers waiting for the right waves. Well, that's practically all there is. I don't really understand the rave about it. Nearby, are the hotels, shops, bars and diners that I still can't rave about? There isn't much to shop except for beach/surf wears and the diners are mostly the common one you'll see back home.

Since I planned a solo retreat, I requested an alone time for my birthday. I've been labelled the most boring person who actually planned to do nothing but read overseas. To me, a holiday wouldn't be great if we do not plan sometime of peace (besides our spa time). I did managed to complete my book at Starbucks overlooking Kuta.

Hakimbo made reservations for a tour around Bali the following day, recommended by our dear friends to approach Dewa. His services is to be commended for cheap offering even if they don't cover entrance charges. Dewa picks us up from our hotel and drove us for some water activities. Totally forgotten about the water activity part, we weren't dressed proper so we decides for a dry activity, para-sailing which we went twice. 

As the package itineraries were mostly situated at the southern side of Bali, there were some itineraries that didn't interest us. Dewa however was pleased to change for us and we had to trouble him to bring us to Tanah Lot instead, which is further north. He had to bring us there first as the kecak dance started later in the day. We had to battle through traffic back and forth but the view at Tanah Lot was spectacular. 

Again bashing through the traffic, we made our way back south-side to catch the Kecak dance. It is something interesting, vaguely familiar to dikir barat but consist of a folklore character impersonation. At times, the performance was eerie, at times hilarious but overall interesting (can't think of a word to best describe it). Besides the performance, the view from of Uluwatu is gorgeous and serene.

Since I told Hakimbo to promise no surprises on my birthday, he did it the day after by bringing me to Bubba Gump where he gotten the staffs to celebrate my birthday. I was about to go to the toilet when they came in to perform their very own kecak performance. Apparently, that wasn't the only surprise. As I had to go to the toilet badly to take a dump, I heard banging and drumming outside the toilet. I thought that another person was celebrating their birthday too and lucky mine wasn't that rowdy. To my surprise, they were actually waiting for me while I'm in the toilet. Typical diners celebration where they got you up and sing some lame songs. I blared at Hakimbo for the second surprise but he too had no idea they would do it.

As much as I wanted to have a solo getaway, I did had a great time with my best bud as my company. We managed to conquer another place together. I may not have enjoyed Bali that much but with a great company, the trip may always be something to be remembered for. Thanks Hakimbo. Till our next adventure (but not this winter trip. I really need a solo trip for 2013).

Oriental Adventure Day 4 & 5

It's 2013 and some of the group will be leaving. The first itinerary was Summer Palace since it was closed the day before. The palace was huge, even bigger than the Forbidden City. It had a lake in the middle with an island in the middle of it.

Since it was winter, the lake was frozen and walking across was possible but not advisable. I wanted to do it but wasn't allowed too.The Summer Palace is like any other palace that I've been to but the it would be beautiful during summer or spring.

The well known long corridor is here too but we were only walking till the first pavilion. It actually stretches along the lake and it is huge. It is yet another cold day but we were then accustomed to the cold. We played around in the weather including the American kids. Hakimbo made a good friend with one of them. Truly a rare moment.

We were then brought to lunch where we said goodbye to the American family and another due to their afternoon flight. We departed and continued to Qianmen where we were taught on Feng Sui and how Beijing was arranged to it. They had miniatures Feng Sui items on sale but this was the only time throughout the whole trip that they didn't bother selling. To them, if you don't believe in Feng Sui, it's hard for the element to work.

Once our lesson on Feng Sui was over, we crossed the street to another shopping street. This was another long stretch of shopping that I don't mind but there wasn't anything that interest me. Even the cheap alley ways does not enticed me. We ended up at Starbucks again.

By this time, our group of 12 Indonesian were ungratefully tired and wanted to just stay in the bus. They were one rowdy family and half of them were kids. They were so annoying!!! They would be running around and even trying to outspoke the guide explanation of the tour. They had a dispute with the guide in the morning and the remaining of the group didn't care as they didn't care about the others.

Our next location was the Temple of Heaven not far from Qianmen street. There were only 4 of us in the group as the other had gone and just awaiting for their flight, and the ignorant Indonesian family of course. Our guide had a breeze bringing the 4 of us into the temple. The temple is a nice scenic temple and the sun was shining brightly. I managed to capture some great shots but didn't really bother wandering around the temple.

Dinner was early and we said goodbye to another family. This time we returned to the hotel early and I finally managed to make a spa appointment. After a long tour, a good message was terrific (the "free" foot massage didn't count). I was rejuvenated to conquer the last day.

We woke up later than normal and the Indonesian family were the first to go due to their morning flight. They wasted a day of tour. We finally had a peaceful journey to the Beijing Cultural Museum.

Wandering around the museum for 2 hours and I realized that every exhibit is similar. Every relic are Chinese influence and really similar to each other. The building however was vast and unique from the inside and plain blocky from the outside though there were too much space wasted. Maybe, it's just me where Singapore is just space restricted.

Since it's just 4 of us, the other itinerary is another shopping and bar street. We told the guide to detour to Wangfujing where we can spent our time fruitfully as we didn't the other day. We managed to go into another shopping center in Wangfujing that houses many great brands but the prices are costlier than Singapore.

Wangfujing was the last of our tour and it marks the end. We collected our luggage and proceeded to the airport. While waiting to check in, we realized that we didn't spent much. I still had spare from my SGD200 conversion and was shocked. I've only swiped once for souvenirs.

However right after checking in, we went wild. We managed to find items that we've been looking for like my sister's hard to find Longchamp bag, some wedding presents that Hakim needed and my SINs needlist, Bally's keypouch selling cheap after conversion and discount. So much for not shopping during this trip.

The flight home was better than the incoming flight. The aircraft was newer with better seating and personalized entertainment console. I reached Singapore fresher.

In all, I truly enjoyed my Oriental Adventure and truly grateful to have gone with Hakimbo. Another destination conquered and it was my first experience of -16 deg weather and even snow. I could have regretted going alone without tour. That'll definitely be an adventure.

Till the next trip, whenever I can slot from my hectic work-school year.

Oriental Adventure, Day 3

Again, we were up early for day 3 and again we were brought to another useless factory, silk. I wouldn't mind if they have things that I could give as souvenirs but who would need an extremely overpriced bedsheet. Not satisfied that we didn't buy anything, our guide 'locked" us in and will only leave when we bought enough to cover the loss for not spending the day before. That causes everyone to explode and had a major complaint from Hakimbo and the American family. We wasted 2 hours in the factory till we managed to get out. The guide wasn't really pleased but we didn't care. It was not stated in the itinerary that we need to spent for the tour.

The next tour was actually the Summer Palace but it was closed due to preparation for the New Year. We had a change of itinerary and was brought to another factory, Pearl and Jadeite. This time, there was a disclaimer that we may not need to purchase as the prices were exuberant. Somehow, some of the group managed to purchase something.

Lunch was at the Olympic stadium and it was the one and only halal restaurant that we were brought to where they served Thai menu. However, they still served it as a Chinese infused dishes. Right after lunch was another optional tour to view the pandas. Again we opted out as we can just view them in the new attraction at Singapore Zoo. So we just sat in the bus as there wasn't any place to go out to and the time required was short.

Still yearning for that spa treatment, our guide brought us to the Traditional Chinese Medicine Institute for a free foot message by TCM students. There was also health screening but like I said in the previous post, there is no free lunch in China. After the screening, the doctors recommended traditional prescription but the prices were ridiculous. They can go up to SGD 200 for some prescription. My last visit to a TCM in Singapore (yup, I've been to one) only quoted me 1/4 of the price but I rejected due to an advise by my personal doctor.

Next, is yet another shopping venue but in a shopping center, Silk Street. Thought that it'll be great? Not really. It's very much like KL Petaling Street but in a mall version where they sell knock-off at yet another ridiculous prices. I found a collectors toyshop and was amazed that they managed to copy Neca Assassin's Creed and I was tempted to get it but didn't. I remembered that I'm trying to stop toys as much as I can. We were given 2 hours at Silk Street but we completed the mall within 45 minutes inclusive of a coffee break. We ventured out across the street and found nothing as the area was a business district but our savior was Starbucks.

The only worthy picture for the day.

After the group gathered, we were brought to a shopping district call The Place to see the second largest Skyscreen in the world. I was like what??? The shopping center was way better than Silk Street and I could actually shop for something there but we're being brought here to just see these huge screen in the sky for about 10 mins because the bus is not allowed to park more than that. Seriously?

Dinner was next and they were serving Peking Duck. We were scheduled earlier but we were late so the duck cutting demonstration did not happened and the duck were served sliced. By now, I've grown tired of Chinese food but I've managed any western food along the way such as Mcdonalds and Starbucks.

The last optional tour is the CBD light-up that cost SGD 10. We were tired and didn't mind the SGD 10 but after completing the 15 mins tour, we found it an unworthy tour. Yet another money making scheme but I would rather stay in the bus then waiting in the cold for them to pick us up.

Yet another late arrival in the hotel and no chance for the spa however we did managed to stay up till 00:00 to usher in the new year. We were hoping to see fireworks or someone playing firecrackers. Well, someone did play with fireworks right below the hotel but it was only at 11.15pm. We had no idea what was that occasion for. Once 2013 struck, we only managed to see 2 fireworks miles away and remembering that our hotel was in the outskirts.

We happy 2013 and *snore*.

Oriental Adventure, Day 2

After a good night and preparation for the weather, we are ready for day 2 itinerary - The Great Wall of China. We've prepared for the worst weather by preparing additional thermal wear in our bags. Apparently, we got out slightly earlier so our guide brought us to a Jade factory which was along the way. Of course the cost of jade isn't cheap, everyone left empty-handed.

Next up, the Great Wall of China. Unknowingly, a bucket list of mine is to a least visit one of the 7 wonders of the world (the replicas in Shenzhen does not count). I did wanted to visit Beijing on my own but I'm grateful that I went with Hakimbo. I may understand Mandarin but I just can't get the words out of my mouth.

The steep section of the Juyongguan
Great Wall

There are many spots to the visit the Great Wall and we were brought to the Juyongguan section. There are 2 section of the great wall climb, a steep climb to the left and a gradual climb on the right. As we're the gung-ho type, we proceeded to steep section. The stairs were very narrow and high with snow formation on the sides. Going up can be quite a challenge.

We managed to proceed up to the first watch tower and the next watch tower was quite far with a more gradual climb. Due to time constrain, we just stayed at the first tower and enjoyed the view and weather. Thank god, we were able to withstand the weather due to our thermal clothing. The cold weather and the climb however made up slightly asthmatic due to the thin air. Both of us were gagging for breath.

We also made close friends with an American family living in Singapore. We were amazed that their 2 kids (aged 3 and 6 were able to climb the steep steps). We stayed together and helped them on our way down.

After the Great Wall, we returned back to the Jade Factory for Lunch and then proceeding to another factory - Medicine. I'm really puzzled why they brought us to all this places where we didn't find a need for it. Sure everything is made in China. They should bring us to factories that made the branded goods like shoes, clothes etc. They are more practical.

After which we were brought to another shopping location but luckily it's more consumer basis at Wangfujing Street. It's a long stretch of shopping district similar to Orchard with many great brands. Given only 2 hours, we only managed to skim through the malls and came out empty handed. While walking on the streets, 2 girls just came up to us and had a conversation. Hiding our freaked-out faces, we told them we were in a rush when they invited us to sit for coffee. Then on, we had our suspicions - there are no free-lunch in China. We managed to break loose and continued wandering around.

There is a food alley that I've read that sells all the weird stuffs. We did planned to try some but after looking at it, we kind of gag. The PRC eats anything that moves from scorpions, locust, starfish (have not seen it move in real life), dog meat etc. There are other good food available but I really wonder why they resort to such bizarre things.

The same alley also consist of souvenirs and the owners really wish to rip money off you. They would quote very high prices and you can bargain up to 75% off the initial price (if you're good at it). Some would even pull you aside to sell you items. That was truly insane and thank God I was mistaken for a Chinese (OK, not sure whether that was a good thing).

Next is dinner at one of the restaurants in Wangfujing before moving on to an optional tour of Martial Arts performance. We didn't really fancy the show so we opted out and waited at a cafe nearby making friends to another group from our tour.

Again, we returned to the hotel late and wasn't able to go for the spa. So we just sleep in and was satisfied in conquering the main attractions of Beijing.

Oriental Adventure, Day 1

This might be crazy to some but what do I care. It's known as managing your time and planning effectively. From my previous post, I just came back from my Christmas holiday in Hong Kong but I'm going away again for New Year in Beijing. It was planned in a way that I'll be able to go with my god-brother before we start our hectic schedule in 2013. Plus, it's the first time that both of us went on an all-out tour package all thanks to the cheap offer by Groupon. Our total trip cost us about 50% of actual price inclusive of taxes. The package includes flight via Air China (SIA was fully booked), 5 star hotel stay, major attractions and meals. It was a good deal and I can finally cross out Beijing out from my trip list.

At first I thought that flying with Air China was mistake and my flight out of Singapore was excruciating, the worst flight by far. I was uncomfortable for the whole flight and there wasn't an individual entertainment console. I was suffering for that overnight flight. Thank god the returning flight was better with more comfortable seats and individual entertainment console.

Upon arrival to China, we weren't able to get a local data SIM card so we had to rely on tapping into wifi spots. Apparently, China blocked a handful of site such as Facebook, Twitter and Blogspot. We were totally lost especially Hakimbo. We're weren't able to check-in except on Foursquare. No lost for me except I can get my dose of Running Man whenever I'm bored.

Since our flight is an overnight flight arriving Beijing in the morning, we met our guide and she brought us out straight into the tour. Were we prepared for that? Yes but not the weather. Sure it's winter at minus 14 degrees on our arrival, it felt colder than expected. Waiting for our tour bus outside wasn't bad until we reached our first destination. I was covered in 3 layers but it didn't help. I was freezing from face to ears to toes to fingers.

The first tour for the day was riding along the Hutong (old alleyways) on a rickshaw. Our cyclist was kind enough to cover us with a warm blanket (thank god, I was freezing by then). They brought the group to a house deep within the alleyway where we'll have lunch. After lunch was the next torturous attraction.

The guide brought us to the well known Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City. Yes ah! I finally get to be there and got to see the huge Mao Zedong portrait. But Tienanmen Square was so bare that cold wind were gushing at every angle. Hakimbo mentioned watching people battling in the cold wind where they hunch forward to proceed. We didn't expect to be doing that but we did. Luckily there were peddlers selling winter wear and I got hold of muffs and extra gloves to keep myself warm but it help only a little. I had to fool around to keep myself warm.

From Tienanmen Square, we crossed over to the Forbidden City. I remember from my Korean trip that it's no different than Gwangbukgong Palace in Seoul and it sure was. It almost felt similar as Gwangbukgong but I was still astonished as I'm typically there. We had a little kids in the tour group and they too were suffering from the cold. We had a anonymous vote to rush to complete the tour and get on the bus. I didn't fell a lost as it truly was quite repetitive for the buildings in Forbidden City.

We were brought to a tea house for tea demonstration where we learn the ancient Chinese way of drinking tea. You might just hook up with the tea demonstrator by holding the cup wrongly. After dinner, we were brought to explore the 2008 Olympic venue, the Bird Nest and Watercube which is mostly a stadium and the swimming pool. We weren't allowed in so we just took pictures outside.

After which, our first day tour ended and the guide brought us to check into the hotel. We stayed in Ramada Beijing North Resort which was too secluded without any shops nearby for unknown night snacks.The hotel resort was great and comfortable but our room were away from the main router of the hotel so we did not have WiFi connection in our room. There is a Spa too but we seemed to return late and the spa closes early. For day 1, we didn't need any extra source of relaxation as we were up the whole day from our flight. After washing up, we crashed for the night at 8pm. It was also to prepare for the next day trip to the Great Wall of China.