** WaRning** Image heavy entRy ahead.
DAY 0 (11 May 2008, Sunday)
Singapore
Left singapoRe 11th May 2008 (Sunday) 8.40pm local time foR bangkok. ARRived at bangkok 11+pm (local time 10pm), tRansit to anotheR flight to tokyo at 1am (local time 12mn). ARRived tokyo NaRita aiRpoRt at 6.30am (local time 7.30am).Singapore
--> see how confusing the timings aRe? bangkok is sloweR by an houR, tokyo is fasteR by an houR. we weRe so scaRed of missing the connecting flight cos theRe was a little delay in the ulu aiRpoRt in bangkok wheRe we had to take a shuttle bus to the main aiRpoRt building situated quite faR away afteR the plane touched down..
DAY 1 (12 May 2008, Monday)
Tokyo
dRagged a heavy luggage, bought tickets to T-CAT wheRe ouR hotel was situated neaRby.. the bus ticket cost a fReaking 46 Sing dollaR! but anyway, i RatheR pay moRe than have to dRag a heavy luggage up and down flights of staiRs if we take tRain cos we had to change tRain seveRal times and theRe aRe NO elevatoRs in theiR station. AND theRe aRe a lot of staiRs.Tokyo
Reached hotel kitcho aRound local time 9am.. deposited ouR luggage theRe as it was not time to check in yet.. then we went off to ouR fiRst destination in ouR itineRaRy...
took the subway.. the waiting time is shoRt.. and theRe weRe cabins of diffeRent types.. weak aiR-conditioning, ladies cabin blah blah blah.. and somehow the unlucky us always happen to stand at the weak aiR-conditioning cabin.. -_-" theRe weRe diffeRent types of tRains.. noRmal, expRess, supeR expRess.. the expRess tRains skips stations and bRings you to youR destination in a much shoRteR time.. WHY DON'T WE HAVE THIS IN SINGAPORE!? bRing me to queenstown in 10 mins! =x
we shopped aRound at a electRonics shopping mall.. didn't find anything AFFORDABLE to buy.. decided to eat instead.. and got a cultuRe shock... the RestauRants weRe located at the highest level of the building.. and at the entRance of each RestauRant was a young jap lady who'll shRiek in a HIGH PITCH tone in some japanese which i pResume is to pull customeRs and dRag the end of each sentence in a tone which made all my goosebumps stand.. scaRy.. in the end, we chose a RestauRant selling Ramen using vending machines, and which theRe was no lady at the dooR.. =x these jap dumplings (gyoza alike, but moRe like dumplings) is yummy!!
we shaRed a bowl of Ramen, which i totally RegRet.. cos it tasted Really nice.. this was the best Ramen i tasted the whole tRip in tokyo..
we saw this at the entRance of an aRcade.. ORyzae!!! it's a bacteRia fRom the anime moyashimon.. dupeR cute!! and humongous!! LOLwe went back to ouR hotel afteR lunch to check in... and the hotel was veRy.. cosy! =)
we chose a jap style hotel Room.. this is the coRRidoR outside ouR Room..
the entRace to ouR Room.. veRy nicely decoRated.. with soothing tRickling sound of music that made the whole place veRy... japanese.. =) we stayed on the 3Rd flooR.. and ouR Room was named kaeda (maple leaf).. sweet~
A coRRidoR that leads to the inside (pictuRe taken fRom inside the main hall)..
a spacious and jap style sitting aRea.. and the lazy bum's legs afteR having much tRouble tRying to figuRe out how to lay out the futon on ouR own..
an aRea beside the bed aRea (which is an open aRea if u keep all the futon) which i have no idea what it's foR.. a basket of chaRcoal to Remove weiRd odouR, some sewing kit, a lamp, toRchlight, tea pot, alaRm clock...
anotheR Room outside the main hall with a micRowave, fRidge (below the micRowave), a table and a sofa...
anotheR view of the micRowave Room.. u can see the coRRidoR, as well as the main hall of the Room..
theRe weRe 2 toilets, but i only took photos of one.. a veRy nice and clean toilet.. with tatami lined flooR.. uR feet dun feel cold in the cold weatheR..
the bathRoom itself.. a deep bathtube.. on the otheR side it's a showeR head.. but i can't find an angle which i can take a pictuRe of both.. =xbig Right? the only thing was theRe wasn't any dRessing table...
the most pleasant thing bout tokyo is, theRe aRe nice and Really beautiful floweRs eveRywheRe!! =) =) =) they make my day happy.. =) plus it's a smoke-fRee aRea even on the stReets!! theRe aRe designated smoking aRea on the stReets. elsewheRe, it's smoke-fRee!! =) i like! the bad thing was, you can HARDLY find any Rubbish bin on the stReets at all.. yet, it's still so clean!!!
we went to the Roppongi moRi toweR to catch a view of the tokyo toweR.. it's a dReam come tRue to see the toweR itself.. =) though i would much pRefeR to see the eiffel toweR.. =x
tokyo toweR is in his hands!!!
i look Really fat heRe cos of the thick coat i'm weaRing.. the weatheR was a 12 degRee celcius when we Reached.. and it gets coldeR at night...
I took this pictuRe!! =)
anotheR view of the pRetty toweR when lighted.. we finally waited till daRk so that we can go up to the open obseRvatoRy deck to get some nice pictuRes.. befoRe that, we went to some museum which was included in the tickets... but by the time we got out of the museum, only did we Realise that the open deck was closed... just 10minutes ago.......... =( with much disappointment, we went back to ouR hotel.. was quite tiRed cos i couldn't sleep well at all thRoughout the night flight.. i think i only slept foR an houR oR so..DAY 2 (13 May 2008, Tuesday)
Tokyo
Tokyo
tokyo sunRise occuRs at 4am.. i woke up to see bRight light enteRing the hotel Room and was shocked to only see 3am on my watch (singapoRe time).. so.. EARLY. anyway, day 2, we went to Yokohama's china town.. which was also quite disappointing.. nothing much theRe.. quite oveR-Rated.. ate at a chinese RestauRant wheRe the staff could speak chinese.. =)
pictuRe taken inside the so-called food mall but which we didn't see any types of food otheR than xiao long bao.. -_-"
we left the china town shoRtly and went to Yokohama Landmark Tower, wheRe theRe's the city view obseRvatoRy deck.. yes.. yet anotheR one... and again.. beautiful floweRs along the way.. =)
and moRe beautiful floweRs... =)
and a view of the Really dense city...
me, with the city view behind me.. see the feRRis wheel in the coRneR of the pictuRe? theRe'Re feRRis wheels all aRound the city! we didn't went on any though.. i think it's quite boRing...
and a view of us... again, with the city view behind...
nice pictuRe eh? but nope, we did not see this.. this is a pictuRe of a pictuRe, if u undeRstand what i'm saying. =x
the metRo subway.. i was amazed how half the tRain in undeR shelteR, and paRt of it is exposed..
the toilets aRe amazing! u could pRess this button and it would play the sound of flushing and u dun feel so awkwaRd when u'Re too loud in doing uR business.. plus some functions like waRming toilet seats, cleaning uR butt, Removing odouR... something like that lah, accoRding to my sisteR.. theRe weRe lots of buttons.. just like the one in ouR hotel Room.. but veRy unfoRtunately, we can't Read japanese.. so we didn't use those functions.. =x
Selling Real life bettles in Toy'R'us?!
the Rainbow bRidge (i think), situated in Odaiba...
pictuRe of me and the bRidge, taken fRom the shopping mall neaRby...
ouR dinneR foR that day.. tonkatsu Ramen (again)! i think the one we had on ouR fiRst day tasted betteR though...
we couldn't wait till night to take a night pictuRe of the Rainbow bRidge.. the wind was stRong and it was fRigging cold out theRe... a photo of the shopping mall we shopped at.. wheRe we bought a lot of food souveniR to bRing back foR my colleagues...
statue of libeRty taken aRound the aRea.. it was too cold.. i just took this photo foR fun and Ran off to waRmeR shelteR...
moRe beautiful floweRs.. can't RemembeR wheRe i took this pictuRe though.. =x
sushi foR suppeR!! bought at a sushi outlet neaR ouR hotel.. theRe was a 20% discount when buy afteR a ceRtain time.. ok! this is wheRe i gained my 3kg.. basically, i think we have at least 5 meals a day.. bReakfast, bRunch, lunch, tea, dinneR, suppeR.. 买东西吃东西, 买东西吃东西!DAY 3 (14 May 2008, Wednesday)
Tokyo
beautiful floweRs again outside ouR hotel.. say! how to not feel happy seeing these beautiful floweRs?Tokyo
we woke up at local time 5am? oR was it 6am? can't RemembeR.. anyway, we had booked a day touR to mount fuji.. with a english speaking japanese touR guide of couRse! ouR touR gRoup was basically made up of ang mohs.. and we weRe the only asians aRound.. =x
it was dRizzling in the moRning and it was veRy cloudy... i was quite upset and woRRied that we may not be able to see mount fuji afteR spending S$200++ on this day touR. supeR ex i know.. but i wanted to see mount fuji foR myself!! look at the pictuRe! we weRe at low land and the clouds have alReady coveRed whateveR view..
clouds, clouds, and moRe clouds.. it was a gloomy weatheR.. and my mood was about the same too when the guide told us we could only go up to the 4th station and not the 5th due to weatheR conditions..
and while the bus scale the heights, this white thingy came into my sight.. wat's this?? it looks like some soap thingy.. diRty soap wateR? oR some cotton thingy?
and when moRe came into sight, then i Realised it's snow.. =x
the latest RepoRt came and said we could go up to the 5th station!! =) the sky cleaRed a bit, and we could see a bit of mount fuji!! this pictuRe taken by me on the bus is pRoudly named by me - "A glimpse of mount fuji"! haha.. cos i was afRaid we wouldn't have a chance to see mount fuji because of the clouds.. so took this pictuRe...and soon.. we Reached the 4th station.. and the touR guide let us stopped at a spot afteR the 4th station wheRe he says it has a best view of the mount fuji.. the sky has cleaRed quite a bit and mount fuji came to full sight...
pResenting to you, the magnificent mount fuji!!! =) =) =) we look like we'Re soooooo close to the peak!! at 2000+++m above sea level, we weRe still, accoRding to the guide, anotheR 6-7houRs away fRom the peak of the mountain.. =x
me and mount fuji!! i look so minute heRe... and the stupid date is in my face.. =x
us and mount fuji.. eRm.. and a bit of clouds.. =x
we went up to the 5th station, which was the highest point we could go by bus... the weatheR was a FREAKING -1 degRee celcius!!!!!! we weRe gRossly unpRepaRed foR it.. with just a thin cotton weaR and a jacket, we weRe fReezing and shiveRing each time we take out ouR cameRa to take pictuRes.. we had to Run into the souveniR shops and put ouR hands aRound the heateR eveRy few minutes.. and my hands went Really numb when we had to walk a distance back to ouR touR bus.. the wind was stRong, the aiR was cold.. but the sceneRy was bReath-taking! =)
the photo of mount fuji which i like best.. doesn't it looks like it's just a 100m away?
me, at the 5th station.. the wind was so stRong that it blew my hat away at least 3 times.... =x standing on snow (diRty ice) with a view of clouds.. tRying to smile sweetly despite having numbed lips and cheeks..we had ouR japanese style lunch, bento, at a RestauRant with a nice view of mount fuji...
and took a 15mins boat Ride on lake ashi...
on boaRd the boat...
it's a tough job tRying to keep the haiR in place while taking a photo......
and took a cable caR up anotheR mountain.. can't RemembeR the name of the mountain.. but we weRe supposed to able able to catch a nice view of mount fuji fRom the cable caR Ride...
yet all we could see was.... CLOUDS...
and moRe clouds....
it was the same at the summit.... the winds weRe even stRongeR.. visibility was weak.. i feel like i was in haven.. haha..
maple leaves!!! i saw this maple tRee neaRby some souveniR shops at the bottom of the mountain... my face was all wet fRom the condensation of the clouds afteR we came down fRom the mountain...
so that concluded the end of the touR and we took a shikansen (bullet tRain) back to tokyo station... while waiting at the platfoRm, the bullet tRain zoomed past at the opposite platfoRm (it was a tRain that happened to skip ouR station) at.. bullet speed? so fast!!! but when we boaRded the tRain itself, it was quite disappointing... no much diffeRence fRom a mRt Ride.. and it cost almost 50 sing bucks!!!
the outside of the shikansen...
we took ouR dinneR at the biRd's place.. wheRe the guidebook says it's famous foR it's yakitoRi.. and dinneR cost S$150++ foR 2 pax....................... the most expensive meal i've eveR taken in my life.. eRm.. the chicken meat was supeRb! but the meal includes eating chicken liveR and heaRt and weiRd paRts of the chicken that i didn't daRe to eat.. =x the chicken heaRt!! i could cleaRly see the aoRta, the chambeRs of the heaRt and the aRteRies and veins!! how would i daRe to eat it!? =x
DAY 4 (15 May 2008, Thursday)
Tokyo
at 9+am, on ouR way to Tokyo Disneyland!!!! =) =) =)
the inside of the tRain which bRought us to the theme paRk..
and afteR queuing foR a long time, at 930am, we went in the entRance!!
the weatheR was getting hotteR as the days went by... we saw a couple of chaRacteRs aRound.. mickey, minnie, donald duck blah blah blah.. but ALL of them had such LONG queues that i didn't want to wait....
the fiRst Ride of the day, piRates of the caRRibean!! i was amazed at the intRicacy of the woRk and effoRt put in! the life size figuRes look Really Real!! the eyes, the expRession, the movements weRe all life-like! it was RatheR daRk thRoughout the Rides and they could have not ignoRe little details, but they did not! it was a wondeRful and amazing Ride...
on some tRee top house.. hmm.. no idea what actually.. =x
the whole place was filled with people weaRing mickey mouse and minnie mouse eaRs.. how can i miss it?
theRe was some shows occasionally.. and i was RatheR pissed by these shows cos it caused human tRaffic jams and wasted much of ouR pRecious time..
theRe weRe MANY students aRound... and the Result? we had to queue FOREVER foR each Ride.. you could take a fast pass, a caRd allowing you to have pRioRity when u come back duRing the stipulated time.. but still.. foR one RolleR coasteR Ride less than 5 minutes, one have to queue foR 140mins!!!! that was the longest i saw.. and it was cRazy!! even with ouR fast pass, we had to wait foR almost 40 minutes? it's cRazy.. i spent moRe time waiting than playing..
why on eaRth weRe the students doing theRe?? excuRsion to disneyland?!?! why didn't we have that in school!??!!?
eRm.. some kiddy Ride? alice in wondeRland oR something like that.. =x
pRams!! many many of them!! outside each attRaction is a pRam paRking space.. with many many pRams!!
i didn't buy anything fRom disneyland at all.. i just think it isn't pRactical.. a photo will be moRe pRactical!!! =p
Donald duck!! i was tRapped in some long queue waiting foR the peteRpan's Ride i think.. took this pictuRe fRom faR..
this was a RatheR cute Ride.. we went in thRough that hole undeR the tRee..
duRing the Ride itself...
look at the cRowd!! it's cRazy.. JUST LOOK AT THE CROWD.
the toy stoRy Ride was FUN!! veRy FUN!! it's like in a big aRcade.. u go in a 2 seateR caR with "guns" and as the caR moves along, u can contRol the diRection of the caR, aim at the spot maRked with Z and tadah! u see uR scoRe in fRont of you.. FUN!! =p i queued anotheR time foR this Ride.. it was a LONG waiting time but i loved the Ride!
theRe was some 4D theatRe which i foRgot to take a pictuRe of.. something like the one in sentosa.. but i think the stoRyline in sentosa is betteR...
the last Ride of the day, Space Mountain.. we staRted queuing afteR a disney dinneR, hoping that the queue would be much shoRteR... it was shoRteR, but we still had to queue foR quite a long time.. while in the queue, theRe was video and signs all oveR the place emphasizing on the minimum RequiRements to go on the Ride..
and numeRous escape pods foR people who decided to back out of the Ride.. it made me woRRied.. what exactly was the Ride?? we counted aRound 5 oR 6 escape pods fRom the staRt of the queue till just befoRe the Ride...
it was a thRilling RolleR coasteR Ride! my favouRite!! i love RolleR coasteR Rides!! it was a absolutely adRenaline stimulating Ride!! it was a Ride in total daRkness, all we could see weRe staR like lights aRound the place.. making u feel like u'Re in space.. it's veRy daRk.. we couldn't see what's in fRont of us and what to expect fRom the Ride.. and the caR went... FAST.. Really FAST! theRe wasn't much plunging, but the shaRp tuRns and the supeR fast acceleRation was supeR SHIOK!! my legs went a bit numb and i was a bit nausea afteR the Ride.. neveRtheless, it was shiok!!! i insisted on taking the Ride once moRe.. and we went!! while queuing foR a second time, fiRewoRks lit up the sky!! we could see only little bit of it cos we weRe blocked by the shelteR and didn't want to get out of the queue.. =x taking the Ride a second time was less fun, cos we alReady knew what to expect.. =x
left the place at 930pm, afteR spending a whole 12 houRs in disneyland...
we counted, and we actually only went on 15 Rides.. out of a total of 30 attRactions.. =x the waiting time was just hoRRible....
Tokyo
at 9+am, on ouR way to Tokyo Disneyland!!!! =) =) =)
the inside of the tRain which bRought us to the theme paRk..
and afteR queuing foR a long time, at 930am, we went in the entRance!!
the weatheR was getting hotteR as the days went by... we saw a couple of chaRacteRs aRound.. mickey, minnie, donald duck blah blah blah.. but ALL of them had such LONG queues that i didn't want to wait....
the fiRst Ride of the day, piRates of the caRRibean!! i was amazed at the intRicacy of the woRk and effoRt put in! the life size figuRes look Really Real!! the eyes, the expRession, the movements weRe all life-like! it was RatheR daRk thRoughout the Rides and they could have not ignoRe little details, but they did not! it was a wondeRful and amazing Ride...
on some tRee top house.. hmm.. no idea what actually.. =x
the whole place was filled with people weaRing mickey mouse and minnie mouse eaRs.. how can i miss it?
theRe was some shows occasionally.. and i was RatheR pissed by these shows cos it caused human tRaffic jams and wasted much of ouR pRecious time..
theRe weRe MANY students aRound... and the Result? we had to queue FOREVER foR each Ride.. you could take a fast pass, a caRd allowing you to have pRioRity when u come back duRing the stipulated time.. but still.. foR one RolleR coasteR Ride less than 5 minutes, one have to queue foR 140mins!!!! that was the longest i saw.. and it was cRazy!! even with ouR fast pass, we had to wait foR almost 40 minutes? it's cRazy.. i spent moRe time waiting than playing..
why on eaRth weRe the students doing theRe?? excuRsion to disneyland?!?! why didn't we have that in school!??!!?
eRm.. some kiddy Ride? alice in wondeRland oR something like that.. =x
pRams!! many many of them!! outside each attRaction is a pRam paRking space.. with many many pRams!!
i didn't buy anything fRom disneyland at all.. i just think it isn't pRactical.. a photo will be moRe pRactical!!! =p
Donald duck!! i was tRapped in some long queue waiting foR the peteRpan's Ride i think.. took this pictuRe fRom faR..
this was a RatheR cute Ride.. we went in thRough that hole undeR the tRee..
duRing the Ride itself...
look at the cRowd!! it's cRazy.. JUST LOOK AT THE CROWD.
the toy stoRy Ride was FUN!! veRy FUN!! it's like in a big aRcade.. u go in a 2 seateR caR with "guns" and as the caR moves along, u can contRol the diRection of the caR, aim at the spot maRked with Z and tadah! u see uR scoRe in fRont of you.. FUN!! =p i queued anotheR time foR this Ride.. it was a LONG waiting time but i loved the Ride!
theRe was some 4D theatRe which i foRgot to take a pictuRe of.. something like the one in sentosa.. but i think the stoRyline in sentosa is betteR...
the last Ride of the day, Space Mountain.. we staRted queuing afteR a disney dinneR, hoping that the queue would be much shoRteR... it was shoRteR, but we still had to queue foR quite a long time.. while in the queue, theRe was video and signs all oveR the place emphasizing on the minimum RequiRements to go on the Ride..
and numeRous escape pods foR people who decided to back out of the Ride.. it made me woRRied.. what exactly was the Ride?? we counted aRound 5 oR 6 escape pods fRom the staRt of the queue till just befoRe the Ride...
it was a thRilling RolleR coasteR Ride! my favouRite!! i love RolleR coasteR Rides!! it was a absolutely adRenaline stimulating Ride!! it was a Ride in total daRkness, all we could see weRe staR like lights aRound the place.. making u feel like u'Re in space.. it's veRy daRk.. we couldn't see what's in fRont of us and what to expect fRom the Ride.. and the caR went... FAST.. Really FAST! theRe wasn't much plunging, but the shaRp tuRns and the supeR fast acceleRation was supeR SHIOK!! my legs went a bit numb and i was a bit nausea afteR the Ride.. neveRtheless, it was shiok!!! i insisted on taking the Ride once moRe.. and we went!! while queuing foR a second time, fiRewoRks lit up the sky!! we could see only little bit of it cos we weRe blocked by the shelteR and didn't want to get out of the queue.. =x taking the Ride a second time was less fun, cos we alReady knew what to expect.. =x
left the place at 930pm, afteR spending a whole 12 houRs in disneyland...
we counted, and we actually only went on 15 Rides.. out of a total of 30 attRactions.. =x the waiting time was just hoRRible....
DAY 5 (16 May 2008, Friday)
Tokyo
Asakusa!! again, heavily infested with gRoups of school kids.. who somehow do not seem to have classRoom based lessons but excuRsions eveRywheRe...
the weatheR was waRm enough to just weaR a T-shiRt...
this egg cakes tasted good!!! =)
went to the temple to dRaw lots... as usual, i got a good one.. he got a bad one though.. and accoRding to theiR customs, the bad lots aRe to be tied on this thingy...
eRm, i was told that the japanese believe that u should sweep the smoke using the hands to paRts which u need healing.. and of couRse, i sweep to my head.. i need to be moRe smaRt!! =x
the takopachi is Really diffeRent fRom the one we have.. foR one, the tako (octopus) is Really BIG... and scaRy..
this salted potato tasted good!! =) nice foR potato loveRs like me!!
went to ouR next destination.. haRajuku!! it was a teen fashion stReet.. supposed to be able to do a lot of shopping theRe.. howeveR, i was in no mood to shop.. cos it was quite expensive and i didn't Really feel it was woRth the pRice.. and so...
EAT!!! i live to eat!!!
again, found this RatheR ulu place Recommended by the guide book.. i was cRaving foR bento and it was quite good..
but his katsu-don was way much betteR than mine. it was GREAT! veRy veRy yummy.. RegRetted not having theiR shop's specialty.. =x
sushi foR suppeR, again... =p nice nice, yummy yummy.. bought with the Remaining $$ in his PASSMO caRd (jap's veRsion of EZlink)...
slept RatheR eaRly that night cos we had a eaRly moRning flight to catch the next day...
took the fiRst bus fRom T-CAT to NaRita aiRpoRt...
and afteR a long 6 hours flight, at 3pm (bangkok local time), we touched down bangkok..
took a cab to ouR hotel.. chaophya paRk hotel.. and was pleasantly suRpRised by the hospitality we Received.. all along we've only stayed in 3* hotel, it was ouR fiRst time in a 4* hotel.. the bell boy helped us take ouR luggage off the taxi till the lobby, then all the way to ouR hotel Room dooR.. so nice!! the hotel lobby was veRy gRand.. veRy big and nice...
ouR Room was RatheR big too!! though smalleR and less cosy than the one we had in tokyo..
nice toilet again.. =) but i was used to tatami flooR.. maRble flooR feels cold to the feet..
a showeR compaRtment..
and a bathtube too!
a dRessing table.. and with some seating aRea which we didn't even used at all.. =x
theRe was no wateR boileR, no micRowave.. but theRe was cable tv! and we spent ouR nights watching national geogRaphics.. =p
and off we went, to chatuchak weekend maRket!! it was just the staRt of a hoRRible tRip.. =x the Roads weRe VERY DIRTY, the RiveRs weRe VERY SMELLY, the weatheR was VERY HOT. each of this factoR was enough to kill me 10x oveR. without buying anything, we left the maRket in a haste.. i couldn't stand the place anymoRe..
wheRe was my beautiful tokyo with beautiful floweRs and clean stReets and people with all smiles?!
took pictuRes of some ah gua dancing theRe, making a joke out of themselves..
we didn't daRe to eat at the stReet side stalls which look REALLY UNHYGIENIC, so we went to this little RestauRant in JJ mall to eat.. the shops closed Really eaRly.. like almost all closed at 7pm?
this was what i had... tasted.. okay lah...
ended the day quite eaRly.. feeling hot and sticky and feeling Really disgusted at the living conditions.. theRe weRe few functioning stReet lights.. the stReets weRe daRk.. the caRs weRe zoooming at high speed.. and the dust flies all oveR the place.. gosh. what a day.
bReakfast at ouR hotel was gReat!! it was a sumptuous buffet! and i Really stuffed myself like a singapoRean. LOL. i was scaRed i wouldn't daRe to eat the food outside.. and anyway, the food was oiishi! with plenty of vaRiety too!
went chatuchak the whole moRning... then to JJ mall foR a disgusting ajisen lunch.. then went to siam squaRe and MBK.. no pictuRes.. can't be botheRed too...
woke up RatheR eaRly.. cos 9am was 10am in tokyo but only 8am in bangkok.. =x was hacked by buying unlimited boat Rides package to the temples....
on the way to the gRand palace... it was sooooooooooooooooooooooo hot.. people weRe all squeezing undeR the tRee foR shelteR..
it was Really hot......
some view....
the one and only beautiful floweR i saw in bangkok...
the china town in bangkok was a total disappointment.. nothing theRe.. not even any nice food.. left afteR a while...
i didn't see this cos i was fast asleep on the boat.. was Really tiRed!
the mRt platfoRm seems to be side by side with the Road!
was caught in a 5 minutes showeR to get to this place.. which made us Really dRenched.. sianz... the pRices heRe weRe maRkedly jacked up.. so we didn't stay heRe foR too long eitheR...
Tokyo
Asakusa!! again, heavily infested with gRoups of school kids.. who somehow do not seem to have classRoom based lessons but excuRsions eveRywheRe...
the weatheR was waRm enough to just weaR a T-shiRt...
this egg cakes tasted good!!! =)
went to the temple to dRaw lots... as usual, i got a good one.. he got a bad one though.. and accoRding to theiR customs, the bad lots aRe to be tied on this thingy...
eRm, i was told that the japanese believe that u should sweep the smoke using the hands to paRts which u need healing.. and of couRse, i sweep to my head.. i need to be moRe smaRt!! =x
the takopachi is Really diffeRent fRom the one we have.. foR one, the tako (octopus) is Really BIG... and scaRy..
this salted potato tasted good!! =) nice foR potato loveRs like me!!
went to ouR next destination.. haRajuku!! it was a teen fashion stReet.. supposed to be able to do a lot of shopping theRe.. howeveR, i was in no mood to shop.. cos it was quite expensive and i didn't Really feel it was woRth the pRice.. and so...
EAT!!! i live to eat!!!
again, found this RatheR ulu place Recommended by the guide book.. i was cRaving foR bento and it was quite good..
but his katsu-don was way much betteR than mine. it was GREAT! veRy veRy yummy.. RegRetted not having theiR shop's specialty.. =x
sushi foR suppeR, again... =p nice nice, yummy yummy.. bought with the Remaining $$ in his PASSMO caRd (jap's veRsion of EZlink)...slept RatheR eaRly that night cos we had a eaRly moRning flight to catch the next day...
DAY 6 (17 May 2008, Saturday)
Bangkok
Bangkok
took the fiRst bus fRom T-CAT to NaRita aiRpoRt...
and afteR a long 6 hours flight, at 3pm (bangkok local time), we touched down bangkok..
took a cab to ouR hotel.. chaophya paRk hotel.. and was pleasantly suRpRised by the hospitality we Received.. all along we've only stayed in 3* hotel, it was ouR fiRst time in a 4* hotel.. the bell boy helped us take ouR luggage off the taxi till the lobby, then all the way to ouR hotel Room dooR.. so nice!! the hotel lobby was veRy gRand.. veRy big and nice...
ouR Room was RatheR big too!! though smalleR and less cosy than the one we had in tokyo..
nice toilet again.. =) but i was used to tatami flooR.. maRble flooR feels cold to the feet..
a showeR compaRtment..
and a bathtube too!
a dRessing table.. and with some seating aRea which we didn't even used at all.. =x
theRe was no wateR boileR, no micRowave.. but theRe was cable tv! and we spent ouR nights watching national geogRaphics.. =p
and off we went, to chatuchak weekend maRket!! it was just the staRt of a hoRRible tRip.. =x the Roads weRe VERY DIRTY, the RiveRs weRe VERY SMELLY, the weatheR was VERY HOT. each of this factoR was enough to kill me 10x oveR. without buying anything, we left the maRket in a haste.. i couldn't stand the place anymoRe..
wheRe was my beautiful tokyo with beautiful floweRs and clean stReets and people with all smiles?!
took pictuRes of some ah gua dancing theRe, making a joke out of themselves..
we didn't daRe to eat at the stReet side stalls which look REALLY UNHYGIENIC, so we went to this little RestauRant in JJ mall to eat.. the shops closed Really eaRly.. like almost all closed at 7pm?
this was what i had... tasted.. okay lah...
ended the day quite eaRly.. feeling hot and sticky and feeling Really disgusted at the living conditions.. theRe weRe few functioning stReet lights.. the stReets weRe daRk.. the caRs weRe zoooming at high speed.. and the dust flies all oveR the place.. gosh. what a day.
DAY 7 (18 May 2008, Sunday)
Bangkok
Bangkok
bReakfast at ouR hotel was gReat!! it was a sumptuous buffet! and i Really stuffed myself like a singapoRean. LOL. i was scaRed i wouldn't daRe to eat the food outside.. and anyway, the food was oiishi! with plenty of vaRiety too!
went chatuchak the whole moRning... then to JJ mall foR a disgusting ajisen lunch.. then went to siam squaRe and MBK.. no pictuRes.. can't be botheRed too...
DAY 8 (19 May 2008, Monday)
Bangkok
Bangkok
woke up RatheR eaRly.. cos 9am was 10am in tokyo but only 8am in bangkok.. =x was hacked by buying unlimited boat Rides package to the temples....
on the way to the gRand palace... it was sooooooooooooooooooooooo hot.. people weRe all squeezing undeR the tRee foR shelteR..
it was Really hot......
some view....
the one and only beautiful floweR i saw in bangkok...
the china town in bangkok was a total disappointment.. nothing theRe.. not even any nice food.. left afteR a while...
i didn't see this cos i was fast asleep on the boat.. was Really tiRed!
the mRt platfoRm seems to be side by side with the Road!
was caught in a 5 minutes showeR to get to this place.. which made us Really dRenched.. sianz... the pRices heRe weRe maRkedly jacked up.. so we didn't stay heRe foR too long eitheR...DAY 9 (20 May 2008, Tuesday)
Bangkok
woke up Really eaRly to check out and had bReakfast.. then went to this bazaaR.. saw this huge dead Rat along the way........ no nice floweRs, but Rats.. -_-"
i was Really pissed in the bazaaR... i got hit Really haRd by some stone on my leg.. dunno who the hell thRow at me.. and his shiRt got some Really diRty cuRRy looking thingy splashed oveR by some unknown people.. it made me hate bangkok even moRe.
was Really Really hot.. i'm taking a photo foR the sake of taking...
went to this jim thompson house.. it's a house museum.. eRm.. to look at the aRchitectuRe.. something like that.. 100Bhat.. of couRse not on my Request..
a view of the house.. cameRas not allowed in the house.. so could only take pictuRes outside..
spent the majoRity of the last day in MBK shopping mall.. to enjoy the aiRcon....
Reached the aiRpoRt at 4+ pm local time... checked in.. and was Really disappointed when i was told theRe was no window seats available.. foR the 2nd time in my 10th flight, i did not get a window seat.. the 1st time i didn't get a window seat, they gave me a fRee upgRade to business class RemembeR? they didn't this time Round though.. =(
the aiRpoRt was disappointing.. it was supposed to be a new aiRpoRt.. but it looks.. unRenovated.. the seRvice in the RestauRant we ate at, mango tRee, was BAD. food was bad, seRvice as bad. and we staRted missing tokyo again.. =x
the flight back home was RatheR fast.. but a RatheR jeRky flight... was quite scaRy.. the teenage giRls weRe almost shRieking on the plane cos the plane was plunging up and down..
touched down singapoRe 11pm.. was Really happy to be back.. =) mom called at the fiRst moment... dad was alReady in the aiRpoRt waiting foR me.. SO SWEET! his paRents didn't even botheR bout him the whole time we weRe theRe.. my mom called seveRal times.. i called home seveRal times too..
waited a long time foR my luggage to come out.. dad sent us home..
in summaRy,
tokyo was wondeRful!!!!!
bangkok sux.
Bangkok
woke up Really eaRly to check out and had bReakfast.. then went to this bazaaR.. saw this huge dead Rat along the way........ no nice floweRs, but Rats.. -_-"
i was Really pissed in the bazaaR... i got hit Really haRd by some stone on my leg.. dunno who the hell thRow at me.. and his shiRt got some Really diRty cuRRy looking thingy splashed oveR by some unknown people.. it made me hate bangkok even moRe.
was Really Really hot.. i'm taking a photo foR the sake of taking...
went to this jim thompson house.. it's a house museum.. eRm.. to look at the aRchitectuRe.. something like that.. 100Bhat.. of couRse not on my Request..
a view of the house.. cameRas not allowed in the house.. so could only take pictuRes outside..
spent the majoRity of the last day in MBK shopping mall.. to enjoy the aiRcon....
Reached the aiRpoRt at 4+ pm local time... checked in.. and was Really disappointed when i was told theRe was no window seats available.. foR the 2nd time in my 10th flight, i did not get a window seat.. the 1st time i didn't get a window seat, they gave me a fRee upgRade to business class RemembeR? they didn't this time Round though.. =(
the aiRpoRt was disappointing.. it was supposed to be a new aiRpoRt.. but it looks.. unRenovated.. the seRvice in the RestauRant we ate at, mango tRee, was BAD. food was bad, seRvice as bad. and we staRted missing tokyo again.. =x
the flight back home was RatheR fast.. but a RatheR jeRky flight... was quite scaRy.. the teenage giRls weRe almost shRieking on the plane cos the plane was plunging up and down..
touched down singapoRe 11pm.. was Really happy to be back.. =) mom called at the fiRst moment... dad was alReady in the aiRpoRt waiting foR me.. SO SWEET! his paRents didn't even botheR bout him the whole time we weRe theRe.. my mom called seveRal times.. i called home seveRal times too..
waited a long time foR my luggage to come out.. dad sent us home..
in summaRy,
tokyo was wondeRful!!!!!
bangkok sux.