So on March 5th the gruesome end to the trip came, gruesome in that it ended and could continue no more...
Arriving in LA literally hours before I took off from Tokyo, a last refuel stop with expensive sushi was literally the last hurrah of the trip. The Sheraton Gateway in Los Angeles Airport hardly as exciting....
After a very long sleep I returned home via Calgary on the 6th March, and got ready for work the next morning. All the way around the world!
Till the next time... If I could do this all over again I most certainly would.
Thanks for following!
- Dave.
- BlogPressed from my iPad. Click on picture for larger image and gallery.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Blade Runner Tokyo
I took a lot of Tokyo pictures last time I was here, so I haven't really duplicated, well I guess I have as I went back to some of my favourite places. Not too many tourists here, possibly because it is still cool weather. Last week the weather was 20 degrees above, then for my arrival the highs were 8 :( Very dry though, so easy to handle, the locals are dressed up like it is minus 20, but for them, I guess it feels that way...
Good food, the perverse and profane, that's one side of Tokyo. Tranquil spots, minimalist design and expensive-ness is another. Yes, I invented yet another new word.
Golden Town is right next to my hotel, it's a small collection of ramshackle tin roof places with tiny bars, foreigners are mostly not welcome. There are dozens squashed into each tiny street, so the signs are numerous. Piss Alley is also here, the famous Yakitori street... Smells better than the translated name... Actually, like most of Japan it is spotless.
Buildings in Tokyo at one point were all like this, the brick and mortar and steel towers came later because of the great Tokai quake that every now and again wipes everything... The ramshackle lighter built stuff is easier to survive.
Fugu tank...
Piss Alley is below, these few backstreets are filled with shrunken, narrow, mostly Yakitori type bars, with strong willed owners who fight the city to keep going. In post war Japan these type of streets were very numerous. Ridley took Shinjuku, especially Piss Alley for most of the street scenes in Blade Runner. The tiny little caves and food sellers in this always dark area of town set many of his scenes. The emergency vehicles in that film had a distinctive noise too, and the ones in Shinjuku, they sound exactly like the ones in the movie, it's eerie.... With their sirens and loud speakers...
And more Golden Town
Shinjuku...
Kabukicho, the red light part town area of Shinjuku...
I tried on a pair of jeans at a cool store Uni Qlo, it is the Japanese version of the Gap. I think my swamp feet are back, the tropics seems to do this to me now... I had to take my shoes off as is Japanese custom, not sure what others were saying, but I am sure it was something like "White devil have stink feet."
Meiji shrine.
Harajuku is noted for teens in outlandish clothes.... Like below...
Advertising takes a leap into madness here - they got paid well for this but you have idea what it signifies, so why bother!
On the Friday, I met a volunteer guide, Yuri, she was very nice, we went to a few places along the way, walking, talking, we stopped for Japanese coffee, over 6 bucks a cup, regular coffee... Then we went to a fun conveyor belt sushi place. The discovery there is these giant tamago filled nigiris... Look Shelly and Wendy, new food for us!
This new tower being constructed is Tokyo Sky Tower, it looks like a thing Godzilla would love to pull down. Anyway it is just over 634m. When complete next year and it will have an observation deck, I wonder if that makes it higher than Dubai, I think it will, as that one was only 126 stories....
This is the thunder gate in Asakusa.... Again was here before, but it always looks so nice....
Tokyo is great for just walking around, after dousing shoes, feet and everything else with hand sanitizer because of the swamp problem - people generally don't bump into you, unlike home, and there's millions more on the go on these streets. Lots to see, interesting smells from all kinds of food outlets.... And, you don't have to watch your step for anything left on the sidewalk.
No earthquakes on this trip, spent enough. It's just good to hang around and steep in Japan's aura....
The iPad 2 was announced while here. Oh how the world has changed since I left...
And with great sadness, on a much warmer Saturday, the 5th of March, I had a few hours to run around before departing for Narita airport, over an hour out of town. I had previously sent one suitcase ahead, since by now, two cases is too much for Dave to navigate walking to and walking through the worlds busiest railway station. The sun was shining, all is good in Tokyo.
Off to Los Angeles for the final quick stop. This route on Singapore airlines will be an A380 from the end of this month, so I am on one of their last flights on a 747 here. I had a pricey but awesome sushi fill up at Narita airport, spent every last penny in Yen on chocolate and we were off....
See you back in North America, the circle around the world is now almost complete!
- BlogPressed from my iPad. Click on picture for larger image and gallery.
Good food, the perverse and profane, that's one side of Tokyo. Tranquil spots, minimalist design and expensive-ness is another. Yes, I invented yet another new word.
Golden Town is right next to my hotel, it's a small collection of ramshackle tin roof places with tiny bars, foreigners are mostly not welcome. There are dozens squashed into each tiny street, so the signs are numerous. Piss Alley is also here, the famous Yakitori street... Smells better than the translated name... Actually, like most of Japan it is spotless.
Buildings in Tokyo at one point were all like this, the brick and mortar and steel towers came later because of the great Tokai quake that every now and again wipes everything... The ramshackle lighter built stuff is easier to survive.
Fugu tank...
Piss Alley is below, these few backstreets are filled with shrunken, narrow, mostly Yakitori type bars, with strong willed owners who fight the city to keep going. In post war Japan these type of streets were very numerous. Ridley took Shinjuku, especially Piss Alley for most of the street scenes in Blade Runner. The tiny little caves and food sellers in this always dark area of town set many of his scenes. The emergency vehicles in that film had a distinctive noise too, and the ones in Shinjuku, they sound exactly like the ones in the movie, it's eerie.... With their sirens and loud speakers...
And more Golden Town
Shinjuku...
Kabukicho, the red light part town area of Shinjuku...
I tried on a pair of jeans at a cool store Uni Qlo, it is the Japanese version of the Gap. I think my swamp feet are back, the tropics seems to do this to me now... I had to take my shoes off as is Japanese custom, not sure what others were saying, but I am sure it was something like "White devil have stink feet."
Meiji shrine.
Harajuku is noted for teens in outlandish clothes.... Like below...
Advertising takes a leap into madness here - they got paid well for this but you have idea what it signifies, so why bother!
On the Friday, I met a volunteer guide, Yuri, she was very nice, we went to a few places along the way, walking, talking, we stopped for Japanese coffee, over 6 bucks a cup, regular coffee... Then we went to a fun conveyor belt sushi place. The discovery there is these giant tamago filled nigiris... Look Shelly and Wendy, new food for us!
This new tower being constructed is Tokyo Sky Tower, it looks like a thing Godzilla would love to pull down. Anyway it is just over 634m. When complete next year and it will have an observation deck, I wonder if that makes it higher than Dubai, I think it will, as that one was only 126 stories....
This is the thunder gate in Asakusa.... Again was here before, but it always looks so nice....
Tokyo is great for just walking around, after dousing shoes, feet and everything else with hand sanitizer because of the swamp problem - people generally don't bump into you, unlike home, and there's millions more on the go on these streets. Lots to see, interesting smells from all kinds of food outlets.... And, you don't have to watch your step for anything left on the sidewalk.
No earthquakes on this trip, spent enough. It's just good to hang around and steep in Japan's aura....
The iPad 2 was announced while here. Oh how the world has changed since I left...
And with great sadness, on a much warmer Saturday, the 5th of March, I had a few hours to run around before departing for Narita airport, over an hour out of town. I had previously sent one suitcase ahead, since by now, two cases is too much for Dave to navigate walking to and walking through the worlds busiest railway station. The sun was shining, all is good in Tokyo.
Off to Los Angeles for the final quick stop. This route on Singapore airlines will be an A380 from the end of this month, so I am on one of their last flights on a 747 here. I had a pricey but awesome sushi fill up at Narita airport, spent every last penny in Yen on chocolate and we were off....
See you back in North America, the circle around the world is now almost complete!
- BlogPressed from my iPad. Click on picture for larger image and gallery.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A380 to Tokyo.
My last evening was actually quite sad.... I like Singapore, but I have to go. Tokyo has highs of 20 lately but it is now back down to 6 or 8. Freezing!
So my final few hours found me wondering down the shopping Mecca of Orchard Road. Here, apartments rent for 20,000 a month and the shop rents must be enormous, but you can always visit for shops and restaurants, for free - so I did. Oh I said all this already, I must be getting sentimental about the place.
Anyway at the airport it was easy since terminal 3 is a lovely wide open uncrowded spot... And then on to the world's biggest passenger plane...
The pic below, from the airport is for Kris mainly... Purple Gold. A Singapore only thing it is 80% pure yellow gold, then other metals mixed in so it is purple....
The A380 is partly frightening and partly deceiving. Sure you board and notice it is big because there are 2 gangways to load people if nothing else, then you sit down and look at how the other planes parked outside look so tiny. And the wing looks like the SkyPark in Marina Bay. Your eyes are not used to something so large to fly in I suppose....
Beautiful interior, all new and 6.5 hours to BladeRunner city Tokyo.
Take off was weird too, the plane trundles along and vibrates and such like all aircraft, but the engine noise is much reduced. The interior air pressure lower and humidity higher than most planes for a better feeling. But you don't hear that roar, and I was expecting a large one to lift this thing in to the sky.... I was on the top deck, still in economy, but sites say it's the best economy cabin on the plane. Didn't see the suites with full beds up front. Due to the shape of the plane there's a small personal bin by the window, so you don't sit right up against it.
Look how long the wings are and the 767 just beyond it, there's another A380 right behind that... On the upper deck there's a small personal locker bin right under the window, due to the shape of the plane, so I don't sit right up against the window with a window seat...
Upper deck economy class is roomier than the lower deck...
I am not sure the picture really shows the size of the wing...
It was more bumpy than the few clouds he promised on take off, but, overall an ok flight. I tried not to worry about something the size of a shopping mall bouncing in turbulence at 35,000 feet however... Of course he crew are handing out drinks and taking it all in their stride.... The Japanese woman next to me guzzled about 15 beers.
They brought around the menus, the inflight amenity bag and then David's pills kicked in...
Oh look, we're in Tokyo ! Ohayo! The whacky world of Japan awaits.... With Yakitori sauce on the side please...
- BlogPressed from my iPad. Click on picture for larger image and gallery.
So my final few hours found me wondering down the shopping Mecca of Orchard Road. Here, apartments rent for 20,000 a month and the shop rents must be enormous, but you can always visit for shops and restaurants, for free - so I did. Oh I said all this already, I must be getting sentimental about the place.
Anyway at the airport it was easy since terminal 3 is a lovely wide open uncrowded spot... And then on to the world's biggest passenger plane...
The pic below, from the airport is for Kris mainly... Purple Gold. A Singapore only thing it is 80% pure yellow gold, then other metals mixed in so it is purple....
The A380 is partly frightening and partly deceiving. Sure you board and notice it is big because there are 2 gangways to load people if nothing else, then you sit down and look at how the other planes parked outside look so tiny. And the wing looks like the SkyPark in Marina Bay. Your eyes are not used to something so large to fly in I suppose....
Beautiful interior, all new and 6.5 hours to BladeRunner city Tokyo.
Take off was weird too, the plane trundles along and vibrates and such like all aircraft, but the engine noise is much reduced. The interior air pressure lower and humidity higher than most planes for a better feeling. But you don't hear that roar, and I was expecting a large one to lift this thing in to the sky.... I was on the top deck, still in economy, but sites say it's the best economy cabin on the plane. Didn't see the suites with full beds up front. Due to the shape of the plane there's a small personal bin by the window, so you don't sit right up against it.
Look how long the wings are and the 767 just beyond it, there's another A380 right behind that... On the upper deck there's a small personal locker bin right under the window, due to the shape of the plane, so I don't sit right up against the window with a window seat...
Upper deck economy class is roomier than the lower deck...
I am not sure the picture really shows the size of the wing...
It was more bumpy than the few clouds he promised on take off, but, overall an ok flight. I tried not to worry about something the size of a shopping mall bouncing in turbulence at 35,000 feet however... Of course he crew are handing out drinks and taking it all in their stride.... The Japanese woman next to me guzzled about 15 beers.
They brought around the menus, the inflight amenity bag and then David's pills kicked in...
Oh look, we're in Tokyo ! Ohayo! The whacky world of Japan awaits.... With Yakitori sauce on the side please...
- BlogPressed from my iPad. Click on picture for larger image and gallery.
Last stop in Singapore
I have called Singapore many things, a sweat stop among others. On my last flight into Changi airport the pilot said it was cool weather in Singapore, at nine at night it was 27 degrees. He forgot to add the humidity, it is really 41. That is cool weather for some.
Even breathing makes you break a sweat.
My hotel was in the Little India district this time. A distinctly different version of India than the real one. The smell of curry and such all the same, but look down the back alleys. Spotless. Nice curry houses too.
That is Singapore all over really, a clean freak's warm paradise. David likes it.
Lots of old shop houses remain in Little India, in much of Singapore they were flattened for much newer designs.
Mustafa is a 24 hour shop, well, a big market really selling everything from plastic buckets to fancy watches, giant area it covers too, several blocks...
This is the new Marina Bay Sands hotel casino and apartments. It has a park on top with an infinity pool and today it is closed, well for next 3 days...so now I have to come back if I want to see it.... Damn....
These pics don't really show you how gi-normus it all is...
Another cloudy day but no rain. Boy is it humid though!
Next door is the Art Science Museum.
Better view of the sky park....And the giant mall below. Like Singapore needs more Cartier shops....
Can you see people on the observation end extreme left. Tiny dots. The observation deck was open, but the park part closed. Cloudy day anyway would be better in sun.
This is the new Marina Bay walk way.... The gardens are not completed yet and I really want to see them, I will have to return, damn it.
Over in Clarke Quay here's a statue giving testament to the Brits bringing trade..
Mr Raffles himself - who probably never imagined Singapore would become the metropolis it is... He probably couldn't afford to live here now...
This is the contraption reverse bungee I photographed last year, goes up or over the river horizontally, as you like it Madam....
But I did not take so many pics here, did them all last year ! More relaxing just wandering...
I had another taxi driver try to sort out my life, he reckoned I should move there and then his daughter would show me how to live like a local....
This is my hotel. Converted old shop houses.
And inside the executive wing indoor fish ponds and plants....
The place was oddly inefficient for Asia, they had a nice place, but the management was way off, everything was chaotic.
The remaining time of my stay, my last few hours were spent eating sushi at my favourite place on Orchard Road and walking down the insanely busy shopping packed street, with gaggles of birds up above in the giant tropical trees, all cackling away as it was just after sunset....
If shopping is what you want, Singapore is a far better location than Dubai. I have to say that. And Singapore has some soul, a warm, humid and spicy one.... Not that Dubai is bad, but it's just so spread out and no one part is finished and there's dumps of sand and miles of houses in between the interesting bits. Many miles. The food in Singapore is so awesome, you can eat all the continents in one town. Damn that chili crab, I will have to come back....dammit.
Oh well, off to the airport now.
PS some pics were missed from the Kuching insert... Here they are, can't imagine why they were forgotten:
We climbed up these limestone caves, I was more worried about spiders, snakes, bats... However it was so hot in there, sweat dripping from places it shouldn't.... No air movement whatsoever...
We walked through a pitch black cavern to the outside, made my skin crawl, it was so dark even no bats....
Note the one stem one leaf plants, unique to the caves, all facing the light..
This last one is outside the giant caves back in moving air land.
Ok, really must fly now.... Bye.
- BlogPressed from my iPad. Click on picture for larger image and gallery.
Even breathing makes you break a sweat.
My hotel was in the Little India district this time. A distinctly different version of India than the real one. The smell of curry and such all the same, but look down the back alleys. Spotless. Nice curry houses too.
That is Singapore all over really, a clean freak's warm paradise. David likes it.
Lots of old shop houses remain in Little India, in much of Singapore they were flattened for much newer designs.
Mustafa is a 24 hour shop, well, a big market really selling everything from plastic buckets to fancy watches, giant area it covers too, several blocks...
This is the new Marina Bay Sands hotel casino and apartments. It has a park on top with an infinity pool and today it is closed, well for next 3 days...so now I have to come back if I want to see it.... Damn....
These pics don't really show you how gi-normus it all is...
Another cloudy day but no rain. Boy is it humid though!
Next door is the Art Science Museum.
Better view of the sky park....And the giant mall below. Like Singapore needs more Cartier shops....
Can you see people on the observation end extreme left. Tiny dots. The observation deck was open, but the park part closed. Cloudy day anyway would be better in sun.
This is the new Marina Bay walk way.... The gardens are not completed yet and I really want to see them, I will have to return, damn it.
Over in Clarke Quay here's a statue giving testament to the Brits bringing trade..
Mr Raffles himself - who probably never imagined Singapore would become the metropolis it is... He probably couldn't afford to live here now...
This is the contraption reverse bungee I photographed last year, goes up or over the river horizontally, as you like it Madam....
But I did not take so many pics here, did them all last year ! More relaxing just wandering...
I had another taxi driver try to sort out my life, he reckoned I should move there and then his daughter would show me how to live like a local....
This is my hotel. Converted old shop houses.
And inside the executive wing indoor fish ponds and plants....
The place was oddly inefficient for Asia, they had a nice place, but the management was way off, everything was chaotic.
The remaining time of my stay, my last few hours were spent eating sushi at my favourite place on Orchard Road and walking down the insanely busy shopping packed street, with gaggles of birds up above in the giant tropical trees, all cackling away as it was just after sunset....
If shopping is what you want, Singapore is a far better location than Dubai. I have to say that. And Singapore has some soul, a warm, humid and spicy one.... Not that Dubai is bad, but it's just so spread out and no one part is finished and there's dumps of sand and miles of houses in between the interesting bits. Many miles. The food in Singapore is so awesome, you can eat all the continents in one town. Damn that chili crab, I will have to come back....dammit.
Oh well, off to the airport now.
PS some pics were missed from the Kuching insert... Here they are, can't imagine why they were forgotten:
We climbed up these limestone caves, I was more worried about spiders, snakes, bats... However it was so hot in there, sweat dripping from places it shouldn't.... No air movement whatsoever...
We walked through a pitch black cavern to the outside, made my skin crawl, it was so dark even no bats....
Note the one stem one leaf plants, unique to the caves, all facing the light..
This last one is outside the giant caves back in moving air land.
Ok, really must fly now.... Bye.
- BlogPressed from my iPad. Click on picture for larger image and gallery.
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