I Like The Beach

Current location: Ko Phi-Phi, Thailand


After another ordeal with planes (Nok Air can shove it where the sun doesn't shine), I ended up in southern Thailand on a little island called Ko Phi-Phi made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio and "The Beach." I found a sunburned Rob standing by the pier and together we went hunting for accommodations, a daily ritual. (For our first night, we ended up with the honeymoon suite. Quite comical... We were both pissing ourselves. )

Phi-Phi is a party island. There's loud music, lots of drinking, and lots of random stuff found in the sand. (I won't say what but I was pretty disgusted by it.) Both of us couldn't be bothered with that stuff but we did all the beach activities one can do... kayaking, snorkeling, swimming, sitting on boats, island-hopping, laying on the beach and doing nothing.

I'm not sure how much more I can take of this relaxing thing. It's been good but weird. Doing absolutely nothing. Oh wait... I've been doing it since November. Nevermind.

The Adventure Begins

Current location: Chiang Mai, Thailand

It was a long journey to northern Thailand, but I made it and that's all that matters. After a 6 hour plane ride from Nagoya (with a 10 minute layover in Hong Kong... I had never been as sad to not have stayed in an airport than in HK), I took a 12 hour overnight train to Chiang Mai, aka a trekker's paradise.

Being that I'm not so into trekking, I partook in other leisurely activities like dodging through traffic with my rented granny bike, pretending to be a student at Chiang Mai University, eating Thai curry, and having my teeth cleaned. (Ok, so I know having the teeth cleaned isn't what one would think to do while on vacation, but it was dirt cheap! 500 bhats=~$15!!!)

Oh yeah, I almost died today. I was sitting next to a tree when all of a sudden, a coconut came crashing down 2ft away from me. If I was meant to go today, I would've had preferred something a little more dramatic like stomped by a deranged elephant or eaten by geckos while sleeping. Anything but "She died because of a coconut."

Sayonaras

I hate saying goodbyes. It just sounds so permanent.

I had a joint sayonara party on Saturday with Thom, Jo, and Rob. I had an awesome time. Lots of friends, lots of food (which I managed not to eat), lots of beer and wine (which I drank a lot of), lots of out-of-tune singing, and lots of tired faces at the end of the night. The funny thing was that I didn't really say goodbye to anyone. It was more of a "see you later." In my head, I still don't feel like I'm leaving Japan for good. It's a little daunting to know that I might not see some of these people ever again. Why can't there be teleportation machines like in the movies? Then, I'll never have to say goodbye. I'll just blame it on laziness for not visiting.

The Best Sayonara Party... Ever!!!

The Road Less Traveled

It all started at around 12p last Friday. I was on MSN when I got a message from my friend, Luke. After the usual catching-up chit-chat, he said that he was going to take off on a road trip to the western part of Japan that night. Noticing that he was going to hit two of the same cities I was going to try visiting roughly 2 days later, we decided to have a little adventure together.
Day 1: Nagoya-Nagasaki-A rest stop in the middle of Kyushu
Most people have heard about Nagasaki if they paid enough attention in history class. It was the site of the 2nd atomic bomb blast in Japan. Since this city has so much history, Luke felt it was worthy of a visit. What we failed to realize was the distance from Nagoya to Nagasaki, which is location at the very bottom of Japan. Roughly 15 hours and many tolls later, we arrived in the city.
The city topography wasn't what I had expected. (Lots of mountains and hills) Well, truthfully, I really didn't know what to expect so it wasn't too surprising. Nagasaki is a sleepy little seaside port town with an important place in world history.

We hit all the major sites in Nagasaki: the Peace Park, the Hypocenter monument, and the Memorial Museum. We later ventured to find the Dutch area (there's a big European influence there because it was a major trading port) and a Chinatown (very disappointing... very expensive!!!). After studying the guide books and deciding that there wasn't much else to see in Nagasaki, we went back in the car and headed back up.

Day 2: A rest stop in Kyushu-Hiroshima-Okayama
It started snowing like crazy while on the road so we decided to pull over at a rest stop and wait it out. However, the wait was about 8 hours. Early in the morning, we continued up and back into Honshu to Hiroshima, where the first atomic bomb hit. For anyone who visits Japan, I highly recommend going here and especially the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Even though I had been there before with the parentials, I was still moved by the exhibits and artifacts.

Later, we sampled the famous Hiroshima okonomiyaki (a Japanese pancake) and watched the Hiroshima branch of the Elvis Rockabilly club dance to some 50's classics, then hopped back into the car and marched onward.

Day 3: Okayama-Kojima-Himeji-Kobe-Nagoya
Okayama wasn't exactly a planned stop. It was more like we were both going crazy being in the car for so long. And after 2.5 days of not showering, I gladly forked over the money for a hotel. With our guide books in hand, we found the only sight mentioned in Okayama to see, Korakuen, considered one of Japan's best gardens.
I could only image that this place would be beautiful in the spring. However, it was the middle of winter. Oh well...

Also while flipping through the Lonely Planet, Luke saw that we were pretty close to the Great Seto Bridge, the world's longest 2-tiered bridge, measuring 13.1km (8.1miles) long. It took us a while to actually find the bridge while near the shore. (It was pretty sad considering it is a long bridge.) When we finally saw it, we decided to cross it and into Shikoku, another one of Japan's main islands. Some ¥5600 (~$56) of tolls later, we were kicking ourselves for ever considering crossing the bridge.
Our next stop was Himeji Castle, one of the oldest surviving structures in medieval Japan. I was expecting a lot of this place for some reason. I'm not sure why but I just did. But, it was pretty much like all the other castles in Japan. It was old. There were some swords inside and lots of empty rooms. I was glad to see that it did not have an elevator.
By the time we got to Kobe, which is about 30 minutes away, Luke and I were both getting a little weary of the car and the trip. So, we decided after blowing our money on some Kobe beef, we would head back to Nagoya early. We wandered Sannomiya, Kobe's main entertainment area, for a bit before deciding on a restaurant that was "gaijin" friendly. We spent about ¥5000 (~$50) each on the beef. It was good but I got more satisfaction from my ¥950 (~$9) hamburger from Outback Steakhouse. But, now, I can say I tried Kobe beef.

After loading up on some sweets, we made our way home. After our financially painful trip on the expressway to Nagasaki, we took trusty Route 2, a road that connects east to west. And the best part of this road: it was free! However, in Osaka, Route 2 disappeared and with that, a bit of our sanity. To make a long story short, what should've taken us 2 hours to do, it ended up being 7 hours. I would like to say that we were taking the scenic route. At 4am, we finally reached Freebell. I've never been so happy to see my futon.

According to the odometer, in total, we traveled 2,260km (~1,404 miles) in roughly 3 days. Would I do this again? Probably not. I know Luke will be in agreement with me. But we did what we had set out to do and that's all that matters.

Shedding a Little Tear

#608... My home away from home for the past 1.5 years. Japan has been a rollercoaster ride, but knowing I can always go back to my little safe haven afterwards was always a comforting thought. But, like everything else, good things must come to an end. However, I won't miss the bird poo. I will gladly leave that behind.

Happy New Year!

My new year's resolutions for 2007:
1. Don't break any bones.
2. Go home and try to remember how California looks like.
3. Conquer Europe.
4. Learn from people and take all advice to heart.
5. Quit (second-hand) smoking.
6. Try to visit as many friends in person. (Ok, Africa might be out of the question. But definitely my buddies from the States.)
7. Find a career I actually like.
8. No more self haircuts.
9. Have more balls. (I mean courage, not have a sex-change operation.)
10. Find happiness and try not to screw it up.

How I Have Spent My New Year's Eve...

2003-2004: London
I watched the fireworks by the London Eye (the very big Ferris wheel) with Kech and Phuong. Apparently, the city of London spent quite a few quids for some spectacular show. Sadly, there was no countdown. Suddenly, we heard explosions. It was pretty but it only lasted 3 minutes and then it was all over. It took another 2 hours to walk roughly 2 kilometers (~1.2 miles).


2004-2005: New York City
Trang and I decided to go to Times Square and watch the ball drop like on TV. We waited for about 8 hours in between Broadway and 41st Ave. Now, those 8 hours would've been a little better had there been bathrooms or restaurants that were opened. (Security concerns... once we entered the area, we couldn't leave.) The last 5 minutes were probably the most exciting. Then, it took about an hour to get to a subway station.

2005-2006: Bangkok
Sally and I had ringside seats for Muy Thai boxing. (Muy Thai boxing is pretty much anything goes. Lots of blood.) We saw fireworks going off on the ride back to the hotel.





2006-2007: Tokyo
There was no real plan. Met some randoms from Nagoya who happened to be in the area. We did 2 bar hops in Shibuya before settling at the 3 Coin bar. 2 Gin&Tonics, 3 China Blues, and 2 shots of Tequila later, I called it a night. I arrived back at my friend's house around 3am smelling like an ash tray.