Asia Archives - Page 5 of 22 - Escapes From The Little Red Dot

Jeonju 2019 Day 6 – Drive to Jeonju, cheese theme park and Jeonju old town

Posted on April 4, 2019July 3, 2019 by ziyi

2nd morning at Yeosu and I made another attempt to check out the sunrise, this time much more prepared. Suited up and got out of the room at 6am and walked over to the elevator to the cable car only to find it inaccessible.

Went to take the stairs instead and after much panting, I finally reached the pavilion overlooking the islands coinciding with the time that the sun started to peek over the islands. There were a few people there also for the same purpose. After taking a few shots, and much less for my camera which would always die in the cold, I made my way back to the room for my usual morning activities – backing up memories on my phone.

Mommy woke up and had me ordered a Korean breakfast set in room service for 34k and we all shared the breakfast that was pretty filling even for all of us, as it was a meal that looked more for lunch! Left to check out at about 1045 and we were off to head northwards to Jeonju.

Made a stop at a Hwangjeon service station about an hour into the drive. The place was a little hazy and so mommy and K donned their masks that they brought from Singapore although I thought it smelled ok.

Used the bathroom and then went over to take a photo of the view that the hippiest Dunkin Donuts building was overlooking. It wasn’t a fantastic view unfortunately.

Then a further 30mins we exited to Imsil for a visit to the Cheese Theme Park, paying a toll of 4.7k. Parked at the almost empty lot and walked around to find that this theme park didn’t require entrance tickets! There were just buildings that looked like Swiss buildings all around and a couple of items here and there to take photos with. We didn’t know what the buildings were for as we couldn’t read Korean. There was a palace like building that had a food court and on the 2nd level there was a museum that we went around quickly.

Then we walked uphill to find some Smurf statues to take photos with before climbing to the top where there was a long roller slide and a playground for K to play. There must have been a school outing as there were many kids around but K didn’t find an problem playing there.

The roller slide was interesting and K went on it twice, the 2nd time on his own. Then we squeezed past the barricades to the entrance of the playland for K to run around the playground that had a couple of places for him to climb around, including a pirate ship and a treehouse amongst them. He was unwilling to leave until much persuasion later and as we walked back uphill from the playground, we entered an area where there were some farm animals kept that, including chickens, rabbits and a pair of pigs.

Our last visit was to the round cheese building that sat atop the hill. 3rd floor was a viewpoint of the entire area while the 2nd floor featured a wall that illustrated the cheese making process that I used it to explain to K.

Then our tummies were rumbling as we went back to the car after a short visit to the store to see if we could get any cheese products to try. Couldn’t get any refrigerated ones as we didn’t know if the next accommodation had refrigerator or not and worried that these would spoil and become a waste. Settled for some cookies before getting into the car.

Mommy suggested that we have lunch at Osu service station as it was claimed to be one of the best service station. There was also the delicious cheese bimbimbap that combined the cheese from Imsil and the bimbimbap from Jeonju. 15mins drive and we would arrive, I thought. Then as we hit the road, we took more than the 15min that I initially thought we would need as I kept getting lost, first Navi didn’t get me to the right exit, then mommy giving the wrong direction to turn and I also took an early wrong exit. This cumulated into a 30mins drive and some multiple toll fees of 1.3k each exit.

We arrived finally at the service area close to 3pm with K almost falling asleep. Quickly parked and entered the eating place to find that Bimbimbap was sold out. We settled for Udon and Tonkotsu rice for lunch and free plain water.

From Osu it was a 50mins drive to Jeonju and we entered the town but I was only brought to some location on the Main Street even though I had set the end destination inside the old town. Tried to drive into the old town unguided as I roughly knew the direction and then realised that it was actually possible to drive in. Went to location that was supposedly a carpark but it became an open space for something else so I had to let mommy and K alight as he wanted to go to the loo urgently while I tried to find parking on my own. Upon exiting the old town, I spotted a secured parking and drove there to park, the daily parking fee was 12k.

Secured car park at Jeonju Hanok village

The space that was indicated as a carpark on Navi

Returned to look for mommy and K and was informed that they couldn’t find anyone at the Samlockhon accommodation to check in. We had to call (also suggested by one of their guests there that we met at the entrance) the number on one of their flag to inform that we had arrived before the staff came over.

K was adamant not to stay in this accommodation as he thought that it was boring but upon entering the room, he immediately took a liking to the dual floor concept and that he could sleep on the second level. After some korean Disney channel, we went out to explore Jeonju old town, armed with the map that the staff had shared with us the most popular places to go.

We walked along the Main Street of the old town and found the PNB store that was famous for Choco Pie and we bought some to try (couldn’t bring home as the expiry was 7days). Then we headed towards the gate at the end of the street to take a photo of it before walking to the recommended bibimbap store, Hankookjib.

The historical store was recommended by Michellin as it served the original bibimbap. So we ordered one with the stone bowl (Dolsot) and mommy got herself a spicy bean sprout soup as she doesn’t take beef. The food was pretty delicious and the side dishes were really refreshing. There was also tiny crabs marinated with the spicy sauces that was different from the usual side dishes. All these for an affordable 18k.

We returned to the room and prepared for bath. The room was thankfully not too cold, as the floor was also heated. I got K to bath quickly worried that he might get a cold. After that it was a bit of TV, some books, some arguments with K on who sleeps where and off to bed.

Yeosu 2019 Day 5 – Rail bike, Aqua Planet and Teddy bear museum

Posted on April 3, 2019July 1, 2019 by ziyi

First morning at Yeosu and I was intrigued by possibility of a beautiful sunrise and so I got up pretty early. But it was so cold outside that I tried to find a viewpoint that kept me warm. So I took the elevator up to the highest level, 26th floor to try my luck at the sky lounge but was disappointed that it was closed at this early hour. Then I left for the 5th floor where there was an open air space where I could take a picture but by then the sun had already risen. Went back to the room to rest and jot note.

The rest of the family started to wake at about 830-930am, sleeping in in a sleepy town. I went downstairs to the in-house pastry stall to get some croissant and pastries that costed about 10k for 3. Had our breakfast before taking the car to drive to the Yeosu ocean rail bike, about 20mins drive away. Found that our hotel carpark had free parking.

Parked in the huge carpark and headed towards the rail bikes after visiting the loo. Approached a photo stall thinking that there’s where we would get a ticket only to get a confused look and a direction to the obscure ticket office next to a mini restaurant. Paid some 31k for 3, and some simple information about the return trip on the rail bike that would happen at the end of the tunnel.

Then we went to the bike dispatch whom had a good amount of English vocabulary and he explained the details on how to operate the bicycle. Then we were on our way, mommy and me pedaling away as K enjoyed the ride since his legs couldn’t reach. Going towards the tunnel was easy since it was downhill but back up took a bit more effort. The tunnel had some lighting decorations but that was about it. The scenery was ok, summing up pretty much of this experience.

We returned to the photo stall and found the photo taken rather nice and paid 10k for it, which came with a photo frame. Left for hotel which was a 20mins drive.

Back at the hotel, we started to explore the port area on foot, walking about 15mins to Hanwha Aqua Planet. Upon reaching we went to the ticket counter to get tickets and found out that there were some packages available. Big3 meant all 3 attractions of Aquarium, AR trickeye museum and 5D movie but we took the Big2 giving AR museum a miss.

Went to the food court to get lunch of Ramen and Tonkotsu rice which K surprisingly didn’t like as it “wasn’t real ramen” (I thought it tasted more like instant noodles). After lunch, we entered the aquarium at around 1pm.

The aquarium was divided into 3 sections each having a different varieties of sea creatures and even land animals. We were thrilled to see raccoons, our first encounter with such playful animals. Amongst the usual aquatic animals, there was one exhibit that showcased the fishes found commonly in fish spa and you could dip your fingers for an adhoc dead skin removal on your fingers. There was also a show at the main tank that drew the most crowd (the biggest crowd that I have seen in the entire town of almost no people). There was story telling about rubbish in the ocean, some magic show and mermaids. It was all in Korean so we just watched and imagine. Then there was a video about the worklife of an employee within the Aqua Planet, which was also in Korean. The show ended with a feeding session by the divers where all the stingrays would crowd around and that made a good photo opportunity near the end of the session.

We left after walking through the store and walked towards Yeosu expo. We thought we could see some exhibition stuff but was disappointed to find that the entire area was very much empty. All the big spaces within the buildings were empty! It felt desolated and sad, that the modern designed building seemed to only represent an interesting point in history and that was it.

We walked to the playground nearby where K had some fun climbing around but bumped his head against a railing. Then we walked backwards towards the teddy bear museum for a visit, spending 24.5k for 2 adults and 1 child. The exhibition showed mostly American related destinations with the bears as the actors in the scenes. There were many photo opportunities with bears in different setting as well but we weren’t all that interested except for some big ones where K sat on them to take photo. What I thought was interesting was a huge 8m bear from the story of Gulliver’s travel. There were 2 levels to walk around and we ended off our visit with a photo of donning bear mascots heads for both K and myself. That sure entertained K.

We decided to take a break at the bear cafe ordering a cheese cake for 3.5k and an Americano for 4k. After the short snack, we left to walk to Odongdo island, and check out what we left out yesterday.

On the map it didn’t looked far but walking from the expo to Odongdo was actually, and as we were also going to catch a show back at the aquarium at 7pm (the only time slots available was 10am and 7pm) we had to walk fast. Carrying K on my shoulder, we went back to the island and arrived at about 6pm. We took the wooden pathway and had to make a Uturn for the restroom at the same location we visited the day before. Then returning to the wooden pathway, we found the restroom just a few meters ahead! What a wasted walk.

Climbing some flights of stairs flanked by trees, we arrived at a junction that led to the cave of Dragon and went to have a look. Couldn’t see much other than a hole at the side of the mountain and we returned back to the path. Walking further down, the route separated to the lighthouse and the other to the water fountain. We were initially looking for a Camellia flower garden but came to realize that maybe the entire island was full of Camellia but it was not blooming time and thus we didn’t see them?

Walked back to the fountain for K to watch whatever that was still left. Then we walked back to the hotel to take the car so that we could drive the remaining short distance there to the Aqua Planet.

It was almost 7 when we arrived and we found ourselves walking to a building that was nearly closed. The staff standing there were surprised to see us so we explained that we were there for the 7pm show. Showed them the tickets and they allowed us into the small cinema that was projected 360 all around, short of a small area underneath of the roof. We were also given 3D glasses. Since we were the only customers, we had a choice of Poseidon or Dinosaurs. We chose dinosaurs.

The show was a short 10mins show (that’s what I thought) and it was in Korean. It was really disappointing as we expected more than just the visual such as sense of touch. There was none of such and so I didn’t understand where the other 2Ds were about.

We left the building at 710pm and went back to the car. We skipped the fountain show at the Big O cos the timing of the show was at 750pm, guessing from the poster on the gate but we couldn’t wait in the cold, and there wasn’t anybody around so we weren’t sure if the fountain show was going to be up anyway.

Returned to the room after getting some foodstuff from the convenience store and called in room service for dinner of seafood spaghetti and abalone porridge for 32k and 24k respectively, spent some family time with K and his sticker books, a super long dip at the bathtub since this was the last bathtub he was going to get for the rest of the trip and then off to bed.

Yeosu 2019 Day 4 – Hakdong beach, Windy hill and Drive to Yeosu, Odongdo island

Posted on April 2, 2019June 16, 2019 by ziyi

I awoke slightly after 730 and continued on jotting down of the memories for the day before. Had to maintain the discipline as I was getting forgetful and wouldn’t remember some of the details if left too long! As I was thumbing away on my handphone, mommy started to wake up too and soon K also woke up just before 9, surprising as he wasn’t getting his usual 12hrs of sleep. Thankfully I was nearing the end of my note and I started to get ready.

We planned to drive to Yeosu for another 2 nights and so we packed to check out. K was unwilling to leave the huge bathtub and we only managed to persuade him after several rounds. The staff was out there to meet us early in the cold morning before bidding us goodbye with a bow, like the one in Busan as well. Punched in Windy hill and it was a 30mins drive away.

En-route, we went through a small town and parked at the parking lot to go over to the popular black pebble beach of Hakdong, called Hakdong Mongdol Beach. K was excited to see this different kind of beach and we were soon throwing the pebbles into the waters. Stayed for a while before using the nice clean loo and left for the next destination.

The drive to the Windy hill was easy and initially we drove into the carpark (GPS led us there) that was situated below the Windmill. Suspecting that it wasn’t the right place since it didn’t seemed to have a path up to the windmill, we drove back up and ended up by accident at a Sinseondae observatory which had a nice viewpoint of the surrounding. A quick photo shot before we drove back downhill passing a huge parking space near SK station and fortunately slotted into one empty carpark opposite Angel-in-us coffee, facing the Sinseondae cliff.

It was a short walk of 10mins across the road to the windmill and a further few meters down to another patch of land to the edge to sit at the chairs for the beautiful photo shoot, of both the bay and the windmill. The windmill couldn’t be visited and it did looked fake as the blades had through holes. I supposed it was just built there as display for Instagram.

We returned back to the main road and went across to find a Korean restaurant and ate there. Language was a barrier and my feeble attempt of using the app ended up with them asking for another lady staff that spoke excellent Mandarin to speak to us. We ordered 2 fried fish and an abalone porridge for 45k, cos after all, the restaurant was a seafood one.

Sat at the short table as the meals were served and it was delicious! The freshness of the fish kept the succulence of the flesh even though the it was fried! K had no problem eating at least half of the fish that was at least 25cm. The porridge was the usual nicely flavored one that I expected it to be, with tiny chunks of abalone that was soft and not rubbery like the one I am used to back home. All in all, great food!

We left satisfied and after using their loo. Got into the car and punched in the next destination Yeosu. It was a 2.5hrs drive! Before leaving Geoje, we returned to the Hakdong Mongdol Beach for another round of pebble throwing as K loved it. Then as we hit the road, we tried to get K to nap first which he did, as I negotiated the bends out of Geoje and soon mommy was asleep too. Driving became easier after getting onto the highway though I still find it difficult to gauge what a good speed should be as cars zoomed past me really quickly even though I was already above the speed limit, trucks included!

Had to pay a toll of 4.5k at somewhere in between. Then along the highway towards Sancheon, we stopped at one of the service station as I was informed that the service station were really nice. Once parked, I got off to used the toilet which was impressively digitalized, to say the list. There was a information board of the occupancy of the cubicles! The design was nice too as it had an aviation theme to it and models of airplanes displayed.

Returning to the car from the loo, K awoke and we spent some time at the loo (again) and bought some snacks to eat, including a corn shaped pastry with corn paste called Deli-manjoo and pork dumplings (Mandu). K spent some time at the fighter jet display before I got my vanilla coffee from Holly’s coffee and went to pump gas at an EX brand gas station.

I was stumped as I found out that it was a self service station and I couldn’t figure out the Korean words on the automated machine and pumping wouldn’t start without paying. The office was empty and I was almost at wits end when I saw a staff returning and asked in English that I needed gas. Immediately after putting some stuff at this office he came to my station and helped with entering the details into the automated system. He was asking how much fuel I needed and it was my first time so I also didn’t know. He helped looked at the fuel gauge and suggested 30k and I just agreed. Then a quick pump that brought the level back from half to 7/8 and we left for the last 1 hr drive.

After the highway, we entered a slow moving road of speed limit 60km/hr into an industrial zone, one that reminded me of Jurong Island back home. The place was just filled with industrial plants all over the place but it allowed road access to the public. It was a boring place for the rest of my family since I was the only person who could relate to this.

The drive to our hotel was not easy and one of the directions given by the in car Navi brought us to the wrong road. Had to make a few detours and mindfully avoid the wrong road and took the direction for what I thought would bring me to the right road before we managed to drive into the multistory carpark of MVL hotel. The initial impression I had of this 5stars hotel was that it reminded me of the Al Burj Arab, where one building stood out from the rest as it was obviously the tallest one there. Of course it couldn’t be comparable in terms of opulence and luxury but it looked comfortable enough.

After check in, we entered the room to find a view of the port and a rather normal room. Spent some time on the TV before we went to explore the surrounding. We decided to walk to Odongdo island which was about slightly more than 500m away.

The sun was already setting and winds were getting cold. We made it to the water fountain that coincidentally just started and skipped the walk around for the day since it was getting late. The fountain show had about 4-5songs worth of show before we walked back.

Then we walked over to the cable car station that had a pavilion with a nice view of the surroundings. It was also a place where there were hundreds if not thousands of heart shaped messages hung on the railings and lamppost.

View from the top level heading towards cable car station

We proceeded quickly to the cable car station building that had a nicely designed Korean restaurant and had our dinner there. It was recommended to try their marinated crab on the internet and so we ordered a soy sauce one, a pork dish with rice and another one with chicken. However, we received not one but 2 additional crab as a gift from the restaurant owners, all 3 flavors of the crab! There was also a bowl of mussel soup! I was in disbelief in the amount of food but very grateful for such hospitality. And the food was very yummy!

The crab was raw and I was apprehensive at first but after the first bite, I just went on and on as it was really delicious! It tasted like raw scallop but much softer so that the flesh could be just sucked out. Loved the one with soy the most. Mommy who didn’t like raw seafood couldn’t appreciate it so I had to finish all them. I was worried about having the tummy runs after this.

The soup was awesome too and am amazed how they could get such flavors into the soup. The other dishes were fine too. All this for just 39k!

Before leaving for the hotel, K wanted to go see the “fantasy land” that was something like the trick eye museum. It was closed by the time we finished dinner and so we just walked back to the hotel quickly, braving the cold as we crossed the road.

The night was spent in the bathtub, as usual and I went to the convenience store that was within the hotel, to get some water, coffee, milk and yoghurt. Then it was some TV which was showing the Bahrain F1, books and then off to bed.

Geoje/Tong Yeong 2019 Day 3 – Cruise to Oedo Island, Tong Yeong Hallyeosudo cable car and Junggang market

Posted on April 1, 2019June 10, 2019 by ziyi

After a really long sleep, I woke up to a chilly morning. I couldn’t see the sun as it was blocked by the mountains so I went back to laze in bed, jotting some of the memories from the day before. Then I got up to wash up before getting K to wake up, with some k-pop, just so as to get in the Korean theme.

Had decided to visit the Oedo Island and we managed to leave the hotel at 1030 after our breakfast. It was about a 20 mins drive to Jangseungpo ferry terminal for the ferry to the island. The traffic was light in Geoje and it wasn’t a difficult drive before we arrived. Went into the carpark and managed to find a parking lot near the ticketing.

Went to the ticket counter and the staff could respond well in English and spent 52k won on the ferry and another 17k for the entrance fee. Went to the toilet first before lining up for our 1110 ferry.

The ferry was at most 60% filled and there was supposedly an introduction of the place being given through the PA system but it was in Korean which we couldn’t understand. Spent some time up on the second deck where many people were feeding seagulls with crackers. It was an interesting sight as the seagulls flew close and at the about same speed, giving the impression that there we just floating in midair. K was given some crackers by some kind passenger and we managed to feed some seagulls, as they swooped down to pick the crackers off my hands.

The ferry took a while to get to the island as it made a short stop at one of the jutting rocks in the middle of the ocean for people to take photos before continuing onto the island. We arrived at Oedo island about one hour into the trip. Asked for the return trip schedule and was informed that the return trip was at 140pm, about 1.5hrs to explore the island.

Took a picture of the map and started exploring this island that was converted into a giant botanical gardens. The initial walk was an upslope climb, peppered with some decorations for Insta-worthy moments. There were a few flowers blooming but not as many as I would expect. We took a few photos along the way as we proceeded to the midpoint of the walking route which was a building that was converted into 2 cafes. We got into one to get Udon and 2 sausages for about 10k and sat down at this cafe with a view to consume them as our lunch.

With just 20mins left, we hurried to walk back to the wharf, following the signs. It felt like there were some other places to go to but we didn’t have time and had to give it a miss. Near the wharf, there was another cafe and we went to visit the toilet next to it just before returning to the wharf. Waited inside a makeshift tent set up to block out the chilly wind as passengers wait for their ferry. The ferry arrived within minutes and soon we were lining up to board.

The return journey was a quick 20mins and we were soon in the car for the trip to Tongyeong, about an hour drive. We arrived into a huge carpark and there was a Luge belonging to the same company which also operated in Sentosa, situated beside this carpark. After a visit to the toilet we went to buy some food from the street vendors. Got 2 hotdog buns and a non spicy flame grilled chicken on skewer all for about 10k won.

Went to sit down nearby to eat but the occasional strong wind made a mess out of our snacks, blowing away the paper holders. After the quick bites and the subsequent clean up, we walked to the cable car station across the road and bought our tickets for a total of 29k for 2 adults and 1 child.

Got up onto the cable car that didn’t have a queue and we were soon going upwards towards the tower at the top of the mountain, with the expansive view opening up before us. After taking in the beautiful surrounding of mountains and waters, we got off at the top and went to the top level for a viewing deck. It offered a pretty good view at the Tongyeong port and its surroundings. Paid 500won to use the telescope there before we went to the cafe below to get a hot drink. There was also a small man made waterfall but it wasn’t all too fantastic.

There was a route for people to explore the area and it seemed like there was a good view of the Hallyeohaesang National Park at the end of the trail but we didn’t have time as the cable car would shut down soon and it was not a good idea to trek all the way back with my boy and in the cold.

For people with more time to trek to another viewpoint

We got onto the cable car, timing it so that we could take the red colour one as requested by K and soon we arrived back at the ground station. Returned the same way to get to the Luge station as K wanted to do that and so we spent 16k in total for an adult and a child in tandem whereas mummy decided to stay grounded. Strapped up our helmets and we got onto the open airlift up towards our starting point at the top of the hill.

Went to the staff that did the whole introductory control of the luge in whatever English he could muster (the luge was not difficult to control and I had prior experience in Sentosa) and then we were zooming down the hill at one of the 2 routes available. The route felt much longer than what we had experienced in Sentosa last time, having much more turns and was pretty fast too which I thought made this a better experience. However it was quite cold going down the hill and thankfully we had worn enough to protect us against the chill.

After getting our photo from the gift shop for 10k, we left for the car to find a place for dinner. We couldn’t decide whether to have seafood in Geoje or Tongyeong and settled for Tongyeong, by visiting the traditional market in Jungang. Though It was only a short 20mins drive, K fell asleep. I parked at the parking lot opposite the market and carried K in my arms to the market, as the port side area began to welcome the sunset.

There were quite a few stalls selling seafood. The fishes were kept alive in containers with barely enough water level for people to choose, so much so that it felt like animal abuse. We struggled with language and tried to use the translator app to some success. Managed to get to one stall that had a sitting area and served soup based seafood and we settled in after choosing 2 fishes for the soup. Left K to sleep sprawled on the sitting mat beside our low table while I went to choose a raw seafood dish for my own (mommy doesn’t eat raw seafood).

Delicious seafood soup from the 2 fishes

After much deliberation in front of the fresh seafood, I finally picked the octopus. The lady reached into the basket and picked up one and allowed me to take a photo before going to tear the octopus apart. Then it was a lot of chopping. I returned to my table and soon the moving tentacles were served.

It did looked scary as the tentacles moved around, some even crawled out of my plate but I kinda got the hang of it after the first piece. As the chopping wasn’t done really cleanly, there was one lump that got me gagged and I had to pull it out with my fingers. It tasted slimy but was kinda tasty with the soy sauce and sesame seeds. All this experience for 10k.

The fish soup was definitely fresh and the broth cooked from it was just as tasty. When K woke up, we gave him some to eat but he wasn’t taking it. Not sure if it was too fresh and had a seafood smell to it or he was not hungry. The fish soup cost us 25k.

We drove back to the hotel which was a 50mins drive. The GPS brought us through a winding dark forested road and it was a little scary since there weren’t any lights and no other cars were around.

After arriving, the hotel staff handed us a basket of more towels and we realized that there wasn’t any room cleaning done. I guessed it was for privacy.

The night was spent in the tub and then some more math quizzes before we knocked off.

Geoje 2019 Day 2 – Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival and arrival into Geoje

Posted on March 31, 2019June 6, 2019 by ziyi

I woke up first and lazed in bed to jot down memories of Day 1. Before long it was already 9 so I started packing and washing stuff before mommy woke up at 930. K was the last to wake up as we gave him more rest from the lack of it during the flight and he woke up fresh.

Then we rushed to get ready and checked out at 11. The attendant got our car and I took some time to get the car seat strapped on and some more time to find a recommended parking spot at Jinhae. Then we were on the move, about an hour’s drive.

It wasn’t too difficult to drive out. I paid a toll fee at the Tellgate for 1.8k, also known as TG in short. But soon before arriving at the destination, we ended up in a traffic jam inside a tunnel, stretching the travelling time to 1.5hrs. We turned into a little street that was lined with cars parked at every space that was available. I managed to reverse my car into a slot and we walked on foot to the Gyeonghwa Station just next to this street.

There were people everywhere at this iconic railway that had cherry blossoms lined along what seemed like the entire length of it. It was not easy trying to get a photo shot without photobombed by the crowd. There was a long queue to take a photo with the train that was on display so we didn’t bother and just got our selfie from the side. K wanted to visit the loo and that had a line too but it was moving quick enough. The loo building was in the design of a train which was cute.

There were a couple of street acts entertaining the mostly Korean crowd (Sunday), such as one singer performing that almost sounded like a concert and a man who could catch hats thrown at him with his head. Further down the path was another train but that didn’t garner as many people because the cherry blossom there wasn’t surrounding it unlike the more popular one. We also bought a Pikachu balloon with windmill from one of the street stalls for k for 15k.

We returned to the car to try to visit another park where there was a stream. I punched the destination into the car navigation system and drove. It was a traffic nightmare as we drove alongside many cars that all seemed to go in the same direction. As we arrived at a turn, I was denied entry by a traffic police signalling at the junction and had to make a Uturn to turn in from the opposite direction. After many slow turns and tight driveway due to cars parked on both sides, we drove up a hill and managed to slot our car into an empty spot.

Walked downhill and found some cafes but there weren’t any full meals sold. Entered on of them and ordered a waffle with ice cream and Americano for our lunch, for 15k. After that dessert lunch, we proceeded to walk to the stream. The difference between this Yeojwacheon stream and the normal longkang back at home was that this a very well decorated longkang flanked with cherry blossom trees. There were steps to get to the longkang too so that we could take picture in there as well. Different sections separated by bridges had different designs so we went to a few different places to take photos. Bought a bowl of tobokki to eat for 3k from one of the street vendors.

After that, we returned to the car which was tiring as we had to climb uphill. The next destination was to check in in Geoje, 1.5hrs from Jinhae. The gridlock traffic was limited to the cherry blossom area and then it was an easy drive to Geoje, with toll fees of 10k.

We arrived at the Ruscello Pension hotel after a scenic drive across the bridges. The sun had almost completely set and the wind was getting chilly. Checked in quickly at the reception using English and some hands and was charged an additional 20k since the accommodation was meant for 2 people only. In return, we were given additional bedding although I informed that the original one was big enough for all 3 of us.

We went to the hotel restaurant for dinner as we were too lazy to get out and it didn’t seemed like there were any restaurants nearby anyway. The restaurant was beautifully designed and cozy. We ordered risotto and beef cubes for about 61k and it was quite delicious.

Returned to the room braving the cold and got ready for a bath in the huge bathtub. K enjoyed dipping in the water although it was a little cold in the room where the tub was. We spent the rest of the night doing math and sticker books before going to bed at 1030pm, ending a relatively light day.

Busan 2019 Day 1 – Flying and Gamcheon Village

Posted on March 30, 2019May 10, 2019 by ziyi

Our first mega family outing begin with a 20mins delay in schedule (informed via sms and email) for our Cathay flight to Hong Kong. Immediately I knew this meant trouble as my connecting flight towards Seoul is only 50mins. We left for the airport slightly around 430pm on the SLE and dropped mommy off at T3 for her SQ flight to Hong Kong. We were on different flights cos hers was company sponsored and ours not.

We went over to T1 as I thought my flight was there but found out later that it was in T4 instead. Wasn’t a big deal though since my dad was with us and we had dinner at their T1 staff canteen before driving over to T4.

T1 staff canteen different from the last time I visited

It was my first time at T4 for a flight and I was thoroughly impressed by the artistically futuristic design of the entire area, peppered with chill spots to sit and wait for the flight. I checked in at the self service counters and dropped my bag at the automated system and asked one of the staff about the delay and was informed that the plane would wait for me. After spending some time at the departures, I had a difficult time trying to pull K away from the few arcade machines and fusball machines before joining the line for the flight to Hong Kong, a full flight.

We found out the reason for the delay, bad weather at Hong Kong and that meant turbulence was to be expected. I was desperately finding a USB port to charge my dying phone but there wasn’t one available on the plane. The 4hrs of the 1st flight wasn’t too difficult to pass, with a meal that K liked, and some TV and games, we were already landing at 1230am.

Day 1

Once arrived, we approached a staff that gave us a sticker to indicate that we had a transfer and were told to join a group. Had to move quickly but we didn’t manage to catch up and lost the group. Ended up far behind and queuing at the transfer where we had to undergo another X-ray scan.

While rushing towards the gate, a few of ground crew keep telling us that we were the last and ask us to run or risk missing the flight. I carried K and started running but K had already asked to go to the toilet when we were waiting to disembark. I made my way to the nearest toilet but was dissuaded by another two staff telling me to go to the plane instead. At this point I was getting pissed and just told them that I am going to miss the flight if so as my boy really has to go to the toilet. Felt victimized by their delay like it was my fault to begin with.

After the quick visit, we continued on, this time the staff having felt my frustration, informed that we didn’t have to run. I ignored and trudged on to the gate. Soon we were walking along the lane to our seats, slightly panting from the exercise and within minutes, the plane was taxiing and took off to our next destination Incheon.

This time around K was feeling tired and I could see his heavy eyelids about to close. After they served the light snacks which K didn’t have any, I went to get the hot water for his milk and before finishing he was already off to dreamland. I finished up my snack, went to the loo and then I was asleep too.

Flight felt short as time flew past and soon we were already landing into Seoul. K was still sound asleep and I let him sleep until we were almost the last to get off, I carried him with all my barang barang. He was awoken by this but remained very sedated throughout as I made my way to the immigrations.

There was a hell of a long queue and I remembered joining the line at 610am but it was moving so slowly. One of the staff saw that I was carrying K and asked me to step out and brought me to another counter to shortcut the entire waiting process and I reciprocated with my broken Korean Thank you. I noticed that there were many kids also lining up and thankfully Lady Luck was on my side (and mommy wasn’t).

We picked up our luggage from the belt and we headed outside the arrivals to sit and wait for mommy. There were sitting areas with charging points and I choose to sit near one of them. K then fell asleep while we waited. The charging point that I chose was not working and thus I limited my use. Mommy had already landed and was in the line for 1.5hrs before she found us there.

K woke up dazed after we carried him. We had to get to Gimpo airport via the Korean railway. A short walk away following the signs, we bought tickets (K did not require a ticket as he was under 6) to the Gimpo station and later got ourselves some T money cards too.

The train was an all stop train to Gimpo and was about 30mins ride where all of us took a short nap. Arriving at Gimpo, I found the airport quite modern too, quite different from what I expected, thought that it would be older than what it should be. We had to line up at the counter as we tried and failed at the auto check in machines. With some 30mins time left to boarding our 10am flight to Busan, we went through the X-ray checks and sat at the Villa de Charlotte cafe there for a much needed caffeine injection cuppa and my handphone as there was an USB outlet available.

We boarded the small plane and soon we were flying through and above a thick carpet of clouds that shrouded Seoul that was giving it a hazy look. We landed soon after we had our drinks served from the moving counter where the tomato juice especially tasty. Since it was a domestic flight, there wasn’t any lines to the luggage belt and soon we were outside the arrivals hall and checking in with Lotte car rental to get our car.

Given wet tissues, thrash bag and info guide

Paid after settling the documents and the process was quick since I did my reservations online. The costs of car rental was quite hefty and I spent more than 1million won for the 7 days car rental but I guessed it’s worth it for the convenience and hassle free with zero excess CDW.

Picked up the car from the staff at the carpark who tried with his English to give me any other details and soon I was trying out the navigation system on the Sonata to get to our first cherry blossom encounter along the road. We exited the carpark for free and as I was getting accustomed to the car, we were soon stopping to park at the roadside to visit a jogging path lined with cherry blossom trees!

Nice view with not-that-big a crowd and soon after a few photos, we were back on the road. Slowly driving and following the speed limits, I went through 2 tolls and paid 1.9k won using cash at the counter since the car was not fitted with pass card. Driving into busy Busan, I managed to find the way around till we reached the parking of Hound Premier Nampo.

Panoramic of the Cherry Blossom running track

Got all our luggage out including a sleeping K before the vehicle attendant take over my car to park at their automated parking. The room was ready for check in thankfully, and we brought all the barang barang up. While K continue to sleep on the bed, we ended up taking a much needed nap till 3pm.

After waking up, we got out of the room to walk to Gukje Market, in the hope of getting lunch. It was a short 10mins walk there, going pass streets of restaurants and shops and we arrived finally to a huge area that was selling all sorts of stuff, from clothing to daily necessities to lightings. We were looking for food but couldn’t really find one place to eat. Continued to walk along one of the major street until we decided to enter a certain Aori Ramen restaurant and have our lunch there. Spent 21k there, where we experienced eating ramen in privacy since each sitting area had individual curtains. Ramen was tasty but unfortunately our first meal in Korea was a Japanese meal.

Then we returned back to hotel to get our car for the drive to Gamcheon cultural village. It was just a 20mins drive and I didn’t realized that we had to drive up a hill to reach there. There was a parking building but by the time we arrived there weren’t any space left (attendant waved me to move along). So I went downhill made a U turn and drove up again. Luckily one car exited and I was allowed to enter the parking building. Inside the one floor carpark, there was one lot for us left.

Exited the carpark through side stairway and crossed the road to visit the village. We first went to the photospot to the left of the bus stop and there we took some photos of the colourful village along the side of the mountain. Bought a map for 2k and was told that the starting point was at the back where we saw the overhead signage of the village’s name.

Walked back up and started at the starting point where it was much more crowded. There were many wall murals together with shops selling crafts and food. We took our time to explore and bought chicken on skewers that was flame(thrower) grilled. Unfortunately that was slightly spicy and K couldn’t take a bite, leading to him fussing over being hungry. We went into a shop selling traditional Korean crafts but didn’t manage to get anything. We also tried to get a fortune paper from one of the Tikum machine there for 1k each but the paper was mostly in Korean so we couldn’t decipher if it was good or no good.

There were quite a few photo opportunity spots and one which gathered a long line was a statue of the Little Prince sitting on a wall looking out to sea. So many people was trying to get a photo with him but we just moved along.

We arrived at a spot that had a good view of the hillside houses and the sea and took a picture before making a Uturn. Went up a short flight of stairs to walk through one of the tiny walkways and it wasn’t all too interesting. Before returning, we stopped at a cafe with a view and some windmills to eat waffle with ice cream together with a nice hot Americano. The wind was pretty strong and a little chilly but K seemed satisfied with the food in place for the chicken that he missed earlier.

We returned to the carpark to retrieve the car and the carpark fee upon exit was a small 2k amount! This was cheap!

Drove back downhill and a couple more turns we were back at the hotel. I had to park myself into the automated lift as the attendant wasn’t around and another staff was not able to drive but it wasn’t difficult. We returned to the room for a bath at the bathtub, one of the favorite activity of every holiday and soon it was time to get out for dinner.

The street was illuminated with bright lights at where we stayed, it seemed to feel like a red light district with advertisements of scantily dressed woman on the walls. We tried to explore other places to eat. There were many tiny makeshift stores selling seafood along BIFF but that didn’t feel like a good place to have dinner for K. We got our breakfast from none other than Paris Baguette before finding a Korean Chinese restaurant (Hong Kong Banjum 0410 Plus) to eat in.

Ordered a Jjajangmyeon, fried jjampong and tangsuyuk. The portions were pretty big but the food came fast. The food also turned cold pretty quickly. The ok tasting dinner was about 22k.

The night temperature had dropped and the winds were quite strong making it really cold. We visited an Artbox and K had to use a toilet. Thankfully there was one at level 3, where the cinema was. Didn’t get anything from there and we left to walk back to the hotel.

Night ended really quickly as we were all tired from the lack of sleep. The big comfy bed eased us into dreamland moments later.

Escape Plan to South Korea & Hong Kong March 2019

Posted on March 29, 2019June 23, 2020 by ziyi

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to South Korea and Hong Kong:

Total duration 18D17N
Singapore is 1hr behind of Korea and same timezone as Hong Kong.
Flight time is 4hrs 5mins on Cathay Airlines from Singapore to Hong Kong, a 50mins transit followed by a 4hrs 50mins time on Cathay Airlines from Hong Kong to Incheon Airport Seoul.

Return flight is 3hrs 55mins on Cathay Airlines from Hong Kong to Singapore.

Friday night flight on 29th Mar at 810pm and arrival in Hong Kong in the morning of the 30th Mar at 1215am followed by a flight at 105am and arrival in Korea in the same morning at 555am.

Return flight from Hong Kong on the 15th Apr at 230pm and same day arrival in Singapore at 625pm.

Day 0-1 Flying and Gamcheon Village in Busan
Day 2 Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival and arrival into Geoje
Day 3 Cruise to Oedo Island, Tong Yeong Hallyeosudo cable car and Junggang market
Day 4 Hakdong beach, Windy hill and drive to Yeosu, Odongdo island
Day 5 Yeosu Rail bike, Aqua Planet and Teddy bear museum
Day 6 Drive to Jeonju, cheese theme park and Jeonju old town
Day 7 Explore Jeonju and drive to Wolmido
Day 8 Fairytale land, Chinatown and back to Seoul
Day 9 Yeouido park, Noryanjin Market and Myeongdong
Day 10 Lotte World Adventure theme park
Day 11 Nami Island, Gangchon rail park and Garden of Morning Calm
Day 12 Dongdaemun and Lotte Outlet
Day 13 Strawberry farm, Pocheon Art Valley and Herb Island light festival
Day 14 Seoul to Hong Kong
Day 15 Sino Center and Hysan Place
Day 16 Hong Kong Space museum and shopping at CHKC
Day 17 Home Sweet Home

This escape plan was the first time in donkey years that we travel with my extended family. It was not an easy itinerary to begin with, having to plan different flights for my wife, my parents, my aunt in HK and for me and my boy, as we were flying different times, for reasons such as for business, for best price and for breaking the trip. There was also trying to plan a bit of something for my parents and for the kids. Glad that everything turned out well.

Budget nature: Rather Expensive

Costs of living in Korea was quite high especially in the cities, car rentals was expensive too. This was offset by the optimisation of squeezing into Airbnb units in Seoul and getting the better deal through Klook and utilising discount coupons from tourism book brought over from Singapore.

Complexity: High

Due to different flight times (5 different tickets) for everyone, we had to get all the dates and times right before purchasing the tickets. Travel by car outside the city was still fine but met with heavy traffic when in Busan. Thankfully for the Hyundai Sonata in-car GPS, it was a little easier to navigate as Google maps do not work, and Naver app wasn’t driver friendly. Travelling via public transport in Seoul was easy but not so in a taxi as we were easily lost in translation, and getting taxis for a big group was a challenge itself, as the taxis can only take up to a certain number of people.

Escape plan to Bintan February 2019

Posted on February 1, 2019June 23, 2020 by ziyi

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Bintan 2019

Total duration 3D2N
Singapore is 1hr behind Bintan.
Ferry time is 1hrs on Bintan Resort Ferries from Singapore to Bintan.
Afternoon ferry on 2nd February at 12:10pm and arrival in Bintan at 12:10pm.
Return ferry is on the 20th February at 235pm and arrival in Singapore at 435pm.

(Itinerary without details)
Day 1 Arrival in Bintan
Day 2 To the beach and back
Day 3 Home Sweet Home

This escape plan was planned as a short getaway before the CNY. We were here 4 years ago for when our kid was still an infant so it was a short revisit to the resort under the same company (Staying at Angsana instead of Banyan tree previously).

Budget nature: Budget buster.

Although this was in Bintan, we were getting something better for accommodation and therefore the accommodation was quite high. Similarly for the ferry, we also took the “business” class seats and that was slightly less than twice an economy class seat, with an change in timing costs at the last minute to rush back for our boy to see a doctor

Complexity: Easy.

Since all the transfers were arranged, there was nothing difficult about getting to the resort. We didn’t get out of the resort at all except getting over to Banyan tree restaurants through internal buggy arrangements.

Tokyo 2019 Day 5 – Tokyo Autosalon and Home Sweet Home

Posted on January 12, 2019February 19, 2019 by ziyi

It was the last day of my trip which felt like I only just started – Time blew past like the Shinkansen. I woke up late and checked out. Went back to my trusty lockers at the station before going to having a breakfast at Shinjuku. Then Google gave me a restaurant Kabukichi かぶきち and I found it in no time. Entered and sat at the counter and was given an English menu. Pointed at a medium size Yakisoba and was served a tasty plate of yakisoba with a raw egg on top of it, for Y830. Delicious!

I spent some time at Sega with the UFO claw machines trying to game the machine but I lost Y800 combined. Then I made my way to Kaihimmakuhari station where the Tokyo Auto Salon 2019 was being held, some 1 hour away. Although I managed to get a seat, there were just too many bags and stuff that I bought that I was struggling to carry along.

When I arrived at the station, I was surprised that I couldn’t find a locker. And there were a lot of people around, which I thought was mostly attributed by the Auto Salon. I made my way to Plena Makurari and found some lockers there, but almost fully taken up. Quickly placed my bags into 2 small lockers, and brought the pillow that I bought along to the exhibitions, because it was too large to squeeze into the lockers.

Mitsui Outlet park at Kaihimmakuhari station

As I had a flight to catch at 6pm and I had only arrived at 2pm as that was the time the exhibition was opened to public, I only had an hour to rush through it all (train ride was about an hour to Narita). There was an amazing number of people. I thought that a weekday would not generate so much crowd but I was damn wrong! It was a long walk to the halls and after paying Y3800 for the tickets, I tried to walk quickly around, firing camera shots as I went. What’s so different about the Tokyo Auto Salon and the Singapore Motorshow was that there were customised cars on display for the Tokyo one, and so many of them! Different body kits that was only limited by the creativity of the owners showcased how one car could looked so awesome! All the halls were taken up by the Auto Salon but I managed to rush through them in time. As I exited the hall and followed the human line, I was shocked to find myself entering another building with many more halls of car exhibits! Given the time I had, I had to give it a miss painfully, along with another section on rally cars.

I had missed the train timings and had to take a taxi to Narita from there. I didn’t have enough cash and so I went around trying to get an ATM but for those at the Mitsui Outlet, I wasn’t able to withdraw money. Feeling defeated, I decided to pick up my bags first and found an ATM by 7-11 that I was able to withdraw money from. Took out about Y100k in anticipation for this fare to Narita and went to the taxi stand near the train station.

Boarded the taxi and then it was a 30mins drive to the airport in which I took a short nap and let the meter jump without sweating over it. Thankfully I arrived at the airport just after 4pm, but I paid about Y13600 for the taxi, which translated to about almost SGD175! Expensive.

Proceeded to check in and it was self service kiosks which was pretty easy to follow through. I dumped my haversack and then proceeded to go through security with my 2 bags and my pillow. At security, they stopped me to look at the stuff I brought in my bags and unfortunately, I had the SK-II that I bought for my mother that was more the 100ml and that was not allowed! I totally forgot about it as I was more concerned about not checking that in and breaking it since my haversack was soft. Thankfully the staff was understanding and escorted me out to go through check in again. I was pretty stumped on how I could check in and at the counter, the staff provided a box for the my item to be contained and that could be checked in. Wow!

Went through security a second time and this time without issue (and the same staff recognised me and chuckled as I was successful this time around). Narita airport was as much a shopping haven as it’s main city. I walked around carrying my bags of goodies but couldn’t resist to just get the Bai Se Lian Ren 白色恋人 biscuits as that seemed to be representative food that tourists bring back from Japan. After that, I proceeded to go to the gate. There was quite a wait during boarding and once onboard, I was seated beside another Japanese man. At the window seat, I couldn’t make out what was out there since it was already dark by 6pm. There seemed to be a delay in take off but I just went to sleep, the sleep deprivation over the last few days was hitting me hard.

Throughout the flight, there wasn’t anything major except that I had to ask for a reset of the entertainment system. Otherwise, it was dinner followed by a lot of sleeping until the we landed safely into Changi, some time after 1am.

This was the first solo trip of my life and I thoroughly enjoyed this trip, both because it was a different experience and that I loved the experience in Japan! However, I did felt a little sad to return back to Singapore as the trip felt a little incomplete… Wanted more time in the Auto Salon, wanted more time to taste the food, wanted more sushi and seafood from Tsujiki, wanted to visit more themed cafes, wanted more time to roam the streets, wanted more engagement with the Japanese people…it was a little rush in every aspect of the activities that I partook. I am sure I will be back in the future, but until then I will have to wait.

Tokyo 2019 Day 4 – Atami Onsen and Ayumi Hamasaki concert in Shizuoka

Posted on January 10, 2019February 19, 2019 by ziyi

The fourth day in Tokyo started out slowly as it was a day that I didn’t plan a lot. I googled for a good breakfast place and a Eggs n Things showed up. I was looking for somewhere closed to Akihabara and Tokyo as I had to go pick up my jeans before taking the Shinkansen to get out of Tokyo.

After getting ready, I brought out my bag of goodies that I had bought over the last few days to the locker in Shinjuku-Sanchome to deposit in there (since I had only one bag that I could lock and there weren’t any storage in the room for other bag). Then I took the train to Ginza and walked along the shopping street to the Kirarito building. The only place that was opened at that time was the restaurant but there was a lift catered to reach that floor. Entered the restaurant that was somewhat empty and was seated at the end where I found myself a table that had an accessible power point that I used to charge my phone.

Ordered the delicious looking eggs Benedict and a nice cappuccino, for Y1976, taking it slow. This pace was relaxed, completely different from the previous few days where I was rushing from point A to B, and this time I found myself enjoying the moment.

After breakfast, I took the train to Akihabara and visited a Muji store at Akiba Tolim building. There was a entire level dedicated to Muji and had quite a range of products for home usage. I couldn’t find anything that I would like to buy though except for small card holders (and also because I had no more space to carry stuff back).

Proceeded to walk to Evisu store to get my customised jeans which was supposedly opened from 12 noon but they were opened earlier. Then I made my way to Tokyo station to search for Tokyo banana snacks which I only found after a while searching the huge area for that store. Bought a couple of them before going to the Shinkasen ticketing to get my ticket to Atami. for Y3670. Being too smart, I also bought tickets for return trip but I had forgotten to indicate the departure station to be Shizuoka. I realised my mistake and quickly requested the station staff to allow me to exit and rush back to the counter where they made the change for me, with a top up to final amount of Y5830. I made it in time for the 12:56 train to Atami.

It was a 48mins train ride to Atami on the Shinkansen and I took the time to catch some sleep. It didn’t last long as I was eagerly trying to catch the view of Mt. Fuji, which I did but it was shrouded in clouds.

Exited the station and just outside the entrance was the hot spring footbath for public use. I knew I had to do this and went to sit with the people there, took out my shoes and socks and dipped my feet into the hot water. It felt good. After a good 5mins, I removed my feet and allow the cold weather to dry my feet before putting back my socks and shoes and walked towards KKR hotel.

Initially thought I could just walked into one of the public onsens but as I was walking, I didn’t find one that was obviously a public bath and I didn’t really have that much time as I would be heading to Shizuoka to attend a concert. Since I had read previously from on online blog about KKR having this onsen, I just set my mind to visit that instead.

It was about 10mins walk and I had initially went to the back of the building, where one staff actually told me (in Japanese) to walk further down to reach the main entrance. At the reception, I asked if they spoke Eigo and was surprised they replied that they couldn’t. Anyhow, the staff informed the costs to be Y1728 and gave me a plastic bag with a tiny towel inside for use in the onsen (its advisable to bring a bigger towel for drying). I took the lift to the 7th floor and stepping out, I was welcome by the majestic view of the Sagami bay. I quickly googled on what was needed to be done before entering the onsen because I wouldn’t be able to use the phone once inside. So it was about showering, drying outside before stepping into the public bath – got it!

Once I walked past the main entrance, I left my shoes at the shoes cabinet and enter a place where there were lockers for use and a long vanity table. So I didn’t know if I should be just stripping naked there and then. Just then, one local took the locker next to me and I tried to start a conversation. Unfortunately his Eigo was limited but I managed to get the gist from him, yes strip, go bath and use onsen. Somehow it ended up with him saying he liked me (what?), which was pretty awkward.

After he stripped and proceeded inside, I did the same a little bit later. With the tiny towel that was good enough to cover my privates, I went to the bath to sit on the little stool to take my shower, using the shower foam and shampoo available there. There was also a pail available but I didn’t understand how that was useful when there was already a shower head for use.

I went to the long onsen pool, taking it slowly as my body got used to the temperature. It was really hot and I stayed there for some time before moving on to the jacuzzi hot spring. There was a sauna and a cold pool as well but those I didn’t utilised. Then I decided to go outdoor because having to stay in the hot spring with cold air in the face would be the most enjoyable experience. As I first step outside, it was a little chilly and stepping into the onsen felt fantastic. Once fully submerged, I just enjoyed the dip with expansive view of the bay in front of me (view was available indoors too but behind window), absolutely fantastic! Alternating leaving my feet in the water and exposing my top to the cold, this sort of achieve the idea of sauna and cold pool combo.

After about an hour and a half, I went back to take a water shower and dressed up to leave. I was rushing for a train ride to Shizuoka and would like to get there around 5pm. The Shinkansen tickets costed Y3050 and a short half an hour to the Shizuoka. The journey boasted views of Mt. Fuji, in which I was snapping away happily. After alighting, I changed to the local train to Shimizu, where the concert was being held. Upon arrival at Shimizu station, I managed to see Mt. Fuji in clear sight. During this time when the sun was about to set, I saw a pink Mt. Fuji.

Checked into my hotel, Vista Shimizu and retrieved my concert tickets, which was delivered to the hotel reception a few days earlier. I was glad that all went well despite this last minute whereby an online service provider, called Onegai Kaeru (O-ne gai means wish), helped to get the tickets from a reseller platform and arranged for the delivery of the tickets. Went to my room to put down my bag and charged my handphone and lazed a bit before heading out to Shimizu to get some green tea, as Shizuoka was known as the green tea producing city.

I walked into a traditional tea store and asked for Eigo but none was spoken but thought the store owner was extremely friendly. Noticing that we weren’t getting anywhere, he recommended that I visit another store so I got out. After a line of stores selling various things, I found another store that seemed to have tea sold in packages. Tried my luck again and this time it was a little better, as store owner seemed to understand a little English. Bought some green tea from there and proceeded to dinner at Macs, where I ordered myself a local flavoured Teriyaki burger meal. Like myself, I saw a couple of Ayumi fans having their dinner, and they were dressed for the concert, with items related to the queen of J-pop.

Returned to the hotel room to pack the tea into my bag and left for the Shizuoka cultural center with my tickets. I was looking forward to the concert as I had never seen a full concert of my favourite Queen of J pop, Ayumi Hamasaki and she had never had a concert in Singapore (other than a short one together with Avex artistes). My only worry was if I would be allowed in with a ticket that didn’t have my name. My worries were just uncalled for as there wasn’t a doubt at all from the staff and immediately after the security checks, I proceeded to the souvenir stall to get myself a tee (and a couple of confused exchanges because of the credit card issues) and then I was in the hall, seated and ready to rock n’ roll!

Handphones were prohibited for use though as much as I wanted to just capture an image to bring home. Throughout the concert, I didn’t see a single person using the handphone and I followed as well. It was a great concert even though I had not heard of the songs before (as I didn’t follow her albums for some time already), but the catchy beats together with the atmosphere from the Japanese fans were just electrifying. Had stood for almost the entire 2hrs of the concert including the encore, and together with the synchronised hand movements, it was as much as a light dance workout then a concert! The cost of attending this was expensive but I guessed its worth it for a fan who had yearned for years to watch her concert live, bucket list checked!

The same punctuality exhibited during the concert as with the Shinkansen, it ended on the dot of 9pm which gave me enough time to catch the last train back to Tokyo. I thought I could even make the earlier ride and returned quickly to the room to get all my stuff, checked out and headed to the subway. When the train arrived, I was surprised to find that it had all reserved seats and no one actually boarded the train. Without much choice, I waited for the next train at the original timing that I had planned for. Otherwise I could have taken a bath at the room.

At the Shizuoka station, I had some time before the Shinkansen arrive and I took the time to visit the store there to buy more green tea products. Then it was about an hour ride back to Tokyo station and then a further 17mins to the Shinjuku-Sanchome station. Retrieved my bags from the lockers and returned to the hotel.

I wasn’t ready to end the day so I left again to go visit a Don Quijote (also known as Don Don Donki in Singapore) to check out what’s to offer in this 24hrs shopping paradise. There was 4F worth of stuff to see and I managed to get myself a thermal flask that was incredibly cheap due to a sale and got a HelloPika at a discount too!

Went back to the hotel for another dip in the jacuzzi and then off to dreamland.