TOKYO Day 1

For months, Jacob has been planning to compete in the Jeju International Brass Competition in Jeju, an island off the south coast of South Korea. And since it was going to be over a 2-day holiday, I decided to go with. We were planning on spending some time in Seoul beforehand. But then we waited way too long to buy tickets, hoping prices would go down. They doubled. Lesson learned. So since we already knew tickets were going to be expensive, we got creative with our itinerary and created this whirlwind trip to Asia Proper (as opposed to southeast asia) which included two days in Tokyo, two days in Seoul, and (for me) three days in Jeju, with Jacob staying on for the rest of the competition. We accomplished through the aggressive use of one-way tickets, including 7 separate flights and 8 airports!

I am currently in Jeju with a bit of time to reflect on our jam-packed days in Tokyo and Seoul - this will be the first of a few blogs because I can't possibly fit all we did into just one blog! And I promise lots of pictures :)

Saturday (August 3rd)
This day was spent almost completely in transit - train to Changi airport, flight to KL, several hour layover, then a 7 hour flight to Tokyo. On the long flight, Jacob and I poured over the city information we'd printed out, planning our days and preparing for a mad dash once we arrived at Haneda Airport. We landed at 11pm and needed to clear immigration, get our luggage, go through customs, buy tickets for the right train and get on one before they stopped running, so that we could get to another station, walked a quarter mile to a different train line and catch the very last train of the night. At stake? $100+ dollar taxi ride if we fail.
We made it with 2 minutes to spare, thanks to the help of Kenj, a stranger we asked for help who both spoke English and was going our way! Travel luck was with us. After congratulating our sweaty selves for making the train, we then got off at Noborito, following the instructions of the couch surfer at whose house we would be staying. We managed to locate his condo and - as per instructions - used the house key in the milk box to enter his house. He said that sometimes he would be gone or asleep, so just to let ourselves in...ok, it was a little weird, but it worked! We enjoyed some hastily bought convenience store sandwiches and sushi, got ready for bed - and then our host woke up and we ended up chatting with him until 3 in the morning!

Sunday

I awoke at 4:55am with the certainty that I was about to be run over by a train. Turns out the little balcony we were sleeping next to, with the door open, is about 1 floor above and 5 feet away from the train tracks, right where there is a track switch. Those came by every 4-6 minutes or so for the rest of the morning, assisting us in giving up sleep and getting ready for day 1 in Tokyo. We started on the right foot, going to Freshness Burger, an amusingly American-styled restaurant by the train station, where we got burgers and coffee for breakfast. They even has Tabasco. Solid.

Tokyo's Subway Map

Singapore's Subway Map. No contest!

We jumped an express train to Shinjuku (we were actually staying about 20 minutes west of the main city - doesn't show up on this map) and then transferred to Chuo line to get to the Edo-Tokyo Museum. Holy moly - Tokyo's train system is INSANE. Seriously, check that out. Singapore just has 4 measly subway lines. Tokyo has more than 20, operated by various different companies. Sometimes 'transfers' may look like they in the same spot, when really it is half a mile to the other line. And so. many. people. But after we got the hang of it a bit - and with a heavy dependency on the map thoughtfully provided by our host, Gee - we became very impressed with the whole system. You can get anywhere!!
So we went to the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which explores the development of the Tokyo from a small(ish) village based on a hierarchy of nobles and their bannermen/samurai. Lots of dioramas and many impressive statistics - or so we assume, since a majority of it was in Japanese. But there was some English text, and plenty to look at. 

Jacob has bulked up a bit since you saw him last.

Obviously I was the cameraman that morning!






After the museum we grabbed some lunch at Nakau's r - I had Beef Udon and Jacob has some sort of beef rice stuff. Both delicious and washed down with ice cold green tea. A reasonably priced too - we were worried that Tokyo would cost an arm and a leg, but we spent a lot less than we feared we might!

We then went to Tokyo Station, an old building nestled among the gleaming new ones, and walked over to the grounds of the Imperial Palace. We saw fountains and gardens, and walked...and walked. When we realized we were still 2km from the train station we wanted to get to, we took that as a sign to get ice cream. (I can't believe how many signs we received telling us to get ice cream on this trip!!) After all, it was quite hot in Tokyo - actually, everywhere.

We had to laugh when we actually passed a big karate
convention/competition - it had to happen in Tokyo, right?

 

We took the train to Harujuku, famous for the Meiji Shrine and for outrageous fashion. We didn't see too many crazy outfits, though everywhere we went I was learning how deficient my sense of style is!

Water dippers for washing.

The shrine was beautiful - a bit of a hike too. I liked the part where you were supposed to wash your hands, and then rinse your mouth and spit before entering the shrine area.

 After looking around, we took a different path out and ended up in Yoyogi park, which was full of people playing, picnicking, a dance team performing, and others playing instruments or just relaxing. From there, we cross the street (past some robot babes) and found a festival/concert in full swing - we think it had to do with saving the ocean/beach? Anyways, we got a beer and meat on a stick and walked around, taking it all in. It was really fun to just stumble across something like this, without planning it. Those are often some of my favorite parts of trips!



We then returned to Harujuku and walked down the cutest street in the world - Takeshita! Literally, this is where you can get all things Kawaii ("cute!"). Cute is definitely in in Tokyo - hair bows, ruffled knee-socks, school uniforms, tutus, adorable phone cases and stuffed animal purses - we saw it all. But there is also a bit of a punk vibe too. Altogether, really interesting - makes for fantastic people watching!

Toe socks!

We walked to Shibuya (if you're sensing a walking theme, you're right - I bet we walked at least 10 miles that day!) and saw the largest pedestrian crossing in the world. It was stunning. Instead of letting cars cross one way while pedestrians cross the other, cars and pedestrians just trade off and when it is time to walk, everyone goes at once. Pandemonium for about 90 seconds, and then the street is clear again and the cars have their turn while the curbs fill up with people again. That's when you realize you're in a city of 13 million+ people! We took a jaunt up a pedestrian side street where the shopping chaos continued. I wanted to buy a puppy, but we couldn't think of a way to get it through customs.

Feeling hungry, we hopped a train for Shinjuku, one of the hopping nightlife areas of Tokyo. Following some advice from the VERY handy Trip Advisor Tokyo app we'd downloaded (stores all the info ahead of time so you don't need cell service to access it), we found a tiny alley lined with tiny restaurants selling yakitori - basically Japanese kebabs. We stuck mostly to meats with which we were familiar, gambling a bit on pork liver, but passing up other offerings such as pork cartilage and pork womb. Some sake for me and Yebisu (?) beer for Jacob rounded out the meal. Really delightful, if a bit cramped.


We then wandered the bustling streets of Shinjuku, trying to take it all in. We went into one of the many arcades which offered tons of 'claw' games, as well as instant picture studios where you can take glam shots and edit them. Which we did, at one called Beauty Addict. We definitely look better than normal, right? KAWAII!!!! (I especially love the 'We are best friend' and the lipstick all over Jacob's mouth in the bottom right photo.)

One of the main drags in Shinjuku.

Wouldn't you rather just go BUY a can of
Ritz crackers?

There were other arcades with tons of video games and gamers, as well as one huge complex packed with people playing some sort of game involving tons of small silver balls. I swear, every seat was occupied and the noise of all the games and falling silver balls was deafening. And players were mesmerized. I felt like I had walked into some sort of modern day opium den, because you definitely got the feeling that people spent hours - maybe even whole days or nights here playing the same game. It was both fascinating and strange. 

This arcade is also where I had one of the greatest toilet experiences of my life, finally getting to use a famous Japanese toilet seat. The seat was warmed, and so was the water sprayer that operated at the touch of a button - with options for ladies or men (I believe that had to do with the sprayer target...) In addition, there was a button with a music note which, when pressed, created the sound of a toilet running loudly in order to cover any other, er, noises. Stunning. Delightful.

These are actually plastic, but so life-like-
or rather, food-like!

We finished off our night (fairly early) with crepes filled with ice cream and fruit! (Ok, Jacob's had fruit...mine just had ice cream and whipped cream). We felt like pros navigating back to our couch surfing house, where Jacob practiced trumpet for a while before we went to bed, knowing that morning - and the trains - would come all to early. 

Our cozy couch-surfing setup. Gee was a great host,
and we felt so lucky to be able to stay with him. Thanks dude!

If you're still with me - way to go! I'm going to leave it there for now - more to follow!

Sayang Kinabalu

OOOOkay...this blog has been sitting half finished for all of July. It's August - I'm just going to post it!

Our trip for June took us to Sabah - or rather, back to Sabah, where Jacob served as a Young Adult in Global Mission in 2009-2010. This trip was part business, part leisure, as Jacob had arranged to return to Kota Kinabalu to give a recital, teach a couple workshops, and play a concerto with the Jesselton Philharmonic Orchestra at the Tip of Borneo festival. He left for KK on Sunday June 23rd, and I was able to fly out the next Friday and take a few days off to make it a long weekend.

Jacob was hosted by his friend (and the conductor of the JPO) Yap Ling, whose wife, Grace, also performed as Jacob's pianist for the recital. On Wednesday evening he played the recital, which was set up as a benefit for Jireh Home, the foster home where Jacob lived and worked as a YAGM. Many of the kids were able to come to the recital, and even joined him on stage for the final song, Sayang Kinabalu, a popular traditional song about the beloved Mt. Kinabalu. In between rehearsals and teaching workshops, Jacob was also able to visit Jireh Home during the week, as well as reconnect with several friends. Oh, and he got to eat - and eat and eat - a lot of his old favorite food as well.

I arrived Friday night and the next morning, after a breakfast of (rather delicious) fried fish soup, we got on the buses with the JPO musicians and began the bumpy drive to Kudat and the Tip of Borneo (the northern most point of the island). We spent a large portion of the trip sleeping and, after a pitstop for snacks, eating Cheezels, while our high school-aged seat neighbors munched on fried anchovies like you would munch on potato chips :)

A bit hard to see, but a bunch of the promotional material
for the Sunset Music Festival had a picture of Jacob on
it from when he played in the concert in 2010 - too funny!

We arrived at the Tip of Borneo, which is a beautiful location - but incredibly windy. We had lunch and the orchestra set up for sound-check. Unfortunately, sound-check got cut short when the wind picked up and blew in some nasty looking clouds. It actually didn't rain much, but it threatened a bunch! Thankfully, it blew through and by 6pm, after dinner (as opposed to supper, which came after the concert), the JPO took the stage. After the opening piece, Yap Ling's daughter and son did a pretty awesome version of Smooth Criminal, including sweet costumes. Then Jacob performed the Trumpet Concerto in D Major by Leopold Mozart on piccolo, accompanied by the orchestra. Despite the wind, incomplete sound check and dramatic setting, the piece went beautifully and the crowd seemed to really enjoy it. Maybe I'm biased, but it was totally the best part. A close second was when the JPO ended their portion of the concert with the Pirates or the Caribbean music, set against the backdrop of the wild South China Sea. Fun night! Check out Jacob's performance here:

Another friend, Yap (not Yap Ling) gave us a ride back to Kudat where the JPO has provided hotel rooms for us for the eveing - everyone was so very, very hospitable and generous, it really blew me away. The next morning, Yap took us to breakfast and drove us back down to Tuaran, with stops along the way for a few interesting sites like the Kota Balud market. We stopped first in town for some Tuaran Mee, one of Jacob's favorite dishes, then made our way to Jireh Home.

We met up with Kelly Culhane, a fellow Ole and the current YAGM volunteer (or she was then, but has since returned to the States as her year ended). We napped a little, since the kids were all napping, and then we went on a long walk with about a dozen of the kiddos. That was really fun and special. I remember some of the kids slightly, but of course Jacob knew them really well when he was here before and it is cool to see them growing up. Truly special.

That evening we enjoyed a huge and delicious dinner - chili crab! - with the whole Jireh Home crew. Afterwards, Jacob persuaded several of the kids to get out their string instruments and play for us. For about a year, a teacher has been coming to the home to teach violin, viola and cello lessons. Most of the kids can play at least a little bit, and several of them were really quite good. A group of about 8 kids played 2 full songs - and they really knew what they were doing! So cool. We stayed for prayers and then the kids went to bed. We headed over to a nearby cafe/bar (wasn't there when Jacob lived here) for a bit of Tiger beer and camaraderie, then spent the night in the staff house.
















The next morning we bid everyone farewell and caught a ride into town with Kelly and Kisa, who were starting a long journey to Kisa's hometown. Once in KK, we found our hotel and wandered around a bit before hitting up Sri Latah Curry House - the same Indian restaurant we'd eaten at 3.5 years ago when I visited Jacob. It was worth the wait, and incredible to think back over the time and how much has happened and changed and stayed the same. This trip prompted a lot of introspection and discussion! We did a lot of walking around KK, a bit of shopping, and we hunted a long time for an ice cream store that has apparently moved since Jacob was here last.

Sri Latah - 2010

Sri Latah - 2013
Same same but...same!

In the evening we headed to a beach near to where Peter, the YAGM country coordinator in Malaysia, lives and met him for sundowners and dinner. Rommy, Jacob's friend and the driver from Jireh home, also joined us (in part to return Jacob's phone, which had been left at Jireh Home - THANK YOU ROMMY! - but mostly to hang out). It was a delightful evening, capped off with a bottle of wine drunk on Peter's balcony.

In the morning we met up with Yap Ling and Grace for a dim sum brunch, followed up by ice cream (Grace knew where that ice cream store had moved!).
Jacob was pretty pumped because on top of a great trip, he also managed to hit a Grand Slam (+1) of his favorite Sabah foods within 24 hours:

Jacob's Sabah Food GrandSlam+1

• Tuaran Mee
• Chili crab
• Kelapa Bakar (roasted coconut water)
• Cempedak ("Chem-pa-doc") Goreng - battered and deep fried cempedak fruit
• Sri Lata Curry House
  
  
  

(We eventually made our way to the airport and back to Sing)

My Travel Trifecta

"All you've got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!" - Tony & Maureen Wheeler, founders of Lonely Planet

Since moving to Singapore, I've spent a significant amount of time researching and planning for upcoming travels. It started with our 2013 Resolution - to travel outside Singapore once a month. So far, some of these  travels have been bigger trips, while others are quick weekend getaways. We've traveled as a couple, with family, and on our own - and have gotten to see many beautiful parts of Southeast Asia. And we're looking forward to the next half of the year as we continue to plot our adventures.

If you've ever taken the lead on planning a trip, you know that it can be a bit exhausting. There is so much to think about. And if you've ever wanted to plan a budget-friendly trip, you know that it will take about 3x as long. But I do believe I'm growing attached - even addicted - to the process. I've been finding many great resources for trip planning. And I'm going to share my favorites with you. Here you have my (Asian) Travel Trifecta:

Getting There - SkyScanner

Jacob and I have spent a lot - A LOT - of time searching for flights. Sometimes we're searching with the intention to buy, other times we're just gaming out possibilities for later. Our first stop is always SkyScanner - and it is usually our final destination as well. We're both signed up to receive all the special offer emails from the FOUR budget airlines operating in SE Asia, but more often than not, SkyScanner still finds us better deals. In addition, SkyScanner often takes you through to bookings on Expedia or CheapTickets, which might help you avoid credit card use fees (Air Asia has a particularly nasty policy of charging up to $32 to use a credit card for purchasing tickets - and what else are you supposed to use?!).

Hm, $80 round trip to Medan, Sumatra...

SkyScanner gives you lots of options, from viewing monthly flight cost charts and schedules, to detailed result filters, and to suggestions for ways to save money (Can you travel from a different nearby airport? Can you travel on different days?). Sometimes the suggestions make me laugh - as when I was searching for flights to Seoul and I clicked on the 'Flexible?' tab, where SkyScanner suggested I save $154 by flying to Taipei instead. Thanks SkyScanner, but I'm not THAT flexible! You can easily flip back an forth between dates without a lot of extra loading time as well. I also really appreciate that, 99% of the time, what you see is what you pay. The fare prices shown include taxes and fees and sneaky other stuff (though not luggage, which varies so much) and you can view prices in several different currencies. You can even choose to view SkyScanner from different countries, which will occasionally find you a better deal through some special offer from the Expedia or equivalent in that country. But for the rare exception (I can't think of any off the top of my head, but it may have happened), SkyScanner finds you the lowest prices and searches a huge range of airlines. We love SkyScanner, and I'm thinking that by now it should be starting to love us too.

Staying There - Agoda

A hotel booking site started in Asia, Agoda is my go-to website for daydreaming. You can search hundreds of cities all over the world, though I've only used them for hotels in Asia. Agoda does a ton of the leg-work for you, and while I can't say for sure they always get the best prices, apart from one or two hostel bookings through HostelWorld, every hotel we've stayed at this year was booked through Agoda. Like SkyScanner, the filter tools are great. Filters include: target price, neighborhoods, amenities, star ratings and more. You can sort results by Agoda Recommened, star ratings, review scores, hotel name or (if you're signed in) Insider Deals. You can easily pull up maps to show the hotel's location, and once you click on a hotel to view it in more depth, you can see a range of room type offerings, from 'double with no window,' to 'club floor executive suite with breakfast.' Most hotels include many pictures (though of course pictures can be misleading).

You can book your chosen hotel directly through the Agoda site, meaning you don't have to struggle with hotel websites in other languages or be concerned about just who is getting your credit card info. And you get Agoda points for booking through them - this year alone we've racked up $75usd worth of points (some of which we are spending on a splurge hotel in Johor for our anniversary!).

Agoda encourages a rigorous review system by awarding you points for reviewing the hotels you book through them. Now, user reviews are a double edged sword - sometimes you learn valuable information about the hotel, while other times you really only learn about the picky, snotty standards of the reviewer! The thing to remember about reviews and reviews scores is that it is all about expectations. You often find 2 star hotels receiving ratings higher than fancy hotels - and that is because while an enthusiastic backpacker might find their room 'charming and cozy,' the less budget-conscious traveler may be appalled that the shower occasionally leaks water on the floor. So my advice is to read the reviews with a grain of salt (or not at all) - and if the same issues keep popping up, maybe reconsider that hotel. But don't let one bad review scare you away. Side note - I find it hilarious that a large portion of reviewers feel it is important to mention whether or not the hotel is near 'good shopping' and that such proximity seems to genuinely make-or-break a hotel experience!

Overall, we've found some true gems through Agoda - my favorites being Grand Istana Ratna in Jogjakarta, Java and Alas Petulu Cottages in Ubud, Bali. 

Being There - Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet travel guides are fantastic. You probably know this. They come in varying degrees of specificity; that is, you can get regional, country, or city guides. We have the "Southeast Asia on a Shoestring" guide (incidentally, the first guide developed by founders Tony and Maureen) and the "Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei" guide. You can also get pocket guides and phrasebooks, as well as more coffee-table style Discover books with lots of pictures. They also have a great website where you can find a lot of the same information.

Recently, we purchased the PDF of the Hong Kong guide. As backpackers and travelers are increasingly using tablets and smartphones as their all-purpose travel tool, LP has started offering PDF versions of their books, meaning you no longer need to lug around the sometimes ponderous tomes. You can purchase books as a whole, or purchase individual chapters, and you can download each purchase on up to 5 devices. When Jacob went to Hong Kong, we ended up printing out the relevant chapters, since we don't have a tablet. That may sound round-a-bout, but we discovered that purchasing LP books in Singapore is WAY more expensive than getting them in the US, so the PDF option was much more affordable. The PDF versions don't do much in terms of brightening up a bookshelf and it isn't as easy to make notes about your travels and discoveries, but for information delivery, LP PDFs are great.

The LP guides have a range of sections and include helpful information about prices, hours of operation, local transport, culture and customs, and how to avoid scams. These books are unabashedly budget conscious, which is nice for those of us who want to be as well. They provide info on budget, mid-range and 'splurge' accommodations, restaurants, drinks, nightlife, tours, historical sites, activities, getting around - you name it! They even include sections about LGBT hangouts (and safety) and about the legalities of drinking (and sometimes drugs) - I've even seen advice on what to do if you end up in jail! Visa requirements, best times to go, schedules of yearly festivals, and how to plan for a trip of 3 days or 3 months. What to bring - what NOT to bring. These books are the best. (I already checked, and LP is not hiring right now...) Their on-line site is also helpful, providing some of the overview info found in the books, as well as a hotel/hostel-booking platform AND a range of forums and articles for discussions and ideas about travel.

And if you're at a point in time when travel isn't an option, these books are so well written that you can curl up with one of them and travel-dream.

And of course, if you happen to book tickets to Singapore, you won't need to be searching for hotels - we'll be your hosts, guides and fellow-adventures any day of the week! (Well, ok, I work Mon-Fri, but weekends are good, cool?)

So go!

*I don't have endorsement deals with any of these travel tools - but I'd welcome one!