off goes the travelling ham!
The coral islands is an area that starts with Philippines on the northern tip, stretches along Malaysia's easternmost cost, and continues southwards to encompass Indonesia, which form the triangle's base together with Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. This is an area recognized for its coral-reef marine diversity, and marked by WWF as a... Continue Reading →
Taipei Metro Taipei Metro Map Taipei Metro travel times Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) To check out ticket schedules and prices for long distance train trips: Get the train code from the schedules on the Taiwan Railway schedule planner. For prices, first book tickets on TRA booking website, to get a booking code. Next, "pay" for tickets... Continue Reading →
after a long day at hakone, marked by long queues and long bus rides, we rushed over to shizuoka to catch one of the highlights of our trip, also something which a friend implored me to take EYEWITNESS photos of! because somehow someone you know taking a grainy picture of the real thing is better... Continue Reading →
this. is. the. best. hotel. ever. it is practically a tourist destination itself, with 132 years of history, lived in by the japanese royal family and the swedish monarchy, tour groups passing through in the a.m., beautiful interiors and exteriors, round the clock attentive staff providing 6 star service, a twin room so spacious that... Continue Reading →
following the loop course suggested on Japan Guide, i took the Hakone-Tozan Railway to Gora (with a brief stop at Miyanoshita to drop my bags), the "cable car" to Sounzan (which really looks like a funicular railway to me), the Hakone Ropeway from Sounzan to Owakudani (love it!), then continued to Togendai, to take the... Continue Reading →
before we even got to the train station, i learnt two very important lessons: 1) remember to pack your travel pillow when you wake up; 2) remember where you keep your japan rail pass. i forgot both, and missed two trains and had a panic attack! (the trains in japan run like clockwork, i feel... Continue Reading →
i've been reading about how small japanese business hotels are, and i'm glad to report that the rooms are compact, but in no way the claustrophobic terrors that they are painted to be in online reviews. granted, there's only space for the bed, the desk, and space for two unpacked luggages, but the room felt... Continue Reading →
our very first dinner in japan is of chinese origin, but of japanese perfection. just minutes away from the shinagawa train station, is a ramen stadium where you can try ramen from 7 different ramen stores. every store is the crème de la crème of japan's ¥1000 ramen stores, and you can't go wrong with... Continue Reading →
Day 1 kicks off with an ambitious plan to tour the whole of DisneySea. As expected of a mega-tourist attraction, the information is all available on their website in more languages than I can speak, but I'll just do a brief summary of the really, really important bits. (Really!) I spent about 9 hours in... Continue Reading →
Arrival at Haneda Airport is like arriving at any other first-class airport, fast and efficient. The language barrier isn't a problem (yet). You touch down, clear customs, pick up your luggage... And be relieved of your luggage by sending it via Takkyubin, a nation-wide delivery service. I sent a 60L backpack to my friend's place... Continue Reading →
Off we go! 