Lost in Tokyo (Part II)

The next day, we went to Akihabara, which is Tokyo's popular electronics district.  I was so excited to see this place because of all the things I had read about it.  I was expecting unique and advanced technology that I hadn't seen anywhere else; this is Japan after all.  Akihabara is also known for its abundance of manga and anime stores - another reason I was excited since I had been a big fan of the two back in high school and college.

When we got there, however, both Fortune Cookie and I were disappointed by what we saw.  Akihabara certainly lived up to its reputation of having electronics, lots and lots of electronics, but they were cheap, on-sale, can-be-found-in-markets kind of gadgets.  There was nothing that I hadn't seen before, and the cellphones (w/c I was looking forward to the most) all looked the same.  I have seen a lot more advanced and interesting models here in the Philippines.

My interest in electronics diminished, I made it my mission to find a maid cafe w/c, mind you, were quite elusive.  Maid cafes are, as the term states, cafes where the women that serve you are dressed up as maids.  They do more than serve you food and drinks; they treat you as if you were their master.  This I really wanted to check out.  Unfortunately, it was another disappointment.

Maybe Fortune Cookie and I just picked the wrong place, but the food and drinks in this place were overpriced.  Also, the English-speaking maid wasn't working that day, so we couldn't understand anything our maid was saying; therefore, we weren't able to enjoy any of the 'master language' or sexual innuendo (I assume).  She was really nice though, so we just sat back and enjoyed whatever we could get (no pun intended).

After Akihabara, we went to Shinjuku, which is right by Shibuya, and walked around for a bit.

Fortune Cookie and I had fun taking pictures on the streets since it was closed off for some reason we didn't know about.

Overall, a good second day in Tokyo, but because in order to really make the most of our visit, we had to spend money, we were pretty much ready for the next stop: the Philippines!

:)

Lost in Tokyo

First of all, I am very sorry for the lack of posts recently. Things have been super busy since Fortune Cookie and I left Seattle.  Fortunately, I have a little bit more time now that I'm in the province where things move at a much slower pace, so let's begin shall we?

First stop was Tokyo, and Fortune Cookie and I were, in one word, LOST. Lol.

People didn't speak or understand English very well, and getting to our hostel was very difficult because we had 3 1/2 suitcases with us and 4 pieces of hand carry. Fortune Cookie had to carry our luggage from stairwell to stairwell because I simply do not have any arm strength whatsoever for that. I felt bad, but it had to be done. We took 2 trains to get there, and after we arrived, we had to walk for a couple more blocks. Our luggage was so heavy!

Our hostel, Khao San Tokyo Ninja, was in an alley, and at first, Fortune Cookie felt weird about that, but later we slowly began to realize the truth to Tokyo's reputation of being one of the safest cities in the world.

We got to our hostel and discovered that everything was miniature sized.. especially our room. Haha! We were both very surprised by the size of it; there was literally no room to move or breathe! - not recommended for claustrophobic people.  At least the room was private, and we made it work by putting all of our luggage on the lower bed (we had a twin bunk bed) to save a lot of space.

We were so exhausted by the time we arrived, so we didn't do any sightseeing and decided to start the next day.

That Sunday, our first stop was the Shibuya district.  This is where that famous cross street is located.  Of course, we were lost once again.  We got off at the Shinjuku train stop, found out we couldn't really walk to Shibuya from there since it was too far, got back on the train, got off at Shibuya, and started walking aimlessly. We took the wrong turn, away from all the sights, so after awhile I started to get bored.  This is it? I thought. What a disappointment. Then when we finally found our way back and took the right direction, we began to really enjoy ourselves.

We went to Shibuya 109, w/c is a really famous shopping mall catered to younger women. Fortune Cookie and I were fascinated by the Japanese women. They look so animated w/ their style, hair and makeup. It's enough fun just looking at them.

Here are some pictures of Shibuya:

 

 

Will write more later.  The internet connection here is super slow! lol

A Preview of Asia in Vancouver

Yesterday, I went to Vancouver w/ Fortune Cookie and his family.  It was a 2 1/2 hour drive from Kirkland.  Our first stop was a suburb of Vancouver called Richmond w/c has a predominantly Asian population.  Consequently, it is also home to many Asian malls. We went to one called Aberdeen Centre, and boy was I pleasantly surprised!  As soon as we stepped in, it felt like I had left North America already and arrived in Asia. Everyone was Asian and every store was Asian. I loved looking at everything because it was so different from what I am used to seeing in American malls.  The clothes looked different; the restaurants were different, and the gift shops were so interesting! Everything just looked so much more cute and colorful. This trip made me so excited for Asia! Sorry if my pictures don't really show how fun this mall was..

 

Fake food that looks so real!

Chinese bookstore

 

Food Court

Afterwards, we headed for Vancouver to check out Chinatown and eat more Chinese food!

And my favorite picture of the day..

Fortune Cookie's aunt.. so elegant!

:)

Something Smells Fishy...

The last couple of days were spent fishing w/ Fortune Cookie and his dad. We had to wake up at 5:30 both mornings w/c, needless to say, can be a tad difficult to do when you're on vacation. The trip from Kirkland to Oak Harbor took almost 2 hours including a ferry ride. The first day, I just sat and observed and tried reeling fish in.  Reeling is the hardest part for me since I have very weak upper arm strength.. if any at all.

On the second day, I officially tried my hand at fishing. This was my first time, and it was more fun than I thought; I even caught one! The water only had salmon, and I learned that the fish start coming in when the tide is high.  You can also tell that there is more of an abundance when you see them jumping out of the water.

Sushi & Basterds

 

This.. is Sushi Land. The wonderful Sushi Land. Yesterday, I had dinner at this restaurant in Bellevue w/ Fortune Cookie and his cousins from New York.  It was the second time I had been here.  And it was heaven all over again.  The sushi come in color coded plates priced at $1, $1.50, $2 & $3 - so cheap! The plates are placed on a moving belt, and you pick them up as they pass in front of you. The hunt and anticipation is part of the fun as well. :)

If you are ever in the Seattle area, make sure to treat yourself at one of their locations.  They have more in Seattle, Vancouver and Portland. I love coming to this place. :)

Before dinner, we had also gone out to see the new Quentin Tarantino/Brad Pitt movie, Inglourious Basterds.  It was badass, and I loved it.  It wasn't as gory as I expected w/c was good since it wasn't too painful to watch.  The dialogue was great, and it built the anticipation for the action scenes.  The movie was 2 1/2 hours, but I didn't even feel the length. Watch it - highly recommended!

Sleepy in Seattle

 

We have finally arrived at our first destination - Seattle.  The morning of our flight was very sad because it was difficult to leave my family.  However, we were running late and had to dash in order to catch our flight.  We barely had time to think.  We had a 1-hour layover in Denver, so we were finally able to eat breakfast before getting on the 2nd leg of our flight.

Seattle was overcast and raining when we arrived - typical.  It wasn't too cold though w/c was a nice surprise given the weather forecast I checked before leaving.  We went straight to a Chinese restaurant w/ Fortune Cookie's parents to have dim sum which was delicious!  After that, we hung out with his cousins from New York.  We all went to Target together to buy a converter and adapters for our travels - essential for our electronics.

That night, we went to Seastar, a seafood restaurant in Bellevue, to celebrate his cousin's 40th birthday.  The food was delicious!  Everything tasted divine - the appetizers and the entrees. I tasted a little bit of everything.  To end the night, we had mocha-flavored cake. It was wonderful.

Here are a couple of pictures of the entrees.  They don't do the food justice though.

Applewood Grilled Wild Alaskan Red King Salmon

Flash-seared Opah with Mango-Peach Salsa

I would love to write more about Seattle, but I am so sleepy and still recovering from the lack of rest from moving, packing and flying.

Will write more later!  Good night everyone..

:)

1 Day...

We leave tomorrow! Crazy!

This morning was spent moving out of my apartment. Afterwards I went to CostCo to order a year's supply of contacts.  I'll continue packing in a bit.  It feels very liberating limiting myself to the essentials, oh, and favorites of course (I'm taking all 6 seasons of Sex and the City w/ me. Ha!)

:D

Bangkok Accommodation

Currently, my boyfriend, Fortune Cookie, and I are trying to figure out where we're going to stay for the duration of my 1 month certification course in Bangkok. My program sent me an accommodation packet w/ a list of recommended places (for students on a budget) close to the school, and we've been doing research on those places. It's a bit difficult to asses things, however, since we can't see these places for ourselves. We will have to book a room without visiting it because if we wait until we get there, the rooms will most likely not be available anymore especially since November is the start of tourist season.

These are the places that interest me the most:

Wendy House

I liked this place the most because it got good reviews from travelers, it has free internet and free breakfast, and the location is excellent. It's a block from the train stop w/c would make it easy for me to get to school, and it is also a block from Siam Square and the MBK Shopping Mall. It's not as cheap as many other hostels or guesthouses, but it also looks like the most clean, homey and comfortable place. A lot of the cheap places we've looked up so far also charge internet per hour, and that would not be convenient for Fortune Cookie who will be working on his online business while I'm at school.  One of the pluses of this place is that, not only is the internet free, but it is also available in the guest rooms.

I certainly hope this place is as promising as it seems.

Suk 11 Hostel

Now this place looks very quirky and interesting. It is a thai-style hostel that's only 3 minutes from the train station, so it would also be convenient for commuting to class. However, the area isn't as happening as Siam Square, and supposedly, from a comment I read on the internet, there's a lot of prostitution in the area (lol). It is cheaper than Wendy House by about $80 and also includes breakfast (albeit not as filling - they only serve fruit and pastries); however, internet is separate and only available in the common areas. I also read on a message board that the connection isn't very good and is quite expensive.

We'll have to weigh our options. Either way, both seem like decent, comfortable enough places.

Thoughts?

UPDATE:  Fortune Cookie and I have decided to stay at Wendy House for the month that I'll be taking my course, but we are also considering Suk 11 for our first couple of days in Bangkok.  We wanted to check it out too cause the place looks so cool and unique!  I've been looking at other places though, and there's a lot to choose from, so staying at Suk 11 isn't final yet.

Let's cross our fingers and hope for the best!

:)