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@flyingjellyfish-blog
No filter, pure unadulterated mountain magic. It really was so majestic and peaceful. Spent the most amazing 10 days in Japan. Then again since when have any day in Japan been less than stellar? More to come once I've decided not to be so lazy.
Snow Craving
The worst thing about living in the tropics is the horrible depression that comes over you when you've a winter sport craving. Yeah, you might think the winter sport junkies have it bad but hello? The last trip they had was maybe previous week and you know come December it's snow season (if you're in the northern hemisphere at least) again. For us tropical parrots there is literally no way you can have a quick getaway to a ski slope anytime within the next 11 months at the bare minimum, often times more because snow is something that requires intensive planning and expensive investment. Am missing skiing in a way that I foresee great gaping holes in my savings soon. Wanna do a Scandinavia trip next winter (don't think I can afford to ski there?) but am dying for my Hokkaido powder snow. What shall I do? :(
4 weeks to Japan!
Photo from the top of Heavenly in Rusutsu, Hokkaido last December. To summarise my travels since I last abandoned this place: Jan 2015 - Tokyo, Niseko and Sapporo April 2015 - Seoul and Seokcho June 2015 - Penang August 2015 - Batam (only because Bali was cancelled due to volcanic activity) November 2015 - Phuket December 2015 - Rusutsu, Sapporo and Otaru I sincerely doubt I'd be capable of this in 2016 only because I have a terribly pathetic allowance of annual leave. Also I'd probably be half busting the bank thanks to two long trips in the first half of this year. So yes, a lot of backlog of which I shall find immensely challenging to clear. Oh well, we'll see what we can do :)
Am once again guilty of abandoning this place…
Returning to Japan in 5 weeks.
Unbelievable.
Day one in Japan!
Woke all not so bright and superbly early at 4am to head to the airport for the 655am Delta flight - good thing I was early because the security was insane. I completely forgot that the flight connects to Seattle, hence the draconian measures.
The flight itself was a little too eventful for my liking. Lots and lots of turbulence made it a very bumpy ride at least one third of the way. Watch Kanojo wa Uso ga Aishiteru (My girlfriend is in love with a lie?!) and it was super strange to see Takeru Satoh of Ruroni Kenshin in modern day gear. Food was decent, service alright, and most importantly I’m here.
Which brings us to the next point of arriving. I booked a traditional Japanese house through AirBnB and while the house is gorgeous, the bath is spectacular and the location is fabulous, I forgot something very important. Something that will lead me to my next post. It was so freaking cold because old Japanese homes do not have indoor heating. Yay to the tropical parrot forgetting this zzz.
And guess what? Freezing me still stumbled out at 7pm even it was 1 degree Celsius with strong wind. Because greedy ol' me wanted to go grocery shopping. Which I completely do not regret because the sheer joy that comes from being able to buy my favourite snacks at half the price in SG is indescribable. I admit a part of it definitely has something to do with nostalgia for a more carefree time. Okay, maybe a large part. I never claimed to be impartial.
So as I lay upon my flat Japanese pillow under the futons sniffing away (and still freezing omg), here's to old loves and fabulous new memories (assuming I dont drop sick like a dying dog). Let's go!
Less than 30 hours to my flight!
Tokyo Hokkaido Sapporo.
Foggy Day 4 in Taiwan!
Somehow I have no luck with Jiufen, because it has always been drizzling and foggy when I head there. Pretty. Beautiful. And rain water keeps dripping onto you. Winding cobbled streets made even more slippery. Yeah I bring the rain like no other.
Took a bus there, and went to Jinguashi as well since its short journey away. Went to the Gold Ecological Museum, and just walked around to enjoy the view, the weather and the general peaceful atmosphere. I used to be about where to go and what to see and what I do, but over time… It has changed to being appreciative of having the time, energy and ability to do all the hillside and mountain climbing. Managed to learn about the past of the area, and just enjoy myself.
Learning from our experience yesterday, we decided to pack dinner back to the house so that we wouldn’t miss the community bus. Whole bunch of kids on the bus, super curious about us tourists and doing the usual childish shenanigans. It's funny how nostalgic it feels, when I was doing, I think, similarly childish things just a few months ago. Not as bad as the elementary school kids we saw but I'm quite certain university students have much more in common than they'd care to admit. Dinner while watching a variety show, armed with beef noodles and ginormous cups of bubble tea. Another night of laughs and I went to bed shortly after packing up some things. Leaving for another place all bright and early, a bus ride towards the city and less spiritual pursuits in town. After all, modern humans need conspicuous materialism as much as spiritual introspection.
Day 3 in Taiwan, and off we went to Ruifang.
Realised just how ingrained Japanese is in my life when the boys pointed out that they couldn’t read the sign. Stood there confused as hell, only to realise how instinctive Japanese is… And now I’m thinking if I should go back to classes. Anyway, we had to take a train from the Taipei Main Station… And like a blur sotong sat the whole way without realising that we had to pay for seats. Oops!
Checked into the bed and breakfast from hell, and no, there are no photos because I was too busy being completely grossed out. The fridge was moldy, the airconditioning was malfunctioning and the toilet was in horrible shape. It was also really dirty and dusty, with the strangest things placed in the oddest corners. The boys, being their usual caring selves, gave me the least spooky room with airconditioning as they battled oppressive heat and bugs in another room.
Couldn’t wait to escape, and so we ran off to Shifen on the Pingxi line. Had a great time exhibiting my hideous handwriting and polluting the environment with sky lanterns. I know I ought to feel embarrassed, but I’m quite thankful I remember how to write those long ignored characters. I admit I did cheat and refer to other lanterns, but hey, we all gotta start somewhere yeah? Talking as we walked along train tracks tonwards obscure tourist locations, I couldn’t help but be thankful for the awesome chemistry we have. What I would give for a friendship that can scan decades :)
And what is Taiwan without street food? Loads of fried food available, which made the boys happy :) Finding a giant porcupine that looks almost exactly like my deceased Cactus made me happy and I think I must have played with it in the store for almost fifteen minutes. Sighs. What can I say? Love is squishy.
Missed the last community bus, it ends at 7pm as its a rural area, and had to walk about half an hour in almost complete darkness up steep winding hills to get back. What was really touching was how the boys made sure to have me walk in the middle, so that I wouldn’t be creeped out by spiders and protected from the random drunken straggler. I’ve previously been the one taking care of others so… I’m not sure if this is going to utterly destroy my tough girl reputation, but it felt good to have someone take care and look out for me for a change. Guess it’s human nature to want to be cared for?
Watched some army TV programme, and then went to sleep. Mountain climbing is exhausting.
And the second day in Taiwan quickly came and went.
Weather was pretty good overall, with decent cloud cover and manageable sun. Good, because most of it was spent climbing hills, conquering stairs and navigating uneven terrain out in the open.
The areas are mainly for local tourists, and we saw many of them at Wulai and Pinglin. Travelled to both of these places via bus from Xindian and it was really easy and highly accessible.
Slow pace, loads of walking and generally a very good disconnect from the bustle of having a must-do laundry list. I would be the first to admit that it really is not for everyone, but I like walking around and watching how people live. I like trying to figure out their systems, and I like eavesdropping on nearby conversations.
More than that, perhaps I must say the main appeal would be to have the time to luxuriate in doing nothing but feeling alive. To just flow alongside the wave and the wind.
Jellyfish.
And I'm in Taiwan! Summer trip plus graduation trip that is in actual fact more of a holiday. With only the boys... And I aim to return us all home in one piece and remaining as friends! Running away from Singapore and escaping from chores and responsibilities. Been about three months since my Hong Kong trip (yes I am aware that I have yet to update that section) but it feels like it has been years since I just up and left. Maybe it's because I've spent the last three to four years constantly travelling. Somehow not travelling is now something strange, when the opposite should hold true. Anyhow! Flew a full service carrier for the first time in a long while - China Airlines (it's Taiwanese in spite of the name), got a local SIM, found my beloved onigiri at the airport, took the bus to the outskirts of Taipei and somehow managed to find the share house I booked. Accomplishments, all of 'em. And the first proper thing we did was to go grocery shopping. It's insane how such a mundane chore to most makes me so happy but yes, that smile on my face is completely unforced and natural. Brimming over with happiness as I walk the aisles... And the first day in Taiwan thus ends. Going to bed in a super cosy and picturesque room... Hello my summer fling, let's have fun while these days last.
This is a terribly belated post, but I went to Batam earlier this year in January with a friend and her school friends. Two days one night, ferry there and back. The trip was plenty affordable, and would honestly have been a complete and utter pain if it wasn't for the company. Played numerous rounds of charades and talked a lot about everything under the sun. Also of note was the... Cheap Magnum ice cream and toiletries in the supermarkets. Most surprising would be the World of Sports sale where I got Nike goods for a mere pittance. I guess I'll always remember the two days as the golden sunset of being a student. It was just a week before all the job related nonsense happened and while times were confusing, somehow, after I saw this sunset, I knew I wasn't truly lost. Mere months ago, and yet, it seems like another lifetime ago. I guess this is what it means to grow up, where the immediate past seems like a distant dream whilst long gone days are closer than yesterday.
It's so easy to fall in love.
Going to Johor Bahru this Sunday~!
Horses my lovelies. HORSES.
As mentioned quite a while ago, I went to Bangkok!
Food in Bangkok is mostly fried or what the Chinese would call 'heaty' so I did my best to avoid anything that seemed oily? The above is mango sticky rice, superbly sweet and sinful because of all the sugar and fattening cocnut milk but HECK. Its a holiday~
Anyhow, for a country that is always so hot and dry in the summer, I have no idea why they don't have more soups and soothing dishes... Kinda felt as though I was gonna keel over from heat exhaustion at any point in time along the streets. So yes thank goodness for air conditioning and bottled water. Not sure how I would have survived without.
Definitely not good with the heat...
Took the MTR around the city, and did a fair bit of shopping (by my rather sad standards). Things are slightly cheaper, mainly because of the stronger currency and lower standard of living, and its a great place to head to if you wanna escape from constantly feeling like a scrooging pauper. I went to Bangkok because I needed to get away from home. Being overseas for most of the last year kind of makes my head go a little cuckoo if I'm tied to my home for too long. This nagging suspicion that I'll either kill someone, someone will kill me or I'll just kill myself.
And now I have a crazy craving for Thai desserts sighs.
Day 1’s haul from Bangkok.
First time in this country and city and pleasantly surprised to find things relatively purchase-able.
Skirts and dresses tend to be a little short and scrooges will think the material is horrible but if you’re willing to hunt and pay a wee bit more, you get pretty decent quality.
Navy dress, probably satin, 200baht from the discount rack. Black flare skirt, 150baht. 3 t-shirts for the boys in my life, 200baht each. Printed polyester/cotton mix long dress, 390baht, similarly heavily discounted. Navy tank apple print skirt crop set, first purchase of the trip, 520baht. A bit expensive but I think it’s pretty so…
Really enjoying myself here. Food is kind of sweet or fried so all we’ve been having is expensive food. Will probably change it around tomorrow though. Let’s see how things go from here?
*Update!
More clothes!
The first day was predominantly from Union Mall. The rest of my shopping was mainly from Platinum mall, famous for being THE place to shop in Bangkok. After visiting it, I can understand why so many of my countrymen go there to shop. Not only is it really cheap, there is a pretty decent variety of passable quality to pick and choose from.
If I had a degree of spare cash and I'm keen on splurging on summer friendly pieces, I think I might come back again?
Well for the Thai massage alone it would be worthwhile.
Until next time?
Yes I promise I will do, at least, a post on my family trip to Tokyo/Nikko.
I just need to remember to sort out photos and actually write the post.
Love you all~