Japan Land of the Rising Sun…….Sometimes

 After our time in Thailand we flew from Bangkok to Tokyo leaving at 10:00 pm and arriving in to Tokyo at 5:30am. Japan is efficient towards all things we were able to ship our luggage from the airport to our hotel, since we were not able to check into our hotel until 3:00pm. 

Karen enjoying the weather and Cherry Blossoms 

So what to do inTokyo on a rainy cool day (8 degrees C) a temperature change from 38 degrees in Thailand. Japans transit and rail system is phenomenal with Google maps you can seamlessly travel throughout  out this city of 37 million people. I would expect less than 10% of population  owns a car so the transit system is the way ever gets around. We hit the morning rush hour on the metro and it was absolutely pack its chaotic in an organized way. It’s my second time here and I find it absolutely amazing how things function so well with so many people.

We had expected to see the cheery blooms in full bloom so we headed to a famous park area and saw a total of two blossoms, apparently the abnormally weather has delayed the big bloom. Tokyo is absolutely packed with visitors from afar and all parts of Japan to experience the great Sakura (bloom). After visiting a couple of museums and getting absolutely drenched and cold we headed toward our hotel to get some rest and dry out.

River walk near our hotel

Japan is an absolutely amazing country and Tokyo is even more amazing! There is so much order to everything, no litter any where if you have anything  like a coffee cup or pop can you will challenged to find a garbage can anywhere. No graffiti or any type of social disorder that we are seeing in Canada. With a huge population and trying to keep things working efficiently everyone buys in to creating a society that is based upon respect. It’s a busy city that doesn’t sleep but doesn’t overwhelm you with exception of a few areas of the city. 

Great food is abundant throughout the city we went to restaurants ranging  from McDonald’s for breakfast and Ramen restaurants that seat only 6-10 people. Breakfast in Japan usually includes rice a salad, vegetables and maybe a soup so McDonald’s for an egg muffin and drip coffee was our choice. One thing we loved is the vending machines that are located everywhere from street fronts to back alleys they offer all kinds of drinks including really good hot coffee in a can , I don’t understand why coffee crazy Canada doesn’t have this yet.

Vending Machines Hot coffee in a can 

Our second day the the sun came out and we went on a diner cruise through the river system within Tokyo of course we booked expecting to see all the cherry blossoms but no luck. The tour included a great 5 course meal and unlimited drinks. The Japanese like their alcohol but there intake tolerance is quite low so about after 2-3 drinks the normally quiet and polite Japanese turn into a loud laughing individual. Karen met this inhibriated lady called Yuko who became her best friend for about an hour and a half on this 3 hour tour. It was a great tour and being able to see the city from a different type of view. We’re not sure if Yuko will remember the cruise.

Karens new friend Yuko

 After the tour and leaving Yuko with her embarrassed daughter we went up the top of one of the highest building’s in Tokyo to see the great expanse of the city. As far as you can see is nothing but building and a scattering of small parks and green space. On the evening we went to Shibuya crossing which is like Japan’s version of Times Square large electronic billboards and all the flash and glitz plus thousands of people taking it all in.

Part of Tokyo Skyline

Shibuya District

Day three took us to some of the more out of the ways places in Tokyo where we experienced normal day to day living of the people in the city. Small markets with great bakeries and small restaurants and more amazing food with no tourist type vibe. People are always friendly to non Asians usually asking where we’re from and more than helpful in giving you directions and assisting you with the language barrier. (Goggle translate is another great tool)

On Friday it was again another cold and rainy day we headed to Yokohama about 1.5 hours from Tokyo by metro. The sun started to come out and the weather started to warm up. We had booked two days in Yokohama prior to our cruise as it was planned to be our departure point but was changed a couple weeks ago to depart from Tokyo. Yokohama is a large harbour city and still big and busy but it doesn’t seem as busy as Tokyo, lots to see and do with a large entertainment/shopping district. Our first day we walked along the harbour front went to the Cup of Noodles Museum (yes it really is a museum about cup of noodles) and went out for diner at a great restaurant and wondered around the entertainment area.

Yokohama 

Saturday was baseball day in Yokohama, baseball is huge in Japan and Yokohama is home of the Baystars.  Friday was opening day of the new season so we headed over to the stadium which is about a 20 minute walk from our hotel. Not thinking we would be able to get any tickets as the game wasapparently sold out but we found a ticket office that had limited game day sales tickets and were able to score two great seats on the second deck behind home plate. Two hours before game time the place is buzzing with lots of vendors selling stuff outside the stadium and pre game activities. The stadium was sold out to capacity of 43,000 against the Hiroshima Carps, a lot like European hockey the cheering and singing of team songs was non stop but in the Japanese way very polite. The visiting team has there own section and would cheer and sing and bang drums when there team was up to bat and then the home team would do the same when it was there turn to bat. It was a great way to spend  a warm sunny day enjoying what the locals love to do. Post games activities took us over to the largest China Town in Japan with more great food and then back to our hotel. 

Yokohama Stadium home of the Baystars

Tomorrow we head back to Tokyo to board our cruise to the southern parts of Japan and to South Korea, maybe we will head over to North Korea and get thing squared away with Mr. Kim Jung-un.

My -Thai Land

We arrived into Thailand Monday evening flew from Bangkok then  1.5 hour flight to a beach resort call Krabi. We checked into our hotel and are planning to just chill and relax for a few days. After  all the things we did with our group tour it’s nice to just relax along the beach or by the pool for a few days. No wild monkeys or eels to deal with but there is an elephant sanctuary we may go to so who knows what could happen there.

On Wednesday morning we loaded into the back of an old Toyota pickup and went to a Thai-cooking class.We went to a local street market with our chef and she explained all the ingredients and there impact to the cuisine we will be preparing, then it was off to the kitchen, joining us was a nice couple from Zurich. We cooked up Pad-Tai, different green and coconut curries, sweet and sour Tom -Yum soup along with Tai spring rolls. So much more flavour than the Vietnamese food we tried. 

Picking out our ingredients for our cooking class

Thai cooking experts

Riding in style 

Then back to our hotel to to relax beach side then back into the local town to take in a local night market with lots of food vendors and a lot of the same type of clothing and souvenir stands almost reminds me of going to Klondike days in Edmonton. 

Night Market

Thursday was spent mostly by the beach plus 38 with a cool breeze. The beach is very spacious, not busy and the ocean is very warm and you just walk right in like a bathtub. 

For the next few days  not much was happening other than sitting along the beach, attending the hotels happy hour and then out to some local restaurants for really good Thai food. Coconut seafood soup was outstanding and chicken Pad Thai was Karen’s favorite. 

Sunday came along and we spent the last few hours by the beach before heading to the Krabi airport then to Bangkok to catch our flight to Tokyo. Weather in Tokyo when we land at 5:30am is expected to be about plus 12 a major temperature change and attire. I’m really looking forward to showing Karen around Tokyo and Yokohama before our cruise starts on March 31. 

Good Night Vietnam Good Morning Cambodia

 I have been delinquent in keeping the Blog up to date but we have been busy our last few days in Hoi Ann gave us a day to ourselves so we headed to the beach to catch some waves and a cool breeze. A beautiful beach that wasn’t very busy a few beers and pizza with some of our fellow travel group made a great morning. After my skin turned into a nice pinkish hue it was time to head back into the market for Karens final dress fitting. Hoi Ann has at least 200 custom tailor shops and almost everyone we travelled with got a new custom made wardrobe and prices and quality is great. The food is very good with a bit more spice the further south we travel in Vietnam.

Bang Beach in Hoi Ann

We left Hoi Ann on the morning of March 13 to Ho ChI Minh City (Saigon) for three days. If we thought the traffic in Hanoi was busy it was nothing as compared to Saigon. A much more  metropolitan modern city it's skyline is as modern as any city in the world. Rush hour is to to be avoided at all cost as grid lock sets in, I’ll never complain about waiting for the train to clear the crossings in Wetaskiwin. We experienced night life with loud music flashing lights and street performances  it was a sight to see  

We arrived early in the day so before checking into our hotel we had a couple of stops. We stopped at the war remnants museum they explained all the atrocities from the Vietnam war. The museum was previously called the American Atrocities museum but changed its name to appease the American Tourism industry. It was a very graphic 4 story museum with the Vietnamese point of view of the conflict. After the  museum we went to the presidential palace that was occupied by the president of Vietnam prior to being surrendered to the North Vietnamese the building wasn’t all that presidential almost like a vintage municipal  office building that could be found in any Canadian city, but nonetheless the Vietnamese that it was a big deal. We then checked into our hotel our for diner and it was the end of a long day.

View of Saigon from the presidential palace 

Our second day we went to the Chu Chi Tunnels a couple hours outside of Saigon, this tunnel system consisted of over 200 kms of very narrow and small tunnels the the jungle that the Vietnamese army and Gorilla’s used to evade the American and French forces in Vietnam. We got to experience creeping through the tunnels I’m sure they enlarged the tunnels slightly for the larger size tourist, but they were quite snug. It was really amazing to see the facilities they had underground from kitchens to operating rooms. After trip to the tunnels it’s back to Saigon which was about 75kms away and took 2.5 hours to complete. 

Amazing Karen a Chu Chi tunnel Rat

In the evening we when on a diner cruise along the Mekong river travelling through the city. Our last day in Saigon took us out to the countryside to do another river cruise through the jungles in small boats to see all the uses of the coconut and brick making industry. All tasks are done by hand and I think if automation were involved there would be massive unemployment. Another long bus ride back to Saigon then our guide took 6 of us out to visit the Saigon bar scene…..Wow! If this place wasn’t full sensory overload I don’t know what is. The place was packed with people, scooters and bar staff asking you to see there club with cheap drinks and dancing girls we stayed for a few drinks sitting at a street side bar watching humanity pass by us for a couple of hours.

Clubbing in Saigon

 Food in Saigon is very good we went to another restaurant that was visited by Anthony Bourdain for some Pho and Bin Mai sandwiches. In the morning we head to Cambodia to see the temples of Angkor Watt one of the top Heritage sites in the world.

The “Still” Happy Couple 

We’re getting near to the end of our tour of Vietnam and Cambodia but hadn’t mentioned much about our tour group. I (Karen) will take it from here  This group of 30 was equivalent to a classroom . Some were high needs and required frequent reminders  what the agenda was and what was required of them.  There were those rushing to the front of the line to always get the front seat in the bus . A few keeners that asked way too many questions therefore monopolized the tour guide. Indeed this was a classroom at its finest. our local guide Dang was exceptional and took great care of us  I gathered more patience and tolerance as the days went on  and I’m a better person because of it. I shed a few tears saying goodbye to new friends this morning which was evident great friendships were formed.

Our Group

While I have command of the keyboard I must share an Amazing Rob situation. During one of our temple visits in the forest we were warned about the wild monkeys and to stay away from them. While we were waiting for our group to gather, Rob had his empty water bottle in his hand and an aggressive monkey wanted it so he/she he/her jumped at Rob to grab it. I screamed but with Robs quick thinking and agility he managed to ward it off with one quick smack and the monkey retreated with the look of defeat. Thank goodness is all I had to say. Rob was the talk of the tour as he would be game for almost anything. Eating crickets and juggling  a live eel at the market and then dropping it on the floor and trying desperately to pick it up again and of course the monkey episode which was a minor incident which he was later embellishing the story about fighting off a troop of monkeys with only one arm  still attached, after  the other one was chewed off  my the ravenous apes. 

Now that I have the keyboard back (Rob) and my wounds have healed I must admit that the temples at Angkor Thom and Angkor Watt were spectacular built about 1200 years ago then abandoned for about 250 years these amazing structures were a testament of what people will do for their gods. There are about 72 temples in the area but these two are spectacular.  The large stones temples are up to 180 feet high and are made by stacking stone with no mortar. Angkor Thom  is being reconstructed and huge piles of stone are being put back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Angkor  Watt is of the best condition and is still used by the Buddhists as a major religious site. Most definitely a must see in Cambodia. Our last night in Cambodia concluded with a nice diner with our new tour group friends and then a last stroll thought the markets district near our hotel. The vendors like to tease the tourists and would rub my belly and say “we have shirts that fit Baby Bear” Breakfast this morning and then off to the Airport outside of Siem Reap then onto Thailand for a more laidback week of sitting by the ocean and taking in the local scenes of Krabi Beach.

The Heat is On

 It’s been a few days since our last report  of what’s been going on in Vietnam. We’ve been busy and have spent a lot of time on the road on the water and in the air.. After checking out of our hotel in Hanoi we bused to Hai Long Bay for an overnight on a Junk cruise ship. We drifted among these huge limestone  mountains covers in greenery unfortunately the weather was very overcast and not so warm but we were still able to explore some caves and floated amongst the islands. Our tour group is starting to jell and we are having a good time together. As always with a group of 30 people lots of interesting personalities with a wide variety of backgrounds from doctors to mechanics, most have done a significant amount of travelling around the globe.

Hai Long Bay

We left Hanoi and flew into Hue ((pronounced “whey”) located along the Perfume River which was the capital city of Vietnam  until the 1940’s. Lots of history and more temples and pagodas than you shake a stick at. There was a really good display of the last king of Vietnams walled city, he thought quite of himself and raised taxes by 30% to fund his personal lifestyle, he then built a magnificent tomb for himself when he died 5 years into its construction. The best of construction materials were imported from around the world for his tomb.

Entrance Gate to the Imperial City in Que

Incense get your Incense

After a night in Que we bussed to Hoi An about 4 hours south along the coast. The weather is getting much warmer high of 29 and humid the A/C on our bus quit working and for about an hour it was a virtual sweatbox on wheels. This resort town with lots of hotels and restaurants cratering to a largely Asian crowd  was busy with a vibe similar to that of  Mexico. Hundreds of restaurants, stores, the markets out of this world with a huge selection of everything from apples to knock off Rolex’s. Karen has been busy dress shopping and we have already bought an extra bag to bring stuff home. We did a tour of a local farm and took another cooking class then headed to a small river to take a ride on a basket boat. 

Karen found employment …. Got fired shortly after 

Our tour company provides an all inclusive travel experience and all of our meals are included. Each day we have a buffet breakfast followed by a 5 course lunch then another 5-7 course meal the food has been very good but we are looking forward to pizza or a burger. Today which is your tomorrow, will be a day off from touring around so we plan to relax and chill out by the hotel pool or at the beach.

Rats and our Tour Group

 Not sure if  your aware  but if you didn’t know Karen  is deathly afraid of rodents like mice, voles, gerbils and rats. Coming from rat free Alberta we had the pleasure to meet some Vietnamese rats welcoming us to Hanoi. Karen’s first encounter was at our cooking school when looking out from our kitchen into a courtyard Karen glimpsed out the corner of her eye to see rat number one, I also saw that rat and looked at Karen thinking she was going to scream and jump up on the kitchen table but she calmly whispered was that what I think it was. I smiled and nodded my head and she just looked at me and kept on cooking. Then on the way home that evening she saw a rat climb out of the sewer drain then seeing Karen disappeared back onto the rats underground highway not sure who was more frightened the rat or her. Not a scream, jump or any sign of major discomfort. Yes it’s amazing Karen #4 tolerater of Rats.  How many more amazing things will I experience?

March 4th we finally met up with our tour group. Knowing that  it would be an eclectic group of people from all across Canada. We were the only couple that did not take the air package from Canada to Vietnam and were glad we didn’t as this tour company turned a normal 17 hour flight from Vancouver into a 34 hour trip via Thailand. We already had a 5 day head start in Hanoi so we had already settled into the local vibe and took in a bunch of sites  Some things this company does is very first class other things not so much. The group consists of a wide variety of ages from young and youthful such as ourselves and more mature and senior like. We are just starting to get a feel of the group dynamics and we are already starting pair off to with other couples that are similar to friends back home. 

It’s now the beginning of doing the really touristy type stuff visiting temples and getting into the history of Vietnam. We are being transported around the city if a full sized motor coach our driver does an amazing job weaving in and out of the traffic. Our tour guide is a Vietnamese local and wants to make sure we get schooled in all the history and events that occurred from the past 2000 years. Vietnam has of history of being conquered and oppressed, fighting off the conquerers have a couple hundred years of peace only to be conquered again. It wasn’t until they got tired of the French in the 1940’s who treated Vietnam as a colony that Ho Chi Minh formed the communist party and with the help of the Russians slowly got rid of the French in north Vietnam then had a war against the French and the Americans that reclaimed South Vietnam all under the Communist flag. That will be the end of todays history lesson.

Day one of the group touring we took in a water puppet show which was pretty well done then we took a rickshaw ride through the the city centre amongst all the traffic on the streets. Im sure the old guy who was peddling us around was wishing for a lighter load. More walking around then out for diner at a local restaurant and then back to our hotel.

Happy Couple with a really Happy Rickshaw Driver

Day two took us out to the countryside of Ninh Binh  to see the limestone mountains covered in greenery we took small boats and paddled in through the mountains and caves. We also saw some monkeys watching us which according to the locals doesn’t happen all that often. The temperature skyrocket up to 38 with about 80% humidity so walking to see another pagoda  temple was shortened to back into the AC comfort of the bus. What took us an hour and fifteen minutes to get to to Ninh Binh took over two hours as we hit rush hour in Hanoi, I still can’t get over how much traffic and air pollution this city has. This tour company definitely  makes  sure we are well fed as we go to restaurants for 5-6 course meals. 

Cruising the mountain Rivers of Ninh Binh 

Rush Hour Hanoi

Day three was Ho  Chi Minh day as we went to see him resting in his Mausoleum since 1975 he was still resting  when we saw him today. Enormous crowds of people lots of school kids, the military operates the grounds and are very very strict of what you can and can’t do while waiting in line. This is the only sign of the military flexing its muscle other than the airport. Karen especially like watching the military invoking stern discipline to those kids that weren’t listening or goofing around in the line waiting to see Mr Minh, She wish she had a couple of them in the classroom. The group was getting tired of these large meals so our guide changed things up and we went to the restaurant for lunch where Anthony Bourdain and Barack Obama had a Hanoi traditional soup with pork and crab spring rolls very good!

The digs of Father Ho

Since the tour group hadn’t seen train street so we did it again and they went off to the Hanoi military prison that kept the American pilots shot down in the Vietnamese war. We walked back to our hotel and are heading out for drinks and supper. Tomorrow we travel  to Ha Long Bay where we spend a night on a Junk Boat and cruise some nearby islands. Temperature will be dropping to about +24  tomorrow burr.

Hanoi

 Things have gotten little less adventurous the last few days since our bike adventure.  We spent the last couple of days seeing the sites, and taking in the smells and sounds of Hanoi. This city of almost 9 million people never sleeps, retail stores and the number of places to eat is off the charts. As soon as you walk out of the silence of the hotel the noise and smells hit you and your senses get sent into overdrive. Behind and above the area that we are staying called the Old District are thousands of people trying to eek out a living by working and hustling all things possible to stay alive and make a living. Behind the walls of this ancient city are families that are jammed in tiny little little apartments most likely 2-3 generations living together. Still with all of  dirt, grime and constant noise it’s a fascinating piece of humanity to be a part of. The past few mornings was spent visiting some local museums to get a sense of what this country is all about. A trip to the Vietnamese Ethnology museum of history as if recreates some of the 54 different  cultural backgrounds that has made up Vietnam it’s like their version of the Ukrainian village near Edmonton. Women are in many cultures here are regarded as head of the family and are highly respected, a trip to the Vietnamese Women’s  museum was a insight in the role they played in many wars and local governments. 

Not all we have  done is museums and history but walking through the different markets and streets is eye opening. The things you see here is like a walk back in time. 

Retail Pork Sales

This hog tried to get away on a Honda but didn’t make it

Spice sales

Fresh produce stalls are everywhere

On Saturday afternoon we spent four hours at a cooking class that included a guided tour through the markets where we learned about the different produce and purchased them for our cooking class later that day. Our guide a young lady named Mango was our instructor we learned cutting and prepping all the vegetables and the different leafy greens that give this food so much flavour. Our cooking class of six people two guys from Denmark a girl from Wales and a lady from Montana were slicing and dicing mixing and frying up appetizers spring rolls, pho broth, BBQ pork and finished off with Egg Coffee for desert. Lots of fun and laughs with our new friends for the day.

Rosies Kitchen Cooking Class

We did have a bit of down time  spending time being able to sit atop a rooftop bar and watch the world go by.