Category: Asian Holidays


A Beach Affair To Remember

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Musings & Ramblings, Philippine Travels, Seniors, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
September 19, 2023

The Resthouse

Once you cross 50 years since graduation, you treasure every moment, every minute, every get-together not knowing when the next one would be. Nor who’d be around at the next reunion. This sentiment prompted many based abroad to come home, and for the core organisers to line up as many events. Any excuse to see each other in the limited time everyone is around. Amazingly, the adrenaline of seeing each other again must have pumped up these “energiser bunnies” as every event, every single affair proved to be well-attended, well- organised, and superbly enjoyed! Best of all, that very same energy pushed these senior ladies to brave the long drive to LAIYA, San Juan in BATANGAS and to pull an overnighter in this wonderful paradise of a beach resort.

As one rolls into their 70’s, the service demands grow several notches higher. Food, customer service, cleanliness, convenience and leisure/entertainment option all become mandatory rather than simple wish lists. It would be a nightmare to fail their standards. But The Resthouse truly delivered. The 9-hectare beachfront estate provided the sea breeze, stillness, tranquility and scenic views to soothe the nerves after long drives. The memory of a beach affair among giggly, life-loving, cheerful and cool, rocking grandmas is a gift made possible by The Resthouse management and staff. Five stars won’t suffice. And the fond memories will last for a very long time.

Thank you, The Resthouse, for granting our wish of this lifetime memory. We treasure our time spent in this slice of heaven on earth. Till our next gathering there!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Touchdown, SAPA

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Exotic Cuisine, Phlog, Travel, travels — Leave a comment

From Hanoi, it took at least 6 long hours to reach Sapa in Northern Vietnam. We traveled by bus although there’s a train option. We passed many rice terraces and cinnamon forests along the uphill route. Lunch was way past noon and we finally arrived at Pao’s Sapa Leisure Hotel late in the afternoon. Well before sunset, thankfully. And without the rains despite the weather forecast.

View From Pao’s Sapa Leisure Hotel
Rice Terraces of Sapa

Honestly, I expected a sleepy, ghost town far removed from the commercial entrapments of city life. We were surprised to find Sapa teeming with tourists — both locals and foreigners. As it turned out, our visit was timed a few days before this mountain town’s Culture Week celebrating the 120th year of tourism. Attracting as many as 2 million visitors , this town in the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai is bursting with preparations for the festivities and art performances of various ethnic groups. The town square where the Church takes center stage was teeming with people and littered with ambulant vendors.

View from our room’s terrace.
8pm Crowd at Town Square

One can feel the energy building up in the tiny stores lining the narrow streets and the mall housing the train station. It reminded us of “Sagada” back home as well as gave us “Baguio vibes”. The costumes from the hill villages provided local color and tribal feel. It took some dodging skills not to be trapped in the thick crowd as we navigated our way through the town square and narrow streets. Music was blaring from the many food shops and bars sitting side by side with massage parlours offering foot, back or whole body massage. Tempting!

Photo Credits: May B.
Sun Plaza in Sapa

We ditched our ride back to the hotel when we decided to walk but eventually hailed a buggy cart for as many as a dozen people to save our energy. We checked out the hotel outlets in search of desserts but only managed to order via room service. Called it a night for next day’s adventure. Let’s see what is in store for us when we next visit the Bac Ha Sunday Market some distance away.

Terrace of the restaurant where we had dinner.
Garbed in local costume, near the Church.

Sapa. The experience begins. 🌸

Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment

Bac Ha Sunday Market

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Exotic Cuisine, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment

The Bac Ha Market some 3 hour drive from Sapa totally overwhelmed me. But what’s most interesting isn’t so much what they sell but how the hill tribes of Northern Vietnam have created a community here. The Flower H’Mong, the Phu La, the Black Dao, Tay and La Chi Nhung minorities. How to tell one tribe from another? Don’t ask me 🧐

The forecast was one rainy WEEK, but we’ve been enjoying sunshine since we reached Sapa here in Northwestern Vietnam. On the day we visited this Sunday Market, it was totally humid. The animal trading — horse, buffalo, dogs, etc — wasn’t my cup of tea. So my travel mates and I spent more time in the fabrics/textiles area. Along the way, we passed some organic plants, herbs, nuts and fruits. There was a display of assorted natural “viagra” and the sales pitch is one for the books. We chanced upon a couple on a mission to stock up on a few of these herbs and the entire sales spiel was quite an entertaining spectacle. 😜

Local Color To The Core

The once-a-week market is truly both a community and commercial affair — a social and trading event that has lasted over a century now. It’s a privilege to witness this exotic cultural experience. The open, outdoor market stretches over an expanse that it would be easy to get disoriented. In particular, I enjoyed the local color and flavor such as finding a “barber shop al fresco”. It’s your mobile barber in action! Or a motorbiker with a basket full of chickens. I didn’t have the heart to try horse stew there though. Not for moí. Sorry.

Bac Ha Sunday Market
Barber Shop?

After lunch somewhere within the Sunday Market’s periphery, we headed for the Ban Pho village just a few minutes away. Corn wine was available but I took one sniff of the stuff and promptly avoided it. Must be over 50% alcohol, enough to knock one out after a few sips. If you ask me, you can give this visit a miss. The market is quite interesting even if some of the products can be found in the town and city malls, but the local color and experience cannot be replicated in the more cosmo and commercial spots. Nor the local herbs and ethnic vibes. The locals are also very friendly yet not pushy to make a sale which I like. The “pros” in the city shops give me a headache, actually. I’m glad we came despite enduring 6 hours on the road. Along the way, we also checked out the Vietnam/China Border. Separated only by a river, it’s amazing how these “neighbors” can literally wave to each other across the river. 👋

The Way to Bac Ha Market
Vietnam-China Border
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Of Cable Cars, Funiculars And Glass Suspension Bridges

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Musings & Ramblings, Phlog, Travel, travels — Leave a comment

Fansipan
Fansipan Cable Car

Too much excitement in one day! The Fansipan adventure involved cable car and funicular rides to reach Fansipan Mountain, the highest mountain in Vietnam. Touted as the “roof of IndoChina”, it is actually higher than Machu Picchu at over 3,000 meters. Hoang Lien Son mountain range spans the horizon as the cable car climbs up to the peak. Once there, some 600 steps await you. Along the way, there are temples, outdoor Buddhas and restos. One can even ride horses in the complex run and operated by Sun World Legend. We were a big group of adventurers who endured the long drive from Hanoi to Sapa just to get here. Seniors, young professionals and toddlers all out to enjoy each other’s company and savor the sense of family we’ve come to adopt, having traveled together way too many times and seeing the family grow.

The Fansipan Complex is huge! The cable car and funicular rides are run efficiently and the dining outlets and food courts within the entire park look promising. There are also snack booths and massage chairs to fill up one’s time and the crowds seem to be manageable. The entire time we were here, the day grew from cloudy to sunny back to sunny with some breeze. Luckily it didn’t rain. Just a slight drizzle.

Fansipan Funicular

Easily, one can spend 3 hours or more here. Longer, if you linger over lunch or snacks or if one is doing the temples. The ride to the peak via the funicular can be crowded and once at the top, it is quite magical to see, even feel, the fog envelop the area where one finds the tallest flagstaff of IndoChina. Be warned though : it can get windy and cooler once you reach the top so be sure to wrap up.

Glass-Bottomed Bridge

After Farsipan, we took on another challenge. The Bach Long Glass-Bottomed Bridge is touted as the longest in the whole world. Not one for the weak of heart. Nor one short of patience. We took too many transfers — 2 short van rides, an elevator that took all of 3 minutes, along with some waiting time in between transfers. Now, this phenomenal structure left us confused and inconvenienced. There are vans to take visitors from one level to the next. An elevator that takes a full 3 minutes to reach the suspension bridge. Why was this built, you’d ask? Just to land in the Guinness List? To draw in tourists, visitors seeking thrills and excitement? We found many locals when we visited. Thrill-seekers? I took a few steps and that’s enough. Why walk the entire stretch of 700 meters, pray tell?

Glass Bridge
Nearly 1 Kilometer Suspension Bridge

So there. Two major altitude challenges in one day. The first challenge was justified by the magnificent view of the mountain range. As for the glass-bottomed bridge, we must be insane to even consider coming here. 🤣

Tags: , , , , ,
Comment

From Kuromon To Nishiki

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Food Trip, Japan, Travel, travels — 2 Comments
March 30, 2023

The highlight of our recent trip to the Kansai area was the full blooming cherry blossoms or Sakura. So much worth the 3 day extension we made to base ourselves in Kyoto after Osaka. Week earlier, we simply visited Kyoto as a day trip from Osaka. On our last 4 days, we based ourselves in this old corner of Japan to enjoy the Sakura scenery. And to continue our love for the seafood markets of Osaka and Kyoto.

Look at those prawns!
Love these lobsters. We had two — with
loads of cheese!

Our heads were spinning just looking at these beautiful sea creatures, steaming or grilling. We found this lobster vendor in Kuromon Market in Osaka offering us a small round table behind him so we promptly claimed our seats and pointed out the lobsters, prawns, squid, and unagi to grill. We also asked for oysters but he didn’t have any so we were allowed to order from the next stall, along with some scallops! Asians that we are, he understood we badly needed our rice which he didn’t have. So one of us trooped to the nearby Family Mart to buy steamed rice which the store kindly warmed to complete our very late but sumptuous lunch!

Butter and drops of miso on my scallops!
That squid was grilled to perfection!

From Kiyomizu-Dera to Fushimi Inari to Gion the whole morning and a good part of the early afternoon. It started raining in Gion so we decided to call it a day, but not without visiting the Kuromon Market in Nambashi area near Dotonbori. It was well past 3pm but since our last full meal was breakfast at our hotel before setting out, this feast was our very late lunch that may well be early dinner.

We brought home fresh strawberries but they weren’t as sweet as the ones we ate here. Spotted: yes, those were fresh UNI that we sampled after the strawberries!
First time I used scissors to cut up my oysters!

Memories of Kuromon persisted till our last day in Kyoto. From our Kyoto hotel, we took the subway to visit Nishiki Fish Market. But we didn’t just eat fish or seafood. Because it rained, we scrapped our trip to Kobe and searched for the premium beef in Nishiki. We weren’t disappointed. We also found more sea creatures here. This time, we ate standing up! No tables in this cramped little space with barrels for tables and smelling of sizzling, grilling, steaming seafood all around. This beats the 4D ride in USJ’s Hogwarts area!

That’s our Kobe steak!
Crab Sticks sitting on a bed of Kani miso. Spotted: Octopus on skewers. I actually wanted to try Tako Tamago but found none. Y’know, that octopus with its head standing upright bcoz someone stuffed a quail egg into its small head. Mean, huh? My apologies.

The rainy day may have ruined our plans to visit other Sakura spots around Kyoto but thankfully, we had our fill of cherry blossoms the days before. From Kuromon Market in Osaka to Nishiki Market in Kyoto, it’s a food trip hard to forget. Our jolly bellies speak for ourselves and you bet we’d repeat the adventure in our next visit of Japan like it’s a ritual! Sakura and Food is our version of “hanami” in Kansai!

So many choices in Nishiki! And look at those
oysters with Ikura and Uni — all my favorites
on a single shell!
Holding that Kani miso like it’s a pricey jewel!
Love that man behind us! He also enjoyed watching us eat like it’s the last day of our lives.
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

My Own Sakura 2023

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Japan, Travel, travels — 5 Comments
March 27, 2023

I have visited Japan in all 4 seasons but never quite timed it right for Sakura. On this 3rd visit in the last 4 months (yes, Virginia, I was in Fukuoka last Nov 2022, back in Osaka/Tokyo last January 2023, and here in Kansai again), I was eager to check out those white and pink cherry blossoms! While in Osaka, the blooms just started to make a show at the Osaka Castle and Mint Bureau. Not much luck in Nara Deer Park though.

Osaka Castle
Osaka Castle

By the time we reached Kyoto, Sakura was in full bloom. Walked the entire Philosopher’s Path and was enchanted by those blooms along the canal. Truth is I was on edge while our taxi passed so many canals and parks from Kyoto Station to Ginkakuji Temple. I actually longed to jump out of the cab as I saw lines of locals and tourists enjoying Sakura everywhere!

Philosopher’s Path
Perfect for those pre-nup shots?

As we covered the entire 2 kilometer stretch, we made stops at a couple of shrines and even visited a garden with several varieties of camellia blooms. Reikan-Ji Temple is actually a nunnery with a lovely pond and stone garden. Nothing huge or fancy, but the camellia blooms make up for the stark simplicity of the temple grounds.

Camellia Blooms at Reikan-Ji Temple
The Path Towards Ginkakuji Temple

Since we fancied the scenery in Gion while our cab drove us to Ginkakuji, we took the bus at the end of Philosopher’s Path for the Geisha District. But not without late lunch at the Pontocho Alley. Love the vibes here, but so did many others crowding the alley and the Kamo riverside walk where more cherry blossoms are truly a feast for the eyes, a balm to the soul. A week earlier, we visited this same area and there were only hints of the sakura around Gion’s Hanamikoji Alley dotted with ochayas and those traditional and quaint machiya or centuries-old two-storey wooden structures.

Kamo Riverwalk near Pontocho Alley
Yasaka Shrine

Further down the geiko area, we went in search of Starbuck’s first tatami coffee shop. We weren’t as lucky as those who claimed spots on the tatami but managed to enjoy our matcha lattes on western seats inside this old wooden structure that must have earlier functioned as a tea house centuries ago. I just love Gion! No luck too spotting a geisha or her assistant Maiko, but strolling along these narrow alleys and enjoying more cherry blossoms in full bloom make for a lovely, unforgettable holiday.

The First Starbucks Tatami Shop
Gion District
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Unmistakably Japanese

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Japan, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — 1 Comment
January 17, 2023

We are home, and still dreaming of the sites we visited and the food we enjoyed. Times are better and “lost in translation” is soon a thing of the past. Google translate and the young helpful Japanese make life so much easier. When we touched down and trooped out of the Namba train station, we couldn’t figure out which direction to take to reach our hotel. When the map says it’s near, hailing a cab is out of the question and that means we should drag our luggage to our hotel just a couple of blocks away. A pair of young Japanese happily walked us to our hotel — crossed 2 streets with us and even offered to take my suitcase. Using Google translate, the young fellow asked if there’s some other place we’d like to pass by before checking in at our Namba hotel. Bless their hearts!

Love how these young Japanese ham it up!

On the way to our hotel — both in Osaka and Tokyo — we took note of all those red and gold lanterns, lightings, food stalls and shops where purchases are so neatly wrapped. Those snack foods packed in cute boxes and bags, as well as young adults in twinning outfits or in school’s winter uniforms. I just love how traditional structures, decor and traditions have survived and withstood the onslaught of modernity in all aspects of Japanese life. Like onsen, tea ceremonies, food alleys, Shinto and Buddhist shrines, temples and pagodas dotting the city landscapes. And how the locals show respect with a bow after rendering service even when no one is looking!

My love affair with Japan began long before I started traveling. Back when I was still in school, I had a weekend foster brother who is Japanese. Kazuhiro is from Osaka but we’ve lost touch many years ago. How I wish we remained in contact. My father who never had a son readily welcomed this Japanese lad on the many weekends he spent with us in our ancestral home in the province. I remember his fastidious attention to cleaning the bathroom that our family made sure he bathed LAST. My father would egg us all to hit the showers before Hiro — as we fondly called him — took his bath. Invariably, Hiro left behind him sparkling clean bathroom tiles after all the scrubbing. And that includes brushing the bathroom slippers squeaky clean!

My only regret was that we were too busy feeding Hiro with local delicacies instead of leaving him to try his kitchen skills. Back then, we weren’t too keen on Japanese cuisine. Sushi and ramen were totally not favoured over mami and siopao to ignoramus like moí and eating raw would have been unwelcome even to my Pa and Ma. Too bad. At the time, what I considered “unmistakably Japanese” then was limited to thoroughly clean, a manicured and pebbled garden, a bow to show appreciation, welcome, and bye, perfectly-cooked rice and good tea!

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

Around The Capital (Tokyo)

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Japan, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — Leave a comment
January 16, 2023

Been here countless times, each time with someone visiting Japan for the first time. That means checking out all spots in a tourist’s itinerary and getting “trapped” in camera-touting crowds. I wrongfully assumed that the crowds would have thinned because it’s winter but obviously that idea is way off. Shinjuku, Shibuya, Asakusa, Ginza, Harajuku, to name a few. There wasn’t even enough time in the 5 days we were in the capital to check out Odaiba or Roppongi!

Memory Lane or Piss Alley?
Mt. Fuji and the Metropolis

Our hotel was in Shinjuku area right across the Observatory at the top of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Quite a surprise to view Mt. Fuji very clearly from many of its glass windows, sans any clouds. As they say, the great dame makes a solid appearance come winter time. A short walk from here is the Shinjuku JR Station which is right next to an alley fondly referred to as Memory Lane as it’s been there since the 1940s after the war. It is now called Omoide Yokocho, home to some 60 bars and food stalls. Not exactly the comfiest place to have a proper meal but if you’re into a few drinks and bar food like “anything grilled” and some seafood, it’s the place. Claim your stools and enjoy. We had a marvellous time drinking and dining with 3 young Aussies and a couple of locals who love raising their glasses, shouting Kampai! Even the bar hostess grilling and serving our drinks looked like having a good time with us.

Sensoji Temple

Now, if you want to do some temple and shrine-spotting, don’t miss Sensoji Temple in Asakusa. The way to the temple is far from spiritual though as crowds mill around the many souvenir and snack booths. But if it’s serious shopping you plan to do, there’s Harajuku, Ginza and Shibuya-jungamae. Well frankly, there’s more but for this trip we only managed these spots. The alley in Takeshita-Dori right across the JR Harajuku Station caters to the younger set while the other two have shops with more variety. Some signature shops can be found there as well, and we were lucky to find Louis Vuitton’s pop up store in collab with Japanese renowned contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama in Jungamae. The installations were fantastic and somehow, the experience made up for my missing out on a visit to the artist’s museum in Tokyo.

Tokyo is for the young. I still can’t get used to the rushing subway crowd and the so many confusing exits at every train station. My heart pumps nearly out of my chest each time, right through the ride standing toe to toe during rush hours and heaving a sigh of relief only upon exiting. Maybe that explains why and how we ended up taking the Shinkansen with our green pass to savor country air in the less touristy spots.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Train-Hopping Towards Fuji

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Japan, Travel, travels — 2 Comments
January 14, 2023

Mt. Fuji isn’t hiding behind any clouds this winter. From the Observatory of Metropolitan Government Building across our hotel, Mt. Fuji can be spotted clearly. One morning, we decided to hop on a JR line to reach Otsuki (pronounced Otski) for a closer view of the majestic mountain. But we found many of the other train passengers heading towards a rail express line towards Lake Kawaguchi. Seeing a poster in the station of Mt. Fuji viewed from the lake, we decided to pay extra for another hour-long train ride towards Kawaguchiko where we found a taxi to drive us around the lake then back to the station. We’re happy with the photos we snapped but knew they’d have turned out better if it was later in the day when the mountain is reflected in the lake waters. At noontime, no such dreamy reflection as the sun shone brilliantly.

Viewed from Tokyo Metropolitan Building in Shinjuku, Tokyo
Viewed from the Train

Our taxi driver took our photos as he very kindly offered so we two can be photographed in a single frame. We tried not to squint our eyes and stood still for more posterity shots. There were not too many tourists at the time and the few we met are staying the night in one of the lakefront hotels. Next time I come here, I should do that. The view is fantastic especially when the dame shows up in all her splendour sans the clouds.

Viewed from the Taxi
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

Snow Monkeys Enjoying Onsen

Filed under: Asian Holidays, Japan, Musings & Ramblings, Travel, travels — 2 Comments
January 11, 2023

It’s a long journey to meet them snow monkeys in Jigokudani Park. The Shinkansen ride took 1.5 hours from Tokyo to Nagano where a Snow Monkey Pass can be bought to cover the nearly one-hour bus trip and entrance fee to the park. That’s not bad but you need to walk from the bus stop to the park. Should have ordinarily taken about 30 minutes of walking 2kilometers but the narrow paths are slippery with last night’s snow. Icy by the time we got there and our rubber shoes are no longer good to go. We rented snow boots and finally started walking — for a good hour! No way you can go faster as we eyed the edge of the paths that showed drops I dare not even imagine. Here and there, we dropped to our knees as we slipped and our weights carried us down the paths. At one point, our hands “burned” as we slid hanging by the ropes. It was tempting to give up but having wasted 2.5 hours on a train and bus, we decided to wing it.

Lonely walk towards the park,
Snow all around!

The hot springs serve as haven for these macaques during winter. The heat keeps them warm as they frolic between the mountain slopes and the pond. Never aggressive, but it’s wise to keep a distance. On a few occasions, a couple of macaques squirrelled past me. Every now and then, there’d be “quarrels” among them — I guess claiming their onsen spots — but nothing so dramatic, nor threatening. After a while, you get used to the snarling sounds. It’s just magical just watching them have a good time.

Almost there.
Finally there.

The snow monkeys are having a good life here. An onsen life in the wilds. While we stood watching, Mama Monkey and her babies are soaking warm in the pond. The park sits close to many nearby onsens catering to humans. Same hot springs, I bet, but nothing beats how these snow monkeys are enjoying their own brand of onsen-dipping. The peace and quiet is only broken by camera shutters busily snapping shots, and humans doing what they do worst — being noisy. If these monkeys aren’t quarrelling, they just sit quietly with eyes closed, seemingly meditating. You can say they behave better in onsens than many humans. 🤣

These snow monkeys are having a good life.
Mommy and Baby enjoying the onsen as Papa dozes.

I’m glad we came. It’s best visited in winter when the macaques are drawn to the hot springs. But I should have remembered to wear snow boots to keep me from slipping, and a beanie to keep my head and ears warm. Well, hard lessons learned. For those of you making plans to visit this winter, pay heed. So there.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Comment