Yasawa Islands

Suva

Fiji Main Island

Fiji

Oceania

Narita

The Long Layover Excursion

Given the choice between a 4-hour layover in Tokyo or an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpar with an 11-hour layover, I once again maximized my vacation time with a quick half day stop in Japan! Not a lot of time, but after landing at 7a, stashing my bag at the airport and buying a train ticket, I was off for a day at the temples of Naritasan!

Once again, I fell for the JR lines instead of the cheaper Keisei trains. JR advertised a cheaper ticket price, but as the conductor explained to me by pointing at a tattered laminated paper with the phrase written in 10 or 12 languages, "The train you are traveling on requires a seat reservation for 1000 yen." Great, only 5 times the cost of the train ticket. There went my lunch money.

So I set off, broke, to the Naritasan temples, just 10 minutes or so from the airport. After misreading the map and being laughed at by some Harijuku-style girls (oops, forgot my hair was braided silly!) I wandered lost up the back gates of the temples.

Kuala Lumpur

Written in Kuala Lumpur, 17Sep06:
...Then we headed for a 6-hour drive to Clark Air Base (which is now an airport), but it only took us 3 hours. After a lot of waiting and exhaustion, we flew to Kuala Lumpar where we took a taxi to our hotel after chatting with a friend Alecs and Reyna ran into at the airport. The hotel (Sheraton Imerial for any of you traveling this way) is incredible. We've got 2 corner rooms on the 21st floor - Bill's has a view of the Twin Towers (you'd recognize then as the buildings with the bridge across they were climbing around on in the movie Entrapment. From Wikipedia - "The Petronas Twin Towers were the world's tallest twin towers and second and third-tallest singular towers") and I've got a great view of KL Tower (like the Space Needle in Seattle, only much bigger - I believe the 6th largest structure in the world from what I heard). I've even got panoramic windows in the bathroom and shower! It's awesome!


The first night in, after a good nap, we headed out to the Thai Club, which is on a clubbing strip not far from the hotel. There was a live band (that played a lot of Black Eyed Peas) and good food and drinks and we hung out and danced a bit and watched the band and a friend Ludee came and met us with her boy Dave. I think we will visit them in a few days too. Had a great evening and headed home at 3a for some sleep.


The next day was the most chock-full day of my trip for sure! I woke up and threw on clothes and we headed for a local eatery for some quick and delicious grub and this drink of carrot juice and condensed milk that is surprisingly yummmmmy! Then off ot the Batu Caves which just have to be seen. Not only is it about 215 steps up, past a GIANT Buddha statue, not only are there HUGE caves with light streaming through a hole in the ceiling, but most importantly, there are hungry MONKEYS running around all up and down the steps! Bill bought some bananas for them at the top and after taking about 5 steps, a monkey slashed open the whole bag and grabbed bananas and fled! We ended up buying 3 more bags and hand feeding monkeys and playing with them. It was monkey heaven for me! And you all know how much I love monkeys!


After that we headed back to the hotel to try to swim. This didn't quite work. Only I had a suit, so we went on a 2 hour shopping trip. Hard to find a decent bikini in a Muslim country! I bought a shirt that I thought Michelle would get a kick out of, even though she'll probably never see it, and some new shorts. Then we stopped for more food and a gigantic thunder and rain storm hit. Like bright flashes, huge cracks and power going out in the restaurant. I was loving it, but Reyna definitely wasn't a fan of walking in the rain, and Alecs is afraid of thunder and lightning... I guess swimming was off then. I took a bath instead and we rested up for the evening a randomly grabbed a flyer for the night before...


So Heinekin is doing some worldwide party thing - I missed 2 Many DJs (my favorites) in Croatia while I was in Poland, and I had seriously considered Croatia instead during that time. Dammit! Anyway, turns out a few bands were playing AT KL Tower itself, including one of my favorites, GROOVE ARMADA! So off we went to the base wehre we took shuttles up to the tower. The setup was elaborate as hell with a lounge, stage area, and other goodies. I swear they bussed in a million Heinekin girls from tall, skinny, sexy Asian girl-land; it was ridiculous. I splurged and spent about $12 and did one of those reverse bungee things where they strapped me into a ball (after signing a lot of waivers) and shot me hundreds of feet in the air where I flipped around and bounced up and down. It was soooooo fun! I wanted to shoot video, but they wouldn't let me carry my camera, which I snuck in to the show in the first place...


After that wild ride, we hit the bathrooms, the lounge, and then the stage for the show! The set was fantastic, a lot of old school stuff. Then we headed out and I spotted a sign saying free admission to a hot club called Zouk with our wristbands for the afterparty! Off we headed and a great trancey DJ from Denmark was playing. After a few drinks and some dancing to the opening DJ we were having a great time at about 2a when Alecs taps me and points out... There's Groove Armada! They just came from their show and settled down next to us for a drink! We were getting tired and ready to leave at about 3a. I was just about to walk out and wanted to pause to ask Groove Armada about a song they had played that I heard at Zap club on Brighton Beach last month too, but suddenly a group of Malaysians ran past us to the back door and 10 seconds later filed back into the club.


Suddenly the lights come up and the music stops. What the hell?! We start walking out but the doors are blocked and we are corralled in. Turns out the police had just sealed the building and we were in our very first Malaysian DRUG RAID! The locals tried to bolt out the back, but got caught... We were separated, men and women, and eventually all the foreigners were grouped together. We got to slowly file out, during which time I'm standing and joking with Groove Armada - how surreal is that?! The locals not holding foreign passports had to stay for documenting and urine tests! We got out after a few questions from the police (to Bill, "Are you sure she's your Filipina wife?" and to me, "What is your occupation?") and we hit the street, completely tripped out!


A quick lambsteak meal later and another cab ride and we were back at the hotel at 4a. Tell me that isn't the craziest day ever!! Monkeys, caves, thunder storms, revers bungee jumping, random concert at huge landmark, afterparty, meet a favorite band (again, after Coachella), drug raid... wow!

Anyway, time to eat, check out the twin towers, go swimming and more. Hopefully more updates soon...

Subang Jaya

Malaysia

Malaysia was nuts. Let me test this PHP.

Tagatay

Lodz

Warsaw

Krakow

Poland

Prague

Czech Republic

Bratislava

Slovakia

Budapest

Continued from Vienna 27Jul06

Written in Prague, 1Aug06:
By evening we were working our way through the public transportation system in Budapest, which I later learned is the oldest Metro in Europe! We waited ages for a connecting bus (the Metro stop in front of our hotel was closed for construction) that took us only 3 blocks to our hotel! Ooops!

At the hotel, we were greeted by unbelievable poshness, and... Cindy! She had just made it in a few minutes before us and we all were sticky and gross and tired. After luxurious showers we all felt a bit better and decided we'd better find dinner at about 11p. While people were walking everywhere, we couldn't find anything serving food until we met a "political" pimp that, once we turned down the sex shows, gave us great advice and pointed us toward an Arabian restaurant in a basement that seemed to never close! We ordered a from a menu with no English, so the waiter suggested a kebab platter that was second only to the unbelievably well-made Mojitos! So we ate and watched belly dancers flirt with patrons while a DJ and live singer kept the music pumping. Aside from the fact that it was a thousand degrees in there, we could have stayed all night! The girls even got up at the end of the night and joined in the dancing!

We stumbled home exhausted and decided to sleep in the next day! Our first full day in Budapest was fairly chill. Breakfast at Cafe Anna, the girls went shopping (I even bought a new shirt!); I had a bath. Cindy and I bought a buncha groceries - Nutella, bread, Sangria, etc... and we snacked at the hotel, then hit the POOL! On the 8th floor was a warm pool and a warmer spa, plus a sauna and scented steam room. We met a British bloke that joined us in the steam room and we tried to make plans to meet up later, but we overslept. We grabbed a late dinner (I learned apparently "Ovari" is Hungarian for "mushroom" which I hate, wheee!) and made our way to bed.

Hungary

Vienna

Written in Prague, 1Aug06:
Vienna worked out quite well really, as by the time I made my way to the hotel and checked in I was exhausted. Brianna had made it in the night before and wasn't feeling well, so both of us lazed about, napped, and then headed out at night to find some food. We had a fun walk, crossing the Danube and back, but failed to find food. Fortunately, there was a supermarket next door we had hit earlier, so we had sandwiches and salad and ended the night in our fantastic hotel.


The next morning we woke up early and checked out, stored our luggage and grabbed some croissants on our way to a biking tour of the city! We got there just in time and the people running it were great! We cruised past the giant ferris wheel, through the amusement park, up a promenade in the park, along the river, to a crazy little block designed by a guy whose name I forgot, but was very Gaudi-esque. (I described it in my journal as Gaudi meets the Madonna Inn.) Then past the Opera House, through the massive palace, by some other sights and ending at St. Steven's Cathedral. The front was built in 1260 and the inside was gorgeous! Finally we headed back and back to the hotel to clean up, get our bags, check train info online and hit the road!


Some confusion with trains put us on a later train than planned, but also crossed our paths with a helpful Melbourne native that gave us the City Spy map of Budapest. Man those things are helpful! After a train ride spent passing notes with Brianna and chatting with the poeple around us, we barely made our connection in Gyor - the one minute transfer time didn't leave us time to buy a reservation, so we got a stern warning later...

Continues in Budapest 28Jul06

Manchester

26Jul, 10a -
After about a million hours of travel, I find myself sitting in the bus terminal in Manchester Airport... The travel itself was smoother than expected with no real problems... Supposedly tomorrow is the hottest day recorded here - 100 degrees I think! Couldn't get the connection I wanted... Not much layover time in London today, so no pasty, but a quick connection to Heathrow and then on to Vienna!



27Jul, 9a -
So, that last entry was the last time anything went right for a while. But you know me - loving the insanity! First I decided to pick up some water for the long bus ride and discovered I was without wallet! It couldn't have been nicked - I hadn't even brushed against anyone since landing! After racing back to the bus terminal, there it was, under my seat...

The bus was already an hour later than planned, but that was before Luton. Fading in and out of consciousness after my long journey, I awoke realizing that we weren't moving. Traffic was BAD. Two hours of delay nixed my plan of hopping off the bus at Marble Arch and strolling through Hyde Park and my old 'hood to Gloucester Road tube to Heathrow. Instead, racing the fastest route possible to Terminal 4 (with that damn bus transfer!) put me in the airport at 6.15p, 25 minutes before my flight and 5 minutes after the closed check-in. 20 minutes and 30 quid ($59) later, I was rebooked on the 7.30a flight.

Continues in London 26Jul06

Tokyo

February 8-10, 2006

We decided on the way home from the Philippines, my first trip to Asia, to layover for 2 and a half days in Japan. Why not right? The contrast of the 80 degree (F) weather and poor conditions of small-town Philippines and the 40 degree (F) weather and high-tech insanity of Tokyo would be perfect, right?

Japan

8-10 Feb 2006

21 Sep 2006

Manila

Tanay

Morong

Baras

2-7 Feb 06

2-13 Sep 06

Written in Baras, 8Sep06
So, I had this severely eloquent post I compsed in my head as I clung to the back of a motorcycle riding at 2am from Tanay to Baras, wind blowing, drunk, trying not to laugh out loud for fear of catchign a bug to the throat. I had some brilliance to share, but I've not the time to write it. The days here are incredible! Sleep until it's too hot, eat fantastic breakfast, take a cold shower, lather in deoderant and bug spray (7 people died in the next town over from a mosquito disease), then go visit people around town. Maybe grab some food, maybe go shopping, maybe have some drinks at the biker bar...

I've done such a variety of things... I've shopped at the flea markets for fresh meat and produce, I've hung out with the local bikers for kicks, I've celebrated a first birthday, I've helped teach a super- super-cute 7-year old to swim, I've met a very sweet and beautiful girl at a gentleman's club called Georgetown after witnessing her smoke cigarettes from a rather unorthodox orafice (those biker guys know how to party!), I've bought my beloved cheesebread, I went shopping for guitar strings to jam with a girl I'm staying with, I've sang and danced and saw tons of familiar faces and met tons of new people... Too much to even tell, especially now.

I'm heading to Morong now to watch Alecs sing with her band. Should be a treat. But first I have to go finish another cocktail with Jhomari and her harem of girls! What a fun life it is here!

How's life at home? Anything I should miss?

(PS. Sorry if this post sucks. I'm drunk. Sue me.)

---

Written in Baras, 17Sep06
In the Philippines I managed to party pretty well, meet soem new people, hang out with fantastic old friends, and have some great adventures. One day I learned how to Jetski. Let me rephrase that: One day I accidentally went swimming in a lake. Let me try one more time: One day I got clotheslined off a Jetski for the first time, and after swallowing a mouthful of lake water from laughing so hard, I'm pretty sure there are parasites living in my stomach now.

I started to learn how to ride a motorcycle. I hung out with a buncha bikers whose club name translated to "Boob Grabbers." I spent $80 on my birthday and fed 30 or so people on my favorite foods. I went to Tangaytay and saw Taal Lake and volcanos from the People's Park in the Sky, a huge hill overlooking the fantastic landscape. I hung out in a huge 3-story, 9 room mansion for a day or two and had a dinner feats overlooking a ravine and the lake. I went shopping for music and DVDs and food at the markets in Tanay, where it starts off tame with toys and goods like that, then food and produce, then a huge meat market where they chop up fish guts on slabs and fish bits and juice go flying all over the place and hte smell is awful and the buzz of it all is dizzying and cool! I hung out in Morong and saw their church, and tried not ot get mosquito bites since Dengue has killed like 10 or 12 people in that town alone and made tons more sick.

I did everything.

Rizal

Philippines

2-8 Feb 06

2-15 Sep 06

Asia