Some observations from the road

Some observations from the road

The local food has been quite remarkable everywhere along the way. A 1 liter bottle of Aquafina in India costs the equivalent of $0.33.

Japan and India do not have garbage cans anywhere in public, but for very different reasons. Everyone in Japan holds onto their trash and disposes it at home (they generally do not accumulate garbage during their day as they are so efficient). India has no waste management system or recycling. Sadly, garbage is everywhere along the roads and rivers. There is a tremendous opportunity and we're surprised that the government or an entrepreneur hasn't capitalized on waste management.

Our guide in India lived in an Ashram for 3.5 years. At one point, he went without speaking for 10 days. He also opened up a few Equifax offices in India. He is an excellent tour leader.

I think most people know this item but nearly everyone in India speaks fluent English in addition to their native tongue and possibly other languages. There is something like 20 official languages here.

Jet Airways (Indian airline) has the best coach class either one of us has flown.

Poverty is rampant in India but there is an excellent grade, middle, and high school educations provided to all citizens.

Malaria pills have had no side effects (oh well for psychedelic dreams).

The roads in India are pure pandemonium (and that's putting it nicely).

Mattresses in Japan, China, and India are very thin with no coils and no box spring.

The mosquitoes have had a field day with us in India, but we are in a rain forest.

After 3 days of cold water showers, we're looking forward to getting to a place that has substantial hot water (and a shower where the spigot is more than a trickle of water).

So far we've traveled by plane, train, boat, ferry, gondola, high speed hydrofoil, subway, bullet train, magnetic levitation train, rickshaw, bootleg taxi, official taxi, walking, and bus.

Tivon

Getting ready for India and Supertyphoon Megi

We've had a relaxing couple of days back in Hong Kong. Thanks to spg points we've been enjoying our stay at the W Hong Kong. The facilities and staff are so nice, we've barely left the building. We've also met a variety of friendly and interesting expats. We've been enjoying the luxury here because we know it's going to be a completely different experience in India.

Hong Kong citizens and the hotel staff are busy preparing for Supertyphoon Megi. We just came back from the roof deck jacuzzi and pool (on the 73rd floor). They had removed or tied down the furniture. In talking with the staff, they say it should hit Hong Kong Saturday or Friday night and will be a very powerful storm (although there is nothing on the news). Fortunately our flight is Thursday evening and the Hong Kong airport has stayed open during past typhoons. We hope for the people here that it ends up being a minor storm.

We fly into Delhi tomorrow night and take another flight the next morning to Kochi where we begin a 2 week tour of southerrn India.

Far east Asia has treated us well and we bid it adieu.

Tivon (typing on Tara's phone)

Macau

Europe meets China in this Portuguese-influenced island. After spending a day in Hong Kong, we've retreated to the Las Vegas of Asia. Last night we wandered the windy roads and stumbled upon a Portuguese restaurant for dinner. We had fish cakes, curry beef, and chick peas with chorizo. It was an international mouthful of flavors. After a night exploring the local side of town, we plan on spending the day doing the tourist stuff and bouncing around the mecca of casinos.

We're having a blast and are immensely enjoying our time in Asia. We got back to Hong Kong tomorrow for a couple of nights and then on to India!

From the streets of Shibuya to the sake stalls in Saijo:Part 1

It is hard to believe that just 10 days ago we were in Phoenix.  The past 10 days in Japan have been action-packed and entertaining.  We`ve been busy exploring neighborhoods, sampling Japanese cuisine, people watching and meeting up with old friends.

We arrived in Japan after a 13 hour flight from Dallas.  Our first adventure was at the Tsukiji Fish Market.  It was the perfect activity given our jetlag.  We arrived there at 5:30am and made our way through bustling fish stalls.  It was fun to see one of the busiest fish markets in the world and to be able to wander aimlessly while vendors quickly passed us by.  By 7am, we were waiting in line for the freshest sushi breakfast in town.  It was well worth the wait and probably the best sushi we`ve ever had!

We spent the next few days making our way throughout the different neighborhoods, each with their very distinct personalities.  In Asakusa, we got a taste of old Tokyo by going to the Sensoji temple.  There we stumbled upon a delicious udon restaurant for lunch.  Tivon had it cold, while I enjoyed it hot!  After, we went to the famous Shibuya crossing, as seen in Lost in Translation.  We ventured into Shop 109, which is a tower of boutiques that cater to trendy young Japanese women.  The friendly staff at each of the shops has a very welcoming hello, which seems to be an endless banter of high pitched sounds.  The clothes are quite expensive and the fashion gave us a good laugh.  Later we went to the top of the Tokyo Metropolitan Governmnet Building in Shinjuku.  We were able to see all of Tokyo from a birds-eye view.

We spent Wednesday morning walking around the Imperial Palace and hanging out in the East Garden.  In the afternoon, we went to the Ueno and the Tokyo Museum. That night, we met a friend for dinner and had Shabu-Shabu, a Japanese dish where you cook thin slices of meat in a hot pot of soup.  Although we were stuffed from dinner, we decided to walk through the supermarket before heading back to the hotel.  Tivon found discounted sushi and stocked up!  This became a tradition moving forward. 

Our last full day in Tokyo was spent in Harajuku, the shopping mecca of Tokyo.  It was quite an experience and I`m sure you can find some funny youtube videos on it!!

On Friday we headed to Hiroshima.  Check out Part 2 for more on this as we are now off to Shanghai!
　　

 

Home again, at last!

Tivon and I arrived safely into Narita airport yesterday afternoon. The flight from Dallas was 12 hours and 30 minutes and I can confidently say that in-flight Tetris made it seem much shorter. :)  Upon our arrival, we swiftly made our way to our hotel, haphazardly avoiding the organized chaos of Tokyo rush hour.  My blonde hair and Tivon`s towering height helped us stick together. 

We spent the evening walking around Ikebukuro, which is a non-touristy area located on the main train loop of downtown Tokyo.  Tivon was amazed with the lights, the people and of course THE FOOD!  We ate at a keiten sushi place, which is a restaurant where all different kinds of sushi rotate around on a conveyor belt.  We feasted on some delicious fish, some of which we couldn`t even identify.  Even more, we enjoyed watching the sushi chef prepare the various plates.

It is now 4:30 in the morning and I`ve been up for an hour planning our time here in Tokyo...so much to do and see, so little time!  Tivon is fast asleep and clearly doing a much better job at combating jetlag.  I will write again soon, but hopefully next time it will be at a more reasonable hour.

Tara

Packed and almost ready to go!

With less than 12 hours til our first flight, we are eager and excited to begin our journey.  First destination: Tokyo, Japan!!!