Wednesday, April 19, 2017
We actually got to see mount fugi while on the train. Disney Tokyo was very similar to Disney Anaheim. We stayed late for evening shows but
Monday, April 17, 2017
The Last Leg
I compose as we travel by high speed train back to Tokyo. We will see our 3rd Disney park this trip and head home in 2 more days. We are both ready and I think we would have enjoyed Japan a little more if we were not so fatigued with travel and physically a little better.
Dan cold symptoms became worse so back to the pharmacy. Using google translate he would need to see a MD to get an antibiotic. After thinking over the situation I decided to give him our "gi" antibiotic. This seemed to work and he has been back to his normal baseline coughing. Of course he gave me the pink eye and now I am coughing but as we head back to Tokyo I am doing better
That is the health update now for the trip update. We were almost on the wrong train. Right track right time but we were scheduled for the express not the local. Good thing someone was in the seat as I started to argue. The lady in front looked at my ticket and told us wrong train. It was a lesson in reading the ticket correctly and realizing that Japan has trains leaving for the same place sometimes every 5-10 minutes As we head back to Tokyo we will stop by the hotel we stayed at seems Dan left a pair of shoes. Of course we had to have help calling the hotel since Dan's SIM card you have free calls but everyone thinks you are Japanese and if you get a telephone tree you can listen to the entire message and still can't pick an option so it cuts you off. The good news is they do have the shoes.
We are able to see many of the sites in Hiroshima but found it impossible to get out of the train station of course we had the same problem in Tokyo and Kyoto. All the big stations have several floors and include tracks for train,subways and several different lines including long distance and local, a department store or two, a food court, ticket counters, and other various stores to serve the traveler including fast food.
This train ride we are in the first car and you really have the sensation of speed. The train is the fastest in Japan. On other trips our seats were in a middle car so there was no sensation of speed. If thee were dips and curves it would equal an amusement ride.
I will close this entry and add a few more photos then update you on our hotel in Kyoto and Disney before we head home
Dan cold symptoms became worse so back to the pharmacy. Using google translate he would need to see a MD to get an antibiotic. After thinking over the situation I decided to give him our "gi" antibiotic. This seemed to work and he has been back to his normal baseline coughing. Of course he gave me the pink eye and now I am coughing but as we head back to Tokyo I am doing better
That is the health update now for the trip update. We were almost on the wrong train. Right track right time but we were scheduled for the express not the local. Good thing someone was in the seat as I started to argue. The lady in front looked at my ticket and told us wrong train. It was a lesson in reading the ticket correctly and realizing that Japan has trains leaving for the same place sometimes every 5-10 minutes As we head back to Tokyo we will stop by the hotel we stayed at seems Dan left a pair of shoes. Of course we had to have help calling the hotel since Dan's SIM card you have free calls but everyone thinks you are Japanese and if you get a telephone tree you can listen to the entire message and still can't pick an option so it cuts you off. The good news is they do have the shoes.
We are able to see many of the sites in Hiroshima but found it impossible to get out of the train station of course we had the same problem in Tokyo and Kyoto. All the big stations have several floors and include tracks for train,subways and several different lines including long distance and local, a department store or two, a food court, ticket counters, and other various stores to serve the traveler including fast food.
This train ride we are in the first car and you really have the sensation of speed. The train is the fastest in Japan. On other trips our seats were in a middle car so there was no sensation of speed. If thee were dips and curves it would equal an amusement ride.
I will close this entry and add a few more photos then update you on our hotel in Kyoto and Disney before we head home
Friday, April 14, 2017
On to Japan
As we packed for the last flight before heading home there was a feeling of excitement. This the last time our bag has to be at 44 #. Going home it can be 70#. Yeah. I don't understand how dirty clothes seem to weigh so much more. Our flight gets in at midnight but we are staying at the hotel that is attached to the airport. This is a great idea but you still have to find the entrance. For some reason this is always a challenge for us and entails lots of backtracking and a visit to the information counter. In the morning a leisurely breakfast and back to the airport to get local money and a SIM card for Dan's phone. The room is great and the bathroom is even better. Japan places heated seats in all bathrooms including public places and hotel rooms. Seems the Japanese really like their bathrooms to be decked out. It has a bidet and spray attachment also
We take the monorail and train to transfer to our hotel in the city No problems, the hotel hotel our luggage and we set out on a walk. It is still drizzling but we head to the Gonzalez famous for high end stores and shopping. Good thing I am shopped out. This is the first time I am unhappy with the room I booked. It is clean, close to the train station, but the room is so small there is no where for suitcases and no closet or drawer space to put anything away. We will be here for 4 nights. Well I guess I need to rethink those double beds of China. We don't spend time in the room but it would have been nice to unpack. The hotel is in an office building so reception is on the 15!floor and guest rooms are below. We do have a small view of the top of the Tokyo Tower. I think I would rather have more space
We spend Saturday exploring although our day starts with another trip to the pharmacy. Dan's allergy symptoms are progressing and he developed "pink eye". It becomes a challenge to explain to the pharmacist what type of medication you want for what reason. We come out with something similar to the US medication I was looking for of course like Mexican medicine it has extra ingredients.
We visit 3 gardens. It is amazing to have thousands of people in line to buy tickets to enter the garden. The good news is we were able to find a little space among the masses. We also visited the Imperial Gardens and took a docent lead tour so we had a lot more explanation of what we were seeing. Today I decided to follow up on my Cambodia fall by falling again. This time I landed in the mud. I had no less than 3 "little old ladies". Rush over to help, one even gave me a small washcloth to clean off the mud. I guess the Japanese are all prepared. I did sport some new bruises just when I seemed to get rid of the Cambodia ones
On Sunday it was raining. We took a trip south of Tokyo to a town called Hakone. This would be a great place to explore if it were sunny and warm. This is the closest to Mount Fuji. Of course in the rain and fog you see nothing. We actually went to see the Japanese woodworkers. This is the area that Japanese Magic Boxes are made and sold and the process to create them is found by talking to shopkeepers. This was a great day trip since it was impossible to see any gardens in the rain. Tomorrow we meet a private guide to see more of Tokyo
We take the monorail and train to transfer to our hotel in the city No problems, the hotel hotel our luggage and we set out on a walk. It is still drizzling but we head to the Gonzalez famous for high end stores and shopping. Good thing I am shopped out. This is the first time I am unhappy with the room I booked. It is clean, close to the train station, but the room is so small there is no where for suitcases and no closet or drawer space to put anything away. We will be here for 4 nights. Well I guess I need to rethink those double beds of China. We don't spend time in the room but it would have been nice to unpack. The hotel is in an office building so reception is on the 15!floor and guest rooms are below. We do have a small view of the top of the Tokyo Tower. I think I would rather have more space
We spend Saturday exploring although our day starts with another trip to the pharmacy. Dan's allergy symptoms are progressing and he developed "pink eye". It becomes a challenge to explain to the pharmacist what type of medication you want for what reason. We come out with something similar to the US medication I was looking for of course like Mexican medicine it has extra ingredients.
We visit 3 gardens. It is amazing to have thousands of people in line to buy tickets to enter the garden. The good news is we were able to find a little space among the masses. We also visited the Imperial Gardens and took a docent lead tour so we had a lot more explanation of what we were seeing. Today I decided to follow up on my Cambodia fall by falling again. This time I landed in the mud. I had no less than 3 "little old ladies". Rush over to help, one even gave me a small washcloth to clean off the mud. I guess the Japanese are all prepared. I did sport some new bruises just when I seemed to get rid of the Cambodia ones
On Sunday it was raining. We took a trip south of Tokyo to a town called Hakone. This would be a great place to explore if it were sunny and warm. This is the closest to Mount Fuji. Of course in the rain and fog you see nothing. We actually went to see the Japanese woodworkers. This is the area that Japanese Magic Boxes are made and sold and the process to create them is found by talking to shopkeepers. This was a great day trip since it was impossible to see any gardens in the rain. Tomorrow we meet a private guide to see more of Tokyo
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
China in a Nutshell
So far I gave you the travel log usually in photos. Now my thoughts and opinions although I stress the word my. China is still a closed government. There continues to be a lot of censorship from news reports, internet freedom, and social strata. The poor continue to be poorer while the wealthy have the power. This isn't going to change anytime soon. Famine and the use of "food coupons " existed into 90's. The 1 child rule has created a gap and there will not be enough wage earners to support the elderly. Farming is nonexistent and if China isn't able to continue to buy food from abroad the famine can return. Exporting goods is high because costs are contained with the low wages and workers taking low paying jobs. Education of the youth is a mixed bag as I discussed before with tuition required and low salaries for teachers. Enough with the social system
Air pollution is horrendous in all the cities we visited. The air was marginally clear after a rain and near the 3 gorges dam project since they stopped using coal for energy. They control problems by levying a tax as with automobiles. It is almost 100% higher due to taxes although there are no emissions requirements. The roads we were on were well maintained and landscaped with lots of green and flowering plants. This may be due to the Chinese worshiping of nature. The streets were all clean and paved. Not lined with trash. Most of the construction has taken place in the last 20-25 years. Old monuments shrines and temples have been rebuilt due to damage over the 100's of years from their original building
Food: the food we had was controlled by the tour company. After 1 week Dan was sure he was swearing off Chinese food. Food is served "family style" on a lazy Susan. There are so many courses it is like a buffet only it is impossible to identify anything. Lots of fried food, always Tofu and eggplant, usually mixed greens broccoli or cabbage, a fish sometimes in a gravy or sweet and sour sauce, chicken,pork, and beef. Soup is at the end of the meal along with rice. Dessert is fresh fruit. Salad is eaten for breakfast and they are big on 1000island dressing or a vinegarette. Our breakfast was a western style with eggs yogurt toast breads danish (done poorly) cereal etc. on the river cruise there was an effort to serve more western dishes, we had spaghetti (which is Chinese noodles with tomato sauce) no spices, pizza, and hamburger. The Chinese also like French fries but potatoes are not served a whole lot. At meals one glass of beverage is included. This meals beer, water, coke, or sprite. There is no Diet Coke or coke light in China (it is hard to find not sold even in grocery stores). The beer is a 3-4% alcohol content. I was drinking regular coke and right now would kill for a real Diet Coke. 9 weeks without did not break the habit. In China you can occasionally find a Coke Zero and that is the same with Japan. No we didn't lose any weight food actually has more calories and real Coke is even more.
Bathrooms: avoided squat toilets all 22 days in China. The problem becomes when the locals attempt to squat while using a western style toilet. Yes urine is all over everything the seat floor etc. the most important rule to remember is always have paper or you will be drip drying more than just your hands after washing. As far as bathrooms. I think I did the bladder retraining only on the way to the airport did I learn about a product called "go girl". Look it up on amazon. It even comes with an extension. Things did improve in Hong Kong. While on the bathroom subject. The Chinese put all the money into hotel bathrooms. They were beautiful. Nice showers and fixtures even with bidets. Overall the hotel rooms were good, Dan was tired of twin beds and we have to assume this was done as part of the tour package.
Purchases. Everything in China is negotiable. The term never pay full price is for real. Even in upscale dress shops. It never hurts to ask but then you have to buy. Lots of night markets in every town where you can find anything. The other thing is amazing is stores with the same merchandise will be next to each other on the street. So if you wanted a bridal dress there are 6-8 shops in a row selling them It would make an easy cost comparison shopping. The other thing the Chinese do is spend thousands of $$ on weddings photographs. They take ten in all types of landscapes venues complete with photographer lighting person and even changing clothes during the session. It seems if there is no photograph it is a questionable marriage
I think that concludes the China diatribe. I will probably remember more later.
Air pollution is horrendous in all the cities we visited. The air was marginally clear after a rain and near the 3 gorges dam project since they stopped using coal for energy. They control problems by levying a tax as with automobiles. It is almost 100% higher due to taxes although there are no emissions requirements. The roads we were on were well maintained and landscaped with lots of green and flowering plants. This may be due to the Chinese worshiping of nature. The streets were all clean and paved. Not lined with trash. Most of the construction has taken place in the last 20-25 years. Old monuments shrines and temples have been rebuilt due to damage over the 100's of years from their original building
Food: the food we had was controlled by the tour company. After 1 week Dan was sure he was swearing off Chinese food. Food is served "family style" on a lazy Susan. There are so many courses it is like a buffet only it is impossible to identify anything. Lots of fried food, always Tofu and eggplant, usually mixed greens broccoli or cabbage, a fish sometimes in a gravy or sweet and sour sauce, chicken,pork, and beef. Soup is at the end of the meal along with rice. Dessert is fresh fruit. Salad is eaten for breakfast and they are big on 1000island dressing or a vinegarette. Our breakfast was a western style with eggs yogurt toast breads danish (done poorly) cereal etc. on the river cruise there was an effort to serve more western dishes, we had spaghetti (which is Chinese noodles with tomato sauce) no spices, pizza, and hamburger. The Chinese also like French fries but potatoes are not served a whole lot. At meals one glass of beverage is included. This meals beer, water, coke, or sprite. There is no Diet Coke or coke light in China (it is hard to find not sold even in grocery stores). The beer is a 3-4% alcohol content. I was drinking regular coke and right now would kill for a real Diet Coke. 9 weeks without did not break the habit. In China you can occasionally find a Coke Zero and that is the same with Japan. No we didn't lose any weight food actually has more calories and real Coke is even more.
Bathrooms: avoided squat toilets all 22 days in China. The problem becomes when the locals attempt to squat while using a western style toilet. Yes urine is all over everything the seat floor etc. the most important rule to remember is always have paper or you will be drip drying more than just your hands after washing. As far as bathrooms. I think I did the bladder retraining only on the way to the airport did I learn about a product called "go girl". Look it up on amazon. It even comes with an extension. Things did improve in Hong Kong. While on the bathroom subject. The Chinese put all the money into hotel bathrooms. They were beautiful. Nice showers and fixtures even with bidets. Overall the hotel rooms were good, Dan was tired of twin beds and we have to assume this was done as part of the tour package.
Purchases. Everything in China is negotiable. The term never pay full price is for real. Even in upscale dress shops. It never hurts to ask but then you have to buy. Lots of night markets in every town where you can find anything. The other thing is amazing is stores with the same merchandise will be next to each other on the street. So if you wanted a bridal dress there are 6-8 shops in a row selling them It would make an easy cost comparison shopping. The other thing the Chinese do is spend thousands of $$ on weddings photographs. They take ten in all types of landscapes venues complete with photographer lighting person and even changing clothes during the session. It seems if there is no photograph it is a questionable marriage
I think that concludes the China diatribe. I will probably remember more later.
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)