TravelStream™ news feed for member angela_louise on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/angela_louise en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:05:21 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247662738/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247662738/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247662738/tpod.html Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:05:21 -0400 David and Angela's Splendiferous Adventure

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Tokyo, Kanto, Japan

We headed off on the monorail to Tokyo Bay. We passed the docks, which look very futuristic with crazy-shaped buildings and lots of glass. The monorail went out in a loop over the sea to gain height. We headed to the Emerging Science Museum, where we spent the day. We saw a demonstration of ASIMO the robot, who looked so realistic that I thought there was a person inside. We saw other robots that looked like insects, a 3D movie of space, a cartoon depicting the future with a space elevator that takes you up into space, loads of exhibits on the body, a demonstration of superconductivity and a giant sphere covered in screens that shows the global weather patterns for the last 24 hours. It was very interesting, but the highlight was ASIMO. We got to try Japanese curry for lunch too. We headed back to the city to Akihabara, where all the discount electronics shops are. David got very excited at all the anime and manga figures for sale, and bought a Dragonball Z T shirt and earphones. Next we went to Asakusa for a delicious ramen dinner. I wanted to buy some plastic sushi, but by this time all the shops were shut. We headed back to pack our bags.The next day we woke up at 5am and headed to the airport. We had some breakfast there and I finally bought some plastic sushi. David bought a sumo wrestler mouse mat. We said goodbye to Japan and boarded the plane for our 11-hour flight to London. I watched 3 films and took some photos of the icebergs as we flew over the Arctic. We landed at 4.30pm, which was 12.30am to us. We said our goodbyes, feeling very sad about having to be apart after 24 hours a day contact for 11 months. I took the bus to Woking and the train to Havant. My parents got the shock of their lives when I appeared on the doorstep, as we had not told anyone that we were coming home today. After some food I got some much-needed sleep.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247658102/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247658102/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247658102/tpod.html Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:04:47 -0400 David and Angela's Splendiferous Adventure

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Yokohama, Kanto, Japan

We returned to the Imperial Palace gardens, which were open this time. We wandered around. They were leafy and peaceful but there wasn't much there. We continued on to a large shrine complex with the highest gate in Japan before taking the train to Yokohama, which took 30 minutes. There we headed straight to the manic Chinatown, the largest Chinatown in Japan. It was full of Japanese people trying the 'exotic' food and buying souvenir pandas. There were people and patterns of colour and Chinese signs everywhere. It was crazy! We pushed our way through the crowds to a restaurant where we sampled Japanese style Chinese food, totally different to our Chinese food, and the food in China. We had steamed dumplings and steamed buns with prawns and chicken in yummy sauces. After eating we continued walking around Chinatown, visiting a beautiful temple in red and gold with lanterns and dragons on the lampposts. If only temples in China had been like this! We walked down to Yokohama Port where we saw the ships, some street performers and the huge ferris wheel that they have there. Then we headed back to Tokyo. We went to Shibuya, where we walked past Hachiko the dog and the thousands of people attempting to cross the road. We went to the park, where we saw people dressed in 1950s outfits dancing to music. It seems to be a trend to hang out at the park on Sundays dressed in crazy outfits. We saw men in high heels, girls dressed as dolls and people dressed as characters from computer games. After this we walked to Kiddyland, a shop full of crazy Japanese things like plastic figures and robot dogs. Then we went for dinner in a sushi bar. We had had sushi before in Birmingham and it left both of us wondering what all the fuss is about. However this sushi was delicious and full of flavour. The dishes came past on a conveyor belt and we chose all sorts of things like raw salmon, caviar (yum!) and prawns. The best one had a raw egg on it. I finally understood why people go mad over sushi. After admiring the clock, which was made of sushi and eating 11 dishes between us, we went back to play with the i-phones in Shibuya.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247656820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247656820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247656820/tpod.html Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:36:33 -0400 David and Angela's Splendiferous Adventure

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Nikko, Kanto, Japan

We headed for the station in Asakusa and caught the train to Nikko, which took 2 hours. Once we finally left the outskirts of Tokyo, we entered green hills covered in forest. On arrival in Nikko, we walked to the area with all the temples and reached a pretty bridge over a raging river surrounded by hills. We passed a statue and some pretty houses with lots of flowers, walked up a hill covered in pink flowers that looked like snowdrops, and bought our entrance ticket. Our first stop was the Shoyoen garden, which was a typical Japanese garden with carp and little stone bridges over streams. We also looked around the treasury at some pots and paintings before heading on to Sanbutudo, a huge hall with 3 impressive golden Buddhas in it. Our next stop was the stunning Toshogu Shrine, a massive complex of ornately carved buildings painted in bright colours and gold. The carvings were mainly of birds, but we also saw the famous monkeys hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. We went inside two of the halls where we saw beautiful carved and painted ceilings and a room with a dragon painted on the ceiling. When you stand under the dragon and clap it echoes, but only under its head. They say the dragon is roaring. Next we went to Futaarasan Shrine, which was red, more modern and less impressive. Our last stop was Taiyuin Temple, built on 3 levels with some exquisite Chinese-style gates, and halls made of gold. The passageways all had carvings to make it look like they were covered in flowers. I had tempura for lunch in a restaurant with those tables where you sit on the floor, although we sat a table. It was very tasty. Later on we went for a walk along the river to look at some statues all in a row dressed up with red hats and bibs. They were in a peaceful and secluded spot surrounded by trees by the river. After this we headed back to the station. We had to wait a while until our train so we had bento box - a Japanese packed lunch. It is a box with lots of compartments, each filled with something different like rice, vegetables and slices of meat. It was pretty good too. The train back to Tokyo took ages so by the time we got back it was dark. We had dinner in Mos Burger and ate it in the park in Asakusa.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247654127/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247654127/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247654127/tpod.html Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:48:23 -0400 David and Angela's Splendiferous Adventure

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Kyoto, Kinki, Japan

I had green tea ice cream for breakfast, which although bright green, was actually quite nice. We walked back to the pretty wooden streets from Tuesday night so that we could see them in daylight. Sometimes when a door was left open we could see the Japanese gardens inside, or the minimalist rooms. We went further down the streets than last time, stopping to take photos and admire the old-fashioned Japanese-ness of it. We reached Kiyomizu Temple, a bright red building with a painted pagoda and some lovely views of the streets of Kyoto. We walked around the temple, which was made of wood, and looked at the shrines. There was a place where you had to walk with your eyes closed between two stones a few metres apart, and if you made it in one piece, your relationship will last. I made it although I did have a sneaky peek at one point when a group of schoolchildren got in the way. We also went to a lucky waterfall where I collected water in a silver cup and drank it for good luck. Afterwards we walked to the area of Gion, past a bright red temple. There we walked down another street full of exclusive teahouses and secretive wooden houses. This was the Geisha district. There are now very few geisha, and there was no way we were to know which house was a geisha house, so I never expected to see one. But, as we glanced down a narrow side street, on the cobbled stones, there was a geisha walking away from us. She wore a long kimono and wooden shoes. She had flowers and a red thing in her hair. We couldn't see her face, and we didn't think it right to follow her, so I took a zoomed in photo of the back of her. After all this we headed back to the hotel, picked up our bags and caught the train back to Tokyo. At the station I had a delicious lunch of fried octopus balls with a yummy sweet sauce and cheese. I had never had octopus before - it tasted like squid and I could see the suckers on the tentacles. Back in Tokyo we found our new accommodation, a rather gloomy capsule hotel where you enter at one end, making you feel like you're in a coffin. We had some ramen with soft boiled egg (my favourite) for dinner and then went to the district of Shibuya to see the neon lights. They have a six-way road crossing there that must have had 2000 people crossing it at once. Crazy! There were so many neon lights and blaring TV screens that it felt like day even though it was night. We saw the famous dog statue in memory of a loyal dog, and looked around a shop full of electronic items and i-phones. We played on the i-phones until closing, and then went back to our coffins.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247652074/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247652074/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247652074/tpod.html Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:25:57 -0400 David and Angela's Splendiferous Adventure

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Himeji, Kinki, Japan

We took the subway to the very impressive Kyoto station, which is a massive futuristic building made of glass. We took the local train (shinkansen too expensive) to Himeji, which took 2 hours. On the way we went through Osaka and Kobe, although it was difficult to see where one city finished and the next began. For much of it we were by the sea, which was dark and moody looking. We passed the massive Akashi suspension bridge, the largest in the world. It stretched off into the distance to an island just off shore. On arrival in Himeji we walked to the famous castle, which David wanted to visit because Dan Cruikshank had been there. We entered through a massive wooden gate and entered the quarters of Princess Sen, a long wooden tunnel of identical rooms, making it easy to get lost. David said it was like a video game with repeating scenery. We had some great views of the beautiful caslte from the windows. Next we entered the castle itself. From the outside it looked like it had 5 stories, but actually it was 6, connected by very steep wooden staircases. Each floor had windows with wooden bars, thick wooden doors with massive wooden bolts, thousands of hooks to hang weapons and gunpowder, and great views of the grounds and the city. There were holes in the walls to shoot arrows from, throw stones and boiling water from and prevent the castle coming under attack from ninjas. On the top floor was a shrine with a thick rope to hit a gong with, and we could see the fish designs on the roof. We also saw examples of samurai outfits and letters by people who lived in the castle. It was fascinating to see into the strange world of samurai and ninjas. We even saw the place where samurai committed ritual suicide when they had done wrong. The outside of the castle was very pretty, with ornate roof tiles with the family crest on them. Once we had looked around the castle we went for lunch, where I had purple noodles and a weird egg custrad thing with mushrooms. After lunch we went to look around the beautiful gardens. A series of about 8 Japanese-style gardens were all interconnected by gates. They all had trickling streams, little bridges, waterfalls, carp and flowers. It was lovely. After this we bought some sweets with tigers on them and then took the train back to Kyoto. We had dinner in the Japanese fast food chain of Mos Burger, where I had a teriyaki chicken burger. We spent the evening wandering around the trinket shops and looking at the crazy things you can buy like chocolate shaped USB ports, dancing robots, plastic food and mickey mouse earplugs. I bought two tiny women in kimono made of origami. I wished I could buy everything - it's all so pretty!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247325992/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247325992/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247325992/tpod.html Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:38:19 -0400 David and Angela's Splendiferous Adventure

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Kyoto, Kinki, Japan

We awoke at 5am and headed for Tokyo station. We picked up some breakfast which was tempura battered pork in a sandwich and was actually really good. The train was perfectly on time. We boarded the Shinkansen (bullet train), one of the quietest trains ever, and shot off at ridiculous speeds to Kyoto. The train tilted around the corners and we had views of the mountains and rice fields dotted with Japanese-style houses, although it was too cloudy to see Mt Fuji. I fell asleep and woke up to find we were almost in Kyoto. We took the subway, found our hotel and checked in. The hotel was very posh. We wouldn't normally be able to afford it, but we got a good deal when we bought the train ticket. There was no time to lose, so we headed straight into Kyoto. The first place we stopped at was Kinkakuji Temple, which involved a subway ride and a bus. The temple was beautiful. A pavilion made entirely out of gold stood among the trees next to the Mirror Lake, so-called because it reflects the pagoda perfectly. It looked like a perfect Japanese garden. Walking further round we could see turtles and huge carp in the pond. We looked at the beautiful gardens and a shrine, and the temple itself was full of painted screen doors. In the gift shop were some beautiful paintings and silks, and I bought3 tiny bags with Japanese women and gardens on them. We stopped off for lunch where we tried the traditional omelette filled with flavoured rice, all covered in seafood sauce. Next we walked to Ryoanji Temple, which David was very excited about because Dan Cruikshank had been there. We entered by a beautiful lake surrounded by trees, with an ornate bridge connecting the edge to an island in the middle. It was also full of massive carp. We walked through some pretty gardens with moss all over the ground to the temple. It consisted of some wooden corridors and rooms with screens painted with trees, but the main attraction was the zen garden. It was basically some gravel, raked in to perfect lines and surrounded by clay walls, with 15 rocks of varying sizes placed on it. No matter where you stand you can't see all 15 rocks. When you do, you have reached enlightenment. It was very peaceful, but neither of us reached enlightenment. We walked through some pretty gardens full of trees and emerged at the lake again. We caught the bus to Nijo castle. We had to cross a moat and enter the outer wall through an enormous gate. Once we were in we could enter the palace. It was mostly made of wood and had a nightingale floor, which means that it makes chirpy squeaking sounds when you tread on it. This is so you can hear the ninjas coming to get you. The castle was made of huge rooms with wooden floors separated by beautiful painted screens. We could see the original screens from the 17th century. They had birds and trees on them, and some were painted gold. There was also a very intricate carving of birds and animals including and eagle made of one piece of wood. We looked around the garden sand climbed up to the ramparts for some nice views of Kyoto. We next headed for the Gion district, where the geisha live. We walked down some old streets full of wooden houses, shining lanterns and exclusive teahouses. there were also a few shrines and a tower with a bird on it with its wings outstretched. It looked like a scene from Memoirs of a Geisha. We had dinner in a tiny little traditional ramen shop where not a word of English was spoken and the menu was hung on wooden strips on the wall.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247218428/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247218428/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247218428/tpod.html Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:46:03 -0400 David and Angela's Splendiferous Adventure

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Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

We had 12 hours in Sydney before our connecting flight, and as our visas were still valid, we decided to go and explore rather than sit about at the airport. So we went into the city to Circular Quay and walked to the botanical gardens. We saw Government House, which looked like a castle. We couldn't go in but we could see the sparkly chandeliers and gold wallpaper through the windows. We saw hundred of bats hanging from the trees in the gardens. They were very fluffy with long noses. I think they were flying foxes. We walked down to Mrs Macquarie's chair and got great views of the bridge and the Opera House. As it started to get dark we reached the lit-up Opera House and walked to the Rocks, where we sat watching the city lights twinkling in the harbour. Soon it was time to head to the airport. David drank his last bottle of solo, and off we went. We took off just after 10pm, had dinner, watched He's Just Not That Into You, and then slept on the plane.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247157974/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247157974/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247157974/tpod.html Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:45:47 -0400 David and Angela's Splendiferous Adventure

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Arthurs Pass, South Island, New Zealand

After breakfast we set off on a very long scenic drive. I won't describe every view but the scenery was breath-taking. Endless mountains, snow, autumn leaves, alpine lakes with mountain reflections, rivers, trees and rock formations made it one of the most beautiful landscapes we had ever seen. We stopped on the way to look at a few things. The first stop was at the Sylvia Flats hot springs. Here a crystal-clear blue mountain river was running past some natural geothermal pools of sulphurous water bubbling up from the rocks. Due to the cold we could see the steam. The water was pretty hot, especially compared to the freezing stream running past. From here we reached Lewis Pass, a stunning area with high mountains, frozen lakes and snow. We kept stopping to take photos, sometimes going for little walks to frozen lakes and marshes. David of course had to throw ice at the lake to see how frozen it was. We stopped for lunch surrounded by mountains and fir trees, and discussed how much we didn't want to leave New Zealand. Just before Arthur's Pass we stopped at the Otira Viaduct for fabulous views of the steep sides of the pass and the road on the viaduct running through the gorge. There was even a chute used to divert a waterfall away from the road. We admired the view and a few curious kea came to say hello. They jumped on the roof of the car and the side mirrors, slid down the windscreen and tried to eat the wipers. One even removed a piece of plastic from the windscreen wipers. Cheeky! We reached the village of Arthur's Pass and admired the view and the avalanche safety hut, complete with toilets. Out of Arthur's Pass we drove through a valley surrounded by mountains, many of which were reflected in the numerous lakes. We passed some crazy-looking rocks on top of hills, and endless mountains and rivers. The sun began to set and everything went orange. Gradually the mountains became smaller, and the wiggly road became straight. We stopped in Springfield to pose for silly photos beside a giant doughnut from The Simpsons. Sad to leave the beautiful countryside, we drove into Christchurch and checked into the Jailhouse where we stayed before. We had takeaway pizza for dinner and then relaxed.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247154744/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247154744/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247154744/tpod.html Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:50:05 -0400 David and Angela's Splendiferous Adventure

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Picton, South Island, New Zealand

We had a lie in until 8.40 (yay!) and then a man in a van picked us up for our day of wine tasting. We headed out of Picton towards Blenheim in the Marlborough Wine Country. We drove down through the valley surrounded by forest and hills. We stopped at a pretty little vineyard where we tasted a delicious Reisling that had essence of passionfruit and a very gentle pinot noir. I had never had pinot noir before last night and I liked it very much. At this vineyard there was also a little shop selling chutneys, Christmas decorations and photo frames. David and I tried some interesting chutney flavours and bought some mince pies, which tasted more like fruit cake. At the second vineyard I liked the pinot noir, and I liked the cosiness of the building with its roaring log fire. Some yummy smells were coming from the kitchen. The clouds had lifted by now and it was a gorgeous clear autumn day. I took some lovely photos of the vines with the mountains in the distance. We then went to a food tasting place and tried butterscotch shots followed by various oils and salad dressings, including a delicious garlic one. We tried a boysenberry brandy liqueur and tried to ask what a boysenberry was, but the description sounded like a blackberry to me. The lady thought we were crazy not knowing what a boysenberry was. She said to us "Do you know what a raspberry is?" Of course we do! Just not a boysenberry! Anyway the liqueur was delicious so I bought some to take home for my parents. Next we went to a lovely cosy vineyard with a roaring fire and a very fluffy cat. The wines were very good and the lunch was even better. I had chicken and brie pie with cranberry sauce and David had seafood risotto. The cute fluffy cat was lucky enough to try the risotto too (from our fingers) and she loved it. We drove through the valley surrounded by vineyards, mountains and little cottages. It was so pretty and peaceful. The vineyard owners are so lucky that they live here in the countryside. We tried some more nice wines and made friends with an old blind and deaf dog who loved having his chin tickled. Then it was time to go. We left the pretty valleys and headed back to Picton, where we asked about a boat trip for tomorrow and then lay about feeling like we'd had too much wine. We had more chocolate pudding at dinner. I have decided that if I win the lottery I am going to buy a vineyard.The next day we woke up to brilliant sunshine and clear blue sky so we decided to drive Queen Charlotte Drive again because it was misty last time. We drove to Havelock, which David enjoyed on the twisty roads, and then came back slowly, stopping at all the viewpoints. We went for a short walk around the top of a hill to see over Havelock and Pelorus Sound. It was beautiful. We could see for miles over the twinkling blue water and green hills, and the yachts moored in the marina. We continued on, stopping at high up points with views of the whole sound, and beaches where we could see into the clear turquoise water and see the fish. The sand was golden and the boats looked like they were  floating in mid-air because the water was so clear. It was so peaceful and tranquil. We ate our lunch with a gorgeous view of a cove with clear green water and golden sand. As we arrived back at Picton we saw the inter-island ferry come in. We drove down to the docks and bought tickets to ride the mail boat. Basically there is a small population of people who live out on the sounds, cut off from Picton apart from by boat. So every week they get their mail delivered by the mail boat which comes round and drops it off in a grey sack. We rode on this boat and watched as we arrived at jetties with one tiny cottage high in the hills above them and old couples came out to collect their post. One couple rowed out to meet the boat and quite a few had very exited dogs who were given treats by our skipper. It was very quaint. The sounds themselves were beautiful. We cruised across clear blue water with green hills, islands and jagged rocks covered in birds. We went right out to just before the sounds become the Cook Straight and we could see the North Island in the distance. We stopped off for a while at Ship's Cove to have a look at the place where Captain Cook first landed. There was a large white monument there to commemorate it, and 2 cannons. On the way back to Picton we dropped off more post and were followed by the inter-island ferry. It was very cold back in Picton, with an icy wind, and we went to the supermarket to stock up for dinner. After dinner we used the internet to organise our arrival into Fiji.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247154169/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247154169/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/angela_louise/2/1247154169/tpod.html Mon, 20 Jul 2009 05:44:08 -0400 David and Angela's Splendiferous Adventure

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Nelson, South Island, New Zealand

We were given a free breakfast and then we went into town to have a look around Nelson market, which we had been told was quite interesting. It was full of strange cooking ingredients that it would have been great to buy if we had a kitchen, but impractical for us to carry around New Zealand. There were also some stalls selling crafts, jewellery and knitted jumpers. After this we went to the World of Wearable art (W.O.W.!). This was a rather bizarre collection of fancy dress costumes. It was supposed to be art, but some of the designs were ridiculous, with a focus on strange-shaped bras. There was a dress made of china and a bra made of owls (called a 'pair of hooters' ha ha). They also had some classic cars including a Delorian. Edward would have loved it! All in all it was a bit strange and quirky but an interesting way to pass the morning. From here we drove along the winding roads, through Christmas tree forests and over mountains to Havelock. We stopped for lunch there because Havelock is famous for its mussels, so of course we had to try them. We had lunch in the Mussel Pot, a restaurant that served about 10 different mussel sauces. I had blue cheese and David had the classic white wine and garlic. They were delicious! The mussels were so big we were stuffed. To wear off lunch we walked to a viewpoint where we could see out over the sounds. It was very pretty. We drove along Queen Charlotte Drive, along twisty roads, past crystal clear blue water, secluded bays and misty hills, stopping to take pictures. We arrived in Picton as it started to rain and then found a hostel owned by the same people as last night, which meant more free chocolate pudding - yay! I also bought a bottle of local Marlborough pinot noir - delicious!
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