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Welcome to my travel log! You will find here a lot more than in the travel reports, stripped from political correctness. Enjoy! 
Jun 05, 2004 02:00 PM Japan - Tokyo, the second day
I liked the Imperial Park the most I think, because somehow it did not feel like it was located in a gigantic city. It was calm and away from heavy traffic. The area was clean, and the vegetation very well maintained. I guess they all should be since the palace remains the Emperor’s home until this day. No tourists are therefore allowed in the palace and the Emperor opens his doors only for very special occasions.
The buildings around the park were square like in Chicago. I would not be able to tell that this was Tokyo rather than Chicago if someone showed me a picture of this part of the city only. Well, never mind!
Ginza was said to be the best place to acquire, or at least see, the newest Japanese technological, usually electronic, gizmos. I was contemplating an idea of maybe buying another camera like the Nikon D70, for quick weekend-long escapades, since this model is nice and compact and it is not as heavy as my monstrous FujiFilm.
I had a look around, and concluded that there was no point of buying a Japanese camera in Japan since it is almost 100% more expensive than it is in the US or 50% more expensive than in the UK. Put off by this fact, I even stopped looking at shops of any sort apart from this one particular music store and a few souvenir booths.
Ginza is an interesting part of Tokyo. It boasts an incredible number of shops, department stores, theatres, and … neons. To my reckoning, there are two main arteries, which cross there and along which the shops are lined up. There are also side streets, and I spotted this little Eros statue hunting for someone there...
Uh, I also wanted to say that the Tokyoites are exceptionally well dressed. First, I noticed that the guy at the Hilton reception wore a really good suit. Really good! I am not sure if I have ever seen a guy dressed so well. Then, in the streets around Ginza, I saw other people, both men and women, dressed exquisitely – on a weekend, so it was not a corporate dress code.
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Jun 04, 2004 02:00 PM Japan - Tokyo, my debut
Hmm… I am still not exactly sure what to think about Tokyo, other than big.
I came to Tokyo only to change planes on my route from Singapore to Los Angeles, without realising that it was at time already possible to fly directly on the new Airbus A345 (A340-500). I arrived in Tokyo, although no entirely, but rather completely unprepared. To prepare myself, I printed the two fascinating descriptions of places to visit in Tokyo from lonelyplanet.com. By the way, I did exactly the same for Singapore…
The thing about Japan is that first time visitors should never go Tokyo. There are allegedly other places on the Japanese islands, which are more appealing, like Kyoto, Nara, Nikko, Yakushima or Shirakawa-go and Gokoyama. Unfortunately, there are not in a direct vicinity of Tokyo. At the other hand, Japan is really famous for their hyper-speed bullet trains, so getting anywhere should not be too hard or taking too much time. Well, maybe next time, if there is going to be one.
There I was in Tokyo, the largest city on this planet with an approximate population of thirty million. It is like putting four Moscows or Londons together. That is a seriously respectable size. I was staying the governmental district, at the quite tall Hilton Tokyo, and from its top I could not see an end of the city.
Fortunately, it is not too bad of a city and there are few interesting sights that are worth a few megabits of space on a memory card. Had I written this story right away after I came back from the trip, I would have remembered their names. Now, I do not.
I do remember however a few interesting facts about Tokyo.
The first one is that slurping is necessary while eating. Japanese cuisine provides plenty of opportunities to practice slurping, through, for example, udon soups. Dining, by the way, is very expensive and one has to know where to go for a good value meal. Eateries are not terribly obvious and sometimes it is hard to find them. Furthermore, they do not open all day, and one Saturday afternoon I spent hours (and kilometres) on finding a place to sit down and have a drink with a snack. I eventually found a German kneipe tucked away in one of the side streets by the railway.
The most famous Japanese food is sushi, of course. Naturally, having sushi in Tokyo is the right idea to come up with on the very first visit to this country. Again, however, finding a sushi restaurant that would let you pick your sushi is not too easy for a visitor, who has never been to Tokyo, and who does not speak Japanese. In one of the restaurants, they did have sushi, but they did not let you choose what you want. Sushi was coming in a pre-configured sets.
If you think you can try to negotiate that perhaps you could choose for yourself or order something slightly different from what it is stated on the menu, you could not be more wrong! The Japanese get confused to death if you try doing something that does not fit their patterns. That is why it is much easier to find another restaurant than to negotiate something different out of the menu.
Notwithstanding the aforementioned, the Japanese are extremely polite and very courteous. They bow respectfully, sometimes several times and in shops, the shop assistants hand things with both hands, even the credit card after processing the payment.
On Saturday morning, I had to travel from one part of the city to another, and I had absolutely no idea where I was. I picked up a small map from the hotel, but it was not very helpful as far as finding a metro station was concerned. There I was standing on the street trying to decipher a map on a bus stop. A man on a bicycle stopped and asked me if he could help. I explained what I needed and he said he would show me the way. A few seconds later he started speaking something in Japanese to an elderly woman passing by, who then took my hand and led me to the metro station I wanted to go to. She travelled with me for a few stops, then bowed and disappeared in the crowd leaving the train.
Tokyo Metro, by the way, is really easy to use. Directions are well placed and in both Japanese and Latin letters, and on every train I was, there was a plan of the line and little red diodes were indicating where exactly the train was at the moment.
Life could not be so easy, though and there is a complication to this sophisticated and large metro system. The complication is nasty because it is regarding the tickets. Many lines have their own ticketing systems, and just because you have already bought your ticket from A to B, it does not automatically mean that it will remain valid if you change the line you are travelling on to the point of your destination. Certain lines use the same ticketing but there are some, for which an additional ticket is needed.
For a thirty million city, metro is not particularly overcrowded, but I must admit I was there on a weekend, and that might have been the difference.
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Jun 03, 2004 02:00 PM Singapore - Little India, Chinatown, Santosa Island
For visitors to Singapore, it is recommended that they visit few sights: Little India, Chinatown and Santosa Island.
Little India is a district where Hindu people live, who most likely arrived from India. The architecture is special and several examples of Hindu temples create particular atmosphere. The district is not too big and Little India’s attractions do not extend over just a couple of streets.
Chinatown is similar, although it is slightly larger and there are a little bunch of streets and lanes to explore. I liked the area, but I was disappointed with the range and quality of restaurants.
There is a single street that links the Hindu and the Chinese cultures in Singapore. It is the Waterloo street. It runs from Little India towards the legendary Raffles Hotel. The hotel is famous for its standard, which has become a synonym for luxury. Singapore Airlines named one of their upper class cabins – Ruffles Class.
Waterloo Street boasts several temples and shrines, both Chinese and Hindu, like the Sri-Krishnan temple for example.
Santosa Island is Singapore’s largest single tourist attraction. It is taken so seriously that the government invested in a over-touristy circular monorail train, which takes people around this minute isle. The trip takes some 45 minutes and, as one of my fellow travellers described it, it is rather hypnotic, barely staying awake for the duration of the ride. The islands itself has few attraction, the main of which are the beach and a giant monument of the Merlion.
Furthermore, a cable car from the main Singapore Island to Santosa was constructed to take the masses of the shopping tourist over the busy city arteries, office buildings (even through them) and the terribly ugly harbour.
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Jun 02, 2004 02:00 PM Singapore - Merlion phenomenon
The Merlion is Singapore’s specific peculiarity. It is a half-lion-half-fish creature, which is now also a symbol for Singapore. It has its roots in history, The Merlion commemorates the ancient name and the legend taken from the 'Malay Annals' (literary and historical work from the 15. century explaining how Singapore received its present name.
In ancient times, Singapore was known as Temasek, which is Javanese for the sea. It was then, as it is today, a centre of trade. At the end of the 4 century, Temasek was destroyed by the Siamese, according to some historians, but by the Javanese according to others. As recorded in the legend in the Malay Annals,' Prince Nila
Utrama of the Sri Vijaya empire rediscovered the island later in the 11. century. On seeing a strange beast, which he later learnt that was a lion, upon his landing he named the island Singapura, which is a Sanskirt word for Lion (Singa) City (Pura).
The Merlion, with its fish-like body riding the waves of the sea, is symbolic of the ancient city of Temasek. At the same time, its majestic head recalls the legend of the discovery of Singapore by Prince Nila Utama in the 11 century, when Singapore received its present name.
It is all fascinating, but still rather weird, and so is the cult of it as well as the erecting of numerous monuments of it in various sizes across this tiny country.
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Jun 01, 2004 02:00 PM Singapore - The Buddha Day...
Unfortunately, apart from gigantic shopping malls and department stores in their great number and variety, there is nothing else in Singapore. Oh, before I forget, though Singapore is also the second largest port on this planet, right after Barcelona. Yes, it used to be Rotterdam of the Netherlands right on the highest podium, but now it has be contented being the number three. But who wants to visit a gargantuan industrial harbour?
There is also one thing – the food. Food in Singapore is not from this planet, it is so delicious I mean. The city is now a living legend because of the range and quality of foods served there. This tiny country has actually developed its own typical cuisine, which is a mixture of the cooking from China, India, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines gently blended with many European flavours.
I was so fortunate to eat at the greatest seafood restaurant in the known dimensions of this universe. It is called ‘No Signboard Seafood Restaurant’. It is located near the newly constructed expressway (possibly Ayer Rajah Expressway) close to Alexandra Road. They are serving amazing red (and white) garupa fish steamed to perfection according to a Hong Kong recipe. I grew up at the seaside and have had stupid number of fish dishes, but that red garupa was heaven! It was so tender, that there are no words to describe it. The restaurant also specialises in the Singaporean seafood dishes, such as chilli and pepper crab and mussels as well as drunken prawn. In addition to that, the chef knows a fabulous way to prepare fresh mango. It I served on ice and it simply melts like sugar on your tongue. It is inconceivable!
There are uncountable food courts around the city serving many different types of dishes from the wide range of world cuisines, mainly Asian. There is one trick with those, there are no napkins, serviettes or tissues available. So, if you set up yourself with a Japanese style udon soup then you are made!
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May 31, 2004 02:00 PM Singapore - Singapore City, my debut
This city-size country did not particularly impress me. Well, let me rephrase that. It did not meet my expectations. What I found in Singapore was a big shopping mall. There was not really much more to it. Nevertheless there are specific elements of the city and its atmosphere that are remarkable.
Singapore is very possibly the most orderly city on this planet or even in the entire Milky Way Galaxy. Everything has its place and any activity leading for it not to be there is deemed illegal.
It is the most punishing city for non-compliance with even the most insignificant laws! Singapore is paranoid for threatening people with all sorts of fines and penalties. When a driver parks the car in a pay-and-display parking lot, the first message on the ticket machine shouts in big bold letters what penalties for not paying for the parking are. This is awful.
There is a fine or penalty for absolutely everything in Singapore; for spitting on the street, for gum chewing, for being intoxicated in public areas, for walking on the grass, etc. apart from that, there are hefty fines for speeding or driving too slowly causing traffic jam. In fact, based on an incredibly strict traffic policy and the regulations on the number of cars in the country and vehicle licensing, there are no traffic jams in Singapore. This makes Singapore the only metropolis in the world without traffic jams.
When Ken Livingstone was introducing a congestion charge for driving in central London in 2003, people were speculating that it would never work. They obviously did not know that similar scheme had been in place in Singapore for years, regulating the magnitude of traffic in the city with an extreme success. Furthermore, the congestion charge in Singapore is not constant and it can be changing on a daily basis, depending on the current levels of the vehicle congestion.
The crack down on spitting and littering, including delegalisation of chewing gum, made the city mega-clean. It turns it into a very pleasant and hygienic place. It makes people feel like it is in fact the 21. century, in which maintaining high level of hygiene in the streets of a large city is actually quite possible.
Singapore is also super-safe as a result of all those rules and prohibited activity, and the fact that people do comply with the laws. I am not sure whether this the effect of the threat of incredibly expensive fines and penalties, or possibly some other factors.
Exceptionally lush vegetation all over the city surprised me. That was actually very nice. The city is very green and the greenery is dense. The whole thing is like a massive park, or in fact a piece of a jungle, where humans, with a miracle, managed to build this modern city. I actually loved because the trees gave a lot of shade and the punishing sun had difficulty in getting through the branches and leaves.
Humidity levels, however, were almost killing me. One could not take a walk during the day or night without sweating like some fur animal. It was like swimming in the air. Well, I actually did not mind that because I like the tropical climate, and the trick is to make sure one dresses adequately to weather.
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May 30, 2004 02:00 PM Australia - Sydney, my last day
On Monday, before my flight to Singapore, I wanted to go back to the centre and explore a little more. I knew I needed to take the ferry. The trip from Manly to the Circular Quay takes exactly 30 minutes and the views from the boat as it approaches the harbour are simply the best. Many people, already in England, strongly advised me to take this trip, including those, who were the Bondi lovers.
The views were truly great and although it was rather cold and windy at the deck, I lingered there for the duration of the trip. This is what it takes to take ‘a perfect picture’. Not that I want to claim I took one, but I was sharking for ‘the’ view of Sydney, including the TV tower, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.
In the town, I had several hours. Firstly, I decided to look for a nice breakfast place. I had got several recommendations from many acquaintances but I forgot to take my notes with me, so I was working from memory and a little map I picked up on the airport as I landed from Frankfurt.
I ended up on a central pedestrians-only street running through the middle of the business district. There were many different breakfast places along the street but I could not find the one I would like. Eventually I went into a café in a basement, which served traditional Australian breakfast. That could not be too wrong, I thought, and indeed I did enjoy it.
Then, I decided to follow the skylight monorail train around the downtown. The train and the stations, hanging onto the buildings, looked great. The first public transport system that actually looked like it was designed for the 21. century. I think it was actually built for the Olympic Games, which Sydney hosted in 2000.
I found the city very well organised and very clean, but also very empty. There was hardly anybody in the streets and it was Monday morning, so I expected to see some business people attending their offices, actually doing some work. It was strange.
As I wandered back to the Circular Quay to catch my ferry back to Manly, I had a great laugh at one of the street signs. It is, I think, intended to designate the pedestrian crossing. It shows two legs on a yellow background. At the first sight, I had to pause and restart my brain to allow it to compute how someone could have come up with the idea to illustrate the pedestrian crossing in his way. I love those little differences between Europe and Australia.
On my way back to Manly, I stopped for a little while at the beach, to say ‘see you later’. As I was walking along the waterfront, I saw that many people take their lunch break on the beach. They would play beach ball or volleyball, take a swim, surf on boards or simply chill out on the sand. This is quality life! I was actually wondering if I could ever do that, as kind of weather would distract me the whole year round, I would not be able to do any work. With beaches, their facilities, relaxed people (practically horizontal) and sunshine, it feels like you are constantly on holiday.
Although I had my doubts about my ability to acclimatise to these circumstances, I began seriously considering moving to Sydney, at least for several years.
The Australian government still exercises the famous point system to attract people to move to Australia in order to fill many skill gaps in the nation’s workforce. Maybe I should just work on my will and make some moves to apply for relevant papers…
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May 29, 2004 02:00 PM Australia - Sydney, the second day
I was in Sydney in the middle of the winter and the daily temperature was still reaching 25C. At night, it was dropping to the wicked 15C or even less!
I was taken to a birthday party that Saturday night. This way, I met many people in one go. The party was organised in a restaurant in Manly, which was one of the BYOB (bring your own bottle) places. Many restaurants practice this idea and it suits the Ozzies immensely, who save a lot of money buying their wine in regular liquor shops at normal prices.
So, my friend and I also brought a bottle, but it quickly became clear that we did not have enough for the entire table, so we simply popped out to the wine shop and bought a whole crate of wine, red and white. I loved it because for the price the entire crate cost I could only afford a single bottle back in London. This again proves what a rip-off place London is.
From the restaurant, we obviously went to check out the numerous nightclubs in Manly.
The first one we went in was almost directly on the beach. It was packed with very funny people but disappointedly it closed at midnight. I could not believe that something would actually close so early on a Saturday night in Sydney. I was thwarted but my friends said not to worry because there were loads of other places we could and rather should go to.
We stood in a queue to one of the clubs but quickly got impatient and went to check some other place. It was a large club with a few bars and a decent size dance floor. It was immensely packed and the music was simply great.
Whenever I was at the bar ordering another round of vodka-Red Bull, which was rather often, I was chatting to the below average looking bartenderesses, who had absolutely no idea who those people on their banknotes were. I found it quite amusing actually but I am not sure they did as well. Well, at that moment I did not care that much anyway.
I amazed many that I could not survive so long after having just spent 24 hours on travelling from the other size of our planet. I was surprised as well, as I have not done such thing before and I did have bad jetlags in the past. It was, at least I thought it was, 2 o’clock in the morning when my friend and I left the clubs and spend at least half an hour trying to find a taxi to take us home. That was a challenge, but eventually we found one and I almost performed a miracle guiding the driver which way to go.
When I woke up at 9:30 am, I felt like nothing had happened the night before. Later we were told that we definitely left the club later than 3 am. I am not going to argue this one, but I do remember looking at my watch when I struggled to find a cab. Well, I guess it is possible that my watch was set to a wrong time zone.
Sunday was a sightseeing day for me. My friend went for a beauty treatment with her mate, and I embarked on discovering Sydney’s downtown.
I wanted to climb the Harbour Bridge, but I did not realised that this activity must be booked well in advance. There was no room for me on that day. Instead, I went on a walk across the bridge and on the way back I picked up a ferry to the Circular Quay.
Circular Quay was hosting an open-air painting workshop. Many artists from around country and abroad came with their palettes and canvases to compete on a subject of the day – Sydney’s Circular Quay. Some of the work was really good and revolutionary, particularly those that did not rigidly stick to the subject. Some of the others were rather mediocre, but I understand the competition was open and simply anyone was welcome to enter, and many amateurs must have done.
The sun was going down and the street lanterns and restaurants’ windows kept reflecting the majestic shape of the Sydney Opera House. Its roof was changing colour as the sunrays kept hitting it at a different angle as the evening progressed. At some point, the shadow of the Harbour Bridge found some room on a couple of the roof segments. The architect, who created the shape of the Opera House, contrary to the common belief, was not inspired by sails but by segments of a mandarin.
Instead of taking the advantage of perfect light for taking pictures I waited for the sunset to progress, hoping I could see the opera’s roof turn orange, but it did not and the segments insistently kept resembling sails rather than the mandarins. And I never went to the point on the coastline that provides the perfect view of both the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge!
Well, I took similar shots of the view from the Manly ferry next morning.
Baring in mind that I might want to move to Sydney one day, I browsed through the area taking notice of interesting properties. There are some great places on the both sides of the harbour. Unfortunately, those by the water were not cheap however seriously attractive.
Later, reunited with my friend, I was taken to a hill with a view over the Sydney’s downtown skyline. It was a classic spot with a parking lot, perfect for romantic moments in a car with a view. I am saying it was classic, because I actually witnessed that at least one couple was taking advantage of its attractiveness, or should I say one of them taking advantage of the other’s romantic sensitivity.
I was taken to spot for a different reason though – to take a picture of the skyline in the night. I did try but it did not turn too well, because I could not focus properly. The city was too far, I did not have adequate lens and not even a tripod, which in such circumstances is a must. I used the bonnet of the car, but it did not really do the trick. Too bad, I guess I will have to go back thee one day, or one evening really, and take a proper photograph.
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May 28, 2004 02:00 PM Australia - Sydney, my debut
I am now officially in love with Sydney. It is a perfect city. The downtown is clean and extremely well organised with hyper-modern transport system, which other large metropolises can only strive to achieve, elegant architecture and beaches. I can also spend several pages praising the climate!
I heard one US citizen describing Sydney as an American city with accent. I could not disagree more with statements of this kind. What is this supposed to mean anyway? What is an American city like? How can anyone compare San Diego, Houston, Chicago, Boston or New York? They are all very different from one another!
If I did have to compare Sydney to any other city I visited, I would have to pick San Diego in fact. This is because I have not been to many large cities on this planet. I choose San Diego, because it enjoys similar climate, it is compact and has some wonderful beaches as well. Well, never mind.
There was a specific element I loved about Sydney – it was the people. I have to say that for a large city like that, I was astonished with the number of very friendly people. One cannot say the same about Paris and definitely not about London or New York, where the vast majority of the population are selfish and backstabbing bastards. In Sydney, from the very first handshake, it is clear that people are genuinely friendly.
Normally, I should have not gone to Sydney, because it is too far to go only for a weekend. Australia should be properly visited for at least four weeks at a time. I did go to Sydney to visit a friend of mine, whom I had not seen for years. I think that was a very good reason.
I flew to Sydney from Frankfurt am Main, Germany via Bangkok with Thai Airways, although I wanted to fly with Singapore Airlines. I had a provisional booking for Singapore Airlines, but my travel agent messed things up with my round-the-world ticket and I had to go via Bangkok rather than via Singapore. Well, it did not matter that much for me because I was travelling in business class and both airlines would have delivered me to Sydney at the same time. I did have a go at my travel agent anyway.
I landed in Sydney on Saturday at 6 o’clock in the morning, and my friend picked me up from the airport. I thought I would be very tired after this 24-hour journey, but I managed to trick my body clock. I did that before, so I knew I what to do to survive such a time difference.
My trip from Frankfurt to Bangkok was a night flight taking 11 hours, and the 9-hour leg from Bangkok to Sydney was also a night flight. So, I decided to keep awake for the duration of the first flight and then, obviously very tired, go to sleep on the second flight.
I watched three films on the Thai flight and many soft drinks as well as pretty cabin service kept me awake quite easily. I have to say, however that I was knackered (quick dictionary reference for folks from the New World; knackered means exhausted, very tired) and slept like a baby on the other flight, which was actually showing the same repertoire.
So, when I landed I felt quite fresh and ready to go on and on and on. It was a very good move, because, as I might have realised by then, I was going to party all night long. And I mean all night long!
However, firstly I was whizzed from the airport to my friend’s house to have a shower and get ready to go on a ride to a national park nearby.
My friend and I were hoping to see kangaroo hopping in the park. They are known to show themselves in the area quite frequently. I did not have much luck though and I could not see any.
That was the National Park of Ku-Ring-Gai Chase, some 15 kilometres north of Sydney. The park gives great views towards the Palm Beach and Broken Bay. It also boasts great walking trails in the bushland, some of which lead to several sites of Aboriginal Rock Engravings.
Palm Beach is an area of luxurious housing, occupied by celebrities and obscenely rich people. Broken Bay would provide excellent swimming but it in fact it does not due to sharks.
On the way to the park and back I learnt several rules of Sydney. One of them is to hate either Manly or Bondi. If you live in Manly, you do not go to Bondi and vice versa. This is a golden rule and there is currently no need to seek origins of it. You are just expected to comply. That’s it.
Manly, near which I was staying, is a pleasant place with many bars and restaurants and wonderful beach fringed with shade giving trees. Some of the bars, right on the beachfront street have terraces, which are splendid for people watching and beach life contemplation. I must say, that although I might have been influenced by my friend, I believe that Manly has a specific character, which makes me long for Sydney and possibly want to move there.
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Jan 10, 2004 07:00 PM Indochina - Flying out; the last word
Vietnam
Although Vietnam enjoys a free market economy, the politics are well socialistic or even communistic. There is only one party. The candidates for the parliament and the government are pre-selected by the party and everyone must vote. I heard that the officials would bring the box to your house if you do not show up.
The red tape is all over the place, and people don't get any chance to visit foreign countries. Satellite television is not allowed so people cannot see how the rest of the world lives. National television shows only pre-selected snap shots from the West, like crime, bomb attacks, demonstrations and strikes. Internet, on the other had, is widely available – almost everywhere, and this therefore looks like a time bomb waiting to go off – anytime soon, which may kill socialism in Vietnam.
Thailand
I loved Ayutthaya, but I do not think I will include it in the itinerary of my next trip to Thailand.
There will most definitely be Bangkok in the plan, so I can see it at more leisured pace, and party more as well.
There should also be the site of the other historical capital city of Siam – Sukhothai, as well as the Si Satchanalai-Chaliang Historical Park. I should also visit some wildlife natural park and absolutely necessarily the islands around Phuket.
This Indochina trip was a good one. This was my first trip to the Far East and I was genuinely impressed. The architecture and historical sites threw me on my knees and my jaw dropped several times. I cannot wait until my next holiday in the region. Particularly, as I plan to come back to Thailand and possibly even Laos. And Myanmar is on my list!
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