Tokyo

Tokyo is really awesome. The walking pace really increased and to the highest at the Shibuya crossing o.O Lots of shopping to be done and lots of place to go :D 

In Shinjuku, there is a street where budding singers perform and sing. Most of the shoppers just walked past not paying any attention to them,  but the singers were persistent and continued to sing hoping some day they will make it big. In some of their eyes u can see the unrelenting persistence..

In all of them lies a dream and they have the courage to pursue it.

Yokohama

Yokohama is famous for the Chinatown as well as the ferris wheel. Be sure to try the Gyoza which was awesome! Much better than the ones I had in Tokyo. If you want to drink beer, try the All Malt Beer below. It is one of the best! 

Yokohama is a happy place because they have Happy Lawson!!! :D

Once in Yokohama,  the walking pace of the people is getting faster, much faster than those in Izu and Hakone. There's Ippudo in the shopping mall near the station at I must say it is better than the Ippudo in Singapore haha. Oh and there's Ichiran too! :D

Izu and Shimoda

From Hakone, we went to Izu and Shimoda. JR line again. As Izu and Shimoda are not cities, not many people can speak English. 

What do u do when u enter the izakaya with no English menu?

Just order - Yakitori... u will never go wrong..

The waitress was very friendly and spoke to us using sign languages.

She recommended chicken wings and grilled beef tongue.. just imagine how this was communicated using sign languages... 

Izu is very beautiful and food is very delicious ahhh..

At the Izu Kogen station, you can get to soak your feet at the public hot spring. I think it is interesting. 

Be sure to enjoy the hot spring if you come here  :)

Hakone fun 6-8 April

Hakone is a beautiful place - especially during the Cherry Blossoms season. We were lucky to see the cherry blossoms - of different species. Everywhere were so beautiful, even the cat looks cuter than those in Singapore (ok maybe I'm a little bias). 

We took Cathay from Sg to Haneda airport. We chose to land at Haneda because it is nearer to Tokyo (save traveling time :) ), and then we took the JR Line to Hakone-Yumoto Station. We bought the 3-days Hakone free-pass at the Odawara station for 4500 Yen. 

You can go here for ticket information.

Places to visit

1) Owakudani (大涌谷) - an active volcanic valley, to eat the black eggs. It comes in a pack of five. Legend has it that eating one of them will prolong one's live for 7 years. I ate two and a half of them. Too much cholesterol for the day  >.<

2) Lake Ashi - actually it is just a lake but it is featured in every guidebook about Hakone

3) Gotemba - for factory outlet shopping.. Not really fantastic.. only the view of Mount Fuji is freat!

4) Hot spring - for the brave ones. But some Ryokans allow you to lock the doors of the indoor Onsens at midnight - became personal hot spring whee~

5) Hatsuhana Soba - It has the best Soba I have ever eaten. Yummy!

Cambodia - Siem Reap reaping

 Cambodia - a country in Southeast Asia located between Thailand and Vietnam, is a country I wanted to go since 2010, when I introduced the country in my French class. Not sure why they ask me to introduce Cambodia.. maybe all Asians look the same..

Finally I got the chance to go there - though only Siem reap - for four days - 18 March - 21 March :)

Siem Reap - 2 hours, from Singapore, has about the same temperature, if not hotter than Singapore. When I was there in March, it was 35 degrees Celsius, but it feels like 40 degrees [like an oven].

The most common mode of transport was motorcycles and Tuk Tuk for tourists. Tuk Tuk is like the taxi - the easiest and most convenient means of transport.
There is always a line of Tuk Tuks outside our hotel, they always call out to us "Tuk Tuk,  Lady" whenever we walk pass them..

For that four days, my name is known as "Tuk Tuk Lady."

So sorry I know I look v cui.. but this is South East Asia under the hot sun at 40 degrees!

The highlight of the whole trip was of course the Angkor Wat. To get the beautiful shot below, we reached there at about 5am to get a good place and waited for the sun to rise.

The Angkor wat was a pretty amazing place. With grand and majestic structures, one would wonder how they manage to build all those buildings in the 12th century without advance technologies that we have today. All built with the help of the elephants. 

Our guide took us to some parts of Angkor Wat to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the place. He told us "Normally, people wouldn't come here. The main road does not lead you to here. Sometimes, you have to go out of the main road to explore, and you might find amazing places." That got me thinking.

The Khmer people are very friendly and hospitable. They are full of smiles and most of them can speak English relatively well. They are relatively laid-back. You can see many children trying to sell postcards, keychains etc. Since my friend and I look Asian and I don't look rich, many don't approach us. 

The Khmer food is delicious - if you go to the right restaurant. ;-) 

The chicken rice rom the New Leaf Book Cafe (pic at the top left) was one of the most delicious chicken rice I have ever eaten, the lime juice was refreshing too - but be prepared to wait for the food.  I waited for at least 20 mins..  

The Amok from Haven Training Restaurant was wonderful too. I think it serves the best Amok in Siem reap. haha. Much better than the one I cooked (pic at bottom left) at the cooking class. 

The Khmer Curry (pic at top right) is an interesting dish. They are nothing like the Thai, Indian, Malay, Indonesian or Japanese curry. In addition to the usual chicken slices, potatoes and carrots, there were Taro/Yam and sweet potatoes.

The above pictures were taken at Sister Srey Cafe. Interesting words. :)