Max took Dana and Fred to Disneyland … via a Disney Cruise.
… The Oceaneer’s Club was Maxim’s favourite place. The Pirate Ship provided him literally hours of climbing and sliding adventure fun. The staff was amazing, the multitude of “friends” unlimited! One happy boy! …
Meal by meal details on Dana’s blog – The Happiest Place on the Sea – Cruise Disney!
Big in Osaka, where they were first introduced.
Takoyaki (たこ焼き or 蛸焼) (literally fried or grilled octopus) is a popular ball-shaped Japanese dumpling or more like a savory pancake made of batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan (see below). It is typically filled with diced or whole baby octopus, tempura scraps (tenkasu), pickled ginger, and green onion. …
The performance making them is as important as the taste.
If you’ve been hosted in Japan, you know this story.
… starts with a few beer. Then Sushi and Sashimi.
Your host orders in Japanese, then asks you if you enjoyed the whale after you’ve tried it.
Whiskey is mandatory. A couple of kinds. And Shōchū, of course.
The evening inevitably ends like this.
THANKS A LOT, Shiro. 🙂
When Blythe got to Japan I’d already been there a week.
“Where are you eating“, she asked.
Sheepishly I replied: “Mostly 7-11. … But I’m planning on a dinner at Denny’s“, a popular chain also owned by 7-11.
In fact I did eat more at convenience stores than anywhere else in Japan. Day or night, if I got a pang it was sated by a piece of fried chicken and an ice-cream treat.
For some reason foreign bank cards do not work in Japanese ATMs. Yet they do in 7-11 ATMs, maximum 30,000 Yen in my case.
UPDATE from Blythe:
7-11 food was amazing in Japan! Rick’s advice was stellar — I snacked there every day and night for three weeks in Tokyo, and it was genuinely delicious.
However, I wouldn’t recommend taking money out of a 7-11 ATM. I did it once, and my bank charged a $20 fee for using an “international ATM.” At the post office, however, I was able to use the ATM and the transaction fee was only $0.60 per 10,000 yen withdrawn.
Worst hostel in many years.
Yes Inn, one of the many cheapos in Hong Kong.
Not friendly. Not much helpful. Crowded. No instructions on how to get the shower hot. Bad.
I’d gone there because of this offer on their website:
That was posted on this page.
Seems to be a ‘bait and switch’. At least that was the experience of me and a couple from Utah. No response to the ‘inquiry’. And then a renegotiation on the 7 night cost once you get to the desk.
I was happy to move over to another cheapo — the Ah Shan Hostel (reviews) in Mong Kok. Better — only 1 giant cockroach sighting … but I still left after 2 nights.
From the same desk they run Dragon Inn / A-Inn hostels. All the private hostels in Hong Kong are crappy I’m hearing from other travelers. Now I’m happily ensconced at Mt Davis hostel, my hangout many times in the past.
That photo is from 1983 … but not much has changed since. They’ve added high speed WiFi.
I was in Beppu, Japan (photos) for hiking. It’s a hot springs resort much well liked.
… The volume of water discharged is second only to that of the Yellowstone National Park in the United States, the largest hot spring resort in the world. …
Heather Fidyk recommended Takasakiyama Monkey Park, a short bus ride from town.
Japanese macaques can be dangerous, yet you can walk as close as you like.
Feeding time is CRAZY.
And yes, I have seen Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Note:
An introduced free-ranging population has been living near Laredo, Texas since 1972.
More northerly than those I saw in the wild in Florida.
Like millions before me, I made pilgrimage to the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima.
A-Bomb Dome
Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound
A visiting choir sang in front of the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims. Very touching.
I was brought to tears at the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims. For some reason I had this museum to myself though all the other buildings were busy.
The highlight is the Peace Memorial Museum (平和記念資料館 Heiwa Kinen Shiryōkan)
… heart-wrenching … documents the atomic bomb and its aftermath, from scale models of the city “before” and “after” to melted tricycles and other displays and artifacts related to the blast. Some are extremely graphic, evocative, and quite disturbing. The rest of the museum describes the post-war struggles of the hibakusha and an appeal for the abolition of nuclear weapons in the world today. Be warned: a visit here, while absolutely worthwhile, will ruin your day. …
But I particularly liked copies of protest letters from the mayor of Hiroshima to the leader of each nation each time they test a nuclear weapon. There were 3 to Obama on display.
Though I wasn’t much in the mood for taking pictures, by luck I captured a couple of good ones. We live for hope.
There is one room at Shin-Osaka Youth Hostel you dare not enter.
I’m flying to Hong Kong today, invited to watch a major Chinese domestic gymnastics competition. I’ll be there for about 10 days.
Already booked to hike with a local day #1.
And my first trip to Manilla has been confirmed. I’ll be volunteer teaching a gymnastics clinic Nov. 30 – Dec 5th for the IOC. … And staying on a couple of weeks on my own.
It’s Christmas on the left coast for the first time. My parents are hosting in Parksville.
Rick McCharles 