Tokyo

We arrived in Tokyo in the early afternoon allowing us to drop off our stuff at the hostel and get settled before we headed out to see the sights. Senso-ji was the closest spot on our list so we headed there first. After all of the spectacular temples of Kyoto Senso-ji seemed like a big tourist trap. There was a market leading up to it selling "traditional" Japanese items and the temple itself wasn't that big. I have heard that it is cooler at night when it is all lit up so if you are there for the sights and not just the shopping perhaps try it out after the sun sets. After that we headed to Odaiba, the recently completed man made island. As soon as we got there I was reminded of what Alisa said about Indonesia being a giant mall. From what we could see Odaiba was covered in shops, office buildings and restaurants and that's it. We ate at a Venice themed mall that had a small car museum attached to it. We did get to see the giant Gundam statue and a replica of the Statue of Liberty.

Photo Sunday: Happy Chinese New Year!

Happy Chinese New Year!

This year was my first year ever celebrating Chinese New Year. YC's family celebrates it, and he mentioned to me that it's the time of year where he gets a bit homesick. So, my family decided to throw him his very own Chinese New Year party!

We ended up making hot pot in fondue pots, because absolutely no one but YC was from anywhere that actually celebrates Chinese New Years. We winged it.

Behold the amazing fondue hot pot! This was our vegetarian hot pot. My mom and I are mostly vegetarian, and my one friend is a very strict vegetarian. So, we had to keep the pots very separate.

It turned out absolutely delicious and I ate so much I thought I would die.

Later this week I'll write a longer post about our Chinese New Year celebration and give you even MORE pictures to look at.

Did any of you celebrate Chinese New Year? What all did you did? Hope this year is awesome for every one of you.

Much love.

-Alisa

Photo Sunday: Valentine's Day Sushi

Hello loves!
Sorry I didn't post sooner. As you know I'm sure, this weekend was Valentine's Day, so I was quite busy. YC's been sick this week, so now I've been babying him.

For Photo Sunday, here is a picture of my yummy Valentine's Day dinner.

Mmmmm. Sushi. Sushi is one of my favorite foods. I wish it weren't so expensive in landlocked PA. In Singapore sushi was about half the price. I miss cheap sushi.

For our Valentine's Date we went to the restaurant we went to for our first date. Instead of Valentine's Day, we went on Friday. I hate crowds, as does YC, so we opted to avoid the Valentine's day chaos.

How was your Valentine's Day? Did you do anything fun?
Anyone know somewhere in the States with cheap sushi?

-Alisa

Historic Kyoto Day 2 & 3

Our second day in Kyoto we  were able to take one of the sightseeing bus routes so we got an all day pass for 500 Yen. Kinkaku-ji (the golden pavilion) was our first stop. We were lucky enough to run into a foreign language class that gives tours to foreigners every Saturday for free (in English). While it wasn't the most comprehensive tour, we learned more from them than we would have just wandering around by ourselves. Seriously, where are all the signs? As I've said this was one of my favorite sights. It was a bright sunny morning so the pavilion looked particularly beautiful. I only wish we had been able to peek inside. From there we walked to Ryoan-ji, it was maybe a 20 minute walk. Luck struck again for there was another student giving tours. The temple itself was pretty barren but you go to this one for the zen gardens. Walking the grounds was pleasant, and the only problem with having a tour guide is that I didn't feel free to wander.

          Ryoan-ji Zen Garden

Photo Sunday: Throwback to Aruba

I have a cold and it is wet and miserable today. So I figured Photo Sunday needed some sunshine.
Today's pictures comes to you from the beaches of Aruba. My family took a trip there a few winters ago.

Mmmm. Look at that blue sky! Look at that clear water! Look at that clean white beach!

I miss beaches.

Aruba may be small, but it definitely has some beautiful beaches. I'll eventually get around to writing a full post on little Aruba. Right now I'm going to stare at this picture and mope that I'm not laying under one of those cool umbrella things.

Have you ever been to Aruba? Did you like it? Are you missing beaches and being warm as much as I am?

-Alisa

Corrupt Customs and Travelling While Ill

I've sort of been putting off this post. Don't get me wrong, I've really wanted to rip Indonesia a new one for their airport. I've never actually berated anyone on this blog before though. Even if they deserved it.

Indonesia customs deserves it. So here is the story of  my flight back from Malaysia to Indonesia, the worst trip ever.

The last picture before I got horribly ill.

Photo Sunday: So. Many. Snow. Days

I swear it feels like there have been more snow days than school days these past couple of weeks. I may be exaggerating a tiny bit, but it is getting ridiculous. There is so much snow here!

And guess what?

I hate snow.

Okay, I admit it is pretty. I just feel like a trapped hermit when it snows. My car isn't good in the snow, so I end up snowed into my house until they plow the roads. Which takes forever, and a half.

It is currently snowing again as I write this. Outside my window all I can see is white. I guess I'm not leaving my house for the rest of the day, again.

Is it summer yet?

Do you like snow? Or are you a grumpy snow hermit like me? Anyone else dreaming of Southeast Asia? I miss the heat.

-Alisa