Bali Adventure Part 3 of 3 Lovina, Menjanan and Legian

*** ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ARE LOCATED HERE: https://picasaweb.google.com/kjhansen24***

Nov 18 Lovina

Our diving came with dolphin watching.  We were on the beach at 6 am and in a little pontoon canoe boat right after with a Canadian couple Jenn and Mick.  We chatted all the way out about travel and clean eating.  Dolphin watching was not as any of us had envisioned it.  There were at least 50 of these small craft out on the water.  Any time dolphins were spotted, every boat full of tourists raced over to the pod and nearly ran them over, scaring them underwater and away.  It was ridiculous.  Mick was particularly upset by it, saying it was cruel.  Finally, on the way back we came across three dolphins all on their own.  They were right by the boat and no other boats were around.  That was lovely!

Back at the hotel, we were fed breakfast then loaded into a bus bound for a “5-star PADI” dive company’s shop.  Definitely not 5 stars.  The equipment was well-used, but we can deal with that.  There were 2 snokelers, a slovenly middle-aged Italian dude and his Philipina girlfriend who couldn’t have been older than I am.  Also in the group were a couple from Switzerland Jasmin and Peter.  They were on a six month holiday traveling Asia having spent 5 years building their own company.  Good for them! 

An hour or so later, we made it to the dive site.  We crowded into a little boat with a couple of Danish surfers who were also snorkeling.  The water was gorgeous, that stunning turquoise gradient that makes all the pictures look photo-shopped.  Both dives were amazing!  There were more types of fish and coral in one section than I have ever seen in my life.  I saw huge schools of fish mingled with schools of larger fish.  The coral was gorgeous!  I couldn’t believe all the different kinds.  It was wonderful, like swimming in an expensive aquarium.  Peter was kind enough to share his pictures with us.

Nov  19 – Lovina to Legian

The hotel was kind enough to book us a ride to Kuta with their car and a driver.  It was not inexpensive.  We paid much more than we wanted to, but they’d been kind to us.  We were served Jaffles (pronounced waffles) for breakfast.  What we were served was white bread with fruit in it that had been pressed in one of those sandwich grills that seals off the edges and removed the crust.  Since it fit the vegan and sugar free (ish) categories, it was probably the closest of our breakfasts to being in our diets.

The driver took us first to a Buddhist monastery where we walked around very quietly then up to the hot springs where we took a short dip and were introduced to his wife and sister who sell sarongs and other souvenirs there.  He was rather disappointed that we didn't buy anything.  However, on the way out, there was a woman selling purple sweet potatoes wrapped in palm leaves.  We weren't missing out on those for anything.  I love purple sweet potatoes!  I ate them all the time in Hawaii.  I also approved of the packaging.  One thing I hadn't mentioned to this point is there is garbage everywhere.  This is fairly typical of a third world country.  When you have to buy bottled water a couple times a day, you wonder where the plastic ends up.  Indonesia burns it, it turns out.  Agh!  So we avoided plastic wherever possible.

After the hot spring, we were driven to a waterfall.  For $0.50 each we could hike down and back up to see it.  Of course the guy collecting the money is at the bottom of the hill with no sign at the top for warning.  Hope you remembered your wallet!  The waterfall was huge and gorgeous.  The mist made it hard to take clear pictures and soaked our clothes in seconds.  We watched a bunch of girls freezing in their bikinis pose for a lot more photos than I would have had the patience for.

At this point, we were up in the mountains.  It was no longer hot and oppressive but blessedly cool and beautiful.  We stopped for a view on the side of the road and ended up feeding papaya to a bunch of fruit bats someone had turned into a tourist attraction.  They are ridiculously cute creatures, willing to chew a chunk of papaya as big as their heads while begging for more.  The male had squirreled (heehee) a strawberry away under his wing.  There were other animals as well, a huge snake, an iguana, chameleons, but the bats stole the show.

The bats had us in full smiles.  The next stop was the Temple by the Lake.  I’m sure it had a name, but I don’t recall it.  It was beautiful and serene on a well-manicured estate of lakefront property.  We took a nice stroll around.  I used my sarong as a wrap since I was chilly for the first and only time on the Island. 

Next we drove to the Temple by the Sea, Tanah Lot.  This is a very famous place.  It was extremely crowded.  We paid our fee and walked through a gauntlet of shops selling all the same things we had already seen.  Finally we made it to the shore and temple.  It was very cool, standing out on a rock fifteen feet off shore.  We waded over and were told we had to be blessed by the monks before entering.  We did their silly ritual of drinking holy water and having rice smeared on our heads, then declined a donation as we had already paid an entrance fee.  As we walked up the stairs to the temple, we realized it was blocked.  No one was allowed to actually go see it.  We walked down the beach and took a picture, but were rather disappointed.

Finally the driver dropped us off at a hotel in Legian, near Kuta.  It cost $60 per night for a room which was more than we paid for any other room the whole trip.  The room was okay, but the resort was right on the water and had a breakfast buffet as well as swimming pools.  We grabbed some food up the road and wandered down the beach a few miles checking out all the oceanfront bars, fire dancers, and even a fisherman.  The beach was ours.  Low season is awesome! 

Nov 20 – Legian to Taipei.

It dawned bright and beautiful, so we ran to the beach, famous for its waves, and played in the rough waters.  Once decided I had drunk enough salt water, we went straight to the breakfast buffet, dripping wet.  We ate as much toast, fruit and grilled tomatoes as our stomachs could hold.  To top it all off, we jumped in the pool before heading back to pack up.

We had a bit of time after checkout to entertain ourselves before flying.  I decided I wanted to have a proper pedicure, so we went searching.  We found a little salon a few blocks away that didn’t have ridiculous prices or look sketchy.  We chose 1 hour foot massages and pedicures.  It was lovely.  The girl working on my awful feet told me all about her life.  It was a sad story, but she’s making it happen.  Mike enjoyed his first pedicure, but regretfully declined letting the girl paint his toes a perky shade of pink.

We negotiated a cab to the airport and made it with plenty of time to spare.  However, when we got through security, they wanted $20 each to leave the country.  What?  I’ve never had to pay to enter and pay to leave before.  Not happy.  The airport had very few sitting areas and made us wait to go to our gate until 15 minutes before boarding time.  Finally we took our seats on a fairly empty flight and headed to our next adventure in Taiwan.

Bali Adventure Part 2 of 3 - Ubud

Nov 15-Ubud

The morning was absolutely gorgeous.  We dressed in swimwear for breakfast so we could take a dip in the pool before we had to check out.  It was so nice!  Mornings in Bali are easily 75 degrees.

The driver, who called himself Gusti, picked us up bright and early.  We got pulled over almost immediately (for doing nothing wrong) by corrupt police wanting bribes. Apparently that is a huge problem there. The first stop of our tour was a theater to see the Barong dance.  The costumes were very elaborate.  The show was a little bizarre.  It’s about a witch who gets angry that none of the boys in town will marry her beautiful daughter Sadewa because they are afraid of her black magic.  The witch decides to sacrifice Sadewa to the evil spirits.  The rest of the story was rather confusing but the gist of it was a battle of good and evil spirits. There were a lot of people were running around, fighting, yelling including midgets being crude and humping things.  It was probably worth seeing, but still really strange.

The next stop was the silversmith shop.  Two rows of workers  flanked the entry way so we got to see them creating the jewelry and art that would eventually be sold in the giant sales room beyond.  Basically it was just a big sales pitch.  Prices were extremely high.  We were expected to bargain them down to a reasonable level, but I don’t think sterling silver with semi-precious stones should ever cost more than $100.  Starting prices were in the $550 to $750 range for bracelets.  I offered $20.  The girl got upset escorted us out.  Sorry mom, I didn’t get us all bracelets.  He took us to a cheaper shop.  I didn’t find anything I wanted there, so still a no go. 

Gusti took us to a traditional Balinese house to see how people live on the island.  They live in family compounds.  The oldest live in the nicest room.  Their children stay on the middle level and grand children or younger children stay on the lowest tier.  Bathrooms, kitchen and dining areas are communal.  Kids don’t move out til they are married and even then only if they are female.  The males stay with their wives in the compound with their parents, grandparents and unmarried siblings.  As many as 60 people live in these homes. Fascinating!

Next was a trip to see the wood carvers.  They had a gorgeous showroom complete with a carving of a man who could have been real.  Amazing!  Again, we were only window shopping.  By this point, the driver realized the money-bags Americans weren’t interested in buying things.  He became very surly and barely spoke to us the rest of the trip. He did, however, drop us off at what I’m sure was the most expensive place around for lunch.  It was full of tourists.  Great…  We ordered minimally and the meal still cost over $17.  Not happy!

After lunch, surly Gusti took us to an overlook of Mt. Batur the smaller volcano which erupted in 1963.  Very cool view, though I was a little confused as I thought we were actually going to the volcano.  Apparenlty not.  Also not as advertized was the next stop: the terraced rice paddies.  I thought there would be some explanation as to the workings thereof.  Nope, it was just a quick view and a “ready to go?” The two of us decided that no, we were not ready and irritated him more by walking around to see the shops but not buying anything.

Finally, he dropped us off at our hotel, which was a little out of the way, but nice enough.  He was cranky and angry.  Had I realized at the time just how rude he was being, I would not have tipped him at all.  Instead I felt bad for him and his family.  He told us Indonesians pay for school for their children.  It is not free for everyone.  Shrugs. Oh well.

A very energetic young man named July (cause he was “like your country: born on the 4^th of July!”)  checked us into the hotel and said he would take us anywhere within UBUD for free, outside for a fee.   The hotel had only an oscillating fan, no air conditioning.  As it was about 98 degrees and 100% humidity, I was a little on the cranky side, particularly after our day with Gusti.  Mike suggested a walk.  We took off down the road and found a market selling mangoes.  The woman working there peeled and sliced it for us.  That’s service!

Nov 16- Ubud

July made us Nasi Goreng for breakfast and drove us to the Monkey Forest.  We wandered around the park watching the monkeys fight over food, scare tourists, swing through trees and wrestle.  It was very entertaining.  They were not afraid of people in the least!  Some of the tourists were very afraid of the monkeys.  One poor girl about had a panic attack when one jumped on her backpack.  Hilarious!

From there we walked through all the shops up the main shopping area of Ubud to the market and palace.  The palace was very similar to the traditional house we visited, but more ornate.  Not too much to say about that.  The market is an absolute zoo with people selling, buying, trading, etc.  There were areas with souvenirs, fresh fruits and veggies, spices.  We bought an avocado banana smoothie that was super yummy.

We walked all the way back to the hotel (about 3 miles) and stopped for dinner at a cool restaurant that sat us over a koi pond.  The food was good and inexpensive.  We enjoyed the breeze and views of the rice fields beyond.  A shower was much deserved after the day’s adventure, so we went back to the hotel and caught a ride to a bar with a Balinese group remaking classic rock and reggae songs.  Most of it was really good, but they missed a few pronunciations.

Nov 17 – Ubud and Lovina

Our last day in Ubud, Mike suggested we take a cooking class.   The driver picked us up and delivered us to the market to meet up with the rest of the group.  There were a couple from Australia and two Canadian sisters there.  The guide walked us through the market and explained how everything worked.  It wasn’t just for tourists.  The locals shopped there.  He let us sample a bunch of fruit we had never tried such as snake skin fruit, which is like a drier apple, and mangosteen, which is simply delicious.  Then we packed up in the car and drove to a rice paddy.  There the driver explained land usage and how each family only has a certain amount of land.  Each family takes turns planting a few days apart so everyone can help each other.  The land cannot be sold or developed as of 2010.  It is strictly for growing organic rice.

Finally we headed to the home of our hosts for the class.  The compound was gorgeous!  These people obviously do really well.  There were only 4 people living there as the host had been adopted by his childless great uncle and aunt, now deceased.  They have their own organic garden, huge outdoor kitchen and dining areas.  We joined about a dozen other people from all over the world.  Mike and I were the only Americans as well as the only vegetarians in the group.  Everyone took turns chopping, sautéing, cooking, stirring, and using an oversized mortar and pestle.  We ended up with 8 dishes: mushroom soup, tempeh satay, vegetable curry, gado gado, snake bean salad, steamed curried tofu, sweet soy tempeh, and bananas in sugar.  It was all delicious!  Having cut sugar from my diet this year, it was painful to see how much syrup and salt they added to EVERYTHING.  I realized I would just have to do the best I can in Bali and detox when I got home.

Their driver took us all the way to Lovina and even took us to his friend’s hotel (Hotel Sartaya) which was incredibly cheap $25 a night including breakfast.  It was very cute.  The owners were a young couple about our age.  She talked us into a diving trip for the next day at Menjangan Island.  We hadn’t planned on it, but at $40 per dive in a place that was deemed “the best best in Bali”, how could we refuse?  We finished the day with a walk on the black sand beach.  Neither of us wanted dinner having stuffed ourselves fat at the cooking class.

Bali Adventure Part 1 - Sanur, Tulamben, Padang Bai

My boyfriend, Mike and I just returned from 9 days in Bali and 4 days in Taipei. Since everyone is interested, here's what we did. If it's too detailed, just skip down a few lines. :) I put all the pictures on my Picasa account. So I'll only put a few here and there in my posts.

November 10-11 Flight and Sanur
Our flight to taipei was fairly uneventful with only the TSA theft of our tub of hummus which they apparently consider to be a hazardous liquid. "Any spreadable food is subject to the same rules as shampoo." The plane was comfortable. We sat together in the very back of the plane in our own little 2 seat set. Having requested vegetarian meals, we received our food first. International flights provide each passenger with her own control panel which gives access to movies, music, games, and flight information. Mike and I watched Ted and Rock of Ages (which I loved) while we chased the night around the world.

Once in Taipei, we were transferred to China Airlines since our EVA flight was canceled. The plane was not even half full! This meant we had window seats AND a full center row to lay down in. We watched Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. Mike read while I slept. I really can't waste the chance to actually lay out on a flight. That never happens!

Bali Denpasar Airport is hot, humid, crowded and noisy. The minute we left we were surrounded by people demanding outrageous sums of money for a taxi to Sanur. Finally we overpaid at half the amount demanded. The driver dropped us at our hotel, the adorable Sukun Bali Cottages. Sukun has a nice pool, free breakfast and beautiful gardens throughout. Mike found a lovely bunch of coconuts and immediately pilfered some for our enjoyment.

The two of us walked to the beach and found that we could hang out at the clean and upscale Mercure without paying. ta da! We played a giant game of chess on the beach to tinkling Balinese music. On the walk back, we bought a haircut for Mike who was well past due and a pedicure for me. Neither was spectacular, but the price was a grand total of $5.50.

Nov-12- Sanur
We woke up early, still adjusting to the time change. The hotel fed us a breakfast of banana pancakes with fresh fruit. Yumm! We walked to the beach and played a game of chess on the Mercure’s giant chess board. Stand up paddle boarding sounded fun so we wandered off in search of paddle board rentals. They were more expensive in Bali than in Hawaii, so we gave up and eventually settle for spending even more money on a kite surfing lesson. It was a lot of fun. We only did the level 1 class which involved learning kite skills and how to set up and steer the kite. We played with small trick kites and a bigger kite for several hours on the beach.

Mario, our Italian coach, suggested we go just up the road to a padang style restaurant for lunch. We got to the restaurant and learned that you pay for rice as the base then add on curries, veggies and meats/tofu/tempeh. We had an interesting time finding vegetarian food most of the time, but this was easy. The whole meal cost 24,000 IDR which sounds like it could be a lot, but is probably about $2.50.

Since the whole day was ours to get adjusted, Mike and I grabbed our books and headed to a resort to lay in the shade on chaises. Afterward, we stopped in at a massage parlor (they are everywhere) and had hot stone massages. The stones were really hot! Jet lag hit us early and we really weren’t even hungry. We went straight back to the hotel and were asleep before 9.

Nov 13- Tulamben Diving.
Tuesday was our first day of diving. I had forgotten to set my watch to local time the day before so I guessed what time zone we were in based on my apparently not so excellent geography skills. The alarm went off at 6, we got ready and walked out the door. It was pitch black out. Mike suggested we go up to the front desk. It was 4:30 in the morning. I was 2 time zones off. Whoops! Since I was wide awake by 3:30, it was nice to have a little time to go back to bed. Yay time change.

We had our customary breakfast pancakes and headed to the dive shop for gear. Once in the car, we met Depu our dive master as well as Humberto and his wife Marisa who were on holiday from India, but originally from Mexico. We had a nice time with them and Humberto shared his diving pictures with us. I didn’t take any of the diving pictures I post for this.

Two hours later we arrived at Paradise Dive Resort in Tulamben. All of the dives today would be beach dives, a first for me. The first dive was a reef dive. We saw a small black tip reef shark, tons of ribbon eels, shrimp, fish, spotted rays, gorgeous coral, etc. This place is amazing diving! We were playing with these little shrimp that clean your hands and teeth. Mike opened his mouth to let them clean for a picture. All was going well until a reef fish wanted to see what he was missing out on. The fish nipped him right on the lip. It was hilarious! The dive master and I laughed as hard as you can through a regulator.

The second dive was the USAT Liberty wreck sunk in WWII (as recommended by both Randy Niven and Yooko Yoke). It is fairly deep on the one side and there was a ton to see. We saw things that were similar to the first dive, but bigger! I always enjoy a wreck dive. There are a lot of places for little critters to hide.

In addition to the two day dives, we did a night dive on the wreck. It was my first night dive and I was a bit nervous. We took our torches and headed into the dark water. I was amazed at the difference in life between the afternoon and the evening. The big bumphead fish were hiding inside the rusted out hull. My torch picked up different colors and textures I hadn’t noticed before. I saw a reflective band running down the spine of a ray, several fish I hadn’t noticed during the day, a couple of mantis shrimp. Neat!

Nov 14- Padang Bai
In the morning we piled into the van and headed to Padang Bay for our second day of diving. We added to our dive group for the day Benjamin from the Netherlands and Nicolas and Vincent from France. The six of us piled with our dive gear into what looked like a canoe with a canopy and motor. This place was extremely different from the diving at Tulamben. It was a sandy bottom with coral living on rocks. The current here is very strong, so the visibility is not great. We could only see a few meters as opposed to the 20 meters of visibility in Tulamben. There was not as much to see, but still plenty of diversity and intrigue. We saw a lion fish (my favorite), some eels, a big octopus, several large rocks covered in coral and fish.

The second dive was more in the current. I struggled with this one. The current was strong so there was a lot of swimming involved. On top of that, it is hard to work with a group of six divers. I think four is the maximum I like. With six, things get crowded, you have people coming up underneath you and running into you and everyone wants to see the same fish. It’s a bit frustrating for me. 

It was back to Sanur that evening. Mike and I took a walk down the beach in a different area from the night before. We checked out a few shrines and the sides of the roads, looked at menus, and just enjoyed the sunset. It’s a rough life we live. We also found a travel agency and booked a car up to Ubud with a tour for the next day.

Springtime in Rain City

Hi! Its been nearly a year since my last post. Emily let me know that the day she flew into Japan was one year from the day of the horribly destructive 8.9 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that has killed nearly 10,000 people to date. Over 17, 000 more are still missing. I have checked up on everyone I know there and I am pleased to announce that everyone is safe, though frightened and many without regular transportation or power. The impending nuclear disaster has many people leaving the country. I am glad to know that as of now, everyone is still safe. My heart goes out to them.
For life back in Kitsap county, I am doing just fine. About 6 months ago, I bought a beautiful condo in the tiny community of Manchester directly west of Seattle. It's a 1 bedroom 1.5 bath and about 1280 sq. feet. I have a nice view of Mount Rainier from my balcony. In front of the building, is a boat launch and the view is panoramic of the Seattle skyline across the water plus Vashon and Blake Islands and Mount Rainier. Stunning! Its been absolutely perfect for me. Because the kitchen is so massive and well-lit, I've even been trying to develop my cooking skills. They're minimal at best, but I am learning. Mom moved out here in July and we have had a great time exploring Seattle and Western Washington. We went to the rain forest and La Push beach, Friday Harbor, and Anacortes. She and I bought a joint membership to the Seattle Art Museum and have had fun going to plays, symphonies, and dance performances. STOMP! was an incredible percussive dance. We had so much fun watching the performers use garbage cans, brooms, and even lighters as musical instruments. If you've never seen this group, watch for them. So worth it!
Springtime is finally arriving here in the rain capital. It is gorgeous, sunny and warm outside. I'm hoping it'll stay that way. Last summer was cold and wet and the winter was quite the experience with power outages, snow and ice, rain, rain, and more rain. I'm ready for the sunshine.
I found this little bit of text saved but never posted from November 1st. I figured I would post it now. It's fairly descriptive of a typical morning in my life: "The rain was coming down again. It had broken for a beautiful Halloween day and begun again just after trick or treating. Impeccable timing. This wasn't the misty wetness characteristic of Seattle, but a cleansing rain, the persistent kind that lasts all day and leaves huge puddles everywhere. The precipitation splashed off my windshield and the hood of my car as my wipers worked to clear the glass. I was careful not to hydroplane, knowing that a wrong move could send my pretty car skipping like a rock into the Puget Sound. I reached the parking area and stepped out into a wide muddy puddle. It was going to be a chilly day.
As I walked to my morning ferry, I wished for the millionth time that I owned a rain coat. My cotton jacket was already half soaked and my jeans, well, I should know better now. I looked out over the water to the Shipyard. Work. It looked smaller than normal through the sheen of rain. The water would be absolutely placid, reflecting the industrial lights on a dry morning. Instead the tiny drops turned the surface of the Sinclair Inlet to a well-textured mass, the tips of tiny waves illuminated by the more powerful beams. The 6:05 Seattle ferry was coming in to dock, brightly lit against the dark sky and water. Ripples from the large watercraft began reaching the small dock as the Annapolis ferry neared the dock to pick us up.
As there was no fog, the sense of isolation was absent. Instead I noticed the puddles on the ground and the people standing uncomfortably around me while we waited for our ride. One gentleman was impatient, looking like he might bolt at any moment. Another was almost asleep on his feet waiting for our little boat to arrive. It came through the pre-dawn light with its single lamp, bobbing in the wake of the larger ferry. We boarded the boat, dodging umbrellas and the rivulets of water streaming off them. It's a short ride, only five minutes or so, but I had time to doze lightly, still mostly aware of the world around me. "
Anyway... that's my life: early mornings in the rain, all day at the shipyard, dinner and maybe a visit to the climbing gym, sleep, repeat.

Hiking Mtojingtake and Enoshima

36 hours prior to a previously cancelled trip I receive a phone call: "Hi! We changed our minds and we'll be there to see you soon!" Oh great! I have a day and a half to not only cancel my weekend plans, but also book hotel for 9 nights. I managed to find 5 nights of it right off the bat. The biggest problem was finding Saturday nights and there were two of them during the stay. The flight was delayed 3.5 hours which allowed me to go check them into the hotel and check the room out. Once I spent the 3 hour train/bus ride getting to the airport, I waited a scant 15 minutes before they appeared through the gate. Another 3 hours of trains and walking got us to the hotel around 2330! I dropped them off and made it home in time to crash.

Saturday morning came bright and beautiful. We moved their luggage to my room, grabbed some water and lunches, and went to the train station to meet my favorite hiking guide. We took a train to a train to a train to a bus to another bus to the trail head to Myojingtake. The hike began in a lovely cedar forest and climbed steadily, steadily out through ankle deep mud to a view of Hakone and Fuji-San! Part way up we came across a group of French hikers and a group of Japanese teenagers. Immediately it became a race to the top, though I was the only one competing. I would like everyone to know: We won that race! Yes, I am that silly. Emily was in full performance mode, so we had a great time playing off each other with movie quotes and impressions, singing songs, and playing "remember when...". We had lunch at the top and ended the hike with another seriously long bus ride to a train to a train to a train. Finally, we finished the day with dinner at my favorite Indian restaurant and piled into my tiny shoebox hotel room. Let me tell you, 3 people in that room was absurd!

Sunday we took a trip out to Kamakura to see the bronze Buddha and Enoshima Island. I've posted a million pics of Buddha, so I will skip to Enoshima. I've been dying to get out to this little island for months! Its a total tourist place with street performers, gardens, a temple, etc. To reach the island we had to traverse a fairly long bridge surrounded by restless waves. Since the wind was still blowing like crazy, the waves were crashing against the walls of the bridge, occasionally spraying little droplets of water at us. Once we arrived, we immediately met Davinci, who is a street performer. Davinci wore a multi-hued bodysuit complete with awkwardly different booty shorts and topped by shiny, silver chaps. His black thong was clearly visible and the gold cape blew in the wind like a banner. He was enormously entertaining to Emily and I. We took a photo with him, though he exchanged the cape for a hot pink boa. Past the performance area, we walked through a market full of strange (to us) foods and all sorts of trinkets. Beyond the market stairs begin to lead through gates to the temple at the top of the hill. We climbed up and up and up and came upon different views and interesting objects at each level.

At the top, there were gardens, a cave shrine with a dragon, and more food. I bought Dad and I each a skewer of grilled baby octopuses. Emily took a tiny bite and couldn't stand it, but at least she tried. We found a little nature trail that leads to an entire fence covered in padlocks. They ranged in size, color, shape, and amount of rust, but all had initials on them. Lovers professing their undying love. When a section of fence is filled, it is moved to another area near the trail. There are thousands of these locks. Next we walked around to the beach side of the island. The waves were crashing on the rocks while the wind whipped at our hair and clothes. It was incredibly beautiful with the sun beginning to set over the water and each wave glittering as if it were not full of salt water, but gemstones. We made it back to shore and the beach while the sun was still up and returned to Yokosuka with just enough time to grab everything and go to Tokyo for the next hotel.

Winter visit to Kamakura and Yokohama

Last week was the family visit to Japan! I was very very proud of Mom for finally having a passport. The first weekend they were here we visited Kamakura, Yokohama and toured the USS George Washington. I have posted on Kamakura before, so I will only add a few pictures.

Kamakura was different this time than last in that it is now winter and all of the gorgeous and brilliant fall leaves have long since disappeared from the trees. Now, the cherry blossoms are beginning to appear! Mom enjoyed the place immensely, feeling the very peaceful aura the temple grounds exude. Diana found the graveyard and spent a good amount of time wandering around among the tombstones. These are generally stunning polished granite shrines that put to shame modern headstones. We drank maccha (green tea) at the top of the hill where a huge bell hangs ready to ring. There were views of the valley and it was lovely!

We took the Enoshima Line train to Hase to see the Great Buddha. He is a super cool bronze statue that was cast in 1252 AD. He's gorgeous and I always love visiting him.

Then we headed back to Yokohama where everyone was staying. We walked to Landmark Tower and ate dinner in the converted dry dock next to it. This is seriously the coolest place! Its an old tiered dry dock reminiscent of the ball courts of ancient Mayans. Inside all of the old tunnels and pump rooms are now restaurants and bars. The dock itself is lit with blue light. I love it. The photo is a little blurry.

Across the street is a very well kept tall ship used for training. The water in the dock was absolutely still and made for a perfect photo op! The cool lit up ferris wheel in the background is one of the largest in the world and holds 480 people! Amazing! The lights change color and pattern on a pretty log cycle. Yokohama is a very nice, very cool place. Definitely worth a visit.

Update and Tsukiji/Spa

So I was informed this morning that I've gotten lax and forgotten completely to post on my blog this whole month! Part of that is attributable to the fact that my hard drive gave up on life and I am waiting for a new one from HP. *crosses fingers* Secondly, I've just been busy with Mom, Wayne, Diana, and Shelley coming to visit. Lastly, I am just a bum and you'll have to forgive my laziness. :P

Updates... I think I will separate this out to a few posts. I visited with a friend of a friend, Mayumi, who took my to Tsukiji where they have a fish market, but it was already closed for the day so we just had amazing sushi instead. Mine was expensive, but I had 10 different types all served on a leaf! We saw tuna heads for purchase. Its really a great deal! Only 500 yen (~$5) for half a tuna head! Not for me. Then we went to Ginza to an art museum where we saw gorgeous lacquer paintings.

Finally, we went to Tokyo something-or-other huge mall where there is an enormous two-story spa called LaQua. So, I spent a day bathing in an onsen with a ton of naked Asian ladies. (no photos, sorry Aaron.) It was very relaxing and had all sorts of cool showers. The mall covered what seemed to be a triangular city block. It was surrounded by roller coasters and rides. (Sweet ferris wheel doesn't have spokes!) The roller coaster had huge drops and wove into the building! Very cool! When we left the spa, it was dark and all of the winter (not Christmas) lights were aglow.

We tried on funny glasses too. :)

Tomorrow I'll add more, promise. I now have to go to work early instead of mid-afternoon. Blah.