12-Day Break - Tokyo & HK

NCCU didn't have a 12-day spring break, but the 2-day university anniversary holiday happened to fall on the same 2 days that I have all my classes, so I got a huge break. =)

So I used these 12 days to go to Tokyo & HK~
Bear with me - this post will be quite long because it sums up 2 weeks. ^-^;;

Tokyo

The destination of this trip was a last minute choice because I knew Tokyo wasn't going to be a cheap trip, but my uncle and aunt were going at the same time coincidentally and I desperately needed a place to travel to, so I decided to go~
It was definitely a good decision~
I love the city, the language and all the cute snacks, toys, souvenirs, etc. that you just can't seem to purchase elsewhere~ =)

May 13-14
Night flight out to HK on the 13th, arrived @ 11pm, Uncle and Sally came to pick me up from the airport and settled my big luggage into 上水 - only took my small one to Japan~
Didn't sleep all night and chatted with auntie until dawn~

Head back out on the morning of the 14th to catch the 8:50am flight to Japan - arrived @ 2pm~
Bussed out to Shinjuku area~
As expected and warned by everyone, it took a while to find my hotel because the subway station was such a huge maze that it took me a while just to get out the right exit (which actually wasn't exactly the right exit in the end)~
But hey, I was told that I did pretty good cuz it didn't take me too long~ =)
After settling into the hotel, I went out to chill around the Shinjuku area for the night~
Had inexpensive ramen as my first meal in Japan - which turned out to one of the best bowls of ramen I had in Tokyo throughout my whole trip~ =)
Just can't go back to ramen back home anymore~ xD
Tried getting some toys from those UFO machines, but I failed horribly~ =(
Met up with Uncle Tony @ 9pm, planned out our next few days, and headed over to a government building observatory that overlooks Tokyo before I headed back to my hotel for the night~

May 15
Mt. Fuji & Hakone 1-Day Tour - took this tour by myself today because Uncle Tony went to pick up Auntie Mimi from the airport~
It was a good break from the busy city life I've been experiencing for the past few months~
Went to the 5th station of Mt. Fuji to take pictures.
Lunch at Hakone Lake Hotel - Soba & Tempura.
Hakone Ropeway cable car ride up to the Owakudanu Boiling Valley.
Had their famous black-coloured shell egg (boiled in sulfurous hot spring water) - which claims to bring an extra 7 years of life per egg that is consumed. =P
Boat Cruise on Lake Ashi - pirate-ship-style~
Shinkansen bullet train back to Tokyo~
Met up with Uncle Tony and Auntie Mimi and we went for ramen dinner again. =)
Picked my first Japanese crepe dessert before heading back to my hotel~

May 16
The longest day of the trip~But we were able to cover so many areas - 5 in total~
Woke up @ 5:30am and headed out @ 6:30am to Tsukiji Fish Market~
The large tuna auction was over because it was simply too early, but we managed to see some left over ones to take pictures with~
Had lunch at 壽司大 - 1 of the 2 famous sushi restaurants there~
Had to wait over 1 hour to get in, but it was well worth it~ =)
The wait wasn't that bad cuz the guy that was working there kept trying to strike up a conversation with us - his smile never fading and trying to speak phrases of Canto that he learned from other tourists over the years to make us laugh. =P
After lunch, we headed out to Asakusa area to attend the Sanja Matswri Festival and to see the Sensoji Shrine~
Many men in the festival wore very little to cover their legs... =T it was kind of disturbing...
After that, we went to the Akihabara area - known for its electronics and Japanese toys~
The Japanese toy stores were like my heaven I and wish I could bring it all home with me, but I only bought a few things to satisfy my current wants~ =P
We had afternoon tea at a maid cafe in the area - where all the waitresses dressed up like French maids and provided really good service. =)
Then we went to see the Imperial Palace after the sun set, but realized that it would've been much nicer to see it during the day so we didn't stay too long~
Dinner with Liz in the Roppongi area - she took us to a really nice Japanese 小食 restaurant~ =)
It was so nice to see her since she left Toronto 2 years ago~
After dinner, we parted with my aunt and uncle and went to chill with Liz's friends in the Roppongi area - great nightlife there!~
Crashed Liz's place for the night~ Thanks for letting me stay! ^-^

May 17
In contrast to a hectic day yesterday, we had a laid back day today with my aunt & uncle and Liz~
Lunch at a really good 蛋包麵 place and then split up to do some shopping in the Shibuya district~ =)
After shopping, we headed out to the Harajuku area~
Didn't really see any goths out today, but saw some cosplayers~
Visited the Meiji Jingu Shrine before strolling the shopping street of Harajuku~
Ate another good crepe and shopped at Daiso - the famous 100Yen shop~
Went back to Roppongi for a good Shabu Shabu dinner~ hehe*
Liz took us to a good spot to take pictures of the Tokyo Tower and then we parted to go back to Shinjuku and our respective hotels~
Thanks again for bringing us out to all these good food/tour places, Liz~ =)

May 18
Took a 2 hour ride out to a town near Tokyo called Nikko~
Watched the Grand Festival of Toshogu Shrine, had lunch and then visited most of the temples and shrines in the area~
My feet started killing cuz of all the walking over the past few days - the cons of being flat-footed~ =(
As such, I basically passed out on the ride back to Tokyo~
Back in Shinjuku, we had dinner at a ramen place and had some good desserts there too~
Went back to my hotel to pack~

May 19
Last day of the trip~ =(
I really wish I could stay longer, but I shall be back with family next time and travel to other cities like Kyoto, Osaka, Hokkaido, etc~ =)
My aunt and uncle left for another city so I was on my own for the day~
Checked out, stored luggage and went out to shop in the Shinjuku area
Went to another 105Yen store to pick up some last minute things~
Went to have a nice Tea Pork Cutlet brunch near my hotel~
Then I shopped at Tokyu Hands - a department store with a lot of things that you thought you'll never need, but end up having to buy~ =P
I only bought 3 things and 1 of them was a souvenir for someone else so it wasn't that bad~
Bussed out to Narita airport and had a lot of time to kill so I went to buy the 草餅 snack that my family seems to love and watched airplanes take off and land at the observation deck~
Took the 6:50pm flight back to HK and went to 上水~

HK

May 20
Closure day - it's finally all clear and over.
Felt really disappointed and disrespected, but everything was as I expected - no surprises.
After the past month, I felt kind of relieved cuz I was so drained and exhausted.

Out to 沙田 to sing K with 阿妹 (Joyce)~
Back to doing what I love best~ =)
Had dinner and a good long chat~ Miss you so much~ s2
See you in August la~~

May 21
Chill with SChan all day~
Good chat during lunch at Pizza Hut - eating my favourite thin crust thousand island sauce pizza~ =)
Did some shopping in 尖沙咀 and 旺角 - not too much to do with clothing this time~
Got some long-awaited CDs, a bluetooth headset and a nice top from Salad~
Dinner at 沙田圍 大排檔~ =)
Back to 上水 - good first chat with auntie since it all happened.

May 22
Chill with SChan and Vean at Causeway Bay~
Lunch at 許留山 - kinda wrong for lunch, I know~ =P
Bought a pair of Tough jeans and a pair of Salad jeans cuz they were doing a 2-pair promotion and a Salad belt~ hehe* s2
Afternoon tea at Cova - a really nice restaurant that we specifically came out to go to~
I ordered their tea set and had a Blueberry cheesecake and Hot Chocolate~ =)
Shop around some more - got an Agnes B. coin pouch~
Dinner at 九龍唐 with SChan only cuz Vean had dinner plans~
KFC 葡撻 for dessert before going back home~

May 23
Chill with Sally all day~
On our way out, I think we saw the 天賜 guy from 我和殭屍有個約會 TV series on the subway, but we weren't 100% sure (even though he looked exactly like him) cuz the guy we saw had quite the weird style~ =P
We wanted to take a picture of him secretly, but by the time we figured out how to do it, he left the train~ FAIL~ hahaha~
Haircut at 尖沙咀 and bought a pair of earrings (I had them before, but I lost one ear in Japan so I had to buy another pair)~
We had dinner at 王家沙 at 九龍唐 before heading back home~

May 24
Breakfast and then church~
Met up with Ivan for the afternoon~
Watched Angels & Demons - a good movie~
Afternoon tea at Delifrance and had a good chat~ =)
Back to 上水 for dinner with Uncle, Auntie and Sally at a nice Japanese restaurant~
Had raw beef, uni, oysters, fish liver and puffer fish! ...mmMMmm... =P
Wanted to go to 深圳 for the night for a massage, but I didn't have my Visa so we postponed it to next time~ ^-^
Going to miss this family more than anything actually, cuz they've been so nice to me and we've become such good friends over the years~

May 25
Last-minute packing and headed out around 1pm~
It was raining cats and dogs outside and it drained every ounce of energy I had in me in order to successfully drag my big luggage down under the passageway and back up again to get to the other side of the street to the bus stop~
=________=;;
But I made it somehow~
3:35pm flight back out to Taiwan~


Thanks to everyone for making this break truly wonderful~
Went to a place I've always dreamed about going to - and loved it just as I thought I would~
Saw many familiar faces that I haven't seen in a long time~=)


I wish my break was longer - I really enjoyed these 12 days~
This break was the highlight of my exchange cuz it was just so much fun~ =)
Now I'm back to reality and back to tons of awaiting work~
Last month of school - time to pay my dues after 3 months of play~ =P


Pictures on Facebook!
Tokyo (I)
Tokyo (II)
HK Visits - March to June 2009

Upcoming
May 30-June 1 -> PengHu (澎湖) trip with Sarah and Haley - toured around by Tony~ =)
June 1-4 -> SChan & Vean come to Taiwan!
June 20-23 -> 睛 & 嘉 come to Taiwan!
June 23 -> End of term~
June 24/26 -> Pack everything and head back to HK


**pants** that was a long post - my hands are tired and it's getting really late - night!

A Recovering Taipei Weekend.

I'm coughing... Yup - again...
Oh man... I'm so tired of this cycle...
I don't know if I'm sick or if it's allergies anymore...
I don't really have the stuffed nose I normally have with colds, yet I'm coughing.
It didn't help that I had only 1 hour of sleep on Tuesday night because of 2 presentations I had to do on Wednesday either.
Maybe I really can't live in Asia since I've never been sick so many times in a span of 4 months in Toronto.
Not even that many times within a year, actually...
I feel like I've been constantly sick for the past month and a half with a few days rest in between each time. =(

Oh well, that aside, here's my weekend. =)
Didn't do anything too exciting because I was really tired and feeling sick a lot of the time.

Thursday - Ate at the A380 Airbus restaurant - it was just interesting... lolz... felt like it.
Friday - Good dinner at 永康街 area, watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Saturday - Was supposed to hit the beach, but felt too sick, so I stayed home... >.<
Sunday - Basically Japan planning all day and barely any work done. lolz. Enough said.

I actually wanted to join this singing competition that they have here, but I realized that I'll be in HK for their final date so I decided not to go audition.
But if I were here, I think I would've tried out. For fun. =)
Need to brush up on my singing - haven't really practiced in a long time.
I want my karaoke discs, my mic and a singing partner~~~~~~~~ >.<

Upcoming
May 13 -> Flight to HK
May 14-19 -> Tokyo, Japan (so excited~~~~~)
May 20-25 -> HK

Seoul, Korea

Sorry for the late update, but here are the details for my trip to Korea from April 19 - May 4 with Sarah! =)

April 29
Went to only 1 of the 2 classes today, packed and left for Seoul, Korea!
Arrived at 9:45pm and Sarah had a friend's uncle's family come pick us up from the airport.
Basically, ever since I left for Korea, I've become clueless like this -> o.O??
Don't understand a word of Korean, except "Hello", "Thank You", and "How Much Is This?"
Sarah's good though - full out convo in Korean all night. And I'm still like o.O?
hahahaha...
After settling in, the uncle's family took us out to eat some snacks and desserts with coffee~ =)
They were goood desserts - especially the Strawberry Crepe Cake. s2

April 30
Tired as heck this morning from lack of sleep... lolz...
Sarah's friend's mom came to help us exchange money, figure out our plans for the next few days and then we ate breakfast together~
We took an hour bus ride to the Korean Folk Village for some touristy stuph.
Took the wrong bus back out so it took us longer than it would've taken to get back to town.
Crazy hungry so we ate snacks along the way. =)
Came across the grand opening of a Krispy Kreme store and Toronto doesn't have it anymore so I had to buy one.
Turns out that I couldn't even order 1 original donut without Sarah's help with the language. =____=;;
But it was a gooooood donut. =)
Went back to the Sinchon area and met up with the Yonsei girls for dinner and make-up shopping! =)
We wanted desserts, but places were closing up so we headed over to Karaoke.
Yes - I did karaoke in Korea too... haha... there are no places that I don't SING~ s2
They mostly had older mandarin songs so they actually brought back a lot of my high school memories.

May 1
Checked out and was out the door by 6am this morning.
The uncle's family drove us down to Busan - southern part of Korea.
6 hour drive - constantly over 140km/hr... craziness... LOL...
Slept a lot and ate a lot throughout the ride down.
Visited the Beomosa temple and then the Taejongdae coastal lookout point.
Dinner in the Guangaali beach area - it was like a Korean 西貢~
Pick your fresh seafood and they prepare - except it was all sashimi~ =)
Stayed at a pretty ghetto hotel for the night cuz we didn't make reservations beforehand and it was a long weekend - many hotels didn't have any rooms available.

May 2
Visited the Fish Market in the morning, ate lunch there and chilled in downtown Busan.
Started our drive back to Seoul, which turned out to be over 7 hours long cuz of traffic and everything.... =______=;;
Dinner at a restaurant with good bulgogi.
Shopping at Dongdaemun - the shops that are open until 4am everyday. =)
Cuz of a mix up (not our fault), we ended up without a hotel for the night, so we hit the 24 hour sauna instead.
It was actually quite nice, although I didn't get much sleep for the night - maybe 3 hours?
Tiredness to the max... lolz~

May 3
Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Tour - 1/2 day - visited 3 sites~
- 3rd Tunnel - infiltration tunnel the North Korean built that was only 53km from Seoul when it was discovered and blocked by South Korea
The hike back up the tunnel was deadly... lolz... used every ounce of energy and muscle i had in me cuz it was so long and steep...
- Observatory - lookout to North korea, their flag and the propagana village
- Dorasan Station - the station that will be used when the North and South become 1 country again
Back out to the city and shopped in Myeong-dong.
Had a fancy Korean dinner with the family and then settled in our hotel.

May 4
Back to Taipei with an early 9:30am flight - which meant we had to head out of our hotel by 6am.

I think I averaged about 4 hours of sleep each day all weekend.
And I'm the type that needs at least 7 hours to function.
Crazy tired - coffee was my friend all weekend even when I usually don't do coffee.

Regardless, it was a ton of fun~~~

Pictures on Facebook!
Korea (I)
Korea (II)
Korea (III)
Korea (IV)