We visited Hokkaido in late summer and it has been a few months since we returned. Armed with a 8 GB CompactFlash card, I took 600 plus pictures using my new DSLR cam. I did not manage to finish reading the camera manual before the trip (what else is new?). So a lot of experimentation went along the way… aperture, shutter and in all frustration, I decided to use scenic/auto/program modes! What an idiot.

I have selected a total 57 pictures and shall present them in 3 parts. Too tiring to resize, upload and write everything in one breath.

The moment we touched down at Sapporo-New Chitose Airport, we went around hunting for the Toyota Car Rental through which we booked our Toyota Vitz. It was the exact version of the Toyota Yaris in Singapore, except the Japanese gave them a more creative name in their home country – Vitz! And here, the rental lady was trying her best to explain to Croaky how to use the car in 5 minutes.

See our Japanese GPS! Cool gadget which speaks English. Must book the English GPS in advance – it’s not a commodity as most of their driving tourists are native Jap. And this amazing panel flips over to reveal the CD/DVD player – we almost thought our Vitz does not come with a music player! And as part of our usual routine, we brought 40 over music CDs from home. Music + beautiful scenery rocks!

And our first destination was Tomita Farm at Furano where the lavendar blooms every summer.

Lavendar is the theme everywhere on this colourful farm. They even have lavendar ice-cream which is a must-try! It’s superb.

And lavendar fields – used for their distillery to produce lavendar essential oils, perfumes, potpourri, ornaments, soaps, bath lotions, shampoos etc. I bought a bit of everything. There is a garang guni in me!

And we drove past more lavendar fields along the way. The whole Furano is infested with – LAVENDARS! If you come in at different times of the year, you see other blooms though – Marigold, Roses etc. But lavendars are the main reason for the tourist draw.

Marimo balls are sold everywhere as souvenirs. These are living algae plants which come in the form of balls, and are native to this region. They even have it in cans so that it’s less messy for you to bring home. Apparently these algae balls can survive for months in the cans – without sunlight. How can I not bring these lovely plants home?

And us in the Yukata (one piece cotton kimono) provided at Choyotei hotel. Its a tatami room with a small living room where you can make tea and watch TV.

And you may wear your Yukata straight to the onsen in the hotel. The hotel room also provides a small plastic duffel for you to carry your towel there. Onsens are free-to-use and are available around the clock! Choyotei has 3-4 onsens for males and females (separately, no doubt). And the practice was to switch over at a certain hour – meaning X hr – Y hr is open to females, Y hr – Z hr is open to males.

One Japanese woman I met in the shower area brought her own shampoos, bath lotions, plastic tub and pail. I’d never thought of such elaborate fan-fare.

And we wore the same yukata to the tatami – dining area. Everyone was wearing the same yukata and queueing up for the buffet in an orderly fashion. (You would never see them jostling around or piling up their plates high as if there is no tomorrow!)

Their civility extends to their impeccable road manners. Once, Croaky drove into a wrong lane and was about to make a 3 point turn. Half-expecting the other driver to give him a noisy horn, Croaky made an apologetic signal. And guess what? The driver actually smiled and bowed to him – in his car!

And yes – that’s me! With all my camera bags. I look like a chrismas tree.

On the tram to Daisetsuzen Park.

The chair lift to Daisetsuzen. Croaky was actually giving me a glare and telling me to keep my DSLR.

Our free-hanging feet on the chair lift. This chair lift does not have a belt to secure you to your seats. If you don’t hang onto the sides, you can jump off and be a flying rabbit. Croaky was very proud of his (free) sneakers. Haha.

And us on the mountain top overlooking a pile of smoke. Weather was hazy and the lime-green ponchos were provided for the visitors. Don’t think I’d carry two ponchos and go travelling, yah? Temperature hovers around 8-10 degrees and you see smoke from your mouth when you speak. A bit windy.

Hokkaido is well known for its ramen. We stopped at a ramen shop for lunch, only to find ourselves trapped in a situation where no one understood what we were gesturing about. None of the shop keepers spoke a word of English, and their menu was in Jap with no pictures. In the end, we pointed to a couple and ordered what they were eating. Despite the communication barrier, the restaurant staff was completely patient with us. Thumbs up for their high standards of service!

And we drove to a Sake Brewery Museum. This was a beautiful koi pond outside the museum. Such tranquility.

We bought a bottle of sake from the museum, after being offered several to taste. The counter staff made known to us that the alcohol limit for driving in Japan is an absolute zero! So I was given the sweet task of wine tasting and making the decision of which sake to buy. And even before we informed them of our purchase, they gave us two free wine cups as souvenirs. Wah. Free cups when admission is free? Hoho.

Experimenting with the Pop Art mode on my cam. The sky is bluer and the roof is redder. Croaky is walking towards me – to throw rubbish.

And me on cloud nine whenever I find Daiso. This was the smallest outlet I have visited in Japan – there’s only one storey. Nonetheless, the goods were stocked neatly in place and there was hardly a soul weaving through the rows, except ME! Some items are exclusive to their Japanese stores and can’t be found here! I’d know since I am so familiar with their inventry here in Singapore.

… the rest to be continued in Hokkaido Part 2 and 3.

It had been 9 weeks since our return from Turkey & Greece! These two beautiful places have given us many good memories to date, and before it is all forgotten, I better write something on it.
It’s me again writing our travel memoirs with my bad grammar and confused use of past and present tense… you see Croaky is too lazy to write and edit my posts even though he keeps on telling me my English is bad.
So tolerate with me, while I grapple with my bad grammar and penned my travel entries here

We arrived at Dubai International Airport on a September morning, on route to Istanbul. It was a good 11 over hours flight, with transit in Dubai. We took a peep at the costs of a cup of latte at the airport – it was a good 8 USD.

The view of the morning sky on board was lovely. You can see the different hues of blue and orange in continuity.

And we arrived at Turkeeeyyy. The fleet from Turkish Airways greeted us as we touched down.

And this shot is my personal fave number 1. It was Croaky staring out of the MRT train in Turkey. I shall call it “Reflections”. This was taken with while my lumix was still alive. Click here to read the fate of my poor lumix.

There was plenty of sea views in Turkey, and here we were on our way to Sea of Marmara.

We were on a boat with our bus on deck as we crossed the calm waters. Breezy, cooling and scenic views everywhere.

With our map in hands, we bravely ventured into the lands of Turkiye. Here, Croaky was trying to figure out how to go to our hotel from the train station.

Being tourists, we obviously parked our noses at common destinations such as the Grand Bazaar – which was the biggest shopping district in Istanbul with over 1000s of shops peddling tourist souvenirs, goods and plenty of local produce. Albeit with a tourist price-tags no doubt!

Here, you see plenty of sexy belly dancing costumes at exorbitant prices. One salesman managed to convince me to part with 40 dollars for a set. Heh.

And we had our fill at popular kebab shops at night markets surrounding the Blue Mosque. Croaky had to pay SGD 60 to eat at such road-side stalls – expensive right? We felt as though we were carrots being chopped!

Turkish tea served in their tulip cups – have you seen them before?

The night scene at Blue Mosque – it was one of the most beautiful landmarks in Istanbul. Dare I say that it was even prettier than the Topkapi palace itself.

And this was the Blue Mosque in the day. Why was it called “blue”? I would tell you in Part 2.

And there was also the Eygptian Market also known as the Spice Bazaar. I was holding a cube of Turkish Delight – the local candy. You must have a sweet tooth to really enjoy it.

And all the spices in front of many shops in this bazaar.

We also paid for a day tour at the Bosphorous river – the famous river conjoining the East and West of Istanbul, straddling across the Asian and European continent. The boat ride was almost 2.5 hours.

Beautiful architecture abounds as we cruised down the river on a hot and sunny afternoon.

Rumeli fortress was one of them. Croaky kept on telling me it reminded him of the Korean drama – Ju Mong which he faithfully followed on SCV.

And on 2 sides of the Bosphorous bridge, you would see signages welcoming you to either Asia or Europe, depending on which direction you were heading. Fancy crossing borders without passports!

And here we are. Enjoying the view of the river and the bridge on Bosphorous.

Well. Istanbul was indeed a beautiful place where you could explore the East and the West. A fusion of everything. Nice local folks. A place deep seated in history and religion. That was what we really love – exploring old places, admiring historical relics and exchanging cultures.

And we felt that it was best to plan where you wanted to go, places you had to see and things you would rather enjoy than to following a herd of other tourists and kept on rushing from places to places. The joy of travelling stayed with us because we chose where we wanted to go, where we wanted to stop longer, and where we preferred to eat. Sometimes, we were ripped by locals, othertimes, we enjoyed the opportunities to linger and converse. There was no pretence of friendliness, the pressure of extra tipping and the awkardness of speaking to people whose company you would rather not enjoy.

Stay tune for Istanbul Part 2

The above picture, taken in my hotel room less than 1 week ago, depicts my current state of life. In a mess…

There’s tons of things to be done, unpacking, laundry, housework, clearing mail, paying bills, catching up with work, getting used to the humid weather, reading tutorial notes, tabulating my travel expenses and most reluctantly, getting back to work…

Happiness goes to one man who has no other tasks at hand, besides completing the daily roster which I have set out for him and worrying about the next meal to take.

On a lighter note, we enjoyed our trip tremendously, despite the fact that it’s so stressful packing up and jetting away to unknown lands. How can it not be stressful if you are only given half an afternoon to pack everything you need in 2 weeks? Halfway through the trip, I lost track of the things I stuff into different bags and had to repack everything and only to find myself in a greater mess at the end of the trip. In the end, I just squeeze everything into the bags and stop thinking logically anymore. How can anyone ever go for prolonged travels such as 3 months? Croaky said I would have to ship my travel loot back if that were the case. 1 week = 1 extra bag. 2 weeks = 2 extra bags. 12 weeks???

My great bargains are BOOKS. I collect cookbooks, famous places, famous people. Turkish and Greek cookery now adds to my huge collections of cookbooks! Just staring at the pictures make my mouth water.

And of course there were other frivolous items such as a cat which walks, wags its tail and “meows” every 3 steps. Lots of jewellery with the “blue eye”. Turkish delights. Turkish tea. Clothes. Bags. Belly dancing costume (wahaha).

The culture, the food and the sights – we shall miss them. Especially Croaky’s beloved – pillaff rice!

More pictures another time. I need time to weave them into a logical sequence…

We arrived in Istanbul on Sunday morning at 7.30 am. It has been a smooth plane ride, with us transiting in Dubai. The total flight took about 11.5 to 12 hours, discounting the 2 hour transit time we spent in Dubai International Airport.

And it was on day 2 of our tour when the great misfortune happened. My 2.5 year old Lumix fell off the tripod in front of the Trojan horse in Troia (which is the ancient city of Troy). The LCD screen cracked so badly it couldn´t be viewed anymore. We had to use Croaky´s canon camcorder to take pictures of the remaining Troy journey. You can imagine how black my face is today!

Just who murdered my camera? The prime suspects are:

(1) The strong strong Trojan winds – not that strong either, since we have set up the same tripod in the Pacific coast where the winds are even stronger, and the oceans were just hugging the cliffs.

(2) The weak legged tripod which could not stand properly. This was actually known by Croaky who reiterated that several times when I was trying to hold my camera on it. But it all seems so surreal on retrospection. I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO MY INSTINCTS AND STOPPED USING IT!

(3) Croaky – keeps on hurrying me to take the picture. Anyone would have panicked under such immense pressure by an inpatient toad. He is to be blamed.

The last picture my lumix took was a view of the sky, before it fell backwards onto a concrete slab.

Will upload my pictures after my return…

And our Woollycroak adventures continue…
As mentioned in our last post, our next destination was San Francisco.
But I forgot about Napa Wine Valley, which was a prelude to our SF tour.
Napa Wine Valley is a very much celebrated place in the US. It is the next popular destination to Sonoroma if you are into scenery, wine making and wine tasting.

The pump prices in the US fluctuates from place to place. We were always on the look-out for cheaper gas along the freeways and further off major cities. The most expensive gas – close to USD 4.90 per gallon (1 gallon is the equivalent of 3.8 litres). So the price of USD 3.55 (above) is the equivalent of SGD 1.30 per litre! That’s quite affordable right? You are quite wrong! A 3.5 L car on a US freeways, running 300 KM/day drinks up way too much petrol. If you consider travelling from Ang Mo Kio to Woodlands is a big distance, you need to transplant yourself in US. To the Americans, driving is a commodity, not a luxury!

And they are really moving their house - literally and physically! What an interesting sight.

We reached the train station just in time for the departure of the Napa Wine Train at 11.30 a.m. We were still browsing at the traveller’s centre at 11.15 a.m. when we realised there was only one wine train departure per day and the train station was a 15 minutes drive away. Luckily Hertz NeverLost directed us there just in the nick of time. Phew.

And we bought the train tickets. Not cheap. About 90 bucks per person (if my memory didn’t fail me).

Croaky deciding what to eat for lunch…

And Woolly happy to be on the train.

The Americans were always more than willing to take photos for us, even without our asking! Where else in the world do you find such civility?

Taking in sips of gourmet Napa wine… yum yum.

Not much left over. Wine tastes much better in the sun.

And the retake of the famous sign board. The first time we took our picture, the train was moving forward and Woolly only took half of the sign board. So we didn’t get a good shot. So on our return journey, we counted down to the very minute the train would be moving across the sign board and wahla, we got our picture! All thanks to the time-stamp technology on modern day digital camera, we were able to have precision in our timing. For your information, this train is moving about 45 km/hr and the whole train ride is 3 hrs!

And my favourite shot – Croaky ducking his head out to help me look out for the sign-board before it zooms past us! This is now my desktop wallpaper.

More of San Francisco in another entry…

While Yosemite National Park boasts of cascading waterfalls and natural wildlife, Lake Tahoe is a distinct beauty with its crystal clear waters and picturesque backdrop. Located across the State of California and Nevada, it is the second deepest lake (501 m deep) in the United States. The views of the lake are free, but if you were to enter it’s vista points for photos, you will be charged a minimal fee.

Here is a signage at one of the vista points – the Cave Rock. It must be a rock by the name of “cave”. We see no caves.

See the ski mountains? Great for ski lovers! Warning: admission is hefty.

Our frozen smiles as we posed in front of Tahoe Queen. The winds were really icy out there.

We had our lunch at the Forest cafe. Croaky voted this as one of the best and reasonably priced buffets we had in our entire tour.

And you see him gleefully pinching away the hairy legs of the Alaskan crabs above.

We caught sight of a fisherman in action… notice how blue the waters are?

Croaky with his superman stunt again!

And us, in fairyland.

It’s 10 degree celsius and is freaking cold.

Our next destination… San Francisco.

Due to unforseen circumstances, we made last minute plans to visit Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe on our second week in US. With the guidance of our friendly Hertz NeverLost, we drove our way up 7000 feet above sea level to reach the moutainous regions of Yosemite, hoping to see a glimpse of Brother Grizzly Bear in his wilderness form. The ride was best described as nauseating and vertigo-inducing as our poor Nissan Infinity meandered its way up the tortuous turns up the mountain roads. We were pleasantly surprised that RVs and Campervans were a common sight.

We noticed the Americans loved to go straight in instead of reverse park. When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

This was vista point for Bridal falls at Yosemite. The water was supposedly to be flowing down like a bridal’s veil, hence it’s name.

The mother of all waterfalls in North America – Yosemite falls (2425 foot / 739 m). You won’t be able to take a picture at the bottom of the fall unless your camera was water-proof. It was a awe-inspiring experience to just stand quietly at the bottom of the fall and enjoy the marvels of nature. We were dwarfed by this giant.

The park was spotlessly clean with informative signages around. It pays if every citizen has a good sense of civic-mindedness.

Beautiful scenery abounds…

I shook hands with Brother Grizzly Bear in a souvenir shop – at least.

Lunch was at Yosemite Lodge where we ordered simple fare. The asparagus was over-cooked though.

As we drove down the hills, we saw snow! It’s high altitude preserved the snow in pristine condition even though it was already late Spring when we visited.

We stopped by to watch the kids snow-board on the hills…

And snow on the ground felt different from those in the fridge. It had footprints!

And Croaky maintained a composure of calm while we were lost in the hills.

More of Lake Tahoe in the next entry…

On a bright cheery morning in April, we set off as early as 6 am to drive from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon. Here, a shot of the sunrise was captured as we continued our 6 hour drive to Grand Canyon. On route, we had a brief stop-over at Hoover Dam (one of the world’s largest hydro-electric generating station).

The journey was long, and since the road was straight…

I took over the drive! And gosh, it was an experience driving on the left side. I was rather apprenhensive when gigantic trailer trucks (no kidding, they are bigger than the containers you see at Keppel) zoomed by me at high speed (there was no road divider on a two way road).

We reached the Grand Canyon airport just in time for our helicopter ride at 12 noon. The above pic showed me holding my lucky ticket no. 1 (the cockpit’s seat next to the pilot) and our videocam in my other hand. The helicopter company had forewarned passengers that the seats would be allocated according to your weight so that the aircraft could attain equilibrium during the flight.

I was next to the pilot as I enjoyed the splendour of the Grand Canyon unfold beneath my feet. The ride was steadier than I had expected… Croaky had been telling me it would be like a rollercoaster ride and had warned me against eating a full breakfast.

And presenting to you the Grand Canyon – one of the 7 wonders in the world. Does it bear a resemblance to those photos you have seen in Geography books? The canyon was not an elevation from the ground but rather, it was a depression carved by the flow of the Colorado river that ran through it for thousands of years.

And we journeyed to take a picture of the signage at the entrance to the South Rim after our helicopter ride.

And the day ended with an IMAX show at National Geographic Center. I bought several items including a red sweatshirt bearing Papillo helicopters for 8 USD, a miniature helicopter on Fool’s Gold and other girly accessories. Other than the few gift shops, there wasn’t much to do in the evening and it was rather cold at 11 degrees celsius (I measured it with my own thermometer!) Not a very touristy place but it was definitely a popular destination for visitors who wanted to catch a glimpse of our Nature’s wonders.
Have you caught yours?

Our second part of the US journey was our hot and humid drive across Mojave desert to Las Vegas. You can even feel the heat while sitting in your car with the aircon at full blast. We thought we were cookies baking in the oven, really. It’s got to be at least 35-40 degrees outside!

We stopped over for photo-taking along a slip road. Mr Tripod was kind enough to retake our photos several times until we were fully satisfied with the results. Never leave home without him!

And the hotels at Las Vegas await us! If you are not into gambling, Las Vegas would be the place for you. Hotel buffets are so dirt cheap you want to eat 5 meals a day! We had buffets for below 10 USD.

And don’t you dare miss these popular topless shows. The girls are hot. Croaky was too shy to stand in front of the poster for this shot.

And where else can you get great discounts for Coach bags? Fashion Outlets are everywhere in Las Vegas. I had to grab a few home. But it was only after going around the shop for 30 mins and deciding on which to buy.

Levis jeans cost only USD 26.99 USD= SGD 37.20. It’s really cheap over there. Who would have guessed Levis jeans cost at least SGD 100 a pair after discount here?

And we queued under the hot sun to get half-priced tickets. There’s no lack of shows to watch. And if the show is not on for the night, they call it “Dark Tuesdays”, “Dark Wednesdays” etc.

And we watched Cirque De Soleil. There’s plenty of good reviews on this group. If you have been to their shows, you would know it is worth every single penny (or nickel) you have. Their anti-gravity stunts and colourful costumes would leave you awed for the rest of the night! It’s amazing, spectacular and unbelievable! And we managed to get front row seats all thanks to our internet booking – way in advance (yes, before we boarded our planes!). Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the tickets for Zumanity (the sensual show of Cirque De Soleil)… I’d say a real pity!

All the casino-hotels in Las Vegas have a theme (New York New York, The Venetian, Excalibur…) The exterior made great photo-taking spots. And you see the Goddess of Freedom behind us! Just kidding…it’s Statue of Liberty (the miniature one)

And we stayed at Circus Circus for two nights. Bright displays are a hallmark of the night scenery at Las Vegas. This was my favourite billboard.

Jackpot machines are a common sight. We played USD 0.31. Needless to say, we didn’t get lucky.Not this time…

The acrobats did their act for the audience at the casino/arcade. There’s no lack of free entertainment in Las Vegas.

And food is CHEAP. you can get a decent dinner below USD 10 and the portion is huge. You will never starve here. By the way, we couldn’t finish the big servings so we just ordered one main course and one side(dish) every meal. You know who takes the smaller cut, don’t you?

And Croak becomes a midget when featured next to them…

Both Woolly and Croak love Las Vegas. It’s the place to get cheap food, free shows and great shopping. No tourist would feel bored over there – because the shops close so late and there are so many good shows to catch everywhere. And the roller-coaster ride outside New York New York is reportedly free! Las Vegas will surely satisfy every Singaporean urge in you.

We visited US in April. I had the honor of being the Itinerary planner and as usual, I had to pack many destinations within the short span of 16 days – San Diego, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Los Angeles, San Francisco and even Hawaii. Sad to say, the flight to Hawaii was cancelled on the very day we were supposed to fly. ATA (the airline company) closed down due to bankruptcy issues. In the end, we had to drive from LA to SF and then back to LA again (that should be the distance from Singapore to Thailand and then back to Singapore again). Maybe slightly further…

This was our luxurious 3.5 L car which we drove throughout our trip. It’s a cool babe with enough power to cheong the US highways at 90 miles/hr (yes! the Americans used miles, not our familiar km/hr). Safety comes first!

And our dear NeverLost which never failed to provide us with the most helpful navigation. It was our saviour on many occasions. Croaky loved his Panda Express so badly that he GPSed it everywhere we went. Chinese food!

Buying gas (Americans call petrol “gas”) was 100% self-service. And they had their strange system of pay first and refund you later if you over-paid. It was a hassle to go in and out. And Croaky overfilled the tank on one occasion.

I never fancied zoos but Croaky said this one we must go. It was supposed to be world famous.

Pandas were big attractions in the zoo. The queue to see them was unbelievably long. And the Americans love all things panda. Even the fridge magnets sold in the souvenir shops had pandas as their mascot!

A close snap of Polar Bear! Isn’t he cute? I think its a “he”.

And Grizzly Bears at San Diego Zoos. They are supposed to be native American bears not seen in other parts of the world. Pity we didn’t see the real wild bears at Yosemite National Park. These bears would snatch food from you! And their rubbish bins were supposed to be “bear-proof”.

Our last destination at San Diego – the monumental Hotel de Coronado. This is the equivalent of Raffles Hotel in Singapore. And it was a breath-taking sight to drive through Coronado Bridge! Let me figure out how to upload and embed my video in future…

Rest of the trip to be continued at a later date…