Sunday, May 31, 2015

The Art of Travel

Why do we travel? Why spend your hard-earned dollars into something that is not tangible? Some might say that it is better to invest and see your money grow. Some might say the only priority is to buy essentials like a house, car and build a decent home. Yet for few who have experienced what its like to travel and dip your heart into a pot of culture; It is something worth venturing for life is worth the experience.
"Take to the skies, free as the wind. With your head in the clouds, picture the wonders of the world, then - your feet firmly on the ground - set out to discover them. Explore the faraway lands, move to the beat of foreign cities, delight in the lives of others, and at last return home, at once different and the same." 1
Someone asked me before what is the big difference why you travel to another destination? It all looks the same. The only difference is the currency or the weather. And I realised that people who think like that might have not explored out of his country or if he did he slept all the way through that journey cos he was too tired to see the difference. For sure he would have seen the world as flat if he lived centuries before.
"Because every journey is an adventure, every destination a new experience that we hold forever in our hearts, like a treasure hidden at the bottom of a trunk. Lustrous with the patina of memory, loyal as our own shadows, our luggage ceaselessly beckons us to new horizons." 1
There is always something new when you travel, even if it is the same destination. You might not discover the hidden gems but you will surely discover something deeper within you that you have never thought you are capable of. It's like you're trying out a new dish or a newly opened restaurant, or a new cuisine you've never tried. You taste the unfamiliar exquisite spice that tingles your senses and you know you're in for quiet a ride. And you long for more...
"Today's travellers… cultivate wonderment like an elixir of happiness, which lends every journey the vibrant colours of life." 1
The art of travel. It is not which destination you go. But how you experience, interact and digest the diversity of the world with its many facets.

1 - Taken from Editorial of HISTOIRE(S) by Louis Vuitton.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Why I keep coming back to Tokyo?

My short but sweet days in Tokyo was really fun. Rain paused when I was there so I did enjoy strolling around Tokyo. Started off with fabulous two-michelin starred restaurant L'atelier de Joel Robuchon for lunch at Roppongi Hills.

Loved the quick stroll where we saw an overlooking sight of Tokyo Tower.



The food was great. They offer a delectable array for its five course meal of which I found La Feuillantine de Crabe and L'itoyori to be really exquisite.



Two brands I would have was exclusively looking for are Comme des Garcons and Burberry Black. The poshest place to look for designer brands is Ometesando. However I found that Comme des Garcons is not carrying the Black edition. Most of the designs they had were either too pricey or too abstract. I found that they have lots of good designs but it was really expensive so maybe next time.

I put my frustrated shopaholic self to rest by walking through Yoyogi Park-Harajuku-Shibuya. It was one hell of a walk. We've witnessed the last standing Sakura tree and an endless walk to the biggest crows I've ever seen.



Of course once you are at Harajuku - the street fashion alley. You will fall in love at every market stall you see and you literally just have to stop and look, appreciate the unique style. I regret not buying anything here cos I thought I can go back. I am hating myself for thinking that the next day is my all-inclusive shopping day. *ended up going out of town*

After the tiring window shopping at Harajuku finally I've seen some shops I'd like to see some anime toy kingdom, Margiella, Saint Laurent, Burberry Black, CDG MoMA etc… My stomach started growling. We've decided to eat at a Tonkatsu place which is heavenly. Its near the busy Shibuya crossing *perhaps 200m away* and it reminds me of the first Tonkatsu I've eaten a year ago in Shinjuku…

Went looking for an irish pub after the meal, its in the heart of Shibuya. My friend knows the manager and it was the start of the longest night in Tokyo. The drinks were pouring and the time seemed endless. I thought I danced in intervals whilst waiting for drinks and the hot spicy snack that got me all sweaty and crazy. Ended the night by carrying my drunk friend to my hotel and all 3 of us slept after a debacle on how to tame the shrewd. and for the record i still couldn't figure out who broke the phone in the hotel. Glad I didn't get charged though!

Next day with the worst hangover, I went to Kawaguchiko. That's the thing with deciding impromptu - you just go with what your heart is telling you. No need to think and no need to analyse. Went to Shinjuku and without a sweat I found the Keiko Highway Bus. The fastest way to Fuji 5 Lakes *less than 2 hours*


The day was promising and I started it off with a nice rotemboru *hot springs* i just loved how you soak yourself in the hot steamy water outside with mother nature. That took all the toxins away. After less than an hour I got bored and decided to go see Mt Fuji. Just when I was waiting for my bus ride it suddenly drizzled and the tour bus was saying that the Kachi Kachi ropeway was closed and Fuji-san is nowhere to be seen. *dark clouds rolled my aura* and I decided then and there to go back to Tokyo and start shopping! I hated Fuji-san for disappointing me second time around.







Shinjuku Isetan is a haven filled with all the brands I wanted but too little time and resource scarcity then decided that I go to Seibu Shibuya and buy two things on my wish list. Got myself Burberry Black (coat and bag) and new shoes from Y-3. And its all what I needed to buy.



Met my other friend for dinner at the obvious meeting point - Hachiko. You can never go wrong. Its the ultimate meeting place. We decided to dine in a quiet Izakaya in Akasaka. Then she helped me buy my green tea products and souvenirs at a closely shop. We both liked the shop when we visited this place before. We never realised that we are talking about one and the same place, and it is Picasso.






I have an early flight the next day to Beijing so I slept in. My body can't tolerate another drunken night but if I have more time I would have loved going to Shinjuku and time stands still in a place where you forget frustrations, problems and lose yourself wholeheartedly. and that's why I keep coming back to Tokyo.




Japan and China Travel 23 Apr to 27 Apr 2015

A week ago I did this crazy flight:

  • SYD-SIN (5 hours layover)
  • SIN-HND (2 nights stay)
  • HND-PEK (12 hours layover)
  • PEK-SIN (2.5 hours layover)
  • SIN-SYD
Intense is what it is as I travel from southern hemisphere to the north, all I was carrying with me are loads of games in my iPad and heaps of music.

It was not really that bad as long as you've got lounge access. So I am really thankful to my Miles and Bonus Gold, which obviously is my passport to unlimited booze and meals :)

Tokyo is undoubtedly my favourite Japanese city and I will always come back for vacation. Will blog more about what transpired in this ultra quick escape when I get a chance…