Fall 2024: A Quick Summary

 It has been about a week since we came back from our family trip to South Korea.

And it has also been 8 LONG YEARS since I posted anything here. Lots have happened since. No more solo trips. Got married. Had kids. But I digress.

As always, I'll try to keep this blog (does anyone still use blogger these days??) going and hope it will achieve what it was set out to achieve.

Back to the trip. In summary, this holiday was something we intended to have for various reasons:

a) we wanted to avoid the snow and harsh cold weather (last 3 holidays were snowy ones)
b) Sarah (our eldest) is starting Primary School next year. So this is technically the last chance to go on a holiday in October, early November
c) which also means we get to avoid the many other Singaporeans who are stuck with the "Mid-November -  December" window
d) wife wanted to see autumn leaves

I'm travelling as a family with very young kids now. However I still opt for Free & Easy style of travelling as opposed to following curated group tours. We booked flights exactly 1 month before departure, so coming up with an itinerary was a scramble. Just like any other parents, the kids were always at the top of the priority. The itinerary was built around their needs. As we need to feed the kids properly and all of us need Halal food, many decisions were made around where Halal food outlets were.

We stayed for a total of 8 nights - 3 in Busan, 5 in Seoul.

Narrow alleys and steep staircases at Gamcheon Cultural Village

In Busan, you could say we only managed one proper attraction - Gamcheon Cultural Village. Outside of that, we were mostly at the beach or hunting for food (which turned out to be an attraction itself!) Our Airbnb unit had an unblocked view of the wonderfully-lit Gwangan Bridge at night, but it would also mean that we weren't near any subway station. We either cabbed or walk.

View from the room

In Seoul - since it wasn't my first time - we decided to skip some of the typical attractions like Namsan Tower and the Palaces. We went for Halal food hunting (again) as well as kids-friendly and nature-based activities. We brought them to Lotte World Theme Park, we cycled a family bike at Olympic Park, we visited Haneul Park, checked out the new Seoul Sky, visited the Seoul Central Mosque, and we joined in the crazy crowd in Myeongdong Night Market. We wanted to bring them to the Gangchon Railbike Park, but on that day, most of us were already tired and our youngest was still struggling with mild fever.

The Silver Pampass Grass in Haneul Park

Unlike in Busan where we cabbed everywhere, in Seoul, we only took the subway. Transferring from Line to Line, the kids soldiered on with us - albeit some complains at times. It was not a walk in the park, but totally doable.

Commuting from Seoul to Busan and back to Seoul, we took the KTX - Korea's High Speed Train, or Bullet Train. This gave the kids the experience of travelling on a bullet train (although personally for me, Japan's Shinkansen still give the more classy feel)

I have many ideas in my head on what to post from this trip, but let me organise my thoughts and hope I could present them in the best way posible. Till then, let me leave you with one of my favourite photo from the trip! Its a quiet Seoul alley at night with the typical metal shutters. 

Travel Wisdom

I thought I should also include some random tips for travel in this blog as well.

So here's one or two about Jet Lag that I read somewhere and I thought I should share.

Drink lots of water when in the air. Apparently, the dry air in the cabin dehydrates you and this contributes to fatigue, brain fog and other symptoms of jet lag. To fight this, aim to drink 250ml of water every hour you're in the air.

When you're back on land, spend as much time as possible outdoors. Your circadian clock relies on daylight to decide whether to give you energy or feed you with sleep hormones.

Personally, I do not know what really is Jet Lag. I may have experienced it, but do not realise what it was. So try it, if you do know you will suffer from Jet Lag when travelling over time zones.

Winter 2016: Cost Breakdown

Whenever I travel, one of the first things friends will ask is how much it cost me. The misconception is that travelling is very expensive. No doubt, it is expensive, but with proper budgeting that is carefully tailored to your own needs and capability, travelling is possible without burning a large hole in the pocket.

So I decided to share couple of numbers on how much my recent 3 night trip to Tokyo cost. Based on my pictures, how much would you think it has cost me? Make a guess.

So here's a pie chart on the break down of stuff I have spent on, categorised under six different categories - Transport, Food, Shopping, Accommodation, Flight and Miscellaneous.

The answer to my earlier question is S$1,229.49. And yes, its all in, including flight, accommodation and tax.

I did mention that my Flight on Delta was $540.00. That takes up 43.9% of the total cost (almost half!) Don't forget that this is for a 3 night trip. Should it be a week stay, the same $540.00 may end up taking up only 30% of the pie or even lesser.

Naturally, Accommodation takes up the next highest share of the pie. At 21.7%, it is almost similar to that of Shopping. Accommodation is almost always lower when you travel in pairs and share the room as well as its cost. I don't usually spend a lot on shopping. But this time around, I spend a little bit on shopping for trading purposes.

Similarly, most places I go to, I do not spend much on Food because most cities I go to do not have Halal food readily. Which is why, Food only takes up 8.9% of the pie. If you are a foodie, your percentage for food will potentially be higher.

The smallest (miscellaneous not included) here happens to be Transport. At 4.6%, it is only S$56.81. Note that this is not always the case. As I was only in the immediate Tokyo area, transport is not costly. Should there be inter-city trains or rail passes involved, this category will naturally take up a bigger percentage.

So why again am I sharing the cost breakdown? Other than to say that travelling may not necessarily burn a hole in your pocket, it is also to share how much money goes to what in a typical trip. And if you know which segment takes up a big portion of your expenses, you will do well in keeping that particular cost down.

Good luck budgeting and have fun travelling!

Winter 2016: Day 4

Kawaii

The final day of the trip!

The flight home was scheduled at 5.30pm. It meant that we needed to be at the airport at 3.30pm. We figured that we wanted an hour more in the airport as a buffer and also some extra time for duty-free shopping. So that works out to 2.30pm arrival at Narita Terminal 1. The journey from the hotel in Asakusa to Ueno takes about 15min while the Keisei Limited Express train shuttle between Ueno and Narita takes 70min. That will set us back another 1.5 hours to a 1.00pm departure from the hotel. However, the check-out timing for the hotel is 11.00am.

We wanted to take our time a little on the final day, so leaving the hotel for a return to Nakamise Shopping Street late will mean that we will need to rush back to meet the check-out timing. So we did the logical thing every traveler would do. We left our packed luggage at the hotel lobby and check out when we left the hotel for Nakamise at 9.00am. This meant that we have 4 solid hours outside before coming back for our stuff.

First up was the much needed morning coffee which we had at Starbucks. Partly because the electric kettle in our room stopped functioning that morning causing me to miss my caffeine fix from the 3-in-1 pack.

So the order for the day was pretty straightforward. Leisure shopping at Nakamise, followed by lunch at Naritaya - an eatery which serves Halal ramen - and then the journey to Narita Airport. The bowl of ramen I ordered at Naritaya had 1 boiled egg, seaweed, chicken cutlets and mushroom. The hot soup really hit the spot on a cold day. It was tasty, yummy and cost me ¥700.

Naritaya's Shop Front

I THINK this bowl I had was the "Special Ramen"

Its good to know that Naritaya has a tiny surau within their restaurant. It is on the second floor (tall people should watch their heads when climbing up the stairs) of the restaurant that comes complete with a simple tap and basin for ablution. The space fits only one person - or maybe two very small people.

Naritaya's ablution area

With shopping and lunch settled, we headed back to collect our luggage and went straight to the airport. Even with all the calculations done, we eventually only reach the airport at 3.30pm and not 2.30pm as originally intended. It was a little bit of rush because the duty-free shops in the airport can have very very long queues which eats up a lot of your time. So do take this in consideration when you plan your time.

Find Mt Fuji..!

More Kawaii drawings on my food :) 

And with that, my "Smash & Grab" Tokyo trip comes to an end! Till I see you again in 2018 Japan!

Winter 2016: Day 3

The other full day in Tokyo started pretty late, no thanks to the previous day's load. Packed some bread from the hotel breakfast and decided to have morning coffee first at Starbucks.

Headed down to Tsukiji Fish Market. In their standards, reaching at 10.30 am is already more than 5 hours late. Nevertheless, I'm glad I made the trip. I've been to Tokyo six times and this is only my second time here. The first was way back during my very first trip. I think I appreciate the place more this time round. There are plenty to see even though we missed the auction action. The food streets selling dry items, household items, cooked food and freshly sliced sashimis. The Fish Market will be relocated in November this year. I wonder what happens then, to the shops in the vicinity - some of them looked like they have been here forever. 

Man at work

Mochi Stall

Antique Cash Till

Close-up of the vehicle used to transport goods at the market

Tamago cake

Scallop sauteed in Butter

After almost half a day in Tsukiji, we moved on to our next destination. But not before having lunch at Hala Luna - an eatery with a Halal menu. Luna Hala is located on the ground floor of Tsukiji Business Hotel BAN. The hotel is within the vicinity of Tsukiji Fish Market as well as the Tsukiji Metro Station on the Hibiya Line. I had this dish that had rice in a bowl and it was topped by chicken pieces, eggs and a sweet sauce. I'm bad at remembering names, so here's a picture of it.

Next up is the visit to the Meiji Shrine in Harajuku. The Meiji Shrine is a Shinto Shrine. The Meiji Shrine occupies quite a large area with pretty expansive gardens of trees and greens. I've been here a couple of times but I was always lazy enough to not explore the gardens. Before I highlight a few things through pictures, I should probably mention those stuff people do here which are not captured on photo.

At the entrance, you'll notice a Torii Gate. I observed that the Japanese will bow before entering. You'll come across two of such gates. And on the way out, after passing under the gate, they will turn back, give a bow, and then leave.

On the way to the shrine, you will also see a shed with flowing water and ladles. It is the purification fountain. This is where they perform the purification ritual. First wash the right hand, then the left and end it by pouring some of the water into your cupped hand, rinse your mouth with it and spit it to the ground.

When at the offering hall, visitors will throw a coin into the offering box (here, it is quite a big box), bow deeply twice, clap their hands twice, bow deeply one more time, before praying for a few seconds.

(Editor's note: These are the practice of the locals. Visitors will typically follow the rituals out of respect or for the experience. It is not a must to do all of the above. As a practising Muslim, while still holding a respect for a place of worship, I do not perform any of the above. The sharing is meant for readers who are comfortable with performing the practices)

Barrels of Rice Wine

Traditional Japanese Wedding

Votive Tablets where people write their prayers and wishes

After leaving Meiji Shrine, we did some leftover shopping in the area before taking a leisurely walk to nearby Shibuya. By now it was already close to 5.00pm. We have not really recovered from the previous day's exertion, so we decided this will be the last stop for the day.

It was a pretty long final stop.

What we eventually bought

At Shibuya, we spent some time in the Disney Store, Loft and the Supermarkets of department stores Seibu and Tokyu.

I have to highlight this point: It is a good idea to get sushi and sashimi at discounted prices one or two hours before the supermarket close for the day and have them for dinner. There are also cooked items that one can buy. Seibu has a fair spread of sushi and sashimi, but I find that Tokyu has a bigger spread and they have a large section for cooked food. And the food never fail to look so yummy and appetising. You will spend minutes, maybe more than an hour browsing through and find that you'd want to buy more than you can finish.

After getting our food, we took the long train ride on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line from one end, to the other end - Shibuya all the way to the 19th station, Asakusa.

  

The day ended earlier than the previous day, but it was still a pretty tiring day. Not to mention that it was the third and final night. Meaning, we needed to spend some time to pack our luggage to prepare for check out.