It Came To Me After The Garter Toss...

As I told y'all a few days ago, I was heading to the Bay Area for my cousin's wedding.

They kept a large glass near the bridal party's table where you can drop love notes to share with the newlyweds. Inspiration hit me with this:

Keep each other close,
In the moments that matter most -
So let your lives be filled with bliss,
Sweetly marked by many a kiss...

I don't know if I'm really back, but something tells me it never left... ;)

Heading Northbound on the 101...

Hey Bustling-Billies!

I'm heading to San Francisco for the weekend to attend a cousin's wedding.

Then I'm off to Vegas for Xmas.

And oh yeah, where the hell are those blogs I promised? They should be coming in when I return. I've been battling illness for a few weeks now, and just starting to get my strength and motivation back. Perhaps I should start writing poetry again...

But for now, the poetry of the road beckons, and I'm not one to keep the lanes of spoken word empty... ;)

Bette Midler: A F--king Diva (She said it!)...

I know, I know, I'm supposed to be uploading Hong Kong pics and working on Guilin vids, but hey, can a slacker get a break?

I realize I haven't officially updated this blog since before I came home, so let's just start right here:

I was back in Los Angeles a few days, and now I've been in Las Vegas for about 4 days.

Sorry kiddies, but this trip is also without Hookers and Blow since it's kind of "work related."

However, I did go and see Better Midler yesterday, and I'll say this:

She is Fucking aWesome.

In fact, she herself used the F-word about 20 times - sometimes as a punctuation mark, sometimes as a verb, and sometimes just to shout it out to the 3,000 screaming fans in attendance.

The entire show was a huge spectacular production: Dancing, singing, and I don't want to give it away, but there was even a full-on, mechanized portion where Bette and a full chorus line of dancers are doing an entire routine in electric wheelchairs. Seriously, even I was impressed.

Though, I'm not sure what I was more entertained by: The Divine Ms. M belting out the best of her hits, or the 6 women sitting in front of me that were going ape-shit the entire time. It was like watching a live-version of the Golden Girls, except it had more drunk dancing, alcohol schluging and at one point, one of them waiving their cellphone as if it was a lighter.

But hey, I'm just glad she sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" and of course, "The Rose", which brought me to an uncontrollable fit of laughter because of this rendition of it:







All that aside, she is a consumate entertainer, and can still give Britney Spears a run for her money... ;)

Bye-bye For Now, Hong Kong...

I'm sitting at an airport lounge, hogging the bandwidth while eating ham and cheese finger sandwiches with the crusts cut off.

Yeah, I'm a poster child for the jet-setting slacker.

Anyhows, I guess by the time you read this folks, it'll be Thanksgiving day, and I hope you all find yourselves with people you can share it with, or, at least heading to places where the turkey is moist and the mashed potatoes are plentiful.

Most immediately, I'm thankful that I'm not stuck in Bangkok nor near anywhere in the vicinity of Mumbai. I'm also grateful that this year I survived my birthday without any bus incidents.

But most of all, I'm grateful to have the time to travel with my folks, and share all this with you all. For as always, you guys make it worth the effort to bring the camera along and show you how I'm viewing things at the moment I'm in them.

Speaking of which, I took a butt-load of pics in Hong Kong this time around on the extended stay, so if anyone has any particular things they want to check out first, let me know. Or, I'll just splurge them out throughout the month and into December to close out the year.

THE SHORT LIST:
Things I will miss about Hong Kong:
1. The Food
2. The subway, buses and light rail travel
3. The Peak at sunset
4. Cute girls wearing fake Uggs
5. All the latest tech gizmos

Things that I won't miss about Hong Kong:
1. The People's "Go F--k Yourself" attitude
2. The Gunk of air pollution on my skin
3. Electronic bus signs that don't work
4. Automatic toilets that flush at the wrong moments
5. The crazy mini-bus drivers

But will I be back?

Yeah.

Next entry will be back in LA, where I'm sure the current rainyness will welcome me with open arms... ;)

Daytrip: Macau -- It's All About the Egg Tarts...

Greetings, fellow Chill-axers!

Looks like yours truly will be heading home very soon, so the Asian adventures will be coming to a close -- for this year, anyway. No need to panic, I think I have other adventures in store for next year already, so until then, I guess I'll be returning this blog back to writing and poetry -- if that's all right with everybody...

We made a quick stop to Macau last week, where, if you last recall from last year, I didn't get to do as much walking around because of the Macau Grand Prix (silly us, we should have checked the schedule). This time around, I was determined to get some new pics of old things, some more panoramas, and of course, eat one of the famous Portuguese Egg Tarts. Not that they don't sell them in Hong Kong, but it really is about eating it where it comes from, like drinking Tuscan wine in Tuscany, or having a Fatburger in Fatburgerland, California.

Need not worry, this slideshow is pretty short, but I hope you like it anyway:

Guilin, China -- It's a 3 out of 5...

Guilin, China -- a place that has seen a lot of change, even in the past few years. With the relaxation on restrictions of travel between neighboring provinces, Chinese from other areas are now flocking to these places in droves, supplying the local economy with booming tourism. In return, people bring back with them digital pic memories, trinket souvenirs and hours upon hours of video that I'm sure will both wow and moan/groan their friends back home.

The sites are pretty cool, albeit a bit sparse. We were on a 4 day tour, and some of that time was catered to the usual tour group stuff: suckered into tea-drinking places to buy tea, ushered into medicinal factories to perhaps buy some god-awful smelling ointments, and even a trip to a foot massage/reflexology center for a foot massage, and perhaps a chance to be talked into buying a lot of creams and things for the flight home.

The slideshow has a few of my fave highlights, and since I'll be heading home next week, I might wait to work on the videos I took in Guilin when I arrive back in Los Angeles.

As always, links to the album are on the bottom if you want the larger views:

Japan Videos: Trains and Remembering...

Hey Chickie-Wikkies!

Explored some more of Hong Kong today, which I'll probably post up later when all is said and done. So that means Guilin pics still are in the pipeline -- Traveling slacker ass be damned!

Anyhow, here's the last two sets of videos from Japan:

The First is of what its like to ride a Bullet Train:







The Second is my visit to the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall For the Atomic Bomb Victims:







As always, these videos are available in hi-res at my YouTube: www.youtube.com/loon1979

Supa-Wink-Winks... ;)

UPDATE: Back from Guilin, China - But First, More YouTube!...

Hey Supa-Freaks!

Yep, I'm back in Hong Kong after 4 days in Guilin, China. Took a lot of photos as usual, and a bit of video, and yes, I'll get my slacker ass up and work on it soon.

Anyway, to tide you guys over, here's two more sets of videos from Japan:

The First video I took in some village, and two guys were up to their morning routine:







The Second video is a visit to Mt. Aso, an active volcano. You can almost taste the sulfur:







As always, if you want to check out these videos in hi-res, my YouTube is:
youtube.com/loon1979

Til later!... ;)

Japan Videos: Blowfish and Beaches!!!!

Hey kiddie-roos!

Looks like I'm taking off for places unknown again tomorrow, so I leave you with the first pair of videos from Japan, with more coming out by the time I get back.

Anyway, first one up is where I tempt fate and eat the BLOWFISH!







And the second is of some beautiful beach and rock stuff.







Stay Supa, you beautiful people... ;)

Taipei: It's Like I Was Born Here Or Something...

An extra special treat this year: What better place to celebrate my birthday than to visit the place I first came into the world?

The hospital, as stated before, hasn't changed all that much in 29 years. I'm sure there's some new paint here and there, but other than that, it's like I took a journey back in time to see my past. I think I'll let the slideshow do the rest of the talking...

Taipei: It's Like I Never Left...

Taipei: It's a city of contradictions. Trying to be forward thinking, but moving backwards at times. It strives for democracy but is stunted by corruption. Sure, it has great Taiwanese cuisine, but it's Japanese food is even better (from all the years of occupation, no less).

I didn't roll any video 'cause I didn't do as much touristy stuff there, but I did do the usual shutterbugging, so that's what's in the slideshow.

It's a place that has kinda stood still. It provides change in small moves, and looks like it's gonna stay that way for the foreseeable future. That is both comforting, and sad, at the same time.

Interesting things observed:

1. It's not uncommon to be riding in a taxi, and the taxi license picture doesn't quite match the driver who's operating the vehicle. It seems a bit shady, but then again, I don't have the complete story

2. Women there may look Japanese, but they have the hip swagger of a typical Chinese gal-on-the-town. Kinda plays with the idea of "Naughty and Nice"

3. Seriously, the Japanese food there is better than the Japanese food in Japan. I wonder if it's because of the special mayonnaise...

4. Though it gets crowded, no one shoves or yells (not counting the protesting that turns ugly). It makes for quite the quiet chaos.

5. Want the best Iced Milk Tea in the city? Try one at the Shangri La Hotel -- it'll blow your mind away...

It's Looking A Lot Like The Battle for Seattle...

Hey Kiddies,

In the news happening here in the Far East, the Chinese and the Taiwanese are having talks about economic relations, and from the political view, it seems to have went well.

However, protests still went on -- crowds used air horns and threw bottles at the police. Let's just say it's looking very "Rodney King" at the moment.

Yours truly is keeping out of the fray. I'm watching it Live like the rest of the country.

But on the subway home, we saw many that were heading to the demonstration site. They looked like they were ready to rumble.

In lighter news, I made a special trip that I'm going to share with you when I return back to Hong Kong -- all the pics and story included.

Keep Supa, Babies... ;)

Day 7: Nagasaki, Arita, Return to Fukuoka

Things I’m learning on the road and food I’m gonna miss:

1. I’m really gonna miss the ice cream they have here. I’ll try and find some at the Japanese markets back home, but it just won’t be the same, I’m sure.

2. Hot Coffee In a Can. The epitome of caffeine efficiency.

3. Taragawa, our driver. Though he seldom gets the credit, we literally can’t make it without him.

4. Street food here is AMAZING! I normally don’t enjoy beef tendons, but they do it pretty swell here. All everything really needs is a little mustard sauce.

5. Guys on bikes are like ninjas of the street – you’ll never hear’em coming, and you’ll barely see them when they zip off.

Day 6: Kagoshima, Sinnyatushiro, Shimabara (Mt. Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall), Nagasaki...

Things I learned on the road that day:

1. Japanese baths have a height in which you are directly at eye level with “Asian Pork Sausages” when you are sitting down at one. I may have to write a blog just on that subject alone.

2. The act of bowing happens everywhere – when you enter, when you leave, when you take off in a ferry, when you finish a meal at a restaurant. If it was possible to harness the power of Japanese bowing, we could solve the energy crisis tomorrow.

3. If someone Japanese speaks Japanese to you and you have no clue what they’re talking about, they will pantomime the hell out of what they’re trying to say until you kinda get it. But the reverse does not always work out as well.

I'm Heading Out The Door Again...

Hey Supa-Freaks!

I'm heading on a plane to Taipei in the morning.

Cameras are coming with me. Internet, maybe.

And oh yeah, just to call it now -- Barack Obama is the next President of the United States.

There, I said it, so it has to be true... ;)

Day 5: (Japan Pic Highlights) Miyazaki, Horikiritouge, Udojinjya, Sakurajima, Kagoshima...

Hey ya'll,

Good news -- finally got a free day to work on some blog stuff. Bad news -- still haven't gotten to the videos yet! Damn it, I'm such a procrastisizer!!!!

Anyway, here's the stuff from Day 5 of being in Japan -- Since my photo hosting is all over the place, looks like I'll be doing Blogger slideshows from now on, so if there's something you like, just click on the photo and the larger version should pop up. If not, then just go to my alt site:
witandwrit.blogspot.com for the larger pics.

Hong Kong Halloween: Who'da Thunk It...

Hey Superfriends!

I'm sorry, but I've still been busy traveling to and fro and living the city life, so I haven't sat down to get much work done. However, I thought I'd post this up since I thought you might be curious how Halloween is done in Hong Kong, anyway.

It's basically the same thing: kids in costumes, running around, getting candy, and basically making life chaotic for parents that just want to sit down for a dang minute. Though it seems they're a bit lax on candy safety, I'm sure that the threat of Melamine contamination, SARS and other contagions keep the parents on their toes as always.

The area I'm staying in threw a little shin-dig for the kiddies:




More stuff later as always... ;)

Hong Kong: Humid, Muggy, and Sunny...

Hey ya'll!

I finally arrived in Hong Kong yesterday afternoon. It only took us an hour to get out of the airport, no thanks to one irate cab driver that didn't want to drive us to our destination (it was out of his area, or so he snickered), and poorly drawn instructions by the Tenant Administrators, who are great in person, but horrible on paper.

It's hotter here than we thought it'd be. November is usually a good time, though with Global Warming and Mother Nature being all uppity, we are blasted by humidity and stickiness that makes taking a shower seem fairly useless to wash off.

As you can now read this, I got the internet to work with the help of the Tenant Administrators this morning. They had given us instructions on activation, however, they left out the login, passwords and codes to access the internet -- you know, basically, unimportant stuff. Again, they're great in person, horrible on paper...

I'll be working on the last of the Japan stuff as promised, and the video should be up. The good news is that the connection here is pretty fast, so large files shouldn't be a problem.

Talk to ya'll again soon... ;)

UPDATE: Leaving Fukuoka in a Few...

Hey gang!

Good news: I've got most of the latest pics FINALLY uploaded and hosted on my new site.

Bad news: I probably won't get to it for a few days, so Days 5-7 will have to wait til I get back internet in Hong Kong.

However, I'm taking off for Hong Kong this afternoon, so I should be moving from one time zone to another most ricky-tick. It's only a one hour difference, but I'm sure my body is gonna give me jet-lag anyway.

Here's a preview of stuff to come:

1. More stuff I'm learning on the road
2. Pictures (of course)
3. Video of a beach, riding a Bullet Train, and a visit to the Nagasaki Memorial
4. Some other anecdotes that may or may not come to me

See ya all in a bit... ;)

Day 5: Miyazaki, Horikiritouge, Udojinjya, Sakurajima, Kagoshima...

Due to a bit of a snafu with my image hosting site, looks like I'll be hosting a few pics on MySpace in order to tell at least one story about today. Also, I've thrown in a bit of video -- okay, so I'm not such a slacker after all!

Things I’m learning on the road:

1. Older Japanese folks here are going to out-live me. I’m not saying that to be nice, that’s just a fact.

2. Being the last person on the bus in the morning – even though I’m arriving on time for departure – apparently makes me a douchebag primadonna in the eyes of the other group members. Oh well, only a few more days to go.

3. You know the establishment is reputable when there’s a giant cartoon as the storefront logo.


Here's the video of me trying "Mr. Ed", as promised:

So here's a temple that we visited today. Well, this is still
one of the entrances.


The temple itself is located inside a seaside cave.


There it is in the middle.


So to make a little extra money, they sell these pebbles which
you use to try and toss into the middle of this ring. It's for
good luck or something, but all I know is, it seems
women have the best aim here.

Here's the video of one lucky lady's toss:

Just as a side note: Is it just me, or is this Fanta can
just completely out of control?

Day 6 coming soon, with more pics, hopefully... ;)

Day 4: Kumamotojyo, Takajou, Kirishmajingu, Miyazakichiho Boku

Things I’m leaning on the road related to Tour Groups:

1. Japanese tour groups LOVE taking the group photo. They sit in rows, looking like a graduating class photo or something aka – Graduates of Stone Castle Museum 2008! Woo-Hoo!

2. It’s possible to be anyone you want to be in a tour group. For instance, my folks are pretending that I’m a recent High School Graduate. The group bought it, so now they ask me where I’ve applied to. I don’t know how long I can keep the ruse up.

3. Sometimes it’s better not to know too much about your travel companions’ relationship. The older gentleman and his young “partner” would rather keep it quiet to the group that the gentleman is taking his mistress out on holiday. It’s the elephant in the room, and we all don’t mind the squeeze.

Morning in Yamaga.

The outer wall of Kumamoto Castle.

The castle itself, after passing through two layers.

Yeah, trying talking to THAT hand.

View from the top.

Combus tible? At least the translations are better than
the Chinese.

Yep, Meg Ryan herself selling coffee too!

Suizenji Jojuen Garden. The little boy is teasing the fish.

Night view of Miyazaki.

Dinner was French Cuisine, as done by Japanese
chefs. That's Steve the Tour Guide
near the bottom right.

It seemed that we were in for a bit of trickery.

As objects may appear larger, but are actually
not.

Mmmm, mid-sized?

Yeah, in my dreams!

Day 5 and whatever comes next on the way, depending on
internet availability as always... ;)

Day 3 cont.: Yufuinn, Kusasenri, Aso (volcano), and Yamaga...

Sorry for the late update, but it turns out the place last night was the first time there was no internet available. Ah, to be disconnected…

Anyway, I didn’t scale a mountain like I stated previously. We did, however, manage to visit an active volcano. I think I’ve had my fair share of breathing in large amounts of sulfur this time around. There were four warning systems – Good, Fair, Mildy Dangerous, and Good-God-You-Shouldn’t-Be-Here. Though it was kind of foggy with high winds, we lucked out and just sneaked in right under the wire. The alternative was to visit the volcano museum, but we weren’t having any of that. No way did we travel so far and NOT risk our lives to witness nature at it’s most relaxed state.

Things I’m learning on the road:

1. Sitting at low tables cross-legged, even with chair backs, is a workout. I’m having to do crunches and sit-ups just to stay “relaxed”. I’m sure in 30 years time, I’d get used to it.

2. The Japanese here continue to speak Japanese even though you have no clue as to what they’re saying. They keep saying the same phrase over and over, but slower, as if by some miracle you’ll say something intelligible back. Ah, the perks of being an Asian foreigner.

3. Shop keepers don’t get upset when you don’t buy anything. They have none of the passive-aggressiveness of Chinese shop keepers. Like the difference between Vulcans and Romulans.

Morning view from my window in Beppu.

Just because someone asked about it, here's what a typical
American Breakfast looks like. They all vary, but it's like this.
I know, why am I eating this instead of Japanese food? Guy
needs a little break, that's why!

Another cool idea -- squeeze strawberry jam and butter.
They combine at the end without using a knife.

Ah, the Japanese Group Photo. A staple of common
tourism.

Cool, huh? It's a dog made of stone. It's a
"Stoned Dog".

Lunch, in complete minimalism. Most of the lunches
are in perpetual appetizer mode.

So, who wants to see a volcano (in Aso).

As you can see, the ride up is Ewok friendly.

The lip of the volcano, in the far distance. I'm trying
not to breathe it all in.

Deja Vu? Indeed. At least the tables were slightly higher.

The Japanese toilet/bidet. They all vary a little, but they
function the same way.

All controls are in Japanese, but you get the gist of
what does what, or at least I try to every time I
have to use the facilities. You just never know when
it'll go off...

Dinner, in Japanese style (eating and seating).

See the red meat with the flower? That's
Raw Horse Meat. Yeah, I ate it. I have the video
to prove it.


Day 4 up next!... ;)

Day 3: Beppu Onsen - Like Indoor Camping...

Hey ya'll!

Just a quick note before I get back on the road today. Might be scaling a mountain. Not really sure. Anyway, I'll bring back the photos later.

If you caught the last blog, I said that I was sleeping on the floor. Well, let's just say that my back isn't as sore as I thought it would be, though it was a real pain to get up this morning. Getting the morning call with the phone 3 feet away, I crawled out of my floor-mat cocoon only to be greeted by a garbled Japanese Automated Alarm message. Yeah, TOTALLY worth it.

Well, I better get going before Steve the tour guide worries about me.

Stay tuned... ;)

Day 2: Mojiko, Mekari Tenboutai, and Beppu Onsen...

Things I'm learning on the road here:
1. The rest stops here are totally awesome. Vending machines that spit out beer and fast food is something we are sorely lacking in America. Okay, maybe not.

2. The more we head out into the boonies, the more everything seems cleaner and more efficient. You wouldn't expect that from places that aren't even on the map, but they make it work here.

3. Japanese tourists that tour their own country carry very few cameras. Go figure.

All righty, here's what I shot today. Oh yeah, I don't think I'll have time to do video while on the road, so once I get back to Hong Kong, I'll have time to do some edits and uploads when I'm on a steadier schedule. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: Get on with it already!

Kinda like Golden Gate was my first thought.

Pretty common around these parts, cemeteries exist around housing in dense
pockets. I'm surprised there's not Japanese horror flick about ghosts
that haunt residents from their own backyard. Hmmm...

There's that blue guy again.

The entrance to some hot springs that had names such as Blue Hell, and
Red Hell.

Here's Blue Hell.

And that's Tommy Lee Jones selling coffee drinks.

Looks like Red Hell is super-serious about being "edgy".



Most dangerous thing I ate today? Fugu omelete aka omelete and Blowfish.
Yeah, THAT fish. I've got more video on this, but suffice it to say, I can't think
of a more needless way to risk my life for the sake of culinary delicacy.
My lips were a bit numb afterwards, but they say that's normal...


Coolest thing I ate today, pardon the pun? Waffle-ized Ice Cream!


It's basically ice cream injected into a waffle layer.
High concept, big flavor, and portable. Tastebuds approve.

This is where I crash for the night, notice something missing?

Ding! Magically, Housekeeping pulls out the floor-mat futon!
It should be an interesting sleep...

Stay tuned for more on the road... ;)