visitor strip up from monkey forest

sacred monkey forest

This great little town in the center area of Bali, whose name originates from the Balinese word ‘ubad’ which translates to ‘medicine’ is a great stopping point when touring around the majestic island.

Within close proximity of several restaurants, small shops, a great ice cream shop, the sacred monkey forest as well as endless rice fields and galleries.

Since the late ninetheen century, Ubud has boasted a renowned arts scene which was only magnified later by foreigners who introduced to the Balinese to teach them about art.  Walking around the town, its easy to stumble upon a gallery to browse or a local artists looking to sell their pieces.

Related posts:

1. Monkey treat
2. Monkey’s Uncle?
3. Balinese Ice Cream

fresh growth

Bali is known to many for several things. There are amazing beaches… apparently some of the best in the world to surf. There are amazing Hindu temples to explore and be in awe of, but to me, Bali will always be remembered for the endless hills and valleys of rice fields. In many location, they extend as far as the eye can see.

Sights such as this are part of what draw people to this beautiful, peaceful island in southeast asia. But as with many other tourist driven economies, the very thing that draws people in are threatened by the economy they create. In more developed areas of the island, such as around the smaller cities such as Ubud, etc., tourism has driven up the price of real estate. That, combined with fewer younger people wanting to work the fields, and you have hotel owners who must purchase surrounding rice fields in order to ensure that the amazing view which they currently enjoy is maintained. It seems that without doing so, those great fields may yield to the pressures of developers who look at the climate, land, sights and economy and believe these parcels are prime for larger development.

Outside of the cities, wander around off the main road and you can enjoy some of the most beautiful, and peaceful scenery around.  It’s this type of thing that makes you contemplate never leaving.

mature rice fields

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1. Balinese Ice Cream
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view of the falls from the overlook

trailhead marked by the warning sign

a muddy, unkept trail

Located just five minutes from Lihue, and once the seen in the opening scenes of the tv show Fantasy Island, Wailua falls is a beautiful, easily accessible 80 ft. waterfall on the island of Kauai. Unlike most waterfalls on the island, this waterfall is viewable from a roadside overlook where you can enjoy its beauty and the peacefulness of the surrounding area.

The flow of the south end of the Wailua River over this fall can vary greatly depending on the weather conditions. The picture above was taken during a long dry spell in the area, and thus the water level here is not incredibly high.

The view of the falls from the overlook is great, and for most people this is enough. For those who insist upon a bit more adventure, there is are nearby trails that lead down to the base of the falls.

One such trail begins behind the guardrail just to the south of the overlook. There is a sign put up by the county advising visitors to not go down which should be taken seriously. The trail is steep, and can be extremely muddy (keep in mind that these photos were taken during a dry period).

That being said, if you were to still want to adventure down, several ropes line the trail which aide greatly heading in both directions (up and down).

Note: There is an alternative trail that begins further down the road, but is much less steep which may be easier to climb down. It too is marked by a sign warning visitors to not go down the trail.

Regardless of how you get down there, once you reach the base of the falls, its another beautiful perspective. As an added bonus, there is a giant pool which is great for swimming which wasn’t quite as cold as the water flowing down Hanapaki’ai Falls or Rainbow Falls. Once in the pool, you can swim to the other side and climb up and behind the falls for what is always a great view.

To reach the falls, from Hwy 56, turn onto Maalo Rd (Hwy 583) and drive 3.9 miles to the overlook.

ground view of wailua falls

Related posts:

1. Rainbow Falls
2. Manoa Falls
3. Hanakapi’ai Falls

view from tokyo tower

Maybe its spending so much time in New York. Maybe its that I haven’t yet had the opportunity to explore all corners of this great city, but of all the things that I was impressed with in Tokyo, the skyline and certainly the architecture was not something I was overwhelming impressed with.

tokyo tower

In New York, there’s nothing quite like downtown with all the huge skyscrapers so tightly packed together in a small area, with narrow cobblestone streets weaving between them that can make you feel so small and special at the same time.

In London, Prague and other European cities you have the opportunity to walk amongst buildings which are old and have such character that you could only wish that builders today would be able to spend the money required for the sort of style and detail that old buildings were constructed in. Walking through the streets almost becoming like walking through a history book.

Given the history of Tokyo, it’s understandable why there aren’t many old buildings and why the city is laid out as it is, but I was somewhat surprised that I wasn’t more wow’d by the buildings in one way shape or form.

One of the buildings which I wish that I had gotten an opportunity to see better is Tokyo Station. Originally constructed during the Meiji Period, it is one of the oldest buildings still standing in the city, and is currently undergoing restoration of the red brick exterior so its mostly covered up right now.

Related posts:

1. Khaosan Tokyo Ninja
2. Smokin’ Streets
3. Tokyo Recap and Look Ahead

no crossing on red

shopping district in shibuya

Famous for the (scramble) crossing above, Shibuya is a famous fashion and business district within the Tokyo Metropolis. The crossing above is famous because it exist just outside of one of Tokyo’s busiest train stations, Shibuya station and when the crossing light changes, it happens to result in a great sight of masses crossing the street in unison. In many other cities, you might see people crossing the street against, the light, and having an intersection such as this not look anything special, but here in Tokyo, things are different and it shows.  It’s as if someone open the flood gates. Note: The picture above was actually taken on a Sunday afternoon and not during a peak time during the work week.

In addition to this crossing, the Shibuya area is also known as a high fashion, nightlight and business center. Several large departments stores are located here amongst the many other stores and restaurants.

Easiest way to get here is to jump aboard the JR Line or one of the Ginza, Fukutoshin, Hanzomon Lines and get off at Shibuya station.

crossing on green

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1. Tokyo Recap and Look Ahead
2. Tokyo Skyline
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entrance to the shrine

Located in Shibuya section of Tokyo, is an amazing shrine originally completed in 1921 and dedicated to the defied spirits of the Emperor Meiji. As with most other original structures within Japan such as the Imperial Palace, the original shrine was destroyed in WWII and the current iteration completed in 1958.

Otorii, grand shrine-gate

hand-washing stone basin

keidai

part of a large garden area

When first entering the grounds of the shrine, you walk amongst hundred or thousands of other tourist and locals alike down a evergreen tree covered gravel walkway. Among the first things you’ll see are a large collection of wine barrels.  These barrels were dedicated to honor the friendship Japan has had with Western countries, such as France. It was during the Meiji period where there was an emphasis on integrating “Japanese spirit and Western knowledge”.

Following the barrels, you’ll first pass through huge gates which are pretty cool in their own right, but lend another hint that you’re at somewhere special, and sacred. The gate pictured here is apparently unique in that its the biggest wooden “torii” of the Myōjin style in Japan. It is modeled to be identical to the original built in 1920, and was made of 1500 year old wood found on Mt. Tandai in Taiwan.

Upon passing through the gates, you’ll pass by a entrance to something off to the left. This is the Meiji Jingu Garden, which was originally part of a feudal lord’s mansion owned by the Iis. Ever since the beginning of the Meiji Era (1868) it had become the Imperial Estate and improved upon by Emperor Meiji. Within the garden you will find a great path which is both peaceful as well as beautiful as it winds around several areas, such as the fishing hole, tea house and spring. Note: entrance to the gardens does have an entrance fee of 500 yen.

Just past the gardens, and around the bend, you’ll begin to see a crowd gathering off to the left. When you walk closer, it appears that there is a large stone basin where people are washing their hands. The idea being to purify your hands prior to entering the main shrine area.

After your hands have been purified, you come to the main entrance (shown in the main photo above). This alone is quite beautiful and seems to represent the sort of architecture that I’d typically associate with traditional japan. Walking through this you’ll enter yet another large contained area, sort of like a courtyard or ‘Keidai’ in Japanese.

Within the large courtyard area, there were many lines leading up to the area along the main shrine for paying respects by bowing twice, clapping twice, making small donation (if you like), then bowing once more. During this procedure, it wasn’t uncommon to notice people making short prayers.

After paying my respects, and wandering about the area a bit, I happen to come across something that is supposedly quite rare in the area, a wedding procession. This glimpse to me was quite a treat as the colors and dress were something rather unique to me at this point, and seemed to be a perfect place to take witness.

provenance of the bourgogne wine for consecration at meiji jingu

an area for prayer and giving

wedding ceremony taking place

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tokyo's imperial palace

Okay, so i wasn’t able to enter it, browse the perimeter of it or anything quite like that. The palace itself is only open two days a year (December 23rd and January 1st). In fact, this picture was basically as close as I happen to get to it. So why post it?  Located in the Chiyoda section of Tokyo, these grounds have served as the imperial residence since 1868. The actual structure has been built up several times, most recently in 1968 because the previous structure was destroyed by allied bombings in World War II. The fact that it was built in such recent times is probably why the palace isn’t more elaborate. The thing about this, any many other residences for heads of state that I always find comforting is that its located in the middle of it all and thus is always worth taking a look at.

An interesting note according to Wikipedia, during the 1980s property bubble in japan, the 7.41 sq km of land that the palace sits on was valued to be more that of the entire state of California.

For more information on the palace, virtualtourist.com has a good write up.

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1. Lake Palace
2. Meiji Shrine
3. Tokyo Recap and Look Ahead

entrance to serene

Looking for a decent yet affordable hotel outside of the typical tourist areas within Bangkok can sometimes be a challenge. Sure, if you’re willing to spend over $100 per night then your options can be wide open, but what if you don’t want to. Browsing the internet for good places in a foreign land can sometimes be a challenge because not all places are listed.

A couple weeks ago I was in such a situation. Looking for a place in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, I came across this great little bed and breakfast located a mere stones throw from Major Cinema, J Avenue (mall), countless great street vendors and bars as well as within reasonable walking distance from Central Plaza Lat-Phrao. The BTS Skytrain and MRT are both a short taxi ride away (about 50 baht).

Owned and operated by a local family, Serene Bangkok Bed & Breakfast is made up of just 8 rooms, each room is individually decorated with beautiful artwork on the walls. Free wifi throughout, plenty of outdoor tables and a swimming pool in a jungle like setting make this a great place to stay be it for vacation, or work like I had. Each morning, coffee and a free american breakfast are available. But beyond all of this is quite possibly my favorite feature of Serene, and that’s the presence of a full service spa. Being able to finish off each day with a 2 hr thai massage for a 400 baht, an hour and fifteen minute foot massage for about 250 baht make it a great way to end each day.

Note: My only regret is not taking some more photos of the grounds during the afternoon hours. You’ll have to take my word or check out their website to see how pretty it is.

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outside of the khaosan tokyo ninja

bed at khaosan tokyo ninja

the insides of personal quarters

Shortly after having made the necessary arrangements to change my flight around in order to grant me the opportunity to spend at least a few nights in Tokyo, I needed to find a place to stay. Traveling solo, and always open to meeting other like minded travelers out there, I tend to gravitate to hostels these days. Of course, there’s the added benefit that they are typically a whole lot cheaper then your standard room a hotel. So when looking around at hotels I began the search by simply looking for hostels in tokyo. What i came up with was a long list of them, and some pretty useful sites that gave price range, reviews and availability. One such place was the Khaosan Tokyo Ninja, which is located in the Chuo-ku area of Tokyo, nearby the Asakusa bashi stop on the Asakusa Toei line. Also nearby to the Bakurocho JR line.

Maybe being a bit new to hostels around the world, one of the things I found quite intriguing was the available beds. Not particularly fond of the idea of sleeping on a standard bunk bed, with someone I don’t know above (or below) me, and yet limited (based on price) to sleeping in a rather large dorm, when i came across the beds here, I got excited and booked it immediately.

After sleeping in it for the last several nights, I have to say that I’ve absolutely loved the experience. Its been comfortable, relaxing as well as private, made it sort of a thrill. Almost like camping in the middle of a huge city.

Beyond just the coolness of the great beds, the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. There were computers for use in the reception area, and there’s a great common area down in the basement. Oh yea, lets not forget free wifi throughout the building (including at the beds). Not bad for less then $30 a night in a city where you can easily lay out $200 a night.

common area at the ninja

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