Alcohol Infusion

Pickle shots with my sister.  WHO KNEW?!

Seriously.  Pickle-infused vodka from the Retro Room in downtown Denver.  Tastes like pickle juice, goes down smooth, no burn.

I'm just saying.  Go there.  Drink it.  For 3 bucks.

Pepperoncini-infused was also delicious but very spicy.  They should probably just make some awesome bloody mary's with that.

I mean, after the downtown Tavern and the 8 million drunk d-bags post-Rockies game, a simple slice of West Village class in Denver was all I needed for a perfect night.

You should also try drinking whiskey with chopsticks.

It's amazing.

Mostly because I was drinking a whiskey slush and that has enough consistency to work, but how awesome does that status update make me sound?

Denver rocks.  I found my future property on Canyon Ranch outside of Golden yesterday and neighbors with Golden Gate state park.  I love gazing on the Rockies from the windows of CFA, and yes, it's good to be home.  Big family reunion this week so it'll be interesting to see how the week unfolds!

Till then... movies in the park.  And without rude New Yorkers and the humidity.  Sigh.

Scooter-ific

Here're some things you need to know about Thailand...

1. ANYONE can rent a scooter for 200 Baht.

2. I really mean anyone with any sort of ID, not necessarily a driver's license.

3. The Songkran Thai New Year tradition of pouring water on the hands of the elderly has morphed into a week-long roadway water fight.

4. Ice water hitting your face at you at 40 km/h really hurts.

5. Driving a scooter in Thailand during Songkran is playing dice with the devil.

We decided we would rent a scooter from our hotel this morning, though we are well aware that you can easily get scammed for even the slightest scratch. While the verdict is still out on us losing all our hard-earned Japanese yen since Evan is keeping the scooter another day tomorrow, so far we made it down and back up the island quite safely. We took pictures as evidence first thing to cover our butts in case of scamming danger, and hopefully we won't have to use them.

I won't lie, the mountainous hairpin turns between towns and beaches are really frightening, especially when you aren't the one driving and are holding on for dear life. I've never been so happy to wear a painful too-small helmet in my life.

We stopped first at the elephant camp to take a couple pictures with SPD and bestie's billboard, since they are now the most famous people in Koh Chang. We drove about an hour to get to the south end of the island, where we turned down the small street towards Bang Bao and its long pier.

We hadn't really planned to start our adventure there, but that's what happens when you let the spirit of adventure guide you. We were lucky it was cloudy and cooler today, since the pier felt stifling, more like Bangkok than Koh Chang. I thought the pier would be wooden, but in fact it was a small concrete slab with stilted shops and restaurants and bars and bungalows added haphazardly. There's a lot of charm there, even if the pier has changed a lot from its former fishing village days.

Evan found a travel agent he really liked who booked us a 4 island snorkeling tour on Saturday, and I enjoyed exploring the lighthouse at the end of the pier. We had hoped to have a late seafood lunch there, since we'd heard how good the seafood was supposed to be but we were still very full from a big breakfast and our all-you-can-eat BBQ the night before. It was nearly 1 by the time we ate, however, since it took some time to traverse the 20 km down to that end of the island.

Evan had an incredible Hawaiian salad that was served inside half a pineapple, but I really indulged for my favorite seafood that I've rarely had since Baltimore made it legendary for my taste buds.

That's right. Delicious blue CRAB! Sans Old Bay, which just seems a crime, but he was so damn fresh and delicious he didn't need any help at all. I did have some soy and spicy Thai chili sauce to accompany him, and they added excellent local flavor, but to be honest, I mostly just enjoyed the crab sans embellishment.

We picked the place because it smelled so good, but the tanks of your lunch still swimming around waiting for you to decide its fate really sold me on a restaurant whose name I never knew. They had two big blue crab just itching to get out of the tank, and I felt like I could help one of them out...

... and INTO MY BELLY! And boy was he tasty. Not the cheapest crab at 700 B/kilo (I paid about 15 bucks for a very nice size fellow), but extremely flavorful. I even made sure to remind his friend on the way out that he was lucky I gave him a few extra hours of life.

After our lunch we grabbed some excellent pastries for afternoon snacks, and then decided to see just how far the west coast road would go. It dead-ended at a guests-only resort, so we backtracked to an access point for the beach I had been eyeing jealously from the Bang Bao pier. The beach was lovely and secluded and had beautiful sun and views, but we didn't stay long with all we hoped to accomplish for the day still on the menu. The sand wasn't the best, a bit a rocky with lots of washed up coral, and the water was really only ideal for shallow floating, but it was nice to slow down and soak up a few rays.

Of course I happened to step in a pile of red ants that I REALLY hope weren't fire ants, though I think my ankle would be itching by now. I jumped right into the ocean in case any felt the need to stay longer than their already un-welcome, but mostly I was just annoyed that they decided to crowd around the foot water well. RUDE.

We continued back up the island and stopped at one of the cliffs to take pictures of the beautiful view. Be jealous. Very jealous.

Our final stop of the day was at the Khlong Phlu waterfall not far from our elephant trekking camp. You have to stop at the ranger station to pay 200 Baht, which I think actually only applies to foreigners and is kind of outrageous when you think about it. 12 bucks to walk to a waterfall for the two of us? Stupid.

As it turns out, the hike was really nice through the jungle, especially since it was a natural dirt trail, unlike silly Taiwan. The waterfall was still amazing, despite being at its low point at the end of the dry season. It's much taller than I expected, and it cuts an incredible gorge out of the rocks. There's an excellent pool to swim and cliff jump into, though with the low levels we weren't too brave. And boy, did freshwater taste sweet!

Driving home before sunset was probably the worst part of the day, since some of the Songkran revelers had packed up for the day, but some still insisted on throwing ice water in our eyes despite our protests. There's just no avoiding it around here.

We watched the best sunset yet from our porch, and Tal came around not long after we got home. We seriously just watched from our porch, and Hamlet even came around to lay at our feet. Did I mention that we have 4 puppy friends here? Hamlet, the black one, Ralph, the black and white one, Buster, the bristled (?) one, and our new friend today, Daisuke, the brown and black one. And yes, they are territorial and make sure we get home safely. Amazing what a little kindness gets you. We could learn something from dog behavior.

Since it was cooler this evening, we ate an incredibly delicious and cheap Thai dinner at Rock Sand Resort on the patio directly over the crashing waves of high tide. A simple meal of Pad Thai, red chicken curry with pineapple, and stir-fried beef with garlic and pepper was D-E-lightful. We played several games of cards that Tal taught us, an Israeli game similar to Uno called Taki, and a game called sh*thead that is pretty close to President. It was so nice to just relax, even if the mosquitoes didn't quite agree.

Now it's already 1 AM, and I'm looking forward to my day of nothing tomorrow. My plan is to hardly wander far from my front door, only to work on my tan and read a book. Who needs an agenda when you have sun, sand, and surf right outside your bungalow door? Heaven. Absolute heaven.

Steam and Clouds

I finally got out of town today AND I saw the sun!

I headed up to Xinbeitou relatively early this morning, despite a late night coughing fit. The town reminds me a lot of any Japanese onsen town, but it was enjoyably different nonetheless.

My first stop was the park in the center of town, where I took some great pictures of the warm river running through town, and even dipped my own toes in. I headed up the hill to find Di-re Valley, or Hell Valley, a steaming valley of awesomeness, but sadly it was closed for some reason.

Luckily, I can read a map.

I figured out that one of the roads circled up and around the back of the valley, and sure enough, I made my way up the hill to see what I could see. I couldn't see everything, of course, but again, I got some great shots of the steam rising out of the valley.

I then treated myself to a hot soak in the Public Hot Springs in the middle of the park for a mere NT$40... basically about a buck and half. CHEAP! I jumped around the 4 pools like the baby bear of the three bears, before I found the middle temperature pool to be "just right". It was really nice, and made me feel like I was a kid at Glenwood Springs again.

Afterwards, I had great luck and jumped right on the bus to Yangmingshan National Park. I still can't believe the way Asia manages to run public transportation up the side of mountains. And I travelled all around town today for a total of US$3. Awesome.

I took another shuttle bus over to Xiaoyoumeng to see the steam vents carved out the side of the mountain, and was a bit freaked out when I realized the trails were completely covered by clouds. But they cleared after a few minutes and I got some more great shots of the steam. I then foolishly left my camera, which was graciously recovered by a wonderful man named C.C. We ended up becoming quick friends as we climbed the trail up to Xishingshan, and he even asked about this blog! So we took a picture together to document the fun.

I enjoyed hiking the trail up to the peak, and clearing some of the cloud cover to see the sun! I do wish, however, that the trails, while very clearly marked, weren't paved with stone stairs the whole way, since by the end of 5 km my knees were aching for some good old-fashioned dirt. I didn't have a PB&J packed today, but I did eat a peanut granola bar at the top for good measure.

Much of the way down was in the cloud cover and looked like something out of the Mists of Avalon. It was the first time I've felt pure deafening silence in a long time. I loved it.

I caught a bus back to town, and realized along the way that the clouds had cleared enough to see the top of 101. So I hurried across town to go up the world's fastest elevator and second tallest building. It's really a superb building, with great views, and it's by far one of the nicest designs of a skyscraper I've seen. The resemblance to bamboo growing is pretty cool. And it's awesome to stand outside at 390 m above the city.

I grabbed a quick Indian dinner at the food court downstairs, as well as my favorite here in Taipei... boba tea! Shocker of all shockers... I discovered they have Dunkin' Donuts here in Taiwan, but I'm holding out two more weeks till I get home. I waited this long, after all...

After all that hiking and sunshine and walking through town, I'm beat. Good thing, since I have to be up at 5:30 to catch my bus to Sun Moon Lake in the morning. I'm not sure when I'll have internet again, so this might be the last update until I'm back in Japan. Enjoy!

Story Time

"Souvenir!" the Japanese man said. "Souvenir for you!"

In reply, I stood there perplexed but decided to hold out my palm and the 60 yen in it anway.

And the Japanese man dropped two little seed pods in my palm on his way out of the park.

Whilst Evan and I stood there dumbfounded.

Actually, I think I shriek-laughed a few seconds later and the Japanese man may have turned back to look at me frozen there in shock and delight.

So I literally didn't MOVE and made Evan get my camera out my bag and take a picture. And here it is for your delight.

I FINALLY had my first random act of bizarre kindness from a Japanese person that everyone else seems to have on a regular basis. Seriously, a man just walked up to me, said "Souvenir" and dumped some seed pods into my hand. Like I had ANY CLUE what he was doing or why he was doing it.

I think the only thing more bizarre than that today was when we stopped outside the ATM before jumping on the train at the station. This man just kind of came up right beside me, stared, and was like, "Hello."

Naturally, my first instinct was that a fan was stalking me (they do that here), because, in the very strange Japanese way, he sidled right up beside me and then stopped and stared at my face.

Of course, it took me a moment to realize that this was not a crazy man, but one of our stage supervisors from work. Now basically that means when I see this man, he's in a suit and tie at my stage and he's usually delivering some sort of information (aka bad news). So I was not quite expecting this man in a baseball cap, sunglasses, and jeans to be my supervisor coming up to me at the ATM. And I certainly wasn't expecting to meet his stunning (and awkward in that first-time-meeting-you Japanese way) wife.

And I REALLY wasn't expecting to talk to them about our day, and figure out halfway through the conversation that my supervisor's wife actually speaks far more English than he does and that she would be acting as translator. Nor was I expecting a "Why are you going there?" filled with scorn and derision when I mentioned we'd be heading to Shinjuku Gyo-en for the day.

So I explained that we would be seeing the chrysanthemums that are on display in early November, and boy did chrysanthemums we see!

The park not only has beautifully landscaped flower beds, but it also had a beautiful Japanese garden with traditional teahouses and this, the Kyu-Goryo-Tei (Taiwan Pavilion).

And in an area usually "Not Open to the Public" (as listed on our map) they had a treasure trove of flowers on display. (Boy, I am glad we used our BGP and didn't listen to the map, since we were absolutely allowed to walk through the exhibit).

There also happens to be a beautiful French formal garden with long lanes of deciduous and rose beds. We took in the smell and the sight instead of taking pictures, but all it really made me long for was a Paris vacation and my mother's rosebed back on Everett Street.

There also is an "English Landscape Garden" which really cracks me up because the "landscaping" means basically that it is a giant open lawn with some trees on the side. And somebody got paid to "landscape" that. HA!

We did see some really giant Chestnut and Maple trees, but of course, my picture here won't quite do justice to their size and grandeur.

And that, my friends was how I had a lovely and most random day in Shinjuku, even if I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and couldn't quite be bothered about much of anything today.

In the end, I did manage to figure out that the seed pods had a little significance in that the giant ravens all over the park were eating them for the lunch. Which means that little Japanese man's souvenirs were actually a raven's lunch. Which I now have.

But hey. Who'd really turn down a free souvenir?

Hiking Takao-san

I never had a chance to recount my good day off (Tuesday) last week because Wednesday was such a bummer of a day and it was all kinda crazy from there... so here it is!

I'm really thrilled that I didn't get dissuaded by the haze and semi-clouds that were threatening to hide the sun Tuesday and therefore delay my intended excursion, because as I've mentioned before, Wednesday's weather was even worse.

Even though the forecast said both days were supposed to be sunny and clear. C'est la vie.
So I took off pretty early and got the Keio line from Shinjuku out to Takao-san. Now Mt. Takao is a simple little 599m mountain right on the western outskirts of Tokyo and apparently really beautiful in the autumn and spring. And it seemed like a great little day hike since I was desperately craving nature, it was close, and it wasn't another Fuji climb.

It turns out I visited a well-traversed mountain that reminded me a lot of Lookout Mountain and its atmosphere. There are like 6 different trails to the top and a cable car and chair lift that each take you 2/3 of the way up. Luckily I found a great book on the free bookshelf downstairs of hikes in Tokyo that encouraged me to take a lesser-traveled side route that had some nice views of the Tokyo metro and a supposedly good view of Fuji if the haze hadn't caused such low visibility. It only took about an hour to get to the top, though I used the opportunity to sweat and work myself out on the final stairs stretch, so that was rather quick. Then I stopped and had a delicious PB&J at the top.

Which means I've now eaten PB&J at the top of two Japanese mountains. And in line at a rollercoaster park. That's pretty awesome.

I then took the well-traveled tourist route down that winds down through a temple in reverse at the mountaintop. Which devastated me that my camera is being repaired because it's the temple I've enjoyed the most since I've been in Japan. It had the coolest hob-nosed goblins statues (one seriously looked like a scary Pinocchio), and not just a little random carving like the famous sights in Nikko. There were beautiful carvings EVERYWHERE; on the stairs, the buildings, the fences, probably 15 different statues of the goblins, some utterly stunning architecture and a beautiful setting amongst the tall pines and deciduous. I took some pics with my camera phone but I'm sure they're really low quality and I can't quite figure out how to get them onto my computer.

But I'm guessing it'll just mean another excuse to hike during the beautiful fall colors in November.

Which is great because, much like the zen I feel after yoga there's nothing quite like the way I feel when hiking up a mountain. And judging by the stress of the week that was to come, and by the homesickness that was creeping up, I really needed that day of feeling at home in the mountains and will probably need one after Christmas show gets up and running.

After enjoying the stunning temple, the 108 steps representing the 108 sins of the world, and the crazy tree with octopus-like roots that my guidebook pointed out, I grabbed a tasty ice cream treat to head down the mountain. It was then I realized I wasn't really ready to finish my hike and that I might rather try to head back to the waterfall on one of the other trails.

Judging by my map I had to go back near the top (about 20 or 30 minutes) to meet up with Trail 6, but the map didn't really show that the different trails actually all kind of intertwine, and only a minute or so after I headed out there was a fork in the trail with great signage that pointed down a trail to the Bawa Waterfall.

So I made my way down a really nice and slightly difficult trail (which was so much more peaceful than the wide and easy main trail) and soon arrived at the waterfall. Which wasn't really a waterfall, but more of a waterfall that had been modified where the water runs over a man-made spigot. But it was pleasant to see and apparently a place where people go to test their spirits and meditate with the water running over them. But only on the 28th of each month.

After that it was a simple walk back towards town, with a few little shrines along the river, which I got to dip my feet in and taste some fresh cool water. There was a point when I literally walked through a strange invisible climate change and the temperature instantly rose 10 degrees and the humidity 50%. I have no idea why, but it was definitely a marking point of the climate of the mountain and the climate of the city.

So in my 3 hours, I got to look out over Tokyo, see one of my favorite temples, and have one of those blessed nature immersion days. If only Kate could have joined me!

After that I jumped back on the train and took it back to Shibuya where I tried to stop by the Puma store to finally buy the coveted high tops, but for some unknown reason the store was CLOSED! I think it had to do with construction happening on a neighboring store since the 4 shops in that section were also closed and Puma is supposed to be open 7 days a week and it wasn't a holiday.

But needless to say I was very disappointed. And I still don't have those shoes! I did, however, find a cute new hat at Zara (which I lost on the bus back from Fuji-Q and rebought at Lalaport), and had one of those crazy fate moments where I walked out of a store and straight into the Poly girls, who were shopping in Harajuku for the day!

Which then was so fortuitous because they invited me to share our neighborhood onsen for the first time. To which, frankly, words won't do justice.

The onsen is probably one of my top 5 favorite things about Japan and something I'm not looking forward to leaving -- already. I had had a semi-onsen experience the night we stayed in Nikko so luckily I wasn't a complete nervous novice, but that is like comparing Lakeside Amusement Park with Walt Disney World. I mean, a communal bathing hot pool and showers in the mountains is nothing compared to the full-on retreat that is our onsen! I'm obsessed.

Basically, for 1200 yen, you get to spend as long as you want and enjoy all of the water spa experience until the place closes at 2 AM. We got there about 8 o'clock at night, got our wristbands with your locker number and key that acts as your credit card for anything you want inside. We changed into the yukatas we picked out and headed for the Yaku Niku restaurant, which was my first Korean BBQ experience and was AWESOME. For 1200 yen each we had a set with beef and vegetables to grill, salad, soup, kim chi, and rice. And it was delectable.
Then we grabbed our swimsuits and went to the co-ed baths which have probably 15 different pools to bathe in outdoors, from a salt bath, to exceptionally hot ones, different colored ones, an igloo (!) and a whole rock/cave/waterfall one with the best massaging showers.

The footbaths are wonderful too, and it's nice to see such beautiful landscaping whilst sitting in these amazing pools.

Then we split up and I spent probably 2 hours in the men's only naked section. You start off showering (Japanese style sitting on a stool, though they do have a few Western style showers) so that you are don't dirty the bath, and the shampoo and conditioner and soap are so invigorating. Then I tried each of the 8 different indoor pools and 4 outside ones. There're different colored ones because they are actually different kinds of tea baths, from yellow and green and rose to a milky one filled with collagen! Some are different degrees of hot, there's the bubbly ones that massage your back, and there're also the steam room and sauna, but mixing it up in the freezing plunge pool is incredible.

I don't think my skin has ever felt that good! Though I did have little pruned fingertips after 3 hours in water.

You can also schedule a massage, though I opted out for the night. And then I took the opportunity to explore the other restaurants and lounges and arcades that are there as well. There are TV chairs upstairs where you can relax and sleep too!

Finally I took in my favorite pools one last time and then used the hairdryer and beauty stations they have. I think it might be the best shower I've ever had and for only 12 bucks!
So that day, I discovered the number one reason to come visit Japan (besides seeing me and my show) is to relax in the traditional Japanese way... the onsen! Especially after a long day of traveling and hiking!

An Incredible Weekend, Part 2

Sunday, August 16, 2009. Day in Nikko and Travel Home to Tokyo.

On Sunday, after a delightfully long and restful night's sleep, we awoke and started our day with another trip to the onsen. Followed by a little relaxation in the accompanying massage chairs. I could get used to that way of life!

Because of our long night's sleep, we were able to easily make our 8:30 AM breakfast, which again was a delicious 11-course meal, and not just the cold fish and rice we could have been served. (Though both the smoked salmon and rice were TASTY). In fact, there was beef cooked cooked right at our table, miso soup, cold chinese noodles, tasty fruits, and hot green tea. The only thing I really missed was a nice cup of coffee.

We immediately started our day with a visit to the famous Shinkyo Bridge, one of the top 3 bridges in Japan (we're doing well with top 3's so far...). Supposedly created when Shindo crossed the bridge on the backs of two intertwined serpents, the bridge was actually rebuilt in 1907 and refurbished in 2005. We got some great views of the crystal-clear River Daiya below!

We then began our day of the touristy-temple tour and saw one of my favorite sites of the day right off the bat. The 3 golden statues of buddha, each 8 meters tall at Rinno-ji shrine are truly stunning! There's the Amida Buddha, the thousand-armed kannon (Blair's fave), and the horse-headed kannon (my fave). Unfortunately you can't take pictures inside (I don't think BGP would even work), but don't worry. I have 331 from the whole weekend. We then visited the overpriced, but rather nice garden attached that also let us see some Japanese treasures in the museum.

Next we visited the famous Tosho-gu shrine, home to the ashes of Ieyasu, Japan's most famous shogun whose era lasted long after his death until the mid 1800's. He's also written about in the popular novel "Shogun". Here we climbed quite a few stairs, saw the famous carving of the Hear No Evil, See No Evil, and Speak No Evil monkeys,

the opulent and exquisite gates and buildings, the Sleeping Cat carving,

Ieyasu's tomb,

and the ringing dragon painting (it rings when you clap underneath him).

We stopped for a delicious and cheap lunch right next door of Curry Pastries and Ginormous Shaved Ices:

After lunch, we began our own personal trek of a hike through the silent and wonderful woods to Takinoo Shrine, a destination for women and those looking for love. We followed the guidebooks words and made our wishes while tossing a stone through a hole in the torii, though it took a few times to get the bullseye! This shrine was my other favorite stop because it was so far off the beaten path (though a stone path took us there), and it was truly peaceful and delightful, even if we didn't understand much of what was there.

We returned to visit the grand, but more sublime, Taiyoin-byo Shrine amongst a grove of HUMONGOUS Japanese cedars. I bet Nikko in the fall is gorgeous. This shrine is home to Iemitsu, the grandson of Ieyasu who built the Tosho-gu Shrine. I really enjoyed the beauty of the torii here and the peaceful setting. But what is it with temples and staircases?

We may or may not have returned to the shaved ice place for another treat (you can decide for yourself).

Then we ventured on another hike across the river and through the woods to the 90 or so statues that line the river near the Kamanga-fuchi pools. I enjoyed the trip though I would rather have rafted through that stretch of the river! We stopped for the best soft serve ice cream I've had in Japan yet, and found ourselves on our way back to the station to get home with some time to kill:

On the train, my seat partner lady was so sweet and offered me not one, but two miso-flavored rice crackers, just because, and I enjoyed them with a delicious beer from the cart. Sapporo = Yummy.

This time around, we knew better how to deal with the awkward Suica transition at Kita-senju Eki and managed to get the station attendant at our transfer at Hatchibori to take care of the mess. He knew what was up right away too!

Thus ended a delightful weekend away in the mountains, which only made me to feel more at home here in Japan!