LandHop

It’s been over two years since I’ve upgraded the site. So, this is the new look. I havn’t migrated everything over yet so expect some changes in the upcoming weeks!

So, how should I go about describing the exprience of the past two weeks? So many things were eaten, so many sights seen… 
I suppose I’ll start with a summary of our daily life. 
As with all trips, it’s only as fun as you want to make it. We took in Japan with open eyes, blank memory [...]

Sitting at the airport right now. Soon, we’ll be on our way home. The past two weeks have been absolutely awesome! It’s my second time in Japan, but it felt like my first visit. This time I saw so much more, ate so many different things and fully enjoyed every moment. 
The best part of Japan must [...]

 Since Diem and Binh will be a few hours behind us, we looked at a map to see where we could go hang out. Some place nice and fun, but not too nice and fun because we’d want Binh and Diem to enjoy that with us. We picked The Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, a Fox [...]

Got up bright and early for the bullet train trip to Kyoto this morning. Since Diem and Binh were on their own today, they opted to stay longer in Tokyo to take in Asakusa. It’s really too bad we couldn’t stay because Asakusa looked like it would be a lot of fun once all the [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The plan was for Diem and Binh to leave us for Mt Fuji early that morning and meet us in Kyoto the next day while Jae, Jason, Di, and I returned to Tokyo. They did not book the hotel/transportation package with us and were not required to go back to Tokyo [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
Back at the ryokan we checked out our rooms. We shared a room with Diem and Binh while Jason and Di had their own room. Our rooms were one of the best ones they offer at the ryokan, they each came with their own outdoor private baths! Bathing is quite popular [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
Unbeknownst to us at the time, everything in Hakone pretty much shuts down around 5pm. Well… to be fair, it was probably in the guide books but who really pays attention to all that detail. Anyhow, the cool thing about Hakone was the different modes of transportation one takes to circle [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The most interesting ‘bath’ at the Yunessun by far was the fish spa. We almost passed this one because there was a line when we first passed it. The line was much shorter when we passed by it a second time so we went in. From the picture it seems like [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The trip to Hakone was scenic, but I don’t care much for scenery so busied myself with a pretty bento box I bought onboard while Jae had a katsu sandwich. At this point, we don’t really eat meals at meal times, we eat whenever we’re hungry or whenever we see food [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The past three days have been exhausting. Lots of walking, very little sleep. This past night was no different. After we got back we packed our bags and called Ed to coordinate the next few days. They were going to head down to Kyoto before us so we needed to decide [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
So what next? Well, with a few hours until the next time we eat, we thought maybe we should see more of Tokyo. In Shinjuku we walked around trying to find some kind of government building to go up on the observatory. For a while we couldn’t see it, there were [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
After our adventure, we went to a legendary ramen place that was reputed by the internet to have the best ramen in the world, Taishoken on Higashi Ikebukuro in Asakusa. There is a rather interesting history regarding the store too if you care to google it.
Seems like the day was made [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
Afterwards we took the subway to Akihabara to check out the electronics and anime of Japan. Again there were no distinct signs pointing to places of interest. We wanted to get to a building that looked like it would be a key place to be but couldn’t for the life of [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
By now, it was around 9, and we were hungry. Since the place was so big, we had to stop to ask a security guy how to get to the restaurant section among all those warehouses. When we reached the restaurant that our Frommers guide recommended, there was already a line. [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
We got up really early the next day to see the famous fish market. Jae, who doesn’t eat raw fish didn’t want to go at first because we were planning to eat there for breakfast. I told him that he could come with us to see the place then back to [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The ninjas took us inside in two groups. When it was our turn we walked in and faced a closed door. Our hostess told us that a ninja would suddenly appear our of somewhere and guide us and gave two loud claps. Excited, we looked around in anticipation. Nothing…. Then we [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
Jae and I had a different agenda from the rest of the group the next day. I had plans to visit my relatives for lunch at their home so we actually had to wake up earlier than everyone else. To make matters worse, I wasn’t on west coast time like everyone [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
So, we hopped on the subway and went to Ginza, exiting right outside the Nissan showroom. Even though we’ve seen the car before at the auto show a few months ago, and they only had 1 in the showroom vs the 3 Jae thought they would have, we spent a good [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The week leading up to the trip was hectic with me in DC for a business trip. I flew back Thursday at around 5pm, finished packing my stuff, picked up our friend who was traveling with us and headed up to LA. By the time we made it to bed it [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
We ended our trip at a quaint little breakfast and lunch place called the Hash House (not Hash House a Go Go which also has a location in Vegas) a few miles from the strip. We discovered it searching online for “best breakfast spots” that were not buffets.
When we came in [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
While waiting for the rail in vegas, we saw this digital koi pond on the floor. Dismissing it as another marketing gimmick we didn’t give it much attention. That is until I started to walk across it. When I put my foot down on the image, the floor ‘rippled’. Shocked, I [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
After dinner last night, we sat around wondering what to do for the rest of the weekend. I had planned to go shopping with a friend the next day, but other than that it was looking to be a quiet weekend.
Then Jae said, “Let’s go to vegas.”
“Uhh, like this weekend?”
“Sure”
“… ok”
We [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
My cool new camera case came! Well, it’s more of a camera wrap. Isn’t it cool?? Took me a lot of research to find it…
This is the Always On Wrap Up and Millipod combo, by the same people who makes camera armor. A tripod and camera protection that is always attached [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
It’s been a while since I’ve woken up to freshly fallen snow.
Back in SC, we’d get 2 - 3 days of snow a year. I loved it whenever it snowed even though the 1-2 inches was never enough to really play in. Because when it snows, it means snow day! which [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
It’s not often that I take pictures of toilets. Truly. This is my first one in 4 years. The last one, and also possibly my first toilet shot was in Italy when I wanted to show how Italian toilets don’t get that plastic cover that most of us are used to [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
After months of thinking and weeks of searching the internet, I finally found a good deal and booked a trip to Japan.
Japan, or as I had named it, the land of endless temples was one of the first countries I visited as a kid. I remember thinking that it was funny [...]

More or less, women are vain
 
At the recent photo expo my friend purchased a new D40 with 2 kit lenses. I lusted after the 70-300 VR myself but couldn’t bring myself to spend the money just yet. I tried the lens out on the D80 and was just blown away with what I could get [...]

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So I’m back! After a whole week away bobbing on the Pacific. Well, I’m sorta back. I’m currently away on a business trip…. but will be back for reals real soon.
In short, the cruise was Awesome. Awesome with a capital A. Actually it really should be AWEsome. This feeling of giddiness [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
I’ve seen quite a few dolphin shows in my lifetime. But nothing, and I repeat, nothing beats hanging out with them in the water. We were too late to book the dolphin experience during our first cruise, so this time we were determined to get a spot. On the first day [...]

The rest of the time during the Dolphin excursion was spent hanging around the water park. It wasn’t Raging Waters, but it was fun because there were only about 50 of us running around the park. Jae had a blast since he had never been to a water park. We tried pretty much all of [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The water off of Cabo San Lucas was comfortably warm. Not as cold as Hawaii, but cooler than the Barrier Reef. Visibility was eh, clear enough but nothing to see. This picture here is staged. Our guide brought some banana peel with him and hundreds of fish appeared out of nowhere [...]

7 new wonders of the world was announced yesterday on 7/7/07. As a child I was fascinated with the 7 wonders. After I laid eyes on my first wonder, the Great Wall, I knew that I wanted to see more. The creation of many wonders involved hundreds or thousands of people, not just their efforts, [...]

Ya! 2007 will not be a vacationless year! We will be going on a luxurious 7 day Mexico cruise for our 10 yr anniversary. Cruises are the easiest trips to plan. Got credit card? Ok, you’re done. We’ll be leaving from here, so there is no other travel time, or costs. 
I usually try to alternate [...]

November 29 Great Barrier Reef
Soon after we checked in at Diving Cairns, we loaded up into a van that brought us to the dock. From there we boarded a boat for a speedy trip to our ship. As we boarded, we were told to take off our shoes and leave them off for the remainder [...]

I’ve never considered climbing a bridge to be entertaining. Typically, when it comes to cables that hold up bridges I think of engineers or occassionally a disturbed person or two. Today, we did one of the more famous activities in Australia, the Sidney Bridge Walk. Initially we were not going to go because of the cost. [...]

After a long flight halfway across the planet in a cabin with 2 crying toddlers we finally landed in Sydney. Yea! time to discover whether or not the toilet water flushes the other way down the drain.
Jae’s aunt and uncle came to pick us up from the airport. Initially we had a hard time finding [...]

April 1
Going to Venice today. We purchased our Eurostar tickets last night after dinner, by that time all the second class tickets were sold out for the early train, so we had to get first class. 78 euros for two tickets! This had better be an awesome ride!
At least the train left on time this [...]

March 30
Today’s a big day, well, for Jae that is. Today’s the day of the car factory tour. And by car factory we mean the factories that make cars for very wealthy individuals. The tour starts at 8:30 so we needed to be in Bologna before that. We woke up at 5 am to catch [...]

We ate breakfast at the hotel today, our hotel offered complementary breakfast but we havn’t been able to take advantage of it the past two days since we had to leave so early.  After a meal of scrambled eggs, bread and some coffee, we headed into town to see the tallest teenager in the world, Michangelo’s David.  I [...]

March 29
For some reason, we both woke up really early today, maybe it’s the “We’re going to be leaving Rome!” panicked thought in the back of our heads. Not wanting to waste the morning we decied to visit the Circus Maximus that isn’t too far away from our hotel. The place looked pretty interesting on [...]

March 28
The day started at 6 am. Soon after getting up we were rubbing shoulders with the morning traffic in the metro station. Using the metro is very easy, know where you want to go, look at the signs on the wall and go in the direction it points. We had bought full day passes [...]

March 27
Today started early, at 12:40, about an hour after we went to bed, the phone woke us up. At first I thought it was my travel alarm, and then I remembered that the alarm was in the check bag, which I didn’t have with me. I blindly reached over and found the phone.
“There is [...]

March 25-26
The first leg of the trip was rather uneventful. We woke up around 5 am to get to the airport on time to catch our 7:30 am flight to New York. Our female pilot and copilot got us to New York a bit ahead of schedule so we had to wait a bit longer [...]

Airport Codes
Rome - Fiumicino (FCO)
Venice - Aeroporto Marco Polo (VCE)
Train Stations
Rome - Stazione Termini (From airport 30 minutes)
Florence - Santa Maria Novella (From Rome 2-3 hrs) (To Venice 4 hrs)
Venice - Stazione di Santa Lucia (To airport 30 minutes) (To Rome 5 hrs)
Trenitalia pass (train)
$175 Second class - 3 days of travel +23/day extra
Passsaver (2 [...]

There are six main types of trains in the state railway in Italy:

Eurostar
Intercity/IntercityPlus
Espresso
Dirett
Interregionale
Regional

The main difference is the speed, number of stops, level of comfort, distance and price. Most of the trains offer first and second class, with first being more comfortable and more expensive. 
Eurostar (ES) is the fastest and most comfortable train, with very [...]

For those travelers who are lovers of fine automobiles or have spouses that are lovers of fine automobiles, this is a tour you MUST take!
Jae’s very much into the whole motorcycle thing, heck, he runs a motorcycle store… so when I did a search for the Ducati factory and found that it was near Florence [...]

Rome: Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican from top of Michangelo’s Dome, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Plazzo Senatorio Terrace
Florence: Santa Maria Novella, Dumo, Bridges across the Arno River, Pitti Palace garden
Venice: Rialto bridge, on boat while riding down the Grand Canal, Piazza San Marco, Santa Maria della Salute

Summary: What you will need in Europe:

2 Major credit card - Visa, MasterCard, AmericanExpress
1 ATM card - From any major bank

Using ATM and Credit Cards
With the banking technologies of today most travelers do not have to worry about money as much as one use to. In most countries, arriving at your destination with some cash [...]

Pickpocketing is the number one crime in most cities.  Losing your wallet or other personal belongings while you’re miles from home can cause quite a large headache.
If you are careful you can avoid them.
Here are a few tips:

Be on the lookout especially in crowded places. Pickpockets often work in pairs: one may bump you or [...]

What The USA Uses:

Electricity in the United States is at 110 or 120 volts and a frequency of 50Hz.
Appliances in the United States typically use a double flat prong or three prong plug.

 
What Other countries Use: (Europe)

Electricity in many countries is at 220 or 230 volts and a frequency of 60Hz.
Appliances in those countries can [...]

“Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3×3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.”

That’s it.  No math, just solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic.  It may not sound very exciting at first, but try one and you will be hooked!!  Sudoku comes in paper and pencil or as [...]

Guided tours may not be the thing for everyone, but if you have an ipod or mp3 player you can get the best of both worlds.  Travel podcasts and audio tours are becoming more and more popular with travelers.  You go at your own pace and you don’t have to walk around with a dozen [...]

Aside from the usual toiletires I made sure to pack a few extra items.
Flushable cleaning wipes.  This is just in case the hotels we go to arn’t as clean as we’d like them to be.  Quick wipe of the toilet and germs are gone! 
Handy wipes.  Since we’re going to be spending most of our day outside [...]

I’ve always hated airplane pillows.  First, they’re really small and really flat.  And second, I worry about their cleanliness.  With all the airlines going out of business and declaring bankruptcy, they probably don’t spend much on cleaning their pillows or buying pillow cases.  The other day when I was browsing a department store I saw a [...]

Just a few more days, I can’t wait!! We’ve planned, we’ve packed, all we have to do is hop on the plane. The only thing I’m hoping for now is that the weather is clear and sunny throughout the week. Just as long as it doesn’t rain.
There is a few last [...]

I finished booking our hotels for the trip. Using Venere.com it was very easy to find an affordable hotel. The site provided pictures and reviews from other travelers. It was great being able to review the hotel from the perspective of another traveler rather than the typical description hotels write for themselves. One restriction that [...]

Bought tickets today! There is no going back! Jae and I will be leaving on March 25 and return April 3rd. I was able to snag the deal with taxes and everything for just a little over 1K. This was a relief because I thought I might have to spend over 2K for plane tickets. [...]

One of the things I enjoy most about traveling is taking pictures.  Ever since getting my first digital camera I’ve been nonstop shooting at whatever seems interesting.  On a daily basis I carry my Canon SD450 around everywhere.  It is one of those palm size digital cameras that fits perfectly in my purse.
When it comes [...]

Started planning for my second trip to Europe today! A few weeks ago I picked up Frommers Italy 2006, after looking though it I’m still quite convinced that I want to cover Rome, Florence and Venice on this trip. Those three cities are just so beautiful and full of sights and sounds. [...]

Grand Cayman was by far the best of the entire trip.  We went on the Stingray City Swim and Snorkel trip.  The boat took us about 45 minutes out into the ocean, we stopped near a cluster of other boats and told to put on our snorkel gear.  So we geared up and lined up [...]

Port-of-call number 2, Costa Maya.  Costa Maya was once a trading post for the Mayan Empire.  It is now a favorite for snorkling, kayaking and exploring Mayan ruins.  Once off the ship we went on a coral reef snorkel exploration by boat.  Jae and I had brought our own snorkels and masks.  Our last snorkling [...]

We decided not to do any excursions in Cozumel and went shopping instead.  Cozumel was touted as one of the best places to shop, so we figured this would be a good time to pick up some gifts for our friends and family back home. 
We took our time waking up and eating breakfast before finally going [...]

Belize Jungle River Tubing
Located on the northeastern tip of Central America, boredered by Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean, Belize is our first stop on this cruise.  The cruise excursions for Belize consisted mostly of snorkling and visiting various Mayan ruins.  We had chosen to go on the Jungle river tubing and Mayan Ruins tour. 
After departing from the boat we [...]

This April, I went with my ‘new’ husband on a 7 day tour of the Western Caribbean with Royal Caribbean for our honeymoon.  I must say that cruising is the best thing next to sliced bread.  It would be for anyone reading this too if you enjoy visiting multiple destinations, snorkling, dancing, gambling, swimming, skating, rock climbing, eating [...]

Got up really early at around 5am and headed to the Pacific Whale Foundation. At around 7am we boarded the Ocean Voyager with about 100+ tourists and headed for Molokini. On board the staff was very friendly and served us breakfast of muffins, fruit and juice. After about a 30 minute ride in the warm [...]

Highway to Hana

4-4-04 Highway to Hana
Last full day today, so to make the best of it we decided to visit Hana. Hana the town itself isn’t all that impressive. What’s interesting is the road on the way to Hana. The Hana highway is one of the most spectacular drives one can ask for in [...]

Got up nice and early today at around 7 and made breakfast of hash browns, eggs and bacon.
We then took our guide book, got on highway 30 (Honoapiilani Hwy) and headed west. Our first stop was at Kapalua and went hunting for the Makalua-puna Point (Dragon’s Teeth). The guide book didn’t give detailed directions to [...]

Got up really early at around 5am and headed to the Pacific Whale Foundation. At around 7am we boarded the Ocean Voyager with about 100+ tourists and headed for Molokini. The friendly staff served us breakfast of muffins, fruit and juice. After 30 minutes cruising in the warm ocean breeze we docked at Molokini along [...]

Stopped by the bookstore and bought Maui Revealed - The Ultimate Guidebook 2nd Edition by Andrew Doughty & Harriett Friedman. It turned out to be the best thing we bought for this trip. The book is filled with information about the best places to go see in Maui. After eating breakfast and consulting our guide, [...]

Got up at around 8 am, got our bathing suits on and headed to the beach, only to find that it was drizzling outside. So instead we got in our car and went looking for breakfast. We went to this really nice restaurant called Marco’s South Side Grill and had breakfast in their outdoor terrace. [...]

Even though my flight was at 8:50, I was at the airport by 6 since my mom had to take me there before she went to work. Traveling alone isn’t all that fun since there is no one to talk to while you’re waiting. The flight was pretty uneventful, the plane was pretty empty so [...]

Leaving today….I must say this has been the best trips to Taiwan I’ve ever had.  It might have something to do with being older, and more willing to converse with adults.  When I was young, I kept to myself throughout the trip and spoke only when spoken to.  Uncles and aunts were old scary folks.  [...]

My cousins took me out for a scenic drive outside of the city today.  I didn’t get to see much of this popular mountain; it was freezing and pouring up there. We wanted to go see the calla lily farm, but we were a few weeks too early, the field was still bare. Instead, we [...]

Been to many countries now, I must say Taiwan has one of the best bakeries in the world. They have everything! I could totally live on the food in the bakery during these two weeks… I would’ve gained 10 lbs along the way too. Everything in the bakery looks mouthwatering, I tried a few interesting [...]

11/26/03

A few more of my mom’s friends wanted to see her, so we went to a café. They had a menu full of delicious looking coffees and teas. They also serve food but I did not get a chance to try them. I ordered the Lavender Coffee which tasted okay, nothing special. I spent [...]

11/25/03

Back in Taipei, I took a walk around the market today. These markets are pretty common around Taiwan; they sell mostly fresh meats and vegetables. Of course there are real supermarkets too but these street markets are what the older generations are used to and like for their daily trip to the market. But [...]

11/23/03 
Jiao Ban Shan
This is a beautiful mountain near Tao Yuan. Up in the mountain there is a large park where you can have a picnic.  A short 25 minute walk on a paved path will take you to the famous plank bridge held up by cable wires. The walk across the bridge is a [...]

11/21/03 
Tao Yuan
My dad has a very large family; most of them lived in Tao Yuan. I was raised there for a few years before I came to the US. Upon hearing of our visit to their town, all of them gathered to welcome us. 
As we were waiting for everyone to arrive, I heard a [...]

11/20/03
Taking the metro in Taipei is very, very convenient. Everything is labeled clearly; the trains come very often and are very clean. After going through all the metro systems in Europe, Taipei is a piece of cake. During the day there isn’t a lot of traffic but during the evenings you have to get [...]

Street Market Shopping

11/18/03
Since the primary reason we’re here this time is to visit my grandmother, my mom and I tried not to do too much during the day.  We’d typically spend the day at home and then go out for a few hours in the afternoon or evening when my grandmother is resting. 
I spend [...]

World Trade Building

11/18/03Trip to the bank:We had to go to the bank today to exchange NT currency. Mom and I went to a bank nearby and asked to exchange a few hundred dollars. It turned out to be quite a hassle; my mom had to pull out her passport to verify that she is [...]

11/17/03
We finally got to Taipei at around 8 pm. My first uncle came to pick us up from the airport and took us to his shop. He is currently in the business of selling taxis. There, we picked up my aunt and headed back to their home. There home was more like the family building, [...]

Getting to Taiwan

11/16/03
With just 2 weeks of notice, I had to scramble to get school work finished and taken care of before leaving for Taiwan today. It’s been 10 years since I’ve visited. I’m not exactly thrilled to go back because I remember how hot and humid it could get. Dad said it’s going [...]

A regular school size backpack usually does the trick for daybags.  For girls you may also want to pack an extra small purse for evening outings.  Nothing looks sillier than walking around with a backpack in your evening dinner outfit.
One thing to keep in mind is that your day bag should be as light as [...]

Remember, you’re only allowed 20kg, depending on the number of days you’re going, it isn’t much.  Pack a few items that coordinate well, colors such as black, blue, beige.  Don’t bring your favorite or most expensive clothes, it could get damaged in the public washers, get permantly stained or lost in the wash services. Stick [...]

A lot of people email me with this worry, my only answer, don’t worry!  Imagine the excitement and energy of everyone in your tour on the first day, everyone wants to make new friends and have the trip of a lifetime, afterall lots of personal time, money, planning has been invested.  Typically, there is a [...]

Suitcase!
They have wheels, they keep your breakables safer, they can be expandable. It’s easier to find items (you don’t have to dig or dump out your entire backpack). Easier to load on the coach…they stack suitcases and backpacks.

Do they really enforce the luggage weight ristriction? Yes, they do weigh your bag right before you leave!
But, they don’t weigh your bag afterwards. So buy whatever you can carry.

Yes. Travel insurance is something that all travelers should get.  It insures against things such as illnesses, delays and lost items.The contiki one is good and should be good enough for most travel related issues. I didn’t need mine but one person on the trip did and it was a good thing he had insurance.

It depends, if you drink, drinks ranges from €4-8.  Lunches can go as low as €4 if you eat cheap or live on Pringles, but I would average €8 for lunch to be safe….worst comes to worst, grab some extra bread and jam during breakfast and eat that for lunch.
Not all dinners are covered by your [...]

Beware/be glad that drinking is a large part of Contiki trips.   If you don’t drink you will not be pressured to, but if you do drink, then this is the trip for you :D.  Most evenings there will be opportunities to buy drinks.  Many of the tours also include visits to wineries and beer halls.

ATM cards are much, much easier to use than travellers checks, ATM machines are everywhere.  If you have an account at a major bank, then the cards should work in Europe also. You can pull cash from almost any atm machine that shares the same logos on the back of your card (usually the star and plus).
Do [...]

What to Pack? What to bring, what to bring… I won’t go through every little item, but instead I’ll list a few must haves, especially if you signed up for the budget (camping) tours.

Flip-flops - for the showers it is a must, get cheeap ones that dries fast.

Zip-lock bags(gallon size) - good to store wet [...]

No right answer, but I would vote for the budget tour, my experience was great. The living conditions are not the best but it’s not horrible, I like to think that it helps your group to bond :P. I had a friend who’s brother went on the 3 week hotel tour, and he didn’t enjoy the [...]

Today is a free day in Paris. After breakfast we were given a choice of three drop-off locations; the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumphe or the Concorde. Figuring we’ve seen the Eiffel tower and didn’t need to go shopping down the path from the Arc de Triumphe, we got off at the Concorde which was [...]

After a breakfast of fruit, cereal, eggs n potatos this morning, we piled into the coach to go back to Paris. We were first taken to the Chateau and the Garden of Versailles. The Chateau is huge! It took Kin Louis XIII 50 years to build. The place was great, the only problem is that [...]

Got up at 5 am this morning, didn’t sleep too well the night before. It was warm, humid but dry at the same time. I kept waking up every 2 hours. By 6 we were downstairs with the rest of the group, there are 42 of us on this tour. We weighed our luggage (allowed [...]

5356 miles later we landed in Heathrow Airport England. We picked up our bags, exchanged some dollars for pounds and went looking for a way to get to our hotel. We were told by STA (our travel agency) during our booking that going by underground is the cheapest way to travel. I wasn’t too sure [...]

Finally, the trip to Europe is here.  After months of planning, waiting and even quitting our jobs, we are going! Over the last few days, my bags have been packed and repacked numerous times. We’re only allowed 1 bag weighing up to 20kg, which means recycling a lot for 6 weeks. Diem and I even took a last minute [...]

After a long flight halfway across the planet in a cabin with 2 crying toddlers we finally landed in Sydney. Yea! time to discover whether or not the toilet water flushes the other way down the drain.
Jae’s aunt and uncle came to pick us up from the airport. Initially we had a hard time finding [...]

I’ve never considered climbing a bridge to be entertaining. Typically, when it comes to cables that hold up bridges I think of engineers or occassionally a disturbed person or two. Today, we did one of the more famous activities in Australia, the Sidney Bridge Walk. Initially we were not going to go because of the cost. [...]

November 29 Great Barrier Reef
Soon after we checked in at Diving Cairns, we loaded up into a van that brought us to the dock. From there we boarded a boat for a speedy trip to our ship. As we boarded, we were told to take off our shoes and leave them off for the remainder [...]

This April, I went with my ‘new’ husband on a 7 day tour of the Western Caribbean with Royal Caribbean for our honeymoon.  I must say that cruising is the best thing next to sliced bread.  It would be for anyone reading this too if you enjoy visiting multiple destinations, snorkling, dancing, gambling, swimming, skating, rock climbing, eating [...]

Belize Jungle River Tubing
Located on the northeastern tip of Central America, boredered by Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean, Belize is our first stop on this cruise.  The cruise excursions for Belize consisted mostly of snorkling and visiting various Mayan ruins.  We had chosen to go on the Jungle river tubing and Mayan Ruins tour. 
After departing from the boat we [...]

We decided not to do any excursions in Cozumel and went shopping instead.  Cozumel was touted as one of the best places to shop, so we figured this would be a good time to pick up some gifts for our friends and family back home. 
We took our time waking up and eating breakfast before finally going [...]

Port-of-call number 2, Costa Maya.  Costa Maya was once a trading post for the Mayan Empire.  It is now a favorite for snorkling, kayaking and exploring Mayan ruins.  Once off the ship we went on a coral reef snorkel exploration by boat.  Jae and I had brought our own snorkels and masks.  Our last snorkling [...]

Grand Cayman was by far the best of the entire trip.  We went on the Stingray City Swim and Snorkel trip.  The boat took us about 45 minutes out into the ocean, we stopped near a cluster of other boats and told to put on our snorkel gear.  So we geared up and lined up [...]

Finally, the trip to Europe is here.  After months of planning, waiting and even quitting our jobs, we are going! Over the last few days, my bags have been packed and repacked numerous times. We’re only allowed 1 bag weighing up to 20kg, which means recycling a lot for 6 weeks. Diem and I even took a last minute [...]

5356 miles later we landed in Heathrow Airport England. We picked up our bags, exchanged some dollars for pounds and went looking for a way to get to our hotel. We were told by STA (our travel agency) during our booking that going by underground is the cheapest way to travel. I wasn’t too sure [...]

Got up at 5 am this morning, didn’t sleep too well the night before. It was warm, humid but dry at the same time. I kept waking up every 2 hours. By 6 we were downstairs with the rest of the group, there are 42 of us on this tour. We weighed our luggage (allowed [...]

After a breakfast of fruit, cereal, eggs n potatos this morning, we piled into the coach to go back to Paris. We were first taken to the Chateau and the Garden of Versailles. The Chateau is huge! It took Kin Louis XIII 50 years to build. The place was great, the only problem is that [...]

Today is a free day in Paris. After breakfast we were given a choice of three drop-off locations; the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumphe or the Concorde. Figuring we’ve seen the Eiffel tower and didn’t need to go shopping down the path from the Arc de Triumphe, we got off at the Concorde which was [...]

Started planning for my second trip to Europe today! A few weeks ago I picked up Frommers Italy 2006, after looking though it I’m still quite convinced that I want to cover Rome, Florence and Venice on this trip. Those three cities are just so beautiful and full of sights and sounds. [...]

Bought tickets today! There is no going back! Jae and I will be leaving on March 25 and return April 3rd. I was able to snag the deal with taxes and everything for just a little over 1K. This was a relief because I thought I might have to spend over 2K for plane tickets. [...]

I finished booking our hotels for the trip. Using Venere.com it was very easy to find an affordable hotel. The site provided pictures and reviews from other travelers. It was great being able to review the hotel from the perspective of another traveler rather than the typical description hotels write for themselves. One restriction that [...]

Just a few more days, I can’t wait!! We’ve planned, we’ve packed, all we have to do is hop on the plane. The only thing I’m hoping for now is that the weather is clear and sunny throughout the week. Just as long as it doesn’t rain.
There is a few last [...]

March 25-26
The first leg of the trip was rather uneventful. We woke up around 5 am to get to the airport on time to catch our 7:30 am flight to New York. Our female pilot and copilot got us to New York a bit ahead of schedule so we had to wait a bit longer [...]

March 27
Today started early, at 12:40, about an hour after we went to bed, the phone woke us up. At first I thought it was my travel alarm, and then I remembered that the alarm was in the check bag, which I didn’t have with me. I blindly reached over and found the phone.
“There is [...]

March 28
The day started at 6 am. Soon after getting up we were rubbing shoulders with the morning traffic in the metro station. Using the metro is very easy, know where you want to go, look at the signs on the wall and go in the direction it points. We had bought full day passes [...]

March 29
For some reason, we both woke up really early today, maybe it’s the “We’re going to be leaving Rome!” panicked thought in the back of our heads. Not wanting to waste the morning we decied to visit the Circus Maximus that isn’t too far away from our hotel. The place looked pretty interesting on [...]

We ate breakfast at the hotel today, our hotel offered complementary breakfast but we havn’t been able to take advantage of it the past two days since we had to leave so early.  After a meal of scrambled eggs, bread and some coffee, we headed into town to see the tallest teenager in the world, Michangelo’s David.  I [...]

March 30
Today’s a big day, well, for Jae that is. Today’s the day of the car factory tour. And by car factory we mean the factories that make cars for very wealthy individuals. The tour starts at 8:30 so we needed to be in Bologna before that. We woke up at 5 am to catch [...]

April 1
Going to Venice today. We purchased our Eurostar tickets last night after dinner, by that time all the second class tickets were sold out for the early train, so we had to get first class. 78 euros for two tickets! This had better be an awesome ride!
At least the train left on time this [...]

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After months of thinking and weeks of searching the internet, I finally found a good deal and booked a trip to Japan.
Japan, or as I had named it, the land of endless temples was one of the first countries I visited as a kid. I remember thinking that it was funny [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The week leading up to the trip was hectic with me in DC for a business trip. I flew back Thursday at around 5pm, finished packing my stuff, picked up our friend who was traveling with us and headed up to LA. By the time we made it to bed it [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
So, we hopped on the subway and went to Ginza, exiting right outside the Nissan showroom. Even though we’ve seen the car before at the auto show a few months ago, and they only had 1 in the showroom vs the 3 Jae thought they would have, we spent a good [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
Jae and I had a different agenda from the rest of the group the next day. I had plans to visit my relatives for lunch at their home so we actually had to wake up earlier than everyone else. To make matters worse, I wasn’t on west coast time like everyone [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The ninjas took us inside in two groups. When it was our turn we walked in and faced a closed door. Our hostess told us that a ninja would suddenly appear our of somewhere and guide us and gave two loud claps. Excited, we looked around in anticipation. Nothing…. Then we [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
We got up really early the next day to see the famous fish market. Jae, who doesn’t eat raw fish didn’t want to go at first because we were planning to eat there for breakfast. I told him that he could come with us to see the place then back to [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
By now, it was around 9, and we were hungry. Since the place was so big, we had to stop to ask a security guy how to get to the restaurant section among all those warehouses. When we reached the restaurant that our Frommers guide recommended, there was already a line. [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
Afterwards we took the subway to Akihabara to check out the electronics and anime of Japan. Again there were no distinct signs pointing to places of interest. We wanted to get to a building that looked like it would be a key place to be but couldn’t for the life of [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
After our adventure, we went to a legendary ramen place that was reputed by the internet to have the best ramen in the world, Taishoken on Higashi Ikebukuro in Asakusa. There is a rather interesting history regarding the store too if you care to google it.
Seems like the day was made [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
So what next? Well, with a few hours until the next time we eat, we thought maybe we should see more of Tokyo. In Shinjuku we walked around trying to find some kind of government building to go up on the observatory. For a while we couldn’t see it, there were [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The past three days have been exhausting. Lots of walking, very little sleep. This past night was no different. After we got back we packed our bags and called Ed to coordinate the next few days. They were going to head down to Kyoto before us so we needed to decide [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The trip to Hakone was scenic, but I don’t care much for scenery so busied myself with a pretty bento box I bought onboard while Jae had a katsu sandwich. At this point, we don’t really eat meals at meal times, we eat whenever we’re hungry or whenever we see food [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The most interesting ‘bath’ at the Yunessun by far was the fish spa. We almost passed this one because there was a line when we first passed it. The line was much shorter when we passed by it a second time so we went in. From the picture it seems like [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
Unbeknownst to us at the time, everything in Hakone pretty much shuts down around 5pm. Well… to be fair, it was probably in the guide books but who really pays attention to all that detail. Anyhow, the cool thing about Hakone was the different modes of transportation one takes to circle [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
Back at the ryokan we checked out our rooms. We shared a room with Diem and Binh while Jason and Di had their own room. Our rooms were one of the best ones they offer at the ryokan, they each came with their own outdoor private baths! Bathing is quite popular [...]

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Originally uploaded by silverlantern
The plan was for Diem and Binh to leave us for Mt Fuji early that morning and meet us in Kyoto the next day while Jae, Jason, Di, and I returned to Tokyo. They did not book the hotel/transportation package with us and were not required to go back to Tokyo [...]

Got up bright and early for the bullet train trip to Kyoto this morning. Since Diem and Binh were on their own today, they opted to stay longer in Tokyo to take in Asakusa. It’s really too bad we couldn’t stay because Asakusa looked like it would be a lot of fun once all the [...]

 Since Diem and Binh will be a few hours behind us, we looked at a map to see where we could go hang out. Some place nice and fun, but not too nice and fun because we’d want Binh and Diem to enjoy that with us. We picked The Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, a Fox [...]

Sitting at the airport right now. Soon, we’ll be on our way home. The past two weeks have been absolutely awesome! It’s my second time in Japan, but it felt like my first visit. This time I saw so much more, ate so many different things and fully enjoyed every moment. 
The best part of Japan must [...]