Japan

Japan from Wackymango on Vimeo.

October 17-28, 2012
10 days in Japan compressed to 12 min and 21 sec. 
This was my first trip to Japan.  I've only passed through from connecting flights; earlier this year, I spent a night in Japan due to a flight delay.  With the airport located about an hour away from Tokyo, I didn't have a chance to explore.  

My main purpose of visiting Japan was to attend a wedding. Meeting new friends, a visit to Kyoto, a congregation of all night drinking events, an elimination baseball game in the Tokyo dome, and a Halloween party in the district of Roppongi, was a bonus and made this trip memorable in more ways than one.  I can't wait to return.

Cambodia Bound

I’ve been away from home for 3 months, July 7^th to be exact; but on a technicality August 11.  I was home for less than 20 hours - just enough time to sleep for 8 hours and to switch the contents of my luggage.  In a few hours, I will be departing Singapore and will be heading to Cambodia for a quick holiday lasting 3nights.   Afterwards, I’ll be home for a week and preparing for my next excursion.  

While in Singapore – this time around – I was able to experience F1 Singapore.  A colleague of mine had a room at the Marina Mandarin.  The hotel sits in the middle of the racecourse.  With Balcony views of the race, the experience was one that will be memorable. 

Summer Is Done

I’ve been on a whirlwind. Summer has gone by and I have not one post. Since my last post I’ve been to Arizona for baseball spring training, LA for some softball action, Cabo San Lucas for a Family holiday, and Portland for work. Which is what brings me here in Penang Malaysia - Work. But in between Penang and Portland, Singapore was included in the mix as well. I’ve been here in South East Asia for 3 weeks now and it’s been interesting. It’s my first visit to Penang and It’s definitely different. A predominant Muslim population with a mixture of Chinese and an expanding population of people from Bangladesh, Penang is growing. Picture above is the Penang Bridge from the Main land to the Island

Night At The Roxy

I haven’t posted in awhile as I’ve been busy and lazy all at the same time. I’m back in Singapore for business. I’ve been here for a week now and I took this photo on my way back to the hotel where I’m staying. Exotic sports cars parked in front of the Hotel. Today must be, “If You Own An Expensive Sports Car, Take Your Mother Out To Dinner At The Roxy Night.” To own one of these cars in Singapore runs roughly in the half a million US Dollars range. I don’t know why any one would want to own one here because you wouldn’t be able to drive it faster than 40 MPH in Singapore. But If you can, that I guess you must.

Pontian and Asian Gorilla Juice

Posted for January 25, 2012
After work, I had dinner at the Marina Parade Hawker center. It’s located directly across the street from the hotel. I went to a Stall called Pontian. It was Hella good. Chili and Black sauce with pork and Bok Choy, 2 fried wontons, and Asian egg noodles that had a bite like Italian pasta. It was also served with 2 more wontons in a clear vegetable broth on the side. Total cost for the meal.. $2.20 SGD. Next to the stall was a juice stand. I had Star Fruit Juice to go along with my meal. Star fruit – found in Asia - tastes similar to a green apple.



After dinner, I went back to the hotel. Not being able to find Ice Machines, I went to the Lobby bar and asked for a cup of ice. I still had my cup of Star Fruit Juice, but most of the ice had melted and it had diluted the last of my drink, which measured about 3 spoons. With the hamster wheel turning in my brain, I came up with an idea of creating a new variation of Gorilla Juice. For those who don’t know what Gorilla Juice is, it’s taking a new 40oz bottle of Olde English Malt Liquor Beer (OE) and topping it with Orange Juice. With the ice obtained from the bar at the lobby, I took a few cubes and put in the cup with the diluted Star Fruit Juice, then filled it with the OE. Baddah Bing, Asian Gorilla Juice.

Breaking In My New Flip Flops With Old Gawkers

Posted for January 24
Before I had arrived, I had set my mind on my first meal in Singapore - Hainanese Chicken Rice; and that’s exactly what I had last night for dinner. With the majority of all businesses closed, from the Lunar New Year celebrations, I was able to find a Hawker stand. It was ok, but good enough.

I woke up at 5 am and had breakfast at the hotel. After cruising the Internet, I got ready and walked the neighbor hood to the Geylang district. Not knowing how far of a walk didn’t concern me since I had the whole day to myself. I left the hotel at about 10:30 am.

After an hour of walking and with no map in hand, I reached the Geylang district with no issues. I saw a conjugation of old men and was curious to see what was going on. As I got closer to see what was going on, I quickly realized they were all gawking at the “working women” who were posted along the sidewalk adjacent to the main street. Just like the men who were ogling, the “working women” were old and dirty looking.

Feeling hungry from walking, I ate across the street. I had chicken rice and Tiger Beer. The chicken rice wasn’t that good, but it didn’t really matter as I was hungry and thirsty for a beer. After the meal I explored the area a bit more then headed back to the hotel.

I got back at about 3:30 pm. My feet were hurting and I had a small gash (strawberry) on top of my left foot caused from the sandals rubbing on my feet. I wanted to break in my new slippers/sandals, so I wore them and walked in them for a total of 10+ miles. The pain was so intense, that even walking bare footed in my hotel room caused pain. I sat in one of my chairs with my feet raised for half hour then decided to go swimming. I figured dunking my feet in the pool would help alleviate the pain, and cleansing my sweaty self in the pool would be refreshing.

After 2 hours in the pool, I cleaned up and had dinner at a place called Ajisen. I’ve never heard of it but found out they’re a global chain famous for their ramen. I was tired, thirsty, and was craving for Ramen. I ordered the Aso Volcano Ramen, which was a spicy soup base with pork, egg, and other good stuff. After dinner I walked for just a bit – with shoes this time - and ran into a bar next to my hotel. I took a peak inside and found it filled with old service girls. I closed the door right away and headed back to my to my room.

I went to bed at 9

Cravings

The area that I’m staying at must be posh. The reason why I have come to this assumption is because of the fact that I’ve seen more Ferraris, Porsches, and Maseratis in a 5 day span than in the past 3 years.

I noticed a Japanese restaurant tucked in a small plaza near my hotel while I was exploring yesterday. I’ve been craving for Sukiyaki in the past 3 months, so I decided to head over there and give it a shot. Prior to walking into the restaurant, I peeked around the plaza. There was an electronic store and several other restaurants- Korean, Filipino, and Churrascaria. Seeing the Churriscaria, with a huge sign in their front patio stating the pork knuckle was their specialty of the evening, I had to take a look. I spoke to the waiter. He explained the menu, their specials, and their happy hour. The happy hour consisted of a bottomless glass of wine with appetizers for $22 SGD. I had a huge smile on my face and was tempted, but because I was craving for Sukiyaki, I said thank you and I’ll return later.

Waraku Restaurant has 3 locations in Singapore. The one I dined in is located near the Roxy Center in the Katong area – behind my hotel. Priced at $17.80 SGD, I ordered the Udon Sukiyaki with a bottomless cup of green tea that was priced at $1.30 SGD. The soup base was delicious. Not salty, nor too sweet. However, the meat was a bit tough. That was expected, as Singapore is not known for having top quality meat. Overall, I enjoyed the sukiyaki and would return if my craving returns.