Hong Kong and Japan. December 10 - 21, 2010.

12/10/2010.  CO99 to Hong Kong.  Plane was being towed to gate closed to boarding time.  It took them forever to refuel the plane so we took of about 90 minutes behind schedule.  Arrival was going to be an hour or so late.  Plane was packed – every seat taken.  Flight itself turns out to be not so bad.  Didn’t get much sleep though.

Ling, Wally and Ruth were waiting for us, we brought over some stuff for them.  Had coffee with them and said goodbye.  Anne & I had something simple at JP Porridge.  Our hotel for the night is Regal Airport as we have an early flight the next morning.  Quite expensive, but that’s what happens when choices are limited.

12/12/2010.  Checked in to CX flight: kiosk check in didn’t work (only checked in Anne) so we had to go to manual check in.  We were under the impression the flight was full as the travel agent told me she couldn’t get me on the flight – and I ended up booking the trip myself; turns out it wasn’t even half full.  Uneventful flight to NRT.  Took Narita Express to Shinjuku, about 90 minutes.  It was very dark when we got into the hotel.   We took a taxi even though the distance was quite short.

Checked into the very small room of the hotel, walked a bit (back to the train station, in fact) and had dinner.  Turns out the ticket machines were reasonably easy to use.

12/13/2010.  After breakfast (for me salmon and rice, for Anne sliced beef and noodles) we headed out to the Hamamatsucho Bus Station to purchase tickets for a Mt Fuji Hakone tour for Tuesday.  During the winter the tour often ends up not quite what it is supposed to be as the mountain is snow-covered and inaccessible and visibility is quite low.  We then took the bus to the Ferry Terminal and took the 11:30 am ferry to Asakusa, famous for the temples.  The trip on the boat lasted 35 minutes and was generally pleasant.  Unfortunately today would turn out to be rather rainy day.

Inside tour boat.  Limited ceiling height as boat has to clear some low bridges. Sign says "A Ceiling Becomes Low."

After walking around the Asakusa area a bit, we had lunch at the place staffed with Chinese.  I find it interesting that even in Japan the restaurants are often staffed by Chinese – just like New Jersey!   We didn’t find the temples all that impressive, perhaps we would be if we knew the history a bit (thus the probably with not joining a tour).  I didn’t have an umbrella, and was soaking wet, so we decided to visit museums (indoor) instead.

Asakusa temple.  It is a surprisingly small temple, given its reputation.  Today is a rainy day with a sea of umbrellas.

A short subway ride took us to Ueno where most of the national and metropolitan museums are located.  After walking in the rain for 10 or so minutes, we found out they were all closed (probably Monday is the closing day).  I finally gave in and bought an umbrella for Y100 (clear plastic, disposable.)  We also sat down and shared a cup of Caramel Latte at Starbucks (cost Y510).  We decided then to try the Tokyo Tower.  The observation tower is at 150 meters, even though it was raining we still got a good view of the city.  We then went to Roppongi but didn’t find it too interesting, so we headed back to Shinjuku and had dinner.  We found Japanese a bit tedious and had Chinese instead.  Dishes are very small at this restaurant, which is okay since we have been eating a lot so far this trip.

 View of Tokyo at dusk from the Tokyo Tower.

 Rainbow Bridge over Sumida River.

Tokyo Tower at night.

It is now 9 pm, trying very hard to stay awake …

12/14/2010.  Got a few snacks from 7-11 downstairs as breakfast.  Then it was to the metro station to get to the Bus terminal for today’s tour.  Bought some sandwiches and sweets for lunch during the trip.  Bus departed pretty much on time with 20 odd tourists, a Japanese driver, and an English-speaking Japanese guide.  It took about 2 hours to get to the Fuji Visitor Center, and the weather was quite iffy along the way.  Luckily the weather cleared up and we managed to get to the fifth station – a 50 minute additional bus ride away – which is the starting point of the actual walk to the summit.  It was quite cold, and the clouds still covered the top of the mountain.  After 30 minutes also, the tour bus took us to the Highlands Resort where some people had their lunch as part of the tour.  Anne and I ate the food we bought earlier in the lounge.  The sky cleared up nearly completely and we had a great view of Mt. Fuji.  Too bad the sun glare prevented us from taking too many pictures.  It was about 2 pm that we started our trip to Hakone.  We took a 15 minute boat ride on the small (12 mi circumference) Lake Ashi to get to the cable car.  The 1800 meter ride up the cable car took 7 minutes and it was extremely foggy at the top.  Anne and I decided to visit the Shinto Shrine which is only about 10 minutes away although we couldn’t see it through the thick fog.  Not that we needed it, but we were glad to have the GPS with us.  We were the only 2 in the group to miss the 4:10 cable car down, we took the 4:30 instead (the rest went shopping with the extra time.)  Bus then took us to Odawara Station to catch the bullet train which got us to Shinagawa Station in 20 some minutes.  Bullet train reached a maximum speed in the low 160s mph per my GPS – not the advertised 180 mph.  We were packed in like sardines from Shinagawa to Shinjuku as it was rush hour.  Walked around the electric street a little bit, I am not sure Japanese things are cheaper in Japan – actually things are in general quite expensive here.  Dinner cafeteria style at a noodle shop.

 View of Mt Fuji from the Visitor's Center.

 View of Mt Fuji from the Fifth Station, peak hidden in clouds.

View of Mt Fuji from Highland Hotel.  It eventually turned into a very clear day. 

View of Mt Fuji from Highland Hotel.  The sun glare made a great picture impossible.

 On the Cruise Ship (boat) in Lake Ashi.

 What is a Tall Ship doing on a small lake 12 miles in circumference?

 Small Torii Gate in Lake Ashi.  Shrine is built to commemorate a priest who calmed a sea beast.

Cable car station.  Very dense fog.  We were the last tourists to leave.

Bullet Train pulling in the Odawara Station.

12/15/2010.  Checked out of hotel a bit before 9 am, and left our luggage with the front desk staff.  Strolled to Shinjuku station to purchase Narita Express tickets, then went to the Shinjuku Gyoen Park and walked around for about an hour.  This is one of many former feudal lords’ palace grounds that got converted into parks.  Very quiet, but quite pleasant.  Trees here are greener in general than in New Jersey for the same time of year: Tokyo’s winters are more moderate than what we get in NJ.  Took train back to Shinjuku Station (2 stops, Y130 each) and walked back to hotel.  Too tired to walk back to station, so flagged down a taxi instead.   Bought some Japanese takeout (my first sushi meal) and ate on train.  Got here (at airport) at about 2 pm for a 4:20 pm plane.  Everything is going quite smoothly so far.

 Shinjuku Gyeon Park.  There are some huge carps in the ponds.

 Shinjuku Gyeon Park.  A very calm place despite its being in an urban area.

Narita Express.  The airport is so far away that it would take about 90 minutes from Shinjuku.

The 747 was quite crowded.  We had one of the empty seats next to us which made the flight quite pleasant.  The return flight would take about an hour additional, I assume the winds are quite strong from west to east.  We landed a bit ahead of schedule, and Tim picked us up at the airport and we all came to the Tai Po house.  Had some of Ling’s spaghetti and some dessert.  The stuff we (more like Anne) bought at the airport turned out to be quite popular with Ling, Wally, Ruth and others.

Tai Po House, our home for the next several days.

12/16/2010.  Went to Tai Wan Tau Village to meet up with the Lau’s.  Picked quite a bit of the fruits in their “orchard”: pommelos, papayas, and star fruit.  Went to Hang Hau to have late lunch.  We had a lot of food for HK$400.  Takeout food purchased at Tai Po Market.

 Tai Wan Tau house.  I was told I was born in this house.  While I don't remember that, I do remember spending much time there as a kid.

 Inside the house which has been unoccupied for a while; it'll probably collapse soon.  Room now used to hang laundry to dry.

The Ding house (丁屋) now occupied by Mr.Lau.  They rent out the upper two floors.

12/17/2010.  Memorial service for Wally’s mother at Evangel Hospital, lunch afterwards catered by Café de Coral.  Stopped by Rev. Pao’s room to have a brief visit.  He has been there for quite a while after his stroke.  Toured Kowloon City a bit and then to Hong Kong Club to have a short visit with Larry and Elaine.  Victoria Park to visit the 45th Annual Industry Exposition (工展會) which has turned into a shopping venue for many local and mainland people.  We joined in the “fun” and bought a few bags worth of food.

12/18/2010.  Morning hike with Wally started at Tai Shui Heng, went up to Mau Ping, Ngong Ping, and then to Ma On Shan station.  About 7 miles, took close to 4 hours.  Some sections were quite strenuous.  Along the way had great views of Sai Kung and Ma On Shan.  Lunch with Ling at a well-known Dai Pai Dong in Lik Yuen near Shatin.

In front of some Mau Ping Village Ruins.

One of the main reasons we came back to Hong Kong this time was to attend the 50th anniversary celebration of George and Mana Leung, old family friends.  We all showed up – except for Alfred.  The banquet was held at Hotel Nikko.  It was close to 1 am when we got back to Tai Po.

12/19/2010.  Tim came by this morning to pick up us to go on his boat.  Rode to Lamma Island for a vegetarian lunch at Yung Shue Wan.  Dropped Anne off at Stanley so she could buy some gifts and visit her mother, we had coffee at ABC Middle Island.  Went on elliptical for 45+ minutes to burn some calories.  Dinner at Tai Hing in Tai Wai with two sisters and their husbands, bill totaled about HK$500.  Looked for dessert place in Tai Wai but couldn’t find any; so we went to Tai Po and ate at the shopping center.

12/20/2010.  Lunch at Beef Brisket Noodle place by Kowloon Walled City Park.  Strolled around park by myself for a while afterwards.  Tried “French Toast” twice, neither satisfactory.  Ling cooked dinner at Tai Po House.

 Hau Wong Temple.  I lived nearby for many years but never visited.

A model of Kowloon Walled City.  I also lived close by.  Never visited as it was known as a very "bad" place.  It has been torn down more than 20 years ago, and is now a park.

12/21/2010.  Trip from Tai Po to airport via private car was quick.  Flight back was uneventful, except that it was quite full.  Anne did have an empty seat next to her.  Ellie picked us up from the airport.

Pensacola, Florida. November 26 – 30, 2010.

Anne finished her first semester at school, so we were looking for a place to go for a long weekend. One possibility was London and we do have some mileage we wanted to use, but we decided going international maybe a bit tiresome, given we came back from Asia not too long ago, and will be heading out again on December 10. Turns out the flight down to Pensacola (with one stop) will take about as much time as flying non-stop to London.

Friday 11/26/2010. We had people over yesterday for Thanksgiving dinner and they left about 10 pm. So we had to rush a bit to get ourselves ready for today’s trip. I dropped Anne off at the South Amboy Train station, then drove back to our house, and then walked back to the station. I was quite sweaty by the time I was done, even though it was a rather cool morning. From door to security took about 90 minutes, a bit longer than I expected. Security at the airport was easy, no X-ray machine was in sight or in use, and the lines were remarkably short. All the fears of a busy travel day didn’t materialize.

We got upgraded to first class on the EWR-TPA flight, so got free Direct TV and a free light lunch, which is great. The wait at TPA was a bit long at about 2 ½ hours. Good thing they have free WiFi and restaurants on the air side. The TPA-PNS flight was called for early departure (!) and we did leave about 30 minutes before scheduled departure. It was quite easy to round up the 5 passengers. The Beechcraft 90 could sit 15 or so, and we had two pilots. I haven’t been on one of the turboprops for a while, so it felt a bit noisy. Good thing turbulence was a minimum. The 90 minute flight was quite uneventful. The PNS airport looked more crowded than TPA.

Our hotel SpringHill Suites isn’t as nice as I had hoped. We got upgraded to a “ocean and pool” view room, but you have to stand by the window to see the ocean. Let’s hope it’s better during the day. (It turns out we didn't spend a lot of time in the room during the day anyway.)

 On the balcony of the hotel room.

Hotel as seen from the Beach.

Dinner at Crabs restaurant. Anne had the crabs, crabs, crabs (flash fried claws, crab cake, stuffed crab, and softshell crab) and I had the mixed grill (crab cake, grouper, mahi mahi, chicken, and stuffed crab). Each dish costs $19.99. The piece of grouper was exceptional, rest seemed so-so.

And it is a cold evening. With a stiff wind blowing, it felt like New Jersey. Forecast calls for improvement over the next several days.

Saturday 11/27/2010. Drove to Ft. Pickens. Then along Santa Rosa Island to Navarre Beach, Navarre, and Destin. Santa Rosa Island at 40 miles or so is the longest barrier island. Many high rises, but looked quite quiet. Fishing pier at Navarre Beach – Cow Rays were being caught. Late lunch KFC buffet at $5 each. Dinner was sushi and potato salad bought at Walmart and eaten in hotel room. A full day: left around 10 am, got back after 6 pm.

Heron outside entrance to Fort Pickens.  We didn't get to see that many birds on this trip.

Looking at Pensacola Beach from Fort Pickens.  The sand is white.  There are multiple theories as to how the barrier islands were formed.

Cow Rays swimming leisurely at Navarre Beach.  There were fishermen trying to hook them, and we saw one got caught.

Sunday 11/28/2010. We first visited the Pensacola Visitor Center to check out bird watching locations. We then stopped by KFC (again!) but had only light meals this time. After purchasing a pair of binoculars from Walmart, we went to our first site: Big Lagoon State Park. This must be off season as all we saw were a blue heron and a couple of egrets. The place was very quiet. We then drove across Perdido Key which is shared by Florida and Alabama, ending at Fort Morgan. Quite a few high rises – most barely occupied – along the way. Houses are all on tall stilts, I guess both to have a view of the ocean and to avoid flooding during storms. Waited about half an hour for the ferry to Dauphin Island: a 30 minute ride on a boat that can take 25 or so cars. Many rigs in the water, this area is one of the high natural gas producers. The water is quite shallow (11 feet per poster) but the gas fields are 20,000 ft deep. It is evening by the time we got to the other side, and we drove in the dark to Mobile. Couldn’t see anything at night, but we visited the state for the first time! And crossed many bridges, this being “bayou” country. Dinner at Outback’s in Pensacola. It was about 8 pm when we got back to the hotel.

Fort Morgan, LA to Dauphin Island Ferry Terminal.  Notice the oil rig (natural gas, actually) in the Bay.  Our camera's battery ran out at this point.

This area was threatened with the BP oil spill. We saw miles and miles of beaches, there are tar balls here and there, but they don’t detract from the overall beauty. There is a lot of clean up activity involving scooping up the sand, sifting out the oil (not sure exactly how that’s done) and then returning the cleaned sand to the beach. We saw some “before” and “after” stretches right outside our hotel and frankly couldn’t tell the difference. The claim is the oil is somehow buried in the sand – in which case do we really care? Also, there are a lot of safety officers asking beach-goers to be careful, to the point that the make crossing guards downright careless in comparison. Makes you wonder if that’s the best way to spend the $20B or so (or whatever fraction thereof) set aside for the cleanup.

 Signs of Oil Spill are posted throughout the area.  They are more conspicuous than the spill itself.

A stretch of Beach with quite a number of tar balls on it.

Beach cleanup in progress.

Meanwhile many businesses are closed because of the drop in number of tourists.  They are many posters out telling people where to make claims for economic damage.

It’s been sunny the last couple of days. However, it has been quite windy and the highs are only in the low 60s. Cape Coral on the other hand has highs in the mid 80s per weather.com. I am surprised there is that much difference.

Monday 11/29/2010. First stop was Naval Live Oaks Station where we saw an interesting introductory film that talked about the barrier islands, how oak trees were used in ship-building, and the forts in the area. The guns in the Forts were never used to defend the USA from other countries, but shot at each other during the civil war. Drove across the Garcon Point Bridge which is very long, sparsely used, and cost $3.50. Went on a bird watching trail and saw a few small birds – couldn’t identify them. We then drove to Milton and visited the Blackwater River State Park. The river has banks of white sand, is quite shallow but flows rather rapidly at 3 miles or so per hour. Didn’t do much walking as it started to rain. Late lunch at Shrimp Basket in Milton. Headed back to the hotel after that: it was about 4 pm when we got back to our room.

 

Naval Live Oak with Spanish moss.  It takes acres of this to generate enough wood for a battleship.

Blackwater River in Milton.

We wanted to have a “light” dinner so we drove to a Whataburger place in Pensacola. There are quite a few of them in the area, yet I don’t recall seeing one anywhere else in Florida. The burger was okay, but nothing special.

It was quite a bit warmer today, but the sky was overcast most of the time. We ran into a few showers, and there was a stretch of heavy thunderstorm while we were driving.

Tuesday 11/30/2010. Mostly overcast today, and rainy. We drove back to the Fort Pickens area, today there were quite a few pelicans and other shore birds. While at the Fort we decided to drive to the Pensacola Lighthouse, which is less than two miles away as the crow flies. To drive there would take over half an hour, and involve going through a check point as the lighthouse is on Naval grounds. We didn’t go into the lighthouse as the weather was quite ominous, we wouldn’t know what to do if we got caught in a thunderstorm. There was also a Naval Air Museum which seems to be quite popular with the large number of cars in the parking lot. Afterwards we decided to call it a day and had lunch (at about 2 pm) at a Siam “diner” close by the airport. The 3-variety combination was freshly prepared, and cost only $8 or so.

Pensacola Lighthouse up close.  We didn't go because it was threatening to rain, with lightning in the area.

We were booked on the 6:30 pm PNS-Houston flight, and couldn’t get on the 3 pm flight. Many flights at PNS were canceled or severely delayed because of thunderstorms east of the area.  Our flight left on time, but we had to rush from the commuter terminal in Houston to the main terminal, with a few minutes to spare. The plane was late getting into Newark, the luggage (which we had to check because we boarded too late) took a while to find its way to the carousel, and the taxi line though not long moved very slowly. We got home at about 2:30 am.