Monday 30 September 2013

Tokyo Day 1 & 2 : Stinky Fish and Swollen Feet

Good morning, good day, and good evening world!

We are finally back with a new post about a new trip from halfway across the globe! We touched down in Tokyo Narita Airport after a 16 hour long trip *whew*!

Touching down at 4pm Tokyo time felt like 3am to our jet lagged Canadian minds but we were still determined to seek out a bit of Japanese flavour before passing out in our (relatively difficult to find) hotel room. It was hard to find, but we definitely still recommend Sakura Fleur Aoyama Hotel, it's relatively cheap and only a 5 minute walk from Shibuya Station (but since one of us is Mike, we naturally still got lost). We are staying in Shibuya, which is like Tokyo's version of New York's Time Square (but WAY bigger, if you can picture that). It was a joy trying to walk Shibuya Crossing with two large pieces of luggage. This intersection has the busiest foot traffic of any intersection on the planet, with an estimated 100,000 people crossing every hour, and trust us, it wasn't easy passing through  hundreds of people all crossing at the same time while at the same time dragging an awkward suitcase behind you. Luckily, we've found the Japanese people to be EXTREMELY courteous, friendly and gracious as they always move out the way of your path, your photos, and are quick to offer a helping hand and test out their own English. We explored a bit more of Shibuya that first night, weaving in and out of various small streets, blinded by the neon lights and overwhelmed with the hundreds of thousands of signs everywhere we looked.

Now imagine knocking your suitcase into each and everyone one of these people
The next day we expected to awake relatively early, planning to make it to the five a.m. tuna auction at the Tsukiji Fish Market, unfortunately our jet lag had other plans. We awoke at 7:30 a.m, had a quick breakfast and then quickly received a crash course on Tokyo's elaborate, enormous and complicated subway system. Now imagine the picture above of all those people at Shibuya Crossing. Now imagine them all crowded into a subway car at rush hour. Fun stuff :)
Cleaning the Tuna slicer sword (Don't mess with this dude)


Enormous Tuna Steaks, 5000 yen per kg
Mmmmm suction cups!
At the fish market, Mike managed to stroll the sights without plugging his nose or gagging at the overpowering fish smell! What a big boy! This is the world's biggest sea food market and there sure were some interesting sights. Octopus, snails, clams, eels, squids, basically anything you can imagine. If it came out the ocean, you could buy and eat it at this market. More than 400 different kinds of seafood arrive daily from all over the globe. The best sushi restaurants were also found next to the market as lineups circled the block for people waiting to try the day's special dish. Nothing to report quite yet on that front though, Mike still didn't man up and try some fish (don't worry guys, we're pretty sure it WILL happen eventually). Regardless of whether you're a fish fan or hater, this place is definitely a site to behold.
Lookout point at Hama Rikyu Garden, 10 seconds before Maja trips :)
Mmmm tea... Arigato!
Next up, we made our way to the nearby Hama Rikyu Garden, which was a beautiful and relaxing experience after that chaotic fish market. This gorgeous park is full of century-old trees, perfectly manicured hedges and has an enormous pond with an adorable little tea pavilion in the centre. The foliage at this place was spectacular but there isn't really that much to say beyond how peaceful the experience was. The highlight was definitely the tea pavilion which was rather expensive (for tea) but provided a great taste of Japanese culture, complete with tea ceremony instructions and confectionery to sweeten the deal. This confectionery is called wagashi and you are supposed to eat it prior to drinking the tea in order to sweeten your pallet, balancing the strong bitter taste of the matcha (powdered green tea). 
The confectionery may look like fruit but it's more like candy. Not really sure what it's made out of though
See? I wasn't kidding about the crowds!
Maja's Pagoda Crown
The day's highlight was definitely our visit to Asakusa and the Senso-Ji Buddhist temple. This is one of the major tourist spots in all of Tokyo and for good reason. In order to make it to the temple you have to make your way through a crowded marketplace, Nakamise-dori, that sold some truly amazing goods. Once you plowed your way through the crowd, you are treated to an amazing view of a five-story pagoda, giant lanterns and sandals (yes, giant sandals!). The temple was truly a spiritual place, with enormous incense burners, prayer sticks and cleansing pools. Everywhere you turned you'd see local Japanese spreading incense on themselves and praying. It was truly inspiring. On the grounds there is a Sinto shine which was immaculate. Waterfalls, statues, banzai trees and koi ponds were only a few of sights at this amazing place. It was pretty
damn crowded, but totally worth it. 

Gorgeous Senso-Ji temple (I don't think all these people were just here to pray)
 Finally, we ended our day with another relaxing stroll through Ueno Park and the Yanaka Cemetery. I know what you're thinking, a cemetery? What are you? morbid? The Japanese have a very different relationship with the dead than we North Americans. It doesn't seem to be something to fear, rather it's something to respect and we definitely weren't the only ones casually walking around Tokyo's largest graveyard, with over 7,000 elaborate and gorgeous grave sites.
An example of a typical Japanese grave site. I think I may steal this design for my own when I pass
Ueno Park is where most of the museums are located but being the philistines that we are, we decided to pass on the museums this time around. Instead we strolled around this popular park (with all this walking, maybe now you can understand where the swollen feet came from), enjoyed some extremely expensive coffee, watched some traditional Japanese busking and took in an amateur baseball game. It was a great way to end our first evening in this breathtaking city.
Trying to take a selfie with a heavy DSLR camera and the low evening sun in your eyes is definitely NOT EASY!
Namaste,
M&M

Thursday 26 September 2013

The Jaw Dropping Vistas of Innsbruck, Austria

The following is a GUEST POST:


To me traveling is more then just standing in front of the Eiffel Tower or Coliseum and taking a picture for Facebook. It's about learning the culture, trying new things and experiencing another way of life. That is why when traveling to Austria I chose to visit Innsbruck as opposed to the larger Austrian cities, such as Salzburg or Vienna.
I have seen mountains before in British Columbia and northern Quebec, however the sheer size and the 360 degree bombardment of the Austrian Alps surrounding the entire city actually brought tears of joy to my girlfriend's eyes.  During the winter months, Innsbruck has been a skier's utopia over the last century and has even hosted the Winter Olympics twice in 1964 and 1976. As my trip took place in September, it provided a great opportunity to view how the citizens in this mountain town live their lives in the off season.

 Even though there was little snow on the peaks of the mountains in September, Innsbruck had a lot to offer and, of course, my first goal was to conquer the mountain. A cable car conveniently picks up travellers in the city centre and transfers you to another, and then another cable car to finally reach the top of the Nordkette peak, which is over 2300 meters above sea level. As soon as the cable car doors open, a cool mountain breeze awakens all of your senses and before you can process how to feel, you will look down at the dot that is now Innsbruck, two kilometres below your feet.

The gondola  ride to the top can be somewhat pricey, however if you are in the city for more then a day I recommend buying the 24-hour, 48-hour or 72-hour Innsbruck card (www.innsbruck.info/en/experience/innsbruck-card.html). The card includes a trip up and down one mountain range, along with free transit within Innsbruck and many discounts throughout the city. The card also includes one free ticket to the Swarovski Kristallwelten Museum, along with a shuttle that takes you to and from the museum into the city centre (kristallwelten.swarovski.com/Content.Node/Startseite.en.html).

If you are looking for a large hotel room with an unnecessarily oversized television and 24-hour room service, I recommend you stay in North America. 
I stayed at the Art Hotel Binders, which is only a 20 minute walk or 10 minute bus ride from the city centre (www.binder.at). All of the rooms are unique, cozy and portray an authentic European lifestyle with a supermarket and coffee shop just down the street. There are limited chain hotels in Innsbruck, which drastically increases hotel prices, therefore Hotel Binders provided a wonderful experience for half the price.


Winter, spring, summer or fall Innsbruck, Austria is a wonderful city for adrenaline junkies, couples, families and anyone wanting to hide from the tourist traps throughout Europe and witness how actual Europeans really live.


Adam Splonick functions best in high altitudes and thin air environments. He says it helps clear his mind. He is based out of Ottawa, Canada and juggles working for the Department of National Defence and diligently attending his classes at Carleton University.

Saturday 21 September 2013

Nürburg, Germany and the Nürburgring : The Things That Dreams Are Made Of...

The following is a GUEST POST:

 

The only word is speechless... Technically, I have driven the Nürburgring's 22km Nordschleif hundreds of times over the last few years. However, despite the great graphics, Playstation has failed to grasp the smell of the engine, the fog rolling through the German countryside and the true emotion, which is a mixture of pure adrenaline and fear.

The Nürburgring has been a drivers dream since it was created in 1927 and the ability to drive on the same track as many Grand Prix legends, such as Michael Schumacher, becomes a surreal experience when you arrive at the track. The track has also became a trophy, as car companies strive to hold the title of fastest lap time, currently help by Porsche's 918 Spydera at 6 minutes and 57 seconds. As a car enthusiast I have seen many friends and gear heads with that red Nürburgring sticker right next to their licence plate, yet I have never actually spoken with someone who has driven on the track.

Unfortunately... It's not cheap. You need to rent a car from a major city like Cologne (bonus Autobahn!) and car rental at the track is about 100 euro a lap, but remember you will most likely never do it again so If you can go all out. Many people use a rental car on the track as you will only pay around 33 euro a lap. However, once on the track your insurance is void and unless you can afford to pay for a new totally new rental car, pay the extra
and use one at the track.

I used the company Rent Race Car, located right in front of the track entrance and included in the price is gas, insurance and of course a range of cars (
http://www.rentracecar.com). 

Before planning a trip make sure to check if public lap times are available by using the Nürburgring's website
www.nuerburgring.de.  

 
I have heard the phrase "once in a lifetime" before, however this has been the first time I have ever truly felt it, driving the Nürburgring is a must


Adam Splonick is a self-described gear head who is obsessed with Top Gear and lives in Ottawa, Canada. He currently juggles working for the Department of National Defence and diligently attending his classes at Carleton University.

Sunday 8 September 2013

Five Tips for Travelling Newbies

Good morning, good day, and good evening world!

So we've bought our tickets for our next big excursion: JAPAN! 

In preparation for our trip to the land of the rising sun, we've been reasearching travelling in Japan online. We came across this excellent post offerring up 10 tips for those experiencing Japan for the first time: 

Japan: readers' tips, recommendations and travel advice

Needless to say this post gave us some excellent ideas for our upcoming trip and we've already incorporated some of these tips into our travel plans.
This article also inspired us to post our own top five travel tips that we'd like to share with all you folks out there who may be planning you're very first big trip. Be it backpacking around Europe, driving across North America, or island hopping in the South Pacific, here are some pointers that we wish we had known prior to embarking on our own adventures:

1) Plan ahead 

You can never be too prepared
Travel books are your friend. Sure, they are usually as thick as a bible, with tiny font that can be extremely intimidating, but doing a bit of research ahead of time will not only save you a ton of headaches when you actually arrive, but it can be loads of fun too! By putting together a preliminary list of stops and sights ahead of time, looking at pictures of things to see, learning about the food you'll be tasting, and reading about the experiences that will be offered, your excitement and anticipation will only grow! Our favourite travel books are the Lonely Planet series and Eyewitness Travel's Top Ten series. Lonely Planet's books are perfect for pre-trip planning. They are filled to the brim with details and suggestions, but once you arrive in your destination, they can be a little too bulky to carry around with you during the day. Top Ten's are great for any major city you plan on visiting for longer than 4 days. Their offerings are slightly more limited but if you want to experience the absolute best that major cities have to offer, you can't go wrong! Plus, they are also small enough to carry in your pocket!
2) Don't be a slave to your itinerary

Planning ahead is great (and, as mentioned above, pretty essential) but one of the biggest mistakes you can make during your travels is forcing yourself to leave a city only because your schedule dictates. Sometimes this is unavoidable, if you have a flight pre-booked or a reservation at a hotel, but trust us, if you've fallen in love with a city only to be forced to leave earlier than you'd like, you'll only resent it in your next destination. 
Gorgeous Cinque Terre, Italy. Photo courtesy of www.kevinandamanda.com

As you meet people on your journey, you'll most certainly get more travel advice from them, suggestions to new places you hadn't originally considered. Some of the best discoveries have come about from these sorts of conversations! Mike discovered one of the most beautiful places in Italy thanks to a casual conversation at a hostel. If you are ever near Pisa, be sure to check out Cinque Terre, you definitely won't regret it!

3) Hop on, Hop off buses


Plus you get to enjoy the open air! Who doesn't love
Double Deckers?
This may come as a surprise to some. If you live in a major city anywhere in the world, you must be familiar with these red eyesores; double-decker buses that block up your downtown city streets. Well you may find them annoying back home, but when you're out of your element, these sightseeing Hop-On, Hop-Off buses are the perfect stepping stone to help ease you into your journey! If you are staying in one city for any real length of time, buying a ticket for these bus tours can really help orient yourself in your new surroundings. We recommend a three-day pass as it instantly helps you get to know the city, what sights you'll want to visit, their historical significance, and they also act as a nice means of transportation for a few days, getting you where you almost certainly want to go.
Check them out here: Hop-On, Hop-Off Tours


4) Buy an app

Smart phones are a fantastic invention, but unless you have a ton of extra cash lying around, roaming cell and data fees can murder your monthly bill. We both own iPhones, which come equipped with google maps, which is great when you get lost back home. But what happens if you thousands of miles away from your cell phone carrier? The answer is simple! The makers of the aforementioned Lonely Planet book series also offer some extremely handy travel apps for iPhone, Android, and Nokia! In our opinion, these apps are ESSENTIAL for modern travel! They come with much of the same content found in their travel guides, such as sights to see, restaurants to check out, and stores to shop. But far and away the absolutely BEST feature about these apps would have to be the maps. Each app comes preloaded with a city map which uses your smart phone's built in GPS to place you on the map, telling you exactly where you are! You'll never get lost again! It also tells you what's around you in terms of hotels, sights, shops and restaurants, it's fantastic! The best part? Since the map is pre-loaded, and GPS is free, it won't cost you a penny! Well, that's not entirely true, the apps typically run you about $3.99 CND, but they are completely worth it.

Be sure to check out Lonely Planet's selection at their website. 

5) Pack light!

Finally, you should not only avoid over packing, but in our experience it's best to under pack! You'll need the space for all the amazing souvenirs you'll be bringing back for yourself, your family, and your friends! Another thing to keep in mind is that more often than not you'll find cheaper or more exotic clothes than what you are used to back home, so you'll certainly be picking something up for yourself. It's better to have to space to buy stuff in your destination and have room for it, than having to make that difficult choice as to what piece of clothing needs to be left behind. This was a hard lesson for us to learn and we've been known to buy an extra suitcase or two on our travels in order to accommodate all the cool souvenirs we wanted to bring home.
One last tip: Travel pillows may look ridiculous,
but trust us, your neck will thank you!
Hope you liked our list and that this advice will prove useful in your own travels. If you have some other useful tips for your fellow traveller, please feel free to add them in the comments! Your input is always appreciated!

Namaste,
M&M