Tokyo - Full of Australians

Wow.. Tokyo was really incredible. I was able to eat great food, meet great people, see some amazing sites and really do things outside my comfort zone. From trying to navigate without knowing much Japanese to relaxing in a massive on-sen, Tokyo has been a massive party and I made some great memories here.

I arrived on Sunday morning at 7am into Narita International Airport. Flying in on the red-eye from Singapore may not have been the smartest idea. The saving grace was the nice lady at the check-in counter who gave me a comfortable exit role seat. Before boarding the plane I purchase a pocket guide book that was incredibly helpful, especially the train station map. The most challenging part of my trip was navigating through Tokyo without knowing a lot of Japanese.  The crash course in Japanese on the plane did come in handy.

My most frequently used lines have been:
1)  Sumimasen, toile-wa doku deska -> Excuse me, where is the toilet?
2) Arigato gozaimasu -> Thank you very much
3) Gozo -> Go ahead (used when walking)

I left Australia to see the rest of the world, yet most of my new friends from the hostel ended up being from Australia. One of my new best mates, is from Surfer's Paradise and runs a hotel there. It's interesting to meet other ambitious people in their 20's. Fortunately, he speaks Japanese having married a Japanese woman a few years ago.

Some of the highlights of the week have been the food and the relaxation in Tokyo. I was eating sushi, don buri, and ramen at all times of the day. It did get a bit much after the first few days and eventually I went to McDonald's to grab a burger. The fish market is incredible and the fish is fresh and cheap. My massive bowl of rice was topped with my favorite seafood, sea urchin (uni), salmon, and salmon roe. When I wasn't eating, I was siteseeing. I visited the Imperial Palace, which is beautiful and incredible. I also had a chance to relax in a traditional on-sen which is a hot spring. The on-sen I visited was in Yokohama and it was a beautiful place. I was provided with a yukata to cover up before entering the on-sen. The on-sen is a place where swimsuits are not allowed, which made the experience a little bit more nerve-racking.

On my final day, I am still trying to piece together the week of partying.  A week of being out in the sun means washing a pile of laundry and doing administrative tasks before a final dinner with mates.  Japan has been alot of fun, but I am ready for Paris. As I check-in online, I realise the great people at All Nippon Airways have upgraded me to Business Class for my flight tomorrow... another great start...Sometimes a positive outlook goes a long way.

Reunion of ex-accenture consultants

Two of my best mates live in Singapore, both ex-accenture consultants. Although many years have past, the intensity/type-A nature is still present. Their focus and drive to get the most out of life is impressive. I decided to come to Singapore to catch up with them and explore the city.  My stay in Singapore ends tonight and I had an amazing time. Singapore offers an amazing selection of food and the people here are great. It has been really nice to see people follow the laws and respect their country.  I did not see any vandelism or rude behaviour from any of the locals.

Some of the highlights include eating chili crab, pepper crab, prata, buk kuh the, and chicken rice. The casual environment keeps the stress levels down and the infrastructure in Singapore enables the locals to live their lives comfortably. The trains and busese use a smart card which allows of quick entry and exit charging patrons based on distance. The internet has not download cap and is incredibly fast.

The weather is bit humid which makes it difficult to be outside during peak hours. Outside of peak hours we ventured our to see Marina Bay Sands. It is massive and will make Singapore even more attractive for global businesses to have conferences. The architecture is impressive and reminds me of the buildings in Dubai.  The casino inside can be quite addictive, but I was able to walk away doubling my money playing blackjack. I haven't played blackjack seriously since 2005 when I was in Lima playing in the lobby of the Sheraton. My strategy has come from reading the Mensa's guide to blackjack book. I follow all the rules I can remember and it begins to throw off a few of the players at the table, but nonetheless I walk away with $100.

A great early start...

Luggage check-in requirements brings me to the airport at 5:00am. Half awake and sporting my bed head I smile at check in lady and score an upgrade to the top deck of the new A380. She takes a look at me and reminds me that I'm tall and may appreciate an exit row seat. Is that good or great.. ;)

It's all happening and I can't wait to catch up on my sleep on the plane.

Rayz World

Rayz World: "A global traveller taking the next 3 months to go around the world with nothing more than a netbook, an 80 litre backpack, and a camera."

It's All Happening

One week away from moving all my possessions collected over the past three years of living in Australia into Rent-A-Space. For the next three months, I will be going back to basics, travelling with a 80 litre backpack and a day pack through Asia, Europe, then North America. The exciting but also frightening thing is I have yet to master Japanese, Spainish, or Swedish. It is going to be incredible to get out of the office this Friday and leave the pinstripe suits in the closet and go back to the t-shirt and shorts...