Tokyo: Part 2 (May 8-9) & Kuala Lumpur (May 10)

I took my time leaving Kyoto, so I didn’t get onto the Tokyo train until around noon. The journey took about three hours and then I had to head to my hostel. I was staying in the Shinjuku district this time, at the Imano Tokyo Hostel. I checked in, organised my stuff, and my only goal that day was to get drumsticks from Hard Rock Cafe. I headed back onto the subway to where Hard Rock Cafe was located (it was actually quite out of the way). I was happy to see that the drumsticks were at a normal price, and even more happy when they told me that they had just received some limited edition sets. After I bought my drumsticks, I realised that I was really close to one of the gluten-free restaurants on my app (Gluten Free T’s Kitchen). I was super excited because they had gluten-free gyoza, which I hadn’t found anywhere. However, when I got there, I was sad to see that they were closed for a private function. They were allowing takeout, but I would have rather been able to sit somewhere to enjoy. I decided to head back to the gluten-free ramen place that I went to on my first day in Tokyo (Shimbu Sakiya Ramen). This time, I decided to try the spicy ramen and it WAS quite spicy, but it was also really good! After dinner, I walked back to my hostel, which still took over an hour. However, Japan is one of those places where I feel quite safe walking around in the dark. Once I got back to the hostel, I just hung out until I went to bed.

The next day was my flight to Kuala Lumpur. However, it didn’t leave until 11:45pm so I basically had the entire day to explore. This time, I wanted to focus on the eastern suburbs since I had done the western ones last time. I booked a free walking tour (The Flagship Walking Tour) with Tokyo Localized, and we had to meet in the Akihabara district. The tour lasted three hours and took us to some temples, the Ameyoko Shopping Arcade, and it ended Ueno Park. I had learned that Tokyo gets hit by a major earthquake every century and that the last one was in 1923, so they were preparing for the next one to hit at any time. Luckily nothing happened while I was there!

After the tour, I walked around Ueno Park with a woman that I had met on the tour. Then, she headed back to her hotel and I decided to continue walking. I was starving since the tour ended around 2pm, but there weren’t any restaurants close to the park. I decided to walk towards Nakamise-dori Street since I wanted to go there anyway, and I knew that there would be another Kura Sushi on the way. It was my last day in Japan – why not get sushi one last time? I think I seriously sushied myself out though, which was good because I wouldn’t be having it again for awhile. This location was a lot quieter, but maybe it was because it was the middle of the afternoon. There wasn’t a lineup at all, and I got a full table to myself (rather than always being sent to a one-person table). This time, I got salmon and scallop again (my two faves!), and then I tried a bluefin tuna sampler, squid & okra, crab & shrimp with avocado, and a tuna green onion roll. I also tried a dessert called water manjyu. And I won a prize from the game this time! It was decorative anime tape, which I would have no use for haha

After feeling stuffed once again, I walked to Kaminarimon Gate, which was full of people. Then, I walked down Nakamise-dori Street, which is a street filled with vendors as it leads to the Sensō-ji Temple. I walked around the area for a bit, but I wasn’t a huge fan of all of the people, so I left and headed towards the river to walk along there for a bit. I decided to catch the metro back to where my hostel was and explore the area for a bit longer. I went to Godzilla Street to see if I could watch the hourly show that they put on there, but it wasn’t as impressive as it probably would be in the dark.

I struggled to figure out what to eat for dinner. I wasn’t exactly hungry since I had eaten such a big lunch, and there weren’t any gluten-free restaurants in the area, especially ones that wouldn’t be crowded. I went back to my hostel to hang out there for a bit, and then I headed to the airport at about 8:30pm. I had to take a subway and then take a train to the airport terminal. I threw out a bunch of stuff because I was paranoid that they would weigh my bag and of course, they didn’t end up doing that. I had read that there would be a 7-Eleven after security, so I was planning to stock up on food there. However, I was disappointed to find out that there wasn’t a 7-Eleven. And all of the restaurants were closed, except for one selling stuff that I couldn’t eat. Everyone was crowding around the vending machines after they realised that they couldn’t get food anywhere. I was jealous of everyone that could easily just choose a sandwich from the vending machine. Luckily, they had some seaweed triangle rolls, so I got a few of those, as well as some potato sticks. And then I just had to wait for my flight! Real talk though: I didn’t LOVE Japan. Every time I talked to people about my itinerary, they seemed most interested in Japan and not at all interested in the other countries. I didn’t understand why because Japan was probably the country that I was least excited to visit. I don’t know what’s wrong with me because everyone seems to love it there! Maybe I just didn’t like being around so many people during Golden Week, but I also felt like I was constantly comparing Japan to Taiwan and since I LOVED Taiwan, it was hard to live up to. I also felt like Taiwanese people are so much more hospitable and welcoming, and I didn’t really feel that in Japan. But that’s just my opinion! It was still nice, but I didn’t feel wowed by it, especially comparing it to the other countries that I’ve visited on this trip. I know most people have a great time in Japan, so don’t just listen to my opinion haha

The flight was just over 7 hours long, so I arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 6am. I had a 15-hour layover in Kuala Lumpur, so I had booked a bed at the airport to get some sleep since I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep on the plane. Luckily, it was on the arrivals side so I didn’t have to go through customs or anything. You could book a bed for a 6-hour period, and then pay for additional hours. I felt like 6 hours would be enough, so I had until 12:30pm to try to get some sleep. I think I only slept for 3 or 4 hours during that time, but it was still nice to not feel like a complete zombie.

I checked out and then tried to decide if I should go into Kuala Lumpur. My flight would be leaving at 9pm, so I still had about 8 hours. I had to go through customs, which was so quick because I was the only person there. Then, I found a place to store my luggage for the day, and I exchanged my money. I got an iced coffee to last me on the long trip into the city but unfortunately once I got to where the train would come, the coffee fell off of my seat and spilled all over the floor. I guess I would have to wait for a caffeine fix… I was surprised to find out that Kuala Lumpur was the only place on my trip (so far) that made it mandatory to wear a mask on public transport. I was really glad that I happened to have one in my bag since the only other times I wore one is when it was mandatory on some of the flights in the Philippines. I started at Merchant’s Lane and walked through Petaling Street Market because I thought that they would be easy places to find food. However, most of the vendors were selling clothes.

I then walked towards Merdeka Square, and admired the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. I was really hungry at this point but I didn’t have a SIM card here, so I had to rely on wifi. Luckily, I eventually found a McDonald’s and stood outside so that I could figure out where I could eat. There was a place closeby called Pappadom, so I went there. It was all locals and me, and they told me to try the vegetarian platter. They put a big leaf in front of me and then came with different pails of food and scooped it on my leaf. Apparently, this was unlimited because they would give you another scoop if anything needed a refill. It was already way too much food for me, so I didn’t have to worry about that! Everyone eats with their hands and expertly scoops rice and curry into their mouths, but I didn’t feel skilled enough for that. I stuck to using cutlery and would every so often use my hands to scoop a poppadom into the curry. I was consciously trying to only use my right hand (as they NEVER eat with their left hands since that’s the hand you use in the bathroom). However, I felt like I was a lot more clumsy using my right hand, and I felt like I kept getting stares haha. After eating, I decided to keep walking towards the Petronas Twin Towers. It took quite awhile and I ended up walking by a park that looked familiar. I recognised it as one of the ecoparks I visited when I was in Kuala Lumpur in 2019. I went to see if I could go in, but it had JUST closed (I missed it by about five minutes!). I continued my walk to the towers and hung out in the park for about a half hour, and then I had to head back to the airport.

On the way to the airport, I checked my email to find out that my flight was delayed by an hour and ten minutes. Well, I was already on the way to the airport, so I guess I’d have to sit and wait. I got my stuff from the locker and went back through customs and security. Then, I just waited and waited and waited. They delayed the flight another ten minutes. Then ANOTHER ten minutes. Then, we all started checking into the gate and waited in the seating area there. Then, they made an announcement that our gate number had changed, so the entire plane had to get out of the gate area, walk through the airport, and check into the new gate. Then, we finally got to go onto the plane! However, they made an announcement that our original plane had a mechanical issue so they had to get us a different plane, but now we’d have to wait for the new plane to be fuelled, AND wait for all of the luggage to be moved from the original plane to the one that we were on. So we had to sit on the plane for extra time (I honestly don’t understand why they do that – I’d rather sit in the airport). FINALLY, we left! The flight was 3.5 hours, but I already knew that I wouldn’t be making it to my accommodation before the midnight check-in time. However, I’ll save that for the next post. Love always

Kyoto (May 4-8): Sushi, Deer, and A Bamboo Forest

The train from Kanazawa to Kyoto was only about two hours, and I arrived in Kyoto right when the sun was setting. Once again, I had to catch a couple subways to get to my hostel but by this time, I was pretty much an expert. My hostel (Hostel HARUYA) was actually a traditional 100+ year old house, and it was oddly quiet. I was hoping to meet a bunch of new people since I’d be there for four days, but I hardly saw anyone – not even the person in my room. It was all self check-in (I guess they’ve been doing that since Covid), but I didn’t see one staff member during my entire four days there. It was kind of bizarre! I also had to leave the cash in my room for payment, even though it was a shared room. Once I got settled, I went for a walk to do some exploring and look for dinner. I was staying in the Higashiyama district, near the Gion district, so I walked towards that, and I was able to see the Yasaka-jinja Shrine. I then walked across the river towards one of the restaurants that I had read about. Instantly, I loved the vibes of Kyoto. Especially in the evening, it just had a nice energy about it and the buildings had character and you could see a lot of history (I found out later that this is because Kyoto is one of the places in Japan that doesn’t get hit by earthquakes, so a lot of its old buildings have been preserved, unlike Tokyo, which gets hit by earthquakes quite often). I went to Kyoto Engine, which I had read about on my gluten-free app. I also read that it’s always very busy, but I decided to try my luck. It was after 9pm anyway. I got there and they didn’t have any tables available, but I luckily didn’t have to wait longer than 5-10 minutes. I was able to get a gluten-free ramen, but this ramen was different because it had a creamy broth. It was one of the best ramens I’ve ever had – I could see why it was so popular! After my late dinner, I headed back to my hostel and went to bed.

The next day, I got up early and decided to go to the Fushimi Inari Shrine. I read that you should go early or it gets extremely busy. After I got to the train station, I was on the search for coffee (naturally), so I found a coffee stand that sold (expensive) lattes. I got one and headed to the temple, only to see a sign that said no food or drinks in the complex (this was weird though because once I went IN to the complex, there were vendors selling food and drinks). I didn’t want to be disrespectful so I tried to start AND finish my coffee before entering. It was piping hot and I think I burnt my mouth multiple times, but I did it! I kept watching more and more people enter, and I knew that 9am wasn’t early enough. However, I soon realised that the further I walked, the less people there would be. The temple has about 10000 orange torii (gates), and it really is quite beautiful! There was a hike up a mountain, so I decided to do that since there would likely be less people. I passed more and more people, and ended up being able to walk a lot of it on my own. However, when I got to the top, there wasn’t even a view point! I watched other people arriving, looking just as confused as I felt. Well.. that was a bit anticlimactic.

I headed back down and as I stopped to take pictures, a guy from San Francisco asked if I could take his picture. We walked the rest of the way together and then he said he was going to Nishiki Market and asked if I wanted to come. I had time to kill so I joined him, and we took the subway there. The market was so busy! It was basically one row that went on for blocks, with stalls on either side. And the rules were if you bought something, you HAD to stand in front of the stall and eat it there – you weren’t allowed to walk and eat. I pretty much couldn’t eat anything since most of it was either deep-fried or marinated in soy sauce, but it was still cool to explore. I finally found some salmon sashimi and decided to get some of that, just so I could have something. We said our goodbyes and then I walked towards where I had booked my walking tour. Luckily, it was in front of a McDonald’s so I got some fries to tie me over since it would be a 3-hour tour. On the tour, I met Brie (from Singapore) and Farzaneh (from Iran), and it was so refreshing to meet some other solo female travellers! On the tour, we visited Maruyama Park, Chionin Sanmon, Ninen- Sannei Zaka district, Kiyomizu Temple, and were told about a lot of the history of Kyoto. Every turn we took was gorgeous – I really enjoyed Kyoto!

After the tour, Farzaneh, Brie, and I decided to explore the area a little bit more. We walked around the district and then went back to where our tour had started so we could find some dinner (this is because where the tour ended would be the most expensive restaurants, and where the tour started was where the cheapest ones were). Coincidently, we ran into our tour guide again so we asked him where to eat. We headed to the restaurant that he recommended, only to find out that it was closed for the holiday. So we happened to just walk into the one across the street (Komefuku), not knowing how popular it was. It was an Izakaya restaurant, so I knew I’d probably have to eat some gluten, especially when we found out that they were known for their tempura. We had to wait quite awhile for a table, but we finally got seated in our own isolated booth with a curtain – we were completely singled out from the rest of the restaurant (maybe they wanted to hide the tourists? Haha). I got some tempura and settled on a shrimp dish, which I didn’t realise was battered so I definitely got my gluten for the night! Even though we had already put in 20000+ steps in that day, we decided to walk another 20 minutes to Kōdai-ji Temple. This was another temple that was doing a light show because of Golden Week. We paid the fee and then watched a bunch of illuminations on the temple, which was cool. Then, we walked around the grounds for a bit. The three of us decided to meet up again the following morning so that we could go to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove together. So we said our goodbyes and headed to our own accommodations.

The next day, I got up and ready, stopped at a convenience store to pick up breakfast, and then took two subways to the Arashiyama stop. I met up with Brie and Farzaneh at 10, and we headed towards the Bamboo Grove. It was pretty cool to see so much bamboo in one area, but it was also quite busy. After going through the grove, we aimlessly walked around for a bit. When we got to a small countryside suburb and realised there wouldn’t be much left to look at, we turned around and headed back. We then walked towards the Togetsu-kyo Bridge, which has a history of over 1000 years. We walked across the bridge, explored the area there, and checked out some of the food vendors. One of our favourites was yatsuhashi – a triangle shaped pastry stuffed with various flavours. We had a lot of fun sampling all of the flavours! A lot of locals would be walking around with pickles on a stick. I finally decided to see what all of the fuss was, and it was actually so good! It didn’t taste like a pickle at all (as in it wasn’t vinegary), but instead, it had a salty lemon flavour. We also tried yuba & cheese, which is basically the skin of tofu stuffed with cheese and deep fried – so good! And of course, I always ate anything made with mochi. Brie had suggested doing the Sagano Romantic Train, which goes along the river with nice views. It’s a bit pricey – about $10 one way, and you really only get a view for about half the time because the view switches to the other side of the train. We all figured that we could probably get the same views if we just took a regular train and got off at the different stops. After that, the girls wanted to go to a temple (which I had also had on my list), but I still wanted to go to Nara and since it was supposed to rain the next day, I knew that this would be my only opportunity. I said goodbye to Brie and Farzaneh, and headed to Kyoto Station to take the one-hour train ride to Nara.

Nara is mostly known for its deer park, which is exactly why I was going. Once I got there, it was about a 20 minute walk to the park or you could take a bus. I opted to walk and also walked through the temple grounds on the way by. Once I got to the park, it had just started to drizzle. I saw that some people were feeding the deer and you could buy some deer cookies from a local vendor for 200 yen. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it, but I met a girl from the United States and she convinced me to make sure I did it. Luckily I decided to buy the cookies when I did because right after, it started raining and the vendor packed up his stuff (and the deer all ran away into the forest). I followed the deer into the forest and it was a lot quieter since most of the people had left once it started raining. The rain didn’t last long, so I was able to enjoy some time hanging out with the deer. I basically had to walk away immediately after feeding a deer or it would keep head-butting me, and I had read that they can sometimes get aggressive. However, it was such a cool experience to be able to be close to such majestic creatures!

After spending some time with the deer, I walked back towards the train station and decided that I might as well stop in Osaka for dinner. It would be another 45 minutes there from Nara, but apparently if I took the bullet train back to Kyoto, it would only take 15 minutes! (Spoiler alert: I didn’t end up getting this train back so it took longer). As soon as I got off the train in Osaka, everything was flooded with people again and I instantly felt stressed. I headed to the main food street called Doutonbori Street, which was quite flashy and busy. It seemed like if a restaurant didn’t have a large octopus or lobster or anything large on the side of its building, it wouldn’t be allowed on the street. It reminded me of being in Las Vegas. It also started raining as soon as I got to Osaka, so I decided to go into a restaurant called Kura, so that I could finally get a proper taste of sushi. This was a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, but you could also order your own dishes from the iPad that was at every table. When I got there, it was about 7:30 and you had to go to a screen to reserve your spot. Two people had walked in before me, so I watched them click that they needed a table for two, and then I saw that their table would be ready after 9pm. Was I really willing to wait that long for a table? I didn’t have long enough to decide because I was already next, and there was a server there to help. When I said for one, he didn’t even let me touch the screen and then he took me to another screen that printed out a receipt with an 18 on it. “Oh, this is how long I wait?” “No, this is your table number.” So I got to walk past the huge crowd of people that were waiting for a table and go straight to my own table. See? There are perks to travelling alone! I got to my little area, which had a curtain behind me, so I was completely isolated except for the conveyor belt in front of me. I wondered where everything was (chopsticks, soy sauce, etc.) and then I realised that the table could be lifted up, and there were storage areas inside the table! AND they had a bottle of gluten-free soy sauce!!! (The location in Kyoto didn’t though, but the one in Tokyo did!). I decided to just order from the iPad. I was shocked when after a few minutes, the dishes just showed up in front of me – I could definitely get used to this! I wasn’t as adventurous this time around, but I had some tuna and salmon, some albacore (wasn’t a huge fan), an amazing crab-topped avocado dish (which wasn’t at any of the other locations that I went to), and something called a probiotic drink (it was good, and I had it again the next two times I went). The dishes are all quite cheap, 132 yen each (unless it’s a special dish) and then when you’re done with your plates, there’s a slot that you can drop them down. Once you drop 5 plates, you can play a “game” to try to win a prize (the game is really just watching a show on a screen – you didn’t have to do anything). It wasn’t until the end of my meal that I realised that there was green tea powder in the table compartment – I had thought that they were only supplying hot water! Rookie mistake. After I was happily full, I had to pay. The receipt that I got at the beginning had a QR code on it, so I had to go to a self-checkout, scan the QR code, and either insert the right amount of cash or scan my card. So high-tech! Literally spent the entire service not having to talk to anyone – my kind of dining! Luckily the rain had stopped so I walked up and down Doutonburi Street, as well as the river. I finally decided to head back to Osaka station so I could take the train back to Kyoto. There must be a time that the bullet train stops, because I ended up having to take the slower train, which took about 45 minutes. I got to my hostel quite late, and went to bed.

The next day was the day of rain. And I don’t mean 15 minutes of heavy rain, and then it stops. Nor do I mean a light drizzle all day. This was a full-on heavy rain that lasted the entire day. No, it didn’t slow down or stop. I only had my water-resistant pants and my rain jacket so in the morning, I walked 5 minutes to the nearest cafe (Dot Coffee). I was soaked by the time I got there! However, it was worth it because I got the biggest coffee that I’ve had in Japan (usually they give the tiniest cups). They also had gluten-free Basque cake, so I tried one of those. I tried to work on my blog, but had no motivation. After hanging out in the cafe for longer than I probably should have, I headed back to my hostel to decide what to do. Again, I was soaking so I just hung out for as long as I could, until the guilt took over (I find it very difficult to just sit and waste a day when I could be exploring. Even when I was sick in the Philippines, I felt guilty and was trying to convince myself to do something). After a couple of hours, I decided that I’d walk towards the shopping arcades because at least I’d have a roof over my head. However, I’d still have to walk 20 minutes to get there. I decided that once I’d get there, I’d try out a Nepalese restaurant but on the way, I saw another Kura Sushi. I was starving… why not? I walked in and there was a huge group of people in the waiting room. I went to the screen to click one person, got my receipt with my number, and sat down in the waiting room. Less than 30 seconds later, my number came up on the screen (it’s exactly like a doctor’s office haha), so I headed to the next screen as all of the people in the waiting room watched me go, probably wondering how I got to go so fast when I just walked in. I went to the next screen to put my number in and then it printed out another receipt with my table number on it. This time, I was a bit more adventurous. I still had salmon, tuna, and shrimp, but I also tried salmon belly (still prefer regular salmon), scallop, and horse mackerel. And I have to say that scallop might be my new favourite kind of sushi, although I’ll probably never have it again because I don’t think I would trust any other sushi places outside of Japan. I also had a Warabimochi desert, which is a mochi made of something called warabi starch (as opposed to regular mochi, which is glutinous rice flour). After lunch, I walked around all of the arcades and shops for a couple of hours, and then I found a coffee shop (a chain called Doutor) to try Japanese bubble tea. Again, I tried to write my blog but had no motivation. Farzaneh messaged and asked where I was, so she met up with me. We chatted in the cafe before deciding to get dinner at the Nepalese place that I was planning to go to earlier (Yak & Yeti). I ended up getting a set meal, which was so much food! It came with an appetiser, curry, rice, salad, and ended with ice cream. We finished at around 9:30, so we said our final goodbye (since I was heading back to Tokyo the next day). I did the 20 minute walk back to my hostel (the rain STILL hadn’t slowed down or stopped) and was drenched again by the time I got back.

The next morning, I got up and headed to Dot Cafe once again to have a coffee and this time try the matcha basque cake. Then I headed back to my hostel to pack everything up, check out, and take the subway to Kyoto train station. My time in Kyoto was unfortunately done, and it was my favourite part of my time in Japan. It was time to head back to Tokyo for one final night in Japan. Love always

Kanazawa (May 3-4): Geishas, Samurais, and a Castle in the Dark

From Nagano, I reserved my seat for the train to Kanazawa, and then I went to the platform to wait. It would only take about an hour and a half to get there. Once I got to the train station in Kanazawa, I debated paying for a locker so that I could explore, since I wouldn’t be able to check in to my hostel anyway. I went to the station’s locker room to find out that all of the lockers were full. There was a sign showing two other locker rooms to go to, so I checked both of those out. Both of them were also full, and people were continuously coming into the locker room with suitcases, also looking for lockers. I decided it would be a lost cause and chose to head to my hostel. I bought a day pass for the bus (which I didn’t actually end up needing because I just walked to most places). The interesting thing about buses in Japan (or at least the buses that I saw) was that you enter the bus from the back and sit down. Then when you get off, you get off at the front and you pay the bus driver as you leave. You would think that this would completely slow everything down, but the Japanese have a structured way of doing things. My hostel allowed me to check in early and since I was only staying one night, they got me through as fast as they could so that I could explore the city. I dropped my stuff off in my room and went back to the bus to head to the Higashiyama district, which was also known as the geisha district. Walking onto those streets made me realise that I was no longer in a nice, quiet town anymore. Once again, there were people everywhere! I pondered getting something to eat since I still hadn’t eaten a proper lunch, but everywhere seemed extremely crowded and very expensive.

I continued walking to the Kazuemachi district, which was right next to the river. It was quieter and quaint, but there seemed to be nothing that was open.

So I walked towards Omicho market. Most of the stalls had already closed, or they were about to close since it would be closing time in the next half hour. I went to the basement of the market and there happened to be a sushi shop putting discount stickers on all of their sushi. Well, at least it would get me by until I found something to eat! I walked towards the Naga-machi district, which is also known as the Samurai district, and I planned to eat at an Indian restaurant, as it seemed to be one of the only places listed as gluten-free. On the way, I stopped at the Oyama Shrine, and explored the garden and pond there.

I went to the Indian restaurant and got there before it opened and it already had people waiting outside, so I decided to take a walk around the Samurai district. A lot of it was closed, but there were streams that ran in front of all of the store-fronts and houses, which was really cool!

I came back to the restaurant to see that there was a sign on the door, stating that they were full and it would likely be an hour to an hour and a half wait. I looked at some of the other restaurants closeby, but they also seemed to have lineups. I decided to just wait at the Indian place and finally, a couple left. I went up to the door and the chef said that they still had reservations, and I’d have to come back in two hours if I wanted a table. Shucks! There was another place close by, but I was avoiding it since it was pricey. However, it had open tables so I decided to just go in. It was called Love For All, and I think it’s more of a tapas-style place. However, after looking at the prices, I decided I could only afford one plate and possibly a dessert (only because they had gluten-free cake). They brought me an appetiser as soon as I sat down, which was kind of weird because you still had to pay for it (I guess as a cover charge?). I decided on the California Crab Avocado Boat, which they seared right in front of me using a blowtorch. I have to admit it was really good, and I would have loved to try more dishes if I could afford it.

I got the chocolate cake as well, and then I decided to walk to Kanazawa Castle. The good thing about it being Golden Week is that some cities had light shows after sunset, and this was one of those cities. They lit up the castle grounds, as well as the garden, which was a cool way to see the sites (and it was free!). I enjoyed my time walking through the castle grounds but once I got to the gardens, I realised that they were already closed. So I walked back to my hostel, which seemed to take a lot longer than Google Maps’ estimation of 30 minutes.

The next day, I got up early to see if I could do my laundry at the hostel (I figured it would be more expensive in Kyoto). It finished right at check-out time, so I packed everything up and left my bag at the hostel. I decided to explore the Kenroku-en Gardens since after reading the reviews, many said that if I had to visit ONE Japanese garden, it should be this one. I caught the bus there, and stood in an extremely long line to buy a ticket. Then I spent about an hour and a half walking around the garden. To be honest, I didn’t think it was THAT impressive (keep in mind this is coming from someone who’s not a flower/garden person) but I DID share my opinion with another traveller and they said the same thing. It was really just a bunch of trees – not really any flowers, and (oddly enough) VERY few birds.

I walked back to the Geisha district since the buses were extremely packed, and I decided to tour a traditional geisha house. I had to pay the fee, take off my shoes, and store all of my stuff in a locker. Then I got to walk around the house and see all of the rooms. If I paid extra, I could get matcha tea with a treat, so I decided to give it a try. The matcha was a bit too bitter for my taste, but the treat was really good and I don’t even know what it was! After the tour, my goal was to go to a pancake place that I had seen the day before (Cafe Tamon) because it was entirely gluten-free. I was struggling to choose between a savoury pancake (Eggs Benedict), or a sweet one. But knowing how I handle sweet things, I decided to go for the Eggs Benedict. So.. not trying to be overly dramatic but this was probably the best pancake I’ve ever eaten in my entire life! No joke, it felt like I was eating a cloud. I’ve never had a pancake that fluffy before! Absolutely amazing – 10/10, even though again, it was pricey (but totally worth it). I caught a bus back to my hostel, but the traffic was so bad, it took forever to get back. Then I grabbed my stuff, waited for another bus, and went to the train station. Again, traffic was horrible so I had just missed the train. Luckily, there was another one within 30 minutes to Kyoto. But I’ll save that for the next post. Love always

Nagano (May 1-3): Soba, Mountains, & Snow Monkeys

The next place I was heading was called Nagano. I left my hostel in Tokyo and I went to the train station to finally get my JR pass. I tried to do this the day before, but I had left my passport at the locker in the hostel, and they needed it for verification. I finally got my JR pass, which would allow me to take most trains across Japan for two weeks. However, the pass was a bit wider than a credit card (so it couldn’t fit in my wallet), but still shorter than a credit card. And it was the exact same size as all of the other train tickets, so it was very easy to lose (and I’ve heard of this happening before). I got on the bullet train to Nagano and once I got there, I bought a 2-day Snow Monkey pass. This pass would allow me unlimited train and bus rides in the area, as well as free admission to the Snow Monkey park. I used that pass to take the train to Suzaka, which is where my hostel was (Guest House KURA). I got there at 3pm and was told that check-in wasn’t until 4pm (this seemed to be the case everywhere in Japan – late 4pm check-ins, and early 10am check-outs), but luckily they let me go to my room early. The guesthouse was a traditional Japanese house, and I had to set up my futon, which was a cool experience! I had booked a girls dorm, but since I was the only girl there, I got a room to myself. I decided to explore the neighbouring town of Obuse, which is famous for harvesting chestnuts. However, when I got there, it started to rain and most things were closed or were closing soon. I found a cafe called Cafe Saku G, which served chestnut parfaits, and it was so good! I didn’t think I liked chestnuts, but this was so tasty. After my dessert, I decided to head into Nagano. My gluten-free app only had one option in the entire area, so I decided to go to that. It was a place right next to the station called 信州十割そばてん, and they even had a sign on the window that said gluten-free. They had an ordering system outside, but it was all in Japanese so I just walked in. The chef had great English and said that they didn’t have an English menu, so I asked about gluten-free. He said that I could have the soba noodles cold, since the broth had gluten. Soba noodles are made with buckwheat, but some places still mix it with flour, so it’s difficult to find 100% buckwheat noodles. However, this place did them and they also did gluten-free tempura! I used my Google Translate app to look at my options, and decided to go for the cold soba noodles with lotus root tempura and chicken tempura. The chicken tempura was so good! I had never had cold noodles before, so that was interesting, but they were still good as well. I walked around the city for a bit, but it was so cold! I was in the mountains, and it felt like I was back in Canada – I couldn’t stop shivering! I got on the train and headed back to the hostel, where there was a guy from Israel and a guy from the UK, and they were hanging out with the three Japanese hostel workers. The hostel workers tried to figure out how to write everyone’s name in Japanese symbols. Mine translated into “attractive, calm flowing water,” but is still pronounced Janelle. We stayed up chatting until late, and then went to bed.

The next morning, I woke up and went to the convenience store to get coffee and breakfast. The guy from the UK (Ash) was also planning to go to the monkey park, so we decided to go together. We caught the train, which took us to the end of the line, and then we had to get onto a bus. After that, we still had to walk about 20 minutes just to get into the park. But we immediately saw monkeys! They were so chill, and fun to watch. I had developed a fear of monkeys after my time in Thailand and Malaysia, since the monkeys there were so vicious. However, these ones were so nice and didn’t even acknowledge humans. During the winter, there’s snow in the area so the snow monkeys usually hang out in the hot springs. We waited and waited for them to go into the water, but none of them did – they’d only dip their heads in for a drink. We must have stayed for a couple hours just to watch them. There was another hot spring (called an onsen in Japan) closeby, where both humans and monkeys could go, but I decided to pass.

We walked back to the station, which would take about an hour at a regular pace. But we were taking our time, so it took a lot longer. My gluten free app pointed us to a restaurant called Soba Yariya, but as we walked through the area, everything seemed closed because of the holiday. There was one place with a curtain and we saw that it was a restaurant, so we just decided to go inside. It was after 2 by that point, and we were just happy to find an open restaurant. It was covered with the most random figurines and artwork, and then I saw a sign that said Soba Yariya – we were in the right place! Another soba place, which the area is known for. I said that I was allergic to wheat, so she told me to get soba and I got it in a broth. When it came, I saw that the broth was a brown colour and I was skeptical – surely it must have soy sauce in it. But I just ate it anyway, and I felt itchy shortly afterwards! I should have probably just ordered cold noodles again, but we were already cold enough outside, so I was just happy to have some warm soup. We continued on our walk and came upon this little shop that sold onsen pudding. It was made with local eggs which are heated in the hot spring water, and it was basically like a custard. There was no one in the shop – it was just an honesty shop where you’d leave money. And there was one vending machine with a variety of puddings, so we both decided to try the original. It was actually so good! We continued to the station and then decided to stop back in Obuse on the way. Again, it was nearly 5pm so everything was closed or nearly closed, but at least it was nicer weather compared to the day before! We went back to the same cafe that I was at, and we each got another chestnut parfait – totally worth it! We went back to the hostel to relax for a bit, and we met another Canadian (Daniel) and a Polish guy (Adam). The four of us went out for dinner to an Izakaya restaurant 枠屋 (Izakaya is kind of like a Japanese tapas bar), and I ordered a variety of things. I knew it would be impossible to avoid gluten here and since I had already reacted from lunch, I decided to just go all in. I ordered a soft tofu dish, some gyoza, and some of the best (and cheapest) salmon sushimi I think I’ve ever had. It was kind of ironic that I had brought my own gluten-free soy sauce to dip my gluten-filled gyoza into. We went back to the hostel late, hung out for a bit, and then went to bed.

The next morning, the four of us all caught the same train into Nagano. I grabbed some coffee and breakfast to eat before leaving, and then we all headed to the train station. When we got there, we were all heading in different directions, so we said our goodbyes and separated. I was going to Kanazawa next, which I’ll save for the next post. Love always

Tokyo: Part 1 (Apr 29-May 1): Ramen, Walking, and A Whole Lotta People

The flight from Manila to Tokyo was meant to leave at 2:10pm but by 3:10, we still hadn’t gotten in the air. Finally, we did shortly after! The flying time was only four hours, but it seemed like way longer. Probably due to the two annoying kids behind me, who kept kicking the seat and continuously opening and slamming the tray table. We arrived about 20 minutes late (8:20pm) and then I had to wait in the long line for Immigration. This time, I was prepared and filled out all of the paperwork beforehand, so I just had to show them my QR code to go through. Then, I had to do the same thing when I went through customs. I was finally able to exit, and I went to figure out where I could get my Japan Rail Pass. I had read that you have to buy your Rail Pass before entering Japan, so I had ordered it the weekend before I left Melbourne. What I didn’t realize was that they actually MAIL you the voucher. A voucher that was worth $550AUD. When I ordered it, I was told that it would take exactly five business days to arrive, which was the exact amount of time that I had left in Melbourne. Fingers crossed! However, on Tuesday, I got an email that it had been sent and it would arrive in five business days from THEN. I didn’t have five business days! If worse came to worst, my flatmate would have to express post the voucher to me in Perth. Luckily on Friday afternoon (the day before I left Melbourne), the voucher arrived! And then, I had to carry that $550 voucher with me throughout Western Australia and the Philippines. I couldn’t wait until I could exchange it because I was scared that I would lose it. When I got to the JR Pass office, there was a sign saying that they were no longer taking anymore customers and that the voucher could be exchanged at another train station. This meant that I’d have to pay for my trip into Tokyo (rather than have it covered by the pass). I was in such a hurry because my hostel reception was supposed to close at 10pm and I already knew that I’d be late (I didn’t realize that it would take me nearly two hours to get there from the airport). I went to a ticket office to buy my ticket and then I waited for the train. It wasn’t until the train finally arrived that I realized that there was a seat number on my ticket. Luckily by random chance, I happened to be standing in front of the right door. I did feel quite lost in Japan. Normally, I can figure things out quite quickly, but since Japan is so large, busy, and advanced, I felt like I was constantly trying to figure things out. This could also be due to the fact that I decided NOT to get a SIM card at the airport. Therefore, I had to figure out the trip to my hostel while at the airport, take pictures of where I needed to go, and hope for the best. After my first day on public transport, I got used to how things worked and I was able to figure things out a lot more quickly. Once I took the train into Tokyo, I had to take two subways. This was also quite confusing since you had to buy tickets from a machine and select what cost you were going to pay, but I didn’t know which one to choose. Again, after a few times doing this, I was able to figure it out afterwards. I finally got to my hostel right before 11pm and checked in. I dropped all of my stuff off in my room and then went to find some dinner since I hadn’t eaten since lunch. After walking around and realising that everything was closed, I headed into a 7-Eleven and settled on a couple of seaweed wraps (which became my regular train snack), and a salad (which I had a bad gluten reaction to – must have been the dressing).

On Sunday morning, I slept in until my alarm… At 9am. Which was weird for me since I had been waking up naturally early during my entire time in Western Australia and in the Philippines. The time difference was only one hour ahead but during my whole time in Japan, I found it almost impossible to get up early. I had some coffee at the hostel and figured out what I should do that day. It would be my only day in Tokyo (for now) since I’d be coming back at the end of my trip. I decided to focus on the districts in the west, and I booked a free walking tour for that evening at 7pm. I took the subway to the Shibuya district, and went straight to a gluten free ramen place, called Shin-bu-saki-ya Seared-Miso Ramen Shibuya branch and walked in. “Hi, for one?” The server just spoke to me in Japanese – I was so confused. This is one thing that I quickly learned in Japan – they don’t cater to tourists. In the Philippines, where I was constantly acknowledged and asked if I wanted a coconut or a tuktuk ride, Japan was the complete opposite. I was hardly ever acknowledged unless I walked into a store or restaurant (and the cool thing is EVERYONE acknowledges you – all servers and all chefs), and I was usually still spoken to in Japanese, even though I had no idea what they were saying. A lot of the restaurants didn’t have English menus, so I had to rely on using Google Translate or looking at pictures. The server asked, “Ticket?” And I was even more confused. She told me, “Outside,” so I went. There was an electronic menu outside, where you had to order on the screen and pay. Then, you brought your ticket inside to give to the server. Whoa.. I never would have figured that out on my own! I finally got to have my first gluten-free ramen in three years, and it was great! After I finished my meal, I decided that I’d need to get a SIM card. With all of the transportation that I’d be taking AND having to eat gluten-free, I realized that it would be a lot easier to have internet access at all times. I went to BIC Mobile and had done my research beforehand, so I showed a picture to one of the workers, and he led me to the SIM card that I was looking for. It was a 10 day card with 5GB of data, which would last me for my whole trip. I decided to check out some of the touristy places, starting with Shibuya crossing. It’s a famous crosswalk because it goes in about five different directions, and hundreds of people go across it at once. I went to the Starbucks on the corner and waited in the long line to get a coffee. The Starbucks is on the second floor, and is a prime location to watch the crossing. Unfortunately, tons of other people had the same idea as me. However, I was able to snatch a seat quite quickly, where I watched the crossing and figured out how to activate my SIM card.

After this, I walked to the Harajuku district, where I walked down the famous Takeshita Street. It was FULL of people! What I didn’t realise when I planned my trip was that I planned it during the entire Golden Week holiday, which meant that all of Japan was touring their own country. Everywhere was busier than usual, and apparently accommodation was hard to find (good thing I booked early!). After walking through the street, I went to the nearby Meiji Jingu temple. This was a nice getaway from the hustle and bustle, and it was great to walk through a nice, quiet forest.

I decided to keep walking to the Shinjuku district, which took quite awhile. By the time I got there, I realised that I should probably get dinner before my walking tour so I went to a place called Teppan Baby. They asked if I had a reservation and I said no, but they said they could seat me as long as I was out by 7:15. Perfect! It was so cool to be able to sit in front of the grill and watch the chefs. By the time I got my food, I only had about 20 minutes to eat it – and it was huge! But it was so good! I got through about 7/8 of it, but I was fully stuffed!

Then I headed to my walking tour. The walking tour went through the area of Shinjuku and focused on the nightlife in Tokyo. We got shown Godzilla Road, and ended at Golden Gai, which used to be an exclusive area that you’d need a membership in order to go into certain bars. However, tourism somewhat forced most places to open their doors to everyone, but at a lot of places, you still have to pay a cover charge to enter. During the walk, I met a girl from Melbourne named Patricia, so her and I went for drinks afterwards (and she had dinner, but I was still stuffed from my meal). By the time we finished, it was 11pm so I headed back to my hostel to go to bed. The next morning, I got up to have coffee, and then packed up my stuff to head to my next destination. Love always

El Nido & Manila (Apr 25-29): Kayaking, Great Views, & A Sick Birthday Party

Once I got to the Coron airport, the airline asked if I would be willing to give up my seat and stay an extra day. I HAD to play the birthday card. “Nope, this trip is for my birthday so I NEED to get on this flight.” (For those of you who know what’s coming, maybe this was my karma). The airline had already rescheduled the flight for two hours later, so I wasn’t going to delay it any longer. PLUS this trip had been planned for my birthday three years earlier! Yes, remember when it was going to be my 30th birthday and I had booked flights to the Philippines for April 2020?? This had been a long time coming! So I checked in and they weighed my bag, but luckily offered free checked luggage for anything over 7kg. I went through security and waited for boarding. While waiting, the flight attendants then started going up to everyone individually, and once again asked if anyone would be willing to give up their seat. It seemed like they finally found someone but when it was finally time to board, we still didn’t have a plane. And when it was finally time to leave, we STILL didn’t have a plane! I went to ask what was going on and the flight attendant said that they were just told that everyone was currently boarding in El Nido, so the plane hadn’t even left the other airport yet! Luckily the flying time is only 25 minutes, so we were able to start boarding about 40 minutes after our scheduled time. We started preparing for landing pretty much as soon as we got up in the air – they didn’t even turn the seatbelt sign off! Once I landed, I had to wait for my bag, and the bags were literally carried through the door one by one – it was pretty comical! I got a tuktuk to my accommodation, which was Rosanna’s Pension. I decided to treat myself for my birthday, and I got a beach-front room with a balcony overlooking the water. And I arrived just in time to see the last of the sunset! I went downstairs to book a tour for the following day (Tour A), and then I went for dinner. I went to a place called Maa’s Grill, and I got the Coconut Adobo Chicken with rice. I knew that this wouldn’t be gluten-free since adobo typically has soy sauce, but I decided that I needed to try it. It was good, but again I couldn’t finish it! I headed back to my room to enjoy the air conditioning, and chilled before bed.

The next day, I got up and headed to the cafe that was attached to my hotel. I got sweet meat with eggs and rice, along with a coffee. I then waited to get picked up for my tour at 8:30. There were a few other people from my hotel who were going on the same tour (a group of 5, who were Filipino or from Toronto, or a combination of the two). They were all really friendly, and were so excited when they found out that it would be my birthday the following day. We were all planning to do Tour C the next day so we could celebrate. We started off by going to Secret Lagoon. This involved swimming under the water and through holes in caves in order to check out the other side. I was a bit uneasy about it at first (and I probably wouldn’t have done it if there was a strong current), but the guides were really good at keeping us safe. The guides with this tour were the best that I’ve had so far – they were a lot of fun, and made the tour really enjoyable! Next, we went to an extremely small beach to have lunch. There was already a tour group there, and there were only a few logs to sit on, but the food was really nice!

After lunch, we headed to Big Lagoon, which is where the kayaking portion would take place. We could rent a kayak for 300 pesos, and go through the lagoon. I went with Janine, one of the Filipino girls at my hotel, and we also went with Mark, one of the tour guides. Again, the views were spectacular! There’s something about limestone cliffs against bright blue water that is truly breathtaking. And kayaking through the caves was really cool to see as well! There was a shallow sand bar in the middle of the lagoon so when we got there, we all got out of our kayaks and swam for a bit before heading back to the boat. Unfortunately, once we left the lagoon and hit open water, the waves were super choppy and I started feeling nauseous once I got back to the boat. I don’t think I was the only one because I saw one of the couples instantly start mixing up electrolytes. For the rest of the tour, I felt really off.

We stopped at the Seven Commando Beach and all I wanted to do was stay out of the sun so I found some shade, got a coke to help my stomach, and lied down. The Filipino group came and asked if I wanted to join them swimming so I did, and we hung out in the water until it was time to go.

We got back to El Nido at about 5:30 and I walked back to my hotel, feeling worse and worse as I got closer. I felt so nauseous and felt like I needed to throw up, but my stubborn self (who HATES throwing up) wouldn’t let it happen. In hindsight, I probably should have just done it because maybe I wouldn’t have struggled for so long. I felt so out of it – I was so exhausted and I felt like my mind wasn’t working. I showered just to get all of the sand off of me, and then crawled into bed. I pondered whether I should get something to eat but every time I thought about sweet meat, I felt even more nauseous (needless to say, I didn’t have anymore sweet meat for the duration of my trip!). I also pondered whether I should go downstairs and book Tour C for the following day, but once I was in bed, I didn’t want to get back up again. I checked my email and found out that my flight leaving El Nido would be delayed by two hours, which meant that I would miss my connecting flight to Manila. It was the last thing I wanted to deal with and the flight office closed at 5pm, so I’d have to wait until the next day to sort it out anyway. By 6:30pm, I had already turned off the light. I got up at 10:30pm and still felt nauseous. I hadn’t eaten dinner and wasn’t particularly hungry, but I remembered that I had a full package of rice crackers with me (that I had bought in Australia and had been carrying around for two weeks. I was getting to the point where I was about to throw them out cause I wasn’t sure if I’d ever eat them). I forced myself to eat the entire package and then I went back to bed.

I woke up at about 6:30am – it was my birthday! Still didn’t feel great.. I sat on my phone for a bit and then fell asleep again for another two hours. When I finally woke up, I just had to continue lying in bed. I tried going out to the balcony but as soon as I felt the heat, I felt more nauseous. I was running out of water and I knew I’d have to leave the hotel to go buy some more, but it took about two hours for me to finally convince myself to get up and go. I also called the airline, and they were nice enough to offer me a direct flight from El Nido to Manila, so I wouldn’t even have to transfer! I hadn’t eaten a proper meal in 24 hours (unless you count those rice crackers) and I knew I should eat something. Literally every food I thought of just made me feel sick. I figured I should just stick to a smoothie. I went to a place called Taste and got a smoothie bowl. It was good, but it took me so long to eat! I’d take a couple bites and then sit and digest for a couple minutes.

As soon as I left the restaurant and felt the heat, I instantly felt nauseous. I saw a pharmacy and went in to buy some electrolytes and then I stocked up on water. The walk to my hotel was only about 5 minutes but the more I walked, the more nauseous I felt. TMI Warning: To the point where as soon as I got to my room, I was instantly sick. So I spent the rest of the afternoon lying in bed, enjoyed reading some birthday messages, and reflected on how ironic it was that this birthday had been planned for three years and it STILL didn’t happen. Oh well, life goes on. At around 4:30, I finally started feeling hungry for the first time since the day before, which seemed to be a good sign! All I wanted was hangover food (even though I wasn’t hungover), like pizza or fries, but again, gluten-free pizza seemed to be non-existant. I went to a place called Vibes and ordered a grilled chicken kebab with fries. I ate those fries so fast, you’d think I hadn’t eaten in days (which I guess was kind of the case). The food was really good! I still didn’t feel GREAT after, but I felt better than before. The couple that I met on my tour in Coron were also in El Nido and asked if I wanted to to meet up for my birthday, but I knew I’d have to decline. I passed out early again (about 9) and woke up the next morning at 5:30.

Instantly, I already noticed a difference in just my mind! I felt so much more alert and felt way less sick. However, I was going to hold off eating for as long as I could because I was scared what would happen. I sat on the balcony until I had to go to the airport and then left the hotel at 8am. Surprisingly, they didn’t book me a shuttle or anything, but when I stepped outside, I was able to wave down a tuktuk to take me to the airport. I checked in my luggage for free again, got a coffee, and then waited to board. This flight was an hour and a half, so I got to the Manila airport at 11:30am. I requested a Grab to take me to my hostel and the driver told me about his wife, told me how beautiful I was, asked how old I was, and said he could be my personal driver around the Philippines. Quite interesting! I stayed at the same hostel that I did the last time I was in Manila (Abraham Manila), and they let me check in early! I was starving, so I searched the nearest Wendy’s, which was less than 200 metres away. I was finally able to eat my hangover food! I ate the fries so fast again, and the burger was great! The Frosty was (you can probably guess what I’m going to say) way too sweet, which may have brought my nausea back (along with me deciding to take a motorcycle ride into the city). The only thing I wanted to do that day was get drumsticks from Hard Rock Cafe, which I get from every place I travel. It was a long trip, but I finally made it there! I asked where they were (even though I already knew they’d be at the front desk), but this time, they were kept in a glass case. She handed them to me and I saw 4 numbers, but only noticed the first two: 2500. “Wait… is this the price?” I wasn’t able to do the conversion quick enough in my head but I knew it was expensive because I was only expecting to pay around 1000. “They’re very expensive!” “Yes, ma’am.” I said I might come back later, and I went to check the conversion on my phone. $70AUD! What??!!!!! Normally, they’re 25-30. How could they be more than DOUBLE here?! I decided that I’d have to skip getting drumsticks in the Philippines (and maybe everywhere if this is the new normal!). I went to Tim Horton’s to get an iced capp – again, too sweet and probably didn’t help my stomach. Then, I walked around the Mall of Asia so I could take advantage of the air-conditioning in the 42-degree weather. I tried to decide what I should do for dinner. I was craving a Greek salad, but those seemed hard to come by. I also felt like I could handle Mexican food, but most places seemed to only have wheat tortillas. The only other thing I felt like my stomach could handle was pho. Which is odd when it was so hot out, but I just needed something light and easy. I went to a place called Pho Hoa and got some chicken pho (nothing like chicken noodle soup when you’re sick!). The pho was really good, but I did start to feel nauseous again, which lasted until I went to bed. I got a message from one of the girls I met at the hostel asking if I wanted to join the rest of the room for drinks but again, I had to pass. I called a Grab to take me back to the hostel, showered and got ready for bed.

On Saturday morning, I woke up when (I think) one of the other girls came back at 6am. So I decided to get up, have some breakfast, and relax before I’d have to pack everything up. Again, couldn’t finish the breakfast – my stomach was still very picky with what it wanted to eat, and eggs wasn’t one of them. I went back to my room at about 10 to quietly pack since everyone was still sleeping, and then checked out. I requested a Grab, but it said that no drivers were available, which has never happened before. I kept requesting over and over for about 20 minutes until a driver FINALLY accepted. The traffic was so busy, so I didn’t get to the airport until just after 12pm. I had to check in so this time, I made sure that I packed my pockets so that I wouldn’t be charged for overweight fees. And they didn’t check the weight! So it seems like it’s only when I stuff my pockets that they decide not to check. And believe me, I was NOT comfortable wearing my warm clothes in such hot weather!! I got through immigration and security, and was really hungry! I found a place that served a quarter of roast chicken with some really good butter-chive roast potatoes, and I stuffed my face. My body seemed to be one extreme or the other – I’m starving and I’ll eat everything NOW, or I can’t eat that and I’m going to reject it. So hopefully it goes back to normal soon! I found a place to sit until I boarded my flight to Japan, which will be in the next post. Love always

Coron (Apr 22-25): Beaches, Snorkelling, and Boat Tours

I got up nice and early in Loboc since I had a tuktuk ride scheduled for 6:30am. The drive to Tagbilaran City was about an hour, but as we were driving, I saw something out of my peripheral vision that was on my seat. I looked down and realised it was a huge spider (that almost looked like a twig)! Trying not to freak out too much, I casually stood up in the moving tricycle. The driver was confused and pulled over, but the spider had crawled back into my seat. The driver grabbed a stick and squished the spider before proceeding, which I was kind of grateful for or I would have been staring at the hole in the seat for the duration of the trip. I got to the ferry at about 7:30, but it wasn’t scheduled to leave until 8:20am, so it gave me plenty of time to check in and get a coffee. This time, I got to sit in the air-conditioned part of the ferry, which was quite nice! We got to Cebu at 10:20 and then I requested a Grab to take me to the airport. Traffic was quite bad and when I asked the driver if it was normal, he said, “Nope, just today.” Lucky me! I got to the airport and avoided the check-in counter so that they wouldn’t weigh my bag. There was no way I’d be wearing my heavy clothes in 30+ degree weather! However, I was in for a surprise because when I was about to go through security, there were some flight attendants who ushered me to the scale. Shoot, well what do I do now? I can’t exactly say, “Be right back” and change all of my clothes. I walked up to the scale and hoped for the best. 8.3kg. Dang. “Okay, you’re good!” the flight attendant said. “Really? Okay!” I definitely lucked out! Once I got through security, I looked around the airport searching for food but again, I didn’t see any stand-out options that were gluten-free, other than a sad garden salad. But suddenly, I heard an announcement for final boarding for my flight! I quickly rushed to the gate and had to get on a bus that transferred us to the plane. We left a half hour early and arrived to Coron a half hour early as well (after a short 1hr40min flight) – so far, I was really impressed with Filipino airlines! When I got to Coron and exited the airport, there was a desk with people asking you to pay 200 pesos as an environmental fee. I guess you couldn’t leave the airport if you didn’t pay! After that, there was another crowd of people offering shuttle rides. Luckily, this time it seemed a lot more organised, as certain shuttles went to certain accommodations. I found the right shuttle and we waited until everyone else had left the airport. Only one other person went in the same shuttle as me, but she was going to a different hostel. I had originally booked a different hostel, but after spending three nights in accommodation by myself (and seeing that my new accommodation would also be quiet, AND not have air-conditioning), I made a last-minute decision to change hostels to somewhere that had air-conditioning and seemed like it would have more people. However, I was sorely mistaken. There were a few people, but the hostel owner said that this should be their high season. Normally people couldn’t even extend their stays because they’d be fully booked every night, but now, they didn’t have any new bookings until May. When I finally got settled, I was starving and needed to get a (late) lunch since it was nearly 3pm. I found a place but was a bit shocked by the prices, as everything seemed more expensive than everywhere else I’ve been. However, I was too hungry to keep looking, so I ordered Pork Belly with rice, which was really good, but also really sweet. I’ve noticed that this has been one of my main issues with Filipino food. This is not something new to me – I tend to always avoid sweet-flavoured meats, as I 100% prefer when it’s savoury. I don’t like barbecue sauce on my burger (or on anything), I don’t like teriyaki sauce, or honey garlic, or sweet chili (on meat). And a definite no to maple-flavoured bacon. Save the sweetness for dessert, please! So when PRETTY much all of the meats are sweetly flavoured in the Philippines, I realised I’d either have to grin and bear it, or try to find something else. I found it very difficult to finish most of my meals though, as my stomach couldn’t handle it. Anyway, after I finished eating (and researching tours to take), I went back to my hostel to book a tour for the following day: The Ultimate Tour. I’d be picked up between 8 and 8:30 the next morning, so it would be another early morning. I got everything organised, and then chatted with one of my dormmates for a bit. One of the reasons I chose this hostel was because apparently, they serve free rum and pineapple juice every night as a way to get everyone to meet each other. When I went up at 7, the lights were out and nobody was there, so I headed back down. Most people started going out for dinner by that point and finally right before 8, the hostel owner said he’d be starting drinks. I went upstairs and it was only me and another guy with the hostel owner. I just stayed for one drink and they told me about a restaurant that I’d have to try for dinner, so I headed there. I still wasn’t completely hungry since I had eaten such a late lunch, but I knew if I didn’t eat anything, I’d be hungry by the time I went to bed. I ordered chicken curry, which was good, but again I couldn’t finish it. I headed back to the hostel, got ready for bed, and chilled out before going to sleep.

The next morning, I got up at 6:30, got ready for my tour, and went to find somewhere that would be open for breakfast at 7am on a Sunday (which was quite difficult). Luckily, I found a place called Follow Your Taste, which I also ended up going to the following two mornings. I just got an easy bacon and eggs with a latte, and then I headed back to the hostel to wait for my tour. The tricycle came, and there were already four people in it (plus the driver). I squished in and they drove us to our boat. I sat next to a girl from Quebec and she was with a guy from Switzerland. Apparently they had randomly met during a hike a year ago while travelling and just decided to meet up again in the Philippines, which I thought was so cool! We also sat with a guy from Perth who has been living in Singapore, so the four of us hung out throughout the day. Our first stop was Kayangan Lake. They dropped us off on the shore and to get there, we had to go up about 180 stairs and then back down another 180 stairs. Between the two sets of stairs, there was a viewpoint but the lineup was so long so we decided to check it out on the way back. Honestly, I didn’t love the lake but it was probably due to the overwhelming amount of people in it. Our tour guide hadn’t given us any times, so we had no idea when we were supposed to be back. After what we thought was a sufficient amount of time, we headed back towards the boat. This time, the lineup to the viewpoint was longer but we decided to wait. It took so long and once I got closer to the front, I realised that it was because every person was doing about ten poses in front of the viewpoint. I wasn’t sure if the entire boat was waiting for us so I just decided to take a picture from where I was and head back to the boat. However, when we finally got to the boat, I saw that we were the first people to arrive – I guess we could have continued waiting!

Our next stop was the Twin Lagoons, which were absolutely gorgeous and way less crowded! The lagoons were surrounded by limestone rock and the colour of the water was unreal. Oftentimes, we felt like we were the only people in the lagoon! After this, we were wondering how we were going to fit more things in the day since it was already 1 and we had only went to two places!

We headed to Smith Beach, where we were served lunch. We had some fish, some clams, and got to try some of the local seaweed, which was different but I actually really enjoyed it! The seaweed had balls of liquid that would pop in your mouth, like roe. After lunch, we were able to enjoy the beach for a bit and then we continued on our tour. By this point, most of us were already pretty exhausted! We stopped at a place to do some snorkelling, and then our last stop was CYC beach, where we could also do some snorkelling, as well as sit on the beach. By the time we got back to Coron, the sun was already starting to set! I got a ride back to my hostel, showered, and waited for my laundry to come (the hostel had been doing it that day). By the time I finally got it, it was about 8 so I headed back to the same restaurant as the night before. This time, I got butter garlic shrimp, which I figured would just be butter and garlic (savoury) but I was wrong haha it came with a very sweet sauce. Towards the end of my dinner, the power went out! (Which apparently is quite normal on the island). I headed back to my hostel to see that the power was out there as well, but luckily it turned back on about 15 minutes later. Earlier, a friend had told me to go to the Black Island so I asked if I could do a tour there. Unfortunately, none of the tour groups were going there because there wasn’t enough interest and they’d need a minimum amount of people. Instead, I decided to do “Beach Escapade C2.” That night, the hostel ran out of water, which isn’t great when you have 8 people sharing a bathroom. Luckily, the place across the street let people shower, and then they filled up buckets of water to use for the sink and toilet. Quite an interesting experience – I felt like I was camping again.

On Monday morning, I woke up at 6:30 and did the same thing as the day before. When I got dropped off at the port, the tour guide said that my boat was the last one along a long chain of six boats that were connected from front to back. This was probably the most stressful part of the day, as I was so scared that when hopping from one boat to the next, I’d slip and fall into the water with my phone and camera. I was so relieved when I got to the boat, and I was the first one to arrive! This time, I sat beside two solo travellers! We were all able to relate (and somewhat vent) about how most travellers in the Philippines were couples, and how difficult it’s been to find other solo travellers. I remember it being like that when I was in Thailand as well, and I remember being so relieved when I got to Vietnam and it was pretty much all solo travellers. So I hung out with Katie (from the US) and Adi (from the Philippines) the entire day! On this tour, we only had three stops but the first one took between 1.5-2 hours to get to. My butt couldn’t handle sitting on a wooden board for so long – I was seriously struggling! Our first stop was Ditaytayan Sand Bar, which was absolutely stunning! You could walk along the sand bar and have water on either side of you. Apparently it was high tide, so I’d be interested to know what it would look like during low tide. We spent a lot of our time doing some snorkelling, and then headed back to the boat after our 45 minutes were over.

We then headed to Coco Beach, which is where we’d be served lunch. While waiting, we snagged one of the elevated huts to do a quick photoshoot. This lunch tasted even better than the one I had the day before! After lunch, we got some coconuts and then enjoyed some time on the beach before we had to go back to the boat.

Our last stop was Malcapuya Island. The boat had to stop on the other side of the peninsula (since boats weren’t allowed on the beach), and then we walked up and down a hill to get to the beach. We were told that if we paid 100 pesos each, a boat would take us to look at giant clams and since none of us had seen them before, we signed up! It was a cool experience because the boat had a rope along the side, so we just held onto the rope and snorkelled while the boat pulled us along. It was much faster than kicking! The clams were huge – I’d say they were bigger than a basketball. After we finished, our time on the beach was almost done so I enjoyed the last few minutes in the water.

Then, we started the long journey back to Coron. After about an hour, we saw another tour boat in the distance that was stopped. They had been wrecked, so all of their tour members got onto our boat while the drivers stayed behind with their boat (we were still about an hour from Coron, and the sun was setting!). We finally got to shore and got into our shuttle, which dropped us off at the restaurant that we planned to go to. It was an Italian restaurant and while the pizza smelled AMAZING, gluten-free dough and gluten-free pasta doesn’t seem to exist in the Philippines. My only option seemed to be a shrimp salad, but it was actually much better and way more filling than I expected! After dinner, we said our goodbyes and then I headed back to my hostel to shower and get ready for bed.

On Tuesday morning, I did the exact same thing as the previous two days. This time, I stayed at the cafe longer to work on my blog for a couple hours. I had also gotten an email the night before that my flight from Sri Lanka to the Maldives had been cancelled, so I needed to sort that out. The flight was 1hr40, but my options were to go the same day but take a 13-hour trip (with a long layover somewhere), or leave a day earlier. I opted for the earlier day, but had to shuffle some things around since I’d be getting one less day in Sri Lanka. I headed back to the hostel to book a shuttle to the airport for 1:30 and then went to grab a quick lunch. I got back to the hostel right at 1:30 and the driver had already been waiting for me – oops! So I grabbed my things and we drove 30 minutes to the airport, so that I could fly to El Nido. But that will be for another post! Love always