Mt. Fuji and the long trip to Osaka - Part III

8th, April 2013 - Day 4
Our bus are scheduled to depart from Shinjuku station to Kawaguchiko station (Mt Fuji) at 1000hours. We took a bit later bus instead early in the morning to avoid morning rush on the Tokyo subway. Seats are numbered and it took us about 1hour 45minutes to reach Kawaguchiko. Reaching Kawaguchiko, you can simply get all the information at the tourist centre located at the station itself. Purchased the Retro bus pass (JPY1000 for two day use) and we are ready to go. The view was simply amazing, even from the bus. We stopped at stop no.14 (refer to the link below for the route map) to view the majestic Mt Fuji & Lake Kawaguchiko.

The weather today was simply awesome! Clear blues sky, although it was very windy and chill. Lucky us, because cherry sakura are still in full blossom here. As we ended up by the little park by the lake, we had our lunch! Mt Tenjosan cable car was closed on that day due to the very strong wind. Time do envy us, as we couldn't make any other stop because our return bus towards Tokyo is at 3pm the same day.

We rushed back to our hostel to freshen up as we got a bus to catch later that night. We bought in advance the bus ticket towards Osaka for JPY5900 one way. Its time to leave Khaosan Tokyo Smile. It has been a pleasure staying there (we stayed in the 4 bed tatami room, shared bathroom). At first we were kind of lost on where should we go for the bus pickup (the map says the bus will pick us up by roadside nearby tokyo station, not in any bus station). The hostel staff did help us to get our direction straight and they even print out the map of the area. 

With only map in hand, we walked out Nihonbashi station (Ginza line) and try our luck. Willer express staff were wearing pink vest, handed out our small little bus ticket. It is an overnight bus from Tokyo (depart 10pm) to Osaka (arrive 7.30am). 
Willer Express bus pickup (google map 35.6781, 139.7740)

Expenses in Tokyo (5D 4N)
4N Khaosan Tokyo Smile 4-bed private shared bathroom - JPY36800 (for 4 pax)
Haneda airport to Asakusa - JPY600/person
Taxi from Ueno to Khaosan Tokyo Smile - JPY1600/cab
Tokyo Metro 1 day pass - JPY710/day
1 day meal estimate - JPY1000/day
Return express bus Tokyo to Mt Fuji - JPY3400/person
Fujikyu Retro Bus 2 day pass - JPY1000/person
One way express bus Tokyo to Osaka - JPY5900/person

Part I - goo.gl/KAGj7
Part II - goo.gl/0lBNt

Reference :
Khaosan Tokyo Smile - http://www.khaosan-tokyo.com/en/smile/rates/index.html
Keio Highway bus - http://highway-buses.jp/
Fujikyu Retro Bus - http://transportation.fujikyu.co.jp/english/gettingaround/index.html
Willer Express Bus - http://willerexpress.com

Fishy business and cherry blossom - Part II

April 6th, 2013 - Day 2
Bought a one day pass Tokyo Metro for JPY710. The plan is to hop and of as frequent as possible around Tokyo.

First stop on Day-2 is the famous Tsukiji Fish market. We did not booked a tour (be reminded that we are on a shoe string budget) which start at 3am! Walked around the market and am amazed + a bit jakun looking at those aquatic species from Pacific Ocean. There a lots of sushi restaurant inside the market area itself. Fresh seafood from the sea straight onto your plate. The que is just unbearable at the moment.

After all the fishy business, I searched for nearby 7-11 to buy some onigiri's to go. Found it, buat sadly no place to lepak for a cup of hot coffee & maggi in a cup moment. Ivy pointed out the self-service cafe across the road and so we went in. Few tables and chair occupy the small space shop with plenty of drinking water vending machines. 

From Tsukiji station, took the metro to Otemachi station where the Tokyo Imperial Palace is. The sky was grey and its start to drizzling a bit by the time we reached there. We are in luck as the garden is filled with cherry blossom sakura. Had our lunch (packed onigiri from 7-11) then walked towards the main gate of the Imperial Palace. Sadly, no visitors are allowed inside. We didn't stay long since its started raining heavily.
It is still early to call the day, so we stopped by at Akihabara, the electronic district. Can't walk around much due to the rain. A colleague of Badyah, Yuki (a local girl) is coming to meet us over dinner in Akihabara. Went into one of the fancy restaurant around the block. Order some sushi, sashimi plate and some other menu. It was quite a nice meal despite of having onigiri and maggi. Fine dining do come at a price at a total of JPY30,000! Thank you Yuki for treating us such a wonderful dinner. *No photo of the food as we are busy eating instead of instragramming :D
With full stomach we board the metro to Asakusa station. Just before we split our ways, Yuki did advise us when it start raining in Tokyo and you see the locals walk faster then usual, that means some train service may be disrupted due to the strong wind. It was still raining heavily! On our third night here, we experience strong wind & rain in Tokyo. Thank God no train service was delayed.

7th April, 2013 - Day 3
Ginza station to Shinjuku station to purchase our bus ride return ticket to Mt Fuji for 8th April, 2013. The express bus website (http://highway-buses.jp/). The bus station is located outside Shinjuku station west exit. We waited in the line when the front desk told us to go upstairs for advance purchase ticket. The bus fare is JPY1700 one way (about 1hour 45 minutes) towards Kawaguchiko station. Got our tickets and next stop is Harajuku station!

Here in Harajuku, I've bought yet the best takoyaki ever from The Gindaco [period]! 8 takoyaki balls for JPY550. Explore around harajuku while searching for our favourite shop which is 7-11. There were too many weird people around. And yet, my eyes set on the big Outdoor shop located across from the metro station. Went in and I've spent a few thousand yen in there, with no regrets.

Meiji Jingu Shrine located very near to Meijijingumae station (Harajuku). To reach the beautiful shrine it was actually quite a walk, surrounded by beautiful big trees & fresh air. For more info, visit http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/. We witness the sacred ceremony as few couples getting married, wearing the traditional Japanese wedding clothes. Bride in white, while the groom in black. Amazing garden wedding, surrounded by your love ones.

We walked around Harajuku for another round, but not for long since our happyfeet has turned to swollen feet (note that we walked pretty much everywhere). Shibuya station is the next station after Harajuku (Fukutoshin line). Since our foot has given up on us, we took the metro (to fully utilise the daily metro card)

Tonight we are in the mood for Briyani, the Japanese way. There is a little halal briyani shop in Shibuya (google map location : 35.6591, 139.6969). Ordered lamb briyani cooked with local sticky rice (not basmati rice) and lots of safron, and free drinking water. Just something we need after few days activating vegetarian mode.
Head back to Khaosan Tokyo Smile hostel for a good rest as tomorrow will be going to view the spectacular Mt Fuji!!!

Part I - http://goo.gl/KAGj7
Part III - http://goo.gl/tw1YA

The Land of the Rising Sun - Part I

April 4th, 2013
Its the day me, Bard, Ivy and Wa make our journey into the land of the rising sun. Bought Airasia flight ticket back in Sept 2012 for a price of RM660 (one way KUL to HND), cheapest we manage to scout since it was during cherry blossom season.

It was a pleasant flight, beside for me being the last person on the flight to received my meals. Reached Haneda Airport 30 minutes earlier than ETA. The flight attendant keep reminding us to keep walking towards immigration as it will get busy soon. Right after our vessel landed, the were two other giant flight landed as well, Singapore Airlines and China Airlines. Within minutes, the immigration cue grew long all the way to the toilet (if you've been there u'll know what i mean). By the time all of us pass through the immigration, it was almost midnight! 
With our sense of direction still shocked, we simply bought the express train ticket towards asakusa and hop on the first train that arrived in which later end up somewhere else in Tokyo. Apparently, we board the intercity train service. Manage to talk our way with the train staff and the next station we ended was Ueno. It was almost 1am and we had to took a taxi from Ueno to Khaosan Tokyo Hostel which cost about JPY1,600 per cab.
The adventure drama doesnt end here. Since arriving in Tokyo, I had tried calling the hostel to let them know that we will be definitely late (the hostel has a policy - registration counter closed at 1am). No luck in trying to contact them. We were lock outside in the cold for awhile, when we met a guy whom happen to be the staff there. He is cute mat salleh and yet he speak fluent Japanese *pengsan!*
Finally all of us get into our room, freshen up and sleep well after the long flight and drama.

April 5th, 2013 - Day 1
Our hostel does not provide breakfast, so we decided to look for nearby 7e. The weather that morning was awesome! Bought a few JPY100 onigiri filled with Salmon, tuna and egg from 7e. Onigiri packaging is an art! There are step to follow in order to remove its packaging before you can eat.

First stop is the Sensoji temple, about 10minutes walking from the hostel and 1 minute from the 7e. Along the pathway, there are plenty of souvenir shops selling pretty much everything. The temple has a beautiful garden with river flowing through it. A few of famous person are buried there as well with huge headstone. 

From here we decided to head towards Tokyo Skytree by walking, when only then we discover there is a free panda shuttle with tourist places of interest around Asakusa itself. Phew!! Interesting little minivan, decorated entirely with panda theme. Soon we arrived at Tokyo Skytree. Did not manage to get to the observation deck due to the long que going up, instead we start hunting for lunch. Bought ourselves a little bento and decided to have our little hanami outside under the perfect sun. After filling our tummy with delicious food, we walked back to hostel (about 20minutes walk), rest for awhile before heading out again in the evening. 

Asakusa metro station is located at the end of the Ginza line. It was end to end 30 minutes ride towards Shibuya Metro station. The most famous crossing road, with few hundreds people crossing the road at one given time. Walked around with no specific direction. We sat down by the road and were amazed with Tokyo cultured, working in the day and socialising till late night (or perhaps it was Friday night). Later we head back to our hostel, and it was a long ride back.

Only my mobile phone are able to make calls. All of my friends new smart phone does not have network, due to their hardware difference (new sim cards). We were wifi suckers since the day we arrived here. (Roaming is bloody expensive! Besides their sim card were unrecognised) Hehehe~~~

Day 1 spent
MYR660 : KUL - HND Airasia promo tix
JPY600 : Haneda Airport to Euno train station
JPY1600/cab : Euno train station towards hostel 
JPY230 : one way metro ticket Asakusa - Shibuya
JPY600 : whole day meal
JPY2300 : 1 night accomodation in Khaosan Smile Tokyo

Part II - http://goo.gl/0lBNt/
Part III - http://goo.gl/tw1YA

Im a Dreamer

After a long surface interval

It was an ad-hoc 2D1N dive trip as me and my other 3 awesome companion hit the road on Friday night towards Tg Gemok, Pahang with very little planning. From Sepang we get into LEKAS and exit at Kuala Pilah for delicious char koey teow Chok located centrally in the pekan cowboy Kuala Pilah. It was strangely cold that particular night, even in Kuala Pilah itself. 

Finished our late supper meal and we hit the road again straight to Tg Gemok via Muadzam Shah. Very few car came across our way, which added to the bizarre surrounding. We are force to drive in thick mist, the air is even colder than the car aircond. Thankfully we manage to arrived safely at Tg Gemok about 3.30am without any strange incident.

Saturday
Ferry towards Tioman Island is no early than 11am. We spent the rest of the 'early-morning' hours in the car trying to get as much as sleep as possible. After a long journey, we finally arrived at Genting jetty, Tioman that noon. Beautiful sunny island paradise greet me this time, compared to my previous visit. Had our lunch, check-in to our room and head down to assembly area for my first shore dive of the day. Did a bit of refreshing with my buddy, cum Dive Master. Did one shore dive and one boat dive in Pirate Reef on the same day. Visibility overall was good. Had a delicious BBQ dinner and off to bed~~

Sunday
Woke up early for an early boat dive. Had a quick breakfast, gear up and heads to the next dive site, Labas. The sky was absolutely perfect and the water was simply crystal clear. There were about 10 divers on board. Backroll into the water and jimmy lead the way. Felt like I was in an aquarium! Sadly no photos this time. Recommended to go to Labas site as the visibility on that gorgeous morning was up to 15m!

Back to the resort, had late breakfast and start packing our gears. While having lunch, we realise that Gemilang 1 ferry has arrived at the pier, 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. Board the ferry and the next thing I know we are back on the mainland heading back to Kuala Lumpur, and we had another round of char keoy teow in Kuala Pilah

the awesome char keoy teow

This one entry with very less photos as we are so laid back enjoying every bit of our short break.

Total damage :
Return ferry transfer Tg Gemok - Kg Genting Tioman : RM70
Return ground transport KL - Tg Gemok :RM120/car
1N fullboard Damai Resort + 1 shore dive + 2 boat dive : RM320 *equipment rental is not inclusive

For inquiries pls email azmin@mdetachment.com.
www.mdetachment.com

Try Fun Climb March 2013

Minutes from the heart of bustling Kuala Lumpur, in the state of Selangor is Batu Caves - the centre of rock climbing development in Malaysia for the past 10 years. Not many people realise that Batu Caves offers more than 160 climbing routes.

Try Fun Climb program are organised by MDetachment Resources with objective to introduce public with extreme outdoor sport climbing in a safe and secure environment assists by crew having more than 5 years of outdoor climbing.

Our first pilot program was overwhelmed as we reached the maximum targeted participant quota. Once the participant gathers around, Mr.Syahrul Azmin conducted the safety briefing and explaining them the risk involve in this sport.

Fun climb session

The program start off with fun climb on easy route, allowing all participant to experience the thrill of rock climbing with no special skills. Each participant are given four different routes for them to climb to the top.

Clinic : Knots & belaying technique

Next is the clinic/workshop session. Participant are shown how to tie the basic knots used in sport climbing. They are evaluated and tested, to ensure that the truly understand and focus. As for belaying, the 5-step belaying technique are thought to the participant. With this basic climbing knowledge earn, they can practically top rope climb anywhere.

After an hour of clinic session, we had lunch break inclusive within the program fee. They had another session of fun climb on which they practice their newly learn 5-step belay.

This program roughly run a minimum of six hour. Overall, the participant had a great time enjoying fun climb besides learning new things regard to sport climbing.
Date : Repetitively on every last Sunday of the month
Program fee : RM60
Location : Gua Damai Xtreme Park, Batu Caves (gMap : 3.2447, 101.6873)
Organised by : MDetachment Resources (www.mdetachment.com)

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