1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #219 - Straits Express restaurant, KallangWave

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #219

- Straits Express restaurant, KallangWave

 

(The review article says the best of Penang peranakan food. And so, we decided to check it out. We ordered babi ponteh, brinjal with pork floss, sambal squid and chapchye. Verdict? Pretty good. For convenience, it's nicely tucked away at the National Stadium and sits on a large floorplan, which we found out ,includes a bar and live performances. But we still have not found a better peranakan restaurant than Peranakan Inn at East Coast Road. Our search will continue..)

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #218 - One Direction concert, National Stadium

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #218

- One Direction concert, National Stadium

 

(One Direction in Singapore? Yes, trying to feel like being part of the 33,000 screaming teenage girls at the National Stadium for their 1st concert here proved totally futile - I was no match. The stadium sound system was below par, perhaps because we were at the top row while the 5 singers looked like ants on stage, as the videos below would show. Oh, did I tell you I ended up with one giant headache while waiting for them, who were crazy late by 1 full hour. Still it was fun soaking up that young energy - somehow, watching Justin Bieber 4 years back at the Indoor Stadium was more delightful, with 20,000 less screaming girls - J Bieber concert 2011)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #217 - Salmon sashimi, home-made

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #217

- Salmon sashimi, home-made

 

(We immediately rewarded our Japanese experience upon returning home with our very own fresh salmon sashimi, dipped in wasabi-in-a-tube bought from Tokyo, sitting pretty on a small soysauce ceramic bowl from Kyoto. It was delicious. For the first time, we slurped down our sashimi, prepared from an affordable $42 whole fresh salmon from the supermarket, which would have easily cost over $100 in a city restaurant. Grilling the salmon too is now part of our home cuisine choices. Yum..good brain food indeed)

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #216 - Disneyland, Tokyo

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #216

- Disneyland, Tokyo

 

(This trip gave us a choice: Disneyland or Disneysea? We chose Disneyland, and with the movie Frozen still so hot across the world, it was the right decision - there was a Frozen parade for all to enjoy; even the theme song was in Japanese - see video below. The place was packed with people, which was such a surprise, given that we were in the middle of winter)

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #215 - Asakusa Temple, Tokyo

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #215

- Asakusa Temple, Tokyo

 

(This oldest of temples in Tokyo is situated along busy streets in the heart of Tokyo, giving it the feel of a peaceful sanctuary. Giving a bronze Buddha statue near the temple a head-shoulder-knee-ankle rub will mean a life of wellness on the corresponding parts of your own body - my knees and ankles received immediate rubs. Shops selling all sorts of memorabilia align 2 side streets, with those selling sweet potatoes cakes the hottest sellers)

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #214 - Gotemba Premium Outlet, Tokyo

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #214

- Gotemba Premium Outlet, Tokyo

 

(Another premium outlet? Yes, this one, with over 200 stores, is right under the nose of Mt Fuji, and it came with a nice surprise - some of the stuff here were actually very good deals. We thought the cost of living here would blowout any buying spree but we ended up taking home some great buys from Adidas, TaylorMade and cosmetics. New model Adidas shoes for $50? Yes, please. But I must say NY's Woodbury - My Woodbury Experience -  and Vienna's Parndorf were better experiences for me; maybe deeper pockets then had made the difference?)

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #213 - Mount Fuji, Tokyo

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #213

- Mount Fuji, Tokyo

 

(And so, we arrived at the highlight of this trip, Mount Fuji..right at its foothill, with 3776m right above us. But unfortunately, we couldn't go further up than level 1, when we were supposed to head up to level 5 of a total of 8, thwarted by the authorities there, who must have thought that an eruption was imminent. It was a bit of a deflated feeling, having seen so many wonderful Mt Fuji photos in travel programs. Still, the whole area was charming, with a cold 5C temperature at the hotel and ski-resort just nearby)

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #212 - Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #212

- Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto

(The top draw in Kyoto is this Kiyomizu "Pure Water" Temple. Perched up high on a hill, the street leading to it is filled with shops selling their famous mochi rice-cakes, pottery and intricately-painted fans, and for that afternoon, a lot of ladies in traditional Japanese kimonos. Was there a significance - in search of those 6metres-apart  'love stones' perhaps? Built in the 1600s, it was one of the 21 finalists in the New 7 Wonders of the World global poll, but didn't quite made it - Machu Picchu was one of that 7 - click here : My Experience at Machu Picchu )