1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #528 - Geyser Strokkur, Iceland

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #528

- Geyser Strokkur, Iceland 

 

(We have arrived at the mother of all geysers, the place where the name "geyser" came from here in Iceland. And this Strokkur Geyser at the geothermal area along the Golden Circle here spouts hot spring up to 40m high every 5-10 minutes or so. The 1st one took me totally by surprise, clearing 20m easily from the ground - see video below. It is quite a spectacle, seeing it for the first time. And look at those Icelandic horses, at a farm not too far from Strokkur. They have a lot more hair than the usual horses, to keep warm)

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #527 - Pingvellir National Park, Iceland

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #527

- Pingvellir National Park, Iceland 

 

(Cold is good..and we love the snow and glaciers - we couldn't have come to a better country for those than Iceland. Landing in -2C temperature at Reykjavik, we were off for our 3-day tour by Aurora Hunters the next morning, towards the southeast part of the country, including this strange looking land of brown and white at Pingvellir National Park. Split into North America on one side of the tectonic plate and Eurasia on the other, we were literally crossing between America and Europe between footsteps. The scenery here is captivating, especially under the morning glow of the sun)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #526 - Harajuku, Tokyo

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #526

- Harajuku, Tokyo

 

 

(Our final stop here in Tokyo before heading to the Haneda airport, is Harajuku. Scene of Japan's street fashion, Harajuku is very much targeted at the young folks in Tokyo. On Friday and Saturday nights, the famed Harajuku girls with their fancy hairdo show up in droves. But not tonight, being a Tuesday. We did spot a well-known food joint - Wolfgang Puck Express. We had to try it, especially after having a sumptuous dinner at his MBS outlet some time back. We were indeed not disappointed - their pizza and carbonara were nicely done, and their striploin steak was nearly perfect - a steal at these prices)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #525 - Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #525

- Tsukiji Fish Market, Tokyo

 

 

(The Tsukiji Fish Marker here in Tokyo is definitely one of a kind. The variety of fish and ocean catches here is amazing. Even without the auctioning off of giant tunas here, the market is buzzing. We had to try the freshly made tuna roll, dripping with tuna strips on both ends. It was deliciously fresh. We also couldn't pass up on taking our final bowl of ramen here, right along the busy road. For 700yen, it was heavenly!)

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #524 - Kawazu cherry blossoms, Izu Peninsula

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #524

- Kawazu cherry blossom trees, Izu Peninisula, Japan

 

 

(The Kawazu town is famous for its cherry blossom trees that lined the river here. But it seems like we have arrived a little early, perhaps by 2 weeks. But still the sakuras here were blooming on some trees, making the area a pleasant walk. The stalls here were selling many local products, including raw wasabi, but the best buy was their sweet potato strips, grilled to perfection. If we had walked a little further, according to the local signage near the bridge, we would have reached "nirvana". I wonder how that would have felt like..)

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #523 - Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma prefecture

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #523

- Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma prefecture, Japan

 

 

(Kusatsu Onsen is one of the top 3 onsens in Japan. It boast the highest volume of hot flowing spring water running through it, with a high sulpgur content, thus its health value. On this cold morning at -2C, the steam created a beautiful mist around the town area, and with thick snow still covering the rooftops, it makes for a lovely feeling all around it. A local theatre here put up a short musical show to tell the story of how the hot water is cooled down to useable temperature by striking it with wooden planks - nicely performed)