The coolest place in hot Manila

Christmas 2005

Christmas in Japan

So finally, I was able to do something I've been wanting to do for 10 years: bringing Marieke with me to see Japan!!! See, I lived in a suburb of Tokyo, called Kawasaki, as a student, when I was working as an intern at Matsushita, at that time the biggest electronics company in the world, better know for its brands Panasonic and Technics. I lived there the first half of 1996, at the same time as Marieke lived in Indonesia as an exchange student. I did visit her on my way to Japan, but she was never able to visit me. Then during my career in Procter & Gamble I have had multiple dealings with Japan, visiting Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto a few times over the years. Again, without her. So you can imagine I was super-excited that finally she was going to experience a bit of Japan, its people, its culture and its cities and sights! (See pictures in the photo album.)

Our reservation agent: Ozaki-san!

Booking hotels can be daunting though. Japan is very developed online, but it's almost exclusively in Japanese! Trying to find a hotel? Good luck! And even though I have a Lonely Planet guide book, it's still not easy. Enter my Japanese friends! Ozaki-san, a guy I've gotten to known doing Siebel projects in Japan, was so kind to arrange all the hotels for us. We stayed in some excellent hotels, so take note if you plan to go to Tokyo! We first stayed in the Takanawa Prince Hotel near Shinagawa station. A nice hotel, walking distance from one of the most convenient train/subway stations in Tokyo. They even had a Santa Claus ice sculpture in the garden! Then we stayed at a typical Japanese phenomenon, a capsule hotel (see story a bit further down below), where mostly Japanese business man tend to end up after missing the last train after a good night of drinking. We also spent a day in Nikko, one of the must-see sights around Tokyo - a couple of temples set in the woods at the foot of some mountains - where we stayed in a Japanese style room at the Turtle Inn Annex.

Arrival in style with Tadashi

Tadashi (another Japanese friend of mine that I know from P&G) picked us up from the airport and immediately took us out to Yokohama, a harbor city next to Tokyo. On the way, we were able to see Mount Fuji - what better way to enter Japan? Yokohama was beautifully lit up, complete with fair and big ferris wheel that displayed all kinds of impressive patterns and colors. Believe me, the Japanese really know how to make things look stylish, even something as common as a fair and ferris wheel! Tadashi took us to an absolutely excellent restaurant where we had all kinds of Japanese food, the way you can only get in Japan itself. We had Japanese mushrooms called Eringi with a bit of salt that tasted like no mushroom we've ever had before; we had fresh tofu, that you had to order 30-45 minutes before as you need to eat it fresh from the cooking pan and they only make it in a few batches. Now I'm not a huge tofu fan, in fact I think it generally is pretty tasteless, but this was something else! It has a taste, unbelievable. After dinner, Tadashi brought us back to our hotel where we offloaded his car and crashed into our room high up in the building with a great view of Tokyo Tower and surrounding buildings. We couldn't have asked for a better start of our vacation.


Tadashi, me and Marieke in front of Yokohama's ferris wheel	Fresh tofu!

The table - pure Japanese style!	Marieke and I thoroughly enjoying our first evening in Japan

Santa Claus-trophobic

On the night of the 24th, we stayed in the Fontaine Akasaka Capsule Hotel, one of the few capsule hotels that also accepts women. A capsule hotel is basically a building with its floors filled with stacked cabins - a bit like a morgue actually! - of 1x1x2,5 meters (or yards) with a little curtain on one side and a TV and radio inside, where you can spend the night pretty cheaply - for Japanese standards at least. The best thing about these capsule hotels are the baths. First you sit down at the showers on a little plastic stool where you use a small towel to completely soap yourself. Then you rinse and go to really relax in a steaming hot bath the size of a small swimming pool.

That evening, we ate in a Tempura restaurant called Hanamura that Tadashi recommended (and reserved for us). At first we were wondering if just eating Tempura (vegetables and fish deep fried in batter) wouldn't be monotonous, but have no fear! It was wonderful! We were sitting in a square room with traditional tatami mats (with leg space beneath, no sitting on your own legs here) with room for about 15-20 people. There were even some women in kimono, enjoying a nice evening out with friends! The cooks were in the middle and we were all facing them as they prepared our food. Apparently, the secret to Tempura is to serve it piping hot and super fresh, straight out of the frying pan onto your plate. It was simply delicious. We sat there enjoying the food and the sake for about 2 hours before we set off, completely satisfied, to our capsules.

Nikko

On Christmas day we set off to Nikko, a 2 hour train ride from Tokyo and famous for its temples in the woods. We stayed in a place called the Turtle Inn Annex, in a Japanese style room: tatami mats on the floor and sleeping on Japanese futons. Nikko is in the mountains and it was bitter cold, but the surrounding holy places and temples were beautiful. We walked through a Japanese garden at Rinno-ji temple, which was the first time for me to see a Japanese garden in snow and ice. Strange! We moved on to Tosho-gu shrine, which contains the Yomei-mon gate (see picture below and in the photo album). This gate is simply breathtaking: unlike most Japanese gates, which are simple and plain, this gate is extremely detailed. It is crowded with detailed, beautifully crafted, containing all kinds of mythical animals and colorful scenes. Simply amazing. I read later that the people building it placed the final supporting pillar upside down, worrying that otherwise its perfection might anger the gods. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it when I was there, nor did I see it back on the pictures.


Rinno-ji temple garden	Five-storey pagoda

Yomei-mon	Jizo statues

After our temple gazing session we wanted to go out to find a nice place for dinner. In very cold weather, we walked for an hour or so not finding a single restaurant that was open! Perhaps we timed it wrongly, it was around 5 PM, so finally we ended up in a supermarket buying chips, some Japanese treats (spicy cucumber - hmmm!) and sake and went back to the hotel. We set up the PC to watch some Scrubs and put heated up the sake in the bathroom sink. It worked very well and although it s not a traditional way of spending Christmas it was actually very nice and cozy and we really had a great time.

The last day we visited a place called the Gamman-Ga-Fuchi abyss, which is an area filled with hundreds of statues of Jizo, the patron saints of the souls of departed children. At one point, we saw an older man walking in, turning towards the river to clap his hands and start praying - I assume for the soul of a lost child. But even if this should be a really sad event, when he turned around and passed us as he walked back, he looked up very friendly to greet us. Japanese people never cease to amaze me in so many great ways.

In Nikko, we also bought a wooden doll. But not just any doll! This one is a Kokeshi doll and a true piece of art. It won Japan s national price for best doll of the year, awarded by the prime minister, and was even displayed in a museum!!! Yes, it cost an arm and a leg, but it is SO beautiful, it was worth it - even if it took us a day and a night to decide!!! We don t have a place for it yet, we need to get a stand first, but we're working on it. Until then, she is properly tucked away in her box.

Back to Tokyo

We met up with Tadashi once more in Tokyo where he again took us to a great restaurant called Mizu no Uta (sorry, Japanese site only!) on the 3rd floor of the shopping mall across the street from Shinagawa station area and afterwards to a bar on top of a sky scraper with a panoramic view of the city - you know, it really makes all the difference when you're somewhere with a local that knows his way around; it makes the experience so much more special. We spent the last few days visiting a few temples and just walking around town, soaking up the oddities only a country like Japan has to offer: girls dressed like they just stepped out of a cheesy 1980s magazine, a shop completely dedicated to pet clothes and we had our own picture taken in true "puri-kura" style! Below are some more pictures, you can find the complete set in the photo album.


Our puri-kura booth where we took...	...our puri-kura photos!!!

Pet paradise...	...for pet clothes!!!

Better learn Japanese...	...if you want to find your way around!!!

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Christmas Saturday and Lazy Sunday

This Saturday, Marieke wanted to organize a get together with Debbie, Dino, Nicki and Alex for a nice Christmas dinner. However, no matter where she looked, she couldn't find any restaurant that did anything Christmassy at all. Unbelievable in a country so religious and so big on Christmas if you ask me... But fortunately Nicki came to the rescue and offered to host the dinner at her place, with a good old English Christmas roast. And good it was! Alex did most of the cooking, and I have to admit, it was delicious; roasted vegetables, roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower gratin, etc. There was also plenty of red wine and by the time we started playing Cranium (great game!) we were pretty plastered already. We played boys vs. girls and the highlight of the game was Nicki planting down a piece of purple clay and Debbie shouting out "cake!" - which was the right answer (after they added birthday to, but still)!!! Cheaters!!! Anyway, the boys won gloriously despite me spelling pistachio as pistaccio and Dino spelling amoeba as ameoba...

After dinner Marieke and I were still very much alive and we wanted to go clubbing. Nicki and Alex decided to turn in instead and we left their place, walking towards Debbie and Dino's flat. I think it took about 5 seconds of convincing before we all left for Embassy Super Club in Fort Bonifacio - the coolest club in Manila and walking distance from where we were. As usual, the music was great, the crowd cool & beautiful and with a vodka-tonic in hand we were going with the flow. Debbie and Dino lasted a few drinks and then finally went home too as they had a Sunday morning brunch at 11 AM - stoopid! Marieke and I stayed a bit longer and made some friends - 2 guys from Thailand, a Filipino guy who claimed he was part owner of the place and who bought me a Jägermeister (foul, foul drink - almost as foul as the Tequila I repaid him with ) and a guy from I think the middle east who called himself Benz and works for Big Fish, an organization that does very decent parties, sometimes with big DJs (Jan 27, Paul Van Dyk will be here!) here in Manila. I don't remember what time we went home (Marieke doesn't even remember how we got home at all!), but it was late - very late. All in all a great, great night!!!

The morning after...

And then the inevitable happens. You wake up the next day. Man, what a HEAD ACHE!!! Fortunately for me though, I always recover pretty fast. Some ibuprofen, orange juice and about an hour of inactivity normally does the trick - it's pretty much uphill from there. Marieke is the exact opposite. She wakes up feeling kind of OK but as the day progresses, her state deteriorates. Until in the evening she can't even bear being spoken to even in the softest tone... Ha! Mietje!!! The best thing about this Sunday though was that it was the first Sunday since a very long time that we had ab-so-lu-te-ly nothing to do. Marieke's studies are finally behind us and we could truly relax and do nothing, without either of us having to worry about a thing. Hallelujah!!!

Saturday, November 26, 2005

After all this time...

Wow, so much has happened since I last updated my site - about 2 months ago!!! I've been out of the country forever, mostly on business trip (Singapore, Cincinnati a few times, Italy) and a bit of holiday (back home in the Netherlands). And it's not going to get much better either: planning another trip to the States tomorrow, Xmas in Japan and New Year in San Francisco combined with snowboarding in Lake Tahoe with Debbie and Dino. I am SO much looking forward to it, you have no idea!!!

I won't be able to write down all I want to today, so I'm just going to update it bit by bit. Why I even bother? Well, really because I see my site as my online diary. I'm thinking that one day I'm gonna sit down and read it all. Not sure if that'll ever happen, but whatever. Doing it anyway!

Saturday, October 1, 2005

Cincinnati golf

On Saturday, Javier and his wife Gaby took me and Sandeep out to a golf course near Cincinnati. This was my first time on any other course than the one I learned on, so I was really excited. Also a bit nervous as Sandeep knows how to play, but thank god Javier and Gaby were also beginners so I was in good, amateuristic hands.

The weather was absolutely amazing - a HUGE change versus the day before when my ears and ass froze off on the way to and from the office. My hotel room still felt cold (from the day before I guess) so I walked out with a sweater and jacket on. Big mistake!!! Fortunately I did bring my sunglasses and would have looked my usual super cool self, were it not that Sandeep was wearing exactly the same outfit as me (including the brand of our polo shirts!) so we looked like complete geeks 'in uniform' instead.

Gaby, me, Sandeep and Javier
Notice my & Sandeep's 'uniform'... ;)

The golf was, in one word, EXCELLENT. We rented electric golf carts to which we strapped the golf bags. Finally! No caddy to watch you as you prepare for a daunting shot!! Also the course was much easier than the Army course I play on in Manila - the only course I'd ever played on till now! It was wider and much, much less sand traps and water. The holes were not all on a hill. And despite the rubbish torn golf glove I got from Javier (that's how he tried to make me lose, I'm convinced of it!), I played pretty well , all considered. We did a lot of Mulligans (basically playing a shot again if you screwed up the first time, something all of us quite regularly did), which made it a lot more fun too.


Javier's 'spare' golf gloves...	...only used to give buddies who forgot theirs, to try to negatively influence their game...

...and it works too! Thank god for Mulligans!	El Commandante keeps guard while Sandeep lines up the ball

The only difficulty was the height of the grass on the fairway: even though we played most of the balls onto the wide fairway, we spent a considerable amount of time looking for our balls in the high grass. But hey, we had the golf carts so it was actually kinda fun. I drove mostly with Sandeep and whenever he was at the wheel, I'd just press down the pedal with my foot, forcing him to show off his best driving skills to prevent us from keeling over or slamming into Javier. Something that eventually happened anyway - but what can you expect with a Mexican behind the wheel... Here is a link to the complete photo album.


Elated speed devils: Indian driving skills	Mexican and Philippine driving skills: incompatible

The inevitable scores. Pretty respectable by my standards!	The course. We did holes 1 to 9

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Anilao with Angus

After the second week, where we showed Angus around (almost) all the great places Manila has to offer (restaurants like Kai and Mati (first time he ever ate Greek!!!), Neo for a relaxing Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage, a round of golf on the Army golf course, the works!), we booked a diving weekend in Anilao with our Buddha-instructor Pong. The diving was great, except for the fact that Angus got buddied up with "Suicide Zed". A Filipino that we gave that name for his reckless behavior under water. He was very inexperienced and instead of staying close to his buddy, he just finned off in any direction - mostly away from us - to look at god knows what. Not only that, but in the process the spastic moron knocked out anything that came in the way of his mighty fins, including his buddy, other divers and fragile coral. At one point he even sat down on an underwater castle-like structure, on top of the coral!!! What an idiot! Fortunately, with his behavior, it's only a matter of time till he kills himself. Then it'll be like the old Pulp Fiction classic line when Butch (Bruce Willis) talks to his wife Fabian on the bike:

- Fabian: Whose motorcycle is this?
- Butch: It's a chopper, baby.
- Fabian: Whose chopper is this?
- Butch: Zed's.
- Fabian: Who's Zed?
- Butch: Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.

Fortunately Debbie joined us on Saturday. Dino was still in/near the hospital back in London for his heart operation (some aggressive water bacteria had attacked his heart from the inside and he nearly died - he was lucky that they finally found what it was, just in time to prevent him from walking around with a pacemaker the rest of his life! ). She immediately teamed up with Angus, staying away as far as possible from Suicide Zed. that night we did our first night dive. The water was very choppy and Marieke ended up throwing up at the end. The dive itself was terribly boring. I think we saw 1 fish! I've heard that night dives are the best so I'll give it another try but this was really not worth the time... Check out the pictures here

Sunday, September 4, 2005

Lunch at Sonya's garden

Last Wednesday, Angus arrived in Manila for a business trip. He works for HP now and he has a group of people reporting to him here and that was of course the best excuse to come visit me on company expenses (at least that's my version of the story!) Marieke is in her last throes of graduation and wanted to put in some decent work over the weekend so on Saturday, Angus and I took off to Intramuros, as far as I know the only site really worth visiting in Manila. We walked around the old town, went to the museum with its ruin-garden and saw a wedding take place in St. Augustin church (I am starting to think that's the only thing happening in that church - I see one every time I'm there! Great for the visitors of course.) We joined up with Marieke in the evening for dinner at Kai (the best restaurant in Manila!) and drinks in Absinth - the worst place to end up drinking as we invariably order Absinth and wake up with a major head ache the next day!)

On Sunday, we had Buboy, Debbie and Dino's driver, at our disposal and we decided to go out for lunch to a place called Sonya's Garden. We heard about it before but we'd never gotten around to actually visit. It took us about 2,5 hours to get there, with some spectacular views of lake Taal on the way. Sonya's garden was beautiful, an oasis of green after living in Manila for so long. It's a big garden in the mountains with cute little huts here and there, where you can actually stay overnight. It looks really lovely and we'll surely do that soon! After our garden walk we went to have lunch. They serve a fixed menu made completely with the ingredients that grow in the garden, it doesn't come any fresher than this! We assumed (and heard) it'd be all vegetarian but there was some chicken sauce that we could put over our spaghetti. But for some reason, none of us even tried it - the salad and condiments were already enough to satisfy our taste buds!